The situation quickly turned chaotic. Aileen and her party didn’t intend to fight. At first, they only wanted to register at the crystal stele’s checkpoint. She planned on persuading them before using brute force if the mysterious people refused. However, the crystal stele wasn’t a checkpoint.

[Quest discovered!] [Summary – You have discovered a group trying to steal an ownerless crystal stele.] [Goal – Steal the crystal stele from that group.] [Reward – Special Skill Acquisition Book – Lv.3 Secret March, Lv.5 Crystal Stele]

A quest suddenly popped up and the opposing group treated them as an enemy. Aileen felt slightly surprised. The giant from the opposing group smiled as they recognized each other.

“You.”

The fight began after she muttered a single word. The giant man took off his robe and shot forward like the wind. He clearly wanted to fight, but Aileen stopped his charge with one word.

“Stop.”

The giant froze in front of her. His feet dug into the ground as he tried to resist the Spirit Speech. However, a slim man holding a spear also attacked Aileen’s group.

“I’ll be your opponent!”

Shin Jonghak intercepted him and the two spearmen began fighting. Koong! Shin Jonghak felt a heavy pressure as their spears made contact. However, he could manage it.

“Hold on.”

Long ranged reinforcement came from behind as Yi Yongha’s hellfire shot towards them. Jin Seyeon’s arrows also came flying without her even using a bow.

Cheok Jungyeong’s body clashed against Yi Yongha’s fire as Jin Yohan’s spear clashed with Jin Seyeon’s magic arrows. Shockwaves burst and whirlpools of magic power erupted. The ground cracked from a single exchange and further exchanges shook their surroundings. The full power attacks from these high rank superhumans even split the clouds in the sky.

Then the hyenas jumped in when Cheok Jungyeong and Aileen ran low on magic power.

“Miss Aileen, more enemies are coming. I’ll shoot them down.”

Jin Seyeon noticed them first with her excellent eyesight. Several hundred arrows rained from the sky towards the enemies. Her attack swept away half of the 50 djinns. However, Evil Society’s executive, Kim Hakpyo, blocked the arrows with his demonic energy tentacles and Satan’s Servant, Kim Ohsung, created a powerful barrier around himself.

“Uhahahaha!”

Cheok Jungyeong burst into laughter at the djinns’ sudden appearance. His laughter shook the earth as he faced them with sincere happiness.

“Come!”

He roared and the resulting shockwave caused blood to burst from a few djinns’ ears. Cheok Jungyeong went wild as his armor deflected their attacks. He jumped like a gorilla and crushed the heads of every djinn he came across.

“He’s really crazy.”

Aileen murmured apathetically and chased after him. KWANG! KWANG! She unleashed another wave of magic power as Cheok Jungyeong’s fists swept through the djinns.

“Stop, you gorilla bastard.”

Spirit Speech restrained Cheok Jungyeong’s movements as his eyes turned towards Aileen.

“Where do you think you’re going? You should play with me.”

They both smiled at each other. As they planned on estimating each other’s true power…

Silent streaks of light flashed through the battlefield and the world seemed to stop for a moment. Thud, thud. Eight djinns pierced by the mysterious streaks fell to the ground. Blood flowed from their necks as their bodies scattered away.

No one had seen this attack coming. Everyone on the battlefield fell silent and tried to comprehend the situation. Ssss— Meanwhile, Jin Seyeon unleashed her magic power and restrained her allies’ movements.

“…?”

Yi Yongha and Shin Jonghak looked at her curiously.

“Don’t move.”

Jin Seyeon muttered. In her mind, the previous attack had served as a warning. If anyone moved, the next attack would come at them. Jin Seyeon searched for the sharpshooter with her Divine Archer eyes. However, she couldn’t detect anyone at all. The battlefield remained silent…

“Fuck!” Kim Hakpyo finally shouted and broke the silence. His body had turned completely black in his devil transformation. Thanks to this, he managed to survive the ambush.

“Waiting room!”

The remaining djinns also couldn’t locate the mysterious sharpshooter and decided to escape using their [Emergency Waiting Room Teleportation Tickets]. The hyenas all retreated and only the original forces remained.

“Tsk.”

Cheok Jungyeong clicked his tongue, seemingly having been contacted by someone.

“Screw off.”

He shooed Aileen’s party away as though his interest had disappeared. However, Aileen didn’t move an inch until Jin Seyeon urged her.

“Miss Aileen, let’s fall back for now.”

“…”

Aileen clenched her teeth. Was she shocked or just too proud to give up?

“We didn’t plan on fighting anyways. We’ll be at a huge disadvantage if we continue.”

The previous attack would’ve taken their lives if it had targeted them. However, the mysterious sharpshooter only attacked the djinns. Jin Seyeon didn’t know why, but they should retreat if the sharpshooter wanted to let them go.

“Aileen.” Yi Yongha also chimed in.

“Haa.”

Aileen finally sighed and turned around. “Fine, I’ll leave.”

Aileen’s party slowly distanced themselves from the crystal stele.

Like that, a single sharpshooter ended the huge battle between many high rank players.

***

[7F, Game Center] [Welcome to the Game Center.] [You have received the special skill acquisition book, Lv.4 Algorithm, as the first player to enter the 7th floor.]

I arrived at the 7th floor lobby along with the new system alerts. It didn’t look like an arcade from Earth despite its name. It looked much more futuristic like something out of a science fiction movie. Humanoid robots walked around and a huge, grey pathway led to an unknown destination.

— Welcome, customer.

A robot wearing a suit approached me. Its body resembled a human, but its face looked like a machine. I had designed this floor, but seeing it in person still awed me.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

I knew this robot’s identity, so I talked politely on purpose.

— I am APG-365. I must identify and register your existence. You may refuse, but you will have to return to the lower floor.

“No, that’s fine.”

I emphasized my willingness to cooperate.

[Lv.??? APG-365]

I couldn’t see the robot’s high level until I confirmed it was level 55 with my smartwatch. The robot’s name referred to the Great One and 365 of them existed on the 7th floor. Each of them could obliterate the current Cheok Jungyeong or Aileen in one blow.

— Please present your wrist.

I didn’t dare to offend it in any way. All hail AlphaGo.

“Ah, yes.”

I placed my arm out and the robot grabbed my wrist.

— You may pay 5000 TP for an advanced neurotech implant chip. You may also choose to pay 1000 TP for a basic electronic chip if you lack the funds.

“I’ll go with the advanced chip.”

I took out 5000 TP without hesitation. Most players would choose the 1000 TP chip or skip the 7th floor entirely, but that was the worst choice. This advanced neurotech chip was one of the 7th floor’s best gifts.

“Here you go.”

I handed the robot 5000 TP.

— Confirming…

A beam of light shot out from the robot’s eyes as it scanned the TP. Then it collected the money and jammed a chip into my wrist. A sharp pain instantly traveled through my arm and shook my spine.

“Kuuk!”

— This chip is linked to your nerves and will restrain you if you cause any trouble on this floor.

“Got it. Argh, that hurt.”

I slowly stretched and stared at the system alerts.

[Your body has been linked to the 7th floor’s advanced neurotech chip (now called Extra7’s personal chip).] [You have luckily received a master grade chip!] [Your strength and speed have increased by 0.5 points.] [Extra7’s personal chip is being analyzed for unique effects…] [You have received battle sense support from your chip!] [You may upgrade your chip inside the Game Center’s upgrade center.]

The 7th floor contained one of the methods to artificially enhance my innate physical limits. I could easily reach the 8th floor, but it would be best to spend more time here.

— Player Extra7 has been confirmed.

“How many are inside right now?”

— Four individuals are enjoying games at the moment.

“Mmm.”

One should be the 7th floor’s administrator and the other three should also be administrators from other floors. Players weren’t the only ones who could climb the tower. Prestige’s citizens could climb too if they wanted, but it would be difficult since they didn’t have player benefits like the inventory, private waiting room, etc.

— The Game Center contains many games. You may purchase rewards with the points earned from games. Please take your time looking around.

“Hmm.”

I scanned the 7th floor’s scenery. All sorts of games existed on this floor like fighting games, RPGs, board games, poker, etc. A system alert popped up.

[A total of 53 different types of games exist on the 7th floor.] [Players may receive special rewards depending on the records they set in different games.] [The special rewards will be given once 1000 players enter the 7th floor.]

First, I headed towards the section specializing in virtual reality games.

Wiing— Wiing— 

Meanwhile, my smartwatch continued to vibrate.

[You have obtained 7SP.] [You have obtained 6SP.]…

The arrows I shot must’ve caused a commotion. I followed a sign that said [Virtual Reality Games] and arrived at an arcade. Rows of virtual reality capsules lined up in the huge room.

[Virtual Reality Gaming Capsule] [This capsule contains 27 games.] [You may purchase special rewards with points earned from playing games on the 7th floor.] [You must exchange your TP for cash, the Game Center’s currency, to play games. (Note: You cannot re-exchange cash for TP)] [You may receive cash as a reward depending on your performance.]

Players could use the cash currency to purchase items, including the 8th floor ticket. If I recalled correctly, it should cost about 10000 cash.

“Hnng.”

I stretched in front of a capsule before placing my wrist against it. Sss— It opened and revealed a bubble chair inside, but I needed to do something first.

“Scan.”

The number 26 flashed on the capsule. That would be more than enough. [Young Dwarf’s Dexterity] would help me with all the physical aspects of games and the [Random Consolidation System] would enhance the capsule’s overall functionalities. Fighting games, RPGs, FPS, and MOBA games could all be played on the capsule. I felt confident in placing first in every single player game.

“How comfortable.”

I lay in the enhanced capsule. Even the seat’s comfort had increased.

“Oh right.”

[Boss you can come up now.]

I sent Boss a message before closing the capsule. Soon, my vision turned dark and system messages popped up.

Welcome, Extra7. Here is a list of games you may play.

1. Fierce Charge 2. Gladiator’s Battle 3. Princess Maker…

***

“We just learned our standing in the hierarchy, haha.”

Jin Seyeon laughed amidst a somber atmosphere in the Riry Restaurant.

“You think this is funny?”

Aileen furrowed her brows.

“What do you mean our standing in the hierarchy? We only retreated because you couldn’t find that sharpshooter! Shouldn’t a sharpshooter handle the opposing sharpshooter?”

“Cough, you’re right. It seems I still lack training.”

Honestly, Jin Seyeon’s performance couldn’t be called lacking. After all, her rain of magic arrows killed 20 of the 50 djinns. However, she couldn’t accomplish the most important task, so she didn’t make any excuses.

“Hnnng, how embarrassing. Just how many people watched that fight?”

Aileen buried her head in the table and squirmed. Wiggle, wiggle. Soon, she slightly raised her head with a mark on her forehead.

“Most people would’ve seen the footage by now because of the tower’s system. I suggest you don’t look at the public forum for a while.”

Koong!

Aileen slammed her head on the wooden table once more.

“How’s everyone else doing?”

Jin Seyeon stopped paying attention to the depressing kid and turned towards Shin Jonghak. He looked at his food with a somewhat solemn expression.

“Shin Jonghak?”

“…”

He didn’t answer even when Jin Seyeon called. The shock he received seemed too great. Shin Jonghak spent the entire time fighting one on one with the unknown spearman. Their fight hadn’t concluded, but it felt one-sided. Shin Jonghak had been overwhelmed and his opponent had gone easy on him too.

“How come you’re the only one who’s unaffected?”

Jin Seyeon looked at Yi Yongha eating fried rice without a care in the world.

“Eh? Oh, um, I’m the type who doesn’t get stressed by such things.”

Yi Yongha strived to live a leisurely life and only joined the Temple of Justice because of his innate talent. He would undoubtedly be equal to Aileen if he worked harder. After all, they called him a genius whose gift and talent equaled Aileen’s.

“What about you? You don’t seem affected either.”

Yi Yongha asked. Jin Seyeon bitterly smiled and shook her head.

“No, I’m affected.”

The mysterious sharpshooter’s attack was one thing, but his stealth astonished her the most. Where did he go after shooting his arrows? Did he fire from beyond my eyesight’s 4 km range? How did an attack from such a distance carry such killing power?

“I feel very uncomfortable as well.”

Even the Divine Archer Jin Seyeon felt threatened.

***

[Fierce Charge] [1st – Extra7]

[Gladiator’s Battle] [1st – Extra7]

[Mini-game Heaven] [1st – Extra7]

[Spring Gunner] [1st – Extra7]

[2031] [1st – Extra7]

…

I took first place in every game other than the three that Kim Suho would place 1st in. Not even an administrator could surpass my overwhelming results.

[Cash – 38,624]

Naturally, I received more than enough to purchase the 8th floor ticket. With that, I had finished everything on the 7th floor and could go up to the 8th floor after a single day. However, I had to do one last thing before that.

“Huuu.”

Jin Sahyuk would soon arrive on the 2nd floor. I would have to pay her another visit as I promised. I put on my hood and left the arcade.

“Woah!”

“Hmm?”

I almost bumped into someone with white hair and a sly-looking face. His face looked like a stereotypical Western noble.

“Oh, how’s it going?”

He smiled at me. I felt like I knew him and smiled back.

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m the 7th floor’s administrator, Simad.”

Simad reached out and shook my hand.

“Ah, nice to meet you too.”

“Haha, I’m happy to have my first customer. Not to mention…”

He glanced at the arcade with a thin smile.

“Such an accomplished one too. I have a suggestion. Do you want to play cards with us?”

“Cards? Us?”

I tilted my head. I didn’t expect the 7th floor’s administrator to make such an offer so easily.

“Yep. Someone ran away, so we’re short one person. Administrators don’t often hang out with players, but you’re the first to enter my floor.”

“…”

I looked at Simad. Honestly, I didn’t know his character too well since this floor didn’t appear much in the original story.

“Sorry, I don’t have time.”

I felt confident in winning any game. Still, I didn’t want to follow him. Gambling on this floor only occurred in cash and that wouldn’t benefit me anymore. Cash could only be used on the 7th floor and resided in the chip that every player had to buy. TP could be exchanged for cash, but not the other way around. I already had plenty. The only thing left was to upgrade my chip.

“We’ll be gambling with TP. Your pocket seems full, so—”

“I’ll join.”

Now that sounded worth it.

“Ohoho, what a bold young man. Great, follow me.”

I followed Simad without hesitation. I wondered how much I could take without angering them too much. We arrived at a VIP room adorned with gold after walking past a lobby guarded by several robots.

“Open.”

The door opened at his command.

“I’m back. I found someone, so we can play a bit longer.”

“Hm? Who did you bring? I told you, I’m not going to play with robots.”

A familiar voice spoke.

“I brought a player, not a robot.”

“What? Are you mad?”

“I’m completely sane. He’s quite rich and we can always go easy on him. We’re only playing for fun, right?”

Simad glanced at me as he explained. I walked up and stood next to him. Then I looked around the VIP room.

“Eh?”

A short exclamation came out of my mouth. A gambling table stood at the center of the huge room and one of the two administrators around it was…

“Oh?”

The 3rd floor’s administrator, Medea.