Chapter 137  

In this world, items such as ancient relics or treasures of the otherworld had ranks. They functioned almost like they would in games.

‘In the original novel, the ranks were revealed to be Common, Rare, Treasure, Unique, Legendary, and Mythic.’

Among these, items of the Unique rank or above were said to be the only ones in existence throughout the entire universe.

‘Ultimately, the best that one could normally obtain were items of the Treasure-Class.’

Even so, there was a simple reason why the Insignia of Protection was particularly special. It was an engraving item. Treasures of the otherworld were somehow visible to others because the items often had peculiarities that stood out, and they could be acquired by killing the owner. However, the engraving item was different.

‘In any case, it is engraved on the body like a tattoo, so it cannot be easily taken away.’

Even though it was visible as a tattoo, it was something that essentially engraved itself on the soul, so it was impossible to take it away from the owner. Death was no exception. Due to this reason, even though they were also Treasure-Class items, the engraving item's value was much higher.

‘And among these engraving items, the Insignia of Protection has the highest level of defensive performance within the Treasure-Class.’

Needless to say, the Insignia of Protection was a popular item and was difficult to find in the dimension bundle, even though it was not a Unique-Class.

‘This is unsurprising since there are only a few hundred Treasure-Class items in the entire universe…’

In fact, Yu-Seong had obtained the treasure through the lottery. This was an item that would have been difficult to obtain even if he had 30,000 karma points to purchase it.

Ping Pong observed how naturally Yu-Seong was engraving the Insignia of Protection on himself and wondered how Yu-Seong had obtained knowledge about the item. However, after accepting the celebratory treat, a single stick of candy, that Yu-Seong had offered him, he happily went back to his own dimension with all his doubts dispelled.

After that, Yu-Seong met with Yu-Ri and asked her to do several things, including watching over Yoo Jin-Hyuk, before challenging the promotion examination. In fact, Yu-Seong didn't have to think long about the difficulty level for the promotion examination.

‘Extreme difficulty level.’

Even from the start, one would only pick the normal difficulty level if they couldn’t clear the extreme difficulty one. However, some people were entirely opposed to choosing the extreme difficulty level.

‘If you're not careful, you could die before you even announce to give up.’

Yu-Seong believed that his accumulated experience and skill were decent enough that he wouldn’t fail to clear it. Of course, this challenge wouldn’t be an easy one. However, the harder the challenge, the greater the reward.

With such considerations in his mind, Yu-Seong entered the C-rank promotion examination.

***

《Choi Yu-Seong, the D-rank MAX level player, is entering the extreme difficulty level C-rank promotion evaluation.

Good luck.》

Yu-Seong heard the same message that he had heard during the D-rank promotion exam. Then, as if he were swallowed whole, he suddenly entered a whole new place. When he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar face of Mr. Guy, a rabbit wearing a tuxedo.

Mr. Guy smiled and waved at Yu-Seong. "Choi-Hi! It means Choi Yu-Seong, hi!”

"Yeah, that must be a popular catchphrase now," Yu-Seong replied.

"Oh, I see. So there's someone else besides me who used this cool catchphrase. I'm sure they must have great character and charm too, hong hong." Mr. Guy smiled.

If Ping Pong had heard Mr. Guy’s compliment, his tail would have certainly fluffed up with pride. "You've grown quite a lot. It's hard to see it as just a rank difference. Just how many near-death experiences have you been through?" asked Mr. Guy.

"I've encountered countless near-death experiences since being in E-rank," said Yu-Seong.

For some reason, death always seemed to loom over an Irregular. Whether it was due to the tendency of Irregulars to become stronger simply by surviving or because Yu-Seong had grown strong from surviving in such an environment, Yu-Seong, who had been chosen as an Irregular, certainly experienced many perilous situations. And those experiences had now made even the promotion exam supervisor, Mr. Guy, take notice.

"Well, that’s all good. Seeing a player like you challenge the extreme difficulty level is quite an enjoyable thing for me. Most of all, thanks to the support of the gods again, we were able to make a great test field," said Mr. Guy.

Yu-Seong heard Mr. Guy mention "the support of the gods" and felt a sense of frustration. He had suspected that the mischievous Loki may have had something to do with it, but the thought that the other gods may have intervened as well caused his anger to rise. However, he managed to suppress his emotions and replied with an awkward smile, "Wow, I’m already hearing such happy news.”

"Hong hong, that's right. I've heard that, in your world, there's even a saying, ‘make hay while the sun shines,' so shall we start right away?" asked Mr. Guy.

"Sure. You're going to make me lose consciousness again?"

"No, this time, you can just watch with open eyes."

As Mr. Guy spread his arms wide, the space that had previously been empty began to fill with a rainbow light. The light was so intense that Yu-Seong couldn't even open his eyes to look at it. Naturally, he closed his eyes. He could hear Mr. Guy's playful laughter behind him.

"If you can," said Mr. Guy.

"...What a delightful comment," Yu-Seong replied.

The intense light momentarily blinded him, even with his eyes closed, and the ringing in his ears grew louder as it enveloped him. He was still conscious, but his body felt limp, and his senses were dull. His head was spinning so much that it felt like the world was upside down.

‘I can even smell something…’

Was it the smell of oil? Or was it a slightly acrid smell like sulfur? Just as Yu-Seong was starting to feel that way, the light, noise, and sensation that had been making him feel uneasy all disappeared, and he quickly returned to normal.

Naturally, Yu-Seong slowly opened his eyes and easily identified the source of the sulfurous smell that was heating him up. "Is this...lava?"

In front of him was an empty space with nothing but a small patch of land where he and Mr. Guy were barely able to stand on it. The land was surrounded by bubbling, boiling lava. In fact, Yu-Seong did not need Mr. Guy’s further explanation.

?Player Choi Yu-Seong is currently undergoing a promotion examination of extreme difficulty level ++

The format of the exam has been altered from a snake's path to a Hot Flames Board of the Five-Colored Hells. To successfully pass the promotion, you must navigate through all five hells. Good luck!?

This promotion examination didn't have any harsh penalties like the time Yu-Seong had to catch a thief. Nor was there any elaborate explanation.

‘In fact, there's no need for that.’

Yu-Seong looked out at the vast expanse of lava in front of him. There were small rocks that he could step on scattered throughout the landscape, but he couldn't see an exit beyond the horizon of boiling lava.

"Hahaha... How do you like it? I picked out a great test site for you," Mr. Guy said.

"It's very impressive. Is it even possible to clear this?" asked Yu-Seong while tilting his head skeptically.

"Of course. Promotion examinations are designed so that even if the difficulty level is high, players can still clear it within their own rank. There's no such thing as impossible. That's why the Five-Colored Hells has appeared in Hot Flames Board form. Hong hong," Mr. Guy said.

"So it's designed to be cleared..." said Yu-Seong.

"Yes, typically, the passing rate for an exam of this extreme difficulty level is around 2%," Mr. Guy replied.

"How about the exam I am taking right now?" asked Yu-Seong.

"If I calculate it roughly, it has a passing rate of about 0.001%," Mr. Guy replied.

"Wow, this isn’t a completely impossible area. It's amazing!" Yu-Seong exclaimed sarcastically.

"Hong hong. Yes, our examiners work hard to prepare fair test sites. Cheer up, Yu-Seong. I'll go ahead and wait for you at the next location," Mr. Guy said with a satisfied smile.

Once Mr. Guy leaped over the lava and disappeared quickly, Yu-Seong was left alone. He took a deep breath, looked at the lava, and said to himself, "Lava..."

He then sat down on the central island and fell into deep contemplation. How was he going to cross this sea of boiling lava? Feeling doubtful, he muttered, "Wait... Shouldn't I be feeling incredibly hot while standing here in the middle of a sea of lava?"

Yu-Seong was standing in the center of a sea of lava. Normally, by now, he would be drenched in sweat, and his body would have turned red, but a few beads of sweat were only starting to form on his forehead now.

‘Could it be...?’

Suddenly, Yu-Seong realized something and carefully lifted his toes up to the lava. In an instant, his shoes melted away without a trace. As the tips of his toes touched the lava and heated up, he cried out, "It’s hot!"

It was like being in a cold place and then suddenly stepping into a hot spring. His skin instantly prickled. In other words, it was incredibly hot.

“...It’s incredibly hot, and that's it?” Yu-Seong widened his eyes as he realized something.

- A Joke-loving Prankster expresses his frustration at the fairness of the test.

Then, Loki's message popped up in front of Yu-Seong’s eyes.

‘Aha...?’

Normally, in such a dangerous situation, Loki would have been excited and would have sent a message to express that. Only now did Yu-Seong understand why he had been so quiet.

‘So this is what Hot Flames Board means!’

It looked like lava, but in reality, the temperature was not that extreme.

‘If one has the ability to resist heat, one can handle the scorching temperatures of this level with ease.’

And before the promotion examination, Yu-Seong had acquired an engraving item called the Insignia of Protection, which granted him overall resistance.

After assessing the situation, Yu-Seong took off all of his clothes without hesitation. There was no point in keeping clothes made of thin cloth or linen because they would just melt away in the heat.

- A Joke-loving Prankster mockingly criticizes player Choi Yu-Seong for his shameless action.

Yu-Seong looked up at the sky and smiled. Then, he leaped into the sea of lava without hesitation. "Uaaah-!"

As he expected, the heat was so intense that a cry of pain escaped his lips. Although, it was not an unbearable level of heat. Thanks to that, he could occasionally rest on the rocks that jutted out of the lava as he went on his way.

‘If I stay here for more than five minutes, I'll get burns, or my body will start to burn anyway.’

Despite the fact that he took a bit of time, Yu-Seong made steady progress. By choosing this method, he was able to successfully pass through the first stage of the Five-Colored Hells, the red hell, in approximately half a day. He proceeded to the next gate that was emitting a black light.

***

Mr. Guy, who had said he would wait in the next location, widened his eyes as he saw Yu-Seong, who looked extremely miserable. He commented, "You...came much faster than I thought?"

"Is that important?" Yu-Seong asked.

Mr. Guy nodded firmly. "To be honest, I thought the probability of you passing the first level was 0.00001%..."

"The numbers are even lower than before; how pleasant."

"Oh, hong hong...!" With an awkward smile, Mr. Guy's gaze turned to a faraway place. Then, as if reading something, Mr. Guy looked at Yu-Seong in surprise and asked, "Eh? Mr. Choi Yu-Seong, have you obtained the Insignia of Protection?"

"Yes." Choi Yu-Seong nodded, his tousled and burnt hair swaying along.

Mr. Guy widened his eyes. "I'm hearing this for the first time... Are you telling me to change the exam's contents?"

Then, as Mr. Guy started a conversation with someone, Choi Yu-Seong ignored him and looked around. The black hell, where purple poison fumes were spreading, opened up after he had passed through the red hell of lava.

'This promotion examination...'

If one had the ability to resist, one could clear the test with relative ease. However, the conditions of the test were somewhat harsh.

"Excuse me... Mr. Choi Yu-Seong, or rather, Mr. Yu-Seong, there is a suggestion to change the content of the test..." said Mr. Guy.

"The die has been cast."

"What?"

"Why change the content of the promotion examination once it has been decided?" asked Yu-Seong.

Mr. Guy dropped his head in frustration. It was clear that Yu-Seong intended to pass the exam easily.

- A Joke-loving Prankster scorns the player Choi Yu-Seong. He sends a direct message. 'Do you want to be handed a pass on a silver platter like that?! You lazy bastard!'

With a happy smile, Yu-Seong immediately replied, “What can you do with it? I'm just lucky."