The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

Usually, the size and value of a reward chest depend on its contents, and the amount and quality of the rewards depend on what you went through on the Adventure.

'White Silver, huh…'

Also called a Platinum Box.

Seol looked calmly at the White Silver chest.

When given as a reward, Platinum Boxes usually contain at least one Peerless item.

'There's no way I'd get two Peerless items, right…?'

Although that had happened before, there was no way it would be the case this time. After all, he would have gotten a White Gold box if there were two or more Peerless items.

'There will definitely be at least one Peerless item…'

It was known that a Platinum Box was given when the average quality of the reward, aside from the Peerless item, was at least Treasure or above.

Seol didn't even glance at Rare equipment—he usually ignored them. However, about 70% of the dropped equipment was typically Rare, and the remaining 30% was Treasure and Peerless.

In other words, most of the equipment he got was Rare.

Although he had gotten so many, most of what he wore was Treasure-quality or higher.

'Is it because I briefly became the Head of the Library of All Knowledge?'

He felt it would be okay to expect a good reward this time.

"Let's see…"

He opened the White Silver chest obtained from this adventure.

Click…

Click…

Or rather, he tried to.

'A lock…? Ah!'

Seeing that the White Silver chest merely shook and didn't open, Seol tilted his head in confusion before quickly recalling something.

Platinum Boxes and onward were locked, and the keys to unlock them were obtained from high-ranking reward chests.

- Huh?

- What?

- Mom, open the door. What? Ah, the key is under the flowerpot?

- What will happen now?

While the viewers grumbled at the confusing situation, Seol quietly waited for a moment.

'If it's the first White Silver chest…'

Soon, a message Seol had been waiting for appeared.

[You are the first to open a White Silver chest.]

[You have earned the inaugural achievement 'Click, Click.']

[You have earned the inaugural title 「White Silver」.]

'No, not this.'

[You are opening a White Silver chest for the first time.]

[Opening a White Silver chest or higher requires a key.]

[Keys have a very low chance of dropping from reward chests.]

[The chance of getting a key increases based on the rank of the reward chest.]

Now that he had confirmed that it was at least a White Silver chest, he gained the right to start collecting keys.

In short, he couldn't open the chest right away.

- Woah, hahaha.

- You need to install the certificate.

- You need to install ActiveX... Disable to popup blocker...

- Stop! Stop it!

Choices appeared before him.

[You have discovered a treasure chest radiating an impressive energy. However, it doesn't seem to respond, indicating that it might be under a special lock. What will you do?]

1. [Requirement: Great Strength] [Risk: Loss of reward] You forcefully tear the lock apart with immense power.

2. Do not open it until you find a method.

3. [Requirement: Skilled Lockpicking, Lockpicking Tools] Use tools to unlock it forcibly.

4. [Requirement: Unknown Key] Use a key to unlock the chest.

…

Seol was going through the options when he finally found the phrase he was looking for. Soon, a message related to it popped up.

[You are very wise.]

'Yes!'

It was an option available to only those with a certain level of Lockpicking or more than a certain amount of Wisdom.

[Your high wisdom instantly comprehends the mechanism of the lock.]

[Infusing mana into the lock will release it.]

If you met either condition, you didn’t need a key to open a White Silver or higher-ranking chest.

Click…

Whir…

The chest began emitting a strange light.

[Verifying the lost and found items of the Library of All Knowledge.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have received a skill point.]

[You have received a skill point.]

[Affluent’s Bonus Effect activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[Sly Blood-Hue Snake activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[Someone Better’s Bonus Effect has activates.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have received an additional skill point.]

[You have obtained The Blade that Cannot Freely Laugh.]

[You have obtained The Calm Clown's Dagger.]

[You have obtained Pants of the Chilling Castle]

[You have obtained Cold Wave.]

[You have obtained Seal of the Head of Library of All Knowledge.]

[You have obtained 50 Platinum Coins (Khan).]

[You have obtained 2 Unknown Keys.]

[You have obtained 1 Firery Breath potion.]

…

'Ah! So this is why…'

As expected of a White Silver chest, the rewards were splendid.

Although The Blade that Cannot Freely Laugh and The Calm Clown's Dagger were great Treasure-quality weapons, unfortunately, neither Seol nor his summons could use them.

He thought he should store them for now and maybe put them up for auction or send them to an acquaintance.

The two Treasure-quality rewards were essentially omitted.

In the past, he might have held his head and lamented his misfortune, but not this time.

There were still plenty of rewards left to check.

First, he checked the pants that had a chilling energy.

[[Pants of the Chilling Castle].

Rank: Abomination

Recommended Level: 45-53

Defense: 170

Durability: 140/140

Weight: 0.3kg

These pants are made from a fabric imbued with cold energy.

The energy runs wild, causing trouble for the wearer.

Basic Effect: Intelligence +32 Wisdom +39 Constitution +35

Bonus Effect: These pants have a high chance of inflicting the wearer with Abnormal Status: Frostbite during combat. Whenever that happens, all enemies within a certain range will suffer from Abnormal Status: Frostbite. This effect partially ignores the opponent's resistance.]

The option was very troublesome.

Frostbite was a very bad abnormal status due to it applying Slowed too. If Frostbite could happen during battle, there was no way he would ever wear these pants.

However, Seol had an ability that allowed him to ignore the penalties of Abominations.

'Great!'

The Frostbite penalty would only be applied to his enemies, and Abominations always brought excellent effects to Seol.

Especially this time, since he now had five Abominations, the effects would probably be quite substantial.

'Let's see…'

Seol quickly changed pants.

[You have currently equipped A abominations.]

[All of your stats increase by 10.]

[All of your skills have their mana costs decreased by 10%.]

[Shadow Space increases 1,000.]

[All of your stats increase by 20.]

[Shadow Space increases 30%.]

"…"

The last line was the effect of wearing the fifth Abomination. The bonus was so great it left Seol stunned.

- Abominations! Bring them all!

- I buy~ Unused Abominations~

- At this rate, even if there's a level gap, I should also buy Abominations!

- Devastating options.

Things were off to a good start.

Next was the ring.

A ring engraved with letters.

[[Seal of the Head of Library of All Knowledge]

Rank: Treasure

Recommended Level: 45-55

Resistance: 140

Durability: 130/130

Weight: 0.1kg

A commemorative ring for the tenure of the position of the Head of the Library of All Knowledge. Custom-made, it can only be worn by those qualified.

Basic Effect: Wisdom +28 Constitution +33 Spirit +40

Bonus Effect: Stats are increased after reading. Up to a maximum of 100. Grants the 'Reading' talent. The Special Stat ‘Dignity’ is increased by 50. Only those with the title 'All Knowledge' can wear it.]

'This is… Unique-quality!'

Just as other items of the same rank varied in quality, Treasure-quality items were no different.

The Treasure item he just obtained was one of the good ones.

Items with restrictions were often regarded as top-tier. If those restrictions were met, the equipment could perform beyond its rank.

If the conditions were fulfilled, the Seal of the Head of the Library of All Knowledge could be as powerful as a Peerless item.

'No, if it grants a talent… It's actually beyond that.'

Unlike Peerless items, it wasn't that there was only one in the world, but it had the very strict condition of having become the Head of the Library of All Knowledge.

For an item that could have multiple copies to surpass the performance of a Peerless item, it would need to have incredibly difficult usage conditions or be extremely limited. The ring fulfilled both of those conditions.

- Is this really just a Treasure…?

- He suddenly became a specialist in reading;

- A ring! A ring finally dropped!

The reason the chest was White Silver was likely because of this ring and the Abomination.

'Then, shall I check the last reward?'

He could guess what rank the final item had.

Seol examined the radiant ring.

[You have acquired Peerles: Cold Wave.]

[You have acquired an item that didn’t exist in the world previously.]

As expected, Peerless!

- Yes!

- Another ring?

- This is good! Both rings he was wearing were junk anyway, hahaha.

- Jamad: Dad's not sleeping… Bring me the ring.

[[Cold Wave]

Rank: Peerless

Recommended level: 45-55

Resistance: 150

Durability: 150/150

Weight: 0.1

Extreme Cold is a ring known to have been worn by Azran that has a chilling energy contained within it.

Cold Wave is a high-quality replica modeled after that mysterious ring, so high that it has been stored deep within the Library of All Knowledge.

Basic Effect: All Stats +2

Bonus Effect: Freezing (Unique), Hot Reasoning (Unique), and Boring Joke (Unique). It allows the user to resist the cold even without wearing cold-resistant items. The Special Stat Dignity is increased by 100.]

- Huh? It's a fake?

- Dear, were you the type of person who carries around fakes?

- But this fake is worth 100K at least…

- I love its frugality.

- Woah, this cannot be called a fake…

- A fake that's hiding an immense power…

- This is the final item!

- Seol's setup is finally complete, hahaha.

Seol immediately decided to wear the two rings the moment he saw their stats.

It made sense, considering the level of the rings he had been wearing so far.

'What are the abilities of this item?'

[[Freezing (Unique)]

- Abilities that apply Abnormal Status: Frostbite now trigger Abnormal Status: Frozen.]

[[Hot Reasoning (Unique)]

- The duration of abnormal statuses affecting the wearer is reduced by 10%.]

[[Boring Joke (Unique)]

- The activation time for Frost-attribute abilities is significantly reduced.]

Since it was a ring modeled after the one the Grand Duke of Frost used, it was a great ring for a Frost Magician.

Of course, it was also good for Seol to use it directly.

Although he didn't have many Frost-attribute abilities, the equipment’s options would also apply to Jamad, who had absorbed Branka, and Ur, who was bound to grow stronger.

Upon wearing the ring, his Dignity, which was previously 0, now was 150.

[Dignity radiates from you, and it cannot be hidden.]

[You can become an object of awe.]

- Woah;; He looks cool;;

- What? What happened? Why does he suddenly look cool?

- New hair dye? Teeth whitening? Brazilian waxing? Nose ring? What did he do? What changed?

- If it was a nose ring, you should have been able to tell it immediately.

Though Seol's appearance hadn't changed much, the atmosphere around him was undeniably different.

Now, something subtle was leaking out, making him seem far from ordinary.

Seol then checked the titles he had obtained.

[[Inaugural Title: All Knowledge]

Related Achievement: The Newly Arrived (Adventure: Solemn Library)

Special Effect: Greatly increases reading comprehension. Your reading speed increases dramatically.]

A title that perfectly matched the newly acquired ring.

[[Inaugural Title: Retiree]

Related Achievement: Chasing After Dreams (Adventure: Solemn Library)

Special Effect: When you miss an attack, regain 10% of the resources spent.]

[[Inaugural Title: White Silver]

Related Achievement: Click, Click

Special Effect: At least one Unknown Key is guaranteed to appear in White Silver or higher-ranking chests.]

All of the new titles had excellent effects that brought a smile to his face.

Actually, everything he received from the Library of All Knowledge was like that.

Ur obtained the Grand Duke of Frost's forbidden book, Jamad absorbed the Ancient Shaman Branka's Shamanic Spells, and Seol acquired powerful equipment.

He was growing faster than any other transferee.

* * *

Some time had passed since Seol left the Library of All Knowledge.

Since that day, the Library of All Knowledge had disappeared.

If you asked the ghosts in the Ghost Realm if there was weather, they would all say yes.

The sun rises and sets here as well. The changes were just less distinct than in the Human Realm.

A woman was gazing off into the distance while wearing a melancholic expression.

It was Seol Hong, who had Yu Hwa's appearance.

Swoosh…

Chi Woo, who was in his wolf form, approached and sat beside her.

"How's Jin Ryeo?"

Chi Woo shook his head at Seol Hong's question.

"Still sleeping."

"That's just like her."

"It's nice that she's consistent, right?"

"Jin Ryeo has a lot of morning sleep."

"She just always sleeps a lot."

"Hahaha…"

"Unlike someone… Unlike Jin Ryeo, Seol hardly ever slept."

"…"

"That's why it was him who always… Hmm? Shall I stop?"

Seol Hong was biting her lip.

Chi Woo offered words of comfort upon seeing her expression.

"There must be a reason he can't come back quickly."

"It's been many weeks since we last heard news of him."

"There's also quite a distance between here and there."

"…"

The direction Seol Hong was looking was where the Library of All Knowledge used to be.

The Library of All Knowledge had disappeared a week ago.

So what happened to Seol, who was there? Why wasn't there any news of him?

"Seol Hong, are you okay?"

"I'm scared."

"Scared?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Chi Woo continued to speak with her calmly.

"Seol Hong, you've become stronger."

"…"

"And there are plenty of people around to help you now. For example… The handsome and gallant Chi Woo… Or Jin Ryeo, who's still sleeping…"

"I know."

"There are also many people who acknowledge you, right? I'm sure when you return, the Empire's citizens will welcome you back. You've become that kind of person now."

"Yes…"

"And yet… you’re scared?"

Nod…

Seol Hong nodded.

"He's been helping me since I had nothing… But now that he's suddenly gone, it feels like I've gone back to that time."

"…"

"Back to the me who had nothing…"

Whack—!

Chi Woo headbutted Seol Hong's thigh.

"Chi Woo…"

"Seol Hong, pull yourself together!"

The one person Seol Hong could completely trust… If she had to name such a person, she would choose one without hesitation—Kang Seol.

Compared to before, Seol Hong had grown significantly both mentally and physically.

But now, Seol's absence was causing her immense distress.

Had she known this would happen, she would have followed him.

All addictions lead to unexpected outcomes, but the most dangerous addiction of all is to another person.

Seol Hong was slowly losing her sense of purpose.

Although she hadn't noticed it due to her clouded judgment, Chi Woo, who was by her side, had.

"Seol Hong! He promised us!"

"Promise…?"

"Yes! He promised he would come back!"

"Ah…!"

"Do you remember now?"

"But…"

"Has he ever broken a promise?"

Seol Hong tilted her head for a moment before answering.

"No, he hasn't."

"See? Exactly! Seol always keeps his promises, so he'll be back soon. Just wait for a bit longer."

Chi Woo lifted his head confidently as if telling her to trust him. Seol Hong smiled faintly and hugged Chi Woo.

"Thank you, Chi Woo."

"Ehem… If I disappear, you'll be just as down, right?"

"…"

"Kang Seol, once you return, I'm going to kill you."

As they sat in the yard, someone approached.

Rustle…

"Hmm?"

"Spectre?"

"What are you two doing here?"

"Just catching some air before morning training… But why?"

Spectre, who looked like a young girl, said with her hands behind her back.

"He's back."

"What…? What did you just say?"

"He just returned. He's inside with Master Cha…"

Paf—!

Paf—!

In the blink of an eye, Seol Hong and Chi Woo disappeared from their spot like flashes of light.

While watching them leave, Spectre shook her head and said.

"Tsk, tsk… It's not good to be so dependent on someone."

She smirked.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped. After all, he is someone reliable."

At that moment, a guest had arrived at where Hamun was staying.

"I'm glad you're safe."

"It was truly dangerous."

"Don't you always take risks?"

"I went a bit too far this time."

"Haha… Although you're complaining, you seem to have changed quite a bit."

"Is that so…?"

Hamun nodded at the guest's words.

"It seems that going to the Library of All Knowledge was the right choice."

It was at that moment.

Creak—!

"Oof… Oof…"

"Pant… Pant…"

Out of breath, a golden wolf and Seol Hong burst through the door and stared at Hamun's back. Then they looked past him to see the guest's face.

Seol Hong's face froze in shock.

With a calm gaze, the guest looked back at Seol Hong.

Seol had returned.

Seol Hong hesitated, unsure how to address him due to the change in his atmosphere.

"You're late…"

Seol smiled at her clumsy greeting.

"I'm a bit late."

"I thought something happened to you…"

"Well, a lot of things did happen."

Seol Hong finally smiled.

"But still, you came back."

Seol nodded.

"I promised, didn't I?"

He had sealed another Shadow Wolf blocking the way to the highest floor, faced the resurrected Ancient Glacier Shaman, dealt with the Head of the Library, who activated on its own, and even met the copy of the Grand Duke of Frost.

After going through all sorts of hardships, Seol was finally back.