WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 40
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I returned to the private training room.
“You’re back?”
It was Hye-won.
And behind her stood familiar faces.
The eight supporters who had entered the Abyss with us.
The people who had smiled while receiving medals not long ago were seated side by side.
Yet their expressions were quite stiff.
One kept rubbing their knees, while another fidgeted with their interlaced fingers.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, we just got here too.”
The answer came unusually quickly.
They looked even more nervous than when they had received their medals.
It was only natural.
The reason we had gathered here today was to check the Abyss rewards we had yet to open.
I opened my inventory.
Then I reached in, took something out, and set it on the table.
Thud.
A small box.
Purple lines were tightly intertwined across its black metal surface.
A face with closed eyes was engraved at the center of the lid, and a number glowed beneath it.
『100%』
【Abyss Pandora Box (100%)】
Rank: ???
Description: A reward box based on contribution to clearing the Abyss.
The higher the Clearing Progress achieved, the greater the chance of rare rewards appearing.
Hye-won looked down at my box before taking out hers as well.
The supporters followed, reaching into their inventories.
Thud. Thud.
Identical boxes were placed on the table.
Exactly ten.
Every one of them bore the number one hundred percent.
The Abyss did not give fixed rewards like the Tower did.
How much it had been cleared.
That achievement determined the box’s quality, while what you actually received could only be learned by opening it.
A random draw, as people commonly called it.
But this time, we had reason to be hopeful.
‘One hundred percent, plus the blessing that increases rewards.’
Achieving 100% Clearing Progress in the Abyss, where Raid Parties from other dimensions came charging in greedily, was no easy feat.
On top of that, America had received a blessing through clearing the Abyss.
[For the next 100 hours, the rank of all Tower-related rewards you acquire has a certain chance of increasing.]
Now was the perfect opportunity to check the rewards.
“Who wants to open one first?”
At Hye-won’s words,
“...”
Their gazes moved between one another.
No one readily raised a hand.
They seemed hesitant now that it was time to open them.
After a moment,
“I’ll go first.”
Naomi Brooks, the supporter with Strength Enhancement, pulled her box toward herself.
Scrape.
Her chair dragged across the floor.
The colleagues beside her subtly leaned closer.
Hye-won craned her neck as well.
As though her palms were sweating, she rubbed one against her pants.
Then Naomi gripped the lid with both hands.
Click.
The latch released on its own.
Whoooosh.
The purple lines flowing over the box’s surface gathered on the lid all at once.
The engraved face opened its eyes.
“...!”
Her shoulders flinched.
But she did not let go.
Then she slowly lifted the lid.
Creeeak.
Light leaked through the gap.
At first, it was only a thin line.
But it soon filled the inside of the lid.
Flaaash!
Golden light surged up to the ceiling.
“Oh!”
Someone beside her gasped.
“...”
Naomi, who had opened the box, was frozen with her mouth hanging open.
Hummm!
Slowly, something rose from within the light.
It was neither a sword nor armor.
It was a sheet of paper.
Golden patterns spread across its pure white surface, while fine particles of light scattered around its edges.
It slowly spun before coming to a stop above the box.
I leaned forward in my chair.
‘This is...?!’
Naomi carefully reached out.
The instant her fingertips touched the paper,
[You have acquired a Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket.]
“...Blessed?”
She blinked.
She read the message again, then looked down at the ticket in her hand.
【Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket】
Rank: Unique
Category: Consumable
Effect: Select one Relic you possess and enhance it.
Can be used on Relics with an enhancement level of +5 or higher.
When used, the target Relic’s enhancement level increases randomly by 1 to 3.
The usual limit for a Relic Enhancement Ticket was +5.
This Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket allowed it to go beyond that.
If you were lucky, it could even jump by as much as +3 at once.
‘This is appearing already?’
At first, I had only expected Relic Enhancement Tickets or Skill Enhancement Tickets.
But what was this?
A Blessed Enhancement Ticket.
Normally, it was something you would only see above the fiftieth floor of the Tower.
Even from an Abyss Pandora Box with a completion rate of one hundred percent, it was not a reward that should appear now.
‘Did its rank increase?’
The Tower’s blessing bestowed upon America.
It was clear that the effect that had a certain chance of raising the rank of Tower-related rewards had activated.
The Relic Enhancement Ticket that was originally supposed to appear had changed into a Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket.
“Congratulations.”
“...”
At my words, she only stared at the ticket for a while.
Her expression suggested she had much on her mind.
“Should we open ours too?”
At Victor Howard’s words, the others began opening their boxes one after another, filled with anticipation.
[You have acquired a Relic Enhancement Ticket.]
[You have acquired a Skill Enhancement Ticket.]
[You have acquired a Relic Enhancement Ticket.]
...
Rewards of the same kind appeared one after another.
And finally,
[You have acquired a Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.]
“Yes!”
Noah Bennett, who had received a Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket after Naomi, clenched his fist.
That concluded the opening of the eight boxes.
There were two Blessed Enhancement Tickets.
The rest were ordinary Relic Enhancement Tickets and Skill Enhancement Tickets.
‘The odds aren’t as high as I thought.’
Two times out of eight.
That was not enough to know the exact odds, but it was clear that it was not something we could expect every time.
Hye-won looked around at the empty boxes.
“Do they only give Enhancement Tickets?”
“Probably.”
That was correct.
But I did not say so with certainty.
When I was alone with Hye-won, I often found myself explaining everything I knew without thinking.
But there were other people here now.
Unlike Hye-won, who had only recently become an Awakener, they had gained experience while climbing the Tower.
If I already knew the contents of the first boxes we had obtained, they might find it strange.
There was no need to invite suspicion, so I had to be careful.
Now, everyone’s gaze gathered before us.
Two boxes remained.
Hye-won’s.
And mine.
They looked the same as the other boxes, but they were not.
[The ‘Soul of a Disaster Monster’ dwells within.]
[Upon opening, the reward’s rank increases by one level.]
End-Dragon Morgast.
It was a unique enhancement effect gained by defeating it.
It had not been granted to the entire Raid Party.
Only those who had directly participated in the battle against the Disaster-Type had received the soul.
Among us, only Hye-won and I had it.
‘If the Tower’s blessing applies here as well...’
One was guaranteed.
The other was chance-based.
If both applied, we could receive a reward even higher than a Blessed Enhancement Ticket.
Hye-won placed her hand on her box.
“I’ll open mine first.”
Then she opened it.
[You have acquired a Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.]
Hye-won received it with both hands.
The patterns engraved on the paper slowly moved.
“I got a Blessed one too.”
A smile formed on her lips.
It was certainly a good reward.
Even for Hye-won as she was now, there were plenty of ways she could use it.
However,
‘It seems both effects didn’t apply.’
It appeared that only the reward rank increase from the Soul of a Disaster Monster had applied.
My disappointment was brief.
It was my turn now.
Without hesitation, I opened my box.
At that moment,
Flaaash!
A pure white radiance poured out from beneath the lid.
“...!”
I narrowed my eyes.
A sheet of paper rose from within the light.
Its surface was translucent.
Layer upon layer of patterns were engraved across it.
‘This is...?’
Something came to mind.
But I could not easily believe it.
In the end, I grabbed it.
【Skill Rank-Up Ticket】
Rank: Transcendent
Effect: Raises the rank of the target skill by one level.
“...A Skill Rank-Up Ticket?”
The description was simple.
But its effect was anything but simple.
‘Why is this appearing here...?’
Even the Blessed Enhancement Tickets had been questionable.
But this...
It was a type I had never obtained even before my regression.
Of course, I knew it existed.
I had only heard rumors that another country’s Vanguard had acquired one.
Yet there it was, that rare Enhancement Ticket I had never obtained before my regression, right before my eyes.
‘Both effects applied!’
The Soul of a Disaster Monster.
And the blessing for the first Abyss conquest.
I could not hide the smile creeping onto my face.
This single ticket was far more valuable than climbing several more floors of the Tower.
“Now that we’ve checked all the rewards, we can dismiss...”
We had finished checking the rewards we wanted to see.
Just as we were about to disperse and return to our own places,
“Mr. Kang.”
Naomi called out to me.
She held the Enhancement Ticket she had drawn first.
She looked down at its golden patterns for a moment, then held it out to me.
“Would you accept this?”
“...Pardon?”
“I would like Mr. Kang to use it.”
I looked at the Enhancement Ticket she held out.
A Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket.
It was something difficult to obtain now even with money.
“Even if you don’t have a use for it right away, please keep it. When you obtain a good Relic later...”
“I considered that too.”
Naomi nodded.
“But Mr. Kang will be entering the thirtieth floor soon.”
I had indeed been planning to enter the 30th floor before long.
“I heard the thirtieth floor is a major obstacle. I made sure to watch the interview you gave after you were the first to conquer. You said its difficulty was unlike anything before it. That even Awakeners who had climbed well until then could lose their lives there.”
She looked down at the Enhancement Ticket.
“That is why I judged it would be better for Mr. Kang to use it now than for me to wait until the day I need it.”
“Even so, I cannot accept your reward.”
“We’re giving it to you because it’s our reward.”
Naomi’s voice was quiet.
“I thought about where to use it, and decided to use it this way.”
She placed the Enhancement Ticket in front of me.
Her fingers lingered briefly at the edge of the paper.
“This time, more than five thousand people returned because of Mr. Kang.”
“...”
“I returned too.”
I raised my head.
Naomi was looking at me.
“While you two fought outside, we waited. We only watched as the Clearing Progress rose.”
The other members listened silently to her.
“And we returned. We met our families, and now we’re thinking about what comes next.”
She withdrew her hand.
“I hope other people can do the same.”
I could not answer easily.
“For that to happen, Mr. Kang has to grow stronger.”
Naomi’s gaze moved to the Enhancement Ticket.
“If this can help even a little, please use it. To save more people, and to return alive from there.”
For a moment, no words came out.
Tap.
Victor placed his own Enhancement Ticket beside it.
“I wish I could go in with you and lend my strength, but we can’t do that on the thirtieth floor.”
He pulled back his hand and added,
“But you can take this with you.”
Rachel then placed down a Skill Enhancement Ticket.
“I considered using it on my skill.”
She laid the paper out flat.
“But for now, I’d rather contribute it to the person moving ahead first.”
Other hands followed.
Ethan.
Lewis.
Claire and Emily.
Some gave a short nod, while others met my eyes before placing down their share.
Finally, Noah reached out.
A Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.
He had been happier than anyone else to receive it just moments ago.
He stared at its patterns for a moment before placing it on top of the other Enhancement Tickets.
“Please return safely.”
That made eight tickets.
I looked down at the table.
The faces that had been tense in the hope that something good would appear came to mind.
The hands that opened the boxes.
Even the cheers that burst out when they confirmed their rewards.
Everything they had gained like that was now placed before me.
Then a small sound came from beside me.
Slide.
It was Hye-won’s hand.
A ninth Enhancement Ticket appeared on the table.
“Hye-won.”
“Please use mine too.”
It was a Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.
“You need it too. You have skills to enhance.”
“Even without using this yet, the lower floors won’t be a problem. I gained skills this time, and my level increased too.”
Hye-won looked at me.
“I can use it a little later. You have to go to the thirtieth floor, Seong-un.”
“Still...”
“We fought together in the Abyss.”
Her fingertips left the paper.
“But I can’t follow you this time.”
I closed my mouth.
Hye-won had fought beside me.
When I pushed in, she froze the enemies’ feet, and she threw Ice Spears where my sword could not reach.
But I would not be able to receive that help inside the Tower.
“So please take it.”
She spoke.
“I hope this can make you even a little safer.”
Nine people were looking at me.
No one said it would be fine if I did not accept.
They had already made their decision and placed the tickets before me.
I looked at the Enhancement Tickets again.
The thirtieth floor.
I knew what I would encounter there.
I also knew how I needed to fight and what I had to prepare.
And now, the shares of nine people had been added to those preparations.
“...Thank you.”
I reached out.
I gathered the Enhancement Tickets one by one.
They were paper.
They should have been light.
But the Enhancement Tickets in my hands felt heavier than any metal.
* * *
Everyone returned to their places.
I was left alone in the training room.
No, more precisely, I was with the Enhancement Tickets they had left behind.
Four Relic Enhancement Tickets.
Two Skill Enhancement Tickets.
One Blessed Relic Enhancement Ticket and two Blessed Skill Enhancement Tickets.
And... the Skill Rank-Up Ticket.
In truth, I did not need much time to decide how to use it.
Transcendent Body.
The foundation of Super Novice.
Even if I enlarged my body with Giantification and surrounded myself with an enormous shield using Shell, this skill was at the foundation of it all.
Enhancing another skill would be good too, but changing Transcendent Body would change everything built on top of it.
So I picked up the Skill Rank-Up Ticket.
[Please select the skill whose rank you wish to raise.]
[You have selected ‘+5 Transcendent Body’.]
[Would you like to use the Skill Rank-Up Ticket?]
Riiip.
I tore it.
Fwoooosh.
Light flowed from the split paper.
The light climbed up my fingers and wrapped around my arm.
It soon passed through my shoulder and chest before seeping through my entire body.
[The rank of Transcendent Body increases.]
[The skill evolves into Boundless Body.]
[The existing enhancement level is retained.]
The skill’s rank increased.
At the same time, its name changed.
【+5 Boundless Body】
Effect: All Stats increase by 400%.
“...Four hundred.”
The base effect alone, excluding enhancement, was three hundred percent.
With the effect of the existing +5 added on top, my Stats had increased by four hundred percent.
I lowered my head and looked at my hand.
Nothing had changed on the surface.
But every time I moved my fingers, strength so great it felt unfamiliar followed.
What if I used Giantification with this body?
What if I added enhancement effects on top of it and cast Shell?
And besides,
“...”
I picked up the golden Enhancement Ticket left on the floor.
A Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.
And I had two of them.
With these, I could reach an enhancement level above +5, which ordinary Enhancement Tickets could not raise any further.
[Using a Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.]
[Target: +5 Boundless Body]
Flaaash!
Light flared.
Normally, it would simply end with a +1 enhancement.
But this was no ordinary Enhancement Ticket.
[The enhancement level increases by 2, enhancing +5 Boundless Body to +7 Boundless Body.]
A random enhancement of 1 to 3.
An increase of 2 was not bad.
【Effect: All Stats increase by 450%.】
And the change that followed.
It was only +2, but it had increased by fifty percent rather than the previous forty percent.
That was only natural.
Starting from +6, each enhancement increased it by twenty-five percent.
The higher the enhancement level, the greater the increase from enhancement became.
Next, I used the final Blessed Skill Enhancement Ticket.
Riiip!
Light burst from the torn paper.
But this time, it was a little different.
The golden light around my body did not disperse easily.
It ran along my arms, gathered in my chest, then spread through my entire body again.
Thump!
My heart beat.
[The enhancement level increases by 3, enhancing +7 Boundless Body to +10 Boundless Body.]
“...!”
The maximum result I had not even expected appeared.
Along with it,
[The +10 enhancement special effect has been unlocked.]
[Special Effect: Bone-and-Muscle Enhancement]
[The skill undergoes a further evolution.]
Hummm!
The energy drifting through my body settled deep within.
Strength took root in my skin, muscles, and bones.
【Bone-and-Muscle Enhancement: All Stats increase by 10%.】
The increase from enhancement, plus the additional ten percent from the extra ability.
【Kang Seong-un (Super Novice)】
Level: 55
Strength: 625
Agility: 555
Health: 646
Skills: +10 Boundless Body, Giantification, Shell...
Pure Stats, without using any buffs or consumables.
Squeeze.
I clenched my fist tightly.
Right now, Abysses in other countries were not the problem.
The one hundred hours of blessing granted through the first conquest of the Abyss.
I planned to make the fullest use of that time with the strength entrusted to me by the eight people, Hye-won among them.
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