TRC 08

Chapter  08…

[Rank 32, Nam Yohan, has been defeated.]
[Rank 8, Sancho Fedoro, has been defeated.]
[User’s combat ability has been confirmed to be overwhelmingly superior.]

Third battle: duration 48 seconds.
Fourth battle: duration 1 minute 21 seconds.

The Hall of Records certainly matched me with tough opponents—
but the synergy created by Gary, Freki, and me far surpassed anything they could throw at us.

‘Too easy.’

Before I knew it, the final round had arrived.

‘Who will it be this time?’

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I calmly waited for the next opponent.

“…”

[Matching in progress…]
[Opponent: Rank 1, Ju Gunryul.]

“…Oh?”

Well, I did expect it.

Rank 872.
Rank 104.
Rank 32.
Rank 8.

Each match had been climbing higher and higher—something was clearly up.
And now I had finally met one of the Three Sovereigns.

Ju Gunryul, the Guardian.

‘Though honestly, I was hoping for Julie Pearson…’

The genius who invented artifacts. I’d wanted to meet her in person.

In my previous life, I’d never had the chance—
because by the time I started climbing the Tower’s lower floors, she had suddenly gone missing.

‘And never appeared again after that.’

Still, that was nothing more than personal curiosity.
For a final opponent, the sturdy Ju Gunryul was far more suitable.
There was something I absolutely needed to test—
for the journey ahead, and to earn another “Ticket” from the Hall of Records.

‘Actually, this is perfect.’

Look at that build.
That massive frame.
Muscles wrapping his entire body like armor.
Triangular shields strapped to each arm.

“He really does look like he wouldn’t bleed even if you stabbed him.”

Truth be told, this was my first time ever seeing Ju Gunryul in person—even counting my previous life.
He had died six months later, during the conquest of a top-tier Red Gate.

‘That’s for later. Focus on the fight.’

I tensed, watching for movement—but he stood still like a statue.

“…”
“…”

‘So the rumors were true.’

The reason he was called the Guardian—
he never struck first.
He was famous for using his opponent’s attacks against them.

“Well then, before the real experiment begins… let’s give it a poke, shall we? Whistle—!”

At my whistle, Gary and Freki sprang forward.
I had told them to use “Elastic Transformation (B).”

“Grrr—!”

In an instant, the two beasts swelled to enormous size—large enough to swallow Ju Gunryul whole.

“Graaaah!”

Boom!

With a roar, they slammed their front paws down together.
But Ju Gunryul didn’t even flinch. He caught their paws and hurled them into the ground.

“Yelp!”
“Whine—!”

“Back off, you two.”

A curved karambit knife spun low through the air, aiming for his ankle.

Clang—!

“!”

Ju Gunryul and “flexibility” sounded like contradictions, but he dodged and countered like an acrobat.

Clang! Clang-clang—!

Triangular shields versus dual knives—
a rapid exchange of blows.

‘The longer this goes on, the heavier my body feels…’

One of his skills, no doubt.

“Ugh… what kind of monster did this guy face in the Gate to end up dying there…?”

A shield edge came slicing for my throat—
timed with terrifying precision.

‘Which makes it my turn.’

I activated Blue Wolf’s Step (C).

Shrrk—

The shield passed harmlessly through my half-transparent body.
If the timing had been even slightly off, I’d have been dead.

‘Risky—but worth it.’

And now, the reward was right in front of me:
his exposed side.

Without hesitation, I slashed horizontally with the karambit as I slipped past him.

Shraaaak—!

The muscles that looked like armor split open, revealing soft flesh underneath.

“Whew…”

I stepped back to catch my breath—
and then witnessed something unbelievable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

His wound was closing—fast.

‘If he can heal like that, why bother blocking my attacks at all?’

I couldn’t help but laugh.
He was the perfect test subject.

‘And since he doesn’t attack first, I can concentrate freely.’

“Woof—!”

Gary and Freki came to my side again.
I patted them both gently.

“I know you’re not really the Gary and Freki… but sorry. What I’m about to do will hurt.”

Normally, this technique was unthinkable to attempt.
But this was virtual reality—
no real-world backlash or penalties to suffer.
It was the perfect chance to learn where my limits were.

‘Besides… I bet even the Hall of Records has never seen something like this.’

I closed my eyes.

It had all started from a simple question:
“Can’t talents be upgraded like skills?”

Back then, I’d begun researching immediately.
And eventually, I’d found the answer.

‘A talent can be temporarily promoted using another talent as a medium.’

Of course, that required certain conditions—
but the core principle was “talent itself.”

‘Meaning, only someone with double talents can do it.’

Using Beast’s Friend (A) as the medium,
I had upgraded Resonance (C)—
creating the talent Berserk (S),
which explosively amplifies a beast’s latent power.

That’s why they called me the Monster Tamer.

‘If I want to get stronger fast, Berserk is essential.’

Now was the perfect time to attempt another upgrade.

“Limit Break…”

That’s what the system called it.

[User attempts to break the limits of ‘Resonance (C)’ using the medium ‘Beast’s □□(?).’]
[‘Beast’s □□(?)’ violently resists.]

‘…What?’

That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Talents didn’t have wills of their own—how could it refuse?

“What the hell—cough!”

Blood sprayed from my mouth.
The coughing didn’t stop.

“Cough—cough! Cough!”

Then came the flood of warning messages:

[Level -1.]
[All stats -1.]
[Level -2.]
[All stats -2.]
…
[All levels and stats have dropped below zero.]
[Status abnormal: mana depletion, neural collapse, near death, rhabdomyolysis…]

Even during past limit breaks, sacrifices were required.
But this… was excessive.

“Damn it.”

Life never goes as planned.

‘My vision’s fading…’

The Hall must be planning to end the test.

‘Fine. At least I learned that unverified talents need more preparation.’

I’d gambled and lost, but the outcome wasn’t bad.

‘Didn’t get Rank 1, but I achieved what I came for—
an A+ rating and a Record Transfer Ticket.’

Just as I was about to relax—

Ding!

[‘Beast’s □□(?)’ decides to observe the user’s actions.]
[Limit Break successful! A new talent has emerged!]
[Talent ‘Promising(?)’ will remain active for 60 seconds.]

Talent: Promising (前途有望)
—Grade: ?
—Description: Assumes the beast’s latent potential has matured to perfection in an ideal future—and manifests that assumption into reality.

“…Huh.”

Reading the description left me speechless.

Berserk?
This was on a whole different level.

Grrrrr—!

Gary and Freki’s forms were changing.
They radiated a noble, overwhelming power—like mythic beasts.

“Guys…?”

At my call, they stepped between me and Ju Gunryul.

Flash—

And in the blink of an eye, Ju Gunryul dissolved into fragments of data.
The two had defeated him instantly.

“…Is that even fair?”

Then, exhausted, they quietly retreated to their nest.

It almost felt wrong—like I’d used a cheat code.

Moments later, the system displayed the results.

[Rank 1, Ju Gunryul, has been defeated.]
[User has won all five battles.]
[Rankings updated.]

[1st — Kang Siwoo]
[2nd — Ju Gunryul]
[3rd — Miyamoto Daichi]
[4th — Julie Pearson]
[5th — …]

[Recording terminated.]

“Phew… finally done.”

I’d thought the Player Test would be a breeze, but it had been exhausting.

‘What a long day…’

I just wanted to go home and rest.
Mom was probably waiting with spicy pork stir-fry.

But it wasn’t over yet.

[System has detected potential talent advancement.]
[New discovery!]
[Reward: 1 Record Transfer Ticket.]

[User now holds 2 tickets.]
[Displaying all recorded players’ data.]

‘No matter how tired I am, I can’t skip the rewards.’

I reminded myself why I came here.

‘Now then… whose record should I take?’

A list of players and their status windows appeared.

Meanwhile—

Je Gal-sang.
Vice Guild Master of Cheonsun (Heaven’s Shield), China’s top guild.

He was currently in Seoul to negotiate with the Korean government.
His guild planned to begin a major Gate raid soon.

‘Korea doesn’t have someone like my brother or that Japanese swordsman…
but it’s the country with the most advanced Gate strategies.’

That was why he had come—to exchange technology.
They’d teach Korea their Player training methods in exchange for Korea’s Gate-conquest techniques.

‘I only came to give some advice before negotiations, to show superiority, but…’

His opponent turned out to be a Tamer.

Even for an irregular, that was absurd.

Tamers were garbage—so useless they didn’t even qualify for recycling.

“What do you think, Master Je Gal?”

Seo Gyeoul asked in fluent Chinese.

Je Gal-sang twirled his mustache.

“Well, he’s got the basics down from what I’ve seen of the first battle… but so what? He’s a Tamer. He’d have done better as a Thief.”

“I see.”

“And the second opponent—Liam Gamwell, right? That British archer? That boy won’t get past him.”

Seo Gyeoul turned to the monitor.
On screen, Kang Siwoo was narrowly dodging Liam’s arrows.

“Well, if Team Leader Seo really wants him, I could train him myself. He’d become one of Korea’s stronger players. He’s got some potential.”

“I see.”

“But in return… that Red Gate strategy your government has… like my brother said—”

“Master Je Gal.”

“At least 70 percent of it should—huh? You called?”

“I think Mr. Kang Siwoo will defeat Liam Gamwell. What do you think?”

Je Gal-sang frowned.

“Team Leader Seo, are you doubting my judgment?”

“There’s always an ‘if,’ isn’t there?”

When Seo Gyeoul didn’t back down, Je Gal-sang’s tone hardened.

“Then how about this: I’ll stake my name that the brat loses in the second match. You know what that means for a Wizard.”

“Of course.”

“If he wins instead, you’ll stake the Red Gate strategy. How about it?”

“…Isn’t that a bit shameless?”

“Ahem. Then make your own offer.”

Seo Gyeoul pulled a document from her folder—
a contract written in fine print.

“What’s that?”

“Written agreements are clearer than words. Since you were being so blunt, I decided to be, too.”

“…You’re ruthless, Team Leader.”

“I hear that often.”

She neatly handed him the paper.

“If Kang Siwoo loses the second trial, I’ll deliver the Red Gate strategy under my name. But—”

“But?”

“If he wins up to the fourth battle, as written,
the Cheonsun Guild will send training personnel to Korea.”

“…Oh? A wager instead of a trade? Confident, aren’t you? What makes you so sure about that brat?”

“He didn’t look like someone who breaks promises. That’s all.”

“…Hah! Fine. If I back down now, I’d lose face as a man.”

Je Gal-sang snatched the paper and signed it.

While he was distracted by conversation and contracts—
the second battle ended.

Seo Gyeoul glanced at the screen and collected one copy of the contract.

“Looks like I won’t be able to share the Red Gate strategy after all.”

“…What!?”

On screen, Kang Siwoo had already crushed his third opponent.

“Ah.”

By the time Je Gal-sang realized something was wrong,
Kang Siwoo was already pushing his fourth opponent—
a Spanish Wizard ranked 8th in the world—to the brink.

“How in the world…?”

“You wouldn’t go back on your word, would you, Master Je Gal?”

Her calm tone made his blood boil.

“I keep my word. Don’t worry. But that boy—he’s not some government-trained agent, is he?”

“You can check with Cheonsun’s intelligence yourself.”

“Tch.”

Fuming, Je Gal-sang turned back to the screen.

The young man was catching his breath, having won four battles.
Only one opponent remained—

“Brother…?!”

It was none other than Ju Gunryul,
Guild Master of Cheonsun.

Never before had Je Gal-sang seen his brother appear in the Hall of Records.

‘Has anyone summoned one of the Three Sovereigns in the past ten years?’

Even he had never reached that level.

‘Forget Gate rights. That kid—we must secure him, even if it means working with the Korean government.’

Clang! Clang!

The fight was evenly matched.

The young man and his wolves hammered at his brother’s shields relentlessly—
but Je Gal-sang couldn’t imagine him losing.

He had fought beside his brother across countless battlefields.
If anyone was closest to being immortal, it was him.

‘If there’s a man closest to a god, it’s my brother…’

Yet suddenly, the youth’s attacks stopped.
He looked exhausted.

Blink—blink—

The monitor flickered like it was malfunctioning.

Maybe the Hall was ending the test, calculating his zero percent win rate.

Flash!

Then, the screen went dark—and came back.

“!?”
“What’s going on?”
“Ah…!”

His brother was gone—
and the youth stood alone.

Then, the Hall’s cold AI voice declared:

[Rank 1, Ju Gunryul, has been defeated.]
[User has won all five battles.]
[Rankings updated.]

“….”
“….”
“….”

Everyone watching fell silent.

Je Gal-sang immediately pulled out his phone and began typing furiously—
the recipient: Ju Gunryul.
His superior in public…
and his sworn brother in private.