“In the Kitchen preparing dinner, the plates are rattling and clattering. At the front of the door, the bell goes jingle, jingle,” Yong Yong hummed, sat in front of a floor table.

When did I teach him that song again?
I don’t remember.
Maybe that clone bastard taught him.
Yong Yong continued to hum the tune and colored on drawing paper with a crayon.
Not too long ago, I sketched Disney animation characters on some drawing paper and made a coloring book for Yong Yong.
Since I finished my top priority, teaching Yong Yong magic, I would teach him whatever he wanted now.

Yong Yong liked coloring books.
He especially enjoyed coloring princess characters like the Little Mermaid or Cinderella.
Also, he used the pink crayon a lot.

Even though I was petting his head, I secretly felt anxious.
You’re a boy, Yong Yong.
I checked everything.

But I changed my mind.
It doesn’t matter what my son’s tastes are.
Whatever his tastes are, Yong Yong is my son.
Don’t become as uptight as your dad.

Instead of hemming and hawing about my problems alone, I lifted the newspaper.
This month, the newspaper was fancy starting from the first page.

[Lee Joon Seok has been judged as the first G-Rank Awakened.]

It’s definitely between a long time since Lee Joon Seok got out, but it took a long time to decide his rank.
In the end, he just now got ranked and ended up as G-Rank.
It must be a considerably shocking event even to the outside.
No, it’s just as shocking on the inside.
Since the community’s making a fuss.
[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: Does this make any sense? Is this fabricated?]

[Lee Gook, 99th floor: This is a ranking from the Association. What do you mean by fabricated? Say something that makes sense. Seriously.]

[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: What level was he when he came out, to be G-Rank? From what I remember, the highest Awakened rank is SSS-Rank.]

Nowadays, the Awakened’s rank is generally determined by level.
In the beginning, clear difficulty determined ranks.
However, as the difference between the highest Normal Difficulty Awakened and the lowest Hard difficulty Awakened continued to narrow, one’s rank would be readjusted based on the Awakened’s individual ability.
So now, the Awakeneds’ abilities vary as time goes on. Though it may be difficult to distinguish between the ranks, that’s how it is now.
When I was consulted by the government, I also agreed to it.
Truthfully, the Tutorial System also uses level as its standard. It adjusts the difficulty based on level.

The average level of Awakened who make it out of the Normal and Hard Difficulty is 40 – 50 and are S-Ranked Awakened.
If they pass level 51, they’re recognized as SS-Rank.
The prominent members of the Hard Difficulty were all SS-Rank.
Amongst the members of the Hard Difficulty, there was a small minority.
They progressed through the same stages and would perhaps discover a Hidden Piece. People picked by fate.
The people who were born with exceptional abilities.
Only those minority were assigned SSS-Rank.
—
You become SSS-Rank at level 101.
But people widely believed that it was impossible to cross over the wall to SSS-Rank.
There were many people who were SS-Rank, since it was a wide distribution from level 51 – 91. However, the problem was that you had to start from level 100 for SSS-Rank.
Amongst them, there was no one who was above level 110.
Of course, there’d sometimes be people who expected me to break it when I clear the Hell Difficulty.
However, in the midst of all that, a monster from the Hard Difficulty showed up.

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor;: They say he’s level 201.]
[Kim Myung Min, 90th floor: Did you . . . say level 201? Is he human?]
[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: That’s crazy.]
[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: I told you that I don’t make things up.]
[Park Joon, 90th floor: In any case, I’ve decided to leave next year. Even if I leave this year, I’m still old news.]
[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: What’s your level right now?]
[Park Joon, 90th floor: Me? Well, I guess I’m level 93.]
If you’re level 93, say that you’re level 93. What the hell do you mean by, ‘ I guess’.

In the community, Hard Difficulty challengers would converse amongst themselves regarding this or that.
Challengers who were close to clearing usually all went in at the same time and the ones who got out were all friendly towards one another.
Hard difficulty in particular felt like a club.

[Kim Myung Min, 90th floor: What level was Ho Jae back in day? It might have been several years ago but I think he was over level 200.]
[Lee Gook, 99th floor: . . . I thought you were just making stuff up but I feel like you’re telling the truth.]
[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: What level was he? Why haven’t I heard about this?]
[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: I remember.]
[Choi Min Hwan, 81st floor: I also remember that he was over level 200.]
[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: Even if there’s a difference, aren’t those two on a similar level? They’re both over level 200.]
[Choi Min Hwan, 81st floor: But that was several years ago.]
[Lee Ho Jae, 60th floor: I’m level 351 right now, kids.]

I drove the community into chaos and let them go at it.
Now that I think about, I remember telling the community that I was level 251.
Lee Joon Seok might’ve made that his goal. I don’t know.
If he got to level 201 without level up but by modifying his level, it meant his actual level was around level 250.
I thought they might’ve caught up by now.
Until they heard my level.

They were more shocked than Lee Joon Seok thought.
Even so, there’s nothing I can do about it.
Let’s just finish reading the newspaper.

The next news was about Lee Joon Seok.
He had joined up with Kim Min Hyuk’s clan.
It looks like Korea will go crazy over this.

Kim Min Hyuk is acting contrary to my expectations.
I didn’t expect him to enter politics.
Yeah . . . I’m sure he’ll do fine.

There’s nothing that a person can do inside but stay still and wait, even if something’s happening on the outside.
In the meantime, I had felt this before but it was a lot different than usual. There was a lot going on outside and I felt it even stronger this time.

I felt a small hand poke my side.
It was Yong Yong.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Yong Yong?”

At some point, he had finished coloring and cover up his drawing paper.
Yong Yong looked at me, lifted my arm, and snuggled into my chest. He sat on one side of my lap and hugged me.

“What’s wrong?”
“Dad, when will uncle come back?”

He was talking about my clone bastard.
That guy went to the 61th floor, running away from home like a little girl, and still hadn’t come back.

“I wonder, shouldn’t he be back soon?”

Although there hadn’t been any word yet, I wasn’t really concerned.
In any case, I created that bastard using myself as a base.
He was in the process of developing his own personality, so he was different from me and liked different things, but his very nature didn’t change.

I soothed Yong Yong but I felt a strong magic collision.
Someone was trying to enter the 60th floor against my will.

An unwelcome guest.
It’s really surprising.
Lee Yeon Hee didn’t even come close yet.
Most of the Gods can’t enter inside the Tutorial.
The Gods were surrounded by several restraints so they couldn’t just do whatever they wanted with the Tutorial.
If one of them wanted to act directly, they’d need the consent of all 100 Gods.

Not too long ago, the Earth Server had over 3000 Gods watching over it.
But now, no God could thoughtlessly take part in the Earth’s server.
Therefore, the uninvited guest wasn’t a God or their disciples.
There was only one thing left.

“Let’s go, Yong Yong. I think your uncle is back.”
“Really?”

I carried Yong Yong and arrived in the vicinity of the portal.
When I got near, the room (space) started to distort.
My defense mechanisms and my clone bastard’s strength were clashing.

You shitty bastard.
I told you to train your magic.
It looks like Yong Yong will catch up soon.

I drew on my magic and lifted some of the barriers.
The distortion in the room (space) ceased and the portal began to activate.

“Uncle!”

My clone bastard appeared above the portal.
He seemed the same as he always was.
Anyway, now I know why the barriers activated.

What could he have been doing until now? He came covered with the Gods’ power.

My clone bastard didn’t even greet or say anything to Yong Yong. He just strutted over.
I’m feeling uneasy.
That guy’s not just some normal crazy bastard.

In the future, I expect a grave situation to occur.
I wondered whether I should block Yong Yong’s eyes and ears or whether I should stop my clone bastard from walking.
In the end, I couldn’t come to any decision and the clone bastard stopped right in front of Yong Yong and me.
Since his uncle didn’t respond, Yong Yong looked taken aback and looked back and forth between me and the clone.

The clone bastard looked a little flushed.
His eye were shining brightly so it looks what I had feared would come to pass.
“I felt the sunlight on my ears until sunset, a joyous trip”

You fucking crazy bastard.
That’s what you say when you’re parting ways.

” . . . C’mon, just do it. They’re my favorites lines. ”
I should’ve covered Yong Yong’s ears earlier.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Hey, do you really need to do this?
[Please.]

“. . . I laughed and with a smile just like when I had departed, returned and found peace.”

. . . I felt like my organs had just been gouged out.
Truthfully, I had already experienced it a few times, so I knew exactly what it felt like.
My mood was in the dumps while the clone bastard rejoiced.
“Did you really want to try that that badly . . .?”
The clone bastard nodded and took Yong Yong, who was nestled in my arm, and lifted him up.
“Yong Yong, were you well?”
“Yep!”

I left them to converse by themselves.
The Gods’ attention that was stuck to the clone bastard, I confirmed that they couldn’t see through the 60th floor.
You have to be precise in situations like this.
Also . . .

“Hey, what could you have possible been doing in the 61st that you’d be so thickly covered with the Gods’ power?”
I wanted to let him have some more alone time with Yong Yong but I couldn’t help asking him.
The clone bastard laughed way too triumphantly (elatedly).
It rubs me the wrong way.

“Well, not much happened.”

“Put down Yong Yong for a minute.”
I want to sock him once.
Rather than putting him down, he cuddled him instead.

“Nothing really happened. Yep. As soon as I got to the 61st floor, they all started to watch me.”
“Watching you? It shouldn’t be possible since you’re not a challenger.”
“Well, I got a message that they seemed to be in agreement on something and it seems that even I could see it.”
“And?”
“And it seemed like I had gained the rights of a challenger, and I went in front of the Boss Room and checked.”
“What’s the result?”
“I didn’t.”
” . . . You aren’t even a challenger, but they sent a message that they’re curious?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any idea either.”
I had something that I had to have Park Jung Ah figure out.
Could a non-challenger progress this way?
Could it be a unique case?

“Also, well. Because of their interest, I took a little bit, you know, authority. I moved silently and got some. That’s why I was a bit late. Hoo hoo.”
“How much?”
“1263.”
I was momentarily speechless and stared at the clone bastard.
Right now, this guy said he’d messed with over 1200 Gods ?
“What was the price?”
“They wanted me to become their disciple.”
There was no way the clone bastard would accept their request.
I said this before, but his nature is similar to mine.
He rejected my offer to become my disciple so there was no way he’d become a disciple some other God.
“I did well, right? Right? Say something. Main body bastard! Hurry up and bow your head and say thank you.”

You did well.
Congratulations on becoming a cosmic swindler.

“Louder. Even sweeter! Say it out loud!”
“Good job, Lee Ho Chi.”
The man whose face looked like he had just seen flowers bloom (brightened) . . . Lee Ho Chi’s face turned dark.
[If you call me that name again . . .]
“Let’s go.”

I ignored his warning and walked back.
For a while, the clone bastard droned on about something and followed behind me.
“Where are we going?”
“What do you mean where, we’re going to the lab.”
A god’s authority isn’t simply a high performance skill.
Through the process of becoming a God, they gain an ‘Authority’.
The authority is their identity as well as the core of a God.
Just by digging them up one by one, I can raise greatly raise my level.
I already dissected the authority skills and I succeeded in modifying them.
That’s why, the general magic I created had been able to go the next level.
However, I can’t create authorities on my own yet.
My limit was modifying/remodeling authorities that already existed.
When I was blocked by a wall, I needed new ideas or new materials and the clone bastard had brought me some materials just in time.
There were more than 1200 authorities inside.
Therefore, we obviously had to go to the lab.

“Hey, I just came back. Can’t we start tomorrow?”
“Nope. We’re working through the night starting today.”

End

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