Chapter 153: Twisting Obstacles (Part 2)

Chapter 153: Twisting Obstacles (Part 2) "It was a blind spot..." A special dungeon that changes its appearance based on the entrants, the Twisting Obstacles. What method does the dungeon use to "judge" the entrants? There's no need to say. It is the "Status Window." "And I don't have a Status Window." The Twisting Obstacles didn't recognize me and couldn't change its appearance. As a result, the dungeon welcomed me with its original form. Yeah, it became an ordinary cave without any trials. "Obtaining the Core of the Dungeon, the Creation Stone, so easily?" I couldn't even speak out of astonishment. I had prepared so much for this. But in the end, it only took about an hour. "Of course, it's a good thing..." It's an incredibly good thing. But it feels quite empty. No, it's actually really good. What was I worried about all this time? "Tsk." I scratched the back of my head and walked towards the Creation Stone. First, let's grab the Creation Stone. *** Seoul, South Korea. Shin Ji Ah and Yu Hwa were inspecting the construction site of the Mysterious Project. "Everything seems fine on my side. How about you, Yu Hwa?" Shin Ji Ah checked her tablet one more time before speaking. "Same here. It seems like everyone is experienced. I'm satisfied." Yu Hwa smiled with contentment. "With this progress, we should be able to finish the construction within three weeks." After Yu Hwa finished signing the documents, their official inspection duty was over. "..." "..." Naturally, there was an awkward silence. When Maiden or Park Hye Yeon were present, it was a bit easier to have a conversation, but now that it was just the two of them, they didn't know what to say. Their relationship was still awkward. "By the way, Seo Yul must have entered the Twisting Obstacles by now." Yu Hwa brought up the topic. "Yes. He must be going through a difficult time." "I'm personally curious. Can Seo Yul clear a dungeon with a success rate below 1%?" "He will definitely clear it." Shin Ji Ah replied firmly. No matter the success rate—1% or even lower—Seo Yul would succeed. His actions so far have proven his abilities. "Hm, I see." Yu Hwa also secretly held the same thought. She couldn't imagine Seo Yul failing at this point. "Then, shall we make a little bet for fun?" Yu Hwa smiled mischievously. "A bet?" "Yes. A simple bet to see how long it takes Seo Yul to clear the dungeon." "What will the punishment be?" A bet must have a punishment. "How about granting a wish?" Yu Hwa smiled playfully. Shin Ji Ah also smiled. "It sounds fun." An electric current seemed to spark between their eyes. "Since we both believe that he will succeed in clearing the dungeon, we can bet on how long it will take—more than a week or less than a week." "That sounds reasonable. Ji Ah, you choose first. The person who proposed the bet gets to choose later." "Sure. Then, I'll choose less than a week." "Then, I'll go with more than a week." With those words, a certain tension filled the air. "By the way, I'm curious. What penalty will I receive if I win?" "Oh, me? It's nothing special. Something reasonable that you can grant." A mischievous glint appeared in Yu Hwa's eyes. "I was thinking of asking for an apology from the Shinwa Group for all the wrongs they have done to the Unwedded Guild." The Shinwa Group and the Unwedded Guild have always clashed due to their similar goals. In the process, the Unwedded Guild has suffered numerous losses. This is why Yu Hwa harbors resentment towards Shin Ji Ah. "Ah... I see." Shin Ji Ah's eyelids twitched. She was pretending to be the only victim, but the Unwedded Guild wasn't the only one to suffer. The Shinwa Group had also incurred considerable losses. "If you call those actions 'wrongs,' then I suppose I should also receive an apology from you." Their expressions twisted further. It seemed as if demons fresh out of hell were making those contorted faces. "Looks like our wishes are clashing." "Yes, it seems so." It must be because of the mood. A burning heat seemed to surround the two of them. "I'm looking forward to it. I wonder what expression you'll make when you kneel down. I'm so excited." "I am too. I'm curious to see how you'll lower your head." "This ends in a draw, doesn't it?" Yu Hwa showed a satisfied smile. "..." Shin Ji Ah bit her lip. *** Outside the entrance of the Twisting Obstacles. After a casual exchange in the group chat. I was now in the midst of an interview with the "ONY" guild members and journalists. "So, what you're saying is that even after entering, the cave's appearance did not change and you simply ended up walking until you found yourself outside the cave. Is that correct?" "Yes, that's right." I am lying right now. "How would you explain the disappearance of the Twisting Obstacles?" "To be honest, I'm curious about that too. I came all the way to Japan with expectations to challenge a super difficult dungeon with a success rate below 1%, but the situation turned out to be so empty." I, who obtained the Core of the Dungeon, the Creation Stone, returned to the entrance of the cave immediately. And then all hell broke loose as the ONY guild members and the journalists stared at me in confusion. It seemed like they were having a meeting. Probably discussing things. "...." "...." Then, naturally, silence ensued. When Maiden and Park Hye Yeon were around, they would mix up their words somehow, but now that it was just the two of us, I didn't know what to say. Our relationship was still awkward. "By the way, Seo Yul, by now you should have entered the Twisting Obstacles." Yu Hwa started the conversation. "Yes, he must be suffering right now." "It's interesting to think about whether Seo Yul can clear a super difficult dungeon with a success rate below 1%." "He will definitely clear it." Shin Ji Ah replied firmly. Even if the clear rate is below 1%, Seo Yul will do it. All of his achievements so far prove this. "Hm, I guess so." Yu Hwa also had that thought deep down. She couldn't imagine Seo Yul failing. "Then, shall we make a bet just for fun?" Yu Hwa laughed playfully. "A bet?" "Yes. A simple bet to see how long it takes Seo Yul to clear the dungeon." "What's the penalty?" A bet needs to have a penalty. "How about granting a wish?" Yu Hwa smiled, her eyes sparkling. Shin Ji Ah smiled as well. "It's going to be fun." An electric current seemed to crackle between the two. "You both believe that he will succeed in clearing the dungeon, so the bet is about how long it will take. Less than a week or more than a week." "That sounds fair. Ji Ah, you choose first. The person who proposed the bet gets to choose later." "Alright. I choose less than a week." "Then, I'll go with more than a week." With those words, tension filled the air. "By the way, I'm curious. What will be the penalty if you win?" "Oh, me? It's nothing special. Just something within reasonable limits." Yu Hwa's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I've been thinking about whether to ask for an apology from the Shinwa Group for the misdeeds they've committed against the Unwedded Guild." The Shinwa Group and the Unwedded Guild always clashed due to their similar goals. In the process, the Unwedded Guild has suffered many damages. That's why Yu Hwa harbors ill feelings towards Shin Ji Ah. "Ah... I see." Shin Ji Ah's eyelids twitched. She was pretending to be the only victim, but it wasn't just the Unwedded Guild that suffered. The Shinwa Group also suffered significant losses. "If you consider those deeds as misdeeds, then I think I should also receive an apology from you." Their expressions twisted further. It seemed as if demons straight out of hell were contorting their faces. "Even if the Unwedded Guild has suffered damages, hasn't the Shinwa Group suffered enough?" "I suppose you're right." It was lucky that they didn't release steam from their ears. "I'm looking forward to it. I wonder what expression you'll make when you kneel down. I'm really excited." "Me too. I'm curious to see the expression you'll make when you lower your head." "This is going to end in a tie, isn't it?" Yu Hwa showed a satisfied smile. "..." Shin Ji Ah bit her lip. *** "I'm sorry. Take a good rest today, and I will inform the guild leader about the refund for the invitation tomorrow." "Ah, yes." "Then please rest well. If anything comes up, please call us immediately." "Yes. Understood." Returning from the Twisting Obstacles to the hotel, I sat there absentmindedly. "...It does bother my conscience a bit." It's already a profit just to obtain the Creation Stone. On top of that, ONY is compensating for the damages and even refunding the value of the invitation. I don't have any choice but to receive it, but it pricks my conscience. "But I can't just not take it." It would be a waste if I didn't take it. It's possible to get some money using Maiden. "Is there anything else?" Taking a deep breath, I lay down on the bed and stretched. "This should be enough preparation to defeat Unknown." I took out the Creation Stone that I had placed in the "Portable Forge of the Artisan." A beautiful stone that emits a radiant light. "This stone is guaranteed." As the name suggests, the effect of the Creation Stone is "creation." Of course, it can't create everything, only half-baked creations such as equipment. But in a sense, it still fits the meaning of "creating something out of nothing." "I just wish I could create more than one item." The usage of the Creation Stone is very simple. You just need to imagine it. The material, shape, appearance, and performance of the equipment—they can all be created by just thinking about it. "As long as the reasonable rules are followed, this stone can ignore all physical laws and create items." Moreover, the Creation Stone can customize even the "wearing restrictions" of the items. Not only the stats, but also the limits, restrictions, and even the "race restrictions" of the items. "The usage of the Creation Stone is limitless." And that's not all. With the combination of my "System Error," the Creation Stone can achieve infinite synergies.