I Became the 1st Floor Boss of the Tower

Chapter 218: The Planet Oscar

After the meeting with Metatron, Lee Shin immediately headed to Sevrino’s research facility. Since Lee Shin took quite some time climbing five floors, from the 81st to the 85th, he wondered if there would be any updates regarding planet Oscar by now.

‘I mean, if there are no updates yet, I’ll just climb the Tower again.’

Click–

Lee Shin turned the doorknob and opened the door, and before him were Sevrino and Dr. Song slouching on the couch in a disheveled state.

"Oh! You are here," Sevrino tried to get up as soon as he saw Lee Shin.

"Oh, Mr. Sevrino, please have your seat. I'll make some tea," Dr. Song said to Sevrino.

"There’s no need for tea actually, because I’ve already had some," Lee Shin replied.

Lee Shin felt bad to have these exhausted individuals bring him tea, and since he had already drunk Metatron's tea just a while ago, nothing would be quite as satisfying for now.

"So… How is the research going?" Lee Shin asked.

"Well, actually… There's something I need to discuss with you," Sevrino said.

Sevrino sat up straight.

"We've successfully located the coordinates of planet Oscar. And we have established a connection," Sevrino explained.

"Wow, really? Then let’s not waste our time here and… Wait, never mind… We won’t be able to do it right now,” Lee Shin muttered.

Lee Shin considered departing for planet Oscar immediately, but Sevrino was not in an optimal condition. Although Lee Shin could go alone, it would be better if Sevrino met his daughter himself, which was the whole point of going there.

"Yes. And we also need some time to stabilize the gate," Sevrino replied.

"So then, when can we expect it to be possible?" Lee Shin asked.

"I think it should be ready in about two days," Sevrino replied.

"Huh? Did you just say t-two days?" asked a visibly surprised Dr. Song, who had been listening to Sevrino’s words.

It seemed like Dr. Song reacted this way because they could only barely meet the deadline at the rate this was going.

"Wouldn’t two days be sufficient?" Sevrino asked Dr. Song.

Sevrino’s gentle gaze momentarily turned stern as he looked at Dr. Song. As a result, Dr. Song nodded, his mouth shut.

"Then I’ll see you in two days. Please get ready to leave as well, because you, Mr. Sevrino will have to leave with us as well,” Lee Shin said.

"Alright, I will do that. But actually..." Sevrino grabbed Lee Shin as he was about to get up and leave. "Do you really think that my daughter will be there…?”

"Yes." Lee Shin gave him a simple response.

"Alright. I won't ask you this again after today," Sevrino replied.

Lee Shin nodded and turned away.

"Thank you."

Sevrino’s words of gratitude reached Lee Shin as he slipped through the slowly closing door.

***

[Breaking News! Exclusive Video of Lee Shin Clearing the Hell Difficulty Is Revealed!!]

Suddenly, a video had been posted by a certain reporter. At first, when the netizens saw the title, they cursed the reporter, saying they were trying to trick them to get more views. However, after checking out the video, everyone was taken aback and they quickly shared it with other people.

"Oh my goodness, Team Leader!" Baek Hyun-Ah, who was at a cafe, urgently called out to Park Joo-Hyuk.

"What? What’s going on?" Park Joo-Hyuk asked, seeing how flustered Baek Hyun-Ah was.

"Take a look at this!" Baek Hyun-Ah exclaimed.

Park Joo-Hyuk, who had brought his cup of coffee to the table, brightened up when he saw Lee Shin on his smartphone.

"...Man… This is what Hell level looks like?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked.

"Yes, that's right," Baek Hyun-Ah replied.

"This is insane," Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.

Park Joo-Hyuk chuckled and shook his head. At the LA branch of the American Challengers Association, the challengers were all huddled together, watching the video of Lee Shin. Samuel and Jonathan glanced at the American challengers as they watched the video from behind.

"How can these fellas even be called challengers?” Jonathan muttered, comparing those American challengers to Lee Shin.

"Jonathan, you're a fellow challenger too," Samuel replied.

"Tsk, how can you compare them to me? Are they really on the same level as me?" Jonathan replied, sounding offended.

"If you say this, then why do you compare them to Lee Shin?” Samuel asked.

"Well, the differences in skill between Lee Shin and these challengers become all the more obvious when I can see both sides together in front of me,” Jonathan explained.

Samuel gulped and continued to watch the Evil Spirit in the video. He wondered what would happen if such an Evil Spirit descended on Earth. He could already tell that no natural disasters would compare. He thought that if the Evil Spirit were to just swing that chain across the middle of the city, hundreds of souls would be sucked into that gourd-shaped bottle. It was horrifying just to think about it.

"I'm glad that Lee Shin is a challenger of Earth,” Jonathan said to Samuel.

Samuel looked at Jonathan in surprise.

"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?" Samuel asked.

"... I don’t acknowledge other challengers, but who wouldn’t acknowledge Lee Shin? Of course, after Lee Shin, it'll be me, but still..." Jonathan muttered.

"Umm… Try defeating Cha Yu-Min first before you say that,” Samuel replied.

"Tsk, don't talk about that guy in front of me. I can definitely beat Cha Yu-Min,” Jonathan replied.

"Oh yeah," Samuel replied.

Samuel ignored Jonathan’s words and continued watching the broadcast. The video of Lee Shin clearing the stage on the 85th floor was spreading worldwide through Sami Harrison's broadcast.

"At least there won't be any more humans trying to attempt the Hell level in the future."

***

"What chaos..." Lee Shin muttered, observing the situation.

After the video was released, people from all over the world contacted Lee Shin. Most people knew that Hell level was difficult, but there was chaos because those who had not realized its horrors finally got a chance to feel it.

Many wanted to get an interview with Lee Shin, but he declined all of them, not wanting to waste his energy on such things. Just in case, he checked the reactions on the internet, and most were as he had expected.

* If Cha Yu-Min continues to be trained, will he end up like that? This is just unbelievable.

└ This is real crazy.

└ The question is whether he can end up like that.

└ Why would you question that? He’s Cha Yu-Min! Not just anyone.

└ Tsk, what are you saying. That’s not what’s important here. The important thing is that even if Cha Yu-Min works super hard and becomes like that boss, he will still be nothing compared to Lee Shin.

└ Oh yeah, that’s true. That’s a good point.

└ He will feel ashamed of himself.

└ Hahaha

└ What nonsense are you guys talking about? No one can rival Lee Shin in the first place. He is just on another level.

└ Yeah, that’s also true.

* As of today, the debate about whether to attempt the Hell level is over. Nobody should attempt it except Lee Shin.

└ Yeah, you’re right.

└ Exactly. Who would even be able to manage to clear this Hell level? Isn’t this basically a suicidal attempt?

└ We should pass a law that says no one can attempt the Hell level except Lee Shin.

└ Yeah, exactly. I'm sure there will be some challengers who die because they don’t know their place.

The public's reaction after watching the video was intense. It was understandable given that even Lee Shin found the aura of the Evil Spirit to be chilling.

Bzz— Bzz—

Lee Shin’s phone started to ring and he answered the call.

- Hello, this is Sevrino.

"Oh hi," Lee Shin replied.

- Everything is ready.

"Alright then. I’ll go over there right now," Lee Shin replied.

Click.

After Lee Shin hung up the phone, he contacted Alice, then headed straight to Sevrino’s research lab.

"Oh, you have arrived. Everything is ready," said Sevrino, looking at Lee Shin.

"Let's go right away then. By the way, where's Alice?" Lee Shin asked.

"She's waiting inside," Sevrino replied.

When Lee Shin opened the door to the inner room, he saw Alice sitting there.

"Lee Shin! You're here!" Alice greeted Lee Shin.

"Yeah. Sorry for calling you when you're busy," Lee Shin replied.

"No, I'm not busy at all," Alice replied.

"That’s good then. It shouldn't take us too long," Lee Shin replied.

“Well, it’s fine even if it does take a bit…” Alice muttered.

At that moment, Dr. Song hurriedly came in and called Alice.

"The gate is about to open! Please come out quickly," Dr. Song shouted.

"Alright," Alice replied.

As soon as they stepped out of the research lab, they saw a vast field and mountains. In the middle of the field was a machine that opened the gate.

"It's opening!" Dr. Song shouted.

Dimension energy gathered in the elongated part of the device that looked like a cannon barrel. Then, it struck the air.

Woong—

The dimension energy shot out, leaving a trail that started to ripple out. Soon, a white gate materialized.

"Is this the gate to the planet Oscar?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, that’s right," Sevrino replied.

Sevrino's voice carried unwavering confidence. His face looked more serious than ever before.

"Then, let's go in right away," Lee Shin said.

Lee Shin approached the gate immediately. To be extra safe, Sevrino placed his hand on Lee Shin’s shoulder, and Alice grasped Sevrino's arm again.

Swoosh—

There was a loud noise as the surroundings transformed in an instant. The blue sky and lush fields disappeared and were replaced by rugged walls and stone slabs adorned with strange symbols.

"Huh? What’s going on?”

Along with this unfamiliar environment were people whom Lee Shin had never seen before.

He quickly assessed the situation. The gate appeared behind them. It seemed like they were inside a building. They were surrounded and closed in by old walls, and to his left was a massive stone slab on the ground. In front of that slab was a man, covered in blood, leaning against it.

"Hey, Derrick Moore, it seems you had one last move hidden. I don't sense any Circles, so they are not wizards. So, are they superhuman?"

When Lee Shin turned to the right, he could see that several people were standing there, eyeing them cautiously.

‘It seems like Derrick Moore is the person who is hurt... and no Circles? What does that even mean?’

It appeared as if those people were the reason that man was in this condition.

‘Are the bodies on the ground his comrades?’

Lee Shin organized his thoughts quickly. The group this man named Derrick Moore belonged to had clashed with the group of the man on the right, and Derrick Moore's faction seemed to have lost.

‘Alright, so I've got a rough grasp of the situation…’

The next moment, Lee Shin immediately began to draw upon his mana, but quickly noticed something odd and furrowed his eyebrows.

‘My mana has decreased.’

It seemed like there was some kind of a constraint associated with crossing dimensions. Just like how even an absolute being from another dimension could not exert their full power on Earth, maybe Lee Shin was experiencing something similar.

"What in the world is this white portal? It's the first time I've ever seen this type of portal," asked a man with a long staff pointing at the gate.

Lee Shin simply ignored his question.

"Mr. Sevrino, where are we right now?" Lee Shin asked.

"I’m not too sure. Based on the coordinate management system, it should have led us to a place with low bioenergy..." Sevrino muttered.

"Ugh, you bastard! How dare you ignore my words!” An angry voice came from the side.

"Subdue these guys!" Lee Shin ordered.

The opponents were charging toward them.

"Where do they think you’re going?!" Alice, who had been silently observing the situation, immediately used her psychokinesis to grab the four men charging toward them and sent them flying.

Baaam—!

"Keugh!" the men groaned.

It seemed like Alice's psychokinesis had improved, causing all four men to slam into the wall.

"...Huh? Why am I so strong?" Alice questioned herself as she sent them flying.

‘What’s going on?’

At that moment, a massive figure charged at them. Again, Alice tried to block him using her psychokinesis, but then her face changed.

‘Is her mana dissipating or something?’

What they were encountering here had a completely different structure compared to Laurent’s Demonbreaker attribute. It seemed like some kind of power that surrounded the massive figure was pushing back against their mana. It was an intriguing ability, tricky to deal with.

‘Let's see if you can counter this one as well.’

[Bone Spear]

A sharp, bone-like structure emerged from the Shadow Space and shot like a missile toward the side of the massive figure, who was charging at Alice.

"Keugh...!" the massive figure groaned in pain.

Thud!

The massive figure rolled on the ground a few times after being hit by Lee Shin’s Bone Spear and then was pinned against the wall. Nevertheless, his body seemed quite durable as the spear could not pierce through. Although Lee Shin had not yet exerted his full power, it seemed that the people here were not pushovers.

"Hmm… A superhuman with unusual abilities," a man who was holding a staff muttered.

"But Mr. Sevrino, do we need to keep this gate open the whole time? What if other people enter the gate when we're not here?" Lee Shin asked with a worried voice.

"Oh, don't worry about that part. We have a device to close the gate in case of such a situation," Sevrino replied.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me again?" A voice filled with anger reached Lee Shin’s ears.

The next moment, yellow thunderbolts began to crackle from his staff.

"Well! Try and see if you can stop this!" the man shouted and slammed his staff down on the ground, causing a burst of thunderbolts to fan out from the point of impact.

Baaaam—!

‘Hmm… This is quite fascinating.’

Lee Shin used his mana to check how the man was operating his mana. Eight spheres were rotating around his heart, and Lee Shin assumed that these were probably the Circles they had referred to earlier. Lee Shin also thought that they were undoubtedly made using mana, and these eight spheres seemed to harmonize to generate even more mana.

The eight spheres pumped mana out like a well-organized system, and that mana was used to cast spells. It seemed like it was quite an efficient method, but it had clear limitations.

‘Relying on those mana spheres centered around the heart makes mana control extremely difficult.’

The next moment, Lee Shin noticed the current of mana that was spreading across the floor. Therefore, he scattered his mana on the floor and collected the currents.

‘Since his focus is on extracting more mana, he did not assert control over the mana that flowed outward.’

For a wizard who had reached a high level of mastery, a mana conduit was something they should easily create. However, what this man could do was nothing more than a half-baked version; he was lacking the finesse to perform a proper magic conduit. It only served to make his mana stronger.

The next moment, Lee Shin controlled the flow of thunderbolts and reversed their movements. The strands of thunderbolts flickered and surged.

‘The mana here somehow feels more violent.’

Nevertheless, it was not too difficult to deal with. Now under Lee Shin’s control, the hundreds of scattered strands of thunderbolts converged and began to spin, all heading toward the enemies.

"W-what the...?" The man started to panic.

The man, startled by the reversing of the thunderbolt he had conjured up, opened his eyes wide in surprise and unleashed his mana in desperation.

‘But you see, you’re too late.’

To be exact, Lee Shin was not targeting that wizard with these thunderbolts. It was obvious that he could handle this level of spell. What Lee Shin was aiming for was his comrades standing behind him.

"Kraaaah!"

"Uuurgh..."

Those who were hit by the devastating thunderbolts writhed on the ground in pain. The man, who was a wizard, stared at his comrades in shock, seeing them suffer from his own magic spell. He lost the will to fight.

"So, if we close the gate, can it be reopened?" Lee Shin asked suddenly.

"Oh, um, yes…" Sevrino replied with a flustered expression to the unexpected question from Lee Shin.