Only My Skill Tooltip Is Strange

Chapter 77

The agility stat soared to about 90.
This is the equivalent of the pinnacle of a transcendent martial artist in Murim.

I don’t know what the world looks like from the perspective of a transcendent martial artist.
I’ve never met one.

“Eun Seoryeong was the strongest martial artist in Murim.”

Even the brilliant Eun Seoryeong, who shot light like a beam, was just a peak martial artist.
Right now, I am faster than Eun Seoryeong from a third-party perspective.

“Eh?!”

I sprinted at full speed.
I passed right through the police players.

In the blink of an eye, I disappeared, so it was no wonder they were confused.

But they couldn’t chase after me.
Standing there stupidly and looking around was the best they could do.

‘After all, the police faction has no penalties.’

Even if I win, no one dies.
They just get their participation fee and rest for the day.

I ascended to the third floor.
I found the location of the flintlock pistol.

One second to reach it.
I paused briefly in front of the artifact I had to steal.

Bang!
Skrreeeek!

The chaos downstairs continued.
Elise was holding her ground fairly well.

‘...The thief faction’s victory condition is stealing the artifact, but how is the judgment made?’

It’s better to resolve any doubts before the stack builds up.
That way, I won’t face unexpected situations later on.

‘What about King of Thieves?’

Will King of Thieves, who is already dead, be counted as a victory?
Or do eliminated thief players not count as a victory?

I recalled King of Thieves’ excessively hostile attitude.

‘...Was it really necessary to be so aggressive?’

What about the police faction’s players?
They know that even if they die, it benefits the team, so they willingly die by the thief’s hand.

‘The weak die, and the strong player becomes a little stronger, which increases the chance of victory. So, they might have wanted to die.’

A police player with 13 agility can’t win against a Murim player with 30 agility.
They’re no help at all.

But if the Earthling with 13 agility dies, and it allows a Middle Kingdom player with 23 agility to grow into a 24?

The police faction seems to be collectively aiming for victory.
Unlike the thief faction.

‘Something’s off.’

King of Thieves’ aggression can’t be explained just by my trolling.

‘What if they’re all grouped together, but success is based on individual play?’

I thought about the rewards for the 5th-floor mission.

An A-rank piece of equipment as a reward.
I roughly know the performance of A-rank equipment.

Now that I understand the structure of the thief faction, something feels off.
The rewards seem too good for the difficulty.

‘Is it reasonable to give A-rank rewards to all five of them?’

The reward for surviving the wave on the 4th floor was only a bonus stat of 15.

‘So it’s better than the golden dagger, right?’

The value of A-rank equipment is more than that.
Once a player gets A-rank equipment, they gain more than 30 bonus stats.

‘This doesn’t make sense.’

But what if only one person who stole the artifact in the thief faction gets it?
If only the surviving thief gets the reward?

‘...It’s understandable why King of Thieves is throwing a fit.’

My mind was spinning.

I realized the routine for the thief players to maximize rewards efficiently.
As a trickster Earthling, it didn’t take me more than 20 seconds to figure it out.

‘Is it just for people who know each other?’

The police swarmed in.
Light was flowing from my body, making it impossible to hide my position.

“Is that the target artifact?”

The police no longer tried to chase me.
They stood still, looking blankly at me from a distance.

They knew it was already over.

“Well, yes.”
“They caused quite a mess. Is this your first mission?”

The police didn’t seem to think I was experienced.
They assumed I was a newbie.

“Because this mission is one only Seven Stars players do. That’s the agreement.”
“We’re five-stars now. The two of them went up last time.”
“Oh. Really?”

The police were talking among themselves.
If someone didn’t know better, they’d think it was a picnic.

They were so different from the thieves in their mindset.
Thanks to that, I was certain about my hypothesis.

‘Because of me, King of Thieves suffered.’

That’s why he was making such a scene.

It makes sense now.
If I had caused them to lose or planned to, I’d be yelling too.

“You won’t know who I am anyway.”
“King of Thieves will find you somehow. Thieves aren’t strangers to infighting. We’ve seen it many times.”
“Been on the 5th floor long?”

The police spread their hands wide.
They showed their palm with confidence.

“Five years. The police faction has its own rules. Those who stay on the 5th floor for a long time get to take over missions like this.”

The police were surprisingly kind.
They told me everything they knew.

Why?

“Because you’re a strong player. We never know when we’ll meet again, so there’s no need to be hostile.”
“Even though you did the mission at full power?”
“That’s different.”

The police player smirked.

“Anyway, this mission is overwhelmingly favorable for the thief faction. Thieves are stronger than the police. If things go normally, the police can’t catch the thieves. We thought maybe the psychics would make a difference, but…”

He shook his head.

“Elise couldn’t even beat one of them. I told you, you can’t believe rumors.”

Yuki is strong.
I didn’t see her use freezing manipulation on people, but I knew she was threatening.

I understood the battle downstairs better because I felt it on the 3rd floor.

‘Is Elise a swordmaster or something?’

Anyway.
That’s not what’s important.

What matters is confirming whether my hypothesis is correct.

I quickly placed my hand on the flintlock pistol.
It didn’t end there.

[5th Floor, Steal the Hero’s Artifact.]
Steal the artifact and escape to a safe place.

There was light outside the museum.
It seemed like the outer line of the destination was drawn.

‘Do the police see it like this too?’

The police didn’t try to stop me.
They knew it was pointless.

Understanding the situation.
That might be the most necessary skill for surviving the Tower of Struggle.

But Yuki was different.
She had power.

Step, step—.

Amidst the police who looked the same, Yuki gave off a different aura.
A chilling coldness surrounded her body, visible even from a distance.

As Yuki climbed the stairs, I instinctively tensed.
I swallowed hard.

“How did you deal with Hikari?”
“I took care of her.”

Yuki nodded, as if she expected that.

“She tends to be vulnerable. She thinks she won’t be caught.”
“With those abilities, she’s practically invincible.”

It’s understandable why she’d be careless.

‘Of course, this is the Tower of Struggle, so I can’t say she’s invincible.’

With the help of the Soul System, I could beat Hikari.
The skills would hit regardless of psychic abilities.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Yuki coming up means Elise has been subdued.
I have to take the artifact and run, but Yuki is a bit of a burden.

“Want to try?”

I asked, swallowing again.

Our positions were different.
Yuki had to stop me, and I had to break through Yuki.

Yuki had the strength for it, so there was no option to spare her…

“I can’t fight anymore. I just had a fierce fight with that woman downstairs.”

Blood was dripping down my nose.
It was because I had used a lot of mental power.

“The thief faction’s victory, huh.”
“Good for you.”

So, there are three thieves in this field?

‘Where is the Great Mage?’

The question didn’t last long.

As I left the museum and headed for the destination, someone who looked like a Great Mage blocked my path.

“This confirms it.”

I could tell by the look on his face.
Only one thief who steals the artifact gets the reward.

I don’t know what happens if you fail the judgment.
But the floor’s owner set up a situation where thieves fight over A-rank artifacts.

Creak, creak—.
Ssss—.

“Heh, heh. You suddenly barged in. You’re not qualified to receive the reward. It wasn’t supposed to be my turn, but… It’s better I get it than you.”

He looked like a dark magician controlling undead.
Beasts with visible bones swarmed around and surrounded me.

I didn’t listen to the rest of his words and immediately activated my long-range skills.

Frozen Prison.
Shellfire.

With my survival instincts activated, there was no way his reflexes could avoid it.

Szzz—!
Boom—!

No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could withstand my skill damage.

[You killed a ‘Thief’.]
[Your infamy has greatly increased.]
[Your vigilance has greatly increased.]

Light burst from my body.
It was more intense than before, and I had essentially become like Hikari.
Hiding was impossible.

I headed straight for my destination.

The basement.
Once I entered, the Tower’s message notified me that the mission was complete.

[5th Floor, Steal the Hero’s Artifact.]
You have successfully stolen the artifact.

The reward selection list appeared as well.