After all, Director Sok looked around, and opened his mouth.

“We at the intelligence department have concluded that it would be wise that the Myongjin Guild does not participate in the ‘Advance Party’ event as a whole. To be honest, only Juyoung Hong could confront the enemy before. While Juyoung was confronting the black liquid man, we realized that the saying, ‘Many a little makes a mickle’ is not necessarily true. Even if they mobilized all the players around the world who were weak, the black liquid was stronger than them. Moreover, those who want to proceed with the first option, namely swarming with the advance party with mass numbers, would make it a condition anyway that Juyoung should protect them even if he was occupied confronting the enemy. So we don’t have to accept their stupid intentions to use Juyoung simply as their bodyguard instead of saving him who could be the last hope of all the people on the Earth.”

Director Sok explained about the second option for some time, but nobody refuted it.

He continued, “Those who support the first option are generally those who move individually, while those who support the second option are mainly large guilds or groups. So I think most of them will support the second option. Of course, if those individuals who support the first option voluntarily participate in the event, we will thank them, of course.”

So everybody in the room decided the Myongjin member would not participate en masse in the event. Some of them mentioned the idea of them moving with me, but others opposed the idea, saying they didn’t want to stand in my way.

At that moment, I, who had remained until then, opened my mouth.

“Let me participate in the event.”

All of them agreed with my decision because they knew I was not stupid enough to make such a decision without thinking deeply about it.

***

In the central square of Kotum Castle the next day.

There are currently available skills that you can acquire.

There are ice-type skills available that you can upgrade.

There were two skill points among the things I obtained from the previous ‘Destroy the Crystal Tower’ quest. And I was a little worried about how to use them because there were so many things I wanted to do with them.

But before acquiring new skills or upgrading, I said quietly, “Check inventory.”

First of all, I had quite a few things in my inventory.

If I had to pick the most valuable things among them, I could narrow them down to four.

1 x 100% Enhancement Success Ticket.

5 x Ancient Cooldown Removal Charms

1 x Additional Item Option Charm.

1 x maximum skill level-up stone.

Out of these four items, I chose the maximum skill level-up stone, which I had obtained from making the almost abandoned Pioneer’s City into the prosperous city Asirante after expelling the Gahwa Guild that occupied the city for a long time.

At the same time, I took out one item that I was currently wearing.

Functional Skill Ring: (Legendary)

– It is a functional ring that increases the performance of a skill.

: No equip restrictions.

: Enhancement is impossible.

-Effect.

: Select one of the skills you have and raise the skill’s usage level by one.

– 30 million gold rings are required if you want to replace the chosen skill with another.

: Increases the power of the selected skill by 10%.

: If you select the skill that has achieved its maximum level, there is no level change, but the skill’s power increases by an additional 10%. (Finally, the power increases by up to 20% by overlapping with the above options.)

-Physical Defense: 500 Magic Defense: 500

-Durability: 2550000

/255000

-Current equipped skill.

: Blizzard.

It was Blizzard that reached level 9 after I chose it for the functional skill ring.

With the functional skill ring I was using level 9 Blizzard, even though it was currently level 7.

Considering that it took 2 skill points to upgrade level 7 Blizzard to level 9 Blizzard, this was quite a benefit to me.

But I was not satisfied with it.

“I could make Blizzard Level 10 and use it with this. Let me try it.”

To be honest, I agonized a bit when I acquired the level 9 skill Ice Breath after I reached level 1400. Besides, I had saved the maximum skill level-up stone for too long.

“All right. Let me do it!”

First of all, I could upgrade level 7 Blizzard to level 9 by using 2 skill points that I acquired after clearing the event ‘Destroy the Crystal Tower.’

Then it would be possible to upgrade Blizzard to level 10 by using the maximum skill level-up stone.

But I had one thing in mind when I was intent on using the maximum skill level-up stone for, namely, Ice Breath.

“Use the maximum skill level-up stone!”

You have used the maximum skill level-up stone.

– You can increase the maximum level of one of the skills listed below.

: Ice Ball.

Increases level 3 Ice Ball to level 4.

: Ice Bolt.

Increases level 3 Ice Bolt to level 4.

:

:

: Ice Tornado.

Increases level 8 Ice tornade to level 9.

: Ice Breath.

Increases level 9 Ice Breath to level 10.

“Choose Ice Breath!”

There was one definite way for me to become stronger.

In other words, I needed to make what’s already strong much stronger.

You have selected Ice Breath.

-Level 10 is created for Ice Breath, where there was only level 9 before.

The final level of Ice Level was 9. But when the message rang, level 10 was created next to it.

Since I could only use up to level 9 skills right now, I could not use level 10 Ice Breath.

But the functional skill ring made it possible for me to use it.

That’s why I could use level 9 Blizzard even after I just acquired it at level 7.

So I clicked the current part of the skill to which I had applied the functional skill ring.

The skill you have applied the functional skill ring to is ‘Blizzard’.

– Do you want to replace it?

30 million golden rings are required to replace it.

“Replace it with Ice Breath.”

The skill you have applied the functional skill ring to has been changed to ‘Ice Breath’.

-You can now use level 10 Ice Breath.

The minimum level for any player to acquire level 9 skills was level 1400.

As far as I know, no one has publicly acquired level 9 skills yet. But I could acquire as high as a level 10 skill now. Given that level 9 Ice Breath had an enormous power, it was evident that the level 10 skill would be enormously powerful.

But before I went to test it, I chose to upgrade my skills because now that I had removed Blizzard from the functional skill ring, I had only Ice tornado, ice Punishment, and Ice Breath above level 8, which could be called the threshold for real high-level skills.

Do you want to upgrade level 7 Blizzard to level 9 Blizzard?

-Upgrade requires 2 skill points and 25 million golden rings.

“Upgrade.”

So I used the two skill points to upgrade Blizzard, then turned around because I was now fully prepared.

Just in case I was put in a dangerous situation, I had as many as five ancient cooldown removal charms in stock. Of course, I didn’t want to use them as much as possible because I saved them to enhance the Ice Emperor’s guardian sword to 15.

Anyway, I headed to the hunting ground like before.

There were still 5 days left before the start of the event ‘Advance Party’, and I had no intention of wasting my precious time until then.