Chapter 78

Chapter 78The thunder tribulation. It was a divine punishment that occurred when a player reached level 151. Dozens of thunderbolts would fall with a power exceeding the target’s stats, making it difficult to handle. This was why the absolute majority of players stopped growing at level 150. However, those who dreamed of becoming National Treasures were different. They were people who threw themselves at the thunder tribulation to break through the wall of S-class. A Conscientious Merchant was one of them. It had been eight years since he’d begun preparing to confront the thunder tribulation. He was active in the Community and collected as much information and items related to the thunder tribulation as possible. The problem was that his Community points were on the verge of running out. Information and items related to the thunder tribulation were extremely expensive, so the enormous fortune he had accumulated from attacking gates wasn’t enough. I need to find it. A Conscientious Merchant had started to search for players who could resist certain status conditions, intending to dispose of the cursed items gathering dust and overcome his financial difficulties. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Unless they were idiots, players usually hide their trump cards. No one would announce that they were resistant to status conditions. He had sold his own items, participated in all types of auctions, went to chatrooms, and observed people—but he hadn’t achieved any significant results, at least, not until he’d met the man before him. This person is probably a National Treasure. To become a National Treasure, one must overcome at least six thunder tribulations, which came every 10 levels starting from level 151, and beyond level 200, a player became transcendent and almost omnipotent, so it made sense that they could resist certain status conditions and act arrogant. The more the man pressured and neglected him, the more certain the merchant became. He definitely had to establish a good relationship with the man in front of him. A Conscientious Merchant spread out five gauntlets on the table while praying desperately. I really hope he picks number two. The gauntlet he referred to as number two was named Heavy Star, and it unconditionally slowed the wearer and had a probability of petrifying them as well. It was an item that couldn’t be used at all. It was also a set item—one of four items that the hidden boss of an S-grade gate dropped on death. When the boss had first dropped the items, he’d thought he would be a billionaire—but after appraising them, he’d discovered that all four items were defective. ...Dammit. The helmet, armor, gauntlets, and boots—all of them petrified and slowed the wearer, the status conditions stacking with each piece. If someone wore the full set, then they would effectively become a turtle. They were trash items that would only be of interest to a shady research institute in Russia or the Middle East, or a collector of antiques with unique tastes. But if the man in front of him could resist the Slowness and Petrification status conditions, then he was confident he could sell the whole set. So long as he picks Heavy Star... One of the curses of the White Snake’s Bracelet is petrification.Hopefully, the petrification... Rising anticipation quickened his heartbeat, and he held his breath, eyes slightly wide. But then— ...Huh? “This will be fine.” The other man chose a pair of white gauntlets. [Traces of Thunder Tribulation] [Rating: Legendary * Attack speed increased by 20%. * Affinity and resistance to the lightning attribute increased by 10%. It was one of the best legendary-rated gauntlets available. Attack speed was one of the most important stats for players, and gauntlets that increased it by 20% were hard to find. Most importantly, it increased resistance to the lightning attribute. Because affinity only strengthened the attack power of that attribute, it was useless without a lightning attribute Skill—but increased resistance was different. It had excellent versatility. In addition, it was lightning attribute resistance. For a National Treasure player, that meant the power of the thunder tribulation they would have to fight for the rest of their lives was reduced by 10%. But this... The merchant gulped nervously as he double-checked the information of the white gauntlets. [Traces of Thunder Tribulation] [A memento of someone who endured nineteen thunder tribulations but was burned to death by the twentieth thunder tribulation. It contains traces of the thunder tribulation. * Grants ‘Remnants of Thunder Tribulation’ to the wearer. * If using a Skill, there is a very high chance that Traces of Thunder Tribulation will become excited and cause thunderbolt shocks.] These gauntlets weren’t usable. An S-class player had worn them once only to foam at the mouth and convulse. He would’ve died if his passive Skill hadn’t activated. The curse, Remnants of Thunder Tribulation, sent thunderbolts through the wearer’s body, very similar to the Electric Shock status condition. It wasn’t something that could be handled with 10% lightning resistance. Besides this, there was another big problem: whenever Traces of Thunder Tribulation became excited, an artificial thunderbolt would fall from the sky. Although it wasn’t comparable to a real thunder tribulation, it was fast and powerful enough. The user could easily be put in danger if almost every time they activated a Skill, a thunderbolt suddenly fell. “Remnants of Thunder Tribulation is far from an ordinary status condition. Even if you can resist Electric Shock, dealing with Remnants of Thunder Tribulation is another matter,” A Conscientious Merchant explained honestly. He had already angered this man. He figured he had to explain honestly now so that there would be no repercussions later. Despite reading the merchant’s goodwill, Jae-Hyeok responded coldly, “Do you think you deserve to judge me?” “......” “My choice of this item should be a big hint for you. The items you want to sell to me shouldn’t be of low quality.” Jae-Hyeok put on the gauntlets. Yellow remnants of the thunder tribulation spilled out, but Jae-Hyeok was unscathed. “......” Through his show of force, Jae-Hyeok completely secured the initiative. The attitude of A Conscientious Merchant became even more humble. “You have seen through my intentions, so I will be honest with you. I planned to determine the curses you can resist based on the cursed items you chose, deciding on which items to sell you from there. However, I feel this was all useless after seeing you suppress Remnants of Thunder Tribulation.” A Conscientious Merchant placed new items on the table. There were well over twenty of them, and several looked to be legendary rated. “If you want something here, feel free to take it. Of course, it’s free.” “......?” Jae-Hyeok’s arrogant posture almost collapsed. The heck? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? Someone who spent days trying to earn points was suddenly giving items for free? Even Jae-Hyeok couldn’t have predicted this type of development. He was struggling to hide his confusion when the merchant asked bluntly, “Are you the Thunder Emperor?” “......?” “As far as I know, the only person in the world who can easily suppress Remnants of Thunder tribulation is the Thunder Emperor.” Flop! A Conscientious Merchant fell to his knees even as he spoke. Jae-Hyeok couldn’t help flinching slightly, and A Conscientious Merchant, as an S-class player, was keenly aware of his reaction. “Based on your flustered reaction, I must be right.” Thump! He bowed so deeply that his forehead touched the floor. “I have no intention of hiding my identity when I am aware of your identity. Blake Borsus formally greets the great Thunder Emperor!” Blake Borsus?The gate hunter! It was a name that Jae-Hyeok knew well. Blake broke all types of records, even in the United States, and was famous for being a peak talent. He was also often mentioned in the Player Manager game and included in the tier-one deck despite being a level 150 player. There was no way. Was this really him? How could such a bigshot pretend to be a merchant? Crazy. Jae-Hyeok’s suspicions were quickly dispelled by Blake Borsus taking off his mask. Contrary to expectations, beneath was the face of a dignified middle-aged man. “Thunder Emperor, you must’ve noticed it right away. My humble self is preparing for the thunder tribulation.” Now that his identity had been revealed, Blake Borsus made a frank and earnest request. “Any piece of advice would be greatly appreciated. Please... Please help me overcome the thunder tribulation!” “......” Let’s... just start with the items. Jae-Hyeok gave up on thinking for a while. He looked at the information of the items on the table and picked some decent ones. After that, he glanced at Blake. ...Still kneeling. This person was serious. Of all people, why misunderstand me as the Thunder Emperor?He should know the weight of the name of Thunder Emperor. When discussing who was the strongest in the world, the Thunder Emperor's name was always among those mentioned. He was a National Treasure on a different level. Jae-Hyeok wondered if it was Blake’s own desperate hopes that led him to believe he was the Thunder Emperor simply because he’d endured the Remnants of Thunder Tribulation. No, that can’t be it. Jae-Hyeok had been trying to embody his father the whole time he was dealing with Blake, so he felt it was natural for him to be mistaken as a bigshot on the level of the Thunder Emperor. Father, I realize your greatness once again. The thrilled Jae-Hyeok turned his attention to Blake. Jae-Hyeok couldn’t help him, and he could die if he pretended to be the Thunder Emperor and gave false advice. It was best to break the relationship by taking items in exchange for keeping this person’s identity a secret. Still... thinking about it, he had experienced the thunder tribulation, right? I also got Traces of Thunder Tribulation... Maybe I really can help? Jae-Hyeok became greedy. If Blake survived the thunder tribulation with his help, he would gain a powerful ally on the brink of becoming a transcendent. He thought about it for a while more before slowly opening his mouth. “...Wait for me to contact you. Just keep in mind that I’m not the Thunder Emperor.” “Yes! I will keep that in mind, Thunder Emperor!” I just said I’m really not the Thunder Emperor. Jae-Hyeok frowned, but Blake didn’t notice, too busy being moved to tears.