Chapter 18
hapter 18 – Trauma Penalty (3)
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Translator: HH
[The challenger is hunter Kim Gong-ja . 1 person . ]
[Calculating rewards…calculation finished . ]
[The reward will be given 24 hours later, once you enter the 11th floor . ]
Bonus stage clear .
Something that no one else had done yet . I did that . Me, who wasn’t even in the ranking .
If this was known, the world would flip around .
“Haa . ”
But I didn’t feel comfortable . Like I was happy and sad at the same time .
I stood in the ash covered building .
-Hey . Why do you look like you ate shit? You even cleared the hidden stage . I can count the number of times I cleared a hidden stage on one hand . The reward will probably be pretty good .
“A psychopath like you wouldn’t know why I’m gloomy right now . Since you don’t have any humanity . ”
-Mm . Now that I see, you didn’t eat shit but you’re shitting me right now .
“…”
It was surprising . My gloominess disappeared with a word from Bae Hu-ryeong . Yeah . Living with this crazy geezer, I wouldn’t be able to feel sensitive to things .
“…I was just thinking the world is fucked up . ”
-Hm?
“You saw in the boss stage just now . Whether it’s our world or another world, fucked up things happen . ”
-I guess .
Bae Hu-ryeong nodded .
-Places where people live are probably all like that .
We stood quietly like that for some time . We both looked at the remains of the mansion and shuddered .
-Alright . Enough . Whew . Things like this don’t fit me! Aside from that, Kim Gong-ja, you were amazing earlier!
“What?”
-Using a method of your own to subjugate the boss . It was incredible . I’ll compliment you!
I furrowed my eyebrows . He was probably being genuine, but I got goosebumps .
“…What’s with the sudden compliments?”
-Kid . I give compliments when there’s something to compliment . This was something you overcame with not your luck, but your skill . You and I are partners, so we should be happy together . Right?
I furrowed my eyebrows even more .
“Weird…”
-Nah . What do you mean weird . Good job, Kim Gong-ja! You’re so cool, Kim Gong-ja! Let’s continue going for the Rank 1 when the 11th floor opens! So what if they all curse you saying it’s a scam . They should get a cheat skill if they feel so wronged!
He laughed cheerfully . Hm? Why was he suddenly being like this? Unless the sun rose from the west, or the tower collapsed tomorrow, there was no way Bae Hu-ryeong would be like this .
It was then .
[Announcing to everyone . ]
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[Today, the 10th floor’s stage has been cleared . ]
A voice .
[Announcing to everyone again . ]
It wasn’t a voice that only I heard . A voice filled the sky .
[Today . ]
[The 10th floor stage has been cleared . ]
A congratulatory message that signaled a new era .
[After 24 hours, the 11th floor stage is being opened . ]
Whoosh…!
Something exploded in the sky . It was fireworks . First, a purple firework exploded, then red, blue, yellow, and all kinds of various colors decorated the sky .
“Ah…”
I blankly looked at the sky . The fireworks didn’t disappear even though they exploded . They twisted and squirmed, and slowly formed a shape .
[24:00:00]
It was the shape of a clock .
[23:59:59]
And the clock of the sky started to move .
“…”
Bae Hu-ryeong and I looked at the atmosphere .
Then, he muttered to himself .
-It’s finally the start of the real show .
I nodded my head .
“Yeah . ”
-I saw a fireworks show like this when I was alive .
“It’s something I’m also seeing for the second time . But . ”
I clenched my fist .
“But the past me was in a first floor bar . It was just a spectacle to watch . I didn’t even know what had happened . I lost the chance and ended up staying a F Class hunter my entire life…damn . The more I think about it, the more stupid I was . ”
-Heehee .
Bae Hu-ryeong laughed .
-So . How does it feel being promoted from an extra to a main character?
I didn’t answer right away . Instead, I pulled out my phone .
It was to see how the online community was reacting to this .
-what’s this what’s the fireworks
-There’s fireworks on the first floor . Is it just this floor?
-im on the 3rd floor but theres also fireworks here
As expected .
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The fireworks in the middle of the day were burning up the online community .
-anyone hear the voice just now
-i heard the 10th floor was cleared but is that true
-did the black dragon guild clear it?
-There wasn’t any announcement . What’s going on?
Online posts .
-The next assault that the Hunter’s Association announced is 2 weeks later .
-its def not the black dragon! They’re all in front of the cafe in front of babylon bank on the 1st floor . picture attached as proof
-who cleared it?
More posts .
-[Breaking News] 10th floor cleared!
-Guild that cleared it hasn’t been revealed yet .
-[Breaking News] Black Dragon, no announcement of clearing .
With every second, new posts were uploaded on the community . It was just one of them . All hunter communities were like this, and this fire soon spread to other communities .
News agencies in Babylon frantically released one-sentence articles, and gossip sparked the fire again .
-who is it if not black dragon?
-im praying at the ten thousand temple rn . its crazy here . seems like the its not the ten thousand temple either .
-yeah! it’s the sword saint!
-the sword saint cleared it by himself . 100%
-ah, sword saint can do that
At first, the fire burned individually . Some pushed for the Ten Thousand Temple . Other places pointed at the Sword Saint . Count, Venomous Snake, Crusader, etc . All the greatest hunters were mentioned at least once .
But…
-what r u talking about . sword saint is drinking milk in a bar?
-its not sword saint . picture attached as proof
-venomous snake was teaching training guild members
-what are you talking about?
-crusader working in babylon square
-i asked myself . sword saint said it’s not him
-wait . It doesn’t make sense
-this is sanghyun’s executive . I can’t reveal my real name but its not sangryun .
-why isn’t there a single guild saying they cleared it
-what the f***
The burning communities gathered as one . With one huge question .
-then who is it
-does no one know who cleared it?
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-who’s the hunter that subjugated the 10th floor?
-just who…
I turned off my phone’s home screen .
And I decided to answer what Bae Hu-ryeong asked me earlier .
“My feelings right now . ”
From sometime .
I was smiling .
“It honestly feels great . ”
It was something I had never felt in my entire life . But I knew what feeling this was without anyone telling me . I instinctively knew .
It was the feeling of being at the top .
“I feel like I’m on top of the world . ”
-Right?
Bae Hu-ryeong smirked .
-That’s nothing more than an illusion . You’re not on top, and you only subjugated the 10th floor . But it’s not 100% an illusion . Kim Gong-ja . You’re closer to the top than anyone else in your world .
“I know . ”
I turned my gaze .
“Now all that’s left is to really be at the top . ”
The stone stairs who had to pass if you wanted to challenge the hellfire residence . There was one person running up the stairs .
It was the doorkeeper that I had tricked saying I had a terminal illness .
“Pant, cough…! Gasp . Hunter-nim…!”
The doorkeeper was soaked in sweat . It seemed like he had run immediately over . And he stopped in front of me gasping for breath .
“That…that just now . W, Was it you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about . ”
“T, The 10th floor clear!”
The doorkeeper shouted .
“I’m in charge today…and you were the only hunter to challenge the 10th floor today, so… . it’s a mess right now . The Hunter’s Association keeps on calling me to ask what happened…!”
“Mm . ”
I looked at the doorkeeper . Buzz . Buzzz . When he was talking to me, his pocket kept on vibrating . It was probably the calls . Like he said, he seemed like the entire Tower was panicked .
I smiled .
“What are you going to do about it if I really cleared it?”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked what you’re going to do if I’m really the hunter who cleared the 10th floor . ”
“T, That’s…”
The doorkeeper had a flustered face .
“I wasn’t able to check your ID so…I would do it now . ”
“Naah . Doorkeeper-nim . That’s strange . It wasn’t that you couldn’t check my ID . You even took 100 Gold from me . ”
“T, That’s . ”
“You go through a lot working . ”
I softly pat his shoulder . He looked at me with a disoriented face . And I passed him to head down the stone stairs .
I heard a desperate shout from behind me .
“P, Please wait a moment! Hunter-nim! Even your nickname is alright! Please at least tell me your nickname before you leave! Or else I’ll be beat up by my Association seniors!”
I answered without looking back .
“I don’t have a nickname . ”
“…”
“Work hard . Ah, and don’t follow me . Or I’ll really run away . ”
Thankfully, the doorkeeper didn’t follow after me . Even if he did, it didn’t matter . I could easily lose him since he was tired from the stairs .
-Hey . His face is a sight to see . It’s like he saw a ghost .
Bae Hu-ryeong snickered looking behind him .
-Anyways, good job . That’s how you raise the value of your name . Yup . You have to make people find you . Even without you telling…
“Sword Emperor . ”
-Huh? What?
I stood in front of the transmission stone that was in front of the 10th floor entrance .
“I, realized . ”
-Realized what?
“Why you suddenly complimented me . ”
I reserved the one heading down to the 1st floor and spoke .
“The bet . ”
Bae Hu-ryeong paused .
“I remembered . You promised to call me Gong-jnim if I cleared the boss in 2 Coins, right? Wow, what are you gonna do now . I really did it in 2 Coins . Our Sword Emperor-nim is in big trouble . ”
-Hey . Gong-ja…but we’re partners…isn’t that a bit wrong?
Bae Hu-ryeong pleaded with a face that was about to cry .
-Think about it . Partners have equal standing . You and me . Equal standing . Someone who dominated up to the 99th floor and someone who’ll challenge the 100th floor . Hey, partner! Friend! How beautiful is that!
I brightly smiled .
“Alright . Now call me Gong-jnim when you talk to me . ”
-…
“Forever . ”
It was then, when Bae Hu-ryeong’s face fell in despair .