After Episode (3)

The Tower.

A place where hunters trained themselves to take in even more of the dragons' power, the source of their abilities—a gateway they passed through like job changes at certain milestones.

Important resources like mana stones didn't drop well, and one slip could mean instant death. Unless you were an awakener who'd received a dragon's revelation and were obsessed with growth, it was best not to climb it.

That was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠full extent of what hunters at this time knew and thought about the Tower.

Of course, no one was willing to risk their life to climb all the way to the top, so it was only natural.

"Around now, I guess it's time to let you in on it."

"On what?"

"Why I know so damn much. And why we have to climb the Tower."

"Oh? What's the deal?"

Jeonghyeon now naturally led the way into Philip's house, opening the door and plopping down in the seat of honor like he owned the place. Even Philip didn't bat an eye—it all felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perfectly natural.

Philip was trustworthy.

At least until Jeonghyeon's primary goal was achieved.

'My primary goal... First, clear the Demon King's quests, grow strong, then meet Leon in Afraksas. Philip's useful until then.'

With that in mind, Jeonghyeon laid it out for him.

"I lived ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my life once before."

"Pardon?"

"Call it regression or whatever. Point is, I know the future. My future, anyway..."

"Suddenly going full old-man mode...?"

"Shut up and listen, you punk. Back in my time, most hunters were selfish pricks chasing their own greed. Same as now. And they all fucked it up in the end. Got it? That's why I'm busting my ass now to cut that Demon King bastard's head off before shit hits the fan this time."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

It sounded like a half-assed brush-off to anyone listening. Which it was, technically true or not. Philip figured, 'Ah, he just doesn't wanna spill the details,' and nodded reluctantly.

"So... the dragon that revealed itself to you, Jeonghyeon-ssi, has future sight powers or something like that?"

"Ooh, nice. Yeah, let's go with that."

"Pardon?"

"That way, I don't have to pretend I don't know shit! Perfect! You're smarter than you look!"

"Uh, yeah... Thanks..."

"Anyway, that's why we're climbing the Tower."

"Does that really add up?"

"It does. What'd you think I was climbing it for?"

"To take in more dragon power, strengthen your body and mana... and... uh..."

"And?"

"Basically, from B-rank up, how many floors you've cleared has a huge impact on your hunter rank?"

"Exactly! That's it! That's why you kids these days are hopeless."

Jeonghyeon, with his barely-adult face, tsked his tongue at the era-mismatched remark and leaned in close to Philip.

"Listen up. The Tower? It's a passageway."

"A passageway?"

"No more questions. Too annoying to repeat myself."

"Got it."

Jeonghyeon turned serious.

"There's a world beyond the Tower called Afraksas. A Demon King lives there, and that son of a bitch is the root of all the fields invading our dimension—the source of every evil."

"......"

"To get to Afraksas, you gotta clear the 50th floor. And without going there, you can't kill the Demon King."

"So... we lost to the Demon King because hunters who didn't climb the Tower were too late getting up there?"

"Bingo. Even the dragons didn't know."

Jeonghyeon grimaced bitterly, his past flashing before him.

"Yeah... the dragons didn't know. Climbing the Tower isn't about taking in more dragon power. It's about assimilating to Afraksas and breaking the limits of a human body..."

To Philip, Jeonghyeon seemed dead serious, but it was still baffling.

"Anyway, seeing is believing, right? I'll explain the details on the way up. You know how to open the Tower, yeah?"

"Yes! But isn't it only awakeners who can open it?"

"I can too."

Probably...

Any awakener could climb the Tower. Having the qualification to enter was proof of awakening in the first place.

Even in Jeonghyeon's previous life, there was one hunter who'd climbed without a dragon's revelation.

In other words, awakening made your body capable of climbing—it didn't require a dragon's revelation.

'That Demon King bastard told me to come find him. No way he'd lock the Tower on me.'

"So, how far'd you get?"

"Floor 1!"

"Only floor 1?"

"No...!"

"You haven't even cleared floor 1?!"

"......Heh heh."

Philip grinned sheepishly. Jeonghyeon laughed too. The old saying about not spitting in a smiling face was wrong.

A fist flew instead of spit.

***

Opening the Tower was simple. But the principle was pretty abstract.

'Spread mana throughout your body, then visualize a massive power in front of you.'

Rumble—

A huge portal made of mana appears.

And the moment you step through it.

Whoosh—

You enter a new world, severed from reality.

An endless space of bare square tiles, no devices or decorations. This is the Tower's entrance corridor leading to the doors.

If your companion hops ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the portal before it closes, two hunters can share the same Tower.

That's how Jeonghyeon and Philip entered.

Jeonghyeon eyed Philip with some approval.

"Not bad. You can actually generate it."

"I'm still a hunter...!"

Non-awakeners couldn't even see or cross the portal.

Contrary to Jeonghyeon's assumptions, Philip was already on par with decent awakeners.

"Let's clear floor 1 first."

The Tower's first 10 floors out of 50 are identical for everyone.

Everyone experiences the same structure up to floor 10, but from 11 onward, it branches based on the hunter's level.

From floor 11, difficulty scales wildly by individual skill. You have to surpass your limits to advance, so clearing beyond that proved your grueling training.

'Of course, with past-life memories and Epic Weapons, surpassing limits is a breeze.'

With that thought, Jeonghyeon took the lead down the corridor.

"I will climb the Tower."

The empty corridor rumbled violently in response.

"Yeah."

'Yeah. Back then, people called it "trial concentration" or "the density of tears you'd shed climbing." All sorts of bullshit interpretations.'

Jeonghyeon knew now.

It meant the concentration of Afraksas itself—so different from this world.

"The highest."

"Shut up and open the door."

This boring spiel dragged on for over five minutes. Jeonghyeon had zero patience for repeating the obvious.

Rumble—

Offended or whatever—did the Tower even have feelings?—instead of opening ahead, a portal formed under their feet.

"?!"

"Gah!"

Philip and Jeonghyeon plummeted with gravity.

Thud!

They'd arrived at the first gateway: Three Attacks.

***

"Whoa... So this is floor 1."

"You know something about it?"

"Yeah. To hit B-rank, you need 5 floors; A-rank needs 10. Info's solid up to floor 3."

That must be why Philip tried it. Clearing ahead made rank-up exams easier.

"Floor 1's trial is 'Three Attacks.' Fight and survive three monster waves. Simple, right?"

"Spot on. But high concentration means tougher bastards."

Instead of drawing Blood Dissector, Jeonghyeon pulled a flashbang he'd prepped. To take out the first monster easy.

"Grraaawr!"

Speak of the devil—the first monster appeared.

A fixed spawn unrelated to concentration.

A 3-meter humanoid giant, wielding a club that smashed anything it touched: the one-eyed giant, Cyclops.

Jeonghyeon pointed confidently at it.

Philip watched, wondering if magic was next, buzzing with anticipation.

"Go get 'em, Philipmon!"

"Me?!"

"Duh! Dodge—it's attacking!"

As Jeonghyeon said, the Cyclops' club swept the floor toward Philip.

"Damn it!"

Philip swung Soul of the Mountain to smack the club.

Bam!

A dull boom halted the club's path. Philip froze.

"Wha... why's it so strong...!"

"Idiot, you think Value Proof triggers anytime? Next attack incoming!"

Philip tsked and charged forward.

The style Jeonghyeon used: exploiting gaps against big foes.

'Pretty good battle sense.'

The club whiffed, scraping the floor. Philip closed in on the Cyclops' side.

"You a dude?!"

"Crazy bastard."

Fully bought into Jeonghyeon, Philip uppercut the mace right into the Cyclops' center, just like he'd seen.

Crack! The Cyclops staggered back.

"Grraw!"

Unlike the Minotaur, it recovered fast and swung wildly again.

Like whack-a-mole, relentless ground pounds. Philip could only dodge repeatedly, no counter.

Jeonghyeon seized the opening, channeling mana into his right eye.

A stinging pain dyed it red. He murmured:

"Attribute Analysis."

With a buzz, status windows floated over the Cyclops.

He'd slain countless Cyclops before, so the info matched his ingrained knowledge. But analyzing every future monster like this? Cheat-level foreknowledge.

'Know yourself and your enemy, win every battle. I already know the enemy—jackpot.'

Still, Jeonghyeon was puzzled.

'What's different from the monster version of Attribute Disruption? There has to be something unique to Attribute Analysis...!'

He'd use Philip to test it.

Killing it himself would end the hunt too quick.

"Coming from the right!"

Jeonghyeon switched to backline commander.

"Huh?!"

Less than a second later, the Cyclops whipped its club from Philip's right.

"Hrup!!"

With a split-second warning, Philip countered almost perfectly with his mace.

A crack echoed from the club.

"Power struggle! Target the arm first!"

Philip roared in understanding, leaping at the club arm with full force.

"Raaah!!!"

The moment Philip's mace smashed the Cyclops' arm—