The Unexpected SSS+ Rank Hunter
"H-Hunter-nim, you look more dashing with every passing day."
"Hmm? Do I? I’m grateful to hear that from such a young lady."
"Hmph."
As Yeon-hwa Unni blushed while speaking, Se-eun Unni let out a snort and shot her a glare. Jeolmi watched the subtle war of nerves between the two as if it were a fascinating show.
Honestly, why does a magpie love soap operas so much? It’s all because Grandfather keeps the living room TV tuned to those melodramas 24/7.
"Do you still have a crush on my dad?"
"A-… I do not!! What, what would you know about anything…!!"
"Hoho… let’s not fight, you two."
I suppose Grandfather Yong-su is popular enough… though I never expected his charm to work on a young hunter in her twenties.
He gives off the vibe of someone who would lead a group of grandmothers at a senior center, so the fact that Yeon-hwa Unni was head-over-heels for him was genuinely surprising.
"Ahem. We are gathered here for Shiro-yang’s entry into the Tower, so let’s put an end to the bickering."
"O-okay…."
"Hmph, fine."
With the gentle mediation of Mr. Jong-wu, the tension finally dissipated. I’d heard later that Yeon-hwa Unni and Se-eun Unni had attended the same academy and were the same age.
They’d grown up bickering since they were kids, but at some point, Yeon-hwa Unni started harboring a secret crush on Grandfather, which only made them fight more often.
It was such an interesting story that I made a mental note to ask them about it later. Jeolmi gave a thumbs-up with his wing as if to agree. Thumbs up!
"Shiro-yang, do you need me to explain the Tower again?"
"Hmm… I looked it up, but I’d like to hear it one more time. Would that be okay…?"
"If that is what you wish, I can explain it as many times as you need."
Mr. Jong-wu looked back at the Tower behind us and continued his explanation slowly.
"The Towers of Awakening, which appeared simultaneously across the globe, are places that guarantee definite growth for any Awakened. It is said that even if you only clear up to the 5th floor, you become fifty percent stronger than you were immediately after your awakening."
"Whoa…!"
"Furthermore, the Tower carries little risk; even if you meet your end inside, you are simply ejected back to the entrance. That said, there are quite a few hunters who become so obsessed that they lose their minds… but I will do my best to ensure that doesn't happen to you, Shiro-yang."
"T-thank you so much."
It was a terrifying explanation no matter how many times I heard it. Even if you aren't physically injured, it meant that the mental toll could turn you into a madman or a villain.
"I wish I could tell you about the trials of the Tower, but unfortunately, the Tower presents different trials to every Awakened who enters, so there is no specific information I can give you. I apologize, Shiro-yang."
"O-oh, no! It’s only natural…!"
"Hohoho, Shiro is truly kind-hearted."
As Mr. Jong-wu said, the contents of the Tower were different for everyone. One hunter had even written and sold a book claiming to be a "mandatory guide" for the 1st floor, only to face massive backlash when it was revealed that every trial was unique.
I felt a little bad for that hunter, though… he couldn't have known that every trial would be different.
There was only one thing that could be considered a commonality.
"However… it is said that the higher your Job Rank, the more difficult the trial becomes."
"Hmm… I-it’ll be fine."
Most S-rank hunters confessed that they felt like they were facing a "Wall of Lamentation" on the 5th floor, known as the end of the lower levels.
What kind of trial would await me, an EX-rank? I felt both expectant and a little afraid, so I hugged Jeolmi tightly.
― *Kyak-kyak.*
"I won't ask about your Job Rank, as that is considered a breach of etiquette, but since your Job Rank is expected to be very high… I hope you will be careful."
The reason asking about a hunter's Job Rank was considered rude was simple. There was an era where even if a hunter had a high Hunter Rank based on actual evaluation, they were discriminated against if their Job Rank was low.
To overcome that, a social norm spread where people neither asked nor spoke about Job Ranks.
If two hunters of the same rank contributed equally to a raid, but the distribution of rewards changed based on their Job Rank, I would have felt cheated, too.
Lee Jong-wu was one of the hunters who fought hardest to eliminate such discrimination, which is why he strictly adhered to that unwritten rule.
"Normally, there are two ways to exit the Tower: clearing the floor or meeting your death. However, if you activate this Return Stone, it will treat you as if you have died, allowing you to escape immediately. If you feel you cannot go on, I strongly recommend you use the Return Stone without hesitation."
"Yes…. I’ll be careful…! If it seems impossible, I’ll give up right away!"
Mr. Jong-wu finished his explanation and pulled a yellow gem from his pocket, placing it in my hand. It was the size of a peppermint candy. I heard Return Stones were incredibly expensive. I feel like I’ve been receiving too much from everyone lately….
But it’ll be fine. I’m just a cute nine-year-old girl on the outside, right? It felt a bit shameful to keep thinking that way, but it was a necessary process to survive and keep going.
"Shiro! Good luck! Jeolmi, please take care of our Shiro!"
― *Kyak-kyak!*
With Se-eun Unni’s send-off, I walked toward the Tower. The entrance itself was designed like a simple hallway, but it looked as if a black veil had been set up inside, obscuring everything beyond it.
I slowly approached and placed my hand on it, and it felt like sinking into water as I slipped right through. I found myself floating in a space that was completely pitch black.
"This is amazing."
― *Kkiung.*
Since Jeolmi and Bombe were my summons, they were able to come in with me. It was only natural, as they were friends born from my own power.
As I floated through the black void for a while, the scenery around me began to change. I wondered if this was what teleportation felt like.
Watching the landscape shift like a time-lapse video played at high speed, it wasn't long before I found myself standing in the middle of a snowy mountain.
*Whoosh—* A fierce wind blew, but I didn't feel cold at all. I guess that’s the perk of being a Snow Girl; I seemed to be completely immune to the cold. Jeolmi and Bombe were perfectly fine, too.
"Snow Girl-nim… please look over us."
"Ah, oh goddess."
"Goddess of Snow, have mercy on us."
"Eh."
As I looked around in confusion, people covered from head to toe in white fur were bowing to me, praying for something.
Their appearance was quite grotesque; their skin was entirely covered in white fur, and their eye sockets were deeply recessed, giving the impression that they had no pupils.
Furthermore, instead of animal hides, their clothes looked like bones woven together with vines. Watching them intently gave me the creeps, and I scratched my arm.
But… at the same time, I felt a sense of déjà vu. They didn't feel entirely unfamiliar.
"It comes… Goddess."
"The end is coming, Snow Girl-nim…."
"Save us."
"Save us."
"Save our children."
Their murmuring voices merged into one. It was the moment snow began to scatter over the gloomy atmosphere. That was when I saw it flying toward us.
The sun. A dragon with the scorching sun as its two eyes was flying toward us. Its body was so massive that, judging from a distance… it felt as large as an entire skyscraper.
A system message appeared, as if to indicate the clear condition for the 1st floor. I didn't really know what the "forgotten dimension" was, but I knew for sure that I was about to die.
― *KROOOOAR!*
Bombe, who had taken my mana and returned to her giant form, let out a massive roar. It wasn't an act of courage born from a desire to protect me.
It was the primal fear of a beast. It was nothing more than a desperate, reflexive cry in the face of an overwhelming predator.
"Ugh…."
Unlike Bombe, Jeolmi, who had been in my arms, took flight with firm resolve. He flapped his wings fiercely, as if determined to stop the end, the dragon, that was closing in on me.
I was terrified. I was crushed by the overwhelming pressure. I had never heard of an S-rank job hunter facing such a situation on the very first floor of the Tower.
Had I underestimated the EX-rank Tower? Regret gripped my heart. I held back my tears, gritted my teeth, and raised my hand.
'Get a grip…. I’m scared, but I won't actually die.'
Both Bombe and Jeolmi had moved before me. Even if their actions weren't purely born of courage, they had stepped up to protect me.
I was their master; I couldn't just stand behind them crying. I was going to be a hunter, too. I… I wanted to protect others as well.
With hands trembling so hard I couldn't control them, I aimed at the dragon. We were on a snowy mountain; if I used all my mana to move all the snow on the mountain, maybe, just maybe, I could stop it…!
"H-hic…."
I was biting my lip and gathering my mana when— *thump*—someone placed a hand on my shoulder, pushed me back, and stepped forward in my place.
A woman with the same hair color as me. But she was a head taller than I was, and her flowing clothes gave off the mysterious aura of a true Snow Girl.
She spread her hands and stared at the dragon.
"Hoo."
Following her breath, a pale mist spread through the air. With that single action, every blizzard raging on the mountain flew toward the dragon in unison.
The dragon with the scorching sun for eyes. That overwhelming existence began to freeze slowly in front of an even greater blizzard.
― *KROOOOAAAR—!!*
That was the last cry the dragon let out. Its burning eyes were trapped in blue ice, and it fell far below the cliff.
Soon, she looked at me. It was a gaze that seemed to ask… "Did you see that well?"
You have passed the 1st floor trial.
The world drifted away from me again, and a black space enveloped me—before I knew it, I had been ejected from the Tower.
A sense of longing and emptiness remained in my heart. I couldn't pinpoint the reason, but my heart instinctively felt regret, as if I should have asked her so many more questions.
The Hall of Fame existed for every floor, and it was a system where the Tower calculated and published scores based on how the trial was cleared.
Thanks to this, hunters near the Tower could check the real-time clear scores and rankings up to 10th place for each floor.
Since you couldn't re-enter a floor once it was cleared, all records were based on the first clear.
In other words… I had suddenly become a nine-year-old who recorded an overwhelming score on the 1st floor, and that meant—
"S-Shiro-yang?!"
"Hoho… Shiro, how did you do that?"
"Shiro…!!"
It meant that I had attracted the attention of not just the people here, but countless people around the world.