Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Daily Hunters
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Daily Hunters reporter Lee Jong-hyun had been staking out a café near the A-rank gate for two straight days, punching his time card like clockwork.
And just like him, a bunch of other reporters were waiting around for the raid to wrap up. They were all there to snap shots of the hunters once it was over.
"Tch, what do they think they're gonna get with that kind of gear... Just wasting time. Would've been better if they'd cleared out and freed up the spot. What even is that junk?"
"Yeah, right? Hey, since they're pathetic, want some spare B-roll shots? Heh heh..."
The whispered mockery rang straight into Lee Jong-hyun's ears. They'd lowered their voices, but it was clearly meant to be half-overheard, and in the small café, it echoed loud.
What pissed him off more was the way the other reporters around them stifled their snickers.
'...If only our company had the budget...'
Lee Jong-hyun stealthily shoved the bag containing his UGV—unmanned ground vehicle—under his chair.
The ones mocking him were from the top-dog media outlets, neck-and-neck for first and second place. Proudly displayed on their tables were state-of-the-art drones that cost tens of millions each.
Gates were tough for civilians to approach, so drone filming had become all the rage. But with Daily Hunters' budget, a UGV was the limit. While others zipped in from the sky for quick shots and outs, this relic crawled up slow to film dispersing hunters.
'If I can just snag one or two shots, that'll be lucky.'
Post-raid hunter photos drew massive attention, so he had to scrape together even one or two good ones.
Enduring the sneering glances from his fellow reporters, time slipped into the afternoon before he knew it. Just as anxiety crept in about the raid dragging into the hard-to-film night, he slurped down his melted iced Americano in one go.
"Hurry!"
"Grab your gear! Check batteries!"
Whether they'd gotten some tip-off, Lee Jong-hyun snatched his UGV and followed the reporters dashing out with their drones.
Weeeeng-!
Amid the swarm of drones buzzing like angry hornets, Lee Jong-hyun set his UGV down in a corner and maneuvered it slowly.
The UGV crept forward at a snail's pace, weighed down by the camera.
Finally arriving at the scene, everything was bathed in red—Lee Jong-hyun double-checked if his camera settings were off.
'What the hell? An A-rank gate raid... and this many casualties?'
Something had gone down. Countless hunters lay bleeding out, some in especially dire shape.
Even to his untrained eye, the wounds were shake-your-head bad.
Other drones filming the carnage from afar occasionally popped into the UGV's low-angle feed.
And a moment later.
Chae Jeong-ah came rushing in from somewhere, sticking to the gravely wounded Zeus Guild Master and casting her healing.
'This is gold footage? With all the federation drama right now, this could be huge...!'
But the wounds were so massive that Chae Jeong-ah was sweating bullets, glued solely to the Zeus Guild Master. Meanwhile, others were dying.
'...Shouldn't she help the others too?'
He wasn't an expert on medicine or healers, but basic first aid should've freed her up for more hunters.
Chae Jeong-ah acted like the Zeus Guild Master was the only one there. He still looked rough, but it seemed like he'd passed the worst...
While the other outlets' drones struggled to get close amid the noise complaints, Lee Jong-hyun's UGV used its quiet, sluggish nature to sneak nearer.
The chaotic site meant few noticed his UGV, letting it settle in safely—until the whole scene froze, everyone's eyes locking on one spot.
'...Who?'
Stepping into view: a silver-haired girl and a tall black-haired beauty. Instinct told Lee Jong-hyun the silver-haired one was the rumored Saintess—he hammered the shutter like mad.
Too many people blocked a clear face shot, but he trailed and filmed as best he could. That's when his camera's tiny mic picked up Chae Jeong-ah's shrill scream.
"...Saintess! Help over here first!"
"This guy's an A-rank hunter! We have to prioritize the Zeus Guild Master over the others!"
"Don't waste your power on B-rank trash. Can't you get it?! Save him first, then help the rest if there's any left!"
The distance muffled the Saintess's soft voice, but Chae Jeong-ah's yells came through crystal clear. The content was enough to make Lee Jong-hyun grimace.
The Saintess glanced at Chae Jeong-ah, then turned to a dying hunter on the ground. Next thing, Chae Jeong-ah lunged—only to float up into the air.
'Telekinesis?'
Chae Jeong-ah gagged, throat gripped by the black-haired beauty's outstretched hand, before the Saintess seemed to intervene and she dropped free.
Ignoring the blood-soaked ground, the Saintess knelt before the dying hunter.
The camera mostly caught her back, hiding her face, but what followed could only be called a miracle.
Warm light poured out like sunlight, healing the hunter in seconds. Especially the leg—too mangled to film properly before—now fully restored. Lee Jong-hyun's jaw dropped.
After casually healing other hunters like it was nothing and turning to leave, media drones swarmed the Saintess—only to get swatted down by the black-haired beauty's gestures.
Lee Jong-hyun slowly retrieved his UGV after filming a bit longer, leaving with an incredulous look.
'This... is huge.'
"(๑╹ڡ╹๑)"
"Tasty? But you're not just gonna pig out on expensive stuff without growing, right? Just packing on the pudge? Hmm, yeah, you look a bit plumper."
I kneaded the sea otter's cheeks and belly, now even chubbier and stretchier than before. Having stuffed herself royally from breakfast, she patted her belly with a chill expression.
The A-rank magic stone rolling on the floor had been her snack.
She burned through national treasures like snacks, but hey, she's my baby—gotta take care of her. Besides, this stone was practically free, so no big loss.
Plus, for cleaning up yesterday's Zeus mess and healing those hunters, the association wired 500 million straight to my account.
With my bank balance climbing daily, just chicken, pizza, sweet-and-sour pork, tteokbokki, ice cream, bingsu, and cake kept me full.
"Alright, got some free time for once—time to climb the Tower again."
The sea otter needed exercise too, and I'd gotten hooked on Tower runs lately. Super easy with my skills, solid rewards, and the spotlight felt kinda nice in its own way.
I texted Seol Ah-yoon that I'd be out for personal reasons today, then transferred straight to the Tower.
Flopping into the familiar beanbag, I pulled up Tower Gallery—when the long-silent Quest Window crashed the party.
Tower Gallery Hate Posts: 10 Times (Reward: Admin🔸)
...?
Admin? That 24/7 free volunteer moderator gig?
The quest's condition and reward were hilariously absurd.
Hate posts 10 times? Admin as a prize?
'Obviously gotta go for it, right?'
The Quest Window knew me too damn well—suspiciously so.
Well, yeah.
Think about it: Tower Gallery was the Tower's one and only community.
Naturally, all hunters shared info, vented, posted nonsense—whatever—to forget their isolation and feel some camaraderie and belonging.
At least while in the Tower. Top hunters grinding high-rank gates stuck around a lot anyway.
The ultimate power of that place's admin... Pass on that?
Ban annoying normie posts with a blade, make unruly juniors kneel. And no one sane would spread lies about me.
...But how to farm hate posts?
Not every hunter's in the Tower—some're raiding floors, too busy; others ignore communities altogether.
Proof: posts breaking 10 comments were rare. Even deliberate troll bait barely heated up... Hunters had sky-high dopamine thresholds.
Then show 'em something they never see.
Title: Showing Something Fun
Author: Angry Picasso
Super-speed climb: 10-15 floors in one day
Proof in comments soon, then go time
Success = mad props?
Terranides were those nest-type monsters called Earth Spiders on the gallery. Giant spiders hiding in burrows, waiting for prey—watch for web traps and dark-tunnel ambushes, they'd said.
And the web's biggest weakness? Fire.
Even a flick of flame melts the webs right off.
Yeah, no. Quest time.
Thanks for the concern from One-Second Sword Saint—total stranger to me(?), but my current setup made it pointless worry. I could hit the 20th floor—A-rank hunter barrier—no sweat, let alone these scrub levels below.
Gazing reassuringly at the floating sea otter and Orb beside me, I dove straight into floor 11.