A Persistent Bond
Would you like to return?
Return.
After surviving that absolute hell, the opportunity to finally leave the Tower had arrived.
"...Ah."
An involuntary sigh of awe escaped my lips.
I could finally go back.
Back to those days when I woke up at the crack of dawn every morning, waiting around to clean up the work sites...
And to those days when I worked myself to the bone cleaning up magic residue alongside Foreman Choi in that incredibly sweaty, stinky environment...
"Wait...?"
Suddenly, a realization struck me.
"W-what's wrong?"
Karrmia, who was standing next to me, asked as she carefully read my expression, but the words wouldn't come out easily.
"...Now that I think about it, I wasn't actually that desperate to leave."
"W-what?"
Looking at the flustered red-haired Dragonoid woman—and a beauty at that—my thoughts crystallized.
"I don't have any family, and all I have waiting for me is a pile of debt I took out just to survive. I have to wake up every single morning to look for work. Is that really a life worth rushing back to?"
"...Then, you can just become a hunter."
Become a hunter, Kang Woojin.
At that sweet suggestion, I almost knelt down and kissed the back of Karrmia's hand.
"Are you a genius?"
"If you become a hunter, you can do whatever you want, whether it's in our dimension or yours."
"True."
"Actually, even if you don't want to, you won't have a choice."
"Huh?"
"The moment your achievements are revealed, the entire world—no, the entire multiverse—will focus on your existence."
I don't want that.
What about my privacy?
Suddenly, a scene from a movie I watched during a break at a work site flashed through my mind.
A scene where the protagonist's private life and personal history were instantly exposed to the press and media, forcing them to live like a caged animal.
"Shit!"
"Eek...?!"
Lisha, who was next to me, puffed up her tail in surprise, but a much more important issue was looming over me right now.
"That can't happen."
"Huh...?"
"Making tons of money and getting crazy strong? Sure, that's great. You can live doing whatever you want."
"Then why..."
"But if I get that famous, I won't have a life of my own."
I had seen countless superstars crumble under the weight of public scrutiny.
Even the strongest, top-tier hunters complained of mental exhaustion and illnesses, constantly visiting clinics.
There were even specialized mental healers just for hunters.
This is a variable.
Hunter? Sure, it was great.
But my privacy absolutely had to be guaranteed.
I need to keep a low profile.
Thinking this, I started to wrap things up to leave, and Karrmia asked.
"...Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, I should."
At my words, two pairs of eyes locked onto me.
What's with this awkward atmosphere? Did they actually want me around?
If I had known, I would have tried harder to raise their affinity.
To build relationships that would come in handy even after I returned.
Networking is essential.
And connections with the absolute best rookies from other dimensions?
The value of that was so sweet it could rot my teeth.
"...Why are you looking at us like that?"
"Just your imagination."
After brushing it off, I openly expressed my regret and spoke to the two of them.
"It's a shame we finally met but didn't even get to talk properly. Right?"
"...."
"But given the circumstances..."
If we were in a peaceful place, it wouldn't have ended in such an awkward state.
But this was the inside of the cruel and terrifying Tower, where one could lose their life at any moment.
Because of that, everyone was on edge, forced to keep their guard up against one another.
Ugh, so exhausting.
Having just been kidnapped by the Tower and barely surviving, I had no desire to get deeply involved in their political games.
"...The community."
"What?"
I turned my head at Lisha's mumbled voice and saw her hesitating, looking as if she wanted to say something.
"Y-you. You're an Awakened, aren't you?"
"Yeah?"
"Awakened are forced to climb the Tower, regardless of their own will."
"Wait, what?"
That was news to me.
"...So, when that time comes... even if you don't want to, you can look things up through the community again."
Lisha finished her sentence while subtly averting her gaze.
"Hey."
"Y-yes...?"
"Were you just worrying about me?"
I'm actually touched.
"It's not like that...!"
Her face flushed bright red, and Lisha writhed in embarrassment before glaring at me—
"...Ugh."
She quickly lowered her gaze to my neck and protested.
"...Because you don't even know the most obvious things."
"What obvious things?"
"As long as a community user doesn't die, we can keep exchanging information with each other. That is one of the absolute laws established by the Tower."
Information sharing between challengers was permitted.
Furthermore, challengers who finished their trials would continue to gather in this Waiting Room to share their results.
"You guys need to respect my simple brain."
"...Huh?"
"Can I get a TL;DR?"
"So, Woojin. As long as you keep returning to the Tower, we can keep meeting like this. Or..."
"Or?"
"...We could come find you."
"On Earth?"
"Yes."
True.
With the boundaries between dimensions blurred because of the Tower, it wasn't all that strange for a hunter from another dimension to cross over to Earth.
"If you visit, I'll buy you samgyeopsal."
"Samgyeopsal...? What's that?"
"My god, you've missed out on half of life's pleasures."
Not knowing pork belly... what kind of life had she lived?
After swearing to treat them to that absolute delicacy, we slowly prepared to part ways.
Actually, there wasn't much preparation needed.
Everyone had already received their rewards, and now it was just a matter of pressing a single button.
It's a shame I didn't get to see the other rookie hunters before leaving.
I had grown somewhat attached to them through the community and wanted to at least say goodbye.
Returning to Earth. 5, 4, 3...
"Woojin."
"Hmm?"
When I turned my head at the final call,
the red-haired Dragonoid girl looked at me, placed her hand over her heart, and briefly closed and opened her eyes.
"Thank you for sharing the information."
"Just helping each other out."
"...Yes."
But did I actually share anything? All they did was watch me and pass out.
It was just a shame I couldn't show them my legendary, mind-blowing show of strength.
Returning to Earth.
— Flash.
With that, the luxurious hotel room faded into darkness.
— Inhale...
As I slowly drew in a breath, the familiar smell of dust filled my nose.
"Ah, this familiar, shitty stench."
It was indeed the smell of the work site where I had rolled and struggled day in and day out.
A place saturated with the sweat and cigarette smoke of manual laborers.
Opening my eyes slowly, the sight of the deserted, finished work site welcomed me.
"Man, this is depressing."
I thought my sudden kidnapping to the Tower would have caused a massive uproar, but how is there not a single soul here?
Well, nobody can resist clocking out.
But I could understand.
"Status Window, you there?"
— Ding.
Time remaining until next entry into the Tower: 7 days.
"Fuck... I didn't want to know that."
Spoiling it like this right off the bat.
It was a truly heartless moment.
I looked up at the sky with a heavy heart.
A pale moon floated in the quiet night sky.
Suddenly, a sense of quiet satisfaction crept over me.
"Decided. Today is chicken night."
I'll down some chicken and a cold beer, then spend the entire day tomorrow cooped up in my studio apartment.
I fully intended to enjoy some long-awaited alone time.
[A 20-something day laborer suddenly vanishes from the Seoul Station Magic Leak Zone... Only 'magic residue' left at the scene]
[No exceptions for ordinary citizens who didn't attend the Academy? Controversy rises over unannounced 'Awakening Summons']
[S-class guild prospect, Hunter Han Sae-ah, suddenly announces suspension of activities...]
"What the, I'm famous."
And why on earth did this crazy girl suddenly pull a stunt like that?
You've got to keep your public and private life separate, seriously.
That's the problem with kids these days. Their mental fortitude is way too weak.
I need a drink.
I should get home quickly and order chicken first.
I can report my return later.
I still have a whole week left, so I can just do whatever I want and chill until then.
With those thoughts, I walked down my usual path back to my studio apartment.
— Beep, beep, beep.
I entered the passcode on the door lock and stepped inside, only to find a familiar scent amidst the musty air...
— Click.
Suddenly, the dark room lit up.
There was an uninvited guest.
But I'm the one who pays rent here?
A woman whose natural beauty remained unfaded, despite the dark circles and exhaustion etched around her eyes.
"...Woo, jin?"
The faint voice calling my name carried an ominous weight.
She looked like she was running on 100% pure misery.
This is bad.
Sensing danger instinctively, I decided to execute the plan I had formulated in my head.
"Hey, if you're coming over, you should've let me know beforehand."
"...?"
I took off my shoes out of habit and stepped into the room.
— Thud.
Behind me, the door closed naturally and the lock beeped shut—
I quickly washed my hands at the sink first.
I shook the water off my hands and turned to my childhood friend, who was still standing there staring blankly at me.
"I'm gonna order chicken, you want some? If I knew you were here, I would've ordered another—"
"...Hey."
"...."
"Are you seriously... talking about chicken right now...?"
She asked with absolute disbelief, and I replied, equally dumbfounded.
"Is it not important?"
"...What?"
"I just barely survived and came back. Having chicken and a cold can of beer is the absolute peak of existence, yes or no?"
"...."
"...."
"....You, you."
Oh, crap. I messed up.
Her pretty brow furrowed deeply in anger, and her tightly pursed lips trembled as if she were about to burst at any second.
"...Die. Just die."
"I'm sorry. But you know this was a complete accident, right? You think I wanted this to happen?"
"Get out, get out...! Do you have any idea how much I...!"
"But I'm the one who lives here...?"
"Get out, die, seriously... *sob*...!"
"Should I really leave?"
"...."
"...."
"...Don't go."
"Alright, alright. Let's just eat some chicken and have a civilized conversation."
"You're so annoying...!"
My childhood friend's usual tantrums continued.
Unlike her usual self, she was subtly reading my expression, indicating she had truly gone through a rough time.
Well, it's definitely not my fault.
Shifting the blame entirely onto that wicked, vile Tower, I continued to comfort Han Sae-ah.