The Broadcast That Changed Everything
Surprisingly, the Hunter Association had a broadcasting room.
I toured the facility and was genuinely impressed.
Anyone affiliated with the Association could use it freely...
The gear looked better than what I had at home.
Of course, since I'm not a VTuber or a camgirl, that was to be expected.
"Wow... our taxes are actually being put to good use."
I've only ever paid health insurance and national pension premiums.
But hey, those count as taxes too, right?
Kim Yu-na, who'd promoted my stream on SNS, asked me.
"What's the plan for the broadcast? You gonna drop that you're EX-rank?"
"Ah, that? I just decided."
I'd caught some news at the restaurant earlier.
Untrustworthy countries suddenly announcing they had EX-rank hunters.
No evidence or anything.
It wasn't like some fake nation certification event.
For reference, Korea hadn't announced anything yet.
My future as a hunter was still up in the air.
Thanks to that, I'd made up my mind.
"Even if I say it on stream, no one's gonna believe me anyway."
"So, hide it?"
"Yeah. I'll just say I became a decent-rank hunter."
I could always reveal the truth later.
But the opposite? Impossible.
Kim Yu-na looked slightly relieved but still asked.
"What's 'decent' rank?"
"Uh... A-rank?"
"Hunters with A-rank basic skills are rare in Korea—even including me. Got it."
"For real?"
I hadn't realized even A-rank—not just S-rank—was that scarce.
Then again, Go Ji-ho had called Alpha Team Korea's top hunter squad...
And their leader was only B-rank.
Japan had even assigned her a team just to push Yuki to A-rank.
A-rank must be seriously tough.
'Even better. Claiming A-rank hunter should make me famous enough.'
Kim Yu-na skillfully set up the camera.
"Ready."
"Already? No filters or corrections?"
"Nah, I don't. I film in the Tower too—no corrections possible there."
I'm not tight with camgirls or anything.
But most of them edit their backgrounds to hell and back.
I finished prepping and went live...
Viewers flooded in immediately.
My average was just under 200, but we hit 200 right off the bat.
I figured most were Kim Yu-na fans, but nope.
I explained as quickly and simply as possible.
"Hey everyone, long time no see. That day I drank with EscapeLife and we entered the Tower—he escaped from life the moment he woke up."
Saying "suicide" outright might get the stream banned.
The chat filled with question marks like it was obvious, but I ignored them and pushed on.
I pulled up my prepped Tower escape map and showed my route.
"So I started solo from 5F."
I'd edited my tearjerker escape footage decently.
The worst parts from 7F and 6F were totally cut...
But it was still plenty grueling.
"Barely escaped 5F... Hit the central pension complex in 4F's Fog Lake, but all the food was looted."
Kim Yu-na chuckled and waved from the side.
It hit me anew... my stream's audience quality wasn't great.
So many doubting the streamer.
Viewers climbed to 1,000.
Kim Yu-na's fans finally arriving, it seemed.
"Then right before the 4F direct exit, I met a Japanese hunter. We talked, and she showed me how to enter..."
"..."
The average humanity in Tower Escape games was higher than this.
Banhammer immediately, skipped to 3F footage.
Finally, Kim Yu-na chimed in a bit.
"First sight, thought he was nuts. Told him to lower the gun, and boom—grenade pin pulled."
"It was an extreme situation!"
Chat scrolling endlessly, insane speed.
Hard to read every one.
Donations exploding—nearly 10 stacked up already.
Had I ever gotten this much attention?
Felt weird.
I wrapped up the hunter tale and moved to main content.
"Asking my basic skill? Classified—need clearance later. Time for main content?"
"Huh? What now?"
"Tower Escape stream, so Tower Escape."
"What? Oh... the game?"
Obviously, guest Kim Yu-na plays too.
This was the real main event.
"Now, making a pro hunter do Tower Escape! Can she escape unharmed..."
Luckily, the broadcast PC had Tower Escape pre-installed.
Some other hunter must've used it for content.
Kim Yu-na played along obediently at first.
Vreeeeee!
Launch the game, and the PC fans go berserk.
Kim Yu-na asked uneasily.
"This okay? Sounds like a plane taking off from the computer."
"Normal. Tower Escape's closer to a trash code dump than a game..."
"Ugh..."
Optimization? What's that?
She struggled to keep a straight face, then nailed her promo line like a pro.
"Oh right. Thanks to us hunters keeping monsters out of Korea, survive, viewers. Subs, likes, and smash those donations!"
Playing the "hunters prevent outbreaks" card, huh.
Impressive.
The stream ended with Kim Yu-na suffering the trash game.
Peak viewers: over 3,000.
Yu-na fan power is no joke.
YouTube side? 100k views easy.
"Good work. Association registration done—you can head home."
"For real? Not trying to convince me?"
"Nah. Ignore Team Leader Go Ji-ho. Follow your convictions. Forcing someone who hates it never works."
"..."
Fair point.
I finally headed home after ages.
But... lights out, lie down, and surprise enemy strikes.
Creeeak, screeech...
"Pffft!"
Riiiing!
Lights off, bed—and noises from downstairs and next door assault me.
Perfect Sense had sharpened my hearing too much.
Insulation was never great...
Now impossible to sleep.
Turn off the skill? Crisis instinct from Tower kept auto-activating.
'What? Slept fine in hotel... oh!'
The Association hotel was soundproofed solid.
Can't even sleep in my own place now.
Body too damn premium.
Finally flipped lights back on, launched Tower Escape.
Vreeeeee!
Mad cooling fans.
Fight noise pollution with noise attack.
Played almost on reflex.
The disconnect hit quick.
'...Wait, was this game ever this chill?'
Hardcore label or not.
Nothing compared to real Tower escape.
My senses were ruined.
No way I'd recapture the old thrill, no matter how much I played.
"Ah... screwed."
Should never have entered that Tower.
Stream reactions kept replaying in my head.
Might as well go hunter...
'No, dangerous thoughts.'
Just got lucky escaping.
Crawling back in voluntarily? Insane.
No dumb ideas—back to normal life.
But that resolve crumbled in under three days.
Shadow Walk skill Transcendence, Heaven-Mixing Veil skill activated
Testing Transcendence one skill a day, steadily.
Finally hit an upper skill...
And something insane popped out.
Having felt its effects firsthand, wild ideas swirled in my head.
'Hold up—with this, escaping anytime's a breeze?'
Backlash stronger from upper skill...
But performance overwhelmingly OP.
"Man, pisses me off. Why backlash when using my basic skill?"
Go Ji-ho, grinning beside me, said.
"Your body's the weak link. Level up Martial Arts more, and it'll hold."
Instinct told me as much.
Just didn't sit right.
"Seriously mulling hunter work, huh?"
"... Team Leader, why risk your life as a hunter?"
Last time, origin story dodged the answer.
No hesitation this time.
"Doesn't look like war with North Korea's breaking out."
"Huh?"
Thought joke. Wasn't.
"Someone's gotta do it. Decided the best guy—me—would."
"... Impressive."
Honestly, couldn't see myself with that mindset.
"You should do what you're good at too."
"What's that for me?"
"Escape genius. Play game, then solo 7F? Makes no sense."
Saying it like that kept eroding my resolve.
Especially after that Transcendence test.
"Join Alpha Team right away if I go hunter?"
"Yep. Blocking Korea outbreaks costs ~120k gold monthly. We average 20k earnings, so big voice."
20k gold?
Totally nuts.
Ripped off plenty by inter-floor merchants, sure...
One Tower gas mask sold for 400 gold.
Snowfield troll hide true price ~1k gold.
20k? 20 trolls.
Those arm-breakers even with instant-kill dagger.
Hit major farm spots, grab other loot—might rack up quick...
But consumables? Need 25-30k gross minimum.
Worlds apart from solo survival escape.
I finally decided.
"Gonna head out. Take care."
"Wait!"
Go Ji-ho grabbed my shoulder firmly.
"Without you, gotta recall Choi Il-hyeok."
"Huh?"
"We helped you on 3F, right? So save our asses once?"
Gonna lose it.
Go Ji-ho, Kim Yu-na—good people.
Keep diving Tower? Dead soon.
That's the Tower.
Me joining? 4+1 sale?
But yesterday's stream hype...
And Kim Yu-na's advice kept circling.
Choose by my convictions.
Viewers are sharp.
Can't hype them without real fun anymore.
Game streaming? Donezo.
I hit Go Ji-ho with the key question.
"Hunter work fun? Worth risking life?"
"What? Heh..."
He let out a hollow laugh but nodded.
"Talked to tons of hunters... You're first to ask if fun. Yeah, it is."
His eyes gleamed with strange fervor.
"NK spec ops, Somali pirates... Defy me? Kill 'em, loot everything. Can't do that outside Tower. Thrilling as hell."
"..."
"Outside, everyone grovels. Tower turns us into gods."
Tower Escape's one real hook.
Overpowered farming rush.
Hadn't properly tasted it yet.
Too busy solo surviving.
Conclusion after agonizing? Shockingly simple.
"... Trial run okay?"
"Yeah, dive once more with us, then decide."
"Sounds good. Nice working with you. But I'm broke on gold. Sell gear?"
"Nah. Newbie hunters get support funds."
"Support funds?"
"Like farming. Sow, reap later. Drought or pests might kill crop, though. Tower shop first?"
Go Ji-ho smirked and led me to the Gwanghwamun Tower.