Ruined Hospital and Wasteland Descent
The Inter-floor Zone just before heading down to the 3rd floor.
I tore into some combat rations.
I'd even prepared a small cup of instant ramen for dessert.
With five of us crammed into the Inter-floor Zone, it felt downright bustling.
Go Ji-ho, the team leader, asked me,
"Kang Hyun, you okay? You keep stumbling around."
"Just hungry. This'll fix me right up."
"Ah, got it..."
Go Ji-ho immediately started divvying up the spoils.
Truth be told, we hadn't scavenged much from the 4th floor.
The Mist Elixir was about it, and I'd already used that.
But the haul from the 5th floor had been massive.
"After you two went ahead, we mopped up the rest and grabbed their loot."
"Ah... so they couldn't escape, huh?"
The elevator Kim Yu-na and I had used on the 5th floor had a five-minute cooldown after one use.
Even as a descent escape route, it had that timer.
So those guys couldn't bolt and got hunted down by Go Ji-ho's main squad.
"We recovered the gear from the ones you took out near the factory too... solid equipment, all of it."
They had to have decent basics to charge us head-on from a high floor like the 5th.
Of course, we'd sold off almost everything from the previous Inter-floor Zone.
That left us with a whopping 28,000 gold.
Once we escape the Tower and offload the gun parts, we'd easily hit 40,000.
Factor in the Mist Elixir, and it was basically 50,000 gold.
Our gains were overflowing—no need to get greedy now.
Go Ji-ho split the 28,000 gold into four equal shares of 7,000 each.
Then he handed it out to everyone except LMG gunner Han Ju-won.
"Emergency funds and risk diversification. Keep 'em safe, everyone."
"Why not Ju-won?"
"Kid's already hauling enough weight. He's the LMG gunner."
"Ah..."
Special treatment, huh.
Gold was small and light comparatively.
But 7,000 coins still added noticeable bulk.
I finished my meal and restocked on smoke grenades.
We had some left over from the dead hunters we'd recovered them from.
Already down to the 3rd floor.
Escape from the Tower was just around the corner.
Then I could slack off for another full month.
...Isn't this the best job ever?
Sure, if someone died, I'd rethink that.
But so far? Perfect.
No pointless hierarchy bullshit—everyone looked out for each other. A workplace without the human drama stress.
I leaned back against my backpack and listened to Go Ji-ho.
"Lucky it was North Korean troops who jumped us."
"Who were the 5th floor guys?"
"Looked like Eastern Europeans and mercs? Definitely not allies."
Even inside the Tower, they kept track of that stuff.
Made sense—we were Korean hunters, after all.
I showed interest, so Go Ji-ho filled in more details.
"Japan and France, back in the day? They threw down hard in here—total chaos."
"Uh... what started it?"
"Loot dispute, probably. Problem was, both sides had survivors. They escaped and it blew up internationally. Normally, we'd just sweep it under the rug."
So that's why he'd asked over dinner last time.
Whether there were survivors or witnesses near the hunter I'd killed.
"Anyway, don't sweat that crap. Suspicious? Shoot first."
"What if they're allies?"
"Their fault for getting shot. Hey, want some ramen?"
"Oh, right!"
Slurp!
The hot, spicy broth restored my energy.
My Perfect Sense skill was back at 100% now.
I rinsed my mouth, then took a one-hour nap.
When I woke, Sang Ha-jun was staring in admiration.
"...You can sleep anywhere, huh."
"Yeah, I crash like a rock no matter what."
I stretched and replied, then curiosity struck.
"So, Ha-jun, why'd you become a hunter?"
"Me? Incurable disease. Need meds regularly."
"Incurable?"
"Yeah. Hereditary optic neuropathy... left alone, I'd go blind for good."
"Wait, can that be cured?"
"...You know what incurable means?"
Oh, right.
But Tower meds seemed to handle it.
"Not a one-shot cure, then?"
"Nah. But it gets better the more I take. Used to need it every three months—now once a year suffices."
Regular shop panaceas supposedly cured most things in one go...
Genetic diseases must be trickier.
Still, steady improvement.
Good to hear.
Tower potions were the real deal.
Sang Ha-jun had more experience than he looked.
From the way he talked, at least two or three years.
"Shop stuff, right? How much?"
"Around 10,000 gold?"
"Whoa..."
Pricey meds.
And personal expense—no reimbursements.
"What was our team split again?"
"Kang Hyun, you joined without knowing that?"
Kim Yu-na gave me a look like I was hopeless and explained.
"We split operating profits evenly after expenses—20% each."
Sounded fairer than the North Koreans.
The mandatory 20,000 gold to the Association was a given...
Post-escape this time? Roughly 20,000 gold.
20% was 4,000.
Minus various costs, even less.
One Tower run per month, meds once a year? Manageable.
"Other than vision, the disease doesn't affect anything else?"
"Nope. Just the optic nerve."
So he could've skipped the Tower if he ditched his sight.
Sang Ha-jun chose to fight for it, risking his life.
Some might call it foolish...
But I couldn't judge.
Compared to why I'd started raiding the Tower.
His reason felt downright noble.
"Oh, so the quiet thing—is that from the illness too...?"
"Nah. Snipers look cooler when they're stoic."
Ah, so he was into that vibe.
Low-key stylish guy.
"...Thanks for sharing."
"Kang Hyun, not asking me?"
LMG gunner Han Ju-won teased.
"Kinda awkward after that story..."
"Fair. Ha-jun's got the best backstory on the team."
"Save it for your streams?"
"No. Use it after I'm dead."
Sang Ha-jun shut down Kim Yu-na cold.
Eye issues were a weakness, especially for a sniper.
"Humans! Three minutes left!"
"Time to move."
Go Ji-ho stood and announced.
"Shortest path to the escape point. Masks check."
"All good here."
We descended to the 3rd floor.
Fwaaah!
Closer to downtown than last time.
A massive supermarket right in front of us.
One of the better farming spots in the non-toxic zones.
"Big mart. Quick look around?"
"This close? Gotta peek out of courtesy."
While Sang Ha-jun climbed to the mart's roof, we swept the interior.
Prime farming area or not, no poison meant low expectations.
And 3rd floor loot wasn't exactly gourmet.
Rummaging the warehouse, I found something decent.
"Oh, batteries."
"Nice. Grab 'em."
Tower-tech batteries with insane capacity and efficiency.
Viable for outside research too.
In just five minutes, we stripped the place bare, donned our masks, and headed into the toxic zone.
"Wanna scout before the abandoned hospital? Good spot nearby?"
Go Ji-ho asked me.
Answer was instant.
"That way—big parking garage roof. But zombies crowd the approach."
"Yeah? Plenty of ammo left, so fine."
Sure enough, zombies swarmed the spot I pointed to.
But something felt off.
They weren't wandering aimlessly like usual.
Clustered toward one side.
"...Noise from the hospital?"
"Gotta push through anyway. Ju-won."
"Clear out."
LMG gunner Han Ju-won aimed at the zombies.
Activated his skill and fired.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Even suppressed, the roar was intense.
Zombies surged toward us...
But the next instant, a hail of bullets shredded them.
His rounds multiplied two or three times over, engulfing the horde.
Ghost Bullet.
Han Ju-won's A-rank basic skill.
Limited versatility, but raw power off the charts.
Armor or cover? Shredded to rags in seconds.
Our team's firepower backbone.
"Clear! Up top!"
We claimed the parking garage roof and scanned the abandoned hospital.
The sole spot with a direct 3rd-floor escape route...
Black smoke billowed from it.
"Whoa, what? Warzone?"
"Hold up. Building looks collapsed."
"What?"
We all grabbed binoculars at Sang Ha-jun's call.
Stairs from the 1st-floor lobby to the basement morgue.
The ceiling nearby had totally caved in.
"What the hell? Anti-tank weapon?"
"Ah! No way..."
The Fog Village team blasting rocket launchers on 4F.
Maybe they'd pulled the same stunt here?
Ambush central at the abandoned hospital—plausible.
"They beat us here... Vice-leader, thoughts?"
Go Ji-ho asked my take.
I kept eyes on the binos.
"East stairs are out too. Basement morgue's probably buried."
"...Yeah."
"Just hit the 2nd floor. No other way."
We couldn't clear debris by hand.
Even if we did, zombies and crow swarms mid-fight?
No way in one or two hours.
"Makes sense... but 2nd floor's way different from your game."
"Uh... how so?"
Truth was, I felt uneasy too.
Hadn't personally cleared 1F or 2F yet.
Go Ji-ho sighed softly.
"Tower draws criminals too. Prison or death row—they can still enter."
"R-Right."
The escape game reflected that.
But accurately? Debatable.
"They hit low floors like 1 or 2... most never escape. Caught immediately."
Escape dropped you at the nearest Earth Tower entrance to your entry point.
Out and nabbed.
"So what do they do?"
"Scavenge food and water, hole up together."
"..."
Obviously, they wouldn't let us pass nicely.
Poorly supplied convict groups? Supplies scarce.
"We don't hit 2F much either, right?"
Kim Yu-na said anxiously.
Team's indoor combat dominance meant mostly 3F hospital morgue escapes.
I sorted my thoughts quick.
"No other options."
No need for long debate.
Do what must be done.
Swore off 2F on my first escape...
Now? Solid teammates.
Convict hunters' gear? Predictable basics.
Go Ji-ho nodded faintly.
"Right. Head to the nearest descent escape."
Through the Inter-floor Zone, down to 2F.
Faces way tenser than on 3F arrival.
Made sense—2nd floor wasteland.
Fights meant no escape.
Rocky hills existed, but bandit dens—no need to explain.
Still, I wasn't too worried.
Team's combat power exceeded expectations.
Plus, convict hunters? Barely any skills.
No escapes yet, or 1-month re-entry cooldown meant arrest.
Wait... but escape and get jailed again? Just back to prison?
Some countries still executed...
Most? Straight to cells.
Could mean repeat entrants.
If they're that dedicated, might as well welcome 'em.
Anyone escaping bare-handed and returning? Kinda intriguing.
Fwaaah!
We dropped into the dust-whipped wasteland.