Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: #15 Babel Tower
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After the urban war, the world was rapidly reorganizing around hunters at its center.
In a situation where global interest in hunters had reached an all-time high, the Dangsan Station urban war incident had thrust Korean hunters into the explosive spotlight of the entire world.
Ding.
Sa-hyeok sat on the sofa in his new home, where he had just finished unpacking, and pressed the remote.
["Only three countries have resolved their gate issues and successfully accessed the Babel Tower."]
["When hunters return from the Babel Tower, a notification window appears for the entire population—a phenomenon observed universally."]
["Just the other day, a gate reappeared in the US, leading the American Hunters Association to speculate that gates are not a temporary event but a recurring one."]
It was one of those hunter analysis channels you could easily stumble upon while flipping through.
He kept channel-surfing.
["—Especially Kaisha and Fulminak's popularity is off the charts. Dart, with his dark hero image, is also drawing massive attention."]
When TV screens filled with world newspaper headlines plastered with Kaisha made Dart's hand pause.
Emerald bullets hovering in the air.
His actor-worthy looks made it seem even more like a movie poster.
The whole country—no, the entire world beyond it—was celebrating the birth of new heroes, spreading the word far and wide, and reveling in the victory.
In that atmosphere, the Korean government had moved with unprecedented speed, welcoming the hunters, promising solid treatment and systems tailored for them.
The entire nation united in praising Kaisha and the other hunters.
["It's truly something to be proud of."]
["Korea already commands significant authority in gaming."]
The superhumans now called 'hunters' worldwide were forming an entirely new class, rising rapidly.
Amid the world's burgeoning interest that was just starting to ignite, Korea's Dangsan Station urban war was being spotlighted—over and over, to the point of excess.
When action hero flicks straight out of the movies became reality, it was hard not to get swept up in the frenzy.
Amid the overflowing current of public sentiment, Kaisha's popularity was overwhelmingly dominant.
Kaisha here, Kaisha there.
Through the TV, Sa-hyeok learned the meaning of that name for the first time.
Kaisha came from Julius Caesar, and Fulminak from his army, the Fulminata.
The meaning: thunder and lightning.
Fulminak guild members had elaborated that Kaisha said the name 'Fulminak' was a mashup of 'Fulminata' and 'Cognac.'
That combo had exploded into coolness when foreigners interpreted Fulminak as "Drunken Lightning."
Especially the Anglo-American sphere, which was going wild over Fulminak and Kaisha.
Sa-hyeok felt a twinge of displeasure.
"Crazy bastards."
They hype her up as a hero, carve out her spot, then plan to swoop in and take her.
No one could have imagined branding a sloppy mashup of lightning and booze as "Drunken Lightning."
Anyway, what was with Kaisha attaching such grandiose meaning to a game guild name.
Caesar's Fulminata.
Kaisha's Fulminak.
Seeing people worldwide falling head over heels for Kaisha, that guy must have some secret sauce for driving folks insane with his cool factor.
Sa-hyeok, lounging on the sofa and cherry-picking Kaisha news while flipping channels, glanced at his phone.
Kaisha's downtown appearance had the Rankers group chat buzzing.
They'd been tiptoeing around Sa-hyeok before, but the moment he teamed up with Kaisha, they started yapping freely—and that actually made things easier for him in various ways.
A fresh photo had gone up in Abyss's Winsta from the Abyss.
Four people—Kaisha, Hellcannon, Abyss, and Gilgamesh—along with some guy, holding beers and facing the camera.
An early evening drinking session.
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Sa-hyeok scowled the instant he saw it.
'Hellcannon's the only one they didn't send, huh.'
Abyss's "foreign substances" were probably Gilgamesh, Hellcannon, and the unfamiliar guy next to them.
Sa-hyeok knew Gilgamesh and Hellcannon well enough to be annoyed by their faces, but the sharply dressed guy beside them was a total stranger.
Who the hell is this prick? Sa-hyeok's gaze sharpened.
But in the next photo, Abyss had zoomed in on Kaisha's face with blatant fangirling, and Sa-hyeok's expression softened again.
He didn't know why, but just looking at it somehow lifted his mood.
They'd sent the heroes back via return gate, but in today's photos of Kaisha, the heroes were nowhere to be seen.
Except Hellcannon.
One guy's a mystery. But Gilgamesh wedged in among them was seriously grating.
The way Gilgamesh posed next to Kaisha's seat, showing off the back of his hand while throwing up a V-sign—it was just obnoxious.
"......"
Sitting alone in the huge, empty house left him feeling oddly hollow.
I wanna go too.
The moment Sa-hyeok unwittingly thought that, his phone buzzed.
Vrrr—
He flinched and checked the caller.
[Binu]
Sa-hyeok let out a hollow chuckle, wondering what he'd been hoping for.
He picked up right away.
"Yeah, what's up."
["A gate opened in Busan."]
"......Busan?"
The first one being Seoul's Dangsan Station made Busan feel sudden.
Of course, for Space King—who had dispatched guild members en masse to Midgard's northern dungeons for mass leveling—it wasn't much to worry about.
"Gate rank?"
["Not yet. More importantly, we should consult the other guilds and—"]
Boom!
"!"
It wasn't just Sa-hyeok who felt it—Binu's voice cut off abruptly.
Soon, a window popped up before his eyes.
『Babel Tower system error fixes complete, along with the first major patch including Hero Reverse Summon system and more. (View Details)』
『!Important!』
『Babel Tower is opening a new channel.』
『Entry tickets issued to the top 100 rankers from each country that has accessed Babel Tower so far.』
『1st: Korea』
『2nd: China』
『3rd: USA』
『4th: Japan』
『5th: Russia』
......
『Coins earned from users' feats in each channel can be freely used within Babel Tower.』
『Guild siege warfare incoming—preparation recommended.』
『72:00:00』
The countdown began.
Sa-hyeok stared blankly at the dwindling numbers before speaking.
"......You get it too?"
["Y-yeah."]
A message notified that a Babel Tower entry ticket had been issued.
What even is Babel Tower?
Speculation and analysis about Babel Tower had run rampant in the meantime.
Babel Tower's 'channel' concept.
Bipa Online was structurally like a siege warfare game, but each country had its own channel, with entirely different worldviews and NPCs.
Since Midgard—Korea's server—was Channel 43, different otherworlds were linked per channel.
Now a new channel was opening.
The hitherto quiet Binu suddenly sounded troubled.
["Ah, damn......"]
"What now?"
["Just got word of another gate in Incheon. Makes you wonder if it's tied to Babel Tower—the timing's too perfect."]
"......"
["Anyway, top 100 rankers entry? If they drag all rankers away, who's handling gates? Dungeon Break without hunters means civilian casualties."]
A thought instinctively flashed through Sa-hyeok's mind.
Deliberate timing?
Babel Tower and gates being in cahoots, or some force waiting for hunters to enter Babel Tower before triggering gates.
"As long as gates aren't B-rank or higher, we can clear 'em in three days."
["True enough...... Opening northern dungeons to Fulminak for group leveling was a godsend."]
Just as Binu said.
Top 100 rankers per country invited to Babel Tower's new channel. Effectively putting nearly every hunter worldwide on trial.
Then, while on the call with Binu, another incoming call hit Sa-hyeok's phone.
[Yang Bro]
Sa-hyeok furrowed his brow.
"......Military's calling."
["Don't stress too much."]
As if.
Just as civilians weren't much help in wartime from the military's view, hunters saw little use for military meddling.
Administrative aid or civilian control had value, sure—but pointless interference from military brass and their excessive networking pissed Sa-hyeok off to no end.
Since when did they care so much about their foster son? Now switching tunes, bringing up the birth father to butter him up.
Hah.
Sa-hyeok sighed.
Binu hung up, and the call switched.
* * *
News of the new Babel Tower channel opening nationwide, coupled with gate reports, disbanded the gathering in an instant.
Abyss was super bummed, but they vowed to meet again.
As Kim Je-hyeon rode the elevator up, he shot me an anxious glance.
I was on the phone with Kali.
"Got it. Handle it that way, and I'll talk it over with the guild masters too."
We'd pull guild members from Midgard right away for gate duty, and prep for Babel Tower entry siege-style.
The Babel Tower alert explicitly mentioned guild siege warfare ahead.
The moment I hung up, he asked.
"......You okay with this?"
"Hyun-woo says the gate ranks aren't that high."
Busan D-rank, Incheon F-rank.
YM Group had patented a gate rank measurement device through rapid R&D and was exporting it overseas.
Advanced nations were buying them in bulk for per-city deployment.
And the US was devising a system to measure hunters' 'brainpower' for ranking and management.
YM jumping into hunter brainpower scanners was inevitable.
Boom!
The elevator suddenly shook, making Hellcannon and Je-hyeon tense up simultaneously.
"......"
Surely not another gate nearby.
Anyway, we'd push to close gates within three days; if it got dicey, some rankers might have to stay behind instead of entering Babel Tower.
I glanced at my phone—no further updates.
Fortunately, after one big jolt, the elevator functioned normally and doors opened at the top floor.
The instant Kim Je-hyeon reached the door and opened it.
"!"
A foul food stench assaulted our nostrils.
Hellcannon and I drew swords from inventory in unison, while frozen Kim Je-hyeon screamed after peering inside.
"Argh! Something's there!!"
"Turn on the lights—quick!"
As Kim Je-hyeon fumbled for the lights, Hellcannon and I strode in with shoes on.
The 'something' writhed between kitchen and living room, emanating the stench.
I raised my shield and sword—
Flash!
"?!"
I froze mid-swing.
With the lights on, what came into view wasn't a monster—it was a person.
A three- or four-year-old kid, no less.
The kid stared at me, lifting a kimchi container off his head.
Hellcannon, equally stunned, slowly lowered his sword. Rushing Je-hyeon gaped at the kid plopped squarely in his home.
"Hieeek!"
"......"
Hellcannon and I turned to Kim Je-hyeon in sync.
He jumped.
"N-no! Not mine! Kimchi tub on head, but white hair, yellow eyes! One of the heroes you brought must've left him?! Th-that......"
Who said otherwise.
Rich kids' worst nightmare, yeah. If his aunt misunderstood, he'd be toast.
Panic-stricken Kim Je-hyeon nearly had a fit before yelling.
"He looks exactly like Messiah!!"