The Giant-Class Monster
Tokyo, Japan.
The streets were packed with citizens. The roads held no cars—only people.
"Hanako! Hanako! Hanako!"
Her name flooded the streets.
"Miss Hanako's sacrifice has raised our Japan still higher. It has been a long, long four years. Now, at last, we see the fruit of it. If Japan gains one more Legendary item—! We take one more step toward becoming the strongest nation in the world!!"
"Waaaaaah!"
Even the prime minister had come. The crowd answered his speech with a roar, and Japan, in that moment, was nothing short of a festival.
You have cleared "Trap Zone: Poison Zone."
That was the moment. The message they had been waiting for appeared.
"I-it's up!"
"Hanako finally did it!"
"Yeeeaaah!"
You have obtained a reward.
You have obtained a Legendary item.
"WAAAAAAAAH!!"
"Le-gen-da-ry! Le-gen-da-ry!"
"Hanako! Hanako! Hanako!"
Japan shook. What a glorious day this was! Here and there, people clung to one another and wept. A tsunami of emotion came rolling in.
And then.
Reward recipient of "Trap Zone: Poison Zone":
JUNE (Korea)
"Eh?"
"Ehh~?"
"Eh!?"
"E-ehh...?"
Why was that name up there?
...Something was wrong.
The roaring street went dead silent in a single breath.
A VIP suite in one of Seoul's luxury hotels. Two men shared the room.
"I understand this is a most auspicious day for Japan, and yet you've come all this way in the midst of it."
"Ha ha ha! Even so, work must be done, mustn't it?"
Kim Myeongjin, South Korea's Minister of Hunter Affairs. Aneba, Minister of Hunter Affairs for Japan.
"That aside..."
Aneba set his teacup down with a soft clack, sank deep into the sofa, and crossed his legs.
"That hunter in Korea—the one called JUNE. He's been causing quite a commotion lately, hasn't he?"
"Ah, yes. An outstanding talent has emerged in Korea. Ha ha!"
"...A talent. I find that rather grating."
Aneba's expression darkened for an instant. Noticing it, Kim Myeongjin's did the same.
These bastards...
What was the mood in Japan just now? The trap zone, four years in the making, was about to bear fruit. The air itself was past festival and into something feverish.
And yet the man had come to Korea—and the moment he arrived, he brought up Hunter JUNE.
The second they secure one more Legendary, they mean to put the diplomatic screws to us?
Filthy, underhanded bastards. These people were the same as they had always been.
"Do you understand now why I came to Korea today?"
Aneba lifted his teacup again and asked it lightly, almost idly. Of course he understood. How could he miss an intent that filthy? Kim Myeongjin held his silence.
"Japan... takes a rather dim view of Korea's Hunter JUNE. Not only Japan, of course. From what I hear, China is quite furious. The Hidden Monster Plunder Incident. The Floor 8 Massacre of the Chinese. Korea has scratched them rather thoroughly, hasn't it?"
"..."
Kim Myeongjin quietly tapped the arm of the sofa. Once. Twice.
And why, exactly, is that a problem?
The Hidden Monster Plunder Incident. The Floor 8 Massacre of the Chinese.
He couldn't even see why either of them was being called an incident. Weren't they simply one among the countless, perfectly natural things that happened inside the Tower?
And just because we lack the strength, they think they can...
When they did it, it was only natural. When it was done to them, it became an inconvenient incident. Hypocrisy didn't come any thicker than this.
"Let me offer a warning. Japan is not so easily pushed around. I don't know whether you are in contact with Hunter JUNE, but if you are not, you had best find him quickly."
Aneba rose. He gathered his coat, put it on, and left one last remark behind.
"Because our Hanako will soon be adding one more Legendary item to Japan. And as it happens, that trap zone lies on Floor 11. JUNE, too, is due to climb Floor 11."
"...Are you threatening me?"
"Ha ha ha, a threat? Perish the thought. Merely out of concern..."
Kim Myeongjin swallowed his anger. But the man wasn't wrong.
JUNE's movements are certainly unprecedented. And yes, the power he holds is overwhelming. Even so, we can't afford to be careless. China grew strong enough to stand against America precisely because it hunted hidden monsters—and because it obtained a Legendary item.
Japan wasn't pulling this stunt for nothing. A Legendary was worth that much. But that was that, and this was this.
"I understand your meaning perfectly well. However, the Korean government has no intention of interfering with Hunter JUNE at every turn. One way or another, that is entirely for Hunter JUNE to decide."
"..."
"Can you take responsibility for those words? The moment Japan secures one more Legendary item—!"
You have cleared "Trap Zone: Poison Zone."
You have obtained a reward.
You have obtained a Legendary item.
Reward recipient of "Trap Zone: Poison Zone":
JUNE (Korea)
"...Eh?"
"Huh?"
A message had appeared. And the name on it was wrong.
The corner of Kim Myeongjin's mouth crept upward.
"You had best hurry on back."
"Wh-what is this...?"
"Ah, and I will be sure to pass it along to Hunter JUNE. Congratulations on obtaining a Legendary item."
"..."
Aneba was shaking. He slammed the door on his way out.
"Those Jap bastards, every last one of them."
Kim Myeongjin clicked his tongue.
I cleared the trap. Far too easily.
Sky Walk wasn't Legendary for nothing.
Every Legendary carried a unique option of its own, and floating through the air was one of them. Not just anyone could drift along like this.
And I picked up another item on top of that.
A Japanese hunter flashed through my mind—the one who'd been grinding through pure misery, pouring everything into a single step, then the next. Four years of that...
But what could I do? The Tower had always been this kind of place. I had no intention of yielding.
Anyway, I won't be able to check the item until I'm out.
The Tower's nature made an immediate look impossible. You had to step outside before anything would show. So—take a look around first?
I left the trap behind and circled the area, moving fast, searching for monsters. When I reached a decent spot, I triggered the skill.
Scavenger — eliminated
Desert Scorpion — eliminated
PureFeels — eliminated by JUNE
Honorless — eliminated by JUNE
· · ·
· · ·
Creeps — eliminated by JUNE
Scavenger — eliminated
All kinds of monsters went down, and hunters here and there among them. There weren't many of those.
Just how wide is this place...
The kill count had definitely fallen. I'd expected that. The dopamine had definitely fallen with it.
Nothing for it.
For now, focus on the Passage Stone.
"U-uaaaah!"
How long had I been walking? From somewhere far off, a scream reached me.
"Stop right there! We'll kill you!"
"Koreans! I hate them!"
"Kill them! Kill!"
A group came into view. More than ten hunters chasing from behind, and two people running for their lives.
Koreans?
The ones fleeing were Korean. The ones chasing were Chinese. Yeah—that wouldn't do.
Sinkhole
EX-rank — a bottomless chasm opens beneath the target
I cast Sinkhole on the spot.
The ground heaved. A massive hole tore open, and three more yawned after it in a chain—and then Black Hole kicked in.
Black Hole
The chasms collapse inward.
Salaryman — eliminated by JUNE
BabyNoob — eliminated by JUNE
ArmyBreaker — eliminated by JUNE
SteadyAsADog — eliminated by JUNE
LetsGooo — eliminated by JUNE
GhostHand — eliminated by JUNE
ArmyBreaker — eliminated by JUNE
· · ·
· · ·
Yeah. This was it. Deeply satisfying.
The national system really is convenient. Not a scratch on the Koreans.
The moment Sinkhole's range touched them, the Koreans blinked away in an automatic teleport.
Now I could actually help. All right—first, down a low-grade mana potion.
That was when the ground shook again, out of nowhere. Had the cloak fired something else?
"..."
I looked at the cloak.
...Not this one. Then what?
The tremors came faster and faster, and soon I had the cause.
...Giant-class.
The predator of Floor 11. A body all of ten meters tall. It walked on two legs, muscle packed so tight it looked ready to split. A giant-class monster had appeared.
Then it launched itself. That enormous body rose—
and came down like a landslide. The Koreans I'd just spared were caught under it, crushed beneath that ridiculous bulk.
Grrrrrr.
And the thing turned toward me.
...The timing was awful. Of all moments, right after I'd spent mana.
Still—the mana I took off the Chinese, plus what I had left, was more than enough.
I'd stacked a considerable number of kills by now. The Slaughterer's Seal had done its work, of course. At this rate, two casts of Fire Rain were possible.
I snapped my fingers.
Fire Rain
The sky darkens. Fire falls.
The sky darkened at once, and a rain of fire poured down on the thing.
Scrub — eliminated by JUNE
F2PayRespects — eliminated by JUNE
Press_F — eliminated by JUNE
JustLolled — eliminated by JUNE
Lightning — eliminated by JUNE
Honor — eliminated by JUNE
Lost — eliminated by JUNE
"..."
A few hunter kill messages came up. But it wasn't giant-class for nothing. There was no message for the monster itself.
It had taken the hit across its whole body and was fine. A slight stagger, maybe...
That was when the cloak moved.
Sinkhole — Cloak
Output reduced. Black Hole: not triggered.
This time it was the cloak's Sinkhole. Not at full strength, but Sinkhole all the same. The ground caved in, and the thing dropped into the pit. No Black Hole, unfortunately.
Did I get it?
No message. Which meant it wasn't dead.
A heavy thud. Then another.
"..."
What the hell was that thing? A hand climbed out of the pit. Then, slowly, a face. It had endured Sinkhole too.
Once more.
I couldn't stop here. I scraped together every last drop of mana I had left and cast Fire Rain.
Fire Rain
Remaining mana — emptied.
Fire hammered the thing as it tried to climb free. This time the stagger was worse. And still it held.
"...This thing really isn't normal."
A giant-class I had never once managed to kill. The same kind even America's major guilds had failed against. And now even my power wasn't getting through.
The thing hauled itself all the way out. This approach wasn't going to work.
"Escape."
Escape
Exit point marked.
A pillar of light rose, marking where to get out. Not far from here. I moved at once.
I ran hard. Between Sky Walk and the item's effect, my speed was considerable—more than enough to shake the thing.
You have exited the Tower of Trials, Floor 11.
First time I'd used an exit. A giant-class monster. That thing was not normal.
"Hm."
I was a little disappointed. A few more hits and I might have brought it down. That damned mana was the problem.
Forget it for now. Next time it shows up, I'll clear out of the spot first.
I wanted to kill it, sure. But there was no need to force the issue. Right. No need to push.
"Still, I did get a Legendary."
What kind of effect would it have? I checked the Legendary item at once.
The item entered my inventory. And this... this was no joke.
"...With this, I might even be able to take a giant-class."
I could pull off a massacre like the old days, even. For the first time above Floor 11, I might actually get to refill my dopamine.