The Fortune
The smoking room was packed. Watching the Association staff puff away on their cigarettes through the glass wall, Park Ingyu eventually gave up and slipped his lighter back into his pocket.
Choked by frustration, he headed up to the rooftop—only to find it already occupied. It was Moon Seoyoung, the B-Rank hunter who had joined the Strategic Countermeasures Division just recently.
She was gazing down at the streets steeped in darkness. With overtime confirmed for both of them, neither bothered to decide who should speak first.
"Director."
"What is it?"
"What was said in the conference room—was that actually true?"
"About the mana core's annihilation reaction? It's not impossible. The question is how we get our hands on a monster big enough to carry a lot of people in its belly. The only thing coming to mind right now is a Giant Sandworm, or..."
"No, I meant the Hidden Stage."
"That part's real."
At first, of course, he hadn't believed it. But for Lee Jihye's testimony to be an elaborate fabrication, it was far too specific.
Besides, even supposing she had a wild imagination, South Korea was a paradise of CCTV.
The cameras near the Tower had caught the Birang Party practicing detonating a mana core on a monster while it was pinned down and restrained.
"I confirmed it with the hunters who were just at the Tower. The moment she returned, apparently an announcement went out that we had discovered a Hidden Stage."
"So it was true? Then we might finally..."
"The problem is that they came back after making a serious enemy of the locals."
"Engaging with residents is absolutely prohibited by protocol, correct?"
"That's right. Though no one's ever read that clause, since in fifty years nobody thought anyone would ever find a Hidden Stage."
As the atmosphere of the smoking room suggested, the Association's collective tension was at an absolute peak right now. A Hidden Stage meant an entire civilization—or a world unto itself. For Tower climbing, it meant they could hoist an enormous support structure onto their backs.
For South Korea and the Hunter Association, walking a road toward extinction day by day, it was the one and only lifeline they had.
And yet, of all things, they had struck first. In his heart of hearts, Park Ingyu wanted to slam the harshest possible punishment on the Birang Party immediately—but most of them were already missing, presumed dead or alive, who could say.
"The United States, after establishing friendly relations with the Elf Alliance, planted a seed of the World Tree in Alaska."
"Is there anything on our side?"
"Seoyoung, have you ever watched historical dramas?"
"My mom used to have them on sometimes. They turned out to be fun, so lately I've been rewatching the classics."
"Good. Word is, their side looks just like those. They did call us barbarians, after all."
Their stay had been far too brief, so the information gleaned from Lee Jihye's testimony was limited. An Eastern atmosphere, and the name "Empire." The staggering numbers of monsters infesting the surrounding area.
And above all—the existence of a man named Yuhyeon.
"The Grand General of the Tianyu Empire... from what she described, he sounded absolutely terrifying."
"Don't jump to conclusions. So far he's only subdued a B-Rank hunter with ease."
Only as of that moment, that is. Even Director Park Ingyu, who believed everything else about the man, had doubted his ears when it came to his seemingly immortal traits.
Hadn't it simply been a chaotic battle where Lee Jihye hadn't gotten a clear look? And if it wasn't, then only one possibility remained.
"He must use some ability that isn't mana-based, then."
"Miss Jihye said it was mana, though. She said it permeated the whole area so thickly she could feel it just breathing."
"But according to Hunter An Junhyeon, the Grand General looked weaker than his own subordinates. Going by his registered unique ability in our data, that should be impossible."
"Their world runs on different rules, you idiots."
"Ah!"
Right at that moment, someone called out to the pair.
"Shin Yuyu, ma'am!"
It was the S-Rank hunter, Shin Yuyu. Despite wearing brilliantly multicolored robes, she had perched herself atop the railing at a speed so swift that B-Rank Moon Seoyoung hadn't even registered her movement.
"Their world runs on different rules, you say?"
"What do you mean?"
"The mana we use and that unprecedented power of theirs are each bound by separate rules that can still coexist."
Shaman's robes and a traditional conical hat. The classic garb of a Korean mudang.
Smartphone never leaving one hand in stark contrast to that archaic outfit, Shin Yuyu looked down at the two of them as she spoke.
"Tower or not, the vast majority of civilizations flourish on a mana base. So if that empire's land really is steeped in a different kind of energy, like you two say..."
"Then we could use it too!"
"I said there's a possibility. You people stabbed them first, so what makes you think they'd ever be sweet enough to share?"
The mood deflated slightly at the prospect, which for now looked remote. Looking to change the subject—and curiousbesides—Moon Seoyoung asked Shin Yuyu a question.
"You'll be accompanying us on this investigation, right, Shin Yuyu?"
"You're the ones who called me, aren't you? I heard five B-Ranks got trounced without even landing a scratch on him."
"W-well, we didn't actually expect you to come. As you know, hardly any S-Rank hunters are staying in Korea these days."
"Right, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with how much patriotism you read into my usual outfit..."
"Don't be ridiculous. I hate wearing this—it's my unique ability that forces me into it. Actually, there is one reason I bothered coming here in person... wanna hear it?"
When those catlike eyes glared at them, Park Ingyu and Moon Seoyoung shook their heads in perfect unison.
Her temper was famously volcanic—she'd once gotten into a spat with another S-Rank that ended with her demolishing both the man and his entire guild.
"W-we're quite alright...!"
"Sh-shall we head inside? They're holding the briefing to assemble the investigation team shortly, so..."
They frantically waved her off, but Shin Yuyu's mouth was already open.
"I'm saying this because watching you two pathetic wrecks is more than my eyes can bear, got it? The 7 Great Guilds grind you down into dust every single day, you crawl and tremble and don't dare squeak the moment a foreign country so much as frowns at you, the hunters under the Association can't even clear the monsters in the Tower properly so the cities turn into garbage dumps every time. A few months ago a Basilisk popped up in downtown Seoul and you all just stood around spectating while it was tearing up street signs? A real masterpiece, that. You still haven't finished repairs there, have you?"
"Ahem, residual miasma is still lingering in the area, so..."
Tap tap tap tap. Under the torrent of scolding, the two hung their heads, utterly cowed, unable to say a word. Because every word of it was true.
But there was nothing to be done. The Hunter Association of today was in no state to purge the Tower's monsters—merely maintaining civil order was struggle enough.
Even learning of the Hidden Stage's existence first had been pure luck. If the Grand General of the Tianyu Empire hadn't caught the Birang Party, An Junhyeon as party leader would certainly have sold off the method of entering the stage to some guild.
Which was precisely why they absolutely could not let this chance slip away. No matter how hostile the locals might be, they had to at least grab hold of a pant leg.
The shoulders bearing that hope were heavy. Park Ingyu asked Shin Yuyu:
"How was the reading?"
"..."
Without a word, she drew a worn old booklet from her robes. On its front cover were the words: Cheongirok—the Record of Heavenly Secrets.
Among the S-Rank hunters the Association could still reach, the reason Shin Yuyu had received the very first recruiting call was precisely because of her unique ability.
Three uses per day, no more. By invoking it, Shin Yuyu could seek counsel from the ancestral spirits of the clan she served about any situation she faced.
The counsel took the form of a sentence that appeared when she flipped the book open to a page. Sometimes it was metaphorical, sometimes deliberately vague, and there was never any telling when or how the outcome of acting on it would manifest.
Whether to follow a reading was ultimately her own choice—but she had survived death more times than she could count on her way to S-Rank thanks to this book, so Shin Yuyu always trusted her ability.
"You sure about this? This reading is strictly about me, personally. If it tells me not to go, I won't join the investigation no matter how much you beg."
"That's fine. If anything, it'll be useful reference for us as well—we're just grateful you're willing to show us."
"No shame at all, huh."
"Heheh. Are we really in any position to be picky about pride?"
Brushing off Park Ingyu's laugh, Shin Yuyu opened the Cheongirok.
This was the ability that made the heads of nations the world over trip over themselves rushing to her door, pleading—just once—let her divine their future.
The night sky split open, a single thread of mana-made light fell like a bolt of lightning, and its shape was soon etched onto the paper.
《18-Year-Old_Foul-Mouthed_High-Schooler_Shaman_VTuber_Is_In_Demand_!?》
"Ugh, dammit. The old man's talking nonsense again."
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. We did an ancestral rite digitally once, and ever since then he does this from time to time."
Smacking the book a few times like she was fixing a broken device, Shin Yuyu opened it again.
"Probably because there's no danger around. It should work properly once we're inside the Tower."
This was the second reading, viewing the exact same content.
Upon the page was written a single sentence that the woman she was today could not begin to understand.
《We_Shall_Find_A_New_Lord_To_Serve.》
"...Was there an elder in our clan I never knew about?"
A few days later, the Association assembled the investigation team.
Shin Yuyu, Park Ingyu, Moon Seoyoung—and Lee Jihye, brought along as a guide in exchange for a reduced disciplinary penalty. With three more added on, seven men and women in total gathered in the Tower's first-floor lobby.
Based on Lee Jihye's testimony, they had captured a monster capable of swallowing several people whole, yet safe to remain inside for a time.
They climbed into its stomach, and when they drove a spear coated with a mana-annihilation catalyst into the mana core, the surroundings shuddered violently.
And then, when they came to their senses—
"Th-this is the right place, right?"
"I was told the Birang Party went through the 29th floor, but it seems we can move here without it, hm?"
"Doesn't matter which floor a Hidden Stage is on, as long as you meet the entry conditions."
It was the very forest where the Birang Party had arrived.
"Loot from hunting is split eight-two, and the eight's mine—so no complaining about it later."
"Understood, absolutely."
"And one more thing."
Gazing at the violet crack that still lingered where they had crossed over, Shin Yuyu waggled the booklet in her hand.
"Once I've used this thing up, I'm heading home."
"Understood."
After a brief sweep of the surroundings, the investigation team set off, following the direction Lee Jihye indicated, step by careful step.
Above their heads, meanwhile...
"They're in our sightline. Just like you said, Lord Yuhyeon—they really came."
"Those are the, uh... the rare ones? Are they those what's-it, the S-Rank-grade barbarians the boss mentioned?"
"No, he told me they were ancient-legend-grade, six-star barbarians."
"Seems there are other tribes nearby too. Should we send the kids after them?"
"No. Don't touch them yet."
The enormous audience chamber had been completed without anyone noticing. Seated on the chair atop the dais, Yuhyeon was receiving reports on everything.
"Let's watch how they behave once they've arrived."