A Free Pass to Beatdown
"Ah! I knew it. I definitely prefer rice over bread."
It had only been two days since we arrived.
But I already missed home-cooked meals.
So much.
"...You say that, but you ate an awful lot, you know?"
"Well, I couldn't just let food go to waste."
I shrugged, acting as if I had no choice.
Kang Mina giggled at my response.
"Still, you need to eat well to keep your strength up. We're entering the tower soon."
"If I wanted a proper, hearty meal, I'd need gukbap, not bread."
Ah.
I really wanted some bone hangover soup.
Loaded with perilla seeds.
Piping hot, spicy, and incredibly filling!
I let out a soft sigh.
But all they had here was bread.
And dishes with names I could barely even read.
Honestly, the familiar hamburger tasted the best out of everything.
"I'll have to break out that today."
"That...?"
"Yeah. I packed a ton of it just in case."
"What is it?"
"Ramen."
"With all these high-end restaurants everywhere, you're going to eat ramen...?"
"Yep."
I guess I really was a Korean through and through.
I need soup! Warm, savory broth!
The Eiffel Tower,
the Arc de Triomphe,
and the Louvre.
They're all just toys compared to the Babel Tower.
Man.
Maybe I'm not cut out for traveling after all.
Sightseeing and taking photos just aren't doing it for me.
Would it have been different if I had family or friends with me...?
Sigh.
At this rate, there was no point in staying here for so long just to sightsee.
Maybe I should just...
...go back after two weeks?
That didn't sound like a bad idea.
It wasn't like I could survive chewing on baguettes for an entire month anyway.
I could just enter the tower every day, clear the 50th floor,
hit the twelve-run mark, grab the recipe, and head straight back to Korea.
Sounds like a solid plan.
"...Anyway, should we call it a day for sightseeing?"
"Oh, already? There are still so many places we haven't seen."
"They all look the same to me."
"Haha, I suppose they do. Let's head back, then."
Oh.
So I wasn't the only one who felt that way.
We headed back to our lodgings.
By the way...
I felt like someone was watching us.
I sensed a faint presence, but when I scanned the surroundings, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
Was it just my imagination...?
As we continued walking down the street,
"Ah!"
someone bumped hard into Kang Mina's shoulder as they passed by.
The man glanced back once and tried to slip away into the crowd.
"Manager Kang, are you alright?"
While Choi Muryeong checked on Kang Mina, I quickly stepped forward and grabbed the retreating man.
"Hey."
"...?!"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"@!$^&#@!!"
The man spewed a torrent of incomprehensible French. I didn't know what he was saying, but it was definitely a curse.
"Wallet."
"What?"
"I saw you steal her wallet. Hand it over."
"@#%$&!!!"
The man started jabbering in French again. When I refused to let go despite his violent struggles, he reached into his inner pocket.
And then,
he whipped out a pocket knife.
"&* * *@$!!!"
The pickpocket brandished the knife threateningly.
"Ha..."
The sight was so absurd I couldn't help but chuckle.
Wow, they weren't kidding when they said public safety in Europe was a mess. Pulling a knife in broad daylight?
"...Hey, you picked the absolute wrong guy today."
I grinned as I stared at him.
Instead of backing away from the blade, I was just standing there grinning, which seemed to throw him off.
The pickpocket kept frantically waving the knife around.
One look was all it took. The guy had no idea how to actually use a knife.
"H-Hunter Lee! I'm fine!"
"Well, I'm not."
"You can't get hurt here of all places!!!"
"Why would I get hurt? Do you not know what my trait is?"
I heard Kang Mina trying to stop me from behind, but I ignored her and cracked my knuckles.
"Hey, let me teach you a valuable lesson today."
I smirked and locked eyes with him, and the pickpocket's eyes shook with even greater panic.
And then,
mana began to gather at the tip of the pocket knife.
"Aha."
So he was an Awakened, after all.
"But is that really the best you can do with a knife?"
It looked like he hadn't received even basic training. How on earth did France manage their Awakened?
Anyway.
"Since you're not a civilian, that means I can just beat the crap out of you, right?"
"@$&@...!!!"
"Yeah. Keep running your mouth."
"&* * *%$!!!"
The moment the guy lunged forward,
I lightly twisted my shoulder to dodge the blade and threw a punch straight into his face.
CRACK!
Along with the sound of a shattering nose, blood began to stream down from both nostrils.
Before the blood could even hit the ground,
I delivered a brutal uppercut.
Crunch!
With the sound of a cracking jawbone, the pickpocket was sent flying backward.
All the strength drained from his body, and he dropped the pocket knife he had been holding onto for dear life.
"Oops."
I picked up the knife from the ground and walked toward him.
"%#&* * *$...!!!"
Seeing me approach with the knife, the pickpocket began to scream something. It probably meant something like "Spare me" or "I'm sorry," but...
I smiled and forced the pocket knife back into his hand.
"Get up, asshole."
"@#$&^...!!"
"If you lie there like that, it makes me look like the bad guy."
Though it was actually the other way around.
"%$* * *@#...!! #@$%!!"
The pickpocket desperately refused to take the knife back. Then, kneeling on the ground, he frantically rummaged through his pockets,
and handed the wallet back with a loud shout.
Aw, come on. Why are you giving it back already? I was just starting to get warmed up.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue, glared at the pickpocket, and took the wallet.
At that, the pickpocket repeatedly bowed his head while shouting something. Then, leaving even his pocket knife behind, he bolted without looking back.
"Ah, damn it..."
What a waste. I could have given him a proper beating.
...Was that guy the reason I felt like we were being followed?
I casually pocketed the knife, and handed the wallet back to Kang Mina.
"Here."
"T-Thank you, Hunter Lee!"
"Don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you."
I was getting bored of sightseeing anyway, so moving my body a bit was fun. I heard Paris has a lot of pickpockets. Maybe I should go pickpocket hunting starting tomorrow?
"But from now on, absolutely under no circumstances are you to do anything dangerous!"
Kang Mina warned me, as if she had read my mind.
"You promise, right?"
"...Sure."
Right. This wasn't South Korea; it was a foreign country. It was probably best to keep a low profile. I wouldn't want this to turn into an international incident.
"So, as long as I don't throw the first punch, it's fine?"
When I muttered that under my breath,
"..."
Choi Muryeong, who had caught my eye, silently nodded.
Oh. So if I let them hit me once first, there's no problem! I'd better keep that in mind while I'm in France. Once I take one hit...
I get a free pass to beat them down!
The Babel Tower of France, 46th Floor.
The moment I opened my eyes, the fresh scent of a lush forest washed over me.
The songs of various birds echoed through the vast, endless forest.
"Not bad here either."
Looking around, I smirked and tapped the void stone.
"Right, Imir?"
"Yes..."
Imir's voice drifted out of the void stone. Unlike when we first met, he sounded completely dispirited.
"It's much greener and nicer than the snowy mountains, isn't it?"
"..."
"You'd better answer quickly."
"I was simply so moved by the magnificent scenery that I lost my words, Master."
"Still, you should show some gratitude. Is that how I raised you?"
"No, Master! Thank you so much for allowing me to experience such a new sensation!"
Heh.
I surveyed the forest landscape.
This place is way too easy...
Honestly, I wouldn't have minded going straight to the 50th floor.
However, the French side had arranged today's run, suggesting we test our teamwork before tackling the 50th floor.
Well, if it was just to build synergy with the new team members, this was a reasonable difficulty level.
There were three French hunters in total.
Arnaud, the current French Rank 1 damage dealer.
Mia, the Rank 2 tank.
And Chloe, the Rank 3 healer.
Originally, they were Ranks 2, 3, and 4 respectively. But during the previous attempt on the 50th floor, an accident claimed the life of the former Rank 1, bumping their ranks up by one.
Tragic...
That was why clearing the 50th floor seemed to mean a great deal to them. To save France, and to avenge their fallen comrade.
It was actually quite touching, but...
Why has that guy been glaring at me since the waiting room...?
Arnaud.
A man with a slender build, carrying a silver sword that looked like a rapier at his waist. He had been glaring at me with blatant hostility from the very beginning.
Well, it wasn't hard to guess why. He probably didn't like me.
"A guy like that, replacing Julien..." he muttered.
I couldn't hear him clearly, not that I needed to.
Did my indifference provoke him further?
"I heard the World Rank 3 came along. So why do we have to clear the 50th floor with a guy like him?" Arnaud spoke loudly now, clearly intending for me to hear.
When I glanced over, he scoffed right in my face.
"I've never even heard of the name Lee Taepyeong."
"Same here."
Perhaps he hadn't expected me to talk back, because Arnaud scowled and stared at me.
"What did you say?"
"I said I've never heard of you either."
"..."
"The name Arnaud, I mean."
His expression instantly hardened, and his hand flew straight to his sword.
"Stop it, Arnaud!"
"Have you already forgotten that this hunter came to help us?"
The two women stepped in to stop him. But Arnaud had no intention of backing down.
"You're all the same."
"What?"
"You beg us to help you,"
"You bastard...!"
"but when we actually show up, you treat us like this. It really ruins my mood."
I shrugged casually.
Arnaud drew his sword without hesitation. I knew he would.
"A mere Asian hunter..."
"Ah, what a pain."
"What...!"
"I'm saying, if you could handle it yourselves within Europe, you wouldn't have had to drag someone all the way from Asia and bother them."
"...!!!"
"Over a measly 50th floor."
Arnaud's face flushed so red it looked ready to burst. Soon, red mana began to flicker at the tip of his sword.
Pretty average.
Now I saw why they couldn't clear the 50th floor. He was just a textbook swordsman. Tsk, tsk.
"If you're so confident, let's see what you've got."
"I was planning on showing you soon anyway."
Killing the Ice Bear would be a piece of cake.
"Shut up and bring it on."
Hmm.
I scratched the back of my head, looking at Arnaud. Before entering, Kang Mina had repeatedly warned me. Probably because of what happened in Japan. She kept going on about international incidents and whatnot...
What should I do?
The moment I thought that, the tip of his sword grazed past my ear.
Oh, he's fast.
A speed-type. I managed to dodge it, but his skill wasn't half bad.
Another thrust aimed straight at my flank.
I dodged it reflexively again, but...
"..."
Wait a minute. If I play this right...
Won't I get a free pass to beat him down?