The Devourer's Shadow
After returning.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Was it because they had witnessed an overwhelming difference in skill?
The French loser trio was dead silent.
Especially Arnaud.
The guy couldn't even meet my eyes.
“I don't think we'll need any more joint training sessions.”
“Pardon? But...”
Marianne, an official from the French Hunter Bureau, stared at me in bewilderment.
“Before clearing the 50th floor, you were supposed to work with our hunters...”
“They're useless.”
“Excuse me?”
Did I hear that right?
Her face practically screamed the question.
“I said they're useless.”
I shrugged.
“The gap in our skills is too wide. If they tag along, they'll just get in my way.”
Marianne reflexively looked back at the three hunters.
Arnaud, Mia, and Chloe.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Their faces were stiff with wounded pride.
Yet, none of them said a word. They just hung their heads.
Because they had nothing to say.
“Hunter Lee Taepyeong.”
Marianne called out to me again.
“However, French hunters must enter the 50th floor with you. It is mandatory.”
“Is it really? I can just clear it on my own and come back.”
“I'm sorry, but that is a condition of the contract...”
Unbelievable.
“Since we're on the subject of the contract, let's get one thing straight.”
“Yes. Please, go ahead.”
“My only job is to clear the 50th floor, right?”
“Pardon? Yes, of course...”
Marianne looked at me, puzzled.
“I won't guarantee the safety of the French hunters.”
“……!!!”
Marianne's eyes shook.
She looked utterly flustered.
“H-Hunter Lee Taepyeong, that is...!”
“If I have to enter with them, I will. But I have no reason to risk my life to protect them, do I?”
“……!!”
“I'm not Julien, after all.”
The national hero of France.
Julien might have sacrificed himself to save those three.
But I wouldn't.
If they had just quietly followed me around, maybe I'd feel differently.
But why should I save bastards who picked fights with me inside the tower?
“I will keep my promise to clear the 50th floor.”
“Hunter...”
“But whatever happens to them in there is your responsibility to handle.”
“……”
“You understand what I mean, right?”
“……”
“Well, if that's too difficult, we could always discuss additional compensation.”
Marianne's trembling gaze shifted back to the French hunters.
Her eyes practically screamed, What on earth did you idiots do to him inside the tower?!
Well.
I couldn't blame her.
French Losers 1, 2, and 3 were probably highly respected hunters in this country.
They had just picked the wrong opponent.
“...For now, I will raise this issue with the Bureau.”
“By the way, I heard about something earlier... What was it? La Cos...?”
“Pardon?”
“I heard France has a national treasure sword.”
“Surely, you don't mean... La Conclusion?”
“Ah, yes. That one. That's it.”
“……”
“If you give me that, I'll think about it.”
I walked out of the gate station with a light step.
“Hunter Lee! You did great!”
“You worked hard.”
Kang Mina and Choi Muryeong were waiting for me outside.
“How was the joint raid today?”
At Kang Mina's question, I slowly shook my head.
“Hopeless.”
“H-Hopeless?”
Kang Mina looked taken aback by my blunt assessment.
“I don't get why they're insisting on tagging along to the 50th floor when they don't even have the skills for it.”
“Ah, they probably want to level up by riding your coattails on the 50th floor...”
“In other words, they want a free ride.”
“W-Well, that might be it...”
Kang Mina chuckled awkwardly.
“So I told them they can come, but I won't care whether they live or die.”
At that, Choi Muryeong looked at me with a strange, puzzled expression.
“But until now, Hunter Lee...”
“What?”
“...haven't you always cared about the safety of others?”
“Only when they're worth it.”
If it were my team members, I'd gladly take them to the 50th or 60th floor.
But I didn't feel like doing that for the French trio.
Being nice to people who are nice to me?
I can do that all day.
But.
Being nice to bastards who treat me like shit?
That's just being a pushover.
“So I asked for La Cos-whatever.”
“...La Conclusion?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Isn't that a bit much...?”
I shrugged at Kang Mina's comment.
“I don't actually expect to get it. It's just a hint for them to back off.”
“Ah...!”
Kang Mina nodded in realization.
“Then we will also take a firm stance when they make an offer.”
“Yep. Thanks.”
Since I'd laid it out like this, Mina would handle the rest perfectly.
The hotel.
Although I could order all kinds of expensive room service,
Pour...
my choice was cup ramen.
“Sigh...”
I miss it.
Home-cooked meals.
“I told you I could do it...”
“Don't touch it.”
If Choi Muryeong touched it, even cup ramen would lose its flavor.
On the first day, I asked him to make some cup ramen,
and he practically turned it into the Han River.
If I had let him do it today, he probably would have made the Seine.
*Slurp.*
Ever since I left the orphanage and started living on my own,
I thought I'd eaten enough ramen to last a lifetime.
But eating it in Paris made it taste different.
Anyway.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
When I asked Choi Muryeong, he looked at me with a grave expression.
“L'...”
*Sluuuuuurp.*
Man, this ramen is good.
Strangely, cup ramen tastes best when it's slightly undercooked.
“...Mangeur.”
The Devourer.
*Gulp.*
I swallowed the noodles and looked at Choi Muryeong.
He said he'd been investigating the Devourer lately.
Did he find some new information?
“I've obtained information on the most recently discovered victim.”
Choi Muryeong slid a tablet over to me.
An ID photo of a middle-aged man was displayed on the screen.
Name: Heinrich Kraus
Nationality: Germany
Age: 52
Level: 40
Trait: Eisen Core
Class: Superalloy Body Transformation User
Superalloy?
He must have been at least a mid-tier Awakened.
“He went missing a month ago after visiting Paris at the request of the French government.”
“A request for cooperation from France...”
“It was likely a situation similar to yours, Hunter Lee.”
“……”
“Of course, they wouldn't have asked him to clear the 50th floor...”
“Then what?”
“Kraus was scheduled to clear the 35th floor.”
Scheduled?
“So he didn't go missing inside the tower?”
“Yes.”
Choi Muryeong showed me the next document.
This time, it wasn't an ID photo, but a crime scene photo from when the body was found.
A pale corpse.
Signs of heart extraction detected.
“……”
Heart extraction.
Right, Tan Weiming of Singapore was also almost subjected to heart extraction.
Does he really rip out hearts and eat them?
If that's true,
why on earth would he do that?
It's not like he's eating them just because he's hungry.
“I suspect that consuming an Awakened's heart allows him to level up.”
“Disgusting.”
I mean, levels.
You naturally level up by climbing the tower.
But eating hearts just to level up?
“This is merely my speculation. Only the French Hunter Bureau likely knows the true nature of Lucien Moreau's ability.”
“And?”
“...For now, we have no choice but to be extremely cautious. It will help if you keep the victim's profile in mind.”
My current level was 37.
A bit awkward of a level to be targeted.
Besides, the level of the recent victim, Kraus, was 40, which was higher than mine.
So I could assume Lucien Moreau's level was at least 40 or higher.
“Well, I'll keep my guard up for now.”
“Yes.”
Honestly, there wasn't much to worry about.
When entering the tower, I only went in with verified hunters.
Outside the tower, Choi Muryeong and the Hunter Bureau staff were always with me.
I had stopped sightseeing after just two days and barely went outside,
so there was virtually no chance for Lucien Moreau to approach me.
Well.
Still, it didn't hurt to be careful.
*Slurp.*
I finished off the rest of the ramen in one go.
The French Hunter Bureau's stance was clear.
They couldn't allow only a Korean hunter to enter the French Babel Tower.
“They're pushing back very strongly on this.”
“Hmm.”
“They even said they would take responsibility for their own hunters' safety.”
“They don't have the skills to do that, though.”
Kang Mina shrugged.
“There's nothing we can do. As they said, this is French territory, after all.”
“Well, as long as I don't have to care whether they live or die, it doesn't matter to me. Tell them to do whatever they want.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Then, shall we proceed with the scheduled raid on the 50th floor?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. The raid is in two days, so please rest well until then. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I think I'll just sleep.”
“That's a good idea.”
“By the way...”
I called out to Kang Mina as she was about to leave with a folder.
“Mina. You haven't noticed anyone strange following you around, have you?”
“Someone strange?”
“Yeah. Haven't you heard? About...”
“Ah!”
Kang Mina immediately lowered her voice, putting a finger to her lips.
“I know what you mean. But the officials here are extremely sensitive about that topic.”
“Really? Sounds like they have a guilty conscience.”
“It was an incident that drew international attention, after all... and not in a good way.”
“I figured as much.”
“Actually, the reason the Bureau sent Hunter Choi with you...”
Kang Mina glanced around the empty room.
“...was because of that. Although it's still unclear whether Lucien Moreau is even alive... it's better to be safe than sorry.”
I see.
“The Director said that your safety is the absolute highest priority!”
“Ah.”
It seemed the Bureau was paying more attention to this than I thought.
Was I the only one who hadn't been worrying?
“Don't worry.”
“I wasn't particularly worried...”
“We didn't mention it because we didn't want you to feel uncomfortable, but we're always guarding your perimeter.”
“Really? I had no idea.”
“Hehehe. We're doing our best, you know?”
Kang Mina smiled confidently.
“L'Mangeur will never be able to get close to you, Hunter Lee!”
And two days later.
The 50th floor of the French Babel Tower.
Rendered completely meaningless, despite Kang Mina's promise.
I...
“It seems you are on the menu today.”
*Riiiiiiip...*
“Since it's been a while since my last meal, shall we take our time and enjoy it?”
L'Mangeur.
I stood face-to-face with the Devourer.