Socks and Scoundrels
"Are you serious?"
Now that Jang Jinseok had left, only the two of them remained in the room.
"Yes."
Kang Mina looked utterly bewildered.
"'Dan' is practically useless. If you had taken the money instead..."
With that, he could have bought a decent A-grade item.
Since the US had also promised a massive sum, combining the two would have allowed him to choose almost any A-grade item he wanted.
But.
A-grade was just A-grade.
It meant it wasn't S-grade.
The elven sword he had extorted from Nairin was exactly that—a 'decent A-grade' item.
So why would he need to buy another one?
"Ms. Kang Mina."
"Yes?"
"Of the S-grade items out there, are any of them actually buyable with money?"
"..."
Kang Mina fell silent.
Why?
Because S-grade items...
...were not things money could buy.
Even if it was a useless S-grade like Japan's 'Dan'.
For starters, it still couldn't be bought with cash.
Up to A-grade, sure.
You could get one if you threw astronomical amounts of money at it.
But S-grade was a completely different story.
Kang Mina knew this all too well.
"I think just having it will be helpful eventually."
He was serious.
Especially in his case.
Even more so because he had terrible luck with weapon drops.
How many reward boxes had he opened so far?
Yet not a single weapon had dropped.
What if weapons never dropped from the boxes in the future?
He would kick himself for not grabbing 'Dan' when he had the chance.
Obtaining 'Jeol'—the other half of the set—could be figured out after securing 'Dan'.
Japan could never pry 'Jeol' from China, of course.
So they had no choice but to view 'Dan' as a white elephant.
But for some reason, he felt confident.
A gut feeling that things would work out somehow.
Besides.
Even if he couldn't get his hands on 'Jeol'?
He could just use it as is.
Thanks to the Ring of Vampirism, he already had health recovery covered.
And since his skills weren't bound to specific weapons anyway...
...he had absolutely nothing to lose.
"It's still an S-grade, after all."
I grinned at Kang Mina.
"W-well, that's true..."
Though her face still screamed that she didn't understand, Kang Mina nodded anyway.
"In that case, I'll keep you updated on the progress of the deal."
"Yes, please do."
Honestly.
I didn't particularly like Japan's underhandedness in dumping 'Dan' on me under the guise of a trade.
However.
If I could turn this into an opportunity?
They'll be the ones kicking themselves in the end.
Hehehe!
"I heard you decided not to move to the Zero Section."
"Ah, yes."
"May I ask why...?"
"I find it more comfortable here."
Do Sangjin looked just as bewildered as Kang Mina had been.
Of course, regardless of his confusion.
Chomp, chomp.
Munch, munch.
I focused entirely on the delicious dinner laid out before me.
Today's menu consisted of spicy braised short ribs in a nickel-silver basin, and a retro lunchbox!
I had mentioned wanting something spicy, and he had delivered.
It was exactly my style.
The meat slid right off the bones of the short ribs.
And the retro lunchbox filled with stir-fried kimchi, seaweed, a fried egg, and pink sausage—need I say more?
The aroma of sesame oil was to die for!
I shook the metal lunchbox like crazy, completely lost in the moment.
Once it was thoroughly mixed, I began shoveling the rice into my mouth.
"Mmm."
Now this was the stuff!
"This is amazing today too, Sangjin."
"You flatter me, Hunter-nim."
The tender short ribs had just the right amount of kick.
Alternating between the ribs and the lunchbox, I washed it down with a cold cider.
"Ahhh."
Absolutely heavenly.
It felt as if all the fatigue of the day was washing away.
Not that I actually have any fatigue built up.
But it was the feeling that counted.
The feeling.
Once I had scraped my bowl clean, Do Sangjin began clearing the table.
Then, he spoke.
"Regarding the lease fraud case you mentioned last time..."
"Ah, yes. That."
I had been so busy climbing the Babel Tower lately that I had completely forgotten about it.
Hmm.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much.
The news was always blaring about how impossible it was to catch these lease fraudsters.
How could Do Sangjin catch them all by himself?
Even the police, prosecutors, and judges... basically all the high-and-mighty authorities couldn't catch them.
"I have located their trail."
"It's fine, I didn't expect... Wait, what?"
"I said I have located their trail."
"Y-you found them?"
No way.
Was that even possible?
They set up strawmen, flee the country, and yet he managed to track them down?
"Yes. However, I have not reported them to the authorities or 'processed' them yet."
Pro...
What on earth did he mean by "processed"?!
That sounded incredibly ominous.
"I thought it would be best for you to decide how to dispose of them, Hunter-nim."
I stared blankly at Do Sangjin.
Was this really something a single person could do?
"Should I proceed with filing a report?"
At Do Sangjin's question, I fell into deep thought.
The news reports I had seen flashed through my mind.
A police report...
First of all, it was guaranteed I wouldn't get my money back.
The punishment wouldn't be that severe either.
"..."
The probability of getting even more frustrated after reporting it was 120%.
In that case...
"Sangjin."
"Yes, Hunter-nim."
"What exactly does 'processing' entail?"
Did my question sound naive?
Do Sangjin hesitated for a moment before replying.
"...I will not 'kill' them."
He then launched into a terrifying explanation of how to most effectively ruin their lives.
"The discretion of a Hunter Administration Office employee..."
"..."
"...is far more terrifying than I thought."
"It is only possible because we are a specialized agency."
I felt a slight chill.
"By any chance..."
"Yes?"
"Can I tag along?"
"...They are filthy scoundrels."
"I know. That's why I'm curious."
They were the ones who had run off with my entire life savings.
I wanted to see what kind of faces they had.
"If you get involved, Hunter-nim, I worry about potential complications..."
"I'm not their only victim. They've scammed so many people they probably won't even recognize me."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"...Understood."
Though his expression remained grave, Do Sangjin didn't refuse.
"I will make the necessary preparations."
It was impressive how solemn a man could look while wearing pink rubber dishwashing gloves.
*Scrub, scrub.*
While Do Sangjin washed the dishes, I sat on the sofa and turned on the TV.
"Oh, baseball is on."
*Crack!*
With a sharp crack, the baseball soared into the distance.
In the blurry background of the broadcast stood the Babel Tower.
Even at this very moment, people were probably dying inside it.
And yet, people are still playing baseball.
It was a strange world.
...When will the Babel Tower disappear?
Or rather, will it ever disappear?
Well, maybe it didn't matter.
At least for now.
It wouldn't be wrong to say I was making a living thanks to the tower myself.
—Home run! It's a home run!!
Shaking off the idle thoughts, I changed the channel.
I contacted my party members.
I let them know we had successfully cleared the 10th floor, and suggested we coordinate our schedule for the next run.
This time, the scheduling went smoothly.
We agreed to enter the 11th floor in a week.
Actually, excluding me, everyone else already had experience clearing the 10th floor with other parties.
This should be a breeze.
My prediction was spot on.
—Screeech!!!
The raid ended with the death rattle of the final Goblin Soldier.
The 11th floor featured 100 Goblin Soldiers.
The 12th floor had 200 Goblin Soldiers.
The 13th floor had 300 Goblin Soldiers.
The 14th floor added 10 Goblin Warriors.
The 15th floor added 20 Goblin Warriors.
The 16th floor added 30 Goblin Warriors.
From the 17th floor onward, Goblin Wolf Riders would join the fray.
Goblin Soldiers were by no means weak.
They possessed a rudimentary level of intelligence.
And their cunning was a bonus.
The goblins we dealt with today were 100 standard soldiers.
It was by no means a small number.
Nevertheless.
"I-is it supposed to end this quickly?"
"Taepyeong, your skills have improved terrifyingly fast."
We swept through them in the blink of an eye.
It was because our teamwork had improved.
In particular, my coordination with Cha Yerin was excellent.
Was it because the burden of her sister's incurable disease had been lifted?
Cha Yerin moved with much greater agility and precision than before.
When Cha Yerin herded the goblins, I immediately went in for the kill.
Since I had Yoo Inseok and Kang Dagyeong focus solely on supporting Cha Yerin from the start, the strategy was flawless.
However, the overall speed was a bit slower.
Because I had to match the pace of my party members.
But it didn't matter.
I planned to run the 11th floor solo anyway.
I could set the record for the fastest clear then.
"Phew."
While I took a breather, drenched in blood...
*Swoosh.*
...the goblin blood covering my body suddenly seeped into my shadow.
"What was that?" Cha Yerin asked, tensing up.
"It's a new item I got."
"Ah...!"
"It's called the Blood Demon's Shadow Armor. It absorbs blood."
It boosted stealth, guaranteed evasion on the first attack, and even absorbed all that sticky, unpleasant blood. It couldn't be better.
Since it was made of shadow, it didn't get in the way at all.
"Don't you need items that boost defense rather than just stealth or evasion?"
"Not really. Heavy armor feels too restrictive."
Cha Yerin stared at me with disbelief.
Well, to someone clad in sturdy plate armor like her, I must have looked bizarre.
"Speed is more important to me."
Hahaha.
Laughing it off, we each opened our reward boxes.
Mine was a Platinum box again.
I guess a Diamond box was out of the question since it wasn't a record-breaking clear.
Oh well.
I could just get one during my solo run.
Anyway, please let it be a weapon this time!
*Click.*
I opened the box.
◈ Effect: Infuses the target with the lightning energy of a Thunderbird.
"..."
What the hell was Thunderbird's Oil?
Lightning energy?
"Hmm..."
Since it came from a Platinum box, it didn't seem too bad.
It looked like it could apply an elemental attribute to a weapon or armor.
It was an offensive item in its own right.
Still not a weapon, though.
I placed the small glass vial containing the golden liquid into my inventory.
The items the other party members received were decent.
Cha Yerin got a bracelet that boosted defense.
Kang Dagyeong got a single-use key.
And Yoo Inseok...
"Deep Sleep Socks?"
"Ugh, what is this seriously? Did this really come out of a Gold box?"
He had pulled something called the Deep Sleep Socks.
At first glance, they looked like ordinary sleeping socks.
So much so that they didn't look like a Tower item at all.
Just fuzzy socks embroidered with a little sheep.
"Pfft, hahaha..."
Kang Dagyeong burst out laughing.
Cha Yerin was also busy trying to hold back her laughter.
"What's the effect?"
"Looks like a recovery item."
◈ Sleeping socks made from the tail hair of a Baku. Aids in the recovery of energy and blood.
"Oh, that's actually pretty good."
"If it's so good, trade with me!"
"I'll pass."
Yoo Inseok looked like he was about to cry.
"And it's a passive item, too."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"I'd much rather have a self-heal!"
*Sob!*
Yoo Inseok slumped to the ground.
The rest of us struggled to hold back our laughter.
"Hey, want to trade with me instead?"
"Huh?"
"My Paralysis Dagger."
"A w-weapon? Are you sure?"
"I don't use it much since I got the elven sword. Besides, I think I'll be getting another item soon anyway."
"A weapon for me..."
"It's good to have at least one weapon to defend yourself. You never know what might happen. The paralysis effect is great. Even a scratch will stun the target."
"S-should I...?"
I pulled the Paralysis Dagger from my inventory and handed it to Yoo Inseok.
Then, I put Yoo Inseok's Deep Sleep Socks into my inventory.
"I'll make good use of this."
Heh.
A rather interesting item had fallen into my hands.