The Second Irregular
"...You're saying he cleared the thirtieth floor all by himself?"
"I'm telling you, he did!"
Ban Haeyeong's voice was thick with excitement. She had already smashed one of the tables in her frenzy.
"They say he just got back."
"..."
"It's not even that late yet. Want to go pay him a visit?"
"No, thank you."
"Oh, come on, I know you're dying of curiosity!"
Leaving a grumbling Ban Haeyeong behind, Choi Muryeong walked into his private office.
There, he fell into deep thought.
How did he clear it without a mage?
The thirtieth floor was widely known as the "Devil's Stretch." It was no exaggeration to say that a hunter only became truly elite after overcoming the wall of the thirtieth floor.
Normally, clearing it required a party of at least three other experienced hunters. And among them, a mage was absolutely essential.
Without a mage, one needed mental defense items. But mental defense gear was not only astronomically expensive, it was also practically nonexistent on the market.
Because of that, Lee Taepyeong clearing the thirtieth floor should have been practically impossible.
That was exactly why Choi Muryeong had set that condition in the first place. He had fully expected Taepyeong to ask for help.
If Taepyeong had reached out, Muryeong planned to power-level him to around level fifty.
Yet, even as the deadline approached, there hadn't been a single call...
And now, out of nowhere, he had cleared the thirtieth floor? Alone, no less?
It made no sense.
Even Choi Muryeong himself had only been able to conquer the thirtieth floor because he possessed various mental defense items.
Just how...?
As Ban Haeyeong had suggested, he felt a sudden, strong urge to barge into Taepyeong's quarters right this second.
"..."
Choi Muryeong silently stared out the window.
The sky was painted in the warm hues of the setting sun, and standing tall in the center of it all was the Babel Tower.
Choi Muryeong's gaze lingered on its peak.
Perhaps...
He unconsciously clenched his fists.
Lee Taepyeong... might be the answer to saving South Korea.
"Congratulations!!!"
Man, they were making a huge fuss.
I had told them I wanted to hit the sauna first because I was covered in undead blood, but in the meantime, Do Sangjin and Kang Mina had apparently prepared a whole feast.
It wasn't even a national holiday. Seaweed soup, braised short ribs, glass noodles... the table was practically groaning under the weight of the food.
"This is insane! I never in my wildest dreams thought you'd actually clear the thirtieth floor!"
"Hyung, I knew you could do it from the very start."
"Hunter-nim, you must be starving. Please, eat first."
Everyone was in high spirits.
"Where on earth did you get a mental defense item? I asked around everywhere, but there wasn't a single one on the market...!"
"Thanks to a friend."
"A-A friend? Is your friend the President of the United States or something...?"
"Of course not. I met them while climbing the tower early on."
"Who could it be? I know all the hunters from your rookie batch!"
"Ah, you wouldn't know her."
I hesitated for a moment before just coming out with it.
"Her name is Nairin. She's an elf I met during the Wrath of the Sun event."
"An... an elf?!"
"Yeah. We ended up becoming... well, friends, sort of."
"W-Wait a second. I'm having a really hard time following this."
What was so hard to follow?
"So... your f-friend is an elf...?"
"Yes."
"The same elf who gave you the Elf's Sword...?"
"Yes."
"And that elf gave you a mental defense item too...?"
"Yes."
Was she feeling lightheaded? Kang Mina swayed as if dizzy, then suddenly began clapping.
She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"To think an elf actually acknowledged you as a 'friend'! Hunter-nim, just how long do you plan on keeping me in shock?!"
Well.
It was less about Nairin acknowledging me as a friend, and more about me deigning to acknowledge her as one. But there was no need to correct her.
"Oh my goodness. I never imagined South Korea would have a hunter with friendly relations with an elf! Even France's 'Daisy' said she wasn't close enough to be called a friend. You know about her, right?"
Daisy. Wasn't she France's representative healer?
"The one who met an elf in the Noah's Ark map and got ordered around as their personal healer..."
"Yes, her."
"That's not a friendship, though."
"Well, at least she didn't get killed by the elf."
Our situations were completely different. I was the one who spared the elf's life.
"If she sent you an item, you two must have an incredible bond!"
"It's not really like that..."
"This will be a huge help during the Race Alliance War too!"
"Maybe..."
Kang Mina's eyes sparkled.
Were elves really that big of a deal? Nairin was just a pathetic little thing...
Tsk.
Still, it was true that I survived the Lich King's curse thanks to her. I should probably thank her the next time we meet.
"Hyung, so you're going to China next week?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Wow. I guess I can't tag along, right?"
I glanced at Kang Mina. She shook her head.
I grinned and patted Woo Jumin's head.
"I'll take you there myself later. Want to go to Disneyland?"
"I-I've never been to an amusement park before!"
"Me neither. Let's go together once I'm a bit less busy."
"Yes!!!"
Woo Jumin answered enthusiastically.
He'd been trying to act all grown-up lately, but he was still just a kid.
"Please look after Jumin while I'm in China."
"Of course."
Do Sangjin nodded at my request.
Honestly, he was the type to take perfect care of him even if I didn't ask.
Anyway.
I can't believe that actually worked...
It was all thanks to a series of coincidences and strokes of good luck. Meeting Nairin in the promotion match, sparing her life, getting the item because of it, and then unintentionally killing the Lich King.
I felt like I had put in way too much effort just to get a temple, but...
Sometimes you just have to work hard. If I had thrown away this opportunity just because it was a hassle, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides, participating in this would grant me the temple I wanted so badly. Climbing the tower would become fun again after that.
Kang Mina would let me know the dates and details soon. Until then, I was going to stay out of the tower and just rest.
I should ask her to look up the other hunters I'd be meeting there. The ones gathering there were all veterans. Compared to them, I was a total rookie, so there was a lot I didn't know.
Studying up beforehand would prevent any embarrassing surprises.
Well, for today, I was just going to eat and drink!
Three days passed.
During that time, I diligently read through the documents Kang Mina sent over—information on the Chinese side, profiles on their hunters, and reports on the estimated difficulty of the special floor.
Cha Yerin and Woo Jumin said they would keep grinding the twenties together while I was away in China.
I asked if they should recruit another damage dealer, but they insisted they could manage just fine on their own since they knew the maps inside out. Good for them.
Today, we were having a casual preliminary meeting. It was just Choi Muryeong, Ban Haeyeong, Han Sion, and me.
Since hunters naturally split up by nationality inside the tower, they wanted to share information and reach an agreement beforehand. Even so, there wasn't much for me to do. I was the rookie, after all. Just listening was enough.
"Yaaawn..."
The conversation was incredibly dry, and I couldn't help but yawn every now and then.
"..."
Every time I did, I felt Choi Muryeong's eyes on me, but he didn't say anything.
And then...
"Taepyeong! How on earth did you clear the thirtieth floor all by yourself?"
The moment the meeting ended, Ban Haeyeong pounced on me with the question. She must have been holding it in the entire time.
"I just got lucky."
"The thirtieth floor isn't a place you can clear with just 'luck'."
At Han Sion's remark, I simply smiled.
"Until now, Hunter Choi was the only one who had ever cleared the thirtieth floor alone!"
Ban Haeyeong rambled on excitedly, adding that she wouldn't have been able to clear it either if it weren't for Choi Muryeong and Han Sion.
"To think you'd become the second irregular, Taepyeong. You're seriously amazing!"
"Come on, 'irregular' is a bit of a stretch..."
"I'm telling you, it's not something just anyone can do!"
"Hey, two of us have already done it. I'm sure more will pop up in the future."
The moment the words left my mouth, I realized it might have sounded a bit dismissive, so I stole a glance at Choi Muryeong. He showed no reaction, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Thank goodness. I thought I'd put my foot in it.
The meeting wrapped up in a lighthearted atmosphere.
With five of China's top hunters participating, alongside Choi Muryeong, Ban Haeyeong, and Han Sion from our side, no one seemed particularly worried. Especially with Choi Muryeong on board.
Well, I'm feeling pretty relaxed too...
Say what you want about him, but he was still ranked third in the world. Time for me to get carried for once!
The next day, we traveled in secret on a private jet prepared by the Hunter Administration Office.
Upon arriving in China, we were taken to a temporary zone set up near the tower. The accommodations were surprisingly luxurious. Apparently, this place had also been built using some kind of skill.
I'm a bit worried about the food, though...
I had never had authentic Chinese cuisine before. I heard the spices were quite unique. I wondered how it would taste...
"Keep your head in the game and follow me."
At Choi Muryeong's stern voice, I snapped out of my thoughts. "Ah, yes, sir." I quickly followed behind him.
Phew. It wasn't like I had to do any heavy lifting anyway. The others would handle the important stuff.
Anyway, as we entered a building adorned with extravagant dragon decorations, we spotted someone who had arrived before us.
She wore flowy clothes, had long hair, and was quite short. She had a rather cute face.
Who's that?
Her face hadn't been on the list of Chinese hunters.
As I watched her with curiosity, she spotted us and gasped. "Ah!" She quickly raised her hand and waved.
Who was she waving to? Choi Muryeong? Han Sion?
"Haeyon-ssi!"
Ah. It was Ban Haeyeong.
Ban Haeyeong waved back. "Sakura!"
Sakura. That must be her name.
The two greeted each other warmly. Choi Muryeong and Han Sion also gave her a light nod, suggesting they recognized her.
"And who is...?" Sakura asked, looking at me with curious eyes.
"Ah, he's our rookie."
"A rookie!"
"Taepyeong, this is Sakura."
"Hello."
"Sakura, this is Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
"Ah, hello... to you."
Sakura bowed, greeting me in slightly awkward Korean.
"You know the healer we heard was coming from Japan? That's Sakura."
"Ah, I see. I've never heard the name before."
"Well, that makes sense for you, Taepyeong."
After all, the most famous hunter in Japan right now was Nakamura. Since the media constantly churned out useless articles framing him as Choi Muryeong's rival, it was hard for any other Japanese hunter to get much press in Korea, even if they were a top-tier healer. Even if she was famous in Japan, it was unlikely her name would carry over to Korea.
"I look forward to working with you."
"M-Me too...!"
Sakura bowed slightly with a cute smile.
Watching her, only one thought crossed my mind.
Something about her is fishy...