Who's the Bug Now?
"Hahaha! You should have seen the look on Ms. Kang Mina's face back then."
"Well, a thousand mana crystals is a burden even for the Hunter Administration Office," I replied.
"So I just told them to give me five hundred. I've got more mana crystals than I know what to do with anyway."
"The Administration Office will be truly grateful, Hunter-nim."
Do Sangjin smiled as he peeled an apple.
I shrugged and popped a rabbit-shaped apple slice into my mouth.
"Whew. I know having a summon is great and all, but it's getting to be a bit of a hassle."
Everyone was making a massive fuss about it.
Even if they didn't say it out loud, they were probably thinking the same thing.
They probably believed that if I hadn't hogged and killed all the bosses in the Banquet of the Gods, they would have definitely obtained a summon of their own.
The United States would have gotten the Golden Eagle.
Japan, Momotaro's three beasts.
India, the Naga.
It seemed everyone coveted a summon more than the first weapon they received.
And it made sense. After all, weapons couldn't fight on their own.
Though it doesn't mean much to me...
Honestly, rather than fighting alongside Cerberus, it was much more efficient to just tear through enemies alone with Jeoldanchamgeuk. There was nothing to get in my way.
It would be one thing if he could support me like a party member, but... honestly, other than being cute, I wasn't sure what Black was actually good for.
Maybe my opinion would change once we climbed the tower together.
Well, for now, clearing the 40th floor should be a breeze thanks to him.
"Black, time for dinner," Do Sangjin called out.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Do Sangjin set a plate down in front of Black. It was loaded with chicken breast, pumpkin, tofu, and... were those blueberries? He said that since he was making ginseng chicken soup for dinner tonight, he decided to whip up a special treat for Black as well.
"Sangjin-ssi, you didn't put more effort into his food than my dinner, did you?"
"O-of course not, Hunter-nim. I just threw it together..."
"It's fine to dote on him, but you have to make sure I'm well taken care of too, okay?"
"Of course, Hunter-nim."
Yet even as he spoke, Do Sangjin was completely distracted, petting Black.
Man, that little punk is getting on my nerves.
I finished the rest of my apple and stood up.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Black was still devouring his food as if he were about to swallow the plate whole.
"Hey."
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
"Let's go."
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
"Tsk. Black."
At the sound of my tongue clicking, Black snapped out of it.
He looked up with a face that practically screamed, Master, I definitely wasn't distracted!
Seriously, is it normal for a Cerberus to act like this over some chicken breast?
I scooped Black up. His belly was completely bloated.
"This won't do."
"Whine..."
"Let's go get some exercise."
I wanted to see what he could do anyway. I grabbed my coat.
"Are you going out again, Hunter-nim?"
"Yeah. I'm going to run a random floor."
"At this hour?"
"Just look at this guy's stomach."
Pat, pat!
I tapped Black's round belly. If he had eaten even a little bit more, it felt like he would have burst.
"I'm feeling a bit full myself, so I'll just go for a light run."
"Ah, then please be careful."
"Will do."
"Whine..."
I left the residence with Black in my arms and headed straight for the Hunter Administration Office's gate station.
Beep.
Since I didn't know what might happen, I unsummoned Black before entering the Babel Tower.
"Enter Babel Tower."
Whoosh!
When I opened my eyes again...
Whoooooosh...
"Gasp!"
An intense, biting cold slammed into my body.
"Whoa..."
What was with this freezing weather? Every gust of wind felt like it was slicing my skin open.
Although Nexkia's Spacesuit blocked most things, it didn't seem capable of warding off this level of cold.
Wheeeew!
I quickly blew Cerberus's Whistle.
Growl...
In an instant, Cerberus emerged from the shadows.
"Black! Over here!"
I quickly buried myself in his fur.
Sizzle!
"Ah, that's better."
Sure enough, a cozy warmth radiated from his sleek black fur. It made sense. Cerberus was a creature born and raised in the fires of Hell.
"Ugh!"
"Damn it, it's too cold!"
"Huff! Puff!"
It seemed I wasn't the only one shivering. I could see other races trembling just as badly.
Unless they were Volcano Dwarves or Dark Elves, most of them were utterly shocked by the extreme cold of the snowy mountain, frantically purchasing items from their system windows.
I need to get some cold-weather gear if I want to move properly.
I couldn't just huddle against Cerberus the entire time.
I opened my system window.
Cold-weather gear...
I quickly searched for items with the 'Cold Resistance' attribute.
"Oh, this is it."
Maybe because it was expensive, but while everything else was sold out, this was the only one left.
If it's expensive, it must perform well.
I immediately tapped the purchase button. It cost a decent amount of Contribution Points, but I had accumulated so many that it barely made a dent.
The Fire Rat Leather Hat looked like a gray winter trapper hat.
Plop.
The moment I pulled it over my head, the cold wrapping around my body vanished. In fact, it felt rather warm. My numb face and ears thawed out in an instant.
"Phew, saved."
No matter how used I was to South Korea's extreme summers and winters, it was nothing compared to the unnatural, harsh climate of the tower.
"Brrr!"
"Ugh, ugh..."
"C-Cold!!!"
Looking around, the guys who had bought cheaper items were still shivering.
Their limbs wouldn't fall off from frostbite immediately, but it was clearly hard to endure.
"Tsk, tsk..."
Well, I had plenty of Contribution Points saved up anyway. In situations like this, it was best to spend them without hesitation.
What was the point of hoarding them if I ended up dying like an idiot? Of course, I didn't think I'd die, but you never knew.
"No point in hoarding it until it turns to shit."
"Whine?"
"Not you."
Maybe because I called him a mutt so often, he reacted immediately to the word 'shit'.
I adjusted my Fire Rat hat and slowly surveyed my surroundings.
We were in a steep, snowy mountain canyon. I was standing atop the gatehouse of a fortress nestled beneath the peaks.
"Hmm..."
The atmosphere felt tense.
Is this a cooperative battle?
It wasn't a map where we just fought monsters. It was more like the previous Red vs. Blue match. A battle between a team defending the castle and a team trying to tear it down.
Perhaps because it was a cooperative battle, the usual posturing that occurred when different races gathered was absent. Everyone was simply sizing each other up.
Whoooooosh...
Another icy gale blew past. And then,
"Rejoice in your good fortune."
A voice broke the frozen silence as a Dark Elf stepped forward.
They wore finely crafted gold jewelry and leather garments. Something was embroidered onto the leather with gold thread, likely Elven script.
Rejoice in our good fortune?
I watched him quietly.
The Dark Elf had long blonde hair and was covered in tattoos from head to toe. He had two other Dark Elves trailing behind him like subordinates.
Come to think of it, usually only one representative of each race participated in random maps. Today, however, there seemed to be about three of each.
Is it because it's a cooperative battle?
Looking around again, I spotted two other humans.
One was a white woman, and the other was a black man. I hadn't noticed them earlier because they were standing far away, almost hiding in a corner.
"O primitive races, though you are all bugs who deserve to die..." the blonde Dark Elf spoke again.
"Today, our god has chosen to let you live."
The Dark Elf spoke in a flat, monotonous voice.
"Therefore, praise our god."
He closed his eyes, raised his hands toward the sky, and began to mutter inaudible words.
It looked bizarre to me, but the other races seemed relieved by the presence of these Dark Elves.
Well, I suppose they would be. Dark Elves were one of the most powerful races in the tower.
"However, there is a condition."
Oh, brother.
"For the god who has shown you mercy..."
Let's see how far he takes this.
"You bugs must also show your sincerity."
They really are doing the most.
I crossed my arms and watched their little show.
"Offer your Contribution Points to our god!"
Murmur, murmur.
"Of course, there will be bugs who have no Contribution Points to offer."
The two Dark Elves behind him stepped forward. One drew a dagger, while the other unfurled a piece of leather.
Flap!
I couldn't tell what kind of hide it was, but the center of the leather bore the exact same pattern tattooed on the Dark Elf's body, etched sharply as if carved with a knife.
"Even those bugs will be spared, provided they receive the mark of our god."
The Dark Elf clasped his hands together as he finished speaking.
Wow... I'd heard that Dark Elves were nothing but fanatics, and it turned out to be true.
The fear atop the wall was palpable, but only for a moment. The Volcano Dwarves cursed under their breath but still transferred their Contribution Points to them.
And then, the weaker races, like the halflings and herbivorous beastmen, hesitantly stepped forward.
They knew that since they had no Contribution Points, this was their only way to survive.
"Feel the mercy of our god."
The Dark Elf's blade touched the arm of the first halfling who stepped up.
Slice.
Carve.
The blade carved into the raw flesh without hesitation.
Hot blood dripped from the trembling halfling's hand. Fear washed over the faces of the other halflings and the rest of the onlookers.
"Wow..."
These guys were absolute lunatics. It was so absurd I couldn't help but chuckle. They weren't even common thugs, yet here they were, shaking people down in a place like this.
"...Sigh, I can't watch this anymore."
With a light sigh, I pushed past the trembling halflings and stepped forward.
"Are you a summoner?" the Dark Elf asked, looking back and forth between me and Black.
"Unlike these bugs, you seem to have plenty of Contribution Points to offer."
He smiled with satisfaction.
"Will you offer your Contribution Points to our god?"
The Dark Elf grinned, baring his white fangs.
Rumble...
The ground below the wall began to shake, signaling the imminent start of the cooperative battle. The Dark Elf gestured impatiently.
"Do not keep our god waiting!"
At that, I smiled.
"Is that so?"
"...?!"
And then,
"Right. We shouldn't keep your god waiting."
With that—
WHACK!
I kicked the Dark Elf square in the solar plexus.
Whoosh...
It happened in the blink of an eye. The Dark Elf plummeted off the wall, his long blonde hair whipping in the wind.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
A scream echoed from below. A moment later,
SPLAT!
A satisfying sound resounded as his head cracked open and his body burst.
"...Phew!"
Much better.
...
...
...
...
Unfortunately, I seemed to be the only one feeling refreshed. Everyone, including the two subordinates of the newly deceased Dark Elf, stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.
And then—
"Y-You bug!"
"How dare you do that to the Priest!"
The two remaining Dark Elves lunged at me simultaneously.
But—
Swish!
I lightly twisted the wrist of one of them, snatching the blood-stained dagger from his grip.
Thud!
In one fluid motion, I drove the dagger straight into the center of the other Elf's forehead.
Squish!
I ripped it out and swung it in a wide arc.
Slash!
The one with the split forehead collapsed instantly, while the other's cleanly severed head rolled across the stone floor.
Now. Who's the bug?