Am I the Bad Listing?

Determined to snag that hidden class, Ha-yeon fired off a message right away.

Han Ji-hye replied immediately.

Ha-yeon nodded. She'd seen a few quests pop up since entering the Tower. Kill monsters, do specific actions, get rewards—that kind of system. Hidden classes were probably structured the same way. Come to think of it, she'd gotten a notification after taking down that red-tailed boar.

Ha-yeon promptly opened her quest window.

"...Huh?"

Han Ji-hye blinked.

Ha-yeon glanced at her quest window as she typed. There was definitely a quest there. But...

"...Hmm."

Ha-yeon tilted her head.

Han Ji-hye's eyes widened slightly as she read the messages.

"...Hold on."

She racked her brain, recalling how she'd gotten her own hidden class. Holy Knight. Back then, the class name had been visible from the start, along with clear conditions: Holy Knight Order quests, divine power trials, holy site defense. Tough, but straightforward.

But Ha-yeon's was completely obscured.

A moment later, Ji-hye continued.

Ha-yeon nodded. That made sense. She was planning to keep climbing anyway.

Potential. Ji-hye sounded pretty confident. There was a common saying in the Tower: the harder a class is to get, the stronger it is. And Ha-yeon's quest had hidden conditions from the jump—probably trickier than your average hidden class.

But Ha-yeon's reaction was surprisingly chill.

"Hmm..."

She pondered for a moment, then typed.

"Whatever."

A moment later, the message arrived.

"... "

Ji-hye was speechless for a while. Then a chuckle escaped her.

"Ha-yeon."

Ha-yeon nodded. Then it hit her. The Tower was full of stuff she hadn't tried yet. Phoenix eggs. Bingjeong's tears. Millennium snow ginseng. And higher up, even rarer ingredients.

"Hmm."

A small smile crept onto Ha-yeon's lips.

"Nice."

Hidden class or not, it'd let her take down stronger monsters. Which meant... more delicious ingredients.

As she left the familiar 4th floor, Ha-yeon glanced back. The fields where red-tailed boars roamed. Her first real hunt, her first monster barbecue. A floor full of memories.

"Hmm."

A twinge of regret, but the next floor had new ingredients. Her steps lightened again.

Ha-yeon's feet carried her to the Tower's next floor.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The scenery shifted. Unlike the 4th floor's forest, the 5th was a vast plain. Climbers gathered here and there.

And this floor had one key feature.

"Party play's mandatory, right."

Ha-yeon muttered. Info from Ji-hye. She'd said it clearly:

—From Floor 5 on, party hunting is basically essential.

The reason was simple. This floor's main monster: cockatrice. It looked like a chicken—not just in appearance, but tough. High HP, tricky attacks. To clear the floor, you had to beat cockatrices, Ji-hye had explained. Basically the boss monster.

Ha-yeon paused, thinking.

"...Chicken."

Chicken. The word conjured a flood of dishes: dakdoritang, jjimdak, samgyetang, fried chicken...

"... "

Her mouth watered on its own. She murmured,

"Perfect."

A great monster. But one issue.

"Gotta form a party..."

Ha-yeon had soloed almost the whole climb so far. Her only group hunt was with Ji-hye and the boars. Parties felt a bit awkward still.

But that experience taught her something: having someone watch your back wasn't bad. Hunting got easier, at least.

Still, Ha-yeon had one big problem.

"Hmm..."

A serious one.

What if they want to share the chicken?

Cockatrice. Monster or not, it was chicken. Ha-yeon's food, her cooking ingredient. Prime stuff. Samgyetang. Dakbokkeumtang. Chicken. Blissful menus. Share them?

"...Ugh."

Her expression grew grave. She knew she was the odd one out. Normal climbers didn't cook in the Tower. They sold ingredients, ate outside. At best, jerky or rations.

But Ha-yeon remembered one case.

"Can't let my guard down."

Ji-hye. She'd acted uninterested at first... but ended up sharing pork belly.

"... "

Staring at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the plain, Ha-yeon muttered,

"First..."

Hunt the cockatrice. Eat it solo if possible.

Her eyes gleamed quietly.

"Chicken."

"Oh."

Ha-yeon scanned the window. Simpler than expected.

Conclusion: Form a party, kill cockatrices.

Just then, voices rang out everywhere.

"LFG!"

"Need one more DPS!"

"Healer! Looking for healer class!"

"Cockatrice trial party!"

Fresh arrivals crowding the floor. Ha-yeon scoped the area. Plenty recruiting.

"Alright."

She approached a group of three. A man in the center seemed to be leading recruitment—probably the party leader.

"Room for one more?"

The man looked up.

"We could, but..."

He asked naturally,

"What's your class?"

"...Class?"

Ha-yeon tilted her head. She didn't know. Most climbers reaching Floor 5 had a basic class by now: Junior Warrior, Apprentice Priest, Petty Thief, etc. Usually unlocked around Floors 3-4.

That's why it was the first question in Floor 5 recruitment. For party comp and roles: tank, DPS, healer.

But Ha-yeon's situation was different. She was mid-hidden class quest. With everything—name to conditions—hidden. Couldn't exactly say that.

She hesitated, then said,

"No class yet."

A brief silence.

"...Hmm."

The man muttered softly.

"No class, huh."

He looked apologetic.

"Sorry."

"Huh?"

"Try another party."

He turned away. Conversation over.

"... "

Ha-yeon stood there blankly for a sec. His attitude might seem curt, but it made sense. Unlike her casual climb, others were dead serious. A shaky party member slowed you down—or worse, got you killed.

She shook it off and nodded.

Can't be helped.

"Guess I'll shop around."

Second party.

"Class?"

"None."

"...Sorry."

Third.

"No job?"

"Nope."

"Uh... might be tough."

Fourth. Fifth. Sixth.

Same result every time.

In the end, no party took her.

In the middle of the plain, climbers kept calling out.

"Healer!"

"One DPS!"

"Tank?!"

Ha-yeon stood among them.

"... "

Realization dawning, she murmured softly,

"No way."

She thought it over, then concluded quietly.

"Am I the bad listing?"