No Needle on the Beach
There were no needles on the sandy beach.
"So, you still haven't found her?"
Oh Hyun-young, the HR manager of Cheonmyeong Guild—Korea’s second-ranked hunter guild—muttered softly.
The rookie who shattered that infamous Marionette Test rankings multiple times without using mana. And the moment she tapped into mana, she boldly claimed first place. That enigmatic newbie had finally debuted as a hunter.
Cheonmyeong Guild, pushed out of Korea’s top spot by a razor-thin margin to Cheongrang Guild. This was their chance to surge ahead and claim undisputed first.
"...Yes. The Chuncheon Association is hiding some info, but this person's identity doesn't check out anywhere in the capital region."
"If she's from the same class as Hunter Lee Sera, she must know her well. Have you made contact?"
She was an A-rank hunter from Baekho Guild, Korea’s third-ranked. Oh Hyun-young figured someone as diligent and well-regarded among the many A-ranks would cooperate...
"No chance of cooperation."
"What?"
"Even if we snag her, she'll drag her into her own guild. Says give it a shot if we can."
So, what do we do?"
Sighs and snickers erupted around the conference room.
"You think Baekho can offer better terms than us!?"
"Baekho's gotten cocky lately."
"Quiet!!"
"So what have we done? Chase after one guy like lost puppies—that's it!"
Oh Hyun-young's shout silenced the room again. Just then, her secretary burst in clutching a thick file.
"Breaking news! We secured Yumia's training center records!!"
"Training records!"
"Did we really need to go that far?!"
Training records were treated as top-secret for hunter protection. Even powerhouse guilds had to bleed cash for access.
"This was my solo op. I'll take the heat."
"That's ridiculous—"
The admin chief started yelling, but Oh Hyun-young cut him off with a stern glare.
"If we let Cheongrang steal another talent, what do you think the guild master will do to us?"
"Ugh..."
"So, what’s the scoop?"
"Estimated five SSR starting traits. Two SR-grade starting traits."
"What!? That's practically S-rank!"
"Not a wasted effort! Good!"
Even upper A-rank could flip the rankings. Korea had just three S-ranks, split across 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. But S-rank? That would solidify dominance and shatter Korea's guild power balance.
We have to recruit her, no matter what.
But the secretary's face paled as he reported.
"What? Spit it out."
"Well... not sure if this is legit, but..."
Oh Hyun-young trailed off. Faking training records was near-impossible. No known cases so far. Her secretary knew that. He'd been picked from the top university as the sharpest mind.
For him to say that meant...
"Unbelievable results, huh. Out with it. You know the tower and abyss worlds can produce anything."
But she couldn't make sense of his next words.
"...She turned into a woman?"
"What?"
"Biologically female now. Appearance, build—all changed."
"You think this is for real!?"
"What does 'turned into a woman' even mean!!"
Such cases weren't unheard of. South Africa's A-rank hunter Luaji had awakened and turned lizardman, after all. But...
They screamed for one more reason.
"So we gotta search again?"
"Arrrgh!! Do that crap over!!"
All of them, including her, thought finding the target would end this hell. That's why they'd hunted so hard... naturally excluding women from the search.
Now they had to redo it. For someone whose location was unknown.
Then.
"Find her and recruit at all costs. Make contact by any means and enlist her. Got it!!"
"Yes, ma'am!!!"
First to find wins. To avoid all this being for nothing.
We stood at the tower entrance. Being peak time, crowds swarmed the place. Though it was always busy.
Last time it was empty because Sera pulled strings for the other entrance.
Chuncheon had two: general for regulars, VIP for A-rank+. But hardly any VIPs came this far, so it flew empty—perfect for me.
This was the packed general entrance.
But I came here for a reason.
Eateries, cafes, lodgings—top-notch around here. B, C, D-rank hunters were still hunters. Ways to score mana stones and artifacts: gates, towers, abysses. Tower divers always left loaded.
Shops here guaranteed quality. Subpar ones couldn't even set up.
Not rushing to eat, though. With time to kill, we hit a cafe upfront.
Lee Sera waited there.
Wait, why's she here?
I glanced at Woo Soo-hyun.
"I contacted her. She said call no matter what if you showed."
I sighed. Not unwelcome, but.
"Ugh, more nagging incoming."
Planned to low-key it this time...
"Yowch!"
Lee Sera yanked my cheeks.
"Hey! Warn a girl if you're coming!!"
"Owow... weren't you busy?"
"Not busy. Way better than chatting with those drab old dudes."
"Not thrilled being compared to drab old dudes."
We entered the cafe. No ordinary spot.
Bigger than a major gym. Hotel-like lobby, tables. Private rooms available; order food or drinks, they deliver.
What's the diff from a hotel? Walls reinforced for hunter skill demos. Dummy scarecrows on request. Sparring allowed. Hybrid setup all around.
Pricey, so usually just Sera and me.
"H-Hunter Lee Sera!?"
"Yeah. Renting for the day. Big room with tables. Cool?"
"Yes! Right this way!"
The room was huge, tables galore.
"Whoa..."
"Spacious..."
Woo Soo-hyun and I gawked as we entered. Sera eyed us.
"So, first—why'd your mana surge? Report. Details."
I shared my spec-up with Sera in way more detail than before. Magic school too. To get her help, full disclosure was best. Mutual benefit.
"Feels like old times."
Sera briefing, me listening. Training center routine on missions. She crushed paperwork; I was top dog, so I could slack off on her.
"Knew that trait was SR+ or higher."
"Dragon Eye, yeah."
Not quite SSR. SSRs delivered insane output from start, sky-high peaks, or god-tier versatility—one of those.
In that sense, Archmage's Talent might qualify. Instinct for mana input, patterns on any spell. Even wand grip felt natural.
Minus my lack of magic aptitude.
Dragon Eye helped big, but not that much.
"Artifacts?"
"Like this?"
I dumped sword and shields from inventory.
"Why just sword and shields? No potions?"
"Nope?"
"...You sure you go to magic school?"
"Hit me now—it's weird, right?"
Magic school, no magic gear. Sketchy?
"Sword's top-tier."
"Told ya."
Reinhardt's loaner wand outperformed tower or local ones. Their tech edged out.
"Can you snag more?"
"Why?"
"Backup if my Muramasa breaks."
"...Talk later."
Tower first.
"Why so many shields?"
"For this."
I pulled a shield, blocked air, stowed it instantly. No delay. Sera whistled.
"...Fucking broken."
"Right?"
Woo Soo-hyun cut in.
"Sorry, tower time? General entrance closes for maintenance at lunch."
"Oh, yeah."
VIP free-flow; general had checks for crowds.
Sera and I headed to entrance. Woo Soo-hyun trailed far back.
"Oh, upgraded Observer. Can watch nonstop now."
"Just now?"
Skill Injector—boosts traits like shots. Dragon Eye+ from Dragon Eye. Needed high-grade mana stones, pricey.
Observer exception. R-grade, but tower system enabled spectator mode. Guilds funded Observers to train rookies.
"Say yes, gotta train newbies. Told 'em no."
"..."
She's got a wild streak. Wonder who she learned from.
At entrance, Sera partied up for Observer.
Accepted.
I accepted and entered the tower.
Enter Hell difficulty?
[Y/N]
I hit Y. Vision turned blue. Mist cleared—floor 2 landscape appeared.
Entering Floor 2 - Trap Layer.
Rough stone floor greeted me. But something new.
Interference rises due to Dragon's Mana.
Speedrun conditions revealed. SSS: 1 min, SS: 1 min 20 sec, S: 1 min 40 sec...
...Huh?
Speedrun conditions listed before me.
[Uh, uh, can you hear me?]
"Yeah."
Sera's voice via Observer snapped me back. One minute. Tight.
Floor 2, Trap Layer - Entering First Room.
Vast cavern opened up.
"Hoo."
[So, what's the plan?]
Woo Soo-hyun hadn't followed our chat.
[Obvious, right.]
Air sliced far off—something incoming. Sera continued.
[Pull shield from inventory, block arrow volley, stow and run.]
[Oh!]
Yeah, that blocks arrows. Advance. Solid strat. I nearly did it seconds ago.
[Wait, why the staff...]
But nah. Speedrun too tight that way.
"Casting, Bullet Bullet Bullet."
—Boom boom boom boom!!
Dragon Eye mana focus. Eyes slit long, red glow.
—Kiiie...
Dynamic vision skyrocketed. Mana overload. One eye red-tinted.
"Heh heh."
Mana flooding brain felt good. Got why Adrian always grinned.
I charged through brutal arrow rain. Sword in hand deflected them all as I bolted.
Lee Sera and Woo Soo-hyun screamed.