Virtual Reality (8)
"It is far too early for this body... Games are only possible from eight o'clock, so contact me theeen..."
"No, wait! It's not about the game! This is urgent!"
I shouted in a hurry, afraid he might hang up. He wasn't the sort of guy who'd cut a call just because he was tired, so it would probably be fine.
"Someone collapsed in Washington D.C. and their life is in danger! Can you go check on them?"
"Uuuuugh..."
"If you help that person, I'll grant you one wish!"
"Mm... a wish? Hmm..."
His voice grew a little clearer. What a materialistic guy. Did he really only move if I promised to grant a wish? There was a human life on the line here!
"Very well. Send me the address."
"Okay, got it. Please, I'm counting on you! And if possible, don't remove whatever's stuck to their head!"
"Understood. Until later, my kin."
"Thanks for helping!"
I had no idea why he kept calling me his kin, but I thanked him all the same. Maybe it was because he stayed up all night and slept through the day. Either way, I no longer needed to worry about the person who'd collapsed. Gaming friend or not, he was a Hunter too.
"Is that a friend of yours?"
"Ah, yes. Someone I met while gaming."
A global FPS game. We'd first crossed paths as enemies and played out an incredible match, then started messaging each other and teamed up from there. Since I couldn't be bothered to learn English, he'd gone and learned Korean himself. His username was Royal Blood.
Hey, do that thing. You know, that thing.
I-I am a True Ancestor... Must I truly do this?
Every time I won a bet, I'd make him recite lines from some game character. His voice was even pretty similar.
"The person who collapsed will be fine. But... would it be all right if we postponed today's plans a little?"
"Of course. We have all the time in the world."
With someone down, I couldn't afford to drag my feet. I was lucky enough that an acquaintance lived near the collapsed person — if it had been some other country, who knew what would have happened.
At this point, the only option was to clear the tower as fast as possible and get everyone logged out. As for the exhaustion... well, this was virtual reality. Fake tiredness. Close enough.
"How about we do the meal in the real world instead?"
"...I'd like that, Eunha."
For a moment, Soph's expression looked sad. ...Yeah, I was probably just imagining it.
"I'll stay here and make sure that person is all right. Fighting, Eunha."
"I'll be back as fast as I can, Soph."
Soph clenched a fist toward me in encouragement. Bolstered by her support, I headed for the long-awaited 70th floor.
Wonder what's waiting on the 70th floor...
I honestly had no idea. I'd been half-expecting Surtr to show up, honestly. Among all the gate bosses I'd ever hunted, that one ranked in the top five for sheer power. There was a reason its individual designation was Surtr — the world had genuinely nearly ended.
Do you wish to challenge the Trial of the Tower's 70th Floor?
"Yeah. I'll challenge it."
Entering the Trial of the Tower's 70th Floor.
The vast open space from the 66th floor was gone. In its place stretched something like an enormous training hall. I didn't remember any gate that felt quite like this. I was frowning and scanning the surroundings when something familiar caught my eye.
"Is that...?"
The moment I saw the Hunter Association merit plaque hanging on one wall, my body locked up. I'd been to the Association once before. That plaque had been hanging there. And its owner was—
"Uegh."
Uncle Haseong?!
I stumbled backward at the sudden appearance. Of course, it wasn't the real him. The blank expression, the total silence — this was clearly a construct built from my memories.
I swallowed hard.
H-his stats aren't the same too, right?
Which version of him was this? Pre-Titan Impact, or post? He'd always been strong, but there was a real difference depending on the era — and Titan Impact was the dividing line. If pre-Titan Impact Uncle Haseong could hurl a truck, the version after could throw a whole building.
Physical performance has been recalibrated to match the 70th Floor.
"Huh."
But there was a variable. The Trial of the Tower adjusted your physical abilities to match the floor. My eyes went wide as power suddenly surged through me.
T-this is the kind of strength Uncle Haseong has?
So this was what muscle enhancement felt like. A sensation of growing stronger just by breathing. I let out a long breath and slowly settled into a stance.
The thing in front of me isn't the real Uncle Haseong.
It was a boss. Nothing more. Defeat the boss, clear the Trial of the Tower, and free everyone trapped here. I wasn't a Hunter, but I'd done Hunter-adjacent work before. I just had to think of this as more of the same.
The trial begins.
"...Hoo."
The moment the text appeared, Uncle Haseong started moving. First one step. Then—
Right in front of me—
KRAAAANG—!!!!
I threw both arms up into a guard. A vicious crack of impact, and for a second my mind went blank. That was from blocking a punch. Thank god my body had been strengthened — if I'd taken that with my original physique, I'd have been reduced to meat scraps no butcher shop would even sell.
A dull throb pulsed through me.
Uncle Haseong never hits me!
I gritted my teeth and turned my head just as a fist whistled past my ear. Whoa — dodged it...
"Seriouslyyy...!"
I'd rather fight a monster. Having Uncle Haseong as the 70th-floor boss was just unfair!
It's fine. I can do this.
They say if you keep your wits about you, you can survive even being thrown into a tiger's den. I'd watched his movements so many times I was sick of them, so I could just barely keep dodging. The real problem was how to land a finishing blow...
KRAAANG—!!!
"Hgk—?!"
For starters, the reach difference was a problem. I was short; he was long. Even when his arm could reach my face, I couldn't reach him at all.
An opening. I need to find an opening.
I clenched my teeth and weaved through the barrage of attacks. At least Uncle Haseong hadn't fought many people smaller than himself. See? His stance was already starting to drift a little.
"Hup—!"
A paper-thin margin. I felt the soft brush of peach fuzz against my face as I ducked forward — and drove my fist straight out!
Thud—!!
My first clean hit. It didn't feel like it went deep, but the important part was that I'd hit Uncle Haseong at all.
O-okay, so I can actually do this...
Maybe I had a talent for fighting? If I'd just had a proper ability, maybe I could've been an S-Rank Hunter myself? I grinned inwardly even as I kept my feet moving. Another paper-thin dodge. Death closed in so near my heart hammered against my ribs.
I have to finish this before he adapts to my size.
The one silver lining was that the boss version of Uncle Haseong seemed to be from before Titan Impact. That meant there was a chance. Unlike the complete monster he was now, the him of that era still had a few rough edges — especially when fighting people instead of monsters.
Every time he throws a left, his posture drops lower.
When he pivots right, his axis shifts just a little.
If an attack comes at a vital point, he reflexively raises his arms to guard.
Who did people think had worked with Uncle Haseong the longest? I'd never imagined I'd end up using that knowledge against him. Still, the moment I started pressing Boss Uncle with the information in my head—
Thud—!!
"Guh?!"
A sound like a drum bursting, and my vision spun. Then — crash! — my body slammed into the floor.
I... I didn't see that coming...
C-can he just suddenly get that fast? I spat the blood pooling in my mouth and scrambled back to my feet. Just one hit. A single hit, and my body creaked like it'd been run over by a truck.
"Unc...le... isn't that... a little much?"
"..."
Blood ran down from my head and blurred my vision, so I wiped it roughly with my sleeve. The real Uncle Haseong would always brush things off with "Where am I even supposed to hit a kid like you?" no matter what I'd done wrong... This thing was just a copy of his physical abilities and fighting style, nothing more.
Focus. The damage I've dealt so far hasn't gone away.
Boss Uncle wasn't looking great either. If that last burst had been a desperation pattern, it made a certain kind of sense. Every inch of me screamed to collapse and sob, but I gritted my teeth and held on. If I went down here, it wouldn't just be my life on the line. Everyone trapped in this place would be in danger.
I am not losing.
No matter who was standing across from me — even if it was Uncle — I wasn't going to lose. I clenched my trembling fists and settled back into a stance.
Hand-to-hand combat I'd been half-forced to learn because "you need to know how to protect yourself." Techniques designed for muscle-enhancement Awakened had never been much use to me — but right now, they were a huge help.
"Seriously... if I win, I'm making you buy me a meal, so you'd better dig out your emergency cash."
The words had barely left my mouth before Boss Uncle charged straight at me.