Disappearance

After purchasing the essential skills, I fell back into contemplation.

Gigantification was a given, as it would become Poppy's core skill. And since Poppy would now have to operate in the most dangerous areas, Emergency Escape was also a must-buy.

As for Skill Sharing, I upgraded it to C-rank to prepare for prolonged battles. Its cooldown was reduced to five hours, and its duration increased to thirty minutes.

Now, I had ten thousand points left.

B-rank skills had a base cost of twenty thousand points, so they were out of reach for now. Strengthening other parts of the legion was pointless on the third floor. Where should I invest to boost my current combat power?

"Can't I borrow Gigantification?"

"Woof!"

I checked to see if I could copy Poppy's Gigantification skill using Skill Sharing, but...

Unfortunately, I couldn't copy Gigantification.

"So I just need to raise the skill rank?"

"Woof?"

I imagined myself twice my current height.

"Hmm... Actually, that's pretty useless."

Unlike Poppy, I didn't have monstrous muscles, razor-sharp claws, or hard chitinous armor. Simply growing larger wouldn't yield a significant boost in combat power.

And...

My gaze drifted down to my barely-there chest.

Zero multiplied by two is still zero.

"Huh?"

I felt like I heard someone's voice just now.

"Poppy, was that you?"

"Whine! Whine!"

Poppy whimpered, looking deeply wronged.

Putting the useless thoughts aside, I examined Poppy's altered appearance.

Poppy's shoulder height had already been nearly a meter, but now, the hound had grown significantly larger, with its head reaching about level with mine.

"Leveling up does help, after all."

"Woof! Woof!"

"You want me to raise it more? That's a bit..."

Once Poppy reached level 10, the cost to level up increased to 4,000 points. Reaching level 20 would require a whopping 40,000 points. It would be wiser to invest my remaining points elsewhere.

"Should I start with stats?"

I pulled up the system window and opened my status screen.

220 newly acquired bonus stats.

On the second floor, I had relied on my legion to fight and dumped points into Mana to minimize variables in an emergency. But on the third floor, I would have to fight actively as well.

After much deliberation, I distributed my remaining points evenly.

Now, if I used Mana Conversion to temporarily channel my Mana into Strength and Senses, both stats would instantly surge past 200.

These were unbelievable numbers for a player only challenging the third floor. But on the Impossible difficulty, no amount of preparation was ever enough.

"All that's left is a new skill... I wish I could get a weapon from somewhere. It's not like I can pull out one of Poppy's claws..."

"Woof! Woof!"

"It would be great if Poppy rolled Regeneration as a skill."

"Woof-woof-woof-woof!!!"

Weapons obtained through Skill Sharing had a very short duration. Since I had to conserve my skills unless I was in a dire situation, it was frustrating not having a weapon for everyday use.

"But I don't want to join a guild either..."

A recent browse through the Hunter community forums had confirmed that guilds were practically tripping over themselves to find me. But there was no such thing as a free lunch. I had no intention of stepping into the light until I possessed sufficient power of my own.

"Should I try clearing a Gate? Can I even clear one with my current abilities?"

"Woof!"

"Just trust you? Hmm..."

"Woof! Woof!"

"Alright, alright. It's not like clearing a Gate guarantees an item drop anyway."

While low-grade items were occasionally found even in F-rank Gates, items that could be brought into the Tower were rare.

"Yeah, I should focus on climbing the Tower first."

"Woof."

Ultimately, all my worries stemmed from my lack of personal strength. Clearing just up to the fifth floor—the first boss stage—would resolve many of my current difficulties.

Actually, I already had a method in mind for a weapon, so I decided to spend my remaining points first.

Having upgraded Poppy before, I knew that leveling up units was surprisingly cost-effective. As for Mental Barrier, I needed at least some basic defense against mental attacks. I had worried that the shop might not stock mental-type skills, but fortunately, I managed to find a suitable one.

The moment I purchased Mental Barrier—

"Huh?"

I immediately opened my status window.

Regeneration (SSS), Stealth (SS), Empathy (S), Mental Barrier (B), Mana Conversion (C), Skill Sharing (C), Swarm Lord (F).

The skill I had clearly purchased at C-rank had been upgraded to B-rank.

I carefully pulled off the hoodie I was wearing. The moment I set it down on the floor—

"Just who on earth was that woman?"

I realized the hidden ability of the clothing.

Mental-type Awakened. They were even fewer in number than summoner-type Awakened, who had an awakening rate of less than one percent. Most Awakened and ordinary citizens went their entire lives without ever meeting a mental-type Awakened.

Because their numbers were so small, the general public wasn't well aware of their danger... But I knew.

They were monsters who could render any plan meaningless and defy common sense. If the Empress hadn't helped us back then, that Gate would have become a graveyard for me and my fellow guild members.

"Come to think of it, it's also strange that there were four mental-type Awakened in Korea's Impossible difficulty."

Almost every mental-type Awakened who had awakened in Korea must have entered the Impossible difficulty. The Tower's contribution system operated in a surprisingly logical manner.

If the brainwasher—the original owner of this hoodie—and Kim Minchul were still alive, a portion of the contribution points Kim Minchul earned while brainwashed would have gone to her. The same went for that squinty-eyed guy. If he used his ability to reveal monster weaknesses and strategies to people, his contribution points would accumulate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in proportion to how much easier the hunts became.

Even by conservative estimates, tens of thousands of people must have awakened in Korea this time, so having four mental-type Awakened on the first floor wasn't entirely bizarre...

"But her wearing this is a different story."

"Woof!"

Though there were exceptions, items obtained from Gates generally matched the nature of the Gate itself. A Goblin Gate would yield items used by goblins, and a Spirit Gate would mostly yield magic-type items.

To obtain a mental-type item, one had to clear a Gate containing mental-type monsters. Because mental-type items were so rare, even top-tier guilds were always short on supply.

"And on top of that, this is an item you can actually bring into the Tower?"

"Woof!"

If you narrowed the scope to items permitted by the Tower, they were classified as core assets of top-tier guilds. Just who was that woman, to have brought such a thing into the Impossible difficulty?

The person who could have answered that question had long since become resources for my Spawning Pool.

"...Well, that's one more reason I can't step into the light."

Wherever that brainwashing woman belonged, she wouldn't have possessed an item like this alone. The organization that lost this would probably lose their minds at the mere sight of anything white.

Of course, since it looked like an ordinary, plain white hoodie, it wouldn't be easy to identify. But a newly appeared, powerful Awakened wearing a white hoodie would be more than enough to arouse suspicion.

"Woof! Woof!"

"You'll protect me? Alright, I trust you, Poppy."

In truth, I still wasn't sure of the hoodie's full potential. If upgrading a C-rank mental ability to B-rank was its limit, it was rare, but not entirely unobtainable.

But what if...

What if this effect applied to A-rank, or even S-rank?

I might have acquired something far more monumental than I thought.

After a brief discussion about the third floor with the Transcendents, I exited the Tower.

Just like the first and second floors, there were no special hidden strategies that I didn't already know. Ultimately, I would have to enter the third floor and face whatever came my way.

More than anything, I could no longer fight off the overwhelming drowsiness.

As I stepped out of the Tower, I saw the Void Hounds scattered haphazardly around the room. Three of them were sprawled out flat on the sofa, drooling and soaking the cushions.

"Guys?"

"Yip?"

At the sound of my voice, the Void Hounds raised their heads in unison.

"Woof! Woof-woof!"

Wagging their tails, they rushed toward me. I verified that there were exactly twenty-one Void Hounds before speaking.

"I guess... I don't need to ask if you've been good."

"Whine! Whine! Yip!"

They whimpered as if feeling misunderstood.

In truth, the Void Hounds hadn't just been playing around while I was gone. When I emerged from the Tower, two Void Hounds were sitting by the window, monitoring the street outside, while another was keeping a close eye on the stairs leading up to the third floor.

Even Void Hounds didn't have infinite stamina, so they must have been taking turns guarding the place.

I patted them on their heads and headed toward the bed in the corner of the room. A thick layer of dust had settled over it, but I was far too exhausted to care. Come to think of it, I hadn't slept a single wink since waking up in the Spawning Pool on the first floor.

Wait, now that I think about it, my clothes are clean.

The white hoodie I was wearing. It had been through a lot—falling into the Spawning Pool on the first floor, rolling around in the dirt on the second floor—yet somehow, it was as clean as if it had just been washed.

"A self-cleaning function is rare..."

There were many things to ponder, but unable to hold out any longer, I fell into a deep sleep. The last sight I saw was Poppy's face, standing guard before me with majestic dignity.

Late evening, after the sun had set.

A pink-haired woman stepped out of her car while talking on her phone.

"Yes, Guild Leader. I stepped out for some personal business. The Empress is preparing for tomorrow's press conference."

Cheon Seo-ah, the Vice Guild Leader of the Heaven's Bow Guild. Yesterday, she had accompanied the suddenly arrived Empress to inspect the status of Gates nationwide.

"Yes, yes. I'll see you at the press conference tomorrow."

Having finally escaped the Empress's clutches after two days of field inspections, Cheon Seo-ah hung up the phone and pulled a small hand mirror from her pocket.

Maybe I should have come tomorrow... No, that would be too late.

While briefly touching up her makeup, Cheon Seo-ah looked down at a beautifully wrapped box of sweet red bean jelly.

You're not even an Awakened, so why are you telling us to clear the 92nd floor?

Even though she knew Haram had an inferiority complex about not being able to awaken, she had said words that gouged his wounds.

She should have met him to apologize and bring him back to the guild as soon as possible, but she had kept putting it off, using busyness as an excuse, using the danger of an ordinary person going to the field as an excuse.

She couldn't delay any longer. Even if Haram hadn't awakened, she could still ask him to manage the newly awakened recruits.

I should tell him to stop doing field work altogether.

Haram, who had always taken the lead in Gate raids despite not being an Awakened. No matter how many healers accompanied him, or that he had stealth-type items, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the inside of a Gate was full of variables.

There was probably no one alive who had suffered as many injuries as Haram. To Seo-ah, it was a miracle he was even alive.

I only asked him to leave the field, but he went and retired completely... Mr. Haram can be so stubborn sometimes.

While lost in her memories, Cheon Seo-ah arrived in front of Haram's house.

"Mr. Haram! Are you there?! It's me, Seo-ah!"

She raised her voice and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

"Is he out...?"

Cheon Seo-ah pulled out her phone and dialed Haram's number. A ringtone echoed from inside the house.

"Um... Mr. Haram? I'm really sorry about last time. Please open the door..."

Still, no answer. Was he really that deeply hurt?

Just as Cheon Seo-ah was wondering what to do—

Beep.

The sound of a digital door lock opening echoed.

Click.

"Who on earth lives there? Making all this noise since yesterday."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

A middle-aged man stepped out of the neighboring apartment, scratching his head.

"Yesterday, some guys in suits showed up, and today, a young lady... Huh?"

The man's eyes widened as he recognized Cheon Seo-ah's face.

"Are... Are you perhaps Hunter Cheon Seo-ah?"

"Ah... Yes, that's right."

"Oh my! I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Hunter!"

"Dad, who is it?"

"Su-ah, go back inside."

Cheon Seo-ah was the second-in-command of South Korea's top guild and essentially its public face. She appeared frequently in the media, so many people recognized her.

"I'm sorry. I'll keep it quiet."

"Oh, no, not at all! It's perfectly fine, please go ahead with your business."

The middle-aged man bowed repeatedly before retreating into his apartment.

Awakened were walking weapons. In South Korea, the top-ranked Heaven's Bow Guild took the lead in combating Awakened crimes and maintaining public order, so the situation was relatively stable. In other countries, governments were frequently overthrown by the Awakened.

Even though South Korea was in a better state, most ordinary citizens still feared the Awakened.

What should I do... Should I just go back?

As Cheon Seo-ah hesitated, a sudden doubt crossed her mind.

Mr. Haram... isn't the type of person who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn't open the door in a situation like this.

Haram, who was always considerate of others and hated causing trouble, would never ignore the door when a commotion was happening right outside his apartment.

The passcode...

Cheon Seo-ah hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on the digital lock.

Beep. Beep-beep-beep.

Chime.

0710. He's still using that.

The day Cheon Seo-ah's guild first met Haram. He had always set his passcode to that date, calling it the best day of his life. And this also meant that the guild members he met that day were welcome to enter his private space.

Cheon Seo-ah cautiously stepped inside.

"M-Mr. Haram?"

Cheon Seo-ah's voice echoed through the empty apartment.

Three days later, Lee Haram was officially declared missing, and unofficially, presumed dead while climbing the Tower.