Looks Like I'm Becoming a Melee Tank

In the end, I wound up back in the Tower.

My masters were telling me to hurry on up to the sixth floor. They said the fifth floor was bad luck… though I had a feeling what really tore their hearts open was the spirit herb field vanishing. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Apparently it had been a far more important item than I'd imagined.

Ugh. I'm sorry…

By way of apology, I decided I'd comb the sixth floor and every floor after it until I found them a new spirit herb field. As for the fifth-floor boss along the way… well. An enormous wolf did come bursting out, but I used the Wind Blade Art and put it down on the spot.

Easier than I'd expected, I guess? The monster barely had time to flinch before it was over.

"Yipe—!"

A shearing cut. And just like that, I ascended to the sixth-floor Safety Zone.

"Huh? It's Goat-jjang!"

"She's an NPC, but she's actually climbing the Tower?"

"If she's reached the sixth floor, does that mean the event's starting?"

People everywhere were hammering at their phones. They whispered among themselves, came over to press gifts into my hands, and came running to demand photographs.

Ugh… everyone's crowding way too close.

It felt like I'd become a celebrity. Not that I had the luxury of dwelling on it.

Nnh…

The chaos was so total my head felt ready to split. I wished someone would just spell this whole situation out for me.

I definitely fought Baek Shin-hoo yesterday…

So how had that ended up on the news? Taebaek Geomgun had offered one hypothesis, at least.

"The Puppet Art?"

"A marionette… but the one on the news was a person."

"Do they use people as materials?"

"So you're saying another cultivator is controlling a doll that looks like Baek Shin-hoo?"

It didn't exactly feel like a satisfying answer. I had the strangest sense I'd slipped into another dimension—and given how bizarre things were right now, that wasn't even a stretch.

"?"

"??"

"???"

"????"

Why was everyone suddenly like this? They fought every single day! What on earth had happened? This was weird, right? It really did feel like I'd tumbled into another dimension. Why was everyone frozen in place?

"Ocheong Yowang, sir. What in the world is going on?"

"Pardon?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Why are you the one who can save me, sir?"

"Body Refinement? What's that?"

"A soul 1v1?"

"A melee tank?"

So, basically, he fought in melee.

"You said you used to pursue Body Refinement. What about now?"

"Wow! That name sounds so cool!"

So there was something about it that was bad for cultivators? Then why were they suddenly telling me to learn it?

"But why do I need to learn that?"

That was when Cheongi Gakju, who had been watching, stepped in.

"Ah… yes!"

"A sword spirit?"

"So it doesn't have feelings, basically?"

"Then the reason I have no memories is…"

"Ah…"

So it was something like being possessed? That voice I'd heard yesterday had been the sword spirit. I'd had this feeling it wasn't me at all.

"How?"

"Uh…"

"Then that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Which is?"

"Ah! Cultivators live for thousands of years, right?"

Mm. I didn't really get it. Probably because I didn't have any particular desire to live a long time. Still seemed like it'd be useful to learn, though.

"Then why did you learn it, Ocheong Yowang?"

"Then aren't beastfolk stronger?"

"Ah!"

"Ordinary cultivators?"

"Ah! Got it! So if I learn Body Refinement, I can keep the sword spirit in check?"

"Then what do I start with?"

"Like what?"

Ah! He meant Hyeolha Nojo. Come to think of it, he hadn't said a word this whole time.

The trolling did not stop there. Had he been sitting on a lot of resentment?

It was a good while before Hyeolha Nojo's message finally appeared.

A beat of silence.

It was a long moment before the chat moved again.

The chat window exploded. It felt like rage they'd been packing down and packing down had finally overflowed. Nobody could see straight anymore.

But even under the flood of hate, the Monster King didn't so much as flinch.

"Me? Well… I think it'd be fine?"

They kept fighting among themselves for quite some time after that. I was the one streaming here—so why were the viewers brawling with each other?

Just when I thought they were holding a debate, Taehyeon Jin-in summarized their conclusion.

"Uh—got it."

"Okay!"

And just as I was about to leave the Safety Zone, a teleportation array flashed—and a woman appeared.

"That woman is…"

"Se-ah! I'm begging you!"

"Haaah—"

In the reception room of the Nebula Guild, Yoo Se-ah let out a long sigh at Seo Yu-jin's clinging, pleading request. The reason was obvious enough. She'd come to ask Yoo Se-ah to bring the NPC in to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Bureau.

The awkward part was that Yoo Se-ah had a favor of her own to ask in return.

"Se-ah! I filed the report and now the people upstairs are losing their minds!"

"Over what?"

"There's been nothing to talk about lately, right? The Director's extremely interested—says it'd make a great achievement."

"The NPC?"

"Yeah. He's already putting together materials. They're calling her K-NPC, if you can believe it."

"Haaah. K-NPC. You've got to be kidding."

"Don't play dumb. Nothing sells like slapping a K- on it."

Yoo Se-ah asked the other thing she actually wanted to know.

"So what's the Bureau's position? They're not just going to tell you to grab her, right?"

"That's still classified, but…"

"Then I'm not going."

"Fine! I'll tell you! Option one is to formally hire her as Bureau personnel."

"As a hunter?"

"No. As a special entity, I guess? They said they'd give her a house, a salary, and throw in bonuses too."

It didn't sound like a particularly good offer. Considering the NPC's abilities, the terms were absurd.

"Then what's option two?"

"Option two is to process her through special naturalization."

"Special naturalization? That's actually a pretty decent approach."

"Right. Most of them are aiming for option two. She'd become a Korean citizen."

"Exactly. Once she has Korean nationality, more than half of them will back off."

"They couldn't just snatch her, right? It'd be a violation of international law."

"The great powers might not care."

"That'll depend on what kind of abilities she shows going forward."

Yoo Se-ah sank into thought. So there was at least room to negotiate? Option one was out of the question, but option two might be possible. That said, she still wasn't certain the child was an NPC at all.

"Alright. I'll look into it."

"Se-ah! Thank you so much! You're the only one I've got!"

"I can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promise you a deadline, though. I don't even know where the NPC is right now."

"That's fine! Just find her!"

Having gotten her confirmation, Seo Yu-jin left. Yoo Se-ah leaned back in her chair and let her thoughts turn over.

Given the NPC's abilities, leaving this to a guild member is far too dangerous.

Or should I ask Oh Ga-eun?

No—we're the ones who received her kindness. It'd be wrong to just put her to work.

So I have to go myself, then?

Where was she even supposed to start looking? Her hand went to her smartphone without thinking. What she checked was the Hunter Gallery. And there, one post caught her eye.

Talk about timing…