We Did It.... A 15-Day Reprieve

"We did it...."

Han Seol-ah collapsed flat on the ground.

She ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must have been hyper-focused right on the edge of death, so this level of exhaustion was only natural.

Phew. Success.

I wiped cold sweat from my brow inwardly.

The aftermath of using Absolute Zero meant Synchronization was still offline. In other words, my body was stuck at the pathetic specs of an unawakened nobody.

If Han Seol-ah had slipped up and triggered a mana storm? I'd have been turned into ground meat.

To prepare for the worst, I'd grabbed an earring-type lifesaving artifact from the Black Market....

But even using that wouldn't guarantee I'd walk away unscathed.

Lifesaving artifacts weren't invincible. Trigger it at the heart of a mana storm, and the best you'd salvage was a mangled corpse. If luck was really against me, I might've left a limb or two in the afterlife.

So, save it if you can. Better yet, never need it at all.

"Let's head back."

"...Y-Yes!"

Inside the silently gliding manastone helicopter.

Han Seol-ah kept stealing glances at me, gauging my mood. She had something to ask but couldn't quite bring herself to spit it out.

I was dying of curiosity myself.

If only I could check the system messages right now.... But unfortunately, unawakened nobodies like me can't access them.

At least 10 days... that's gotta be the extension we bought.

I couldn't ask first. If the all-knowing, guiding 'Apostle' got caught fumbling over a simple system message, it'd be a disaster.

I feigned nonchalance and opened the conversation.

"Spit it out if you've got something to say."

"Ah, um...."

Han Seol-ah hesitated before speaking up.

"Is it... really over? Just like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"The system message popped up and all... but the time extension feels way too short."

Oh ho.

I casually rested my chin on my hand and countered with a question. "You think it's short, huh?"

"P-Pardon? Ah, y-yes.... Fifteen days seems... way too tight to prepare for the next Break, doesn't it...?"

Hook, line, and sinker.

Fifteen days.

I'd guessed ten. Fifteen? Jackpot.

Five extra days of breathing room. I barely suppressed the grin tugging at my lips.

"Plenty."

"Ah...."

"More than enough for me."

The moment we arrived at the command post—now basically the Forward Base conference room—I gave Han Seol-ah her orders.

"Call the other two."

"Y-Yes! Right away."

As Han Seol-ah tapped away at her terminal, the door to the command post swung open.

A unfamiliar figure was already waiting inside. A woman in a crisp suit with sharp eyes.

"You've arrived."

It was Director Song, Min Ji-hee's right-hand woman and secretary general of the Association.

She bowed politely upon seeing me.

"Apostle. The president and vice president will arrive shortly. What refreshments would you like?"

"Just water."

"Understood."

Director Song set out the glass with efficient precision, then quietly slipped out the back door.

Her brief presence instantly made the room feel like a key Hunter Association hub.

Moments later—

The door burst open as Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee hurried in.

"Good work."

"You've eased our worries."

All three faces were... markedly calmer.

Han Seol-ah's practically glowed with triumphant accomplishment. Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee visibly relaxed now that the noose of doom around their necks had loosened.

Maybe because they finally had a solid rock to lean on in 'me.' Or maybe the tangible gain of fifteen days.

Either way, far better than panic, despair, or giving up.

But.

I had to douse them with cold water.

With a straight face devoid of humor, I turned to Jin Cheon-jin. "Still not enough. Don't you think?"

"......"

Jin Cheon-jin's smile slowly hardened.

Min Ji-hee set down her teacup, composing her expression.

The brief relief evaporated in an instant, the conference room air growing heavy once more.

Results aside, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Break timeline had shrunk from thirty days to fifteen. Jin Cheon-jin's despair that the Tower wished for Korea's downfall was still very much ongoing.

"Pushing the date back a bit doesn't complete the quest. My goal is nothing less than 'saving Korea.'"

"...Our deepest thanks."

Jin Cheon-jin bowed gravely.

Yeah. Gotta keep that tension dialed in.

"You're all misunderstanding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something."

Well, mostly Jin Cheon-jin. But Han Seol-ah and probably Min Ji-hee too.

"The Tower doesn't want Korea's destruction."

"...Then why...?"

Easy to think that way. To them, the Tower was that kind of existence.

Not something you could clear. Just a harbinger of trials and ruin, pure evil.

Wrong.

The Tower doesn't work like that.

"It wants us to conquer the Tower in Korea."

Don't conquer it? Then die!

That's the Tower's exact stance. Fail to clear it, and ruin comes eventually. The Tower makes sure of that.

Clear it? ...And you definitively halt the apocalypse process.

"There's a way."

I slammed the table. Tak!

Right now, more than anyone on Earth, I needed to ooze confidence.

They needed to see it.

Controlling my breathing deliberately, I continued.

"Two keys."

"We're all ears."

Min Ji-hee's eyes flashed.

Like a predator eyeing prey, intent on devouring every word from my mouth without missing a syllable.

An intensely burdensome gaze.

Whoa... talk about a killer stare.

Her hyper-rational mind made her focus terrifying.

"One: the Resonance Body Resonarr."

"...The boss from the next Break."

"Right. We take it down."

Resonarr... obviously a mob I knew inside out.

A boss summonable from Lost Honor's 'Otherworld Gate.'

But its patterns were such a pain in the ass, you only fought it if absolutely necessary.

Compared to Scathach subjugation? Way harder.

Compared to Tower Floor 94 clear? A breeze.

The Tower's difficulty scaling was exquisite.

"What... kind of boss is it?"

Min Ji-hee asked cautiously.

"Hm? You don't know?"

"......"

What? Monster codex is an Association publication. No Resonarr entry?

"Why not?"

"...My apologies...."

"No need to apologize. I'm asking why."

Min Ji-hee's cheeks flushed slightly as she answered.

"Bosses appearing for the first time in Korea's Tower aren't in the codex."

"Hm."

"No Break has happened yet. No sightings, no data."

Ah. Got it.

To me, Resonarr was a boss I'd farmed countless times in-game, so info aplenty. Reality's different.

How do you document what hasn't appeared?

"Pandemonium handles info, but... they need at least a name or photo to sell data on."

So... unregistered unknowns don't make the codex.

Pandemonium....

How the hell do they dig up mob intel?

"I see... So you don't know."

"...Now we have the name 'Resonarr,' so commissioning Pandemonium could—"

"No."

Jin Cheon-jin cut in sharply.

"Apostle, Pandemonium demands steep prices for info. We've lost most of our artifacts to them."

"...."

"Problem is, Korea has nothing left to pay with. They took our last artifact...."

Jin Cheon-jin's gaze flicked to Min Ji-hee's ear.

I followed it instinctively....

Huh. Min Ji-hee's earring is gone.

That was the 'info fee'?

...Hold up.

I recalled the earring-type lifesaver in my pocket, traded from Black Market Korea recently.

It'd felt familiar at first sight.

No way... Min Ji-hee's old one?

Didn't know how a Pandemonium artifact ended up at Black Market, but things were getting intriguingly tangled.

Jin Cheon-jin gritted his teeth.

"This time, they'll demand Seol-ah."

"...For real?"

Han Seol-ah startled.

"Yes. They once demanded you in exchange for slaying a Frost Dragon, via Kim Min-seok."

"Those slimy bastards dare...!"

Bam! Min Ji-hee slammed the table, fury unleashed.

Gone was her usual icy composure—pure murderous intent.

"C-Calm down, Vice President."

"......"

At Jin Cheon-jin's urging, Min Ji-hee reined in her ragged breaths.

"Hoo...."

She swept back her disheveled bangs, donning her cold mask anew.

"Yes. My apologies."

Her switch from rage was so swift, it was chilling.

"We'll negotiate with something else."

"Hm...."

"Can't plan a subjugation without Resonarr's Guide Method. We need to know what it is."

At that point, I quietly raised my hand.

All three, attuned to my mood, shut up instantly.

"No need."

"...Apostle."

"I know it."

100% certainty. This boss was the Resonarr I knew.

Not a common name, and its full title—'Wondrous Echo - Resonance Body Resonarr'—sealed it.

Definitely Lost Honor's version.

"I'll prepare the Resonarr guide"

"Apostle...!"

Their eyes sparkled.

Han Seol-ah... cute.

Min Ji-hee always glints when activating her ability.

...Jin Cheon-jin looking like that was bad for my stomach.

"What do you need from us?"

"Three things."

"That's it. Got it?"

"Yes. Understood. But...."

She'd grasped the op perfectly. Roles for the hunters, Han Seol-ah, Jin Cheon-jin, even herself....

Just one sticking point.

Why that?

"But?"

"...Nothing. As you command."

"Good. Three days from now, same place."

With that, the Apostle sauntered off.

Jin Cheon-jin stared blankly at the closed door, then trudged away in a daze.

Clutching at straws, he called to Min Ji-hee.

"...Dear."

"Ah, President."

"Explain. I didn't get a word of it."

"Ah... You don't know."

"Yeah, no clue."

"Pfft."

"...?"

Min Ji-hee burst out laughing unwittingly. Maybe from obsessing over the Apostle—she'd even picked up his cryptic speech quirks.

"Sorry. You remember the three things?"

"Yeah. One, maintain total mobilization order. Two, gather all tanks in one spot, ready to deploy anytime. Three... "

"'Prepare the latest high-spec Hunter Watch with perfect past record preservation and fast computation.'"

"Right."

Min Ji-hee ticked them off, analyzing.

"One and two are tactical placements—straightforward. Three's the issue."

"Yeah, that's what stumped me."

Jin Cheon-jin tilted his head.

"Hunter Watches are everywhere. Just grab a stock one from the warehouse—why specify specs?"

Hunter Watch: A bracelet terminal with a small panel that hunters wore. Linked to hunter accounts for easy payments at convenience stores or gear shops. Handy for urgent team comms—a mini-smartphone, basically.

To average hunters, just a lifestyle accessory over combat aid.

But the Apostle's specs demanded more than stock models.

"He wants 'perfectly preserved past records.'"

Min Ji-hee's eyes sharpened.

"Normal watches auto-delete logs after days due to capacity, or they vanish on confirm—volatile memory. He wants permanent preservation."

"Then...."

"Yes. A watch that can access every log scattered across ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Earth since the hunter era began ten years ago, without a single omission."

"Gear with that insane spec...."

"...Exists. Exactly one."

Min Ji-hee swallowed hard.

"My top-secret project in development: 'Snow White.'"

Chills ran down her spine.

The Apostle already knew of a prototype-not-even-revealed black project.

"But... why need that? For Resonarr takedown now, what use are high-compute or ten-year-old logs?"

"......"

Min Ji-hee paused at Jin Cheon-jin's question.

Beyond everyday tool, transcendent specs requested.

Puzzle pieces clicked in her mind.

Resonarr info gap.

Pandemonium's info monopoly.

The Apostle's 'all past records.'

"...Pandemonium."

"Hm?"

"Why can Pandemonium monopolize and gouge on info? They've hoarded system logs since Towers first opened."

"R-Right."

"The Apostle aims to seize Pandemonium's entire library."

Min Ji-hee's voice rang with conviction.

"Ditch Pandemonium dependency. Analyze past data himself for future strategy. Reshape the info paradigm. That's my read."

"Whoa...."

Jin Cheon-jin gaped.

Break fix leads to global info reset?

The exalted one's designs ran depths beyond mortal grasp.

"...Gotta prep now."

"Yes. I'll contact the lab. All-nighter if needed for a finished unit."

Outwardly confident, deep down a chill doubt writhed.

...Is that really all?

If not? How far ahead is he seeing?

Min Ji-hee swallowed the afterthought.

"No way they're handing me Cheol-su's cheap stock model, right?"

Hunter Watch. Essential.

Without Synchronization, I couldn't even check system messages. Today's frustration drove that home.

But I didn't want Kim Cheol-su's junker—the one he always cursed at: "Ugh, this shitty machine! Lagging again!"

"Top-tier, latest model. Must-have for an early adopter like me."

Survival on the line, really. Miss one message, you're dead.

But more importantly....

Electronics? Buy the most expensive first and best—that's the truth.

Keyboards, mice, all gadgets. Compromise on cheap, and every use after spirals you into 'Shoulda spent more on the good one' eternal regret...!

Smartest way to dodge double-spending: Go endgame from the start.

Experience talking.

"Lalala~."

Whistling happily home.

"Heh heh heh...."

Door open, monitor glowed welcomingly.

Screen showed the reward window.

The reward claim prompt I'd rejected before. Same here.

Crazy? Claim it now?

Firm No.

Ding-!

New message updated in.

Heart pounding, I checked.

"Yes!"

Conditions met.

The system finally recognized my feat not as mere 'subjugation' but true 'salvation.'

Rewards followed.

Up to here, same as before.

But that new line below.

The real deal I'd waited for shimmered brilliantly.

Yes... this is it.

Thrill raced down my spine.

Falling for temptation and grabbing subjugation rewards? That line never appears.

My patience and info savvy scored perfect victory.

This is me.

Alright! Time to check it out!