Chapter 8
I Devoured the Tower with the EX-Rank Character I Raised - Chapter 8
“H-how? Wasn't He in that world?”
[Think about it carefully. How could you, who were on Earth, come to that world?]
“...I don't know?”
[...]
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Han Seol-ah added,
“R-really. I saw a message asking if I wanted to become an EX-Rank, and I said yes. Right after that, I lost consciousness and woke up there.”
[...He must have used his power to cross dimensions to summon you.]
“A power to cross dimensions? Such a power exists?”
[Yes. Because there is no such thing as 'impossible' for Him. He is the one who brought you here and even sent you back using that power.]
Frozen's voice was filled with infinite reverence.
[If He set His mind to it, it would naturally be possible for Him to cross over to this world Himself.]
“...That makes no sense.”
[What doesn't make sense?]
“I-if such a powerful person crossed over, we don't know what would happen to this world. ...You know, causality. Things like that. If those things applied...”
[You FOOOOOOL!!!]
“Eek!!!”
Han Seol-ah clutched her head at the sudden shout.
[How dare you doubt Him! Do you think He wouldn't have prepared for even that? He obviously found a way. That's probably why He tried using your 'Ice Crystal'. He wouldn't have any need to take an inferior ability like the Ice Crystal for Himself.]
“Inferior...”
Han Seol-ah felt a little dejected. I, Han Seol-ah, am EX-rank though...
Dudududu!
Riding the unmanned helicopter that soon appeared with a loud noise, Han Seol-ah headed for Pyongyang.
While moving, Han Seol-ah briefly explained the situation on Earth and the 'Fake Ice Dragon' to Frozen.
[Ho-oh. There's an Ice Dragon here too?]
“Yes.”
[That's a big problem. The mana concentration in this world is far too low. With only your original mana...]
“No, the Ice Dragon here isn't 'Scathach'. It's just a nickname arbitrarily given by an organization in this world. It's like heaven and earth compared to the real Ice Dragon I saw there.”
[Hmm.]
“The tricky part is that the guy has strong resistance to ice magic...”
[Hah, who do you think I am? I am the apex of the ice system. I can easily pierce through something like attribute immunity.]
“Right? I just have to trust you, Frozen?”
[Mhm. Yes. Trust me. And trust the Creator who created me.]
It didn't take long to reach Pyongyang. Han Seol-ah held tightly onto Eternal Winter and jumped out.
The air is cold.
Below her feet, she could see the massive body of the Ice Dragon. The chill emanating from it filled the surroundings, to the point where even Han Seol-ah, who was reinforcing her body with ice mana, felt a slight cold.
Whoosh!
Han Seol-ah flew quickly and landed in front of the Ice Dragon's head.
—Grrr...
The Ice Dragon was in a deep sleep.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a light breath, she focused her mind. What she recalled was the sensation of using Permafrost under Frozen's guidance. The mighty ice mana that had reached EX-rank slowly began to awaken.
[Sigh. This isn't how you use ice magic... Hey! Not like that. Make your mana circuit a little more concise.]
Following Frozen's advice ringing in her head, Han Seol-ah delicately managed her mana.
[The central axis of the magic circle is shaking. In the first place, there's no need to draw so many 'pictures' like this. Compress it.]
“Ugh...”
[That's it. Compress it more, more!]
The jewel of Eternal Winter resonated, forcibly squeezing and correcting Han Seol-ah's disordered mana.
Whiiing—!
A pure white sphere that emitted cold air as if it would freeze the surrounding atmosphere floated up in front of the staff.
[I suppose I can give you about 50 points for this.]
“...”
Han Seol-ah couldn't argue.
The Permafrost she had created in front of Scathach in 'that world' was a 'dark blue sphere' that seemed to suck in even light. But what was in front of her eyes right now was nothing more than a cloudy 'white sphere'. The density itself was different.
But this was enough.
“Permafrost.”
Paaat—!
The spinning sphere emitted a pure white light.
BOOOOM—!
A massive freezing explosion detonated.
Crackle—
Ring—
And a system message popped up.
[Alert: '94th Floor Tower Break Boss: Frost Dragon' has been subdued.]
The same subjugation alert as usual.
“Hoooo.”
[Good work. However, you have a long way to go.]
“Yes.”
In front of Han Seol-ah, who was making a resolution.
BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—
Along with a loud and ominous warning sound. A bright red system message appeared.
[The difficulty of the Tower Break will sharply increase.]
“Huh?”
[Tower Break - 94th Floor]
[Tower Break Boss: Ancient Blue Dragon - Ice Dragon Scathach]
“...Scathach!”
The apex of dragons she encountered in 'that world'...!
Phew.
She got goosebumps for a moment but was soon relieved. The cold sensation felt in her hand. It was because she had the Genesis-rank staff, Eternal Winter.
“Right?”
[What is?]
“With you here, Frozen, Scathach won't be a problem.”
[Of course. ...By the way, when is the next break?]
“Probably in 30 days. That's the official break cycle caused by the system.”
[That's a relief. We can rest easy with that much time.]
Han Seol-ah asked back at the somewhat ominous word choice.
“...A relief? Rest easy? Can't we just do what we did there...”
[You...]
Frozen was momentarily speechless.
[...What on earth do you think Scathach is? I only defeated it easily because I am exceptionally outstanding, but that guy is a dragon at the pinnacle of all ice systems. Don't take it lightly. No matter how great I am, I need enough mana to pierce through its 'Ice Immunity'.]
“Ah...”
[But your mana is woefully insufficient, and your recovery rate is slow. The ambient mana concentration in this world is terrible for forcibly dragging it from the outside. 30 days is the bare minimum.]
“Does that mean we have no time to spare?”
[Yes. We need to start gathering mana right this second.]
“Hmm. But my mana hole is currently full... How do I gather more here?”
[...? No. It's meaningless to pile it up in your mana hole. Are you going to be the one to pierce Scathach's Ice Immunity?]
“Huh? Then?”
[You have to gather it in me.]
Ah. Han Seol-ah understood belatedly.
'So I have to recharge the mana in Eternal Winter.'
“For 30 days?”
[Every single day. Without skipping a day. Under the assumption that your mana management skills improve.]
“Alright. Let's do it.”
[That's the spirit.]
Han Seol-ah gripped the hand holding the staff tightly. The next 30 days. Whether this preparation period was long or short, the future of South Korea depended on how faithfully she spent it.
'I can't slack off...!
In front of Han Seol-ah making that vow.
BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—
“Huh?”
Along with the warning sound ringing again, bright red messages popped up one after another.
[Alert: The number of clears for the 94th Floor Tower Break has exceeded the standard limit.]
[Alert: Confirmed that the difficulty of the Tower Break is inappropriate.]
[Alert: The intensity of the Tower Break will become extremely powerful, and the cycle will be drastically shortened.]
“Uh, uhh?”
[5 Days Until Start]
“...5 days?”
Beep—
[Please climb the tower.]
Right around the time Han Seol-ah was in the helicopter.
Hunter Association President Jin Cheon-jin gritted his teeth. If he didn't, he felt like he would crush the phone in his hand.
A snake-like voice flowed from the other end of the line.
[President, so are you not going to accept? We're offering to help you, you know?]
“Speak truthfully. It's not help, it's extortion.”
[Haha. This old man talks funny. We're saving a country on the brink of destruction and taking a little price for your lives in return. How is that extortion? It's help.]
“...”
Jin Cheon-jin just clenched his teeth.
[I know too. Han Seol-ah disappeared, right? What, she went on a secret training retreat or something?]
“...”
[Kikik, is there really anyone who seriously believes that stupid excuse? Plus, you haven't been able to find a single trace of her for days now, right?]
How did he know that?
'The investigation team's report that we couldn't even find a trace of Seol-ah is a top-secret of the highest order.'
[Hahaha. President. You're probably thinking obvious things like 'How did he know?' to yourself right now, aren't you? Do you think there are only one or two people reaching out to find a lifeboat when facing imminent destruction? You shouldn't expect information control to be working properly.]
Tsk tsk tsk.
A sound of clicking the tongue, seemingly out of pity or perhaps mockery, could be heard over the phone. Even as Jin Cheon-jin quietly gritted his teeth, the voice didn't stop.
[Old man, Mr. Cheon-jin. The Frost Dragon's specs just say 'Ice Halved', but in reality, it's no different from Ice Immunity. I saw Han Seol-ah gather her mana like her life depended on it to shoot Permafrost and it didn't even leave a scratch, okay? Do you think the 3rd wave will be any different?]
“...”
[Let's say a miracle happened and Han Seol-ah returned stronger. Even so, do you think she could pierce that atrocious resistance? She absolutely can't.]
“...”
[An ability that ignores immunity, like something out of a video game, doesn't exist in reality either. Am I wrong?]
He wasn't wrong. No, it was actually too correct.
It was such a sharp point that Jin Cheon-jin's breath stopped for a moment. An ability that ignores immunity does not exist in this world.
[Now, President. I'll give you just one more day to wait. Of course, next time, the price for your lives will be more expensive~]
“...Min-seok.”
Jin Cheon-jin opened his mouth with a heavy voice.
“How could you... do this?”
[...]
Kim Min-seok.
The man who... used to be the 4th ranked Hunter in South Korea, following Han Seol-ah, Jin Cheon-jin, and Min Ji-hee. And the coward who fled to the multinational mercenary alliance 'Pandemonium' immediately after the failure of the 1st Ice Dragon Subjugation.
[Those who can live, must live. President.]
Click.
The call ended.
For the first time in a long while, Jin Cheon-jin put a cigarette he had quit into his mouth.
'...Must I accept them? Those unfair treaties...'
Jin Cheon-jin's agony deepened.
Ring—
Right as Jin Cheon-jin was about to light his cigarette, a system message popped up before his eyes.
[Alert: '94th Floor Tower Break Boss: Frost Dragon' has been subdued.]
'...Subdued?'
Am I seeing things? Jin Cheon-jin rubbed his eyes. His eyes were stiff from not sleeping for days.
Upon realizing his physical condition, a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. Jin Cheon-jin sank deep into his chair.
'I didn't see it wrong.'
Even after rubbing his eyes and slapping his cheeks, the message didn't disappear. It wasn't a hallucination. The Ice Dragon had truly been subdued.
'If this is the case, there's no need to listen to Kim Min-seok's proposal anymore.'
Containing the frustration that had been suppressing the depths of his chest, Jin Cheon-jin let out a heavy sigh.
'Phew.'
His body, which had been stiff with tension and anger, went limp. What welled up instead was relief. Hope blossomed in Jin Cheon-jin's heart.
The Ice Dragon was defeated. That meant.
'Seol-ah has returned. With even stronger power.'
South Korea's guardian had grown stronger. Strong enough to kill even her natural enemy.
“Haha.”
Just as Jin Cheon-jin was about to let out a hearty laugh.
BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—
Along with an ominous warning sound, bright red messages swirled around him.
“...Scathach? 5 days?!”
Right after.
Bang!
Vice President Min Ji-hee burst into the President's office.
“President!”
“Uh, Vice President. What is... this message? The red one.”
“...It's an unprecedented crisis.”
Min Ji-hee held up a document.
Pure white letters exuding ominous mana on glossy pitch-black paper. There was only one such special document on this Earth.
“...It's Pandemonium's 'Strategy Guide'.”
The document that allowed Pandemonium, a mere multinational mercenary corporation, to act as a tyrant over the entire world. Its official name was 'Bestiary', holding the traits of all monsters appearing in the Tower and Breaks, commonly referred to as the 'Strategy Guide' in slang.
'You shouldn't be able to get this through normal means.'
“How did you...”
“I took care of it.” Min Ji-hee said nonchalantly.
However, Jin Cheon-jin was also a formidable Hunter hovering at the edge of A-rank. His sharp eyes noticed that an earring hanging from Min Ji-hee's right ear was missing.
'....'
But Jin Cheon-jin didn't bother pointing it out. Because Jin Cheon-jin knew better than anyone what it must have felt like for her to hand over her father's keepsake—one of the only two A-rank protective armaments in South Korea.
Clack.
Min Ji-hee slammed the Strategy Guide down in front of Jin Cheon-jin.
[Scathach]
[Ancient Blue Dragon]
[Official Nickname 'Ice Dragon']
“...This entity is... the 'real Ice Dragon' acknowledged by the system.”
Previously, the 'Ice Dragon' nickname for the Frost Dragon was a name given by the Hunter Association.
“From what I heard while receiving the information... compared to this guy, the fake Ice Dragon, the Frost Dragon, is on the level of an earthworm.”
“...”
“Look below that.”
[Trait]
[Total Ice Immunity]
“...Total Immunity? This is what the Frost Dragon also had...”
“That was just our assumption after seeing Seol-ah's magic not work, but in reality, it was 'Ice Halved'. It's a trait that can't even be compared to Ice Immunity.”
“...If so?”
It was fatal. Han Seol-ah's main specialty was, ultimately, ice magic. She had somehow managed to deal with the Frost Dragon with the 'Ice Halved' trait...
'But Total Immunity?'
“We cannot stop this.”
A declaration of defeat finally came from the mouth of Min Ji-hee, who was known for her cool-headedness.
“...In 5 days, South Korea will disappear from the map.”
A heavy silence hung over the President's office.
Breaking that stillness, the door swung open.
“President.”
It was Han Seol-ah.
“Seol-ah!”
Leaping to their feet, Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee tightly hugged Han Seol-ah.
“What on earth... what on earth happened? What did you go through...”
“I'll tell you everything one by one. Please calm down.”
Han Seol-ah carefully explained everything, from the mysterious golden message she saw at the press conference, flying to another world, ascending to EX-Rank, the existence of 'Him', and the Genesis-rank staff 'Eternal Winter'.
“...That's how it happened.”
“Hmm... I completely...”
Thanks to Han Seol-ah's abysmal speaking skills, Jin Cheon-jin didn't understand a single thing, but...
“I see. You really went through a massive ordeal.”
Min Ji-hee perfectly understood everything.
“Ahem! Hmm! Ah, mhmm. I see. Indeed, indeed.”
Jin Cheon-jin also relaxed his expression at the speed of light and tactfully nodded his head vigorously.
'Ji-hee will explain it to me later, right?'
“So... Seol-ah.”
“Yes.”
“...Will it be possible?”
Min Ji-hee slid the Strategy Guide over to Han Seol-ah.
After briefly skimming the contents, Han Seol-ah spoke.
“It's impossible.”
“Ah...”
Min Ji-hee let out a sigh, but Jin Cheon-jin didn't give up. His gaze was fixed on 'Eternal Winter' in Han Seol-ah's grasp.
“I heard that staff is an incredible artifact. If it's a divine weapon, couldn't it just chew up and ignore something like elemental matchups?”
[With the mana of this wretched land, it's out of the question.]
“...?!”
A sudden unfamiliar voice echoed in the air. Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee flinched in surprise and looked around.
“W-who goes there!”
“It's me. No, it's my staff.”
Han Seol-ah lifted the staff. The blue jewel at the tip of Eternal Winter sparkled, and the cold male voice flowed out again.
“Frozen, please explain.”
[The ambient mana concentration in this world's atmosphere is garbage-level. To manifest 'Absolute Zero' to pierce Scathach's immunity, we need a good 30 days of natural recovery here.]
“30 days?!”
Jin Cheon-jin screamed.
“We only have 5 days left! If we don't solve this in 5 days, we're all dead!”
[That's none of my business.]
“Y-you...!”
Just as Jin Cheon-jin was about to clutch the back of his neck at the arrogant staff's attitude.
Frozen continued speaking, throwing his words out casually.
[But it's not like there is absolutely no way.]
“...What is it?”
[If we lack mana, we can just borrow it. From a being with near-infinite mana.]
“Where is such a being...”
Han Seol-ah, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up.
“There is one.”
[Right. My Creator. Find 'Him'.]
Min Ji-hee hurriedly asked.
“Him? The... being Seol-ah met?”
“Yes. If it's Him, it's possible. No, He's the only one.”
“...But you said He was in that world. Not Earth.”
“...He's on Earth right now.”
“What! Where exactly? If such a mighty being appeared, the Observers couldn't possibly not know...”
Han Seol-ah closed her eyes. Even though she focused her mind and circulated her mana, nothing caught in her senses. But Frozen had clearly said so.
—I feel incredibly powerful ice mana.
—It seems to be my Creator, Him.
On the way back to the Association building. There was only one area they figured out through the conversation with Frozen.
“Incheon.”
“Incheon...!”
It struck Min Ji-hee like lightning.
'That's where the Rank-1 Gate was cleared without a sound earlier!'
The mysterious scene where the Ogre Big Boss evaporated, and the mana scan picked up 'Unmeasurable' ice-attribute magic power!
“Get a helicopter ready immediately! We're going to Incheon!”
Jin Cheon-jin shouted. The only lifeline to save South Korea was right there. Every second counted.
[Wait.]
Frozen stopped the people who were hurrying to move.
[Are you planning to go empty-handed?]
“Huh?”
[My Creator is merciful and possesses a good nature that cannot stand by and watch the destruction of a world. That's why He personally prevented the destruction of our world. However, He is not a lightweight person who moves without a price. We need a tribute to offer Him.]
Jin Cheon-jin paused. He was right. Putting Seol-ah's story together, 'He' was clearly a monumental transcendent being. Besides, wasn't He someone who possessed the power to cross worlds, a power seemingly only permitted to 'Gods'?
They couldn't possibly go ask for help from such an entity with just empty words.
“I'll open the Association's vault. We'll take the highest-grade mana stones and gold bars...”
[How vulgar.]
Frozen's jewel blinked as if clicking its tongue in disapproval.
[He has no interest in such common wealth. What He likes are items that contain a 'story'. He prefers 'unique' objects that have a history and a background.]
“Items with a story...?”
[Yes. Like a flag used by the founder of a family. Or a wedding ring passed down from a grandmother's grandmother... Things like that.]
“You mean antiques with a built-up history?”
[Especially precious ones among them. For example...]
Swish.
The tip of the staff in Han Seol-ah's hand pointed at Jin Cheon-jin's right hand.
[Something like that shining glove on the old man over there.]
“...!”
Jin Cheon-jin reflexively hid his right hand behind his back.
The glove he was wearing, 'Fang of the White Tiger', was an artifact that had been with him from the very beginning as a 1st Generation Hunter; it was South Korea's National Treasure No. 1 and felt like his alter ego.
“T-this is... practically my soul...”
[Your soul? Perfect. He will love it. And you are arrogant. If the country falls, what use is a mere soul?]
Jin Cheon-jin was left speechless by Frozen's factual bombardment.
[Are you going to wear it in the afterlife after we all freeze to death 5 days from now?]
“...”
[Choose. The glove, or South Korea.]
Jin Cheon-jin took off the glove without a second word.
“Of course... South Korea.”
Jin Cheon-jin placed the glove on the desk.
[An excellent choice. The Creator will be pleased as well.]
Frozen sparkled as if satisfied.
Picking up the glove, 'Fang of the White Tiger', Han Seol-ah declared.
“Let's go. To Incheon.”
“Scathach is appearing?”
Then, it's easy.