Chapter 3

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 3

Chapter Title: Floor 2

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The next day.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

"Mm..."

I scratched my messy hair and sat up.

I reflexively went to stretch but froze. I stared blankly at my hand floating in the air.

Skin so pale it was almost white. Slender fingers.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn't the rough man's hand I'd been using until yesterday.

'...'

It wasn't a dream.

Just in case, I turned to look beside me.

Snore... snore...

There was a silver-haired head buried in the blankets.

The Little One was sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world, with steady breaths.

I poked its cheek with my index finger. It felt like sticky rice cake, warm underneath.

"...This is real."

All those absurd events from last night. They were all true.

The number wouldn't leave my eyes.

1/101.

'...I have to go in again, huh.'

I sat there blankly for a long time. My mind refused to turn anymore.

To shake off the complicated thoughts, I grabbed my phone out of habit. As usual, I scrolled through short-form videos mindlessly, chuckling away.

Rustle.

The Little One sleeping next to me woke up at my laughter, rubbing its eyes and crawling over, curious about what I was watching.

It climbed up my arm with grunts, settled by my head on my shoulder, and stared into the screen with sparkling eyes.

When I snickered at a funny cat video, it glanced at me and silently mimicked opening its mouth in laughter. It even patted my shoulder with its tiny fern-like hand.

"You think it's funny too?"

I chuckled and paused my scrolling finger.

I watched the video like I was entranced. A mechanical narration played alongside screenshots from the hunter community.

"...Huh?"

The screen filled with the two letters 'Blanc'.

"...Ah."

A short sigh escaped me.

Right. The nickname. I should've made it something cool in English.

Out of habit from gaming, I'd typed it in Korean. Now I couldn't change it, and I'd basically advertised to the world, 'Hey, I'm Korean!'

"...I'm screwed."

With trembling hands, I opened the Hunter Gallery.

It was flooded with posts about me. 'Blanc S-Rank Confirmed,' 'Guild Signing Bonus Guesses,' and the like plastered everywhere.

Among them, one comment section caught my eye.

Tens of billions. Sports car.

Gulp. I swallowed dryly.

I knew hunters made good money, but not this good. I glanced back and forth between my moldy 5-pyeong studio and the world in my smartphone.

I sneaked a peek to the side. The Little One hanging on my shoulder met my eyes and beamed.

With this guy alone, maybe...?

'...'

I clenched and unclenched my fist, smacking my lips. I glanced at the still-floating status window.

[Progress 1/101.]

Yeah.

Let's climb a bit higher.

Around sunset.

I turned on the computer and boiled some ramen first. With steam rising from the pot beside me, I hammered the keyboard.

Hunter. Guild. Ranking. Rewards. Skills...

I knew next to nothing.

I crammed keywords into the search bar, played videos, and skimmed gallery posts indiscriminately.

Then my hand stopped. My thoughts naturally drifted to the next one.

'Entering the tower during peak hours... that'd be insane.'

My appearance was, generously speaking, an elementary school girl. And an unregistered hunter to boot.

If I got caught going in and out without registration, explanations wouldn't cut it—it'd be a headache.

"Let's go at night, when no one's around."

As quietly as possible.

That decision eased my breathing a bit.

That's when it happened.

The Little One sneaked up beside me, peeking curiously. Its eyes sparkled, head following my hand's every move.

"You... can you eat this?"

I hesitated, then carefully scooped a few noodles for it.

The Little One snatched them without a second thought, and its eyes grew even brighter in an instant.

It grabbed my finger, whining for more.

"Alright, alright."

I chuckled and gave it some more.

It munched with its tiny mouth, slurping the noodles. They should've been hot, but it blew on them diligently and ate heartily. Its cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.

It even sipped the broth and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let out a satisfied 'Kyaah' like some old uncle.

The way it wiped the soup from its mouth with the back of its hand was pro-level.

Before I knew it, half the ramen had vanished into the Little One's belly. It rubbed its tummy contentedly and yawned.

I stared blankly, smiling, then turned back to the screen.

Late into the night.

I rummaged through my closet and sighed.

Thanks to my shrunken body, all my old clothes were way too big.

I habitually patted the hoodie pocket for cigarettes but stopped. Imagining a cig between these small, slender fingers made me gag.

Besides, I wasn't that craving them anyway.

"Screw it."

I threw on my favorite gray hoodie.

The sleeves dangled long enough to swallow my hands whole—even stretching my arms, I could barely see my fingertips.

The hem hung down to my knees like a dress.

"Okay, you go here."

I picked up the Little One and tucked it into the front pocket.

It seemed to like it there, peeking out with just its face, blinking away.

The pocket felt heavy. The weight wasn't bad.

I pulled the hood low and headed out. I approached the tower cautiously.

Tensing up, I scanned the surroundings, but thankfully, like yesterday, not a soul—or ant—in sight.

The outskirts at dawn were dead silent.

'Now's the time.'

I dashed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠toward the tower entrance.

Flash—!

When I opened my eyes again, a musty earth scent tickled my nose.

It was a dark, damp cave, similar to the one on Floor 1 yesterday.

Soon, familiar shadows wriggled out from the darkness.

"Keeek!"

Goblins.

I instinctively backpedaled. I patted my pocket.

"...Hey, Little One."

It tilted its head.

"See those green monsters up ahead? Could you deal with them? I'll... stay here."

Before I could even say 'cheering you on'...

Flash!

The Little One burst from the pocket.

Its tiny body shot like a bullet, and with every swing of its hand in the air, goblins fell like leaves.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

"...As expected. You're the best."

I was admiring it when...

'...Huh?'

Something was off.

No matter how many it took down, they kept coming.

10, 15...

Before I knew it, over 20 corpses littered the floor.

'25?'

A chill ran down my spine. Even on Nightmare Difficulty...

...this was a bit much.

As the last goblin fell, silence blanketed the cave.

'Nickname's fixed, I guess.'

I swallowed dryly, waiting for the next message.

Thud.

A heavy pouch dropped. Inside gleamed dark blue ore. Mana stones.

'How much are these worth again?'

Roughly a million per 100g. So this was five million won.

'...Insane.'

In just five minutes, I'd earned several months of part-time wages. Pretty sweet for nearly dying.

The mana stones felt solid in my hand. I gripped them tight.

A green book materialized in the air.

And, as expected.

Bzzz—!

The green glow turned blue.

Flash—!

A burst of light.

The blue cover turned purple.

"...Ha."

A hollow laugh bubbled up.

Just Floor 2, and already my second Hero-grade skill.

Flash—!

The book dissolved into light and absorbed into me.

"...'

The description was still half-assed.

'Is this... really good?'

I couldn't tell if it was good or bad. But one thing was certain.

From Floor 1 onward, everything popping up for me was mana-related.

'Class correction... they mentioned something like that. Guess it exists.'

Not fully convinced. Just a hunch.

I still lacked info. Way too much.