What?
The content on the TV was shocking in itself.
Three S-rank hunters dead?
I knew three S-ranks had been tackling the 51st floor. I'd seen it on my way to the Magic Tower that morning.
But they're dead?
It didn't make any sense... because there was no boss on the 51st floor. Aside from the 30th where the lich appeared as the boss, hunters had officially cleared every floor they'd failed so far. Single-digit floors starting with 1 were just a breeze up until now...
Now I finally understood why Kim Cheol-su was so worked up.
Come to the Association?
"Right now?"
"Yes. You need to come immediately."
"Sigh..."
"Alright, got it."
"We'll be waiting."
Beep.
"Heh..."
The worst-case scenario I'd feared had come to pass. They were probably going to ask me to clear the 51st floor. I knew the day would come when I'd have no choice but to climb the tower. Now that Kim Cheol-su knew the power of my skill...
But I hadn't expected it to come this soon.
I pushed aside my troubled thoughts, threw on a hoodie, and headed to the Association.
Jongno-gu, Seoul. Home of the Korean Hunter Association.
I took public transport and raced there as fast as I could.
The entrance was already packed with reporters and civilians.
"The incompetent Hunter Association president must resign!"
"Resign!"
People were protesting with placards, and up front, a YouTuber with a mic was leading the charge. Hunter security personnel suspected to be guards were blocking them off...
How the hell do I get through here?
I had zero confidence in pushing past this crowd.
"Uh... excuse me, coming through."
What choice did I have? I squeezed through the narrow gaps.
Between the protesters and the security blocking them, I approached one of the guards.
"Uh... I have business with the Association president."
They weren't listening. Or more accurately, they couldn't hear me.
"Hey!"
The security finally glanced my way.
"I said I have business with the Association president!" I shouted.
The guard gave me a quick once-over.
"Hey?"
And straight-up ignored me.
"Fuck?"
Should I just unleash Abyss of Hell right here?
I had that scary thought for a split second...
Sigh... what did the guards do wrong? They probably think I'm just another protester.
"Association President, I've arrived, but there are way too many people here. Can I just go in?"
A reply came after a short wait.
"Oh, yes! Sending someone right away."
"Here?"
"..."
No reply again.
This bastard calls me here and this is his attitude? Starting to piss me off...
Soon enough, a tall man in a suit emerged from the Hunter Association entrance. Reporters swarmed him instantly.
"Where's the Association president?"
"No press conference on today's raid failure?"
He ignored them, scanning the crowd for someone.
That guy's clearly looking for me.
"Mr. Kang Deok-su! Deok-su, are you here?!"
The man started yelling into the air.
"Heh..."
This was the worst. Now I'd drawn all the aggro, naturally.
"Sigh... that's me."
I raised my hand.
The shouting protesters, the broadcast reporters with mics—everyone froze, staring at me. The gazes were overwhelmingly burdensome.
"Kang Deok-su?"
The silence broke first with the reporters.
"That Kang Deok-su?"
I hurried forward before they could close in. The guard who'd ignored me earlier now acted like it was our first meeting, quickly blocking between me, the reporters.
The tall suited man looked at me.
"Mr. Deok-su?"
I nodded.
"Follow me. Everyone's waiting."
"Pardon?"
Everyone? Something feels off about this picture...
Following him led to a conference room where Kim Cheol-su sat at the center with 6 or 7 others in a meeting. They all turned to look at me in unison.
"Deok-su!"
Kim Cheol-su shot up from his seat.
"Thank you for coming! We've all been waiting."
Everyone was clutching their weapons.
I could roughly guess who these people were.
"First, some introductions."
"Everyone here is an S-rank hunter. In order: Mr. Choi Seung-rok, Mr. Seo Ji-hoon, Ms. Choi Maria, Ms. Jo Eun-ha, and Ms. Kim Ha-rin."
S-rank hunters, as expected. And famous ones at that.
"And as you know, this is my secretary, Ms. Han Ye-rin."
The S-rank hunters eyed me all at once.
"Nice to meet you."
"Heard a lot about you."
"So you're the one who transfers skills..."
Hold up.
How do these people know about my ability?
I shot a glance at Kim Cheol-su.
"Ahem. Given the situation, I had no choice."
"Ha..."
I hadn't meant to tell this guy about my ability in the first place...
"Uh... have a seat first. I have something urgent to discuss regarding today's incident."
Screeech!
I roughly dragged a chair and plopped down.
"Haha... First off, my apologies to you, Deok-su. I promised to keep it secret, but..."
"Forget it. What's done is done."
It was only a matter of time before it leaked anyway. Though I wasn't thrilled about drawing this much attention.
"To the main point."
Choi Seung-rok said curtly.
I looked at him. That Choi Seung-rok?
His S-rank skill, Absolute Annihilation Slash, was infamous as a cheat skill. It reflected enemy skills right back at them—the stronger the opponent's power, the harder it hit them.
Bad matchup for me...
"Yes, to the main point. As you all know, Mr. Kang Do-yoon, Ms. Won Ji-yeon, and Mr. Kwon Tae-hyun failed their raid today."
"Three S-ranks failing the 51st floor."
"Unbelievable."
Choi Seung-rok spoke, followed by Seo Ji-hoon's mocking reply.
It really is unbelievable...
"Team kill. No matter how much of an idiot Kang Do-yoon was, he wasn't weak."
Seo Ji-hoon continued sarcastically.
"Hey!"
The woman called Choi Maria snapped at him petulantly.
"Team kill? Ridiculous. Who'd be crazy enough to team kill in this situation?"
"Heh. Who knows. Kwon Tae-hyun always got pissed seeing Kang Do-yoon hanging around Won Ji-yeon."
"Not team kill."
Choi Seung-rok stared straight ahead bluntly.
"Like Maria said, the situation doesn't allow it—and it's not like one survived. All three wiped."
"Then what?"
"The pattern's broken. That's the logical conclusion."
Pattern...
"Floors 1, 11, 21, 31, 41 all had low difficulty. But starting at 51, it spiked. That's reasonable."
"Agreed."
Kim Cheol-su backed him up persuasively.
"That's the most logical for now. Honestly, I didn't expect to reconvene with you all so soon, but the conclusion's the same."
"Sorry, but it's the same talk as yesterday."
"Who will climb the tower."
Kim Cheol-su scanned us one by one, starting with me.
"Heh. Looks like you've already decided."
Seo Ji-hoon smirked cynically.
"Haha, as expected, Mr. Ji-hoon is sharp. Yes. These five here will tackle the next climb."
"Pardon?"
Choi Maria stared me down, then looked back at Kim Cheol-su.
Why's she glaring at me?
"Climb the tower with these people?"
Why me specifically?
"Ms. Maria, in this situation, these five are Korea's top forces."
Choi Maria glanced at me again.
What the hell's her problem with me?
"Hold on. I don't even know this guy. You want me to trust my life to some stranger? Honestly, there's still a lot suspicious about what happened with Tae-su on the 50th floor. Right?"
Choi Maria looked to Choi Seung-rok.
"What happened can be proven."
Choi Seung-rok now eyed Kim Ha-rin dryly.
What's going on here?
How do you prove it?
"Mr. Kang Deok-su?"
"Yes?"
"Mind if I ask a few simple questions?"
"Sure, go ahead."
The mood suddenly turned into an inquisition.
"Just yes or no for fact-checking, please."
"Okay..."
Her skill? Whatever, nothing to hide.
"Did you kill Hunter Joo Tae-su?"
"What?"
"Yes?"
Sudden as hell...
"No, no, that's not it. No."
I answered firmly.
But Kim Ha-rin showed no reaction.
She looked flustered.
Truth Discernment does not work on the target.
Because her skill hadn't activated.
"Wh-what is this."
"What?"
Kim Cheol-su asked her calmly.
"No idea how, but this guy's blocking my skill."
"Pardon?"
I couldn't help reacting on instinct.
No, anyone would— what the hell was this nonsense?
"I don't know what skill he's using, but it's completely nullifying mine. Probably S-rank."
"Such... Mr. Kang Deok-su, be honest. Is Flame Fury really your only skill?"
Kim Cheol-su whipped around to me.
"Yes, Flame Fury is all I have. Honestly, I have no clue what this lady's talking about."
I got it, actually. Since mine were EX-rank, her truth-detection mental skill couldn't penetrate... but they thought I was actively using a skill.
Made more sense that way, I guess.
"So you're saying my skill's wrong? An S-rank skill? Enough with the lies."
This woman... real pride in her ability, huh.
Sorry, but it's useless against EX-rank.
"Hilarious."
Choi Seung-rok chuckled dryly.
"Either one's lying, or you're both conspiring to fool me. No clue which."
What the—
"I met this guy today for the first time."
"Same here."
The picture was getting weird.
Clap!
Kim Cheol-su clapped to lighten the mood.
"Alright, everyone. Sure, you might have doubts about Deok-su, but from what I've confirmed, he's definitely an S-rank hunter."
"He'll surely help with the tower raid."
Kim Cheol-su tried persuading the others formally.
"Heh, sure. Killed Joo Tae-su and stole his skill, so of course he's S-rank now."
Seo Ji-hoon sneered mockingly at me.
"I can't trust this guy either."
Kim Ha-rin chimed in analytically.
And to top it off, Choi Maria.
"Then it's settled. Unless you swap him out, I'm not joining the 51st floor raid."
"Hm..."
Choi Seung-rok, who'd suspected both me and Kim Ha-rin, stayed terse, still piecing it together.
Was having EX-rank skills such a crime?
For a moment, I was tempted to just reveal it, pissed off—but no way they'd buy it in this mood.
"If you wanna climb the tower so bad, do it solo then."
Choi Maria added whinily.
Yeah, you tell 'em.
"Fine."
"Pardon?"
Choi Maria's eyes widened in surprise.
"I don't need teammates who don't trust me either. I'll solo the 51st floor."
Better than babysitting S-ranks anyway.
My declaration plunged the conference room into silence.