Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Loves Grapes
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A day had passed since Khan left for China.
The world flowed on unchanged from yesterday, as if it had never been engulfed in chaos.
Restaurants were still selling food, and no shops had closed their doors. Climbers were still heading to their guilds, and the government was operating as usual.
There had been some economic jitters, but prices had quickly stabilized.
At least, that was how it looked on the surface. Watching the Mangul Guild members bustling about, it seemed like that wasn't entirely the case.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Moon Byul."
I'd shown up so often that now all the guild members knew who I was.
The lobby staff I always ran into, the guards at the entrance, even the other climbers wandering around occasionally.
At this point, no one in Mangul was unaware of my existence.
"Moon Byul, where are you off to?"
"Just going for a walk."
At first, So Seori and Iru Ri had tried to keep my presence under wraps publicly, but they'd given up at some point.
Too many people had started recognizing me, and with the Grimoire spitting me out so often to wander around, they couldn't keep it secret forever.
Everyone seemed to think I was some kind of special hire or something.
I wasn't oblivious to their concerns. That's why I'd been careful at first.
But people kept seeking me out everywhere, and eventually, it felt pointless.
"Oh, Moon Byul! Heading out?"
"Hey, off to grab some kimbap."
See? Even the Mangul staff commuting to work knew me now.
Hm?
A group of burly foreigners was heading this way. It was early morning, before business hours.
'Americans, probably.'
The patches on their shoulders were shaped like the Stars and Stripes. From my experience at the guild so far, foreigners showing up this early before work started?
Ah, this has to be a complaint.
Whatever it was, it wasn't good news.
I passed them by and headed down the entrance stairs.
"...Hey, hold up."
I glanced around at the voice calling from behind me.
"Yeah, you, the one who just stopped."
"What's this about?"
I turned to look up at the burly American.
Up close, Western physiques really were impressive.
007-style bag, sunglasses, an outfit that looked like it belonged in a cheesy alien-hunter movie, but it didn't come off as tacky at all.
"......"
What? Why call me over and then go silent? If you've got a complaint, take it to the lobby.
Since he wasn't saying anything, I asked again.
"...Your Korean is really good...."
"Ah, that's thanks to this badge."
He touched the eagle-emblem badge pinned to his jacket. Some kind of artifact, probably.
"Sorry for calling you over and just staring. Are you a Mangul climber by any chance?"
"That's right."
The man looked like he had something to say but hesitated, not spitting it out clearly.
"This might sound weird, but... are you human?"
"I am."
"...Really?"
I answered naturally. More importantly, why ask me something like that?
"Mind if I ask why?"
"Haha, no, it's nothing. Is Iru Ri the climber here?"
The man changed the subject when I shot him a wary look. It wasn't classified info, so no harm in that.
"She probably hasn't come in yet."
"Thanks for letting me know."
The man gave a nod of thanks and headed back toward the guild.
Looks like he was after Iru Ri. So what was with the first question? An American—what could it be about?
"Probably none of my business."
I shook it off and continued down the stairs.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Why did you call that guy over?"
"Nah, just a hunch."
Jeremy, the U.S. guild specialist diplomat, watched the black-haired man descend the stairs again.
There wasn't any real basis for stopping him.
It was just a simple sense of incongruity. The guy seemed like an ordinary person, yet somehow like a mage at the same time.
Long, flowing black hair down his back, a slender, elongated build.
His vaguely mystical appearance had drawn the eye, sure, but it was more like he was hiding his power.
In his diplomatic career, he'd seen awakeners who hid their strength, and they were usually top-tier powerhouses. That had sparked his curiosity.
"Whatever. Let's get going."
The reason for visiting Mangul Guild in Korea was none other than the Grimoire.
Since Phase 2 began, the higher-ups were desperate to gather every bit of combat power they could.
"Must have been a long trip from America. Shall we head to my office first?"
Mangul Guild's leader, Climber So Seori of Dragon Humanization.
Her striking red hair caught the eye. As expected of an S-rank— she was polite enough to hide it from American diplomats like us, but a beast-like sharpness leaked through.
We arrived in a space that felt neat compared to the King's office.
"I've heard why you're here. So you've come to check out the 'Cosmic Grimoire'?"
"At the very least, we need to verify it."
Confirmation from the girl who supposedly held two Grimoires.
I didn't get why Korea was so obsessed with a Grimoire they couldn't even use, but her story about having two was probably fake.
No way the real owner had shown up, at least.
Our side figured it was Korea's government ploy to inflate the 'Cosmic Grimoire's' price.
A roundabout way of saying they didn't want to sell it to America.
He slurped his coffee.
"Oh, this coffee has such a deep flavor."
"Ah, that's Korea Traditional Coffee. We use it a lot for guests. Want some more?"
"Sure."
Honestly, considering the 'Cosmic Grimoire's' traits, it wasn't worth shelling out big money to buy.
Grimoires were artifacts that sought out their owners on their own.
No need for deals like this—if the owner was in America, it'd find them naturally.
That's why America wanted the Grimoire but was skeptical about aggressively purchasing it. Slim chance of finding an owner.
But the situation had changed. America needed even dangerous Grimoires right now.
"For that reason, please call Climber Iru Ri."
"Unfortunately, even calling her wouldn't help."
Mangul's guild leader seemed resolute. So they were artifact-focused—must have a serious collector's itch. Some deal with the Association, maybe?
"Haven't you coordinated with the Association?"
"I got a call from the Chairman too."
Mangul's guild leader sipped her coffee quietly.
"Didn't expect Diplomat Jeremy to visit so early. She hasn't come in yet."
She set down her cup and brushed back her alluring red hair.
"Even if the Grimoire were here right now, I'm afraid you couldn't take it with you."
His expression twisted for a moment. Understandable attitude for an S-rank. To someone with overwhelming power, other humans looked like ants. But daring to toy with America?
"Acting like this isn't good for either side. I saw the broadcast. Yuseong Guild seems to have resolved the Grimoire's mental split."
"... ."
"Even if she can possess it, that doesn't make her the owner. We need to see her use the Grimoire directly."
Otherwise, we'd have to reclaim it—legitimately.
America had the justification. Even if the Association didn't want to hand it over, the promised procedures had to be followed. Korea had no choice.
"I understand what you mean."
Finally, Mangul's leader seemed to get it.
"You're misunderstanding something."
"What misunderstanding?"
Her lips curved into a smile that looked almost like a smirk.
"The ownership transfer process isn't complete yet. Iru Ri isn't the real owner."
"Dodging around like that won't solve anything."
"Hahaha."
Suddenly, Mangul's leader burst out laughing.
"Are you mocking us?"
"No, no, because you're still misunderstanding."
She stopped laughing and spoke with a somewhat serious expression.
"The Cosmic Grimoire has a real owner. As you said, Climber Iru Ri isn't it."
"...Then who the hell is it?"
"A rookie climber named 'Moon Byul' is the Grimoire's owner."
Jeremy had good instincts.
More precisely, he had a skill that honed his gut feelings. What he was most wary of was 'incongruity.'
"...By any chance, does that climber have... ."
"A black man with long black hair tied up?"
Guild Leader So Seori and Jeremy spoke almost simultaneously, leaving the other diplomats puzzled.
So that guy from earlier was the owner. Knew it.
"Understood."
"Moon Byul, the Grimoire's owner, is out right now. I contacted him, but..."
"No need. This confirmation is enough."
"...That easily?"
"Yes."
So Seori silently saw the guests off.
"Send us any updates on info as they come. We're very interested."
"There's hardly any real info, but we'll send what we have."
As they moved away from Mangul, Jeremy asked,
"Ronny, any lies?"
The sunglassed diplomat beside him shook his head.
"Nothing Lie Detection picked up."
"Guess it's true, then."
But Jeremy couldn't shake a nagging feeling.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "So they just left?"
"Yeah. But do you just carry your phone for show?"
I'd come in late and caught hell for it. I'd been distracted by kimbap and ramen, checked my phone a bit late—is that worth scolding over?
"Well, it worked out fine, so that's good."
"True enough."
"How'd the Phase 2 meeting wrap up?"
I quickly steered the topic elsewhere.
Since the Tower entered Phase 2, America wasn't the only one panicking. Korea had held long meetings too, actively debating solutions.
"For now, multiple teams will climb to check clear rates. The goal is to climb, but slower than America."
"For the intel."
Countries climbing first suffer in various ways. The biggest loss: info on the next floor.
Trailing even one floor behind lets you safely and swiftly climb by learning from the leader's trial and error.
As long as raw ability wasn't lacking, just follow the path they'd already blazed.
"You're at floor 40 now too, right, Moon Byul? Planning to challenge it today?"
"Yeah."
So Seori had given me various tips for solo climbing. Some helpful, some not, but better than going in blind.
"You've been fixated on floor 40 lately."
"There's just this ridiculously fun NPC there."
The NPC I'd mentioned several times: the blind philosopher.
"Don't worry, I won't get anywhere near him."
"...... Planning to solo it again?"
"What do you think, So Seori?"
"Obviously, you don't need a party."
She'd said it many times: no one solos the Tower. But veteran So Seori always insisted I was beyond needing one.
I just asked out of needless caution.
I'd heard about floor 40: a village under siege warfare.
With support NPCs too, no big issues expected.
"I've always told you to let me know before hitting floor 40, right?"
She always reminded me before I went. Because of the philosopher.
"But I've changed my mind."
"What do you mean?"
"That NPC's full of riddles. Most chats lead to bad ends, so I called it dangerous. But you probably won't have that issue."
She nodded at me.
"Why not try talking to him more actively?"
"......"
I'd heard it from Iru Ri, Prophet Na Na, even Han Yu Seong. Dangerous.
"What if it goes south?"
"You know, the inspection trick. If it gets risky, you can bail right away."
"Didn't you tell me not to do that?"
"Now time's tight, so it doesn't seem so bad."
She flashed a slightly wicked smile.
"If possible, just smash him."
"...For real?"