The Rabbit and the Ranker

"Team Leader, did you hear?!"

"The Association President called me first thing this morning."

The Talent Management Team of the Korea Awakened Association.

Oh Wontaek, the team leader, glared with a look of firm resolve as he watched his subordinate rush in, making a fuss the moment he arrived at work.

"Yoon Jinki!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Did you get any information regarding the Wandering Merchant and the rabbit!"

"I’ve made contact with the Awakened Hwang Gyubeom! He said the Wandering Merchant appears before the floor is cleared!"

"And the rabbit?"

"As for Awakened Seo Ian... well, you know how it is."

The man called Yoon Jinki shrugged his shoulders.

It meant, as always, that she was unreachable.

"Should we try asking Enchanter Park Siwoo for a favor?"

It was an open secret within the Association that Seo Ian only communicated with them through Park Siwoo.

Yoon Jinki voiced the most logical solution.

"No. Just leave it be. Wandering Merchant or rabbit, Kim Uju is the biggest issue right now."

Team Leader Oh Wontaek’s eyes gleamed as he finished his sentence.

'Even if he cleared the first floor repeatedly before moving to the second, these figures are impossible. That means Awakened Kim Uju is likely S-Rank! Or at the very least, an A-Rank equivalent to an S-Rank!'

Awakened can view the rankings of towers in other countries. This means that scouts from various nations can identify promising talent in other countries and lure them away with better conditions while they are still beginners.

Since the precedent of 'Steven Lee' already existed, they couldn't help but feel anxious.

"I checked, and he’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an Awakened who registered with the Association yesterday. I thought you might say that, so I’ve already pulled the full list!"

Yoon Jinki. A rookie who had just hit his one-year mark.

There was a reason he was particularly favored by Team Leader Oh Wontaek.

A rookie who gets the job done! In a world where you'd want to coddle them for being so capable, how could there be any reason to dislike him?

"You really are the best!!"

Oh Wontaek and Yoon Jinki’s gazes met.

The two exchanged a very triumphant look.

Meanwhile, at that very moment.

Uju, who had suddenly become the hottest topic in town, was checking his new skill.

Somehow, I’d set a new record on the 2nd floor.

In reality, it was just the power of my level.

Level isn't a stat, but it applies to something else called 'Attack Power'.

Anyway, after it was over, I met Rackcho.

Our lovely cat was unusually triumphant today, chest puffed out and tail swaying back and forth.

"Did something good happen?"

When I asked, it replied with a grin:

"Something good is about to happen to Awakened Uju, nyang."

At the time, I had absolutely no idea what that meant.

"Why isn't there a loot box today?"

The loot box that only appears for the person with the highest party contribution.

I had entered the tower alone today.

When I asked because the thing that should have appeared wasn't there, it said:

"There is no loot box today, nyang. Instead!"

-Ching!

A book made of lines of light rose into the air with a clear chime.

It looked like a miniature version of a crafting manual.

"Instead?"

"A skill book has appeared, nyang!"

Rackcho’s blue eyes sparkled brilliantly, reflecting the light of the skill book, and my expression reflected in its eyes was also sparkling like the stars.

"Uju-nim is very lucky, nyang. Skill books usually drop more often at higher levels; this is almost a miracle probability, nyang."

I’ve heard that much, so I know.

They say you’d be lucky to get even one skill book by level 10.

"Of course, I think the luckiest part is meeting me as your Tower Merchant, nyang."

"Rackcho!"

"Nyang?"

"I love you!!"

I wanted to give it a big hug with all my heart.

I couldn't bring myself to do it, fearing the penalties of being a Tower Merchant, though.

"It’s not because of me, but well~"

Still, it seemed pleased, as its eyes curved into cute half-moons and the corners of its mouth lifted.

I didn't have anything to buy, so I returned home.

Then, I examined the skill book in detail.

As expected, the description wasn't very helpful today either.

At the very least, I knew for sure that Hawk's Eye wasn't a combat skill.

"Ah! Come to think of it..."

They say skills obtained from skill books are selected based on what you can use, and it depends on your 'Trait' and 'Main Weapon'.

For example, if your trait is Flame and your main weapon is a sword, you get fire-based sword skills.

"Ugh! My trait is 'Intrusion', so I didn't even think about that!"

I rubbed my face in frustration, but it didn't make me feel any better.

Trait 'Intrusion', main weapon 'Light Bowgun'.

The awakening skill is 'Hawk's Eye'.

"What am I supposed to use this for...? The system wouldn't give me a useless skill, would it...?"

I pressed my temples with my fingers as a migraine set in, glaring at the status window in front of me.

"More detailed description!"

I shouted. As expected, there was no change.

I didn't even expect one.

No, actually, I did a little...

"I mean, if you see the description 'Blink your eyes twice rapidly to activate for 3 seconds!' and you're supposed to know what kind of skill it is and how to use it, are you even human?!"

I'll just have to enter any tower. And try blinking my eyes.

Seeing is believing.

If I use it myself, I'll get the hang of it. Just like when I first got my trait.

...But just with this, I don't know if I should raise Strength or Intelligence.

I still hadn't raised any stats.

I was saving them because I didn't want to just dump them into Agility until I hit 10.

When using a 'Light Bowgun' as a main weapon, they say to raise Strength to make basic attacks stronger, and Intelligence to make skills stronger.

The source was the Awakened community, the home of collective intelligence.

I searched for more posts, but the Strength-faction and Intelligence-faction were evenly matched, so I gave up on choosing.

Just for a day like today!

I was going to decide after seeing the new skill!

But 'Hawk's Eye' is...

I don't know if it uses Strength or Intelligence.

But it definitely doesn't seem like Strength. What would I do by straining my eyes?

But dumping it all into 'Intelligence' without thinking felt wrong.

Just in case, I decided to use the precious collective intelligence once more.

I logged into the Awakened community and tried to type 'Hawk's Eye' into the search bar, but...

'That looks like my name?'

I clicked on the post at the very top of the recent list as if possessed.

My dream lately was to be not famous but rich.

But the condition of 'not famous' was being violently shaken.

'Should I have taken it slow?'

That thought lasted only a moment.

I realized that to get more rewards, I had to go fast.

Because everyone knows that if the contribution is 100%, the shorter the clear time, the better the reward.

'I have no choice but to time my runs to stay outside the top 3...!'

So I found a compromise.

Anything outside the top 3 is hidden, so it’s not visible unless you specifically look for it.

I decided to use that.

One thing handled.

I typed 'Hawk's Eye' into the search bar, the original purpose of logging into the Awakened community.

'Yeah. This doesn't show up either.'

I didn't expect it to.

Actually, I did a little. *Sob.*

Leaving the wild mood swings behind, I pulled up the tower intrusion window.

I still have to do what I have to do...

My trait is one that goes to waste if I save it...

Still, running two dungeons a day is really exhausting.

I want to rest. I want to rest as hard as I can...!

Anyway, I sighed deeply and looked at the intrusion window.

"Oh!"

Two towers on the 41st floor, the highest in South Korea!

Running high floors → Rewards are great even with low contribution → Fast level up → Obtain 'combat' skills from new skill books!

My mood improved at the perfect plan.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Today's intrusion seems lucky from the start!

But where should I enter? I want to try using Hawk's Eye once...

I've met Seo Ian before.

But I've never met Hong Jehun.

Plus, he holds the title of South Korea's undisputed #1 ranker until Seo Ian clears the 40th floor!

Isn't it natural to be curious?

What he looks like, what kind of trait he has, what kind of abilities he uses.

"Hong Jehun would be better, right?"

Having made up my mind, I searched for Hong Jehun in the search bar to see if he needed any items... but I saw a familiar name in a newly uploaded post, so I clicked on it as if possessed.

'Why on earth?'

It wasn't like she mentioned needing anything.

Let's see each other next time.

I hit back without hesitation and typed Hong Jehun into the search bar.

The most recent post was 15 minutes ago.

Unfortunately, it wasn't about items he needed, but it didn't matter.

He said he 'wants to see me', so if I show my face, wouldn't that be 'contribution'!

I was a bit excited.

Undisputed South Korea #1.

I wondered what kind of person he was.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Inside the 41st floor.

A pure white snowy mountain where a blizzard rages.

"Sniff! At this rate, I'll freeze to death first!"

It’s midsummer outside the tower.

That’s why I’m in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

And here, it’s a snowy mountain with bone-chilling cold winds.

It’s not just hard because of the cold, but this place is unusually wide compared to others.

Perhaps because of that, the distance between gathering zones was exceptionally far.

"Ugh...!"

A groan escaped me naturally.

Still, I couldn't just stay still, so I started moving my arms and legs diligently.

As a result.

"Crafting Manual."

A giant book shape unfolded before my eyes, and light entered the index section.

When I opened it.

'...Is it like, 1 plus 1 is 2, 1 times 2 is 2, and 4 divided by 2 is 2?'

I learned today that you can create the same result with different materials using the crafting manual.

As a result, I now had a Boss Damage Elixir made from Ice-Year Ten-Thousand-Flower Herbs in my hand.

But...

"What is that? Is it a gathering zone?"

A small, faint light visible in the distance.

Originally, I was about to go find Hong Jehun now.

Because I felt like I would really freeze to death if I dragged it out any longer.

I had even moved the low-grade recovery potion to the very front of my inventory, worried about frostbite!

But...

Let's just check that out before I go!

Meanwhile, at that time.

Hong Jehun, who had dressed warmly on purpose, was running through the snowy path, leaving red footprints.

'22 more to go.'

According to the post Seo Ian uploaded, the NPC Rabbit appears right before the boss.

And Hong Jehun was longing for the NPC Rabbit (Uju) more desperately than anyone else.

Usually, the mobs in the tower aren't very difficult.

It's just that the boss always acts as a gatekeeper.

The 41st-floor boss, the Rampaging Snowy Mountain Yeti.

It wasn't that my damage wasn't landing.

But as always, this boss mob also had more than one speed bump.

The speed bump for this boss mob was none other than the 'foot-binding' pattern.

When its health drops below 10%, it intermittently binds your feet with ice and drags you in, which was very threatening to him, a magic-type Awakened.

According to Hudson, the US #1 Awakened, the Rampaging Snowy Mountain Yeti's foot-binding pattern doesn't trigger if you catch the boss before your feet are bound.

But he was already high-level, so it was difficult to increase his specs through leveling up.

Moreover, his equipment was almost end-spec, so he couldn't see any areas where he could significantly increase his damage.

So he hoped for a stroke of luck.

Seo Ian, who broke the 40th-floor record despite not receiving much government support, unlike him.

He desperately hoped that he, too, could meet the rabbit that she had met.

On the pure white snowy mountain. I was able to face Hong Jehun before long.

He was fully geared for the cold, as if he had come prepared.

"Hello. I'm the Rabbit. I'm a Wandering Merchant."

I blinked my eyes and greeted him with a clear voice that didn't tremble.

Looking perfectly fine, at that.

"You're the Rabbit? Nice to meet you... But you were that Wandering Merchant?"

Hong Jehun made a suspicious expression for a moment, not thinking that the 'Rabbit' Seo Ian mentioned in the Awakened community and the 'Wandering Merchant' Hwang Gyubeom mentioned were the same person, then smiled calmly.

He reached out his hand as if to shake mine.

He is the person who will go through the trouble of catching the tower boss for me, a low-level player, today.

One must always be kind to knights with a strong spirit of sacrifice.

I tried to take his hand, but he suddenly pulled it back, so I couldn't.

'Ah. I was pretending to be an NPC.'

He probably didn't want to receive a penalty of tower entry restriction for touching an NPC.

I understood.

I would have acted just like him.

Anyway.

"Oh my. But Awakened Hong Jehun. Aren't you cold?"

I started the conversation naturally, as if water were flowing.

"Uh..."

At my question, he pondered for a moment, then scanned me from head to toe.

Seeing me looking fine in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, he narrowed his eyes in doubt for a moment.

"Are you an NPC, so you don't feel the cold?"

He asked back instead of answering.

Pure white steam was still puffing out from his mouth incessantly.

Well, it was a reasonable question. My fingertips weren't even red in the face of the freezing wind.

"Of course."

I puffed out my chest and answered triumphantly.

But in reality, it wasn't 'of course'.

I was the one who had been crying, 'I'm going to freeze to death!' just a moment ago.

But how could I be so fine now?

It was all thanks to the 10 ice crystals.

The small, faint light ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I saw in the distance earlier.

When I gathered them, they were ice crystals.

The crafting manual lit up when I put them in my inventory.

When I opened it, it said that if I synthesized 10 ice crystals, I could create a bottle of 'Cold-Resistant Elixir' that helps you overcome the cold for a whole hour.

In fact, I had debated whether to leave or stay dozens of times before that appeared.

Intrusions have no limit on the number of times anyway.

I hesitated dozens of times, thinking about leaving quickly and going to Seo Ian's side.

Even on the same floor, the difficulty is the same, but the background inside changes drastically depending on the entrant.

'Short padding, padded pants. Fur hat, fur gloves. It looks like he came fully geared up...'

I smiled comfortably behind my mask, looking at the empty space beside him.

'It doesn't look like I won't get contribution.'

In the empty space I was looking at, the 'status window' of Hong Jehun, known as the current #1 ranker in South Korea, was displayed.