Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Exchange Meeting
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"I-I'm off then?!"
Before A-hyeon headed out, steeling herself for her date with Do-yoon.
From early morning, Cha Yun-ha had been helping her get ready, now watching the woman—like a little sister—with a fond smile.
"Don't get all tense for no reason. Just be yourself."
"Uh...! B-Be myself..."
In truth, Cha Yun-ha had her own share of questions about him.
Not anything touchy like romantic entanglements, but purely from a hunter's perspective.
What exactly had he done in that theme stage, and what had he gained?
She hadn't heard any details straight from him yet.
So Cha Yun-ha and the other hunters were deeply curious about his next moves.
After spending time with Jeong A-hyeon, Do-yoon headed to the association the next day.
-Wriggle, wriggle.
There, right in front of them, was a dark red chain writhing as if truly alive.
"What... is that...?"
"D-Do-yoon, why does that thing look like it's moving on its own?"
"It is alive."
Do-yoon continued, unfazed by the swaying chain.
Though it had this bizarre form now, it was definitely that object from the 5th-floor theme stage.
"A chain... Now that you mention it, that's the one from the 5th floor."
Jo Ha-rin muttered, finally recalling its shape.
"That's it, right?"
"Seems like it."
Jo Ha-rin and Han Ji-hyeok both dredged up their memories and nodded in confirmation.
It was clear.
This was one of the attack methods from that object in the theme stage—the one that had brought despair and terror to hunters.
"What the hell did you do... or rather, what kind of stunt did you pull?"
Now Do-yoon's exploits were finally coming to light.
One, he'd entered the theme stage.
Two, he'd encountered the object there.
Three, he'd resonated with it and cleared the floor.
".....?"
The hunters who'd heard everything stared at Do-yoon with lingering confusion.
"How do you even resonate with an object...?"
"It was like a mana ring forming during resonance or something."
"....."
Han Ji-hyeok silently glanced at his teammates.
Jo Ha-rin, Cha Yun-ha, and even Jeong A-hyeon, who was smiling awkwardly.
-Are we just supposed to accept this like everything else?
-What choice do we have? If Do-yoon says so.
-Hehe, I've already decided to just go with it.
Exchanges of meaningful looks passed between them, and Han Ji-hyeok let out a deep sigh, shaking off the headache threatening to form.
"It's not dangerous or anything, right?"
"Nah, absolutely not."
"Heehee, I'm not dangerous at all!"
In a perky voice only Do-yoon could hear, the chain nuzzled his cheek again.
"While we're at it, wanna test its utility?"
"That's exactly why I wanted to mention it."
How far could this ability's applications go?
Do-yoon eyed the sturdy tank, Han Ji-hyeok, with thick curiosity.
It was obvious he planned to use him as a training dummy.
"Everyone else, step out for a bit. Do-yoon, do some light stretches. I'll supervise."
"Thanks, bro."
And so, their long-overdue sparring match began.
Matching Han Ji-hyeok's accommodating defense—
Do-yoon charged at him alongside a summoned fragment of Eira.
-Boom!
Beyond the training room.
The three women observed Do-yoon's performance.
"He's definitely faster than last time."
"His raw strength too. At this rate, he'll catch up to Ji-hyeok oppa in no time."
"Isn't that growth way too quick for just clearing the 5th floor?"
"...In Do-yoon oppa's case, he grabbed a ton of hidden pieces along the way."
"Exactly! Those hidden pieces!"
Just thinking about it still made their heads spin.
Other hunters might see one in a lifetime, if ever.
How many had this guy already snagged?
They welcomed his presence since new talent was scarce here.
In a country swarming with rivals, he might've already been silenced somewhere.
In the worst way possible.
"We have to submit the settlement report soon, but if he keeps making this much noise..."
The higher-ups, hearing about the hidden pieces, would zero in on Do-yoon for sure.
"W-Well, it's good for tower raids, at least..."
"True..."
She wasn't wrong.
So Cha Yun-ha sighed deeply and watched Do-yoon train hard.
"I just hope he doesn't stand out too much."
"No chance of that."
Jo Ha-rin chimed in from beside her.
Her eyes stayed glued to the fight.
Attack stance, gaze, even the planning leading to the next move.
Jo Ha-rin analyzed Do-yoon's combat flow.
And that 'object'—the chain—added unpredictable variables—
"Looks pretty solid."
"Yeah?"
"Yep."
She'd given up trying to understand it long ago.
The remaining hunters simply hoped his future stayed bright, without a single cloudy day.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hoo...!"
Finishing the spar, Do-yoon caught his breath and looked at Han Ji-hyeok.
Despite all the hits he'd taken, not a hint of fatigue.
That was the gap between him and a mid-tier hunter.
"Good work."
Han Ji-hyeok smoothly stowed his shield and met Do-yoon's gaze.
"Still a long way to go."
"...But it's dangerous. Or should I not say it like that?"
Han Ji-hyeok reviewed the fight and gave his verdict.
"You're at an amazing level already. Keep this up, and you'll catch me in no time."
"...How long do you think that'll take?"
Do-yoon asked out of pure curiosity, and Han Ji-hyeok gauged it.
"One... five years?"
It was a gut feeling.
Even that was outrageously optimistic.
Hanging such expectations on a newbie hunter wasn't easy.
"When are you heading back to the tower?"
"As soon as possible."
"Hm."
He'd meant to discourage him.
But seeing growth beyond expectations made it hard to outright stop him.
"Take it steady. Ask if you need anything, no hesitation."
"Got it."
Do-yoon got Han Ji-hyeok's final combat feedback and left the training room.
He exchanged greetings with the three hunters watching him curiously, then headed back to the dorm.
"...Oh right, Do-yoon oppa."
He was stopped on his way.
"Yeah?"
"If you're free later, could we chat at the cafe for a bit?"
"It's about time you learned about this, Do-yoon."
"...What is it?"
"The exchange meeting."
Time kept flowing, and Do-yoon had become a proper hunter.
Regrettably, the time to show himself to the world had arrived too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Other hunters?"
"Yeah. We meet up like this once in a while to share floor raid info and say hi."
After washing up and returning to the cafe, Jo Ha-rin and the others were already seated.
"B-But I heard this one's just Asia region...!"
"Yeah, luckily."
The countries with towers in Asia: South Korea, China, and Japan.
'So we'll be meeting them.'
First time encountering hunters from other nations, Do-yoon felt keen interest.
If he could learn something new, it'd surely become a valuable connection.
"When does the exchange meeting start?"
"In a week. We've left you out till now since you were tackling tutorial floors. Prep started way before."
Do-yoon was still a low-tier hunter who'd just cleared the 5th-floor theme stage.
This was thanks to the others' consideration.
Otherwise, he'd be prepping for the meeting without even entering the tower.
"Thank you."
"No biggie. You clearing the tower faster benefits us too."
"It's boring anyway."
Jo Ha-rin grumbled flatly from the side.
The others looked equally unenthused, nodding in agreement.
"....?"
From Do-yoon's newbie perspective, he couldn't grasp what their reactions meant.
"Other brothers and sisters?!"
Eira reacted from within him.
Less like expecting new bonds, more like eyeing new toys.
"Yeah."
Do-yoon couldn't help but smile, picturing Eira's antics.
"Oh, then."
"Hm?"
"Do they have summoners there too, like that?"
He wanted to ask about Eira.
The hunters' expressions turned subtle, then they spoke.
"Probably, but they won't share that info."
"Ah...."
"It's all force exposure."
Exposing forces against a common enemy like the tower?
It was baffling logic, but as a fresh hunter, Do-yoon could do nothing but accept it.
'Guess I just observe and learn.'
No helping it.
Do-yoon settled on compromising and awaited the exchange meeting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Breaking News (My Post) Title: Wanted to Proceed with Tower Conquest Right Away, But Can't - There's this exchange meeting where hunters from each country gather, and it'll take a while 💬 Comments — Anonymous Ah, fuck — Anonymous What's an exchange meeting???? — Anonymous Is that more important than our graduation? — Anonymous Do your best! Do your best! — Anonymous We're just backroom old fogeys again? — Anonymous Yeah, we're done if we die~ Done if we die~ Done if we die~ — Anonymous Bopbung main post... Bopbung main post... Bopbung main post... Bopbung main post... Announcing a pause in tower raids tanked the lively Boss Mob Gallery mood.
On the flip side, some showed interest in human civilization.
📰 Breaking News Title: Fair enough, better than blindly smashing our heads in Nickname: Paper Enthusiast* - So we communicate with hunters from other countries and learn what we can? 💬 Comments — (My Post) Nah; seems more like mutual surveillance — Paper Enthusiast* Hunters checking each other out? — Anonymous Runs real smooth lol — Anonymous We're shaking not knowing when ejection hits, and they're all fat and comfy — Anonymous For real lmao — Anonymous Just skip it "I want to skip it too."
Over tedious mind games, straightforward tower raids were better.
Plus, better chances there to gather clues for Eira.
📰 Breaking News Title: So what about our grape juice throne? - Exchange meeting or whatever, that's more urgent lol 💬 Comments — (My Post) She's asleep via skill right now, but only partial manifestation each time — Poster ?? Then the rest? — (My Post) My power issue, can only summon partial; just small chain form — Anonymous Abuse? — Anonymous Abuse my ass, probably just in another world — Anonymous Another world? — Anonymous Probably some empty void made of mana or whatever — Short-Eared Goblin* Hmm~ Makes sense~ ...
"Do-yoon oppa likes Eira more!"
"...Cheeky thing."
And in a place Do-yoon didn't know.
The Wine Throne and Grape Juice Throne faced each other in their private world.