Department Head Park Sang-ik
Strike while the iron is hot. Wasting no time, Eunho and Arin descended the Tower's central staircase and stepped back into the Start Village on the 1st Floor.
"Whoa. We weren't gone that long, but it feels like forever, doesn't it?"
—Standard climber symptom. When you spend all your time clearing floors, your perception of time gets totally warped. Especially you, Eunho—you just dove through two cave terrains back-to-back, right? Without sunlight, telling time is rough.
For once, Regressor Arin was offering perfectly normal, veteran advice.
—Hey! What do you mean 'for once'? Are you saying I've been weird this whole time?!
Listening to Regressor Arin's indignant pouting echoing in his mind, Eunho strolled down the dirt road. The scenery of the 1st Floor village greeted him, simultaneously familiar and foreign.
'Those people…'
—Yep. You noticed? Everyone's glancing your way. Look at our Eunho, a full-blown celebrity already!
It was just as she said.
Every step Eunho took drew veiled stares that tracked his back. Within those looks, he could read intense admiration and curiosity. But beneath that lay a faint, undeniable trace of unease.
'Wait. Unease? Why would they look at me and feel nervous?'
—…Huh, true? There shouldn't be any reason for them to be nervous. If they're staring, it means they watched your stream.
Just as Eunho wondered whether he should turn around and ask, a group stepped forward and barred his path.
Every single one of them was clad in rugged leather armor, carrying bows and quivers strapped to their backs with short swords hanging from their waists. It was the very same hunter crew Eunho had briefly spotted this morning before making his excursion toward the 2nd Floor.
"Pardon me. Might we borrow a moment of your time?"
The man who appeared to be their leader strode forward, calling out in a polite yet cautious tone.
"Is something the matter?"
"Greetings. I am Rosendel. I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but an unsettling incident has occurred in the village. No one has been harmed, thankfully, but several malicious pranks have been reported."
"Malicious pranks?"
"Yes. It seems someone has been walking around wearing other people's faces and committing offenses."
"Wearing other people's faces?"
"Literally. One man was perplexed because his friend was acting with an entirely different personality. But when he walked into the tavern shortly after, he found that very same friend slurring his words, utterly incapacitated with drink. The gap between seeing the strangely behaved 'friend' and finding the real one passed out in the tavern was barely three minutes. The man testified that there was no physical way anyone could become that intoxicated in such a brief span."
"I take it there are other cases?"
"Indeed. Take Gilbert from our hunter crew, for instance. He claims he saw someone who looked identical to his own son. As hunters, we pride ourselves on our keen eyesight. Aside from the boy's bizarre temperament and facial expression, there was not a single physical difference."
"I see."
Eunho's expression hardened as he listened.
"Seeing as you're telling me this… I presume you either suspect me, or an incident occurred involving my face?"
"…Yes. That is correct. However, we do not suspect you in the slightest, Lord Eunho. We personally witnessed you descending from the upper staircase just moments ago, and I, too, am an avid viewer of your stream."
As Rosendel spoke, his gaze drifted past Eunho toward the ring shimmering on Arin's finger. It was clear he really had watched the broadcast.
"What happened using my likeness?"
"It occurred only moments ago. In fact, right up until three minutes before you descended the stairs. Someone wearing your face snatched food from stalls and ran, kicked up a fuss claiming a blacksmith hadn't maintained his weapon properly… petty grievances of that nature."
"Is it still happening?"
"No. The moment you came down the steps, the impostor vanished into thin air."
"Hmm."
Eunho rested his chin on his hand, sinking into thought.
To pull off something so surreal, the culprit was undeniably an Awakener. In fact, merely existing inside the Tower guaranteed they were one. Yet among all the people he had crossed paths with, he couldn't recall anyone wielding such an ability.
'Back during my academy days, I analyzed the traits of countless classmates.'
Desperate for any hint that might awaken his own dormant trait, he had observed and researched the abilities of everyone around him. Of course, thanks to that absolute bastard Doochang, that research had spawned baseless rumors framing him as a gloomy, creeping stalker.
—Could it be a doppelganger? No, that doesn't make sense. It's way too early for them to show up!
'Doppelganger?'
—Yeah. You know the concept, right, Eunho? A creature that mimics someone's exact double.
'Well… yeah. I know what that is.'
—The Tower has doppelgangers just like that. Almost as if the Tower absorbed folklore from Earth, their traits match the legends to a tee.
'Really?'
—Yeah. But normally, they only appear in the 2nd Stratum… Why on earth is one down here? Their territorial domain should be restricted to the 2nd Stratum!
'Wait. If it's a 2nd Stratum monster, isn't that dangerous?'
—Well… honestly, I can't say for sure. What makes doppelgangers tricky isn't raw offensive power; it's their shapeshifting and mimicry.
'Is that so?'
—Yeah. The real problem is… the folks residing in the 1st Floor Start Village aren't particularly strong fighters.
Eunho weighed his options before opening his streaming interface.
'Arin. How many viewers did we have right before I ended the stream?'
—Roughly… eight million?
'Insane.'
During the raid, the sheer influx of numbers had blurred together. Hearing the actual tally now made the staggering reality sink in. He had started streaming barely a day ago. Normally, it took time for word-of-mouth clips to circulate on Earth, and even longer for the general public to take notice. Yet within twenty-four hours, eight million people had tuned in. It felt completely surreal.
Grounding himself against the shock, Eunho activated his broadcast.
Even though he hadn't posted any notice, viewers flooded the chat in an instant, question marks populating the screen at lightning speed.
"Yes. I closed it and came down to the 1st Floor. Since the return period to Earth is open, I'm planning to drop by Earth for a short while."
"A nobody who debuted yesterday having a fan meeting? Be serious."
"Ah, I'm visiting for personal matters. I also want to offer some assistance with the upcoming Erosion. But the main reason I turned the stream back on is this: I just received word that an incident has broken out here in the 1st Floor Start Village."
Eunho summarized the report he had heard from Rosendel, relaying it clearly to his viewers. Having watched countless climber broadcasts over the years, the audience immediately grasped what he needed.
"Yes. I would appreciate your help."
Feeling a mix of reassurance and mild concern at their enthusiastic promises, Eunho shut off the broadcast once more. Rosendel looked at him, eyes wide with astonishment.
"A-Ah… thank you. Truly, thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'm currently conquering the 1st Tier myself, which means I live in this Start Village too. It's only right that I help where I can."
Leaving the grateful hunter behind, Eunho opened the Tower's system prompt.
Return period is currently available.
Would you like to return to the planet: 'Earth'?
'Yes.'
Initiating return to Earth.
Creak—.
A gate swung open. It gave off a weathered, metallic groan like hinges rusted over centuries. As the atmospheric currents whistled past, a landscape materialized before his eyes: the bustling backdrop of South Korea, the homeland where he had grown up.
Stepping out onto familiar pavement, Eunho felt the two Arins fall into step beside him.
"Will that really be enough to resolve things?" Arin asked softly.
"Probably not," Eunho answered.
According to Regressor Arin, the doppelganger was an entity belonging to the 2nd Stratum. Yet no reports of its existence had ever reached Earth. That meant even the current top rankers had never officially identified it.
"Even if Salwang is a legendary Ranker, he won't be coming down in person. His subordinates in the executioner squad won't be able to solve it completely."
Nevertheless, Eunho had sent the warning for a singular strategic reason: to constrict the doppelganger's sphere of activity.
'Even if they don't match Salwang himself, the executioners are tracking specialists. Their watchful presence in the 1st Floor will drastically narrow the space that doppelganger can operate in.'
Salwang's crew wasn't part of the Vanguard pushing uncharted floors; they functioned more like marshals maintaining civil order. Their master had created the crew specifically for that purpose.
'Until I conquer the 1st Tier, the Start Village is my home base. This isn't someone else's problem.'
What if it wasn't just doppelgangers? What if other abnormal monsters slipped through? In the worst-case scenario, the Tower could become utterly unclimbable.
'Arin. Did anything like this happen when you climbed the Tower in your timeline?'
—Hmm… no. I'm pretty sure nothing like this ever happened.
'Then that means I'm somehow part of the causal chain.'
He didn't know why yet, which was all the more reason to find out. A blade striking from behind was always infinitely more terrifying than one swung head-on. Humans were inherently vulnerable to fear of the unknown.
Pondering the implications, Eunho walked forward across Korean soil. Arin walked alongside him, soaking in the long-missed sights of their hometown. Seoul was a towering forest of concrete—a metropolis that had once crumbled under the advent of the Tower, only to rise again by harnessing Awakener power and reclaiming its former skyscraper glory.
"Ugh. Is it because we just got back from the Tower? The exhaust fumes are horrible."
"…True. I never really noticed before, but the air quality feels awful."
—Well, obviously! The Tower doesn't have factories or combustion engines. Sure, things get a bit weirder once you climb to much higher floors… but the dense mana keeps the atmosphere from getting polluted like this.
Sharing identical reactions, the three moved through the city. They chatted about the familiar scenery, stopped by roadside stalls to indulge in nostalgic street food they had sorely missed, and walked for about an hour. Before long, an imposing structure loomed ahead.
Nestled amid the towering skyline, the building appeared almost modest in scale. Yet it radiated an austere, heavily guarded aura, as if a colossal monster were penned within its perimeter. Emblazoned upon the main entrance was a sleek insignia in the shape of a shield.
The Hunter Association.
The international authority overseeing all Awakeners. Eunho and Arin made their way straight toward the Association Korean Branch.
Swish—.
The automatic glass doors slid open, revealing a cavernous lobby bustling with activity. It was packed with Korean climbers returning home to prepare for the monthly Erosion, alongside briskly moving Association personnel.
Yet amid the sea of people, one figure instantly seized Eunho's attention.
'…What in the world?'
A towering giant was staring directly at him, eyes sparkling as if he had just locked eyes with his favorite pop idol. The man had to be well over 190 centimeters tall, his monstrous frame straining the seams of his tailored business suit. Seeing a man built like a fortress gaze at him with pure, shimmering reverence was overwhelmingly burdensome… in fact, it made Eunho's stomach churn slightly.
Oblivious to the unease he caused, the mountain of a man rose from the lobby lounge and marched forward with heavy, earth-shaking thuds. Stopping before them, he bent at the waist in a crisp, razor-sharp ninety-degree bow.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am Department Head Park Sang-ik of the Hunter Association's Korean Branch! It is an absolute honor to meet you!"
Eunho had come to negotiate terms with the Association, but right out of the gate, he had collided headfirst with an utter force of nature.