Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Personal Fortress
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It wasn't deleted or lost.
Precisely, it had seeped into Suho's left palm.
Examining his palm, just as Jang Pyeong-ho had described, a key-shaped mark symbolizing the owner of the Subspace House was engraved there.
The key-shaped mark soon vanished.
According to Jang Pyeong-ho, it normally remained invisible, only appearing when using the Subspace House.
Suho clenched his left fist tightly and thought.
‘Finally, I have my own personal fortress.’
Jang Pyeong-ho had called the Subspace House a fortress.
Because he had used it exactly like one.
Especially when ‘smuggling.’
‘From drugs to national treasures to people... there was nothing that guy didn't traffic.’
With just the Subspace House, any smuggling operation could proceed smoothly.
Unlike typical subspaces, it could hold living beings.
Moreover, as long as one's mana stat was high enough, the space could be expanded indefinitely.
That's why Jang Pyeong-ho had utilized his ability for smuggling without restraint, earning new nicknames like ‘Smuggling King’ or ‘Drug Lord.’
But even Jang Pyeong-ho had eventually been caught.
The Subspace House made one virtually invincible once inside, but conversely, there was no way to exit elsewhere.
So the National Hunter Association had surrounded the spot the moment they witnessed him entering and kept watch 24/7.
‘That’s why it took over three years just to capture him.’
He was one tenacious bastard.
He had fortified the Subspace House so thoroughly that he held out alone for over three years.
Having obtained the Subspace House, Suho exited back outside.
Without the slightest hesitation, he headed to the next floor.
***
Meanwhile.
While Suho was climbing the Tower of Challenge, minor commotions stirred in the hunter industry.
- Top scorer of this hunter exam: ‘An Suho’ Hunter.
- An Suho Hunter, who is he?
The so-called commotions were just the usual annual buzz.
Every year, the top scorer of the hunter exam became a rising star drawing everyone's expectations.
As such, guilds across the country began preparations to recruit Suho.
The top scorer always had the highest expectations among rookies.
But then, suddenly published articles plunged everyone into shock.
- [Exclusive] An Suho Hunter revealed to be a Nexus Academy graduate...
- [Exclusive] An Suho Hunter was the solo clearer of Sindorim Station Sudden Gate!
These were strategic PR articles seeded by Nexus Academy.
The guilds that heard the news swallowed their regrets and withdrew from the recruitment race.
A Nexus Academy graduate meant a major prospect nurtured by the industry’s third-ranked Nexus Guild.
Thanks to that, only Hexagon and Prime, who learned late, were left fuming.
They had thought every hunter exam was a showdown just between them, but a totally unexpected third party had pulled off a delightful upset.
Kim Su-ae couldn’t hide her smile amid the barrage of academy inquiries.
‘Three hundred million was worth every penny.’
Beyond boosting the academy’s performance, she even received separate praise calls from the guild master and vice-master.
After all, the academy director’s greatest achievement was producing the hunter exam’s top scorer.
But Kim Su-ae and Nexus Guild had no intention of stopping there.
- Prime first? What does that matter? Spend whatever it takes to recruit him somehow! We have plenty of money too!
Like anyone else, the Nexus Guild master was a greedy man.
No, as the head of an organization, he couldn’t let such a rare opportunity slip.
Kim Su-ae felt the same.
That’s why she had moved first to invite Suho to join the guild.
‘It failed then, but this time for sure...!’
This time, it was a direct order from the guild master.
Meaning they could offer far greater benefits than before.
But then.
- [Exclusive] This hunter exam top scorer, An Suho Hunter,
“My dream is to become a civil servant hunter.”
A suddenly uploaded exclusive report.
Checking the source, it wasn’t one they had planted.
It was an article from PBS, Korea’s top player broadcaster.
Making it even harder to believe.
Common sense dictated that the hunter exam top scorer would command the highest price that year and become a private hunter, yet suddenly a civil servant hunter?
Clickbait trash?
No way.
PBS wasn’t some yellow journalism outlet that played those games.
But Suho had clearly responded positively to her offer?
Stunned, Kim Su-ae scrolled through the article, but even after finishing, she still couldn’t fathom Suho’s intentions.
‘What the hell?’
What wind had blown in the meantime?
Had the government secretly made an offer behind their backs?
Kim Su-ae bit her lip and called the guild master.
Whatever was going on, she had no intention of giving up on Suho.
***
[ You have cleared floor 29. ]
[ Moving to floor 30. ]
How much time had passed since then?
Around the time Suho broke through another ten floors.
Suho finally succeeded in clearing the Tower of Challenge’s highest official record.
Upon clearing floor 29, system notifications flooded Suho’s vision, celebrating his record update.
[ You have achieved the Tower of Challenge’s highest record. ]
[ For your tremendous accomplishment, the system gifts you 5 bonus stats. ]
[ If you challenge floor 30, your achievement will begin broadcasting to players outside the tower. ]
[ Anonymity is available if desired. ]
[ Will you reveal your player name? ]
Five bonus stats.
These would be awarded each time he updated the record going forward.
So it felt a bit lacking.
If the highest record floor had been lower, he could have secured even more additional stats.
Suho pondered the system’s question briefly before shaking his head.
Revealing now made sense for fame, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to conquer the next floor first.
‘Jo Jin-hwi, you’re definitely watching.’
He had acted cocky in front of Suho, but as a reporter, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
So by now, he had probably come to Pangyo himself or was monitoring via a personal broadcast platform.
Suho hoped Jo Jin-hwi would squirm as long as possible.
Opting for anonymity, Suho stepped back into the portal.
***
[ Floor 29 has been cleared. ]
[ A new challenger attempts floor 30. ]
The moment Suho chose anonymity, the Tower of Challenge began broadcasting his challenge outside, as forewarned.
Everyone who saw it stopped what they were doing and buzzed.
“Floor 30?”
“Challenging the record?”
“Who is it this time?”
Tower record challenges were always hot topics among tower climbers.
And more people than expected actually reached floor 30.
Floor 29 only featured level 29 monsters, and parties arriving there averaged over level 25.
Yet floor 30 remained impregnable.
For one simple reason.
It featured the Tower of Challenge’s first ‘golem.’
“Which team’s about to get wrecked this time.”
“But why anonymous?”
“Probably challenging with failure in mind.”
“Internal guild test?”
“Maybe.”
“Still, revealing your name would boost your value more.”
That was true too.
In the hunter industry, proving your skills directly raised your worth.
In that sense, the Tower of Challenge was a solid proof platform.
As everyone murmured about the challenger’s identity, one person alone stared at the tower notification with a ‘no way’ expression, utterly incredulous.
Jo Jin-hwi.
Having finished his article, he had come to Pangyo on a hunch.
And incredibly, a miracle was unfolding at the Tower of Challenge.
‘An Suho... is that really you?’
The solo clearer of Sindorim Station, hunter exam top scorer, and currently the industry’s hottest commodity.
But something felt off.
The guy had said he wanted fame, so why climb anonymously?
‘Because of me?’
If that was the reason, the bastard was truly insane.
And if the tower’s anonymous player really was An Suho...
Gulp.
Jo Jin-hwi swallowed dryly.
‘You and I are in it for life.’
His eyes gleamed as his lips curled into a grin.
But then.
[ Floor 30 has been cleared. ]
[ Tower of Challenge, highest record updated. ]
The new tower notification.
Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes—and everyone else’s nearby—widened like full moons.
How long after clearing 29 had it been? Already floor 30?
No mistake.
It was real.
The tower and system clearly stated the floor 30 clear.
But the most shocking part was...
[ The clearer is ‘An Suho Player.’ ]
[ An Suho Player begins floor 31 challenge. ]
“......!”
Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes bulged like they might pop out.
***
[ Floor 31 has been cleared. ]
[ Tower of Challenge, highest record updated. ]
[ The clearer is ‘An Suho Player.’ ]
[ An Suho Player begins floor 32 challenge. ]
[ Floor 32 has been cleared. ]
[ Tower of Challenge, highest record updated. ]
[ The clearer is ‘An Suho Player.’ ]
[ An Suho Player begins floor 33 challenge. ]
[ Floor 33 has been cleared. ]
[ Tower of Challenge, highest record updated. ]
[ The clearer is ‘An Suho Player.’ ]
[ An Suho Player begins floor 34 challenge. ]
...
The moment he set the new record at floor 30, Suho revealed his name to the world as planned.
Chaos erupted outside, growing noisier the higher Suho climbed.
Kim Su-ae was especially stunned.
“Ah, An Suho Hunter is breaking Tower of Challenge records in real time?”
“Yes, Director! Check the article, but he’s still challenging live...!”
Nexus Guild headquarters.
To recruit An Suho, Kim Su-ae had come to HQ and called an emergency meeting with the guild master and vice-master.
She was personally adjusting recruitment terms when the unforeseen breaking news forced her to scrap everything.
News outlets were already live-streaming the tower situation.
Then, the Nexus Guild master—eyes equally wide—quietly removed his glasses and spoke.
“This... we might need to offer an amount beyond our imagination.”
All the executives present nodded silently in agreement.
Return of the Sword God Civil Servant