The Dog That Chased the Chicken

Zhang Xuan had already held a press conference. And now, barely a day later, he had summoned the reporters all over again.

He had tasted how sweet a raid boycott could be.

The PR war actually worked.

Of course the hate comments had poured in by the thousands. But anyone paying attention understood his value. In the end, if Zhang Xuan refused to move, it was one of two futures: the Tower collapsed, or Korea became China's economic vassal.

Nobody wanted either of those. Right now the Korean people hated him and desperately needed him in the same breath. That sense of superiority was exactly like a drug.

So Zhang Xuan called another press conference. To pour fuel on the PR war.

Keep this up, and before long he would get to watch the Guildmaster of Advance Guild drop to his knees and beg.

You never know what you've got till it's gone. Typical small-country types — no vision at all.

He started performing.

"Every night, I soak my pillow with tears. The suffering from the hate comments, the pressure from the Korean government. The stress is so severe that I simply cannot activate my skill with any precision."

He vigorously rubbed at eyes that did not have a single trace of moisture in them.

The reporters watching this display could barely keep the curses from spilling out. They were Korean before they were journalists.

I only came because it's a story, but...

Nothing of substance, just whining. What is this even supposed to be?

Fucking junkie.

What the hell is the government doing? Just throw this bastard in a cell and force him to raid!

And more than anything, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what truly enraged the reporters and the public alike was the helplessness.

Zhang Xuan was behaving like this — openly mocking Korea — and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Layered on top of that was the dread that a catastrophe might arrive at any moment. The two feelings tangled together until the whole country was steeped in a thick, clinging disgust.

"And so I, Zhang Xuan, after consulting with a psychiatrist, have determined that I am simply unable to undertake such a dangerous Tower raid—"

That was when the press room erupted in ringtones and vibration alerts.

Bzzz—

Bzzz—

Ring-ring!

Bzzz—

Zhang Xuan's words died in his throat at the sudden chaos.

"What's going on? Turn off your phones."

The commotion did not die down. Reporters checked their screens and huddled together, whispering furiously. Someone even took a call right there in the open.

"Focus on MY press conference!"

Then he caught it — one of the reporters smirking.

He's laughing? That son of a bitch...

He dared pull that attitude in front of a high-floor hunter? Zhang Xuan considered grabbing him by the collar.

Still. Not during a PR war.

While he was still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weighing it, that same reporter asked a question.

"We just received breaking news that the 54th Floor has been cleared."

"What?"

What was that supposed to mean? The raid team hadn't even been out of the Tower for a week. Cleared? Cleared how?

Did someone spread a rumor?

And they were using that garbage to get under his skin? In front of him — this country's only solution?

"Are you familiar with the Korean proverb about the dog that chased the chicken, by any chance?"

The room exploded with laughter. Zhang Xuan did not understand the words. He understood the mockery perfectly.

These bastards...!

Korean reporters, openly insulting him on the spot. It was humiliating. It was inhumane. It was discrimination, plain and simple.

Zhang Xuan had taken a hit before coming to the press conference. The faint remainder of the high snapped the rubber band of his self-control.

He came down from the podium and seized the reporter by the collar.

"You bangzi bastard!"

"Hhk! Y-you'll regret this! Everyone here is a reporter!"

Camera flashes detonated in a blinding storm. After a brief scuffle, the Awakened Police Unit burst in wearing special-forces gear.

"Who the hell are you people?!"

"Hunter Zhang Xuan. You are under special arrest for the unlawful use of force against a civilian. Resistance is futile."

The Awakened Police Unit seized both of his arms. He was a 54th-Floor hunter, but he did not shake them off. He did not want this getting any bigger.

"You arrest me? You, you don't know who I am?"

Zhang Xuan had caused scenes like this often enough. But given the special circumstances of the top-floor raid team, he had been granted immunity, and he had used it to run wild like a thug.

"This is contract violation! I have immunity! I really not climb Tower!? Collapse, that is your responsibility!"

Bellowing in clumsy Korean, his vocabulary seemed to drop all the way down to an elementary schooler's. It was a way of speaking Kang Minji had thoroughly despised.

The immunity, however, was a fact the Awakened Police Unit knew perfectly well. They hesitated, unsure how to proceed — and in that moment, someone walked into the press room.

"Just take him in."

"Director Jeong Sangguk. Are you certain this is all right?"

"I'll take full responsibility."

Zhang Xuan clocked that Jeong Sangguk was the one behind all of this. He rounded on him at once.

"Who you? You high person? You higher than president? My immunity is from president!"

"What are you even saying? You need to learn better Korean. Manners, while you're at it."

Jeong Sangguk held out a document. A single sheet of paper, hastily printed from a fax. The reporters jammed their cameras at it.

"Hunter Zhang Xuan. Per the decision of the Guildmaster of Advance Guild, you are hereby notified that the contractual relationship between you and the government of the Republic of Korea has been placed under immediate suspension of effect."

"...What?"

"The grounds for suspension are contractual violations on Hunter Zhang Xuan's part. A ninety-day cessation of prohibited substances prior to deployment on high-risk raid operations was the highest-priority condition of the contract. Hunter Zhang Xuan has violated this condition repeatedly. The Guildmaster of Advance Guild, after sufficient review of the evidence, has made a final determination that there is no possibility of improvement in your behavioral patterns. This decision takes effect immediately."

Flashes erupted in a frenzy. The reporters could not hold back. They shoved their microphones at Jeong Sangguk and fired questions.

"Is it true that the 54th Floor has been cleared?"

"Clearing the 54th Floor is known to typically take two weeks. How was a short-term clear possible?"

"Does suspending the contract with Hunter Zhang Xuan mean you'll be able to continuously clear the Floor 50s going forward?!"

Zhang Xuan's face had gone blank. He had not understood the difficult language. But he had caught the words suspension and violation.

And by now, he had also caught the atmosphere in the room: the 54th-Floor clear was not a bluff.

"What, this not make sense. How you clear 54th Floor without me. Not even one week yet!"

"These days we even respect a prisoner's right to know. You can catch the news from your cell."

"Prison? P-prison why coming out?"

Jeong Sangguk let out a disbelieving huff of a laugh. Then he leaned in and whispered, low enough that the microphones would not catch it.

"Did you seriously never see a problem with any of this? Then where else would you be going but prison, you junkie piece of shit."

Zhang Xuan's eyes flickered.

Should I run?

Anywhere in the world, a hunter special prison was hell. A restraint suit that wrapped all four limbs. A continuous drip of ability-suppressing drugs.

Other countries will still need my skill. If I can just get off Korean soil...

Wait. Was Korea an island? Or not? Could he even run?

"Don't even think about it, you junkie bastard."

Jeong Sangguk's whisper had a chilling edge.

"I'm an SS-Rank from the 33rd Floor myself. I'm confident I can hold you until backup arrives."

Jeong Sangguk was the real thing — a genuine SS-Rank. Zhang Xuan, by contrast, had been a hunter in the Floor 40s who had been force-fed national support until he was dragged, kicking and screaming, up to the 54th. And he was a support, besides.

"Ah..."

Zhang Xuan's will broke. Running was impossible.

"N-next floor from, you need me. So, prison at least..."

"Be a good boy in there. Who knows? Maybe the Guildmaster of Advance Guild will change his mind."

"Let me meet Guildmaster. Just one time."

"Please. Who said he was your guildmaster?"

What a piece of work. A moment later, while Zhang Xuan's guard was down, a suppressant needle punched into his neck.

"Agh."

"Take him away."

"No! Korea cannot be happy without me! You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need me!"

Zhang Xuan was dragged out under an endless storm of camera flashes. Jeong Sangguk stepped up to the podium.

"Well then. Let's begin the press conference."

Every camera in the room swung toward the stage as one.

Even if the press conferences had overlapped, they could have simply called a different set of reporters. But he had wanted to put on at least this much of a show, to soothe a public that was exhausted down to the bone.

Besides. I've only just taken office.

If you let yourself be underestimated, people started acting like those Chinese bastards — they just did whatever they wanted.

Jeong Sangguk spoke with the triumphant air of a man claiming the achievement as his own.

The reporters surged forward in a rush.

"Hyunseok. You really did something huge for us."

"Ah, it was nothing."

Uncle Paldeok was laying the praise on thick. And it was not even the Guildmaster's office he had sat me in — it was a dazzling VIP lounge, probably to boost my mood. I guess that was a Guildmaster for you. The man really knew how to read people.

"I get paid as Special Advisor to do exactly this kind of thing. I just did my job."

I was pretty satisfied with this seat myself, honestly. Now that I was an advisor, giving backseat advice actually felt legitimate. Kang Minji's reaction this time had made me realize that.

"Haha. Right, as if a salary would be the end of it. I'll stuff as much of a performance bonus in there as I can."

"Oh, really?"

I'd heard that clearing a top floor got the guild a massive subsidy from the government. I wondered how much of that would trickle down to me.

A knock. The VIP lounge door opened, and someone came in carrying tea and refreshments.

It was Kang Minji.

"Would you like to try some? I brewed the tea myself, and I baked the cookies myself too!"

"Wow, you made the tea and the cookies yourself?"

Women like this actually existed, huh. It was a complete one-eighty from her combat role as a melee damage dealer.

"I'd heard Youchan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go on about you until I was sick of it. But I never imagined you'd be a master of this caliber."

"That's right — you're the best teacher I've ever had! It's such an amazing skill...!"

It really was an amazing skill. Even if the Shunpo she had was a downgraded version.

I got excited too, talking around a mouthful of cookie.

"With that, you'll be able to solo the entire Floor 50s. The assassins from the 57th Floor onward won't be a problem either, and you'll be essential personnel even once you hit the Floor 60s."

"What? The Floor 60s?"

Ah, crap.

The highest floor in the world was still the 57th. Every floor above 57 in Huntmae was original fiction.

Ugh, you game-addicted backseat-gamer bastard. So embarrassing.

This was not a debate. This was a slip of the tongue. I waved it off in a hurry.

"I-ignore what I just said. That was nonsense. Haha."

The two of them, having finished heaping praise on me, launched into a heated discussion of the fallout from this raid. Shifts in the international situation, China included. The odds of clearing further floors. The change in Advance Guild's standing...

I don't understand a single word of this.

I quietly sipped my tea. And on the other hand, I found myself thinking: these people really were top-tier hunters, weren't they.

Watching them debate in technical jargon like that...

It was incredibly cool. Cool enough to be motivating. The moment the gathering broke up, I headed straight into the Tower.

I should climb faster too.

Climb the Tower fast. Get Father treated. Be praised as a top-floor warrior like them.

It used to be a dream. A delusion.

Now it was a scheduled reality. Just imagining it made my heart pound.

Today's a speedrun clear!

I shot forward with more energy than ever. But there were no enemies in sight.

"Huh?"

I stopped in my tracks. Where the hell were these things?

Oh, right.

The 17th Floor was where the elf assassins spawned.

The strategy for assassins was to look at your feet.

Assassins in stealth. In Huntmae, you tracked them by the rustle of grass at their feet, or the footprint effects.

There!

See? Games weren't completely useless after all. I threw a punch into empty air.

KRA-KOOM!

Thunder crashed, and the assassin's form appeared. Already a corpse.

Then came the sound of something cutting the air.

Swish—!

"Whoa!"

I ducked. An invisible dagger grazed over the top of my head.

Wait. No. Why did I dodge?

I had dodged on instinct. I could have just used Shunpo.

But I actually dodged something that hard?

I was pretty decent even without skills, huh?

I checked the ground, pinpointed the assassin's position, and threw a punch.

KRA-KOOM!

The sound of a blade cutting air again. These things did not quit.

These guys feel more like warriors than the actual warriors that pop out of the ground.

My field of view shifted. But there was nothing but empty air in front of me. Of course — the back of the head would be invisible too.

I'm an assassin too!

I turned on the 400% damage effect of Shunpo - Assassination.

KRA-KOOOOOM—!

A colossal peal of thunder shook the ground. Normally the crater was about the size of a compact car. This one looked five times that.

"Whoa..."

The mobs got gradually stronger as the floors went up. These days they actually left corpses behind. Heavenly Exploding Strike was not quite powerful enough anymore to completely obliterate the bodies.

But this attack did not leave a corpse.

Skills really are the best.

I wondered what skill I would get next.

A chime rang out.

"Huh?"

Wait, what. Did that one attack kill all of them? Had they been coming in together?

I returned to the guild building.

Yeah, the 17th Floor really is more dangerous than usual.

They did say the fatality rate was especially high. If it was like this for me, I could only imagine how it was for everyone else.

Right now China and America and... who else was scheduled to attempt the 57th Floor? A lot of people could die.

The elf assassins from the 17th Floor. They showed up again, suddenly, on the 57th. Obviously much stronger.

In Huntmae too, there had been players who cheesed through the Floor 50s with a Tracking exploit. But every last one of them shed tears of blood on the 57th.

Because of the assassins. The Tracking holder would die, and a full party wipe was the usual result. They had climbed on an exploit. They did not have the legitimate specs.

Kang Minji, though — she would be fine. Shunpo was a strictly superior spec to the assassins in every way.

Ah, what am I even doing right now.

You game-addicted backseat-gamer bastard. The real world's 57th Floor was different from Huntmae's fictional 57th Floor.

Huntmae was a game with obsessive lore accuracy. Whenever information on a new floor was released, they updated the game to reflect it, obviously. But from what I had heard, the 57th Floor had not even been attempted yet by the countries in question. The 56th Floor had only just been cleared not long ago.

China and America were preparing their attempts, I think?

The first tries were supposed to start soon.

Don't even open my mouth about anything above the 56th Floor. That's not backseat gaming — that's just delusion.

I scolded myself and got ready to clock out.