Climbing Together at Last

Lee Yeonhwa cleared the 21st floor in no time — an SS-Rank Clear, as if anything else were possible.

She was a novice spirit summoner. Her contracted spirit was the lowest grade, and she had barely begun to learn spirit arts.

But Spirit Eyes was a broken skill. It hoisted a contracted spirit's power up several grades on its own, and the visual information it poured into you was as good as an answer key anywhere in the twenties.

Her spirit arts themselves were no problem, either.

"Paw."

"Yip."

"Aww, who's a good girl!"

Spirit arts were the techniques for commanding spirits. The reason they were classified as their own discipline was simple: spirits were insufferably picky.

Jo Youchan had been watching Rangi on my lap with far too much interest. He sidled over and gave the tail a furtive little poke.

That was a mistake.

"GRAAAH!"

"Argh!"

His hand was raked open. Worse, it registered as a fire-attribute special attack laced with natural energy. That had to sting.

"Gaaaaah! The wound is searing shut!"

"A 22nd-floor hunter making that much fuss. It was barely a scratch."

"It's my heart that hurts, my heart! Why won't it work for me?!"

"Grrrah!"

Owners of Spirit Eyes, though, were beloved by spirits. People like Yeonhwa and me. The natural energy we carried was so pure, and so abundant, that the spirits couldn't help themselves.

In other words, we were already as good as masters of spirit arts. And on top of that, she had my advice.

Between Yeonhwa and Michelle Selea, the world's number-one spirit summoner — who would win?

Michelle would still come out on top, for now. She is a 43rd-floor hunter, after all.

Either way, Lee Yeonhwa had SS-cleared the 21st floor. She was a 22nd-floor hunter now. And that meant—

"I finally get to climb with you, Instructor!"

"Tsk. I barely have enough time to receive instruction as it is."

"They say you're supposed to share even a single bean, you punk."

The press had gotten louder, too. People never could resist a capable hunter's life.

"Maybe I should pick up some stock myself."

"Everyone in the guild already bought in, Master. Everyone except you."

"Send me the list of companies that sponsor Jingyeok."

"Yes, sir. I'll call the finance team lead right now."

It was the kind of thing a search engine would have spat out in two seconds. Why he insisted on putting a team lead on it, I had no idea. I was about to stop him — but Jo Youchan had already sent the message.

"They sent it."

"Huh? Already?"

The reply had landed instantly.

"It's a request from you, Master. Of course it's the top priority on their desk."

"Ah… we're the same rank on paper. I feel bad."

"You only have team-lead authority on paper, Master. You must never think of yourself as their equal!"

I had gone and pulled a little rank. I was going to have to watch what I said from now on.

"Yeonhwa. Now that your spending's freed up, you should look at some sto—"

I stopped mid-call. Lee Yeonhwa was sprawled across the sofa, so glued to her phone she looked ready to fall into the screen.

"What's she staring at so hard?"

"Let's see… she's reading articles about herself. And the comments."

"Heheh…"

"She's really into it."

Maybe it was the age. She was at that point in life when every glance felt like a spotlight — and being praised in the press was clearly going to her head.

"Aaaah—!"

I nearly jumped.

"W-why would they use a photo like this?!"

"That's your ID photo."

"It's hideous!"

Lee Yeonhwa looked genuinely horrified.

"Talk to the marketing team lead. They'll circulate some decent shots to the press. You might even end up on TV."

"T-TV?!"

Her eyes went perfectly round. The corners of her mouth started twitching upward, one tiny jerk at a time.

"Spirit summoners are flashy. It's a position with real star power."

"I-is that so?"

And Lee Yeonhwa had more of it than most. Youngest daughter of Jeonjoodang, the martial clan that commanded natural energy. A minor, which meant her genius would be lit up from every angle. And she was pretty, besides.

She was going to be popular. Before long, she might even outshine Michelle Selea — the world's greatest spirit summoner, and a celebrity in her own right.

"Being a celebrity feels good. The side income isn't bad, either."

"I… I didn't choose the path of a spirit summoner out of some vulgar hunger for fame, but… still, if my being more active raises Jingyeok Guild's standing, then… heheh…"

The excuses came out in a machine-gun burst. Who exactly was she performing for?

"Look at her go."

"Leave her be."

She was a free woman now. She ought to do everything she wanted.

"Alright. Shall we get started?"

"Oh, let's go!"

"Finally!"

The three of us entered the Tower together.

"Alright, you two. Let's see if you've improved."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes!"

Thirty this time. Three of us, so the spawn count had gone up again.

"How are you going to handle it?"

"Just wait."

This was their first time on the 22nd floor. It was not mine.

The intel I got from the support team said it was completely identical to the 22nd floor in Hunter Conquest.

Hunter Conquest had always been obsessively faithful to its source material. It wasn't called a god-tier game for nothing.

I pulled up everything I knew. Our team's strength. The enemy layout on the 22nd floor. The kinds of sorcery the Dokkaebi used. The clear formed in my head as if someone had drawn it there.

Leading a team through a floor… it really did feel like I was playing Hunter Conquest again.

"Same as last time. We punch straight through the center at top speed."

Lee Yeonhwa would stay here and support.

"Then what about me?"

"You're coming with me."

"What?! H-how am I supposed to do what you did back then, Master?!"

"I've already run the numbers. Just follow me. If it looks like you're going to get hurt, withdraw immediately."

Jo Youchan stared at me, baffled by the confidence. I wasn't doing this for nothing.

The clear experience I had stacked up across countless runs in Hunter Conquest had, against every reasonable expectation, kept working as I climbed the real Tower. That was how the confidence had built.

Feeling this sure of myself over a video game is a little ridiculous… but the real Tower matches the game to a degree that's honestly uncanny.

Anyway. We broke into a full sprint.

Taat!

"What? Why are you so slow?"

"Excuse me? How are you that fast?"

Jo Youchan couldn't match my pace. Our stats should have been the same.

"Hah!"

He shouted and poured current through his body. The acceleration skill — Supreme Heavenly Movement. That one really did look cool.

Crack-snap—

With the skill running, Jo Youchan pulled ahead of me, then eased back to match my stride.

"S-so, the sorcery barrage is about to come down."

"You keep running. I'll cover you."

"Will that even work? There are thirty of them this time…"

At our current speed, it would be tight. And the timing was just about right.

"Fox!"

Lee Yeonhwa's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice rolled across the floor, and a wind shoved us forward.

"Whoa! We're so much faster!"

"We break through at this speed. Do not stop."

The intercept fire started coming. Five dokkaebi-fires right from the opening volley.

I read the trajectories through Spirit Eyes.

"Aaagh!"

"They won't hit. Keep running!"

Just as expected, the dokkaebi-fires slammed down behind us.

KWA-KWA-KWAANG!

At this speed, a clear like this actually works.

It was a route I never could have attempted solo.

Sleet came next. Every ice crystal was a mana-laden blade.

"M-Master!"

"I told you it's fine. Keep running."

I fired Heavenly Exploding Strike through the soles of my feet.

KU-KUNG!

The ground detonated, and I launched forward. We punched through the sleet, and I split the formation down its center with lightning-wreathed fingers.

Seogeok.

The structural core of the sorcery unraveled, and it made a sound like paper being sheared apart.

"Whoa!"

"Do not stop. If you stop, we both get cut off."

"Yes, sir!"

Belief had finally taken root in Jo Youchan. We hit the enemy line fast.

After that, it was a simple slaughter. The 22nd-floor Dokkaebi were built for range, and their durability was pathetic.

Ku-ku-kung—

Ku-kwang!

Thunder rolled, over and over and over.

Team play really was the way to go. Solo, I would have had to detour onto a different route, and it would have taken a while. A Master Clear might not even have been possible.

On a team clear, you could enter a team name or list each member individually.

We'll go with Master.

Putting in the members' names would get messy. Master Clear announcements were broadcast. That would draw a straight line between Master and the two of them — and Master's identity was still a secret.

"Whoa, it's a Master Clear! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Unbelievable!"

"Oh…! So this is the Master Clear message!"

And the Master Mark came to me alone.

Three treasure chests bloomed into existence in front of me.

Come on. Hit the jackpot this time.

Last time I had picked the middle. Right this time? Left?

No.

A gamer's instinct spoke up. In gacha, you commit to one lane.

Waver on a multiple-choice sheet and you walk yourself straight past the jackpot.

The middle!

I went for it. The chest opened. Light and a fanfare burst out together.

Hwaaak—

Ding!

"Aw, come on!"

"What's wrong, Instructor?"

"…The fox and Rangi are going to love this."

"Pardon?"

We exited the Tower.

"Wow… I have never cleared a floor that easily in my life."

"I felt the same way when I cleared the 21st with Master."

If the two of them had each tried the 22nd floor solo, how would they even have approached it? I would have been staring at a wall myself.

"The support team walks you through the clear method beforehand, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's the solo route?"

"You take the longest possible detour in and pick them off one at a time. Ten spawn for a solo clear, and you have to play a one-on-one reading game against their sorcery ten times over. About thirty minutes per kill, usually."

"Wow…"

So that was why the time limit was eighteen hours. You would crawl out of there on the verge of collapse.

"How long did we take?"

"Under twenty minutes."

"This is a whole new world! A clear is normally an all-day affair — you block out a day or two. And we still have the whole day left to rest! The work-life balance on this is insane!"

We headed straight to Headquarters to cash in our Mana Stones — the haul we had stacked from the 11th floor through the 22nd.

The receptionist tapped at her keyboard.

"Could I have the conqueror's nickname, please?"

"Ah."

That was a problem. Behind me, Jo Youchan tapped my shoulder.

"I already called Uncle Jeong Sangguk."

"Nice."

If you have connections, this is exactly when you use them. Except the Director himself came down in person, socks practically still on. A quiet word to a staffer would have been plenty.

The receptionist startled so hard she folded at the waist.

"D-Director?! What brings you all the way down here…"

"Ah, I'll take care of these people myself."

"I beg your pardon?"

The receptionist's face said everything. An ordinary Mana Stone exchange? Handled personally by Director Jeong?

She looked from my face to the Director's and back, then quietly stepped aside.

"Aigoo, if it isn't Instructor Do — the treasure of our Republic of Korea."

"Please don't."

"Heh heh."

We traded a light joke and a greeting, and after that the paperwork vanished in a blink.

"Fifty-two million won."

"I'm sorry?"

The take from floors one through ten had been a little over ten million. It had jumped fivefold?

"That's about the usual gap between brackets. On average, you're looking at roughly five times."

"Wow…"

Then what happened when you reached the forties, where the top hunters lived? I could barely do the math.

Hunters really did make a killing. No wonder everyone staked their lives on climbing floors.

Then how much were Father's hospital bills, exactly?

Business finished, we left the Headquarters building. The receptionist who had handled us bowed so deeply it looked uncomfortable.

"We look forward to seeing you again!"

My phone buzzed. The payment had already hit the account.

"Yes. Money."

"Oh — the money just came in."

"It came through for you too, Master? I've never seen processing this fast."

"Is this considered fast?"

"It usually takes a week. Having friends in high places really does help."

"Instructor! The payment's in — do you have any special plans?"

Lee Yeonhwa had just tasted economic freedom. The sight of money landing in her account had her practically vibrating.

"Special plans, huh."

Payday, in other words. Letting it pass without doing something would have felt like a waste.

Come to think of it…

Unbidden, the image of Lee Yeonhwa lighting up over a new phone rose in my mind.

"Aaaah—! Oppa's the best!"

"Ahem. Ahem. That good, huh?"

Watching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her delight, satisfaction rose in my throat until I had to cough it back down. A pointless little throat-clear escaped me.

"Our son is such a dutiful child! Thank you, son. I'll put it to good use."

"Ahem. Hm."

Mom was over the moon too. She had never cared about the latest phones, but a gift from a son who had made something of himself — that, apparently, was more than enough.

"But how do I move my contacts over?"

"That's… you do it like this…"

"And congratulations on the SS-Rank, Yeonhwa!"

"Heheh. Thank you."

"Wow… oppa bought us phones, and Yeonhwa — the same Yeonhwa who came looking for him the other day — is all over the news. It's finally sinking in that he actually made it. It's so strange…"

While I set up Mom's phone, I opened the browser.

Huh? Why are there this many tabs open?

A glance was enough. Every last one was an article with my name on it. My face went hot. I pretended I hadn't seen a thing.

"Here you go."

"Thank you, son!"

Ahem. Ahem.

Was this the taste of success? Or the taste of being a good son? Either way, it was sweet. Very sweet.

"Hm?"

My pants pocket went suddenly, inexplicably heavy. I looked down. The fox was dangling from it by the teeth. Inside the pocket was the Cheonryeong Cloud Rice Cake.

"That nose of yours is downright supernatural."

"It's so cute!"

Do Seohyeon was dying of delight. She scooped up the fox as it hung there, swaying.

"O-oppa. Does this one always drool this much?"

"It's got a serious glutton streak."

I took the rice cake out. The fox's tail shot straight up.

"Keheng!"

"Grrrah!"

"Yeah, yeah. You get some too."

Rangi came scrabbling up the table leg, claws rasping against the wood.

"What is that, that they're this desperate for it?"

"The food spirits love more than anything."

That was official Hunter Conquest lore. It wasn't just that it suited a spirit's palate — it functioned as a kind of elixir, and it grew a spirit by a serious margin.

The cloud rice cake stretched, long and elastic.

"Keheng!"

The fox leapt, clamped onto the stretched piece, and hung there, swinging.

"GRRRAAH—!"

Rangi erupted in outrage and bit down on the fox's tail.

"O-oppa, they're fighting!"

"Hey, you little brats — eat nicely!"

I split the rice cake in two.

"Master, may I try feeding them?"

"You? I'd leave that alone if I were you."

"Sir?"

"Spirits are more high-maintenance than you—"

"Instructor. Let him try."

Lee Yeonhwa's cheeks twitched with barely contained mischief.

"Alright, you two. I am going to give you a little sna—"

"KEENG—!"

"Grrrah!"

Both spirits bared claws and teeth and charged him on the spot.

"Gaaaaah! Th-that hurts!"

"Hmph. Did you think just anyone could handle a spirit?"

"You little beasts!"

After a brief commotion, Jo Youchan was a landscape of claw marks. The rice cake, naturally, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been confiscated.

Rangi and the fox sat in perfect peace, chewing. Their faces were the picture of worldly bliss. Was it really that good?

Do Seohyeon snapped photo after photo on her new phone.

"Cute, cute! So cu— wait."

"What."

"Did this one always have two tails?"

"Huh?"

Yeonhwa's eyes and mine snapped to the fox at the same time.

"Oh!"

"Whoa!"

The fox was swaying two tails — one more than it had started with.

Wait. What about Rangi?

I whipped my head toward Rangi.