When the Ground Turns Red

A newly unlocked feature: Direct Conquest.

Still not entirely sure what it actually does.

One of yesterday's reward boxes had glowed gold—the same way other people's status windows did. It was the exact color I'd seen looking at the golden letters of Supreme Heavenly Movement. When I opened it, I hit a jackpot for the first time since the rewards had started appearing.

I'll use that item after we clear today's floor.

I set it aside for now. I wanted to try Direct Conquest first. Juggling two new abilities at once would only get confusing.

Anyway, that can't be all it does.

The fact that the gold had been reflected in my actual field of vision meant—

"Master."

Jo Youchan's voice cut in. I shelved the thought for later.

"Something's off, isn't it?"

"What is."

"The Dokkaebi count actually went down."

Fifty kills on the 25th Floor. Thirty now that we'd stepped onto the 26th.

"Instead, you get a nastier kind of Dokkaebi."

"Oh. I think I saw that in the briefing."

The materials the support team handed out—strategy guides analyzed with modern technology. One of the biggest reasons people joined a guild in the first place.

"You didn't even read the briefing?"

This brat. Slacking off already.

"Haha! Climbing with the team's answer key right next to me, I just never got around to it."

"You need to learn how to clear floors on your own, too."

"Yes, sir!"

Instead, the sharp and capable Lee Yeonhwa stepped in.

"I know this one!"

"What is it, kid."

"The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠academically challenged should stop picking fights and just listen."

"Kh…"

A fact-check beatdown. Jo Youchan couldn't get another word out.

"This floor has Sinto Jangseung!"

"That's it."

"What's that?"

"They travel underground and launch surprise ambushes."

The 26th Floor had a fairly high fatality rate, and that thing was the reason. It had been a newbie-crusher section in the game, too.

Reminds me of when I was a newbie.

I'd gotten hit by it myself. Lost a whole raid party to a Sinto Jangseung. After that, I'd studied the clear down to the last detail.

"From underground? Then how are you supposed to dodge it?"

That was what made the thing so nasty. There was no real strategy to speak of.

"You just have to stay extremely alert."

"Huh?"

Magic bombardment pouring in from every direction, and in the middle of all that you had to keep watching the ground. Then, the instant before it erupted, you dodged on pure reflexes.

"What kind of brain-dead strategy is that?"

Do it enough times and you get used to it. In the game, I'd reached the point where I could dodge them with my eyes closed.

"I'll handle as much of the clear as I can today, so you two just stay careful and— hm?"

What was this. The ground had suddenly turned red.

"What's wrong?"

"Why did the ground turn red?"

There was nothing like this in the game… wait. In the game?

"You guys can't see it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you colorblind? Maybe it's because you're getting old."

This little— I was still in my mid-twenties.

"You're dead."

"True to your punk nature—there's not a single thing you won't say to Master!"

"I-it was a joke."

Anyway. This was probably that.

"Kids. Three steps back."

"Hm?"

"What?"

They did as they were told and retreated.

A moment later, a Jangseung erupted from the earth.

BOOM!

"Yikes!"

"Whoa, shit—that scared me!"

The two of them jumped out of their skins.

"So that's what it was."

The effect of Direct Conquest. Same as in a game, it seemed to display ranges and telegraph zones. The colors that used to appear only on hunters' status windows—red when I advised someone on a problem, gold when I found their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠potential. Those two colors had opened up in my actual field of vision.

"K-kid, get back!"

Jo Youchan shoved Lee Yeonhwa behind him and threw a Heavenly Exploding Strike.

RUMBLE!

"Gaaah! It's filthy tough!"

"These things are wood and earth attribute at the same time."

Lightning-attribute attacks wouldn't have an easy time. Even my Heavenly Exploding Strike needed three hits.

"Rangi."

I wrapped my hand in flame.

KRA-KOOOOM—!

The Sinto Jangseung shattered into pieces. The two of them stared, stunned.

"…No matter how many times I see that destructive power, I just can't get used to it."

"I just used the elemental matchup."

"It's not just this time. You one-shot everything, always."

"Well. I'm strong."

"The only monster who one-shots everything is you, Master."

"Huh? That so?"

Come to think of it, that was why a Master Clear always popped. Except for those squishy ranged Dokkaebi, a one-shot was usually unthinkable.

"Even a tank like that one."

"Wow! One hit, unlike you, Punk!"

"Hey, you don't even remember that I just saved you?"

"That's our Master!"

After that, it was business as usual. We punched through the magic barrage and cut down Dokkaebi.

Dokkaebi fire came arcing in from far off.

Even without turning on Spirit Eye, the impact points are showing up in red.

Spirit Eye felt like reading the trajectory of the magic. This just showed the result. It was exactly like a game.

This is completely broken, isn't it?

"Youchan, stop. It's coming up right in front of you."

"Huh, really?"

BOOM!

A Sinto Jangseung erupted. Tough, sure—but aside from the ambush, it wasn't much. Which meant the rest of the clear was simple.

"Okay, but how do you know where they're going to pop out?"

"That's what I'd like to know. The briefing said they were unpredictable."

I was used to questions like that by now. My deflection game was getting pretty polished, too.

"I can just see it."

"Ah…! Of course!"

"Whoa, shit."

I couldn't tell them everything. Lying didn't sit right either, though. Just give them a simplified version of the truth, or ignore the question. They always filled in the rest themselves.

This is starting to feel more and more like real Hunter Management. I like it.

This new feature was satisfying too. Floor 30 was looking exciting.

Alright. Now then…

Heart-pounding reward time! This was different from before. Now I could see the jackpot!

Come on out, golden box!

Three boxes. Same as always.

…Huh?

Where did the golden box go. D-don't tell me they're all duds this time?

Aargh!

…Right. If I hit the jackpot every time, it'd be too broken. The one I'd pulled last time was already insanely good.

I was about to collect the reward when Rangi and Yeohwa caught my eye.

"…Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Have these two gotten a little chubby?"

"Uh… huh? Now that you mention it…"

I picked Rangi up, sliding my hands under his armpits. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He stretched out long, just like a cat.

"He's like cheese!"

"L-l-look at this belly."

"So cute!"

"Krrung!"

Lee Yeonhwa lifted Yeohwa, who swished her tail.

"Our Yeohwa's little belly!"

"Keheng!"

"This won't do. Unsummon Yeohwa."

I reverse-summoned them both first, then collected the rice cake. The moment we exited the Tower, I hid it—tucked between the office furniture, sealed up nicely in newspaper.

"Let's start regulating their snacks."

"Understood."

"No snacks today? Aww…"

Jo Youchan somehow looked even more disappointed. I summoned Rangi and Yeohwa again.

"But Master, didn't you say you were going to do something after today's clear?"

"Ah, right."

Time to eat the item I'd pulled yesterday. An incredibly good one.

An elixir, no less! The Illusion Tree Fruit, the kind you only harvested on high floors much later on.

They're giving me this on a low floor like this?

Now that was a reward. An elixir that would cause a riot if it hit a real-world auction. It was a fictional item that had only ever existed in the game, after all.

Alright, let's try eating—

"Hey, hey! Stop her!"

"Huh?"

Yeohwa already had her nose buried in the corner of the room. Only a tiny rear and a swishing tail stuck out. That was where I'd hidden the rice cake. That damn sniffer!

Lee Yeonhwa approached.

"Yeohwa, come here. I'll give you that later… aah! She's already eating it!"

When Lee Yeonhwa lifted her, the rice cake stretched out of her muzzle in a long, gooey string. Rangi's eyes flashed at the sight.

"Krrung—!"

"Keheng!"

Aigoo. Fine. Eat it. Just eat it. Both of them looked utterly blissful.

"They look so happy, I almost want to just let them have it."

"I'm worried about the belly fat, though. Should we take them on walks?"

The office filled with the blissful sounds of chewing.

Korea's number one guild: Jeongsang.

Yang Hwayeon was Jeongsang's chief mage.

Though "number one guild" will be a thing of the past soon enough.

The next guild evaluation was a foregone conclusion. Jeongsang would have to surrender the top spot. But Yang Hwayeon wasn't worried. Her own market value had risen even higher than before.

I ended up with an SS-Rank record, somehow.

During Korea's conquest of the 54th Floor, she and her friend Kang Minji had entered as a pair. Kang Minji had cleared it alone. Yang Hwayeon had just thrown up shields from the side—and still walked away with an SS-Rank. Her contribution as support had been generously recognized, too.

I rode his coattails without even realizing it.

Her annual salary had jumped as a result.

That girl, hogging all that honey for herself.

Her friend Kang Minji had become a superstar. They said she was worshipped as a hero in America. In Korea, she was already a national figure.

It was enviable. If only she had caught his eye too…

If he's a martial artist, he probably doesn't know magic. It might be difficult.

Still, she wished she could have at least gotten close to him. It was too late now. He had become someone far too high up. She should have had Kang Minji introduce her ages ago. Any way she could.

No. The moment you think it's too late is the best time to start!

She would go see him now. At least to offer her thanks! And she even had a good excuse—her market value had gone up because of him.

I should bring a gift, at least.

What would be good? He probably had plenty of money.

Oh, come to think of it…

She'd heard he wasn't even a high-floor hunter. On the high floors, everyone knew everyone. The higher you went, the fewer people there were. And yet she had never heard of anyone like him.

Then again, theory and practice are different domains.

A sports coach didn't have to be a world-class athlete. Same logic. He himself probably wasn't all that strong.

Then maybe I should bring him a specialty item from the upper floors?

She reached out to an appropriate source.

What did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that even mean? Alcohol and coffee were bitter to begin with.

"Well… anyway, thanks!"

There was a liquor you could obtain on the 49th Floor, one that functioned as a kind of elixir. She would bring that when she visited.

Crunch!

"Mm!"

This was good. I'd always wondered what it tasted like whenever I saw it in the game. It was like a peach and a strawberry had a baby.

"What's with the sudden fruit?"

"Shall I peel it for you?"

Lee Yeonhwa, who had been playing with Yeohwa. So polite, too.

"I appreciate the thought."

Yeonhwa really was a sweetheart.

"Oh my? Look at this one. He's drooling."

"What is that? Why are they licking their chops? Did someone send another gift?"

"Something good for you."

"Aren't you a little young to be taking health supplements?"

"You're dead."

Alright. Time to see the effect.

A thread as thin as silk unspooled from my fingertip—mana packed down to a filament. I reached out with it, and—

"Ah! The flower vase is floating!"

"The game console too!"

"T-telekinesis?! That's impossible! Wasn't that a realm that only existed in the imagination?!"

The developers had implemented it in the game. A realm that existed purely in the imagination, in the most literal sense. Something that only showed up in the mid-to-late game.

"Kid, is this a big deal?"

"That's putting it mildly! I heard it requires impossibly precise mana control…!"

It looked simple, but it was an extremely advanced technique. That was why it was an imaginary realm that didn't exist in reality.

This was… around a Floor 60-tier spec in the game, wasn't it?

One downside: it was a magic technique. Even in my hands, I couldn't bring out even a quarter of its true potential.

Maybe I should learn magic.

Lee Yeonhwa's eyes filled with awe as she looked at me.

"Good heavens… Master, just what are you…"

Then her expression changed completely. Deadly serious.

"Please teach me too!"

"I don't think that's happening."

"I'll study as hard as I can!"

I pulled up her status window, just in case. No colored text, as expected.

"Doesn't look like you're ready to learn it yet."

"Aww…"

"Turn on Spirit Eye and at least try to get a feel for it. You should be able to see this."

Lee Yeonhwa activated Spirit Eye.

"Ohh?"

"Well?"

"I can see the mana threads, but… I have no idea what any of it means."

I gave the floating vase and game console a lazy swirl.

"See? You've still got a long way to go."

They were only Floor 27 small-fry. To even begin to grasp the true value of this realm, you'd need to be at least a Floor 40-tier mage—

Crash!

A sudden shatter of glass. Every head turned toward the door. Someone was standing there, her face a portrait of utter shock. Her eyes were locked, rigid, on the vase and the game console.

"Oh. It's Hwayeon-noona."

Jo Youchan recognized her.

"You know her?"

"Mage of Korea's 1st Attack Team. Kang Minji's teammate."

"Ah."

Then she'd be a 55th-floor hunter. So why was she standing there like that?

Yang Hwayeon had gone completely stiff. Mouth hanging open, she stared at nothing but the vase and the game console.