This Be Our Eye Level
That wrapped up the chat with my friend.
She has no idea I'm Jinjo, huh?
I had no intention of telling her, and even if I did, she probably wouldn't believe me.
Still, I was a little curious what her reaction would be if she found out.
[...I'm really shocked. You're that Jinjo?!]
Something like that?
Her usual chatting style was different from the typical 20- or 30-something internet slang anyway.
She hardly ever swore, and she was meticulous about spelling and grammar.
Maybe she's a well-bred golden child from a good family?
Or perhaps an unexpectedly mature uncle.
Whatever—whoever's sitting on the other side of the monitor—doesn't change the fact that she's just a friend.
Time to sleep.
I set aside those thoughts and headed to bed.
"All retire to slumber, then."
"Yes, my liege."
"Yes, Master."
"Whose turn is it to sleep in the bed tonight?"
"'Tis I, my liege."
"Very well. Lie here."
I patted the spot beside me as I lay on my side.
"...I am grateful for this honor once more."
Katarina blushed and replied shyly.
Honor? It's just sharing a bed.
Originally, both familiars had insisted they couldn't possibly share a bed with their master and slept on the floor.
But it felt wrong to hog the soft, comfy king-size bed while making them sleep on the hard floor.
So now we rotated—one of them joining me each night.
The king-size bed had plenty of room even for two.
If I end up with more familiars later, I might need to move to a bigger place.
This one-room was already feeling a bit cramped for three.
Once the lights were out, I lay there lost in thought for a moment.
What should I do from here on out?
Just a few weeks ago—before awakening—I'd thought survival was enough, as long as I had food and shelter.
But now that even that modest goal was easily met, different thoughts were creeping in.
For starters... I want to keep climbing the Tower.
Hunting monsters in the Tower, leveling up for new skills and gear—it felt just like a game, and it was fun.
The support and attention from people wasn't half bad either.
Though the overwhelming attention was a bit much.
And above all...
My familiars.
Before I knew it, they felt like family.
Katarina was molded from my own blood, so I was basically her parent.
And Siyeon—I'd picked her up from that hellish dark guild environment.
For their sake, who looked only to me, I wanted to be a cool master.
Of course, only if it's safe!
I wasn't harboring any grand ambitions.
If it got tough or dangerous, I'd drop it immediately.
Self-preservation first. Safety above all!
But if I could do it safely from my room... yeah. Let's try getting as strong as possible.
I clenched a small fist under the covers.
Squeeze.
And so, the morning after I resolved to get strong—safely—
Whoa...!
I jolted awake to the piercing siren.
Gates opening nearby wasn't all that rare, honestly.
Back in the day, every gate caused mass panic like the world was ending.
But now, with more hunters and standardized protocols, it was just a quiet disaster alert text.
The only big news was the occasional 'gate break' when monsters spilled out uncleared.
But right now, just the gate opening had the whole neighborhood blaring sirens and in chaos.
The reason?
An A-rank?
Because a whopping A-rank gate had opened smack in the middle of the city.
What the hell was going on?
I frantically grabbed my smartphone and logged into the Hunter Gallery.
It was already exploding with real-time updates.
Hunter Gallery
(Korea’s Largest Hunter Community)
(On-site photo attached)
Opened right in the middle of Seollim-dong. If it breaks, the whole neighborhood's toast whoa.
Holy crap. It's really my neighborhood.
The gate photo showed familiar buildings—way too close to home.
And the real problem was even worse.
A-rank but 2-person entry limit and 1-hour timer. Insane conditions.
You know how rare all three together are? Stats say less than 0.001%.
Normal A-ranks are for big raids, multi-party standard. This is solo duo only.
Plus time attack—fail boss in time, monsters flood out.
System straight-up rigged this historic nightmare gate;;
This can't be real?
A-rank with 2-person limit. No overwhelming it with guild numbers.
Plus time attack—delay too long, boom.
I'd have to pack and evac too.
But I had one fatal issue.
Ugh, it's midday...!
My room was safe behind blackout curtains, but outside was broad daylight.
Summer sun blazing.
Vampire penalty—sunlight dizziness alone, let alone trekking to shelter?
And my perfectly customized super luxury room—what about that?!
As I despaired, a hot new post caught my eye.
(News article screenshot)
2-person limit thought we were done but timing GOAT
ㄴThanks x3 God Eunseol Praise
Oh...!
My racing heart calmed instantly at the news.
Ice Emperor. S-rank hunter!
One of Korea's top four strongest deploying.
Safe now.
No matter the nasty conditions on an A-rank, an S-rank would clear and close it no problem.
Hehe. Phew, no evac needed!
I sighed in relief and snuggled back into bed.
Ice Emperor entered the gate.
Time passed.
5 minutes. 10. 15.
...20?
The gate I expected to close quick was still open after 20 minutes.
...Huh? What's up? S-rank in there, why so long?
Unease crept back.
Gallery mood had shifted too.
Even big map, S-rank solos A-rank should be done ages ago.
ㄴStill hurry tf Ice Emperor might die
...Even Ice Emperor can't clear it?
Sirens blared again, evac broadcasts droning.
Car horns honking wildly outside—chaos without looking.
Dodging midday sun sucked, but my precious home at risk.
Why this raw deal, heavens!
I wanted to bawl inside.
But life first—time to evac.
Of course, Noble Bearing meant no blunt "let's bounce"—had to phrase fancy.
"Hah... What clamor. Fussing so over a mere A-rank gate. My familiars, what shall we do?"
I hoped they'd suggest evac.
But the response was unexpected.
"My liege. Base monsters dare invade your domain." Katarina's eyes burned with battle lust. "Send me, and I'll enter the gate, purge the filth offending you, and return."
She knelt on one knee before me.
Katarina handles it?
Tempting at first, then hesitation.
But even S-rank struggling there.
Sure, Katarina was an off-spec monster who smashed Nightmare Tower floors solo.
But her limits untested.
What if my precious first familiar got hurt?
Plus, cops controlling outside—how to even enter?
Asking that, Katarina replied confidently.
"Fear not, my liege. I wield shadow powers to slip past human eyes."
She has that too?
Siyeon had assassin stealth, but Katarina's evasion made sense now—special ability.
Then... she wants to go that bad, trust her once?
Plus, I had that item.
Familiar stats +50% buff OP item.
With that...
Doable?
Still worried, though.
Room expendable—not as precious as familiar lives.
I looked down at Katarina, earnestly stern.
"I permit it. But never overexert. If danger looms, return to the domain at once."
Her shoulders trembled sharply.
She slowly looked up, eyes overflowing with emotion—once fierce, now grateful.
"Ah...! How do you cherish this lowly servant's safety so...!"
Of course you're way more important than the house.
"This grace, etched in my heart! I'll stake my life to protect your domain!"
No, don't stake life—run if dangerous!
A bit uneasy, but Katarina deployed immediately.
I activated Vision Share to check her view.
Perfect stealth—she slipped past tight controls into the gate naturally.
A-rank gate interior.
Smaller than expected—like a school field, alien black space.
And there: a blue short-haired woman.
Ice Emperor!
The S-rank I'd only seen on TV, Eunseol Baek.
But she looked rough.
"Hah... hah...!"
Body covered in wounds, panting hard—standing a struggle.
One arm badly injured, clutched tight, blood dripping.
Surprisingly, not hordes of monsters did that.
Just one.
"Hmm. So this is a strong human from this world? Disappointing."
Pale skin, no blood color. Glowing red eyes.
Aristocratic, arrogant-looking man.
Just one monster?
Not the only shock.
Red blood swirled in his palm—like Katarina's blood manipulation.
Another vampire...?!
Gate boss a vampire? Overwhelming S-rank with raw power.
"Time to end this."
He smirked evilly, approaching Ice Emperor slowly.
She was at her limit—no proper defense.
Katarina, help her quick!
She was already moving.
"Hm? Who're you?"
Stealth dropped—vampire looked over.
"Wait... you're no human."
He tilted his head curiously, about to say more.
But Katarina's next move.
Not chat, not blood attack.
"Kneel."
Just those cold words.
Then.
?!
Thud—.
The vampire who'd overwhelmed even S-rank Ice Emperor, standing so arrogantly.
Kneeled—effortlessly.