Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: I'm Quitting as a Hunter. Giving Away All My Gear.
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[Title: I'm quitting as a hunter. Distributing all my gear.]
[Author: Anon (33R.33Y)]
[You guys live out the rest of your lives in this thing called Magal.]
[Your big bro's graduating now.]
Comments poured in right away.
> pkketchu: ?????
> poongdeng: What????
> fridge: Alright, good work. See you tomorrow.
> magicisfirepower: Bullshit??
I'd instantly turned into the king of hook collectors.
"That's why it just makes me wanna mess around even more."
I hadn't planned on this, but seeing the comments suddenly sparked my playful side.
I started firing off replies.
> Anon (33R.33Y): No joke. It's gotten too tough and dangerous, can't do it anymore. Anyway, even if I stop here, I've made enough to live off forever.
> magicisfirepower: You serious? You're really quitting? For real?
> Anon (33R.33Y): Yeah. Time to live for myself now.
> poongdeng: What happened? Why are you doing this?
> magicisfirepower: No way. Absolutely not. We can't let your talent go to waste like this. What do you want? Money? Items? I can give you everything.
> magicisfirepower: Join my guild and I'll guarantee you the same treatment as me. I can guarantee your safety too. We can form a party right now? I'll round up as many hunters on your floor as I can.
> magicisfirepower: This isn't the way. Let's meet up and talk. Yeah?
> poongdeng: Let him go. Gotta respect his choice.
> poongdeng: I don't think this is a bad idea. It is dangerous work, after all.
> poongdeng: Honestly, I've been thinking the same. You don't have to keep doing this.
> poongdeng: If you really wanna, you can always do it a few years later.
> fridge: I agree with poongdeng. Honestly, it's been bothering me this whole time.
> fridge: Newbie leveled up too easily, and you wanted it so bad I didn't say anything, but it still made me uneasy.
> fridge: Pushing a kid like you up the tower forever is straight-up wrong. If anyone met you in real life, they'd feel insane guilt...
***
Meanwhile, in a dark room.
Shin Seha, aka pkketchu, stopped scrolling.
The monitor's faint glow illuminated her pale, exhausted face.
The moment she saw Newbie's post, her heart sank.
The emotion that followed was a strange sense of relief.
"Yeah... quitting is the right call."
Shin Seha muttered to herself without realizing it.
The Tower is a dangerous place. A place where you never know when you'll die.
No matter how strong or talented you are, it all ends in death anyway.
Just like it did for her.
Knowing your limits and stopping in time is the smart choice.
"That's just how it is...."
Shin Seha rationalized her own past and present like that.
Not that she'd run away, but that she'd made the wise decision.
She found comfort in Newbie's retirement announcement.
Relief that there was one more person like her.
"......"
But beneath that relief, another emotion bubbled up stickily.
Disappointment. No, maybe something closer to betrayal.
"...Still, I hoped you'd be different from me."
Newbie had always been so bold.
She'd thought he wasn't the type to cower and collapse like her.
Watching him charge ahead fearlessly, as if piercing the heavens, she'd started feeling vicarious satisfaction before she knew it.
It felt like he was walking the path she couldn't.
Even watching him surpass her made a corner of her heart swell with pride.
But in the end, he was the same.
Just another loser crumbling before the Tower's terror.
Shin Seha bit her lip.
Watching magicisfirepower beg Newbie on the monitor, she let out a cold sneer inside.
Fat chance.
Once someone's resolve breaks, they don't come back. She knew that firsthand.
Amid the whirlwind of emotions, Shin Seha couldn't bring herself to post any comments.
She just waited for Newbie to upload something new.
***
"Oh crap...."
The gallery comments had gotten way too serious all of a sudden.
I was breaking out in cold sweat.
This wasn't the direction I'd envisioned.
Like I'd called for WWE and everyone showed up for UFC.
"How do I fix this?"
If I just said, "Guys, it was all a joke," it'd be a total bloodbath.
I was rolling my eyes frantically.
But I had to say something before it got any worse.
Magicisfirepower and the others looked ready to start fighting over differing opinions.
Once feelings get hurt, it's really hard to patch things up.
I grabbed my keyboard in a panic.
> Anon (33R.33Y): Hey everyone, it was actually a joke....
> Anon (33R.33Y): Just trying to get some attention. Sorry....
> Anon (33R.33Y): I had some stuff I wanted to brag about and share, but didn't know how to bring it up, so I did something stupid....
> Anon (33R.33Y): Really sorry to everyone who got worried, everyone who took it seriously. I'm an idiot....
The chat went silent for a moment.
Comments only trickled in after a while.
> pkketchu: That was a bit much this time.
> magicisfirepower: ………
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
> Anon (33R.33Y): It's all my fault. Please forgive me just once.
> Anon (33R.33Y): I'll do anything. Please go easy on me....
I apologized and begged for forgiveness over and over, dead serious.
Luckily, it seemed my sincerity got through, and the mood lightened up quick.
> poongdeng: Seeing the kid apologize like this is making daddy tear up
> pkketchu: =ㅅ=
> fridge: Can't take it anymore, time for a knuckle rap
> poongdeng: Yeah, next time we meet, 100 forehead flicks reserved
> magicisfirepower: Sigh, letting it slide just this once, for real
> magicisfirepower: (Rough punch incoming emote)
> pkketchu: You did say you'd do anything, right?
> pkketchu: (Rough "come here" emote)
"Phew.... Did I dodge the crisis somehow?"
I let out a sigh of relief.
Crisis averted, barely.
Now it was time for the main event.
> Anon (33R.33Y): So... as an apology, I was thinking of sending out some items I made......
I smoothly shifted the topic.
The shields I'd made myself.
Hand them out as samples, and hype up the upcoming showcase.
> magicisfirepower: You can make items too? What are they?
> Anon (33R.33Y): Shields. I'll give one free to anyone who wants to try it. We're bros, right?
> Anon (33R.33Y): Just come to the official showcase later....
> magicisfirepower: I'll take one.
I got addresses from the Mage Gallery folks.
Fridge gave his lab address, poongdeng and magicisfirepower their guild and office spots.
Uniquely, pkketchu went for convenience store delivery instead of home.
No one turned it down.
Sending gifts like this risked exposing my identity a bit, but it was too late to worry much now.
I already trusted the Mage Gallery crew.
After getting the addresses, I called the broker uncle.
"Uncle, sending you four addresses. Send one shield to each."
I recited the addresses I'd gotten from the mages.
A calm voice came through the receiver.
[Got it, boss. Sending these out for pre-review?]
"Something like that. And these folks agreed to come to the showcase later."
[That's great. Securing VIP customers early is key.]
The broker sounded pleased with my words.
His voice carried satisfaction at how smoothly the business was going.
Leaning back on the sofa, I tossed in a casual afterthought.
"Oh yeah. Send one to Jeong Manho too? Why not."
[Jeong Manho, you say?]
"Yeah. Deliver it personally to him."
[Yes, sir.]
After I finished, silence hung on the line for a bit.
The broker was probably checking the addresses I'd sent.
A moment later, his voice returned.
But unlike before, it carried a faint hint of fluster.
[Uh, this list... you sure you didn't mess up?]
"Hm? Nah, it's right."
My nonchalant reply drew out another long silence from the broker.
He sounded like he was double-checking something, his voice extremely cautious.
[The first address is S-rank Hunter Kim Suho's office.]
"Yeah, that's right."
[Second is Hwaryeon Guild's Jeong Taeyeon, A-rank Hunter... third is government lab's Eun Mirae, A-rank Hunter... last one's unknown. pkketchu? Convenience store delivery....]
With each name he read out, his voice thickened with shock.
After confirming the last one, the broker finally couldn't hold back.
[How the hell do you know people like these?]
I shrugged at his question, replying as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Just internet friends."
[Hmm....]
He clearly had nothing to say to that over the receiver.
Ignoring his mental meltdown, I ripped open a snack bag and wrapped up.
"Anyway, take care of it. Bye."
I hung up.
The ball was in the broker's court now.
I had zero doubt he'd leverage this insane network for the best showcase ever.
All that was left was waiting.
Waiting for the broker to assemble his talented team for the showcase, and for people to test the shields and post reviews.
What would I do in the meantime?
Surf the gal or munch snacks? That'd get old fast.
In the end, I only had one thing to do.
"Guess I'll push the Tower a bit."
I got up and headed straight for the Tower.
Come to think of it, I'd taken a pretty long break making gear.
***
[Entering Tower Floor 40 (EXTREME).]
What unfolded before me was that same temple I'd trashed last time.
Still pristine from the remodeling I'd done.
At the temple's highest point, the golden hourglass pattern I'd carved gleamed brightly.
"Sage!"
Sharon spotted me first.
She'd been discussing something with the soldiers by a temple pillar.
Her face lit up the instant she saw me.
She hurried over and bowed her head.
"You're back!"
"Anything happen while I was gone?"
"Of course not. Everything's proceeding smoothly, just as you willed."
Sharon smiled and guided me inside the temple.
Like a secretary, she started reporting on recent progress.
"This is the faith gathered for you over the past few days."
Sharon clasped her hands, and milky white light orbs rose from her palms.
They floated straight to me and absorbed gently.
Compared to before, it was incomparable—warm, dense energy spreading through my body.
Roughly the size of a handful.
"Proselytizing's going well, I see."
"Yes. Your tales are spreading across the entire kingdom. Now the soldiers pray under flags bearing your emblem before battle."
One fundamental question popped into my head.
"But what exactly are they praying for?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, we don't even have doctrines yet? They don't know what I like, what gets my blessings—nothing. What are people even asking me for?"
I asked out of genuine curiosity.
All I needed from them was their faith—that emotion.
I hadn't demanded anything else.
Of course, I hadn't provided anything either.
Sharon pondered my question for a moment, then smiled softly.
"They pray for victory."
"Victory?"
"They pray for protection from the fear of death, to return safely to their loved ones. And sometimes, for miracles to overturn hopeless situations."
"Hmm...."
"They don't need complex doctrines, Sage. They just need something to lean on."
Her words were simple, but they carried a strange resonance.
I couldn't say anything for a moment.
I just nodded silently.
Either way, everything was going even smoother than I'd expected.
This was a wildly successful investment.
Just then, Sharon finished her report and hesitated briefly before speaking up with a serious expression.
"But Sage, there's one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"We found something strange while maintaining the temple."
Sharon's face was grave.
I followed her to the central altar.
The same one the sandworm had swallowed, which I'd remade.
"Down here."
She pointed to a corner of the altar.
Pushing one stone tile aside revealed a hidden entrance with a heavy rumble.
Beyond it spiraled an endless staircase into darkness.
"A basement? Didn't know about this."
"It's too deep and dark; we couldn't go in. Felt some ominous aura...."
Sharon gazed worriedly into the gloom.
She thought something dangerous lurked below.
I agreed.
This was floor 40, after all—the final boss floor.
No doubt the guy's down there.
"Have to check it out. Can't turn back after coming this far."
Without hesitation, I stepped into the darkness.