Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Finding the Culprit
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[Title: Guys, I cleared the 10th floor. Give me some congrats.]
Author: Anon(D22.2E2)
10th floor boss, easy peasy~.
(A frog giving a thumbs-up meme)
The moment my post went up on the Mage Gallery, comments started pouring in.
As if they'd all been waiting for me.
No way—aren't these people all A-rank or S-rank? Don't they have anything better to do?
How do they always drop comments right away every time I post?
They couldn't have set up notifications for my posts, right?
ㄴ Fridge: You went to the 10th floor solo? Ballsy as hell....
ㄴ PartyKitty: Form a party, please. I'm getting scared just watching.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: If you're worried about doxxing, I could get my guild to quietly assign a couple of our top tanks climbing with us right now....
ㄴ PartyKitty: I can totally see you're trying to slide in and recruit. Don't fall for it.
Their reactions were perfectly normal.
Even on hard mode, the 10th floor was a wall no one could solo.
ㄴ DungBeetle: No gear and you soloed the 10th floor boss? How the hell is that possible? How'd you do it?
At DungBeetle's comment, I hammered the keyboard like I'd been waiting.
ㄴ Anon(E44.4Y4): Thanks to this new skill I picked up recently, I've been pushing through nice and easy.
ㄴ Anon(E44.4Y4): Hang on. I'll show you the combat footage.
[Title: Hunting Footage.gif]
What I uploaded was pre-edited combat footage.
Four sand clones clinging to the orc warlord's limbs, buying time, while I impaled its heart with a massive sand spike.
A short clip capturing just the most dramatic moment.
The gallery users who saw my video were floored.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Speechless. For real.
ㄴ Fridge: Didn't you pass out after summoning just two of those? Now you're handling four at once?
ㄴㄴ Anon(33C.33D): My eyes have been opened.... The world is full of mana....
ㄴㄴ Fridge: So your mana pool got bigger with that Eye-Opening skill? Got it.
ㄴ DungBeetle: Like I thought last time, your control is insane. That's talent. Talent.
ㄴ DungBeetle: I tried the body-possession method myself recently.
Felt easier to control, but not nearly as smooth as that. What's the difference? Different awakening method?
ㄴㄴ Fridge: I couldn't even get past turning my body to ice without intense focus, so I gave up....
Gonna hold off till I get a related skill.
The flood of praise had my shoulders lifting proudly.
But one person, PartyKitty, zeroed in on a weird detail.
ㄴ PartyKitty: But those sand clones look kinda girly. Are you a girl by any chance?
Hmm, I tried to hide it, but it showed?
The sand totems were exact copies of my body, so I'd slapped on as much mosaicking and editing as I could.
But yeah, looks like I couldn't fool them on gender.
I rolled out the excuse I'd prepared.
Well, not entirely an excuse?
ㄴ Anon(F11.111): Nah, I just like female characters, so I made 'em that way. I'm a guy.
ㄴㄴ PartyKitty: Don't guys only play male chars? Something's fishy.
ㄴ DungBeetle: ? Why would a guy only play male chars? And don't dox newbies.
ㄴ PartyKitty: Gender's no big deal, right...?
ㄴ DungBeetle: Don't. What if the newbie quits? You gonna take responsibility?
ㄴ PartyKitty: Fine....
DungBeetle shut down the troll in no time flat.
Just watching made me feel better.
With the troll handled, I rode the momentum and declared I'd tackle the 11th floor.
ㄴ Anon(F1N.A1E): At this rate, I can keep soloing from the 11th floor on!
ㄴ Anon(F1N.A1E): 'Cause I'm a genius.
But my declaration backfired hard.
ㄴ DungBeetle: No, that's dangerous. The 11th floor is a whole different beast. Patterns get way more complex.
ㄴ Fridge: Yeah. Powering through worked so far, but from 11 onward, if you don't know the strats, it's a party wipe. I nearly died there multiple times.
ㄴ PartyKitty: And it's Extreme mode, so who knows what twists they'll throw in. Gotta trial-and-error without guides....
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Newbie, I get you're a genius, but seriously, no. Let's party up and climb together already.
ㄴ DungBeetle: Party makes it medium difficulty, right? Way more stable.
Advice and worries filled the comments.
But I couldn't relate to their concern.
You're not Extreme players anyway, right?
Their common sense didn't apply to me.
ㄴ Anon(ACE.001): No worries. I'll clear 11 tomorrow and post proof.
ㄴ Anon(ACE.001): Oh, and I snagged a Rainbow skillbook too. With this, it's free pass guaranteed.
That moment, the gallery's vibe suddenly chilled.
ㄴ MagicIsFirepower: Rainbow???? On floor 10?? Lmao.
ㄴ Fridge: (Conan staring blankly)
ㄴ DungBeetle: Hm.
ㄴ PartyKitty: Starting to feel the stomachache....
The gallery's mood turned hostile in seconds.
A rainbow skillbook, rare even after years of climbing.
And some fresh newbie who'd barely cleared 10 floors ate one.
Bragging about it, no less.
Ten years of internet savvy—I caught the subtle shift in the air.
Danger signal.
Feeling the chill, I slammed the browser shut at light speed.
Emergency escape.
"...Now time to brag on the Hunter Gallery."
Duh, gotta do the gallery circuit when you've got something to flex.
***
Meanwhile, that same time—California, USA. Santa Monica Beach.
The crashing waves set a romantic mood.
But in one corner of the beach, a murderous tension hung thick.
"How was the swim? Fun?"
The agents shivered at Demigod's mocking tone.
Drenched head to toe in seawater.
A task no one else could pull off.
But Demigod could.
This man was an S-rank hunter, America's symbol and living guardian deity.
"Next time, should I dump you in the Atlantic? Hm?"
And the tyrant whose #1 world ranking had been snatched, his mood utterly foul.
Tossing Pentagon staff into the middle of the Pacific and fishing them out was child's play.
"Why haven't you found him yet? You worthless bugs...."
"W-We think... something magical is blocking the tracking."
One agent mustered courage to report.
Demigod's brow twitched at the excuse.
"I already assigned searchers with relevant skills! And you still can't find him? Does-that-make-any-SENSE?!"
Demigod bellowed.
The soundwave shook the beach.
A few agents clutched bleeding ears, foaming at the mouth as they collapsed.
Demigod didn't bat an eye.
"Won't do. Time for drastic measures."
He murmured lowly.
"That bastard's climbing to 11 soon, right? Before he hits 20, find him no matter what."
"But how...?"
"Starting tomorrow, impose timed lockdowns on every tower entrance worldwide."
"Pardon? Demigod, sir—even you can't lock down the whole world. The governments will push back hard...."
"...Especially China—they'll never cooperate."
"You idiots. Use your heads."
Demigod tsked in disdain.
"My guess? Culprit ain't China. If it was them, they'd be plastering it all over the world by now."
'Didn't you just swear it was definitely China...?'
But Pentagon staff were pros among pros.
They knew how to survive.
The agent nodded along appropriately.
"So...?"
"Cooperate with China instead. They're dying knowing someone else is secretly raising an S-rank.
Offer to team up on finding 'Double-O,' then share intel after."
"Ah!"
Admiration lit the agents' faces.
Pleased, Demigod laid out his plan.
"Europe, Japan, and finally Korea.... Lock down high-probability spots in order. One region at a time, staggered."
Demigod's eyes gleamed.
"If a region's tower gets locked and 'Double-O's climb record still updates, we rule it out.
Narrow it down like that, and we'll smoke out that rat eventually."
"As expected of Demigod, sir! Brilliant!"
"Such a genius idea...!"
'Damn, we're in for hell.... How the fuck do we convince the world...?'
'If Double-O catches on and stops climbing the tower, we're screwed...'
Hiding their true thoughts, the agents showered flattery.
Demigod smirked smugly, chin raised.
***
[Title: Newbie got a skillbook, is this good?]
Author: Anon(111.11E)
(Rainbow skillbook proof.jpg)
Of course it's good, it's Rainbow lololol
(A frog dancing meme 1)
(A frog toasting meme 2)
(A frog tossing popcorn meme 3)
ㄴ Damn, this guy's untouchable and a legend now.
ㄴ This fucker ate a Rainbow. I'm a 3-year vet and still haven't.
ㄴ Not all Rainbows are good~ Total dud anyway~
"Heh heh heh...."
The flood of extreme praise.
Satisfied after flexing, I closed the gallery and stood up.
Time to offload today's tower loot.
I grabbed the massive double-headed axe tossed carelessly in the corner.
Heavy weight.
Unique grade, maybe? Even wrapped, a faint aura leaked out.
For safety, I wrapped it in thick cloth and stuffed it into the pre-ordered contraband case.
"Sigh... Gotta see that uncle again?"
I sighed, picturing the broker uncle.
That weird, creepy encounter last time.
And the horrifying dad-joke posts I'd spotted on Hunter Gallery.
Last person I wanted to deal with again.
But no choice. He was my only known trading contact.
Packed up, I messaged the broker uncle.
[Got stuff to sell. This one's big.]
Reply came almost instantly.
I grimaced as I checked it.
[SSalDaPam: Oh my, my dear girl's here~^^;; Calling your uncle again, huh,,, lol What's up?]
[SSalDaPam: Big item? You didn't do something dangerous again, right? ㅠ_ㅠ Uncle's worried,,,]
"Eugh...."
I barely resisted hurling my phone.
Emojis flooding the screen, blatant concern.
A stark contrast to his shady offline vibe—this fake sweetness made my skin crawl.
"Just curse me out....
That'd be less creepy."
Shaking, I typed back.
[Anyway, can you or not?]
[SSalDaPam: Of course~ When works for you? Uncle matches your schedule~ Heh heh^^]
[Tomorrow 2 PM. Same spot.]
[SSalDaPam: You got it~ See you then! Stick to crowded main roads on the way—stay safe!! ^^]
"Ugh, gross...."
I closed Telegram without even reading his last message.