Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Floor 21 (1)
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“Alright, let’s move.”
I glanced at the wreckage of the shattered machine, then walked over to the new device Kim Suho was guiding me toward.
This one was vastly larger and more intricate than the previous crystal orb.
It seemed like the type you wore on your head, like a helmet and gloves.
“This one has no limits, so this time, go all out for real.”
I nodded at Kim Suho’s words and put on the helmet and gloves.
A cold, smooth sensation.
As my vision went dark, all my other senses sharpened to an extreme degree.
I closed my eyes and focused my mind.
I drew out every last drop of mana inside me.
More, even stronger.
Like ripping open the gates of a massive dam, a torrent of mana exploded from below my solar plexus.
I manipulated the mana in a trance.
The world around me faded, leaving only complete immersion in the flow of power within me.
That was when it happened.
“Hold on, stop for a sec.”
Kim Suho’s voice broke my concentration.
“I said go all out, but… this is a bit much.”
“…”
My enthusiasm deflated in an instant.
I let out a sigh and took off the helmet.
But the next moment, I stared in confusion at the sight beneath my feet, speechless.
The floor around where I’d been standing had turned to fine sand at some point.
Kim Suho clicked his tongue.
“If I hadn’t stopped you, this whole machine would’ve been toast. I never imagined it’d turn to sand instead of just overloading…”
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
“Anyway, let’s check the results.”
We stepped up to the terminal screen.
It was densely packed with my detailed measured stats.
Kim Suho’s eyes went wide.
“What the…”
“How’s that?”
But even staring at the complex numbers, I couldn’t get a sense of what they meant.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Kim Suho kindly began explaining.
“To put it simply, just looking at the numbers, you’re at least low S-rank level.”
“So I’m S-rank now?”
“S-rank isn’t decided by stats alone. You have to factor in skills, level, output, and all that comprehensively.”
Kim Suho looked at me.
“What’s your level right now, by chance?”
“Level 5.”
“How many skills?”
“Hmm… Sand Bog, Insight Eye, Sand Barrier, Erosion, Sand Totem. Five of them.”
At my answer, Kim Suho seemed to do some quick mental calculations.
“Normal hunters in the 30s floors are around level 5… Your growth speed is insane.”
“30 floors is barely mid-tier A-rank, isn’t it? That’s pretty low, no?”
“No, look at your leveling speed right now. The gap might seem small at first, but it’ll widen exponentially as you climb higher.”
That’s what he said.
“S-rank baseline is usually level 7 or above. You’re a bit short of that… The difference of even one or two skills is huge.”
He paused for a moment before adding,
“Well, S-rank isn’t totally impossible, really. Mages get some occupational bonuses… Plus, all your skills are high-grade.”
“Oh, then should we go register me as S-rank right now?”
“…You’re barely at floor 20? All current S-ranks have climbed past floor 50. Climbing floors isn’t just about boosting levels and stats. They’ve collected tons of hidden pieces and geared up properly.”
He looked a little worried as he continued.
“Even so, if you just reach floor 30, you’ll surpass most S-ranks easily… And at the original S-rank benchmark of floor 50, you’d demolish demigods and all.”
He concluded.
“Do you really need to register as S-rank now? It’d draw way too much unnecessary attention. You could always reveal it after you become the strongest, right?”
I nodded at his words.
His logic was perfectly convincing.
Plus, I kind of wanted to play the hidden powerhouse game.
I decided to quietly wait for the day I’d surpass everyone.
And with that, all the tests were done.
Kim Suho pulled a newly issued card from the terminal and handed it to me.
[A-rank Hunter Kim Hanbyeol]
It looked like an ordinary plastic card.
But the weight it carried was anything but light.
Finally, my official ID in hand.
Kim Suho said,
“With this, you can freely use all the facilities and training grounds for hunters.”
He paused briefly before adding,
“Of course, if you walk through the association’s main gate with it right now, all of Korea would flip out. You plan to keep the A-rank part hidden, right?”
I nodded.
“Then I’ll preemptively input your access into the related facility systems. Even if you use the card, your identity won’t be exposed. It’ll have S-rank privileges, so no one can peek at your details… Though it’ll only work at a few designated spots.”
Kim Suho scribbled down the facility locations and handed them to me.
Damn, all in Seoul?
Daejeon might be a backwater, but it’s still my hometown.
Moving to Seoul felt a bit off…
Kim Suho nodded, reading my concerns.
“In my opinion, after a few months, it’d be fine to reveal you’re A-rank. Of course, keeping all your detailed specs and class secret. Just quietly leak that a new A-rank hunter registered in Korea.”
I immediately understood what he meant.
If the A-rank registration leaked right now, people would naturally link it to the ranker who broke through floor 20.
But with a few months’ buffer?
The connection between the tower climb record and the A-rank registration would fade.
“When that time comes, I’ll invite you to the anonymous gallery for A-rank hunters only. There’s a real-name group chat too, but I doubt you’d like it…”
“And then?”
“Take control of the tower. Let’s see, Daejeon tower lord… Jung Manho? Stopped at floor 27.”
Jung Manho. The name rang a bell.
I quickly pulled it from memory.
The guy who’d competed with Jung Taeyeon when I sold my axe.
“The moment you climb to floor 28, tower control passes to you.”
“I don’t need that stuff…”
“Well, you can just leave it be if you want. Either way, you’ll be the de facto ruler of Daejeon, and you can use nearby hunter facilities freely.”
“Hmm…”
Ruler of Daejeon?
I knew hunters’ voices had grown loud enough to squeeze interests from the government.
That they could wield influence over a region like medieval lords.
But even if the world had changed that way, it didn’t appeal to me.
What did I know about politics or economics?
Kim Suho added with an “oh” expression.
“Ah… These topics must be unfamiliar to you.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Sorry. Feels like I said something unnecessary…”
“No, it’s stuff I need to think about.”
I shrugged and said.
His expression grew a bit serious.
“Anyway, when that time comes, handling everything alone will be tough. If you have someone trustworthy, consider hiring them as a manager. Plenty of people will underestimate you based on looks…”
Someone trustworthy?
I repeated the words in my head.
Did I have anyone like that in my life?
Not sure.
I tucked the A-rank hunter license into my pocket and gave him a light goodbye.
“I could give you a ride?”
“I’m good.”
I left the empty association behind me.
A moment later, the hemispherical barrier beyond vanished.
Even then, only one word circled in my mind.
Manager… Yeah, having one would be nice.
Especially with my looks drawing too much attention.
But who the hell could I trust with it?
***
A few days passed.
Moving day was set.
I hadn’t seen the house in person yet, but I trusted the broker uncle to have found something decent.
The problem was money.
Buying a tower-adjacent place had cleanly wiped out my bank account.
“What a ripoff for a backwater like Daejeon…”
I muttered a quiet curse at my suddenly empty balance.
Tower proximity my ass—they charged a fortune.
The broker had said something similar in Seoul would’ve been tens of billions easy, but it was no comfort.
In the end, only one solution.
I headed to the tower to make money.
What else in the world paid this quick and easy?
[Entering Tower Floor 21 (EXTREME).]
With the familiar system message, the scenery before me shifted.
“Finally graduating from the jungle…”
Instead, cold, damp air greeted me.
Along with the musty smell of dirt and coal.
Pitch-black darkness enveloped everything.
Only faint ores embedded in the walls emitted a blue glow, dimly lighting the path.
The new theme for the 20s floors: abandoned mine.
For some reason, this dark, cramped space stirred nostalgia.
It felt like returning to floor 1.
Of course, the me from then and now were completely different beings.
I reflexively raised my hand to activate desertification.
But right then, the heavy weight in my hand stopped me.
The staff I’d brought to try in real combat for the first time.
I grinned.
Without hesitation, I slammed the staff’s tip deep into the dirt floor.
Boom-!
The moment it hit the ground, a thrilling shiver ran through my whole body.
A completely different sensation from before.
It wasn’t just controlling sand.
The earth, rocks, even the ore veins in the walls around here.
I could feel dominion over every piece of land forming this space flowing to me.
“This…”
I murmured with a satisfied smile.
“Should I collapse the whole mine?”
I channeled my power to full throttle.
My mana spread through the staff across the entire cave.
At the same time, a thunderous roar echoed.
The sound of the cave collapsing.