Chapter 62
Chapter 62
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Double-Check
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I called the broker.
The line connected after just a couple of rings, and a voice answered right away.
“Yes, One Star Management.”
“…Ah, my head.”
Was the company name really okay like this?
Right now, it was just me, and there was no one to introduce it to anyway.
But what happens if it gets famous later?
I rubbed my forehead and cut to the chase.
“By any chance, could you get about ten more of those spirit essences from last time?”
“Ten of them? I’ll look into it, but it’ll probably be tough.”
The broker’s voice carried a note of difficulty.
“Price is secondary—the items themselves are just so rare. We got lucky with the ones this time. Still, I’ll do my best to track some down.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I gave a short reply and hung up.
Once the call ended, silence settled back over the house.
I sank into the bed and, without thinking, grabbed my phone and opened the banking app. I checked the balance on the screen.
A number packed with so many zeros it was hard to take in at a glance.
Part of the payment from the Orihalcon sale had just hit my account.
With plenty more stock left to sell, that figure was only going to multiply several times over.
I broke into a satisfied smile.
Money enough to do nothing but eat and play for this life—and the next.
The dream I’d chased had become reality.
“Hmm… This is boring.”
But as a little time passed, a strange feeling began to creep in.
The quiet house. The only sound was the hum of the computer fan.
Lying there alone in the empty space, the satisfaction from moments ago felt like a lie—it was gone. Boredom and emptiness took its place.
When I thought about it, I’d already achieved my first goal.
Living worry-free, eating well, and getting by comfortably.
And yet… it wasn’t all that fun.
“Is this it? Not as impressive as I thought…”
The thrill of accomplishment had been so fleeting. Now that I had it in hand, everything seemed dull.
Unable to shake the boredom, I turned my phone back on.
Not to check new posts. I opened the gallery app and pulled up screenshots of old threads I’d saved.
[Title: Guys, is this a good item?]
[Title: Newbie skillbook drop—am I lucky or what?]
[Title: Chicken lottery for 100 birds—proof incoming.]
I scrolled down, rereading the hundreds of comments one by one.
Reactions mixed with awe and envy from other people. I savored those replies over and over.
And then something amazing happened.
The emptiness in my chest started to fill. It felt like my dead heart was beating again. Color returned to my face.
“These are just as fun every time…”
It hit me all at once.
Money? Sure, it was great. Being able to live off it forever was undeniably cool.
But this—this was the real flavor.
The rush of drawing everyone’s attention, soaking up their envy and jealousy all at once. This was the true power that made me feel alive.
“Yeah, this isn’t enough.”
I wanted to show off something new. Something even more mind-blowing that would leave them all stunned.
I shot up from the bed.
No more wasting time lounging around.
I sat down at the computer and started searching for info on the Tower.
Next goal: floor 27.
I pictured the new items, skills, attention, and fame waiting there. Motivation surged through me again.
“But wait—floor 27 is where the neighbor parked his record, right?”
I’d overlooked one key detail.
Floor 27. Jeong Manho next door’s highest climb.
The moment I cleared 27 and hit 28, the Daejeon Tower’s top-floor record would update. Ownership would shift from Jeong Manho to me.
“Does the new owner’s name show up?”
[A new master of the Daejeon Tower has been born!]
[First clear of floor 28: ??]
If a notice like that popped up in the system every hunter worldwide used? Just thinking about it made my head spin.
The instant my nickname ?? registered as the Daejeon Tower’s master, everyone would know I was in Daejeon.
With all the guilds and nations hunting for me, that would be like advertising my location myself.
Sure, out of all the Towers around the world, probably no one paid much mind to one in a small city like Daejeon.
Still, the very possibility was pretty unsettling.
“Hmm…”
This wasn’t something I could decide alone. I needed advice. I messaged Junebug.
It was the contact he’d forced on me during the A-rank registration—I hadn’t wanted it, but he insisted. Who’d have thought I’d use it so soon?
[Got time? Got a question.]
A reply came almost immediately.
[Yeah. What’s up?]
I explained the situation. What if I took over the Daejeon Tower—would it risk exposing my identity?
[Hmm. That’s a big deal.]
Junebug seemed lost in thought for a bit. A few minutes later, his response came.
[Honestly, no clue. Never hit world rankings myself, so I don’t know if nicknames link up.]
[But I remember when I first became a Tower master, a screen popped up asking me to set a new nickname. Probably shows whatever you set then. Might be separate from your ranking one?]
[Not certain, though. Sorry. Not much help.]
His words rang with genuine regret. I told him it was fine.
[Nah, this is plenty. Thanks.]
Just confirming one possibility was a win.
I mulled it over, then figured since we were chatting anyway, I’d bring up something else.
[Oh, one more thing.]
[What?]
[I found a manager.]
[Manager? Already? Who?]
[Signed with a big guild? You check the terms?]
Junebug’s reaction was right on cue. Questions laced with worry poured in.
[Nope. Just someone I know personally. Ex-broker, but trustworthy.]
[Broker? Wait, the guy who made your fake ID?]
[Bad idea, man… If you don’t know any agencies, I can introduce you. Top conditions and all.]
[Nah, it’s fine. Places like that aren’t for me. This works better.]
I calmly laid out my stance amid his concerned words. My stubbornness seemed to convince him not to push further.
I could practically see him sighing over the phone.
[Curious, though—mind introducing him sometime? Not that I don’t trust you. Just wanna meet the guy.]
[Sure. We’ll set something up later.]
I agreed without much thought. Good to know each other, right?
That’s when Junebug brought up our last chat.
[Anyway. Oh, we should prep for your official A-rank hunter announcement soon. We’ll nail down the timing later.]
[I’ll invite you to the A-rank hunters’ group chat and the anonymous community. You can do proper intros there.]
The A-rank hunters’ group chat.
Hearing that made it start to feel real. I was stepping into the world of top-tier hunters.
But I wasn’t purely thrilled.
Especially if it required real names.
[Can I join without showing my name? Wanna stay anonymous.]
Junebug sounded a bit awkward at my question.
[Normally no… but any big reason? There’s a separate anonymous spot. The real-name chat’s basically an announcement board—barely any chit-chat.]
[Figure once my identity’s out, a lot of people won’t leave me alone.]
[Fair… Okay, I’ll talk to the others. Just don’t stir up trouble. Complaints about “who’s this?” would put me in a spot.]
[Thanks a ton.]
Soon, two invite links pinged from Junebug. One was a website URL, the other a group chat.
I didn’t click them right away.
Planned to dip into the Tower first, then check them out slowly.
With light steps, I headed for the Tower. Everything was ready.
***
[Entering Tower floor 27 (EXTREME).]
The familiar system message hit as my view shifted.
“So this is the scenery inside the city gates?”
Floor 27 looked like a city.
Except it was oriented vertically, not horizontal—that was the problem.
Crumbled buildings and severed roads clung to both walls of the canyon like barnacles. The tangled passages resembled an ant colony.
No matter how you sliced it, no place humans could live. What reason could there have been to build a city like this? Couldn’t even guess.
“Inside a Tower, and now I gotta climb another one? Ugh… This’ll take forever.”
A deep sigh escaped me. The thought of trudging up that nightmare maze already drained my energy.
That’s when I was glaring at the labyrinth, face twisted.
Plop.
The sandworm coiled around my index finger like a ring uncoiled and dropped to the sandy floor.
I looked down at it curiously.
[The sandworm offers to clear a path for you.]
No sooner had the words appeared than the little worm at my feet began transforming at terrifying speed.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
The ground shook with a deafening roar as its body swelled massively.
In an instant, it became a colossal beast that could swallow a building whole.
Its massive maw split open, revealing darkness within that beckoned me.
[The sandworm recommends you board for safe transport to the destination.]
I accepted and stepped inside.
The cozy, comfortable interior—still not something I’d gotten used to. I’d just settled in when—
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
The world seemed to crumble. Ignoring the complex maze entirely, the sandworm charged straight ahead.
Barricades of dozens of layered buildings forming the labyrinth shredded apart.
Then—
Boom boom boom!
Automated defense systems hidden throughout the maze opened fire all at once. Shells and spells rained down on the sandworm’s carapace.
But none halted its advance.
Attacks shattered harmlessly against the tough shell. Not a single scratch on the sandworm.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Everything in its wake collapsed. Debris from the crumbling labyrinth poured down. An entire city vanished in moments.
How much time passed?
The earth-shaking roar gradually faded. When the shaking finally stopped, a familiar message appeared.
[Congratulations on clearing Tower floor 27 (EXTREME).]
[First clear bonus applied!]
[Ranking 1st bonus applied!]
As expected.
I stepped out of the sandworm’s mouth. Floor 27 was cleared in a flash.
One step closer to becoming Daejeon’s king.
But first, time to peek at the A-rank hunters’ group chat.
***
Junebug’s two links.
One group chat, one website.
“Let’s check the group chat first.”
Clicking it brought up a profile setup screen.
After a moment’s thought, I picked the default anonymous one.
[Tiger Drowning in a Sea of Tears has entered.]
The participant list filled my screen as I joined.
Kim Suho, Jeong Taeyeon, Eun Mirae, Shin Seha. Familiar names, plus plenty of new ones.
The first to react to my arrival was my friendly neighbor, Jeong Manho.
[Jeong Manho: Oh, fresh meat?]
[Jeong Manho: Newbie, you gotta drop an intro first thing. What’re you waiting for?]
An intro? Tricky. How do I even describe myself?
Truth was, I had no plans for buddy-buddy stuff in here. Real-name socializing wasn’t my thing.
Normally wouldn’t even join, but since announcements popped up sometimes, I figured I’d just lurk.
As I hesitated, Jeong Manho prodded again.
[Jeong Manho: No reply? Ignoring your senior right now?]
[Jeong Manho: Kids these days got no respect?]
He kept at it relentlessly. Then someone else jumped in.
[Jeong Taeyeon: Jeong Manho, having fun now that you’re not the baby anymore?]
[Jeong Manho: No, that’s not…]
Hwayeon Guild’s master, Jeong Taeyeon. At her jab, Jeong Manho sent a quick bowing emoticon.
Seeing that cracked me up. Then another new voice chimed in.