Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Group Chat
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Group Chat
[Jeong Tae-yeon: Jeong Man-ho, you're really pumped about escaping maknae duties, huh?]
[Jeong Man-ho: No, it's not like that....]
Hwayeon's guild master, Jeong Tae-yeon. At her remark, Jeong Man-ho immediately sent a cowering emoticon.
Seeing that made me chuckle. Just then, someone new joined the conversation.
[Park Sang-cheol: Welcome, newbie. I'm Park Sang-cheol, president of the Korean Hunter Association.]
Park Sang-cheol. He was the president of the Korean Hunter Association, leading the strike.
[Park Sang-cheol: That's quite a unique name. Our chat room follows a real-name policy. That doesn't look like your real name, does it?]
I could feel the pressure hidden behind his gentle tone. A silent interrogation about why he wasn't following the rules. He struck me as a sly, snake-like person in every way.
As I pondered what to reply, relief arrived in the form of a pinch hitter.
[Kim Soo-ho: This is someone I personally vouched for.]
Korea's one and only S-rank, Kim Soo-ho. His short statement instantly silenced the noisy chat room.
[Kim Soo-ho: They're on a mission equivalent to state secrets, so detailed personal info can't be disclosed for the time being.]
[Park Sang-cheol: (...typing)]
[Kim Soo-ho: I specially requested their participation because I judged the info here is essential for the mission.]
[Kim Soo-ho: I hope the president understands.]
State secrets. Cliché, but an invincible cheat key.
What mission? What info in this chat room is needed? There were plenty of hooks to pry if he wanted.
But since it came from an S-rank hunter's mouth, it wasn't easy.
[Park Sang-cheol: Haha, if Kim Soo-ho vouches for them, that's a different story. I shouldn't have asked unnecessarily.]
The association president quickly changed his attitude. But I could tell he wasn't convinced deep down. He seemed insidious and no pushover in every way.
Meanwhile, the others who had been quietly observing started chiming in.
[Jeong Tae-yeon: I think I know who it is? If it's who I think, it makes sense even as a state secret.]
[Eun Mi-rae: Yeah, a really fun person.]
"...They all seem convinced it's me no matter how I look at it."
To act like they knew right away? Seeing these two impatient mages made me sigh involuntarily.
And right then, someone completely unexpected sent a message.
[Shin Se-ha: ...Fighting.]
"Huh?"
That one word threw the chat room into chaos.
[Park Sang-cheol: Shin Se-ha, it's been ages? I thought you'd left since you never reply.]
[Lee Hyun-woo: First time seeing this person speak in a year.]
Suddenly, more attention on the fact that Shin Se-ha spoke than on my identity.
Shin Se-ha said that and immediately went back to lurking.
While I was stunned by how different she was from the mage gallery, someone else spoke up.
[Lee Kang-hyun: If everyone's reacting like this, they must not be ordinary.]
[Choi Soo-jin: Any plans to join our guild later? We can pay 10 billion in cash upfront.]
[Park Sang-cheol: Haha, you know mentioning specific amounts here is forbidden? This puts me in a tough spot.]
[Choi Soo-jin: Sorry, President.]
[Park Sang-cheol: But I'm interested too. Please contact me later. The association is always short on talent.]
[Park Sang-cheol: This much isn't a state secret, right?]
In an instant, the chat room was flooded with guild recruitment offers for me.
Some even sent private messages.
I skimmed through all the messages and typed a short reply.
[Tiger Drowning in a Sea of Tears: Not thinking about it for now.]
My firm rejection quieted the chat room again.
"Sigh, real-name group chats are just too intense and scary...."
Feeling tired, I closed the chat app for now and clicked the second link, the website address.
A-Rank Hunter Gallery.
I smirked and accessed the board. A flood of posts appeared before my eyes.
[Title: That OG really is a boomer asshole, straight up crossing lines.]
[Title: Joined Seoul Pod as healer, got questioned.]
[Title: In a top squad but salary's too stingy....]
Way freer and more active than expected.
Looking closer, it wasn't just A-rank hunters; their party members were active too.
Hence the decent population.
A chaotic space mixing complaints, backtalk, and info sharing.
I scrolled through the posts with interest. Then I spotted one with a familiar tone.
[Title: The new A-rank is truly amazing]
[Author: ?? (128.48)]
[Content: I know who it is. Better keep a close eye from now on. They'll soon outshine everyone else. Stay alert. Especially you, Park Sang-cheol, watch out.]
"...At this point, it's obvious who wrote it."
She'd said one word and vanished in the chat, but here she was posting this. Her post had comments.
ㄴ ??1: Everyone knows, right? Don't bid against my newbie in auctions. Warned you.
ㄴ ??2: Why's it yours? Clown.
ㄴ ??3: If we're splitting hairs, shouldn't it belong to the first discoverer?
"What's this? Why does it feel so familiar?"
I let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
"In the end, this place is just another neighborhood full of the usual folks."
Whether it's the tower, reality, or A-rank hunter communities, people are people everywhere, huh?
Feeling an odd comfort, I started reading the posts one by one, just like old times.
***
[Entering Tower Floor 28 (EXTREME).]
Completely different from the collapsed vertical city of Floor 27. This was clearly the inside of a building.
"Is this... a factory?"
I muttered while looking around.
The acrid smell of oil and metal stung my nose.
A cramped space barely tall enough for my short stature. Packed with machinery, it felt suffocating.
"Ugh, why's the ceiling so low."
It was bizarre in every way.
One side had a massive medieval furnace and anvil belching red heat, but next to it, a conveyor belt powered by some unknown force kept moving nonstop.
Blacksmithy and factory. Medieval and modern grotesquely mixed.
Above all, this space wasn't run by living beings.
Thud. Thud.
With heavy footsteps, massive iron golems moved along fixed paths.
The golems carried empty boxes on the conveyor or poured fuel into the furnace. Elsewhere, machines hammered away relentlessly.
"What is this...."
The problem was there was nothing under their hammers.
Looking again, the boxes the golems carried were empty too. They repeated meaningless actions of emptying empty boxes.
As if crafting something invisible, endlessly laboring in thin air.
As I quietly watched their movements.
Screeech....
The machine closest to me, hammering at nothing, stopped. A red sensor light turned on, and its head slowly turned toward me.
That was the signal.
Screech... screeech....
Every golem and machine in the factory halted simultaneously. Dozens of red eyes fixed on me. Clear battle signal to anyone.
"I get the concept."
I sighed. The issue wasn't the numbers.
"The space is too cramped."
Not good conditions to summon the sandworm.
How to handle this most comfortably.
As I pondered briefly.
Tap, tap.
I felt something tugging my hair. Turning my head, Chohogi was on my shoulder, gripping my hair.
It looked up at me and thumped its chest.
Its intent was crystal clear.
"Leave it to you? Why?"
After eating the spirit's essence, communication with it had become even smoother.
"Last time the worm stole the show, so as the senior, you want to set an example?"
Strong determination radiated from Chohogi tugging at me.
Jeez, ridiculous. I chuckled. Such a cute little thing.
Guess competition makes you work harder?
"Alright, alright. Your turn this time."
I tapped the hardhat on its head. I felt Chohogi wriggling happily.
"Alone might be tough? I'll give you backup."
I reached out. The floor turned to sand at my will.
Soon, ten sand clones rose around me. Unlike Chohogi, they were crude, function-focused mass-produced types.
Groooar-!
The enemies moved. Golems lumbering forward, shaking the ground with their bulk, and machines transforming, revealing blades and cannons from their bodies.
"Gotta bulk you up and arm you too."
I gestured at Chohogi.
Sand from the ground clung to it, instantly enlarging it. Now slightly taller than me.
It needed a powerful weapon fitting it, one that could pierce those steels. A spear flashed in my mind.
I reached out, pulling sand from the floor. It gathered in my hand, forming a long, sleek spear.
Packed with minerals for strength.
"Here, catch."
A beautiful spear with a subtle silver sheen completed.
Chohogi reverently took it with both hands. Spear as big as itself, but it seemed fine.
Then I made large shields for the other clones.
"Alright, charge!"
At my command, the mass-produced sand clones rushed forward first.
Boom! Crash!
Conveyor belts and tables toppled.
Golem fists swung and machine shells rained on the sand shields. Shields cracked, clone bodies burst.
Swoosh-!
From the gaps between shield clones, a shadow darted. Chohogi.
Its movements were incomparably nimbler than before.
Chohogi targeted the nearest machine's joints.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, the spear tip slipped between armor, severing the power cable acting as a tendon. The massive machine slumped.
I watched with a satisfied smile.
The spirit's essence wasn't just extra lives. It clearly evolved its thinking and combat intelligence too.
While sand clones drew fire and aggro, it weaved through, taking enemies down one by one.
The battlefield cleared in moments. Fallen golems and wrecked machines piling on the factory floor.
Arms crossed, I watched Chohogi's performance.
Way more entertaining than expected.