Babel Tower
Yul thought to herself.
Where the hell am I this time?
Her mind was clear, but her body felt like it did on those groggy mornings when you couldn't quite wake up—thoughts rolling along sharp and normal, but her flesh refusing to cooperate. One thing was certain: she was lying down. She could feel something against her back, the back of her head, and her palms. A strangely hard floor. Probably stone. And she was sprawled out on top of it.
Her last memory was getting sucked into that door, so this had to be inside the Tower.
That realization hit, and Yul's face twisted reflexively.
...Shit.
One damn door, and not only did it drag her in, it dumped her ass-first onto a stone floor? This whole system thing had zero redeeming qualities. It popped out of nowhere, turned the world into some fantasy action flick, and now it had even cut off her Wi-Fi with Star-nim.
'I came here to talk to Star-nim again, and this is what I get...'
For me?
'...!'
She flinched hard at the deep voice rumbling in her head, her fingertips trembling. But her body still wouldn't budge.
Wait, whose voice is that?
Yul thought. Unmistakably male, low and smooth. Laden with affection that couldn't be hidden.
'...Star-nim?'
Probably her Constellation.
As she asked half in doubt, a low chuckle tickled her ear. Then, as if cherishing something beloved, he whispered with overflowing warmth.
Yes. It's your star.
'What the hell? Why'd you suddenly stop replying? Cutting off like that makes me worry.'
You were worried about me?
'...Well, you're not in any real danger. I know your powers.'
Sorry for making you worry. But it couldn't be helped. Until this Tower opens after appearing, the connection is severed.
'So now that I'm here, we can talk even if I leave?'
That's right. Since you opened the Tower, that weird system window should recover too. Probably revamped.
Revamped, huh. No clue if it'd be for better or worse. But at least they could talk again. Good enough.
With that, Yul let all the tension drain from her body like she'd been waiting for it. Direct conversation instead of the usual indirect quotes.
'But doesn't opening my eyes here mean I get to see Star-nim's face?'
The thought hit her, and she tensed her eyelids. Warmth immediately blanketed them.
Don't get up. It's not a place worth seeing with your eyes open.
'...The scenery around here's pretty messed up, huh?'
Yes. Things utterly worthless to grace your eyes.
A low laugh rang out in delight. Yul nodded quickly and relaxed her eyes again. The warmth lingered, not leaving her eyelids.
'This feels weird.'
Hm?
'Talking to you directly like this. Never really thought about it before, but it feels a bit different from the image I had... Our Star-nim wasn't this serious.'
Don't think of me as different. It makes me sad.
'No need to get all sad about it.'
No, really. Embarrassingly, everything about me toward you is sincere.
Yul figured if her eyes were open, she'd be staring at him in bewilderment. His response was so gravely earnest it made her casual remark feel awkward.
I'm not one to easily give my heart to anyone.
You alone are the only one I've permitted.
Yul.
That low, honeyed voice pressed heavily into a corner of her heart. A sturdy reassurance that didn't feel bad at all.
I'll walk your path to the end with you.
I stake the fate of the highest star to place everything I have in your hands.
Be it my authority, the future, or my throne.
If you desire, even inevitable destruction into immortality.
And his voice recited a prophetic vow.
Transcending causality, only victory shall lie on your path.
And if all this falls short...
She felt her consciousness fuzzing out. But more regrettable was the warmth over her eyes fading.
The sensation that her awareness—no, this connection—was severing in this place hit strong. She didn't even have the energy to think a reply anymore.
Sorry for making you walk such a hard path.
That irked her enough to ignore her fading state. Yul squeezed out a thought.
Victory this, that—didn't need any of it.
'Don't apologize.'
Just those words. That was enough.
Then everything sharpened into focus.
Outside the Tower, it was pandemonium.
The anchors breathlessly reporting the vanishing No. 1 were one thing, the citizens' worried murmurs another. But the biggest issue was the top hunters wreaking havoc right there.
"Dammit, get outta my way?! Let go!"
"RecordFaker, calm down! Ryu Shin-ah!"
"I said let go!"
Sae-byeok Bich gritted her teeth, clinging to Ryu Shin-ah. His other arm was pinned by Lee Yu-na, whom she'd called for backup.
Ryu Shin-ah bellowed, veins bulging in his neck.
"Let me go! I'm gonna dismantle that goddamn scrap heap!"
"Are you insane?! You can't even touch the system—do you know what that is?!"
"Even if my head explodes and I drop dead, I'm dismantling it!"
The System was the pinnacle of records. It held all info linking hunters, Constellations, dungeons, monsters—everything in this world. An A+ like Ryu Shin-ah couldn't reach that far, no matter how he insisted otherwise.
And yet here he was, threatening to mess with the Babel Tower that had knocked the System offline entirely. Sure, it seemed part of the System too, but it was still suicide.
But the ones they had to restrain weren't just him.
"...That abomination dares to take who?"
Unlike the rampaging Ryu Shin-ah, Joo Young stood eerily still before drawing his scythe. The moment Hae-pa-ri saw him activate his power to tear open space toward the Tower's interior, he smacked the back of his head.
Thwack.
"You lunatic! You know what's inside and you're ripping open space?! You lost your damn mind!"
"Outta my way, jellyfish salad."
"She'll come out fine! You know her skills! Hell, it straight-up invited her in—how dangerous could it be? Think for a sec...!"
Ignoring the blow, Joo Young started warping space. Hae-pa-ri wailed in despair. At 160cm—a short guy even for a man—stopping the two-heads-taller Joo Young was near impossible. And he was a healer to boot!
"Hey, hey, hey! Crazy bastard Joo Young! RecordFaker, you gotta stop him... why are you two tag-teaming this shit?!"
Even Ryu Shin-ah—Joo Young's sole match, the self-proclaimed bully-in-chief for him—had activated his power. Hae-pa-ri grabbed Joo Young's hair, clinging for dear life.
"Let go or else?!"
"Can't you see I'm saving your ass, you scum? Bald beats headless! Stop if you hate it!"
"If you don't let go by the count of three, I'll bury you in the Deep Sea floor. Wanna visit home?!"
Vrrr.
Then a gold barrier tinged green enveloped the Tower—the phenomenon when Ryu Shin-ah deployed his ability to read an object's records. Any power exceeding one's vessel—their rank—exacted a toll on the body. And that penalty was always life-threatening, why no hunter could punch above their weight.
Sae-byeok Bich bit her lip. If LeeSeonjwaKiller emerged to find RecordFaker in ruins...
"Yu-na! Just bash him with your shield!"
"Huh?"
"Knock him out or something! He says he's analyzing it, but his head might actually explode!"
At Sae-byeok Bich's frantic cry, Lee Yu-na finally drew her shield. Whatever plan they cooked up, Ryu Shin-ah hammered his keyboard, eyes locked on the Tower, teeth clenched.
"Cough."
Blood trickled from his mouth and eyes.
"Gyaah!"
Sae-byeok Bich freaked, and as resolute Lee Yu-na raised her shield—
Hummm.
The Tower vibrated again, its door blazing bright.
Ryu Shin-ah's hands paused mid-keystroke on his rage-fueled typing. He looked up through bloodshot, burst-vein eyes.
"...My king?"
Creak.
As if answering that faint call, the 'door' split in two and slowly opened.
And from within emerged the one they'd waited for.
Yul, pristine without a single scratch.
She muttered in bewilderment.
"...What the hell's this circus?"
Sae-byeok Bich and Lee Yu-na flanking Ryu Shin-ah, Joo Young solo with his weapon out and every ounce of grim resolve, Hae-pa-ri dangling from his back yanking his hair. Gu Se-ji watching arms crossed with a smirk, Jeon Se-han sighing beside him.
Total shitshow.
What the hell were Korea's top rankers doing? On live global broadcast, no less.
'...Hunters are embarrassing the whole country.'
Who decided to brand the nation with hunters anyway? Bad call, considering top-tier ones worldwide were all unhinged regardless of nationality.