"Are you really going to okay this?"
"Isn't it a good opportunity?"
To Lee Ji-soo's repeated questions, Park Jin-soo instead shot back a look that said, 'Are you not going to okay this three-birds-with-one-stone chance to kill that bastard, get an item, and get paid?' and the moment she saw that expression, Lee Ji-soo realized. 'This guy really intends to go in.' There was only one thing left.
Kim Jeong-bin's decision. At that, Kim Jeong-bin didn't ponder for long.
"Go and come back from the 2nd floor."
"Pardon?"
"First, we'll test it out on the 2nd floor. To see how well Mr. Park Jin-soo can do."
"Ah! That's right!"
At those words, Park Jin-soo nodded and immediately tapped his left chest once.
"Uh, but how do I get to the 2nd floor?"
"You're going to go right away?"
"Isn't that better? If I just buy a Ticket, I can enter right away, right? Why waste time?"
At that, Lee Ji-soo gave up on even trying to object. The problem was demanding something common sense from someone who saw entering the Tower as no different from opening the fridge to get something to eat.
"If you tear the Tower Ascension Ticket, at that moment you will gain the qualification to enter the 2nd floor. After that, you can buy an entrance Ticket."
"Simple enough."
It was then.
"But don't enter the Tower right now, please wait for a moment."
"Wait?"
"Yes."
Kim Jeong-bin paused there and gave Lee Ji-soo a look, and the moment she received that look, Lee Ji-soo shook her head as if she had realized something.
'I refuse.'
She clearly expressed her refusal. Because she noticed right away. 'I refuse to party up with this lunatic!'
What Kim Jeong-bin wanted right now. It was obvious, but Lee Ji-soo didn't want to ride in the passenger seat of this walking, genuine madness. On the other hand, from Kim Jeong-bin's perspective, there was no choice but Lee Ji-soo.
First, Lee Ji-soo's skills and talent were excellent. At the same time, she had an exceptional eye for things and knew the world of Hunters well. 'I can trust Lee Ji-soo.'
But more important than anything was the fact that in this chaotic world, Hunters as trustworthy as Lee Ji-soo could be counted on one hand. Like the case of Kim Jae-byeong, even Kim Jeong-bin couldn't grasp all the landmines that existed within the Comet Guild. 'I don't want to, I really don't want to.'
And it was the same for Lee Ji-soo. 'If not me... damn it!' She too knew how this world worked.
She knew that an era had come where Hunters, rather than conquering the Tower, were in fact exploiting it. In such an era, she also knew how precious Park Jin-soo's existence was. 'This crazy guy will reach the end of the Tower and still have more to go.
Chief Secretary Kim Jeong-bin is right. The only kind of person who can bring down the Tower is someone like this.' As Lee Ji-soo and Kim Jeong-bin exchanged countless conversations with their eyes, Park Jin-soo, who had been watching them, spoke.
"Um, can't I just go alone? There's no need for you to go through trouble because of me."
At those words, Lee Ji-soo tapped her left chest and then spoke.
"Let's go together."
"Huh? Really? Are you okay?"
Surprised by the answer, Park Jin-soo looked at her, but Lee Ji-soo spoke while looking not at him, but at Kim Jeong-bin.
"What can I do? If the higher-ups order it, I have to do it."
Instead of answering, Kim Jeong-bin gave a bitter smile.
"That's good, I can trust you too, Ms. Lee Ji-soo. By the way, what appears on the 2nd floor?"
Lee Ji-soo answered that question immediately.
"Orcs."
"Orcs?"
"You know Orcs, right? The Orcs from Lord of the Rings, or fantasy novels, movies, or webtoons. Exactly those kinds of Orcs appear."
"So they die if I crack their heads?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, if they look sort of like people, it means they die if their heads explode, right?"
Hearing that reply, Lee Ji-soo and Kim Jeong-bin could once again realize.
"Am I wrong? Do they survive even if their heads explode?"
"...... No, you're right. Orcs die if their heads explode."
"I knew it, right? Then this should be easy."
Park Jin-soo's way of doing things was different.
"Well, we've eaten, so let's enter."
[You have purchased a Tower Ascension Ticket.]
[You will now enter the 2nd floor of the Tower.]
[You have entered the Tower.]
[A Return Mission has been issued.]
[Defeat 10 Orcs!]
As they tore two Tickets in a row, the world Park Jin-soo and Lee Ji-soo saw changed along with the notifications. The scenery was the same as the 1st floor. There was a lush green forest.
But Lee Ji-soo's expression was different. She showed a level of tension that was on a completely different dimension from when she entered the 1st floor. And that was the right response.
For one, from Lee Ji-soo's perspective, the 1st floor was a place she had entered not just hundreds, but over a thousand times. It was a place as familiar as her own home. On the other hand, this was the first time in Lee Ji-soo's life as a Hunter that she was facing the 2nd floor directly.
'Orcs are different from goblins.' Crucially, unlike goblins who could be compared to third-graders, the strength of an Orc was that of a properly trained adult male, or even greater. Furthermore, their level of vitality refused comparison with humans.
'Still, I did get a talent this time.' The one thing Lee Ji-soo could rely on here was the talent she got from the Yellow Egg, thanks to Park Jin-soo.
'No Retreat.'
The Yellow Grade talent, No Retreat. Once a battle starts, all physical abilities increase by 30 percent. It was a very good talent.
Of course, it was something to rely on, not a reason to go wild.
"Excuse me."
Park Jin-soo carefully asked the tense Lee Ji-soo.
"Looks like the fellow who made this Tower was really lazy."
"Pardon?"
At those words, Lee Ji-soo tilted her head. Why was he suddenly talking about the fellow who made the Tower?
"Isn't it obvious? Anyone can see this is just a copy-paste, right? They were too lazy to make a new background, so they just copied it."
"Well."
"The guy who made the Tower must have suddenly gotten some inspiration, made it, and then designed it roughly."
Truly absurd words. But Lee Ji-soo couldn't just dismiss his words as complete nonsense. Because she had never approached it that way before.
"Games made like this usually have weird patches or updates later that give people a headache. The Tower won't be like that, right? It won't suddenly give out strange missions or anything, will it?"
And at Park Jin-soo's following words, a chill went down Lee Ji-soo's spine.
'What if...'
It was unlikely, but if what Park Jin-soo said was true, it meant that at some point, the Tower could bring about an even greater disaster. It was then.
"Ah, they're here."
Park Jin-soo turned his head as he spoke. She couldn't see anything in particular, but Lee Ji-soo didn't doubt him.
'Survival Instinct.'
With the Survival Instinct skill that Park Jin-soo possessed, it wouldn't be difficult to detect the presence of an Orc in the distance. Also, Orcs were tougher creatures than goblins, so naturally, the threat felt by Survival Instinct was also greater. At that, Park Jin-soo and Lee Ji-soo held their breath.
There was no need to make a sound and give away their position.
Grrr!
A moment later, an Orc passed in front of Lee Ji-soo and Park Jin-soo. Its presence was certainly different. It gave off a strong feeling that any ordinary attack wouldn't work on that monster.
'It's not easy.' Lee Ji-soo, too, had heard enough about the scariness of Orcs from other Hunters to be sick of it. In fact, by Lee Ji-soo's common sense, it was an act of madness for just the two of them to enter the 2nd floor, which had a capacity of 15 people.
An act so crazy that even if they made it out alive, it wouldn't be strange to be called a suicide attempter and receive a psychiatric diagnosis! Nevertheless, there were two things she could rely on. 'Still, if it's Park Jin-soo.'
One was that Park Jin-soo's capabilities were at a level that far surpassed the common sense of ordinary Hunters.
Swoosh!
The other was the hammer now held in Park Jin-soo's hand. - Grade: Green - Requires Level 10 or higher - Attack Power: D- - Durability: E- - A hammer imbued with the soul of the Skull Breaker.
It contains a very powerful force. - When attacking the target's head, damage increases by 100 percent. - Each time a head is destroyed, physical abilities increase by 2 percent (Duration: 150 minutes).
Green Grade!
With this item that defied common sense, he could unleash a merciless slaughter even against Orcs. Of course, it was something to rely on, not something that would solve everything. 'Close-quarters combat won't be easy, but.'
Against goblins, one way or another, Hunters had the physical advantage, but Orcs were different. For a Hunter to gain the upper hand physically, they needed to reach level 20 and have the help of several talents, skills, or items related to physical prowess.
This meant that even for someone like Park Jin-soo, who lived in a world with a different concept of time, it was impossible to unconditionally overwhelm them. So Lee Ji-soo prepared herself. 'I'll be the bait.'
She had to step up here. 'While I draw the Orc's attention, Park Jin-soo will hit its back of the head.........' The moment she was drawing up that scenario, that very moment.
Whizz!
Suddenly, Park Jin-soo threw the hammer in his hand toward the Orc, and the hammer flew, spinning.
Craaack!
[You have defeated an Orc!]
And then, after smashing the back of the Orc's head in a single blow, it returned right to Park Jin-soo's hand.
"Wow!"
Park Jin-soo, who caught the hammer like a boomerang, spoke with an exclamation.
"Psychokinesis is really convenient!"
With those words, he smiled and said.
"So, what's the record for the 2nd floor?"
In most countries, the top-ranking Guilds were managed by the nation's key corporations. South Korea was no exception. Including the number one Comet Guild, the Guilds created by high-ranking conglomerates lined up below it.
Among them, the most representative were the Great Tiger Guild created by the Great Tiger Group and the Holy Star Guild created by the Holy Star Group. In terms of ranking, they were third and fourth, and it was no exaggeration to call them representative Guilds of South Korea.
However, within South Korea, the evaluation of these two Guilds was not good. - How are the Great Tiger Guild and the Holy Star Guild? ㄴYeah, pro-China guilds. ㄴ They're friendly with China? ㄴ They're practically office wives! That they were places that showed blatantly pro-China moves.
In truth, it wasn't just the Guilds. - Isn't the Great Tiger Group a place that got big thanks to Chinese money from the very beginning? ㄴ Holy Star Group is no different. - Holy Star Group's gaming company, practically their only cash cow right now, would get hit with an instant-kill attack if the Chinese guys just said 'die' lol.
From the beginning, the two groups were so dependent on China that they couldn't maintain their status without the Chinese market. - Hey, you gotta call it like it is. They got this far by licking China's boots! Without that, do you think they'd even be called a conglomerate?
And after the Tower appeared, that dependence instead became the secret to growing the size and presence of the two groups. -Honestly, right now, is there any place that's properly clearing the Tower without Chinese-made items?
That was understandable, as China currently had the most Hunters and, at the same time, was the place that produced the most items from the Tower. In a situation where items were needed for a more certain Tower conquest, the ability to borrow Chinese-made items became a more powerful form of power than one might think.
In addition, governments were currently giving many benefits to companies and Guilds that were active in conquering the Tower. From the government's perspective, whether they were pro-China or not, what was important was for someone to take care of the Tower's missions right now.
Anyway, it was such an era, and in that era, the two Guilds didn't bother to hide their friendliness with China. A corporation's purpose was to generate profit, and South Korea was a country where everyone acknowledged you as long as you made good money, anyway. But a happy heaven where everyone wins does not exist.
"Master, what is it?"
"Xu Kaicheng contacted me directly."
To Kim Byeong-jin, the Guild Master of the Great Tiger Guild, Xu Kaicheng, one of the executives of the Black Forest Guild, said.
"To kill the one who conquered the floor."
Such a horrifying story.
"Is it a request?"
"If it were a request, we could ignore it, but if it's an order, can we not ignore it?"
Furthermore, from the Great Tiger Guild's perspective, it was a story they had no way of refusing.
"The moment the Black Forest Guild takes back all the items they lent us, more than half of the Hunters in our Guild will demand to terminate their contracts, won't they?"
The Great Tiger Guild was already in a state where it couldn't function without the support of the Black Forest Guild, and by extension, China.
"And if our Guild collapses, there's no way the government will look upon us kindly."
Also, all the businesses run by the Great Tiger Group, and the special privileges given to those businesses, would inevitably be shaken.
"And I hear the one who discovered that Floor King belongs to the Comet Guild."
"Ah."
"If we leave it like this, do you think the Comet Guild will stay still? They'll use that Hunter to do whatever they want."
Crucially, from the Great Tiger Guild's perspective, they didn't like the fact that the Comet Guild was doing well, in and of itself. At this point, the answer was obvious.
"I don't know the exact situation, but the Ministry of Justice has requested a Hunter for verification. It seems they intend to conduct the verification in the Tower."
"Then?"
"We have to kill him."
It was time for a sword dance. There was one problem.
"Will that be easy? The guard won't be ordinary."
"Xu Kaicheng said so as well. That since it's a shield that won't be easily pierced, a spear that pierces well will be needed."
And the solution to that problem was provided by the Black Forest Guild.
"A very sharp, green spear."
It was then.
Vooo!
Kim Byeong-jin's smartphone rang, and after confirming the name of the Minister of Justice on the caller ID, Kim Byeong-jin answered the call.
"Yes, yes, I will prepare."
After finishing the brief call, Kim Byeong-jin opened his mouth.
"The Comet Guild has accepted the Minister of Justice's proposal, and they're asking us to send a Hunter for the test."
A thick smile hung on the lips of Kim Byeong-jin as he spoke.