Chapter 59
[Title: Sonya’s Fastest Clear of the 74th Floor Is Up]
Author: Night Shift from the Magic Tower
Crazy.
Cleared in 7 hours 37 minutes.
Sonya cut Yusera’s record in half.
I went to the Hunter community, and the Light-cultists were making a huge fuss, claiming the record had been manipulated. The wolfkin fans were saying that if this was the result, Sonya must be much stronger, though?
Honestly, Sonya really has surpassed the Hero by now.
I’m not a hunter, so I don’t know the exact gimmick of the seventy-fourth floor, but they say it’s Sonya’s worst possible counter. If she cleared it with a score like this, I think it’s fair to say she’s surpassed her now. Yeah.
[88 Comments]
Yep: Is this bastard a wolfkin fanboy? You know Sonya wasn’t number one in contribution for this seventy-fourth-floor run, right?
└Expired Food Yum-Yum: This time she went in with Sonya’s support player, and some guy named Kim Mincheol whom I’ve never heard of took first place in contribution.
└Night Shift from the Magic Tower: ?? Who’s Kim Mincheol? Was there a Ranker like that in the Project Guild?
└Demon King Fan: How could a support take first place in contribution, you idiot? LOL
Excommunicated Paladin: As expected, I knew there had to be some underhanded trick. There’s no way a Hero’s record could be beaten that badly.
Convenience Store Gallery User: The Light-cultists are forcing it, trying to claim this achievement was manipulated, but if buffs are assessed as having contributed highly, there are cases where the support’s contribution goes up like that.
Mushroom Farm: But doesn’t cutting the record by that much mean something in the end?
└Yep: You wolfkin bastard. You’re laying the groundwork to praise your master somehow. If the support’s contribution is that high, it means your master didn’t help with the strategy at all.
Newbie Guillotine: So who is Kim Mincheol?
└Convenience Store Part-Timer 1: Dunno, fuck.
A free-for-all broke out in the Convenience Store Gallery.
The subject was the fastest record for clearing the seventy-fourth floor, which Sonya had conquered yesterday.
I did wonder why a free-for-all on that subject had broken out in the Convenience Store Gallery rather than the Hunter Gallery.
The Convenience Store Gallery had originally been a place where people shared stories about their everyday lives.
Aside from sharing stories about difficult customers and tips for working at convenience stores, most of the talk was about what they had eaten for lunch that day.
That was why they were discussing the news about the seventy-fourth floor, which was currently a hot topic.
And it seemed that a lot more bad blood had built up between Sonya’s and Yusera’s fans than I had expected.
They fought at the top of their lungs, calling each other “Light-cultists” and “wolfkin fanboys.”
Since it was an online community, shouldn’t it be “until their fingers fall off”?
Anyway.
Even now, comments kept pouring in over whether Yusera or Sonya was better.
Was fighting over that really what the Convenience Store Gallery was for?
Thanks to that, there was also a lot of talk about the mysterious hidden master named “Kim Mincheol.”
[Title: So Who Is Kim Mincheol?]
Is there really no information?
They say all the Project Guild members saw him.
He came out helping Sonya walk, apparently. Is there really no information about him at all?
[3 Comments]
Yep: No idea. The Project Guild said they would keep his identity secret, so they wouldn’t reveal it. I guess some loose-lipped person was the one who let his name be known, but apparently not a single photograph remains.
└Convenience Store Gallery User: What about the strategy video? They always keep those.
└Yep: I heard Sonya deleted it this time?
Sonya and the Project Guild had said they had thoroughly purged all information about me.
-There’s no good that can come of an ordinary person getting caught up in rumors like this. “Kim Mincheol” is a fairly common name, so no one will be able to identify you.
The Project Guild leader and guild manager had confidently promised that no information would ever get out.
There was nothing good about becoming famous over something like this.
I was going to receive more than 500 million won for clearing the seventy-fourth floor this time.
Apparently, because my performance had been so good, they were going to pay me an additional amount in the final settlement.
Hundreds of millions.
The day had finally come when hundreds of millions of won would be deposited into my bank account.
Was this a dream?
There was a saying like that, wasn’t there?
That the best life was becoming quietly rich while nobody else knew who you were.
From my perspective, nothing could have been better.
Five hundred million won for having a slightly rough weekend day.
It had been worth risking my life.
“Manager, I’m here.”
Ding-.
Keeping my smile as subdued as possible, I entered the convenience store, and the manager standing behind the counter looked at me.
“Right-hand man, you have returned. Judging by the fact that you came back alive and well, it seems the collar worked properly.”
“I owe my life to you. Otherwise, things could have turned out very badly.”
“Hmph, naturally. Who do you think made it? I made it in case that creature, excited by its excessive urge to destroy, attacked you. The moment you decided to activate it, you would have been able to subdue it immediately.”
“Did you see the record, too, Manager?”
“…I heard that my right-hand man took first place. Naturally. Are you not Jinjo’s First Familiar? It would be troublesome for my right-hand man to be pinned beneath a mere beast like that. Seeing that my right-hand man came in first, I am satisfied that you properly subdued it! A collar is the perfect medicine for a beast that knows nothing but destruction.”
The manager snorted.
Hmm.
It would be better not to mention what had happened inside, right?
The collar had been far more effective than I expected.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that.
“Manager, thank you. Truly.”
“Hehe, you look happy.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“I can see you grinning at the thought of getting paid.”
“Ahem, it’s a very large sum.”
At the thought of the money I would receive from the Project Guild, the manager let out a low groan.
“…My first paycheck has been stolen.”
“……Pardon?”
“Jinjo wanted to give her right-hand man his first paycheck, but it was stolen from me.”
“You haven’t given it to me yet, so if you give it to me now……”
“No! That won’t do! It cannot be! It has not ripened yet.”
“Uh, um……. Then should I put off the payment date a little?”
“……Can you do that?”
“I’ll ask them. It isn’t a small amount, so it’ll take them some time to prepare it, too.”
“Yes, yes. You will soon learn that a paycheck from Jinjo is far more valuable.”
She grumbled with her lips pushed out, then glanced at me and asked,
“…Right-hand man, you are not going to quit, are you?”
“No. Why would I quit? Where could I find a better workplace than this?”
“Right?”
The manager beamed at my declaration that I would keep working here.
She really was cute.
“Yes. There is no workplace as good as this one!”
This convenience store paid well, the work was easy for the wages, and it had an adorable manager, so there was no reason to leave.
Of course, another reason I kept working here was that I had no idea how to get back to Korea.
‘I turned down some alley and ended up in another world. Since I don’t even know how I got here, I have no idea how to get back.’
For now, wouldn’t it be better to keep working here and learn more about Taepyeong City?
“Do not let clearing that floor go to your head. You are not an official hunter, after all.”
“Of course. I know my place. I’ve already been paid enough, so there’s no reason for me to go back.”
“I am glad you understand.”
After finishing, the manager pointed at two red golems that resembled her and were arranging the shelves.
“The golems will work with us for a while, in case anything happens. They will deal with most troublesome customers.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Then that will be all for today. I shall clock out.”
“Good work.”
“You work hard too, right-hand man. And……”
The manager scratched her cheek shyly and said to me,
“I’m glad you came back safely.”
After saying that, the manager opened the door and disappeared as though fleeing.
Pop!
It was clearly broad daylight, yet she went pop and vanished into thin air like dust.
Was that one of the manager’s abilities too?
‘She can subdue one of the Seven Heroes with a single collar, so something like that must be child’s play for her.’
Come to think of it, Hero Yusera had vanished with a similar pop.
Did all of Taepyeong City’s powerful figures make their exits like that?
I put those pointless thoughts aside and lightly cleaned the store.
After helping the golems, who were still arranging the shelves, clean the inside, I set aside the expired items for disposal and headed for the back door with a recycling trash bag in each hand.
When I opened the door and stepped into the convenience store’s backyard, a pungent smell swept over me.
“Yo~.”
In a corner of the recycling area bathed in the morning sunlight.
Gabi stood beneath the makeshift roof installed in the backyard.
A woman in worn-out sweatpants completely unsuited to her slender figure, dragging along a pair of three-striped slippers.
The stretched-out neckline exposed her white collarbones and cleavage, and dark circles hung heavily beneath her eyes, as though she had spent the night gaming.
White smoke drifted from her mouth as she waved with the hand that wasn’t holding her cigarette.
“You came in to work first thing in the morning.”
“Well, you can’t beat a post-meal smoke after an all-nighter, can ya? It’s like the end of the day. Since you don’t smoke, Mr. Mincheol, you don’t know how good it is, do ya? Hehe, you’re missing out on half of life.”
For the fallen angel, morning seemed to be an extension of the all-nighter rather than the start of a new day.
Gaming all night, huh?
Since gaming was her job, did that mean she had worked overtime?
I sighed and set the recycling bags down at the collection area.
As usual, Gabi was tapping ash into a paper cup she had picked up somewhere and was using as an ashtray.
She had said she moved nearby, and it seemed she really did live close to our convenience store.
If she came out here to smoke after a meal.
It was just as I was about to exchange a quick greeting and head back into the convenience store.
“By the way, Mr. Mincheol.”
“Yes?”
“Or should I not call you Mr. Mincheol anymore? Mr. Mincheol, the hidden master?”
I flinched.
My footsteps came to an abrupt stop.
“……I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Are you really going to pretend you don’t know?”
“Isn’t it just someone with the same name?”
“Hehe~, who do you think I am? I may not look it, but I used to be an angel.”
She stubbed out her cigarette and trudged toward me.
The smell of cigarettes hit me.
“You can’t fool my eyes. Kim Mincheol, same name, working without a single incident under Jinjo, the famously fussy and peculiar manager, and suddenly forming a party with someone on the level of one of the Seven Heroes. Who else could it be but our part-timer?”
“……”
“I knew it the moment I saw Mr. Mincheol’s name in the gallery while I was raiding all night.”
She was a fallen angel with a damn sharp eye.
I had thought she would be oblivious to things like this, but she was surprisingly perceptive.
No, maybe since she spent all night glued to the internet and games, she had no choice but to be the most well-informed about rumors like this.
“No, that’s a genuine misunderstanding……”
“If I’d known Mr. Mincheol was this strong, I would’ve stayed quiet when those angels came recruiting back then. Boohoo.”
Gabi circled around me, looking fascinated.
“I couldn’t sense a trace of mana, and your build was perfectly ordinary, so I thought you were incredibly weak. But that was all camouflage, huh? Damn, what a commitment to the concept.”
“……It’s not a concept.”
“I know, I know. The maternal-instinct thing! That’s what it was, right?”
Gabi pulled her hands from her sweatpants pockets, clapped, and nodded.
“Pretending to be weak and ordinary so you could awaken the maternal instincts of strong women and make them lower their guard. Well, I fell for it too. There’s just something about you that makes people want to protect you. Hehehe. Mr. Mincheol, you were a very scary wolf.”
Covering her mouth, Gabi chuckled and took another step toward me.
“I only gave Sonya buffs from the side so she could clear the floor.”
“Come on, how could first place in contribution be achieved with buffs alone? I know how this works. I’ve done gold farming too, and for a buffer to take MVP, you have to grind your soul away, grab the DPS by the scruff of the neck, and carry them.”
By now, she was even bringing game logic into it to rationalize my contribution.
She wasn’t completely wrong.
It was true that I had contributed to some extent.
But the problem was that I was absolutely not the hidden master the community users—and Gabi—imagined me to be.
Even if I tried to deny it, she had already made up her mind.
Unlike the others, she was already a regular at our convenience store.
On top of that, she was a former big-shot angel who could send ordinary angels packing through sheer force of presence.
A clumsy lie wouldn’t work on her.
“…That’s right. I’m the Kim Mincheol who cleared the seventy-fourth floor with Sonya.”
“Just as I thought.”
“But I’m not as strong as you think, Ms. Gabi.”
“I figured that too.”
“…Pardon?”
Gabi looked at me with a sly smile.
“You were obviously human, after all. I thought you might be hiding a trick or two, but that you probably weren’t an incredibly powerful human.”
“Then what about the wolf and maternal-instinct stuff you mentioned earlier……”
“I was just describing my impression, though? Wait, was it actually true? Did you deliberately pretend to be weak to stir up maternal instincts……?”
“No.”
Gabi grinned, stretched luxuriously, and added,
“…Well, I don’t really care whether our part-timer is a Demon King hiding his identity or a descendant of a Hero. I’m a jobless NEET who already quit her job, after all. Do things like that matter? What matters is living happily today.”
“I see.”
“Do you know what matters most to an unemployed person?”
“I don’t, um, know.”
Something felt ominous.
“Money. Money to buy daily food is the most important thing. You made a fortune, didn’t you? The Project Guild must have paid you a ton for clearing the seventy-fourth floor in record time.”
Gabi casually draped an arm over my shoulder and whispered in a friendly voice.
“Well, Mr. Kim Mincheol, the man with hundreds of millions in assets.”
“…Why are you acting ominous?”
“I’m not going to be petty and ask for hush money between friends. Still, wouldn’t it be a little awkward to let me leave empty-handed?”
The fallen angel’s voice brushed my ear.
So it had come.
I had suspected as much from the moment money came up.
“What do you want?”
“…Could you buy me just one burger later on?”
“Pardon?”
“A hamburger. A set, if possible. Ah, two would be even better.”
“…Is that really all you want?”
I had wondered how much she wanted, given the way she was building up the atmosphere.
And it was only a hamburger set.
A hollow laugh escaped me at how foolish I had been to get so tense.
“Hmm, did I ask for something too expensive? A convenience-store hamburger would be fine too……”
“……Will two be enough?”
“Oh! As expected of the hidden master! As expected of a man worth hundreds of millions of won! Your generosity is as vast as the sea!”
Gabi excitedly flapped her shriveled wings.
“I can’t leave the store right now, so I’ll buy them for you after I finish work.”
“Damn, I love it. I’ll come back when you get off work, my sugar daddy!”
Gabi laughed heartily and disappeared beyond the back alley with her hands shoved into her sweatpants pockets, humming cheerfully.
“Haa……”
Should I be happy that she had settled for so little?
***
My shift was nearing its end.
As the sun began to set and the people heading home from work started hurrying along the streets.
Ding-!
A new customer arrived with the sound of the bell.
“Mincheol! You worked hard today too!”
It was Ms. Priella, the former elf queen.
With her hard hat hooked around her waist, she was once again dressed in her familiar work clothes dusted white with dirt.
The signs of hard work at the site were obvious, but the fragrant scent of grass from her body remained as strong as ever.
“You’re here. It’s been a while.”
“Haa, work’s been so busy lately. By the way, the scent of the World Tree is strong again today. It puts my mind at ease to see that you seem to be taking good care of that child.”
She was approaching the counter when—
Ding-!
“Sugar daddy, I’m here~!”
Fallen Angel Ms. Gabi opened the door and came in.
And then.
“Yikes.”
“Ugh.”
Their brows furrowed almost simultaneously as the two recognized each other.
“Gabi, what are you doing here?”
“Ugh, elf stink.”