Chapter 5
[Tower of Trials 1st Floor (Nightmare) Clear Reward has been distributed.]
[Reward: 10,000 Gold, Low-grade Mana Potion x3, B-grade Magic Stone x1, Random Equipment Box (Low-grade) x1…]
[Level has increased by 5!]
[Additional Reward: An A-rank Skill 'Appraisal Eye' acquired!]
‘Wow…’
I sighed inwardly in admiration.
Clearing Nightmare difficulty at super speed yielded insane rewards.
My level jumped by 5 in one go, and numerous rewards entered my Inventory.
Items like gold and potions were good, but what particularly caught my eye was the magic stone, known to be traded at high prices in the hunter industry.
A B-grade Magic Stone.
I didn’t know the exact market price, but I knew that selling just this one would allow me to eat premium Korean beef to my heart’s content for a while.
I was so happy it felt unreal.
To top it off, I was given a skill as an additional reward.
[Appraisal Eye (A)]: By looking at a target, you can see through to its hidden information or status.
It wasn’t a combat skill, but it seemed like a very good skill.
Its rank was even an A-rank.
For a summoner like me who gave orders from the back instead of stepping up directly, it was an incredibly sweet ability.
I turned my gaze to Katarina, the very person who had offered all of this to me.
Having instantly killed the giant orc boss, my first retainer was kneeling obediently at my feet.
I was truly so thankful.
If anything, I felt like I was the one who wanted to kneel.
“…Good work, you are quite useful.”
However, this was the extent of the praise I could give.
I hid my fingertips, trembling with excitement, by clasping my hands behind my back, and praised her with a nod as if it were nothing.
“I am merely honored by your praise, Master.”
Katarina spoke calmly, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.
She was really cool earlier when she instantly killed the orc.
Seeing her happy to receive praise, she might be a little cute.
“Let us return now.”
“Yes, Master.”
We exited the Tower of Trials without lingering and returned to my cozy studio apartment.
* * *
At the same time.
Republic of Korea Hunter Association Headquarters.
“Emergency!! Association President! It’s an emergency!!”
Analysis Director Oh Hyeon-Seok burst through the door of the Association Head’s office on the top floor, shouting with a pale face.
Association President Kim Tae-Seong furrowed his brow, taking his eyes off his documents and looking up.
“Director Oh, What is the matter? Did an S-rank gate break out in the middle of Gangnam or something?”
“Th-That’s not it! The, the Tower of Trials Record is…!”
Analysis Director Oh Hyeon-Seok continued, gasping for breath.
“The clear time new world record for the Tower of Trials 1st Floor, Nightmare Difficulty, has just been broken! And the nationality is Korean!”
The 1st Floor on Nightmare was where simply clearing it without a time limit was enough to be recognized with the A-rank hunter qualification.
Taking 1st place was a monumental event there, meaning another S-rank hunter prospect had appeared in Korea.
However
“A new world record? Why is that an emergency? If a prospect from our country achieved it, isn’t it a cause for celebration?”
Kim Tae-Seong spoke calmly, not greatly surprised.
It was possible because he was naturally composed and disliked making a fuss.
“The problem is, the clear time is strange.”
“Ah, did the 'Devil’s Minute' perhaps get broken? If so, it certainly makes sense for Director Oh to make such a fuss.”
“It was broken, but the clear time is 1 second.”
“…Excuse me?”
Kim Tae-Seong’s steadfast expression.
His steadfast expression instantly turned dumbfounded.
“1 second? Are you joking? Didn’t the Association Server encounter an error?”
“We also thought it was a bug at first. But after actually accessing the system, we found that it is indeed a normal clear judgment! Please check it yourself!”
“Hah. The orc boss on the 1st Floor Nightmare would be hard to kill in 1 second even for an active A-rank hunter currently running in the field…”
“The real problem is that identity verification is impossible for the person who cleared it. They are an unregistered person without awakener registration!”
An unidentified unregistered awakener.
Had they 'overwhelmingly' surpassed the past records of numerous S-rank hunters around the world?
It wasn’t a matter of being S-rank; it meant they were a being that couldn’t be explained by the existing ranking system at all.
In short,
A disaster-level prospect had appeared.
“A monster has been born in Korea.”
Kim Tae-Seong muttered lowly.
Director Oh nodded in agreement.
“What is that monster’s nickname?”
“It is 'Jinjo (True Ancestor)'.”
True Ancestor.
Kim Tae-Seong deeply engraved that alien and arrogant nickname into his mind.
“…Director Oh, let’s find this person called True Ancestor immediately.”
Kim Tae-Seong’s eyes flashed.
“We must find this person called 'True Ancestor' by any means necessary, and bring them to our Association unconditionally before the Americans or Chinese snatch them up first!”
As the Association President expected.
Korea wasn’t the only place turned upside down.
The upper echelons of world governments, associations, and giant guilds in America, China, Europe, and elsewhere were astonished by this ridiculous clear speed.
* * *
‘…Crazy.’
I lay on my bed, staring at my smartphone, and swallowed hard.
My home base was as peaceful as ever without a single change, but the outside world’s reaction was incredibly heated.
<Domestic Hunter Gallery>
[Title: Breaking News) 1-second-clear Tower 1st Floor Nightmare, Association official statement is out shiver]
Poster: News Wrecker
(Captured official news article photo)
Association official briefing just came out.
They say it’s not a bug and is a real normal clear record.
Are they even human? lol
- Wow 1-second clear fuck lol Doesn’t it take an A-rank hunter about 1 minute for the 1st Floor Nightmare difficulty?
└ active A-rank hunter) A-ranks vary too, so if they’re top-tier, an instant kill is possible. But exactly a 1-second clear would be tough.
- hunter wannabe) If it’s 1 second, doesn’t that mean they just sneezed once as soon as they entered and caught the boss?
└ Fact Bomber) Not quite.
- He took an overwhelming 1st place, and his nickname is 'Jinjo (True Ancestor)' lol Fucking badass lol
- Ah, there are a Cheonma and a Saintess, so is there a law saying there can’t be a True Ancestor? lol
- If this was just an ordinary person’s nickname it’d be chuunibyou, but since he proved it with results it’s super badass Jinjo-Hyung lol
└ Couldn’t it be an older sister instead of a Hyung?
└ Please please please a middle school girl bishojo
- YoungerIsBetterThanYoung) Did a silver-haired, red-eyed, flat-chested Vampire bishojo appear?! shiver
└ Super hot lol
└ You think? Vampires are an old anime trope. Probably an otaku uncle.
‘What the. How did they know?’
There were also comments that surprised me by guessing my identity so creepily accurately.
Every time I pressed refresh, dozens of comments were being posted.
The main page of the Internet News Portal was also plastered with provocative headlines like [A Monster Prospect Appears in Korea! Who is 'True Ancestor'?].
Community, Nutube, SNS, news - everywhere I looked, it was all about me.
‘Am I going to get caught at this rate?’
I was quite worried.
Because I had suddenly drawn this massive amount of aggro with my unregistered awakener status.
Not even privately, but using a registered user name.
The bigger problem was that my race was now vampire.
If the Association or the government found me, wouldn’t I be dragged off to a secret research lab and dissected?
“…Master.”
At that moment, Katarina, who had been standing modestly beside the bed, called out in a low, sunken voice.
Murderous intent dwelled in her blood-red eyes as she glanced down at my phone screen.
“Those lowly human realm insects dare to mock you while speaking the Master’s great name. I shall go out at once, rip out their tongues, and make them all kneel!”
Katarina spoke in an angry voice.
She seemed particularly fixated on a specific comment.
“‘Silver-haired, red-eyed, flat-chested bishojo is super hot’…?! To dare spout such blasphemous remarks about the Master’s precious body…! I will personally flay this one alive and hold them accountable for their sins!”
‘Please don’t honestly quote that exact wording, will you…? It’s even more embarrassing…’
My face grew a little hot.
I opened my mouth to stop Katarina.
“Ahem. Pay it no mind. Why would a noble being dance to every tune of the noise made by mere mayflies?”
It meant, 'let’s just stay quiet and lay low.'
However, Katarina’s reaction upon hearing my words was quite a spectacle again.
“Ah…!”
She placed one hand over her chest as if she had gained some great realization, and let out an overwhelmed breath.
“One must consider even these reactions and insults from the human realm as mere fleeting complaints. A creature like me dare not even fathom the Master’s vast and deep vessel.”
Katarina bowed her head with deep respect.
I looked at her with cold eyes.
A vast and deep vessel?
My gaze naturally drifted toward the chest where she had placed her hands.
An overwhelming volume looked like the buttons of her maid outfit would burst.
And my own chest, which I glanced down at.
It wasn’t completely flat, just slightly perky.
But considering the object of comparison, it wasn’t even a contest.
‘…I think your vessel is much bigger.’
I swallowed a sigh inwardly while staring at Katarina’s bursting shirt.
Anyway.
According to the information I found on Heon-gael, even if you used a registered user name, only your nationality and nickname would appear in the system; other personal details wouldn’t be revealed.
In other words, unless I stepped forward and revealed my identity, the likelihood of being tracked was low.
I shook off my unease and decided to get some food to eat right away before disposing of the gold and B-grade magic stone I obtained this time to raise money.
However, I couldn’t go out during the day.
“Katarina. Go grocery shopping.”
I handed her my card and sent her on an errand.
“Shall I buy beef?”
“Yes. Buy enough for you to eat as well.”
While I was giving the order, a question suddenly arose.
She was my retainer, and looking at her, I saw she was unmistakably a vampire like me, so was it okay for her to wander around during the day?
“By the way, are you okay if the Sunlight touches you outside?”
To my question, Katarina answered nonchalantly.
“Yes. Thanks to being forged from the great Master’s blood, I only feel slightly nauseous, but there are no problems at all.”
“…”
Wh-What?!
I was astonished.
She described that immense motion sickness as just feeling slightly nauseous?!
I felt incredibly unpleasant and struggled when just the tip of my pinky barely touched the sunlight earlier!
Katarina didn’t even seem to think of it as a penalty right now.
‘Hah. I’m supposed to be the Master, yet my pain resistance is worse than my retainer’s.’
I’m truly just a scrub.
Feeling a sense of self-deprecation, I waved my hand sternly.
“That is a relief. Then go and return quickly.”
“Your command.”
Katarina bowed politely and went outside.
Feeling a wave of disillusionment, I went under the covers and watched cat short-form videos.
* * *
The Tower of Trials had a cooldown that allowed climbing only one floor per week.
In other words, a week of Forced Vacation.
And so, a week of surplus and peaceful unemployed life passed by.
I didn’t have friends or acquaintances to begin with, so I wasn’t the type to like wandering around, but now that I had the penalty of not being able to go outside during the day, I spent my time at home constantly doing browsing Heon-gael and playing games.
And finally, today, when the cooldown reset.
“Let us go, Katarina.”
“Yes, Master.”
We entered the Tower of Trials' 2nd Floor.
The Boss of the 2nd Floor was a giant Troll Warrior wearing armor and wielding a mace.
It was a size even larger than the orc warrior. Moreover, it was said to boast tremendous regenerative power.
Of course, the result was exactly the same as the 1st Floor.
BOOOOM-!!
As Katarina lightly snapped her fingers, the Troll Warrior’s Heavy Armor tore like paper, and it exploded without a trace in just 1 second.
Unfortunately, there was no occasion for its regenerative power to be used.
Because it wouldn’t be able to recover from a pulverized state.
[Tower of Trials 2nd Floor (Nightmare) Clear!]
[Clear Time: 00 minutes 01 seconds]
[You have achieved a World Record!]
'Mhm, yeah yeah.'
Now, even looking at the new record notification window didn’t give me much of a thrill.
Because I had gotten used to it over the past week.
It wasn’t like they gave me anything for taking 1st place; it just put me on the rankings.
However, this time, a message different from usual popped up.
Ding!
[When the 2nd Floor is cleared, the 'Private Message Inbox' feature is unlocked.]
[You can now converse with other Awakeners.]
‘Oh.’
Message inbox.
It was a feature that allowed contacting other hunters through the system.
‘Right. They said there was something like this, didn’t they?’
I knew of its existence through Heon-gael, but since I wasn’t an Awakener, I didn’t know exactly how it worked.
It was the moment I was about to press the message inbox icon out of curiosity.
Vrrr! Vrrrrr!!
Suddenly, the translucent System Window floating in my empty air began to vibrate like crazy.
“…?!”
And then.
[A New Message has arrived.]
[A New Message has arrived.]
[A New Message has…]
An enormous number of messages poured in!
‘Eek?!’
Moreover,
The nicknames of the message senders filling the screen were even more surprising.
[Sender: Mackenzie Holt (US Hunter Department Secretary)]
'True Ancestor'-nim. America promises you the best treatment and citizenship. For further details, please refer to the conditions below…
[Sender: Cheonma]
True Ancestor. Come to Shin-Gyo. I shall give you whatever you desire.
[Sender: Shin Yu-Ha Republic of Korea Rank 1, O-Seong Guild Master Official]
True Ancestor-nim. I definitely want to meet you. I will prepare the signing bonus as a Blank Check…
[Sender: Kim Tae-Seong Korean Hunter Association President]
Please accept this contact. Your Homeland needs you…
.
.
.
I-Is this the life of a popular kid?
With the Message Window scrolling up endlessly and rapidly, I could only blink my eyes.