Chapter 149
ㄴBeetle: Don't you want to meet someone from the government?
“Someone from the government?”
Pungdengi's comment in the chat box came out of nowhere.
I frowned and typed on the keyboard.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99T.9T9): Why all of a sudden? Weren't you the one who said government people couldn't be trusted and told me to stay hidden?
Up until now, it was Pungdengi who'd suggested my persona and protected me from behind.
And now you suddenly want me to get in touch with the government?
ㄴBeetle: Because the situation is different now.
ㄴBeetle: First off, there are two reasons.
Pungdengi calmly began to explain.
ㄴBeetle: You're going to hit S-rank soon anyway.
I propped my chin on my hand and stared at the monitor.
“S-rank, huh.... Yeah, I really am almost there.”
In terms of my combat power alone, I probably already surpassed the S-rank threshold with ease.
And I only had four floors left until the 50th.
ㄴBeetle: The government knows you're not going to stop here.
ㄴBeetle: To be blunt, they can't even touch you right now.
ㄴBeetle: Dropping a nuke on you while you sleep, or slipping cyanide into your food—that's the closest thing to realistic, right?
I nodded.
I was confident I wouldn't die from most attacks.
Though even so, I doubted I could stop a nuclear bomb.
ㄴPkkatju: In the first place, there's no reason for the government to try to eliminate you either.
ㄴBeetle: Yeah, the government's not dumb either. They wouldn't want to make an enemy out of a monster who's practically guaranteed to be S-rank.
ㄴBeetle: If anything, they'd practically be kissing your ass to keep you in Korea.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99T.9T9): Have you gotten anything, though??
ㄴBeetle: I'm the only S-rank in Korea—of course I get stuff. Every holiday, I get a Korean beef gift set without fail.
ㄴFridge: Whoa. I get a Spam gift set on holidays?? What's with the discrimination?
ㄴPkkatju: I didn't get anything at all....
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: I got Korean beef too. You don't climb the Tower, so of course they don't give you anything.
“I didn't get anything either....”
Back then, I wasn't even A-rank yet, and I hadn't moved in yet.
There was no one who'd give me holiday gifts in the first place.
ㄴBeetle: Quit spouting nonsense.
ㄴBeetle: Anyway, the important thing is that there's no risk in contacting the government now.
ㄴBeetle: If anything, you're the one with the upper hand now.
“Hmm....”
Calling me the one with the upper hand. That was the first time I'd ever heard that in my life.
But so what if I had the upper hand?
As a harmless ordinary citizen, I had no interest in throwing my weight around.
As if reading my thoughts, Pungdengi brought up the second reason.
ㄴBeetle: Second, the government is freaking out because of the World Announcement right now.
ㄴBeetle: Honestly, the reason I brought this up is because of that.
ㄴBeetle: They've been contacting me nonstop since earlier. About the World Announcement.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: Ah, I got one too.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: They asked when I'd climb the next floor. They talked about the World Announcement too. Asked if I could find the item?
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: Fuck, if I knew that, I'd have done the interview myself.
ㄴPkkatju: I got a text too. I was so annoyed I blocked them right away.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99T.9T9): Already? How long has it even been since the announcement?
It had only been about an hour since the World Announcement came out.
And yet China and Japan had already made announcements, and Korea was even preparing one?
The fact that the government was contacting A-rank hunters all over the place like this meant they were that desperate.
What on earth could make them so desperate?
ㄴFridge: Isn't it obvious?
ㄴFridge: China and Japan have both made announcements. If we stay quiet, do you think our already low approval rating will hold up?
ㄴFridge: We have to show that we're doing something.
ㄴBeetle: Fridge is right. A big part of it is just them improvising because of public opinion.
ㄴBeetle: Well, if we're really lucky and end up securing an actual legendary item, that's good too.
“So in the end, they need someone to put on a show.”
A show to answer the question, “What is our country doing?”
A performance to prove we weren't lagging behind our neighbors, that we were also taking part in the competition.
And the one best suited for that role was me.
ㄴBeetle: Because the government knows.
ㄴBeetle: That you're the ruler of Daejeon Tower and that you broke through the Tower at a crazy speed.
“Yeah.”
I smacked my lips.
The ownership of Daejeon Tower and my identity were officially secret.
The public didn't even really know that a new A-rank hunter existed.
Only other A-rank hunters knew that a hunter on the level of a state secret had appeared.
If we went public and announced that we'd secured an item?
There would be an absolute uproar.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99T.9T9): How much exactly does the government know?
ㄴBeetle: An A-rank hunter climbing the Tower at insane speed. The ruler of Daejeon. The representative of One Star Management.
ㄴFridge: It sounds kind of funny when you list it like that lol
ㄴBeetle: I set things up last time, so they don't know the detailed physical data or stats. They just know you're a mage.
ㄴBeetle: Of course, they don't know that you're rank 1 either.
It was only natural the government wanted to contact me in a situation like this.
A sure thing that had already cleared the 46th floor.
Just revealing my identity would be enough to control public opinion.
“PR spin, huh....”
I felt something strange.
Actually, there was no need to think about it so complicatedly.
Because the original item was sleeping in my pocket right now.
All I'd have to do was take this out, and the current commotion would be quelled instantly.
But at the same time, it was true that I was worried too.
Because I'd been intimidating the government all this time, that feeling was even stronger.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ(99T.9T9): Nothing troublesome is going to happen, right?
ㄴBeetle: Maybe back then, but right now you're not at a level the government can control.
ㄴBeetle: Of course, if something only an S-rank can handle comes up, they'll ask you for help. But even then, the choice would still be yours.
ㄴBeetle: Besides, weren't you planning to make an announcement once you hit S-rank anyway?
That was true.
My goal had always been attention.
Even now that I'd reached a position where no one could directly harm me, I had no intention of hiding away.
An announcement I'd have to make someday anyway.
ㄴBeetle: I thought it might be good to confirm each other's existence once before your S-rank registration. Not that you'd be appearing on the 9 p.m. news right away....
ㄴBeetle: And if you have any demands for the government, you can say them too.
ㄴBeetle: Actually, until now I've been rejecting every request asking to meet you.
ㄴBeetle: But now the government has grown to the point where they can't dare do anything to you, so just do whatever you want.
ㄴBeetle: The choice is yours.
I could feel Pungdengi's consideration.
Without me noticing, they'd basically been acting as a buffer for me all this time.
The other members of the gallery started voicing their opinions too.
ㄴFridge: It wouldn't be bad to strike a deal. Get what you can, give what you can.
ㄴPkkatju: I'm against it. I tried being a promising talent once, but they didn't even pay me any attention.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: I'm in favor.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: If you come out into the open, it'll be a lot easier to cooperate too.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: More than anything, I want to see our newbie shock the world.
Neutral, opposed, in favor.
Various opinions came up, but in the end the choice was mine to make.
I fell into thought for a moment.
“Thinking about it, this is my achievement, yet I can't even go brag about it anywhere. Makes me wonder what the point is.”
Up until now, I'd satisfied that urge by bragging a little in the Mage Gallery and Hunter Gallery, but it still wasn't enough.
I had the right to step onto a bigger stage.
Making Korea gasp and putting the world on edge.
Just thinking about it made me feel energized.
I didn't want to be dragged around by the government, but according to Pungdengi, the chance of that was low.
At last, I'd made up my mind.
Not a bombshell announcement just yet, but I'd meet with someone from the government.
I typed without hesitation.
***
A few days later, in Daejeon.
I was waiting for Kim Suho in front of my house.
Screeeech!
A plain midsize car came to a stop in front of me.
The kind of car you'd often see on the street and forget immediately.
But the person sitting in that car was anything but ordinary.
As the window rolled down, the driver's face came into view.
“Pffft.... What is that getup?”
I burst out laughing the moment I saw him.
Not only was he wearing a black cap pulled down low, but he also had sunglasses and a mask covering his entire face.
Kim Suho looked ridiculously suspicious.
“Get in, hurry.”
He waved urgently.
Still chuckling, I climbed into the passenger seat.
“Anyone would think you were a kidnapper. Why did you come by car?”
“Hey, if I flew from Seoul to Daejeon I'd stand out way too much. And you said you have a fear of heights.”
“Ah.”
“… But there's a weird wall here. Don't tell me you made this?”
Kim Suho stared at the road I'd made before, looking fascinated.
“I didn't want to stand out to people either.”
“… You? Not want to stand out?”
“I do have a private life, you know?”
“For someone like that, don't you post everything you eat in the gallery without fail....”
“Sometimes, I just feel like doing that.”
“Seriously.”
Kim Suho chuckled and took the wheel.
After a long time, he still felt like a dependable yet playful big brother.
And unlike our first meeting, Kim Suho seemed to be at ease with me now.
Once we left the city and there were no more cars nearby, the car suddenly began accelerating hard.
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't a speed a car should be able to reach.
As if reading my confusion, Kim Suho began to explain.
“I'm just making it float lightly. It's better to fly like this when there aren't any people around. You should learn it too. Since you're an earth mage, you'll probably be better at it than me.”
“It'd be enough if you just let me use sandworms.... Once I hit S-rank, can't you pave me a dedicated road across the country?”
“Do you have any idea what'll happen if you start burrowing underground? You're going to cut through all the underground cables and make sinkholes?”
“Our sandworms are smart enough to avoid all that on their own, you know? They fill in the path they leave behind too....”
“… Really? Then try saying that once.”
Even though the speed was high, sitting in the passenger seat left me with nothing to do.
I quietly took a long, thin object out of my pocket.
The White Whale Bone Staff I got this time.
“Take a look at this.”
“Don't pull out weird stuff while I'm driving!”
Kim Suho freaked out and slowed down.
“What is it.... Whoa!”
“Pretty killer, right?”
All hunters can see an item's status window.
Kim Suho also seemed to realize immediately what this staff was.
“Is this that thing? The one that showed up in the announcement?”
“Yes, it's the original.”
“But why is the description like this...? “Makes you fluffy and soft”?”
“That's just how legendary descriptions are, I guess.”
With another deep sigh, Kim Suho grabbed the steering wheel again.
“Haa.... Another legendary item? Life really is unfair.”
“Can an S-rank even say that? If anyone else heard that, they'd think you'd get knifed.”
“No, seriously? An item the government spent hundreds of billions on is still worse than the stuff you just casually pick up in a Tower? How does that even make sense?”
“Casually pick it up? Do you know how hard I worked for it?”
“… Fair point. That was my bad.”
Kim Suho quickly apologized.
I asked out of curiosity.
“The government doesn't have anything this good either, I guess?”
“Maybe the U.S. or China do? We don't. In the first place, I'm the only one who can go retrieve items.”
“There's crafting too, though.”
“If crafting could just pump out legendaries, we'd have conquered the world by now.”
Well, that was true too.
Thinking about it, just how grueling had the process of obtaining this item been?
It was a legendary item made by hunting a whale that was originally impossible to catch, with every dwarf pitching in.
And since it was an item that had never existed in the world before, I'd even unlocked an achievement.
“You must be way stronger than me now....”
The sincerity was clear in Kim Suho's voice.
South Korea's strongest hunter, a hunter at the level of national power, the country's only S-rank.
He seemed to think the titles that had defined him were only a matter of time before they came to me.
Well, I did have several legendary items.
I said jokingly.
“Then are you retiring now? Leaving the burden to your junior?”
“Retire? I would like to.”
“Then do it. I'll gobble up the Seoul Tower for you. No, wait, I'll just take every Tower in the world.”
“Seriously. Even saying that is appreciated.”
Kim Suho gave my hair a quick ruffle with one hand.
… My hair was getting completely ruined.
“But I can't do that.”
“Why not?”
“If I leave it to you, it's obvious it'll turn into a complete mess. How could I hand it over?”
“I really do a great job, so what's with this unfair hate?”
How effectively had I kept Daejeon under control, after all?
Not that I'd really done much myself.
This must be the Way of Wu Wei? The invisible hand? Anyway, something like that.
Kim Suho chuckled at my reaction.
“There's so much an S-rank hunter has to do. You have to climb the Tower, guard the borders, and if tensions flare with other countries too, you have to stare them down. You can't do it all by yourself.”
His voice carried both responsibility and consideration for me.
Whenever this happened, I found myself wondering.
What on earth made Kim Suho feel such a heavy sense of responsibility and duty?
As someone who'd never once in my life felt a sense of responsibility toward the country or any spirit of service, I found it hard to understand.
“Just do whatever you want.”
“Huh?”
“Climb the Tower, hang around the gallery—do whatever you want. You don't have to be like me.”
“Really?”
“Well, if something you want to do ends up helping us too, then that's something to be grateful for, right? But we can't force that on you.”
“....”
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
A brief silence filled the car.
Before the awkwardness could drag on, I changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, what about the dimensional stone? Wasn't the Mexico expedition almost over?”
“Ah, that? I think I found it. I can't be sure, though.”
Dimensional stone.
The final material for the Gate Closure Scroll.
I didn't even know what it looked like. All I knew was that it could be found near a gate.
Despite that lack of information, it seemed they'd found it.
“We failed to sneak it out. We were going to just call it a rock and sneak it out, you know? Didn't work at all. They were ridiculously strict.”
Well, this was the first time humanity had ever pushed all the way to a gate.
There must have been plenty of hunters, and even more officials.
It probably wasn't a situation where they could easily smuggle it out.
“It's been moved to the Association's research lab for now. You can go see it later.”
“Too bad.... Couldn't I snag one more?”
“The operation is almost completely finished now.... All that's left is the actual wrap-up. The official announcement should come out soon.”
The Mexico cleanup operation that had captured the attention of the whole world.
The hunters who had been the core combat force of that operation would probably be getting an enormous spotlight.
Honestly, I was a little jealous.
It would be plastered over the world's news for days on end.
I said, smacking my lips.
“Let's do something like that ourselves later, okay?”
“What? Where?”
“Hmm.... North Korea, I guess?”
“… Demigod said the exact same thing when he was trying to recruit me. That after Mexico, we'd do it in another country.”
“Let's just leave that bastard out and do it ourselves. If he joins, he'll steal all the attention.”
Kim Suho burst out laughing, looking incredulous.
No, I'm serious though?
“It's too dangerous. There are political issues too.”
“North Korea is smaller than Mexico, and there's only one gate in Pyongyang, right? Seems like it'd be doable.”
“Hmm....”
“If we clean that place up, hunters won't need to keep standing by the border all the time anymore....”
“So you're saying even I, who's always on border duty, might get a little more comfortable? Wow, I'm really grateful.”
“… That's not what I meant.”
Kim Suho finished the sentence I couldn't bring myself to say for him.
Feeling like he'd read my mind, I puffed out my cheeks and denied it, but it didn't seem to help.
“We're here. Get ready to get out.”
By the time we'd talked like that, we'd somehow already reached the meeting place.
I checked today's meeting place through the window.
The next moment, I had to doubt my own eyes.
[Ppururung Kids Cafe]
That was today's meeting place.