Chapter 165
Chairman Park's silence stretched on.
Was Extreme that shocking?
“Excuse me? Chairman? Are you listening?”
[Y-Yes, I'm listening. So....]
Chairman Park gathered his trembling voice and continued.
[Are you saying the Towers around the world have different contents only for Hunter Kim Hanbyeol?]
“To be precise, anyone who chose Extreme difficulty would face the same thing. Right now, I'm just the only one.”
Maybe someday someone else might choose Extreme.
Of course, since no one had done it until now, the odds seemed extremely low.
I decided to explain in more detail.
No need to hide each and every thing anymore.
Since the government had agreed to back me, it would be better to clearly show my value.
“When I first entered the 1st floor, a hidden difficulty opened once some stat hit a certain level.”
[Then is it harder than Hard?]
“Yes. Even the tutorial goblins on the 1st floor numbered ten. But it did shower me with rewards accordingly.”
[Good heavens, ten of them? That's five times Hard! How did you get through that? You wouldn't even have had skills on the 1st floor....]
“Heh....”
I felt inexplicably proud and laughed haughtily.
What should I say here to sound cool?
“If I weren't someone who could clear it in the first place, that difficulty wouldn't have opened up.”
[Indeed....]
My excitement at Chairman Park's reaction made me start rambling even more.
“And when I climb the Tower, it affects other difficulties too, you know? The elves on Floor 10 and the dwarves on Floor 20 were my doing too. And this time the whale appeared because I caught it, as you can see.”
[To think all the strange phenomena that have happened were because of that....]
Now Chairman Park would understand too.
Why I was so strong. Where all those Legendaries came from.
[That makes sense. You broke through a far harsher environment than anyone else....]
“Ahem, actually there's one more thing. Want to hear it?”
[W-What is it?]
His voice sounded thoroughly tense.
Ah, I hadn't planned to tell him this much.
Chairman Park, you're reacting too well.
Maybe he's actually a highly skilled spy sent to extract information from me?
No choice. I have to spill everything.
“The truth is, I'm a solo player.”
[What? Is that even possible?]
“Heh-heh-heh. Of course it's impossible. It works because it's me.”
[Hah....]
I leaned back on the sofa and smiled in satisfaction.
I could hear someone catching their breath over the phone.
It seemed he needed a moment to calm down after hearing one shocking thing after another.
A moment later, Chairman Park, now sounding far more serious, asked,
[Then, if you were to fight Demigod right now....]
“Of course, I can't say for certain since I've never seen that guy fight....”
I put on a modest act.
Of course, inwardly I was already certain. Even if not right now, after Floor 50 I would definitely be stronger.
Naturally. If I wasn't stronger, how would I have stolen rank 1?
Chairman Park's ensuing explanation only reinforced my certainty.
[Demigod also enters with only a handful of party members. And they're all Hard-difficulty raiders. His team has one of the few support-class members in the world who can clear Hard difficulty.]
“So that's why he's strong. He monopolizes the rewards from the high difficulty.”
[But Hunter Kim Hanbyeol takes the rewards alone from an even higher difficulty, so she must be much stronger. Honestly, the fact that it can be cleared at all is unbelievable....]
Chairman Park still seemed unable to accept any of this as real.
He said in a trembling voice,
[Then shall we release the video immediately? The public opinion....]
“Wait a second.”
I stopped him.
“Don't release it just yet.”
[Pardon? Why not? The public is getting anxious....]
“Ah, come on, I already told you that at the kids' cafe last time.”
Easing public anxiety? Why should that be my job? Politicians should handle it themselves.
I just want to reveal it at a more perfect timing.
So it looks even more dramatic. So it can draw even more attention.
Like the protagonist always shows up in times of crisis.
I wait until the very brink of crisis.
No, it's not even a crisis in the first place. I already have the item.
“Let them make the acquisition announcement. Hmm, but it should be fine to show that I'm working hard climbing the Tower. Let's just release a tiny bit of video.”
[Understood. We'll do as the Hunter says. We'll aim for a dramatic effect.]
The call ended there.
A few hours later.
The government spokesperson held a briefing.
[Citizens, please rest assured. Hunter Kim Hanbyeol is currently clearing the Tower through her own route. Her pace is not lagging behind any other country at all. Soon, we will be revealing a feat that will astonish you.]
At the same time, a single photo was released.
A giant white whale floating on the endless sea.
An overwhelming size, like an island.
Normally, I'd have despaired, wondering how in the world we were supposed to take that thing down.
But this time, everyone felt relieved.
ㄴ Looking at the photo, it does seem like she's making progress?
ㄴ At Floor 48, that's actually pretty much the same. No need to make a fuss.
ㄴ I've trusted Daehanbyeol from the start, yep yep yep
ㄴ But doesn't that look bigger than China's?
ㄴ ? It's just because it was shot up close, right.
ㄴ Take a closer look. The scar positions are different, and the area around the eyes looks slightly different too. Isn't it a completely different one?
ㄴ Could that be? The Tower is supposed to have the exact same structure everywhere in the world.
ㄴ Just roll with it lol
Some people raised reasonable doubts, but most people still seemed relieved.
Just the fact that Korea wasn't falling behind was enough to put people at ease.
But a few days later, a new spark was lit.
We were just about to go into Floor 49.
I was looking through the gallery as a bit of a warm-up.
A strange post had surfaced in the news.
[Aeternus Accused of Pro-Japanese Treason]
“What is this?”
A line I couldn't just pass over.
I hurriedly clicked the post.
The post had one YouTube video attached.
A provocative thumbnail showing the Japanese flag and my company's emblem side by side.
Inside the video, a masked YouTuber was talking excitedly.
[Everyone, why was Japan able to clear things so quickly?]
[It's precisely because of Arari, Aeternus's equipment.]
[And here's the surprising part: this equipment was sold only to Japan.]
[We're hearing that not a single piece was sold in Korea.]
[Right now, Hunter Kim Hanbyeol is clearing Floor 48 barehanded!]
[Does that even make sense?]
[You're making your own country's Hunter climb with bare hands, while giving Japanese Hunters superior gear! Isn't that treason?]
It was a ridiculous claim.
Aeternus itself was my company, so what was he even talking about?
But people seemed to think differently from me.
ㄴ It's true, isn't it? Why don't they sell it in Korea?
ㄴ What a money-obsessed company.
ㄴ Our,,Hanbyeol,,isn't,,pitiful,,too,,,!!!
ㄴ Boycott campaign underway!!
ㄴㄴ But you guys were already broke to begin with.
ㄴㄴ The 0-Won Challenge ~ The Breathing Challenge ~
“This isn't easy....”
Who gave them the right to call our Hanbyeol theirs? I got goosebumps all over.
We need to handle this quickly. Before protesters or a public petition get started.
I got in touch with the broker uncle and Chairman Park.
“Wrap things up, and bring that YouTuber in. Who does he think he is, selling us out?”
[Yes, we were already planning to handle it.]
“Good.”
I mentally gave their quick action five stars.
Things really were fast.
By evening, Aeternus's spokesperson was on the news giving a statement.
Instead of the slightly rough-looking broker uncle, they'd chosen someone who could inspire trust and goodwill as the spokesperson.
The spokesperson spoke in a calm voice.
[First, it is true that we sold the entire first shipment to Japan. The next shipment is also contracted to be sold to the United States. We have no stock to sell in Korea.]
The reporters buzzed at the unexpected head-on move.
But I remained calm.
Because I knew what he'd say next.
The spokesperson went on without blinking.
[But please understand. All of this was a decision made solely for the sake of the Republic of Korea's hope, Hunter Kim Hanbyeol!]
“Huh? I didn't tell them to package it that much.”
This time, even I was a little flustered, not just the reporters.
What kind of script was that guy holding, anyway?
We had already discussed how far the announcement would go in advance.
But I hadn't touched the exact wording.
I just gave them the general nuance.
What I told them was basically just to include the wording that it was a decision for Kim Hanbyeol.
Looks like they added a bit of embellishment in between.
[From the very start, we've been paying attention to just how outstanding Hunter Kim Hanbyeol's potential is. As a result, we concluded that no off-the-shelf product could ever satisfy Hunter Kim Hanbyeol.]
“Ahem.... Well, that's not wrong.”
The flattery was so over-the-top that even my face turned red watching TV.
I nodded with satisfaction and kept watching the TV.
[So we made it! A bespoke suit made just for Hunter Kim Hanbyeol!]
In truth, this was all just media play.
It was supposedly a suit for me, but only the design had changed a little.
Besides, I didn't even know how to make something better in the first place.
“I wonder if the design turned out well.”
I know absolutely nothing about design.
That said, I couldn't just slap my existing emblem on it.
Because the hourglass emblem was Aeternus's emblem.
So I left the design entirely to the company.
We hadn't had time to give final approval because it was made in a rush, but I'm sure they handled it fine.
[Now! Right here! We will reveal it!]
At the same time, someone came in carrying the suit on a mannequin.
It didn't look all that different.
If anything, the only difference was that they had added a childish, garish Taegeuk pattern.
“No, this won't do.”
I called immediately.
Because wearing something like that would obviously ruin my reputation.
It's not 2002 anymore; I can't wear something like that.
“That really is the design?”
[After big-data analysis by the top experts, it's the design most likely to bring in the highest view count.]
“Of course it is! Because it's hideous as hell!”
[It wasn't made for you to actually wear anyway, so isn't it fine? You're just going to show it off once.]
“Then that's a relief...?”
Even then, the broadcast went on.
[We chose this method solely for Hunter Kim Hanbyeol.]
Right, it's my company, so it is for me after all.
Besides, I had made all the decisions in the first place.
[And one more thing. We didn't just pocket money by selling the suits to Japan.]
The spokesperson flashed a meaningful smile.
[For the sake of national interest, we received a 'Legendary Item' from the Japanese government as payment.]
[!!!]
The press conference hall was turned upside down once again.