Chapter 20
[Title: Guys, I beat Floor 10. Congratulate me.]
Author: Anon(D22.2E2)
Floor 10 boss, easy~.
(a roughly drawn meme of a frog giving a thumbs-up)
The moment my post went up in the Mage Gallery, comments started pouring in.
As if they had been waiting for me.
No way, these people are all A-rank or S-rank, aren't they? Don't they have anything else to do?
How do they leave a comment so fast every single time I post?
Did you set it so I get an alarm whenever I write something?
ㄴ Fridge: You went to Floor 10 alone too? You're really fearless....
ㄴ p깟쮸 : Make a party already. I'm the one getting scared just reading this.
ㄴ Magic Is Firepower : If you're worried about your identity getting out, I could have the guild sneak in one or two people for you.... We have a lot of good tanks climbing with us.
ㄴ p깟쮸 : I can totally see you trying to approach him like that and quietly recruit him. Don't fall for it.
Their reaction was perfectly normal.
Even on Hard difficulty, Floor 10 was known as a wall no one could cross alone.
ㄴ Beetle: Is it really possible to beat the Floor 10 boss alone without any gear? How did you even do it?
Beetle's comment was the cue I had been waiting for, so I started hammering away at the keyboard.
ㄴ Anon(E44.4Y4): Thanks to the new skill I got last time, I've been clearing things comfortably.
ㄴ Anon(E44.4Y4): Hold on. I'll show you the battle footage.
[Title : Hunting Video.gif]
What I uploaded was a battle video I'd edited in advance.
The scene where four sand clones hung from the orc chieftain's arms and legs to buy time while I pierced his heart with a giant sand stake.
A short clip cut together from only the most dramatic moments.
The people in the gallery who watched my video couldn't hide their shock.
ㄴ Magic Is Firepower : Seriously, I can't even say anything.
ㄴ Fridge: Didn't you say you summoned just two of those and passed out? Now you're controlling four at once?
ㄴㄴ Anon(33C.33D) : I have awakened.... The world is full of mana....
ㄴㄴ Fridge: So your mana pool got bigger because of that awakening skill? Got it.
ㄴ Beetle : Like I said last time, your control is insane. This is talent. Talent.
ㄴ Beetle : I tried using the body-insertion method last time too, you know?
It did feel easier to control, but I couldn't do it nearly as skillfully as you.
What's the difference? Is it because the awakening method is different?
ㄴㄴ Fridge: Right from the start, I had to focus like crazy just to turn my body into ice, so I gave up....
I'm planning to quit until I get a related skill.
Flushed with all the praise, my shoulders lifted.
But only one person, p깟쮸, focused on a strange point.
ㄴ p깟쮸: But that sand clone looked like a girl. Are you a girl, maybe?
Hmm, I tried to cover it up, but did it show?
Since the Sand Totem resembled my body exactly, I uploaded it with as much mosaic blurring and editing as I could.
But it seemed I couldn't fool them about my gender after all.
I started spinning the lie I'd prepared.
Or was it not a complete lie?
ㄴ Anon(F11.111) : No, I just made a female character because I like female characters. I'm a guy.
ㄴㄴ p깟쮸 : Aren't guys supposed to only play male characters? That smells fishy.
ㄴ Beetle : ? Why would a guy play a male character? And stop trying to dig into the newbie's personal info.
ㄴ p깟쮸 : Gender is fine, isn't it....
ㄴ Beetle : Don't. If the newbie leaves, are you going to take responsibility?
ㄴ p깟쮸 : Alright....
The trolling was quickly put down by Beetle.
Just watching it made me feel at ease.
Since I had put the troll in its place, I rode the momentum and declared that I'd tackle Floor 11 too.
ㄴ Anon(F1N.A1E): At this point, I think I can keep solo-clearing from Floor 11 onward!
ㄴ Anon(F1N.A1E): I'm a genius, after all.
But my declaration had the opposite effect.
ㄴ Beetle : No, that's dangerous. From Floor 11 onward it's a whole different game. The patterns get way more complicated.
ㄴ Fridge: Right. Up to now brute force was enough, but from Floor 11 on, if you don't know the guide, you can really get wiped out. I almost died there several times myself.
ㄴ p깟쮸 : Besides, it's Extreme mode, so you never know how it'll change when it comes out.... You have to try without a guide....
ㄴ Magic Is Firepower : Newbie, I know you're a genius, but this is really not it. Let's start partying up and climb together.
ㄴ Beetle : If you party up, the difficulty gets set to Medium, right? It'd be way more stable.
A string of lecturing, worried comments kept coming in one after another.
But I couldn't understand their concern.
You're not Extreme players to begin with, are you?
Their common sense had no way of applying to me.
ㄴ Anon(ACE.001) : Don't worry. I'm coming back tomorrow to clear Floor 11 and prove it.
ㄴ Anon(ACE.001) : Oh, and I also got a Rainbow Skill Book. With this, it's definitely a free pass.
At that moment, the gallery's reaction suddenly turned cold.
ㄴ Magic Is Firepower : Rainbow???? On Floor 10?? lol.
ㄴ Fridge: (blank-staring meme)
ㄴ Beetle : Mm.
ㄴ p깟쮸 : I'm seriously starting to get a stomachache....
The gallery's public mood turned sour in an instant.
A rainbow-colored skill book that was supposedly almost impossible to see even after climbing the Tower for years.
Yet a rookie newbie who had only just cleared Floor 10 got one.
And on top of that, he's bragging about it.
Ten years of internet experience. I didn't miss that subtle shift in the air.
This is a danger signal.
Feeling the chill, I closed the browser window at lightning speed.
It was a kind of emergency escape.
"...Now I should go brag in the Hunter Gallery."
Yeah. If you've got something to brag about, you have to make the gallery rounds.
***
Meanwhile, at that same time, Santa Monica Beach in California, USA.
The sound of crashing waves created a romantic atmosphere.
But one corner of the beach was steeped in a murderous aura.
"How was it? Did you enjoy your swim?"
At Demigod's sneer, the agents trembled all over.
Their whole bodies were drenched in seawater.
Something no one else could do.
And yet Demigod could do it.
Because this man is an S-rank Hunter—America's symbol and a living guardian deity.
"Want me to dump you in the Atlantic next time? Hm?"
And he was also a tyrant who had become extremely displeased after losing the world No. 1 spot.
For him, tossing the Pentagon staff into the middle of the Pacific and hauling them back out again was easy.
"Why haven't you found him yet? You filthy maggots...."
"W-well... it seems something magical is blocking our tracking."
One agent gathered the courage to report.
Demigod's brow twitched at the agent's excuse.
"So I even assigned trackers with related skills! And you still can't find him? That doesn't ma—ke— sense—!"
Demigod shouted.
The sound waves shook the beach.
Several agents bled from their ears and collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
Even then, Demigod didn't so much as blink.
"No good. I'll have to take drastic measures."
He murmured in a low voice.
"That bastard is due to climb Floor 11 soon, right? Before he gets past Floor 20, we have to find him by any means necessary."
"But how...?"
"Starting tomorrow, we'll lock down Tower access worldwide, with each region controlled at different times."
"What? Demigod, that's impossible no matter how you look at it. The backlash from the governments of each country..."
"...Especially China absolutely won't cooperate."
"You idiots. Think."
Demigod clicked his tongue as if they were hopeless.
"In my opinion, the culprit isn't China. If it were those guys, they'd have been blasting ads across the whole world already."
'They used to make such a fuss saying it was definitely China...'
But Pentagon staff are professionals among professionals.
They know how to survive.
An agent tactfully echoed Demigod's words.
"Then...?"
"Instead, we cooperate with China. They'd be just as anxious, knowing someone other than them is secretly raising an S-rank.
Suggest cooperating in finding 'Double O,' and offer to share the information once we've found him."
"Ah!"
Admiring looks appeared on the agents' faces.
Demigod, pleased with their reaction, began laying out his plan.
"Europe, Japan, and finally Korea.... We'll start with the places most likely to have him, in order. One region at a time."
Demigod's eyes gleamed.
"If a region's Tower is locked down and Double O's climbing record still gets updated, then that region is off the list.
If we keep eliminating them one by one like this, we'll eventually find out where that rat bastard is hiding."
"As expected of Demigod! That's amazing!"
"Such a brilliant idea...!"
'Damn, this is going to be a pain.... How am I supposed to convince the whole world....'
'Wouldn't it be enough if Double O just noticed and stopped climbing the Towers...?'
The agents showered him with flattery while hiding those thoughts.
Demigod lifted his chin with a satisfied smile.
***
[Title : Newbie Got a Skill Book. Is It Good?]
Author : Anon(111.11E)
(Rainbow Skill Book verification shot.jpg)
Of course it's good, it's Rainbow lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
(roughly, a frog dancing meme 1)
(roughly, a frog raising a glass meme 2)
(roughly, a frog throwing popcorn meme 3)
ㄴ Ah, this bastard doesn't even get blocked, he's just a legend.
ㄴ Fuck, he ate a Rainbow. I've been playing for three years and still haven't gotten one.
ㄴ Oh, didn't I say not every Rainbow is good~ Anyway, it's a dud~
"Heh heh heh...."
The praise poured in.
Satisfied with my bragging, I closed the gallery and stood up.
Today, I had to sell off the spoils I got from the Tower.
I picked up the huge double-bladed axe I'd casually tossed in the corner of my room.
It was heavy.
Probably because it was Unique-grade, a faint aura kept leaking out no matter how hard I tried to hide it.
In case something happened, I wrapped the axe in thick cloth and put it into the double bass case I'd ordered in advance.
"Haah... Do I have to see that old guy again?"
I sighed, thinking of that old broker.
That strange, unpleasant experience from last time.
And that horrific concept post full of old-man vibes that I'd seen in the Hunter Gallery.
He was someone I never wanted to get tangled up with again.
But I had no choice. He was the only broker I knew.
I gathered my things and contacted the old broker.
[I've got something to sell. It's a bit big this time.]
Not long after I sent the message, a reply came back.
I grimaced and checked his reply.
[SSalDaPam : Aigoo, our little miss is here~^^;; You even contacted your uncle again,,,ㅎㅎ What happened?]
[SSalDaPam : But you said the item is big? You didn't do something dangerous again, did you? ㅠ_ㅠ Uncle's worried,,,]
"Ew...."
I barely suppressed the urge to throw my phone away.
The screen was full of emojis and blatant concern.
It felt as if every hair on my body stood on end from that strange tenderness, utterly unlike his rough look offline.
"Just curse at me....
That'd be less creepy.
I typed a reply with trembling hands.
[Anyway, can you take it or not?]
[SSalDaPam : Of course I can~ When's a good time for you? I'll match your schedule, miss~ Heh heh^^]
[Tomorrow, 2 PM. Same place.]
[SSalDaPam : Sure~ Got it! Then see you tomorrow! It's dangerous on the way, so make sure you take a wide, busy main road~!! ^^]
"Ugh, creepy...."
I closed the Telegram window without even reading the last message he sent.