Chapter 89
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: The method the newbie taught us is a little too hard....
ㄴPkkatjju: I tried it a few times and gave up, lol.
“Was my explanation too vague?”
The other mages couldn't keep up with my explanation.
Well, I'd only stolen and learned it by roughly watching with my own eyes.
It was only natural that the explanation would be lacking, since I didn't have any real theoretical knowledge.
“Should I draw it out?”
That thought occurred to me, so I drew it.
My drawing skills are terrible.
“But sand control is different.”
I scattered sand across the floor like sand art and started drawing.
I drew a person, then marked the flow of mana over it.
Before long, I had completed a moving picture.
After a short video went up and a few minutes passed, someone finally succeeded.
ㄴFridge: So I'm first after all?
ㄴFridge: (If I can do it, you can too) meme
ㄴAnon(3R3.33T): How is it?
ㄴFridge: It's amazing. Even a rough estimate makes it feel like output has increased by at least 1.2x.
ㄴFridge: It's too big to release for free....
ㄴAnon(3R3.33T): What would I even save it for?
ㄴFridge: Hunters have limited ways to improve their specs. Lots of people would be interested in this.
ㄴFridge: If they make it public, it'll cause a scene.
“Does that bring me one step closer to the Nobel Prize?”
A smile spread across my face on its own.
Of course, there isn't any such thing as a Nobel Prize in Magic.
If it were just the Nobel Peace Prize—the kind even the U.S. president gets—couldn't I win that too?
Maybe I could even write an autobiography and win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
While I was thinking ridiculous things, other success posts started going up.
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: I succeeded too!!!
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: Mine works even better? Maybe it pairs really well with fire magic.
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: Ha, this is way too good.
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: I just want to shove it in the newbie's mouth and go wa-lalaloo, honestly.
ㄴPkkatjju: (a meme of a mint-haired guy looking at him with pity ♿️♿️♿️)
ㄴFridge: But what about Beetle? He needs to succeed.
A little later, a comment finally appeared.
ㄴBeetle: I did it. Just now.
ㄴBeetle: I think it should work now.
ㄴBeetle: I just submitted a retry request.
***
Kim Suho still hadn't left his lodging in Switzerland.
Until he got past this wall, he couldn't return to Korea.
“… Thanks, everyone.”
Kim Suho smiled faintly as he read the comments.
A wall he never could have overcome alone.
He looked down at his hands once more.
There was no reason to hesitate anymore.
Kim Suho immediately contacted the International Hunter Federation.
“I would like to request a retest for the possibility of conquering Floor 55.”
***
Special training ground at World Hunter Association headquarters.
At its center stood Demigod, his arrogant expression unchanged.
Demigod stood with his arms crossed, frowning.
“Kim Kadian? Already back?”
His voice was laced with blatant suspicion and annoyance.
“People don't get stronger from training for a few days. I hope you didn't come here out of pointless stubbornness.”
The other hunters from different countries waiting nearby watched the two with interest and whispered among themselves.
But Kim Suho didn't waver.
He wordlessly walked to the center of the training ground and stood before Demigod.
There wasn't the slightest hint of tension.
Kim Suho calmly took out his gear and began to prepare.
“Huh?”
“What is that?”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Kim Suho was holding a staff in each hand.
“Two staffs?”
“Has he gone insane from the pressure?”
“There's no way he can overcome the wall like that, can he?”
“Shut up! All of you, quiet!”
Demigod shouted.
The other hunters fell silent at once.
Demigod said seriously.
“Kim? Confident?”
“Of course.”
“Good spirit. I like it.”
At the same time, an intangible aura burst out from Demigod's body.
The oppressive presence of the world's No. 1.
Pressure so intense that an ordinary hunter wouldn't even be able to stand.
Yet Kim Suho didn't budge.
Kim Suho quietly raised both hands.
Still holding two staffs.
A bizarre stance no one had ever seen before.
“Here I go.”
With Kim Suho's short words, mana surged through his entire body.
Storms burst from both hands.
“This is...!”
Shock flashed across Demigod's eyes.
It wasn't the magic that had been scattered to the wind by his single punch just days ago.
The idea of standing still and taking it like before vanished in an instant.
KWAAAANG-!
Demigod thrust out his arm.
The two storms collided and ripped the entire floor out of the training ground.
“Interesting.”
Demigod murmured lowly.
Kim Suho answered not with words, but by moving both hands once more.
He had no intention of stopping.
He had to ride this momentum and prove everything he had.
FWOOOOOSH—!
The airflow throughout the training ground changed.
All the surrounding air gathered toward Kim Suho and formed a massive whirlwind.
“Ghk!”
The hunters watching nearby grabbed the wall and braced themselves so they wouldn't fall.
“Good!”
Demigod roared.
He charged straight at the storm head-on.
His cloak flapped violently.
“Pacheon (Shattering Heaven)!”
A strike containing everything he had.
A spiral wind spear aimed at Demigod's heart.
“Hoo——!”
Demigod hurled out his right fist with a battle cry.
The fist and the wind spear collided in midair.
RIIIP—!
A ripping sound rang out, and blood sprayed at the same time.
“...”
Kim Suho slumped to the ground, breathing hard.
Demigod was silent as well.
He simply looked down at his right fist without saying a word.
Drip.
A single drop of blood seeped from his solid fist and fell to the floor.
“My God.”
The silence that had filled the training ground was broken by someone's voice.
Then the suppressed cries of shock burst out all at once.
“B-blood... he's bleeding....”
“Demigod... was injured by an attack?”
“Impossible. I heard that man's body can block even S-rank monster attacks barehanded....”
Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.
Hearing their murmurs, Demigod slowly raised his head.
He licked the blood off his fist once, then nodded in satisfaction.
Then he spoke to the spectators.
“Shut up, vermin.”
In an instant, all noise stopped as if by magic.
Demigod swept the hunters with a cold gaze.
“Anyone who leaks today's events outside will get a 30-day swimming lesson in the Pacific—personally administered by me.”
“……”
“I'm not just saying don't mention that I bled. Don't say that Kim Kadian used two staffs, either. Got it? I can't stand a bunch of riffraff coming here with two staffs and trying to challenge me.”
Everyone swallowed dryly and nodded.
Demigod finally seemed satisfied and turned his gaze to Kim Suho.
He declared.
“You've passed with flying colors, Kim.”
Demigod patted Kim Suho on the shoulder with his bleeding hand.
“Amazing. Truly amazing. At this level, you can aim not only for Floor 55, but even beyond it.”
Kim Suho only then relaxed and let out a short breath.
There was sincere admiration in Demigod's eyes.
He said with a smile.
“I'm glad canceling my movie shoot wasn't a waste of time.”
“...movie?”
“Yeah, this is my third movie.... This time I definitely want to beat Endgame's audience numbers. You should definitely come watch. Promote it around you too. Since you're Korea's only S-rank, the advertising effect will be huge, right?”
This really does sound like something somebody would think....
For some reason, Kim Suho thought of a certain mage in Korea.
Fortunately, she hadn't said anything about appearing in movies or on broadcasts yet.
Just as his mind was about to go blank.
“Hey, Kim. Later I'm thinking of putting together a team for a 'Big Event.' Interested?”
“Big Event?”
Kim Suho asked back with a puzzled expression.
What kind of event would make the world's No. 1 personally form a team?
“Yeah. It's something very good for humanity. I'll leave it at that for now. Contact me if you're interested.”
Demigod gave no further explanation.
Only a meaningful smile.
“It's not a place just anyone can join. I intend to gather only the real deal, the handful of true top-tier people in this world. Of course, they have to be less noticeable than me.”
After finishing, he turned and walked out of the training ground.
Kim Suho stared after him, lost in thought for a moment.
Sudden recognition and a mysterious proposal.
But more important than that was the fact that he had crossed the wall.
Kim Suho clenched his hand tightly.
The feeling of victory still lingered vividly in that hand.
Now it was time to enter the tower.
***
I was lounging around, watching TV.
Today's snack was Wangkkumtuli.
I'd been eating this one a lot lately because Sandworm doesn't steal it.
Is it because they're both worms?
[The Sandworm feels an inexplicable discomfort.]
Ever since a little while ago, a familiar face had been showing up on the screen.
[South Korea's only S-rank, Hunter Kim Suho, challenges the dreaded 55th Floor]
A few days earlier, Kim Suho had returned from Switzerland and headed straight for the Seoul Tower without rest.
Naturally, the whole nation was focused on him.
What was on screen was the video of the short interview he gave right before entering the tower.
A short interview video he had with reporters.
“Asking about the chance of success is pointless. I can't exactly say it's low.”
A single short line.
That was all he left behind.
“It's been two hours since Hunter Kim Suho entered the tower. Considering that the average clear time for previous Floor 55 challengers was over three hours, for now....”
The TV announcer was cautiously reporting the situation.
I muttered with a Wangkkumtuli in my mouth.
“Looks like it's about time he came out...”
I knew better than anyone how much stronger Kim Suho had become.
Maybe by now he was beheading the boss and leisurely picking up the loot.
Just as I was debating whether to go back to Hunter Gallery and follow the live thread again.
[Breaking News]
[Hunter Kim Suho clears Floor 55!]
A huge caption plastered across the screen.
The studio announcer couldn't hide his excitement and shouted.
“Breaking news! We've just received word! Hunter Kim Suho has succeeded in conquering Floor 55 of the Seoul Tower!”
Soon, the broadcast cut to live footage from the scene.
Kim Suho appeared, visibly exhausted but still standing on his own two feet.
As soon as he appeared, the waiting reporters swarmed him like bees.
“Hunter! Please give us your thoughts!”
Even amid the barrage of questions, Kim Suho didn't panic.
He gave the camera a faint smile and spoke calmly.
“Thanks to the support of the people. Because of you all, I was able to keep going.”
I couldn't help but snort a laugh.
That slightly awkward hero act.
Kim Suho added one more line.
“This conquest wasn't achieved by my strength alone.”
Until then, I hadn't really thought much of it.
Well, that figures.
Kim Suho must have had his own backup team too.
“At a crucial moment, there was very important advice from an unexpected place. Without that help, it would have been impossible. I'd like to take this chance to express my gratitude.”
“Oh? This?”
He didn't say anything more specific, but I knew.
Who Kim Suho was thanking.
Honestly, it felt good.
I sank deeper into the sofa and thought.
“Will I end up on TV like that every day someday too?”
Just imagining it made my chest tingle.
A life bathed in every spotlight in the world?
Showing my real face would be a little scary, though.
Maybe it wouldn't be bad to try it once.
I muttered while watching Kim Suho on TV.
“I'm at Floor 35 now... so that's exactly a 20-floor gap.”
I counted on my fingers.
A story that's far away, yet close at the same time.
“For now, I should just congratulate him.”
I opened the gallery out of habit.
Sure enough, Hunter Gallery was already in a frenzy.
[Title: Breaking News) God-Suho Cleared Floor 55, Holy Crap]
ㄴ Wow, hahahaㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ I can feel the national pride coming on...
ㄴ Honestly, isn't Demigod nothing special anymore? Our Suho hyung beats him all, gg.
[Title: Citizens, please rest assured. Seoul is safe]
ㄴ This one really is safe, lol.
ㄴㄴ For real, why is this actually happening lol
It was an excitement like they'd won the World Cup.
The group chat of A-rank hunters was no exception.
[Jung Manho: Hunter Kim Suho!! You're truly amazing!]
[Lee Sejin: Congratulations, senior!]
Congratulations from A-rank hunters kept pouring in nonstop.
[Kim Suho: Thank you.]
A short, to-the-point line.
You could feel the weight of an S-rank.
“Sigh... I should act that cool someday too.”
Damn, he looks too cool.
I imagined myself giving an interview and closed the messenger.
After all, I couldn't send a congratulatory message here.
I logged into Mage Gallery.
[Title: Yo, it's your big bro, lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Author: Beetle]
[Dancing frog emote]
[Frog popping fireworks emote]
[It was hard to keep my expression under control in front of everyone. Seriously.]
“Seriously, this is ridiculous.”
I couldn't help but snort a laugh.
The cool image from the interview and the group chat was nowhere to be found.
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: See? I was right. I told you two staffs would break it.
ㄴPkkatjju: Congratulations.
ㄴFridge: Congrats, congrats, congrats, congrats.
ㄴAnon(88U.8T8): I bow my head before the King of Seoul....
After a long while, Kim Suho left a new comment.
ㄴBeetle: Thanks, everyone. It would have been impossible without you. Seriously.
ㄴBeetle: And I'm especially grateful to the newbie. Thanks to you, I even got Demigod to bleed.
ㄴAnon(88U.8T8): Did you make his nose bleed?
ㄴBeetle: ㄴㄴ no, not that much...
ㄴAnon(88U.8T8): So you left that for me.
The gallery atmosphere was warmer than ever.
I nodded in satisfaction as I read the comments.
Below, other mages kept offering congratulations and jokes.
“Hmm...”
I found myself smiling faintly.
My chest tingled for some reason.
A sensation completely different from the thrill of getting to the concept post or hitting rank 1 and drawing people's attention.
A much quieter, gently spreading satisfaction.
“Weird. This is weird.”
Helping someone.
And watching him succeed.
Until now, I'd never really felt that kind of emotion.
“Come to think of it, I didn't really have any friends to help....”
My life before awakening was unimaginably dull.
Back when I just sat in some corner banging away at a keyboard.
There was always a cold wall between the world and me.
Relationships on the internet were superficial and temporary.
Stirring trouble, mocking each other, or one-sidedly gathering information.
That was the entirety of the relationships I had formed.
The very idea of sincerely empathizing with someone's hardship, of giving what I had to help them, didn't exist in my world.
I was always the center, and my desires came first.
“......”
But now it was different.
These weird mages chattering on the screen.
They were no longer just nicknames beyond the monitor.
People who shared secrets and could rely on each other in a crisis.
The meager little bit of knowledge I have can help them.
Their success can become my joy.
I realized that for the first time today.
“… Does that mean I have friends too?”
I murmured softly.
My muttered soliloquy echoed in the empty living room.
I soon shook my head.
“It's not like I have internet friends or anything... friends? What friends?”
The word friend felt too close and awkward.
An acquaintance. 'Someone I know' would be more fitting.
I quietly turned off the computer monitor.
Darkness settled over the room.
In that darkness, for the first time, I thought I wasn't lonely.