Babel Network
▷ Local — Republic of Korea
▷ Domestic Ranker Channel No. 1 (Ranks 1–50)
| 12 |
Sangsang: Our Babylon is halting the 38F clear this week. The official notice will go out tomorrow, but use this for raid-ops planning.
| 39 |
Goldro-seo: Huh? Why? The tutorial period is coming up, so the gap will be long.
| 8 |
Dawit: I know, I saw it allll lololol That crazy Bambi had another fit, didn't he? How do you clear when the guild master's not there—told you to expand your roster ages ago, what "small-but-select elite," my ass
| 8 |
Dawit: Th-that guy's truly hopeless too knows where Jio is and is off to catch her off to catch her lol does he think he's, like, family or something? Isn't it time to give up already lololol dead funny
| 4 |
White Bird: Not jeong-ae (affection) but jeong-ye (elite). Not daem but doem (되*). Not anj but anh (않*). Not gae-utgya but gae-utgyeoda.
| 8 |
Dawit: Sh— ㅡㅡ
| 6 |
Yasik King: Is Gyeon Riok not clearing? I'm heading out now
| 6 |
Yasik King: Is Gyeon Riok not clearing? I'm heading out now
| 20 |
RenewMyPKICertTomorrow: But you saw the breaking news, right? Heard the U.S. cleared 42F, and rumor is it's a linked scenario up to 44F so won't take long. Won't the gap get way too big at this rate?;
| 12 |
Sangsang: That's why our guild master ran out mid-clear.
"You really want to watch me lose my mind? What the hell, did you hide a pot of honey under your blankets in this room?"
'Ugh...'
"In a country with four S-ranks! And we're a nation with the World Rank #3 to boot—and we're still floundering in the 30s? How is that even a thing! I'm so ashamed I can't even walk around with my head up!"
'We are so not compatible...'
Wearing a sulky expression, Jioh covered her ears. Gyeon Riok had chased her all the way into her room and was jabbing a finger.
Second of three siblings.
Born exactly eleven months after her, her younger brother Gyeon Riok was a domestic top-five ranker.
He was also the fourth S-rank to appear in Korea.
With a competitive streak since childhood, Riok had been a fish in water the moment he got his Babel ticket.
He tore through the Tutorial like a madman, met a Constellation that suited him well enough, got good ratings, and renewed his rank again and again.
He'd already smashed his way up into the top five.
Of course, getting an S-rank verdict doesn't mean you immediately sit in the sky-tier standings.
A rank only points to the size of a person's vessel.
Which Constellation you meet, in what way, what talents you have, and how you bring them into bloom—all of that makes the difference.
In the very top tier of the rankings sit a bunch of AAA-rankers who've transcended the limits of rank.
They are the real monsters.
Not just Gyeon Riok: the country's second S-rank, Choi Dawit, is currently #8; the third, Hwanghon ("Twilight"), is #6.
Which is why Gyeon Jioh is a very exceptional and rare case.
As for this one, hmm.
"Even though all you do is breathe, you keep getting stronger, so please, huh? Try having, like, a little sense of duty or conscience. Don't you feel embarrassed watching other people bust their butts to live, you freeloader!"
[Your Covenant Star, "Reader of Fate," gives a soft ahem, saying the wording seems a bit strong regardless of whether it's factual.]
[It shows slight displeasure, saying if that brat weren't your spitting image of a Noona, it wouldn't have let that mouth slide.]
'Unnie, hold it. I'm holding it too. I told you, right? He's our household's money spout.'
Freeloaders are naturally excellent at situational awareness.
Even if the Money Spout's temperament clashes with yours, you endure.
Jioh stoically endured the noise, eyeing the brand-new iPad charged to Gyeon Riok's card.
"You listening, Mr. 'hiding your power'?"
"Yup. But I'm not himsumjjin."
"Then what are you?"
"Himsum-bang."
"...?"
What the hell is that?
Exhausted from yelling at someone who wouldn't take anything in, Gyeon Riok arched an eyebrow.
Jioh tipped up her chin, her jet-black blunt bob swaying.
"A Hiding-Power Bystander."
"..."
"It's official. My status window even lists my disposition as 'A free-spirited Bystander.'"
Those catlike eyes with the two little teardrop moles—never have they looked so infuriating.
That no-answer freeloader shut-in...
For a moment, Gyeon Riok genuinely wondered what the sentence would be for disposing of a blood relative.
There is, of course, a reason why the current #1 who does nothing doesn't get condemned.
The rankings, which tally an awakener's overall strength, are fluid.
Accordingly, the Babel Network set a channel's "standard" to innate rank.
It expanded servers depending on how many top-rankers a nation possessed, and wouldn't even open sub-local channels for places it deemed without value.
Server expansion and securing channels were extremely—truly—very important to nations.
Because the number of "tickets" distributed was tied to the size of the local server.
Also, when sub-channels opened, not only were "Formal Dungeons" generated in that region, but you could even receive rift coordinates in advance.
The number of "tickets" equaled the number of "awakeners."
The generation of Formal Dungeons meant the formation of stable hunting grounds and training sites.
Advance coordinates for rifts were directly tied to citizen safety.
Sudden guerrilla dungeons and rifts do still occur even now.
But the frequency is night and day compared to when the Babel Network opens channels and manages them, versus when it doesn't.
Before an S-rank awakener appeared in Korea, it was truly a melting pot of chaos.
A real, hardcore Hell Mode Hell-Joseon.
Hunters ran themselves ragged across the country with insufficient manpower, and the sacrifices never stopped where they couldn't reach.
Watching other countries—those where S-ranks appeared earlier—rapidly find stability, everyone prayed earnestly.
Please, grant us an S-rank too.
And in the midst of that,
the fifth in the world,
and with the most intense debut ever,
the Republic of Korea's first S-rank was born.
A span of ten years has brought a few more S-ranks, but people still haven't forgotten the waiting and the joy of that time.
A hero whose mere existence reset the nation's luck.
All that was known was the title "Magician King" and the alias "Jio," and nothing more.
A hero is a hero; a benefactor is a benefactor.
Thus was an idle eater yet less-reviled number one made.
Truly, a fate born on the highest rung.
"Gyeon Jioh."
"...Mm?"
Regardless, the immediate reality is the life of a thrice-failed art-school examinee.
You can't go against the Money Spout, but above the money spout is the umbilical cord.
Jioh swallowed dryly, tense.
Thanks to the eldest's consecutive exam failures, Madam Park's nerves had been razor-edged lately.
She needed to lie flat and read the room.
If not, a tragedy like the old days might unfold—coming home to find the bed missing.
[Constellation "Reader of Fate" asks wasn't that because you stayed out overnight a week before the CSAT and came back.]
'Unnie, watch your timing. Know when to be in or out.'
Tak.
Madam Park set her spoon down.
The soondubu stew she'd been eating just fine suddenly felt like it was choking Jioh.
The Gyeon siblings, three.
The eldest is the nation's immovable #1 Hiding-Power Bystander; the second is the top ranker called the "Crazy Deer," #5. And the youngest is a clout-chasing YouTuber who sold his soul to a demon.
Yet the strongest at this four-seater dining table was Ms. Park Soon-yo, Yakult door-to-door vendor and Saetbyeol 1-dong's assigned Fresh Manager.
"Why haven't you been asking me for money lately?"
"P-Pardon?"
"No matter how much you're reading the room, this kid isn't spending—like, at all. So I sat and thought hard about what that could possibly mean."
She had a powerful feeling that something had gone very, very south.
"Are you by any chance using Riok's card?"
"Hic."
Goose… bumps.
The Creator's intuition—terrifying.
Eyes round as saucers, Jioh froze in place.
T-That bastard who can't even lie, that damned mortal enemy.
Sensing that something had gone down, Gyeon Riok set his chopsticks down beside her. He dutifully lowered his eyes at once.
"Gyeon Riok."
"Your unworthy son was blinded by the faintest thread of kinship and has committed a capital sin. Royal Mother, do not forgive this unfilial one..."
"I'll give you five seconds. Bring me the card statement you gave her."
"I receive your command at once, My Lady."
Alive for now, Gyeon Riok rose and bowed deeply.
Ah, hell.
Jioh sprang up too and bolted.
She couldn't use magic to escape because she was hiding the fact she was an awakener from Mom. She just shoved her feet into three-stripe slippers and sprinted out.
[Constellation "Reader of Fate" heaves a deep sigh, saying "See, didn't I tell you to think twice about the iPad Pro."]
"Ah, shut up!"
[It lets out a casual whistle: since it looks like Mother-in-law will faint if she sees the statement anyway, how about we head for the Tower instead.]
["A stunningly handsome Oppa is on 24-hour standby because he wants to get closer with our baby kitty," says "Reader of Fate," neatly pasting a placard on the wall.]
"I said no, get lost! Pervert! I told you you're creepy, don't out yourself as an old man! Be an Unnie!"
[Your Covenant Star, "Reader of Fate," sputters—An ajusshi? I'm an ajusshi? Have you ever seen an ajusshi this sizzling?]
"If you're older than me, you're an ajusshi—shut it!"
「Seonghon (Star Mark), forced opening.」
「Ultimate Constellation, '■■■■' rises and whispers to its sole avatar.」
[Kitty. Rift ahead.]
It was only an instant.
A laughing voice passed by in a flash.
Jioh stopped dead.
She hadn't noticed because she was sprinting like mad, but the subway station was suddenly right in front of her.
'So it's a warning worth giving in advance?'
The Seonghon is the proof of covenant, the soul-gate linked to a star.
Jioh's Covenant Star is very willful and very powerful, and would often ignore the rules and open it at whim.
But no matter how strong it was, because it was an act that ignored Babel's rules, even a Constellation would be forced to fall silent for a few minutes.
According to him, that was the time Babel spends nitpicking.
Anyway, since it knows Jioh hates it, it doesn't do it unless it's a pretty unusual situation.
Hmm... so does that mean "avoid it"?
'If you're going to notify me, do it properly. What is this—like getting constipated mid-dump?'
Pulling her hood low, Jioh shoved both hands into her pockets.
And she opened the channel window she always keeps folded to one side.
Babel Network
▷ Local — Republic of Korea
▷ Domestic Ranker Channel No. 1 (Ranks 1–50)
| 6 |
Yasik King: Yo did that crazy Bambi bastard sweep every last mana stone on 38F this guy's conscience is dead
Mm, this place is spouting nonsense as usual.
About to open the World Ranker Channel next, Jioh hesitated.
Sure, the Babel Network's translation is excellent... but her wounds from the CSAT English section hadn't fully healed...
It was premature to look at foreigners.
'Right. And with a Seoul rift, what good will the World chat do?'
Skipping with her usual Heungseon Daewongun isolationist mindset, Jioh poked around the national and regional channels too.
Unlike the ranker channels—whose chats are very active and eerily similar to KakaoTalk—these only show Babel notices.
As expected: nothing but a countdown clock to the next Tutorial start.
"If it's not a monster wave, then it's either a guerrilla dungeon or a sudden gate.
Being near home is unexpected, but if it's just that, the Center's civil-servant hunters can handle it easy."
Hiding-Power Bystander Gyeon Jioh headed with a light step toward the nearby Smoothie King.
And...
"Huh?"
Are all sudden rift difficulties like this these days?
With a grave face, Jioh sipped her Strawberry Xtreme through the straw.