Transfer
The influence that towers exert on the existing world can be broadly divided into two major categories.
Superpowers granted by synchronization rates and items dropped from the towers.
But this is just the general case.
There was one more significant impact that occurred at indeterminate times, and that was the transfer.
This was also the very reason for the existence of the Hunter Agency today.
"Where is it?"
"Dongdaemun Market."
"Pull up the CCTV."
A large monitor displayed Dongdaemun Market.
The market was currently engulfed in a black vortex.
Soon, it would appear there.
An indeterminate floor of the tower.
Transfers occur without any way to predict the timing or location.
They always emerge suddenly, blending the original location with a floor from the tower.
"Send two Hunter Agency strike team members for now. There's a reconnaissance team stationed nearby for Dongdaemun, right?"
"Yes. Three are on standby."
"Deploy them immediately."
"Understood."
Jin Yunho clicked his tongue.
His orders were calm, but his mind was racing.
When a transfer occurs, cases are roughly divided into two types.
One where monsters emerge, and one where they don't.
He had sent the strike team to prepare for the latter.
The reconnaissance team has arrived. We'll turn on the camera and enter.
The screen showed Dongdaemun Market all jumbled together.
Jin Yunho, arms crossed, stared at the monitor.
The reconnaissance team's most important mission during a transfer was to identify which floor of the tower had appeared.
To that end, the deployed personnel were in the midst of comparing the terrain and structure with those of the existing tower floors.
Confirmation complete. It's the 45th floor.
"Whew!"
Jin Yunho and the situation room staff let out sighs of relief.
What determines whether monsters appear during a transfer is the clear status of the tower belonging to each nation.
In South Korea, the highest officially known cleared floor was the 92nd.
Therefore, no monsters would emerge from there.
No matter which floor below the 92nd transferred, monsters wouldn't appear.
'We caught a break.'
Jin Yunho, who had sat back down, picked up a water bottle.
When the towers first appeared, terrified people refused to climb the unfamiliar structures.
At that time, the benefits of tower climbing—like synchronization rates or items—were still unknown.
Then, a transfer occurred right in the heart of Seoul.
What emerged was the tower's 1st floor.
Goblins poured out of it in droves.
In the actual tower's 1st floor, only a few appeared, but the size of a transferred floor was indeterminate.
If it formed on a massive scale, an equally filthy number of monsters would spawn.
Back then, with synchronization rates still unknown, everyone—from police and military to the National Intelligence Service—mobilized to fight the monsters.
Even so, the first transfer resulted in an absurd number of civilian casualties.
After that, joint investigations with other countries revealed the connection between tower clears and transfers, leading the government to establish the Hunter Agency and various related organizations, actively encouraging players to climb the towers.
'Already the 45th floor?'
He furrowed his brow.
As time passed, the floors involved in transfers were gradually getting higher.
Countries like China and the United States, which had already cleared over 120 floors, had some leeway, but Korea was not in the same position.
If a high floor that hadn't been cleared transferred, it would spell absolute disaster.
That was why everyone urged tower climbing and hurried along.
Outside, conditions were inevitably weaker than inside the tower due to synchronization rates.
If possible, clearing the floor before it transferred was the best course of action.
"Team leader. We have a problem. Among the dispatched reconnaissance team and strike team Hunters, none have cleared the 45th floor. From what we know, it's a maze where the structure changes in real time. The existing 45th floor clear mission involves monster subjugation and maze escape."
We don't think we can find our way out on our own. Requesting support from personnel who have cleared the 45th floor.
Just because no monsters emerged didn't mean the transfer ended automatically.
The transfer only concluded after all conditions of the original floor were fulfilled.
In any case, at least one person from those trapped in Dongdaemun Market had to escape that maze.
Roughly gauging the distance, Jin Yunho pulled out his phone.
Hunter Cheon Seyeon.
She was attempting the 83rd floor and had a synchronization rate approaching 40%—a high ranker.
This was exactly why they had poured an annual 100 billion won into recruiting her.
Yes, this is Cheon Seyeon. You called about heading to Dongdaemun?
"Yes. I would appreciate your help."
No need for appreciation. It's what I'm paid for.
After ending the call, Jin Yunho let out another deep sigh.
Then, he quietly stared at the monitor.
Cheon Seyeon had set out.
So, the situation would resolve soon.
—————
'They say the day you leave is market day.'
Jinhyeok grimaced.
He had cleared the 10th floor and come to Dongdaemun Market to empty his full inventory.
And now this—a transfer. What a stroke of rotten luck.
Puffffffff.
Cigarette smoke billowed in front of his eyes.
"Don't worry. It's already a cleared floor. No monsters."
No matter how many times he heard it, that speech pattern was hard to get used to.
Jinhyeok glanced at the old man who ran the Everything Shop, Oh Jaegap.
'Speech is a matter of personal freedom. Telling him to fix it would go against respecting elders.'
As usual, he stopped talking to himself and quickly scanned the surroundings.
He had only seen transfers online before; this was his first time witnessing one in person.
'It's pretty fascinating.'
He touched a suddenly protruding rock.
The rock still carried an inexplicable chill and ominous aura.
"Don't touch it carelessly. You'll turn into a zombie."
"Is it a floor with undead?"
"I don't really know. Just saying it."
He seemed pretty bored.
Anyway, he carefully stowed away the items he had bought today into his inventory.
Thanks to selling the byproducts from climbing up to the 10th floor, his bank balance had risen back to 4 million won.
He felt very secure.
Oh Jaegap, puffing cigarette smoke, squinted one eye.
'Was he always this built?'
It hadn't been that long since Jinhyeok's last visit.
Just over ten days, really.
Yet, compared to then, his body felt much more solid.
Grrrrrrowl.
Jinhyeok looked down at his stomach rumbling loudly.
Now that he thought about it, he had skipped breakfast and lunch entirely, planning to sell his stuff and grab something delicious.
Naturally, Sei must have been starving too.
"Grandpa, I'm heading out. Sell a lot."
"Where you going? This is a damn complicated maze floor. As long as one person gets out, it'll be fine, so wait for the Hunters to come and lead you out. Don't waste energy wandering around lost."
"I'm good. I'm a genius at finding my way. See you."
With a quick bow, Jinhyeok spun around and strode off without hesitation.
"Tch."
Oh Jaegap clicked his tongue.
Ever since that time with the middle school kids, this guy never listened.
"Oh."
Speaking of which, that group of middle schoolers who had stopped showing up since that day.
The rumors around Dongdaemun were that someone had beaten them badly and forced them into retirement.
The culprit who had taken all their items was probably this very guy.
As Oh Jaegap puffed on his pipe, a possibility crossed his mind.
No way, again?
And it didn't take long for that question to be answered.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[The player has escaped the maze. The transfer will now end.]
'That was quick.'
He pocketed Yodle's Compass and looked back at Dongdaemun Market, from which he had emerged.
As soon as the message about the transfer ending appeared, the terrain of the 45th floor began to vanish.
Thanks to that, the market was returning to its original state.
'At this rate, the whole world might turn into a tower.'
Transfers gradually expanded by swallowing surrounding areas as time passed.
If left uncleared, they would probably devour the entire district.
It was akin to the Zerg from StarCraft taking over Earth.
Grrrrrrowl.
'Let's go. Transfer or whatever, I'm starving to death.'
Today, he planned to treat Sei to pizza instead of chicken.
He had to get to his usual spot before they closed.
"...?"
He turned to hurry, but couldn't take a step.
A woman standing just a couple of paces ahead was blocking his path.
Her wavy hair, reaching down to her back, swayed as she fixed her narrow eyes on Jinhyeok.
'Maybe it's a lucky day after all.'
Jinhyeok recognized her immediately.
Cheon Seyeon, the high ranker who had cleared the 82nd floor, was that famous.
Rumor had it she had a secret contract with the Hunter Agency worth tens of billions.
'Enviable.'
The amount was so absurd it didn't even make his stomach hurt.
Pure envy washed over him as he lightly bowed his head and tried to sidestep Cheon Seyeon.
Pizza came first, after all.
"Excuse me. Did you just come out of there?"
If he said yes, it would get annoying.
But in CCTV-riddled South Korea, denying it would invite even more tiresome suspicion.
So, he nodded.
"Yes."
"How?"
"By walking?"
Cheon Seyeon wore a blank expression.
It was technically correct, but way too ridiculous.
"No, I meant how did you navigate the maze?"
Jinhyeok pointed to his eyes.
"I have good eyesight. So I find paths easily. Just now, I walked toward what felt like the right way, and it led me out."
Seyeon let out a low hum.
This was a transfer she should have resolved herself, ended by someone else instead.
The explanation didn't quite satisfy her, but she wasn't so lacking in manners as to grill someone she owed gratitude to.
Instead of probing further, she extended her hand.
"I'm Cheon Seyeon, freelance Hunter."
"I'm Yu Jinhyeok. It's an honor. You're really famous."
"I'm just one ordinary player among many."
Seyeon glanced down at Jinhyeok's hand.
The calluses here and there suggested he used close-range weapons.
Meanwhile, Jinhyeok had learned one thing from the handshake just now.
'Why is her hand so soft? Would it be weird to ask what hand cream she uses?'
He decided against asking something that might come off strange.
Just shaking hands with someone this famous was joy enough.
Releasing his hand, Cheon Seyeon spoke.
"If it's not too rude, may I ask how many floors you've cleared?"
She couldn't not ask this much.
The 45th floor maze was a place where even she had no guarantee of not getting lost.
Yet Jinhyeok had strolled out of it like it was nothing.
It was inevitable that he overlapped in her mind with someone who had been nagging at her thoughts.
"A few days ago, I cleared the 10th floor. I'm holding off on the 11th because orcs show up, and it's scary."
"I see."
The record-breaker who had set the world abuzz had cleared the 10th floor today.
If he was telling the truth, Jinhyeok wasn't that person, but letting him go like this felt unresolved.
"Would you mind exchanging Insta IDs, if that's okay?"
"I don't do SNS."
"Then KakaoTalk at least."
"Sure, why not."
As he held out his QR code, Jinhyeok eyed Cheon Seyeon.
She clearly hadn't shaken off her suspicions.
But what could he do? No matter how much she suspected, there was no way she'd figure it out.
"Thank you."
"No problem. Well, I'll be off then."
"Yes. Take care."
After exchanging farewells, he spun around.
Someone had started suspecting him, but Jinhyeok didn't particularly mind.
Right now, all he could think was,
'Yes! KakaoTalk friends with Cheon Seyeon.'
He mentally cheered at friending a celebrity.
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