Scout
The evening of the day Jinhyuk resolved to end the transfer.
A large crowd gathered in the Inwangsan parking lot.
"This is the channel 'I Want to See That'! Those who applied through our channel, please come over here!"
"This is the person who posted 'Recruiting to Find the Red-Eyed Sis' on Tower Site! Everyone who agreed to join, over here!"
Even a rough count showed over a dozen parties forming.
Among them was Kim Gwangseon, a newtuber with 50 floors cleared and 400,000 subscribers.
"Alright, alright! Today, I'll be the one to find the Blood-Eyed Sis! With my sync rate at 23%, I can catch her no matter how much she runs! Hahaha!"
Kim Gwangseon's other nickname was Issue Hunter.
It was a moniker earned from latching onto every hot topic without fail.
And watching over them were two people.
"Quite a crowd has gathered."
"You're telling me."
Player Hunter Agency Team Leader Jin Yunho and team member Yun Miri.
"Well, in a world where issues mean money."
It had been a while.
For things to heat up like this over something unrelated to the Tower.
Of course, the two of them weren't there to hunt for the community's pretty big sis, either.
Inwangsan was one of the candidate sites possibly classified as an unconfirmed transfer on the 44th floor.
They had come to check it out, coinciding with the issue that had arisen there.
"But why did you come in person, Team Leader?"
"Why? Am I in the way?"
"No, it's not that, but you don't usually show up at sites."
Jin Yunho was known in the Hunter Agency as a severe case of laziness.
Someone who went back and forth between home and the Agency, skipping even after-work drinks, suddenly deploying to the field?
"Nothing's wrong, is it?"
When she asked cautiously, Jin Yunho let out a smirk.
'Something wrong? Well, there is.'
Naturally, Jin Yunho had no intention of coming out.
Not until the Hunter Agency's Personnel Director, Lee Changgi, had made that peculiar remark.
-Going out to the field once in a while isn't a bad idea, you know?
If it had been anyone else, he would've brushed it off lightly.
It was just a passing comment, after all.
But when the speaker was Lee Changgi, he had no choice but to ponder it.
Class: Seer.
It might seem like some bizarre class to have in the Hunter Agency, but the contributions Lee Changgi had made with his class abilities were far from insignificant.
Not only had he foreseen several transfer zones and incidents, but he'd also divined the emergence of numerous rankers, including Cheon Seyeon.
Thanks to that, the Hunter Agency could respond to situations a step ahead of other organizations.
'He's a truly fascinating guy the more I see him. His sync rate isn't even that high, yet how does he hit the mark so often?'
As the class name suggested, a seer wasn't specialized for combat.
Even with all the equipment the Agency had poured into him, he'd only just barely reached the lower 30s.
Unless he'd snagged some insane perk, his sync rate had to be under 20 percent.
In any case, ignoring a comment from such a Lee Changgi felt off, so he'd overcome his laziness and come out.
"They seem about ready to head out."
"We'll wait a bit and tail the last team."
"Got it. Uh? You're not thinking of lighting up right now, are you?"
"Why?"
Yun Miri, furrowing her brow, pointed to one side.
No Smoking Absolutely. Fire Hazard.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue, Jin Yunho tossed the cigarette back into the car.
"You're a public servant—imagine the backlash if you got caught smoking near a mountain. It'd blow up on NewTube."
The Player Hunter Agency had started as a private entity but had been recognized for its excellence last year and absorbed under the national umbrella.
Which meant there were no small number of things they had to watch out for.
"Last team. Let's follow."
Jin Yunho, who had been leaning against the car, started walking.
And not long after.
Beeeep!
The transfer detector let out a blaring noise.
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri halted and stared at the detector.
The detector emitted its strongest signal in two moments.
When a transfer occurred, and when it ended.
There had been no reports of a new transfer nearby.
"Team Leader, this..."
"Looks like we came to the right place after all."
Nodding, Jin Yunho drew a smile.
Someone had cleared the transfer.
Midway up Inwangsan.
"W-what the hell? What was that thing that just passed by?!"
"It laughed with this creepy 'Puhehehehehe!' You heard it too, right?!"
"This is insane! Where's the pretty sis, and why's there a ghost instead?"
"Hey! If you're just gonna whine up front, get out of the way! I'll go!"
Kim Gwangseon shoved through the crowd and pushed forward.
"And what's this? No Entry? Give me a break!"
Snorting, Kim Gwangseon knocked the sign flying.
"From here on, we're moving fast! I'll clear the path, so keep up as best you can!"
Revving up his class ability, he began a reckless charge.
A human rhinoceros smashing through trees and whatever else lay in his way.
Determined not to fall behind, the newtubers with their cameras activated their own abilities and chased after Kim Gwangseon.
"Damn. With a low sync rate like this, life's just one big misery."
"You'll get hurt trying to keep up."
"Yeah. Better to wait here. It's too dark anyway—dangerous."
The group that gave up on following hunkered down by a nearby rock.
And naturally blending in among them was one person.
'Infiltration success.'
Jinhyuk, who had just barely finished the cleanup and returned.
During the final touches, he'd been a bit short on time and had Kancho buy him some.
It seemed to have stirred up a commotion, but the transfer was cleared perfectly, so it didn't matter.
'Folks, even if you go there, no pretty sis awaits.'
Seira was already in manifestation release state.
No matter how thoroughly they scoured all of Inwangsan, they wouldn't find the big sis that had become the talk of the community.
Crunching and snapping sounds echoed nonstop from beyond.
A sight of them tossing forest preservation to the dogs for the sake of content.
Perhaps because of the ever-fading noise.
The people sitting began to stand one by one, brushing off their seats.
"Shall we head down? What are we even doing in the mountains at night like this?"
"Yeah. Should've just ordered chicken and played some games."
As the excitement waned, post-nut clarity set in.
Jinhyuk didn't miss the moment either and started descending with the group.
He hadn't even had dinner yet—his stomach was practically glued to his back.
He wanted to hurry home, take a hot shower, and tear into some chicken.
After following the group for a bit and rounding into the parking lot, two people waiting at the entrance caught his eye.
People dressed in crisp suits in the dead of night.
Seeing the Hunter Agency badges on their chests, Jinhyuk made a sour face.
CCTV for wildfire detection was installed all over the mountain.
He'd stuck with the group to avoid suspicion from wandering off and getting caught on camera somewhere sketchy, but he hadn't expected the Agency to be lying in wait.
'Blending in should be fine.'
He'd hidden all his gear near the normal route.
Dressed like any hiker, there was no reason for misunderstandings.
Jin Yunho and Yun Miri quietly observed the passing group.
"Miri."
"Yes?"
"That Honor Book Runner—the one who cleared this morning. What floor was it?"
"19th floor."
"I see?"
Swoosh.
Jin Yunho peeled his back from the rock and stepped onto the trail.
"Hello there."
And he greeted them with easy confidence.
"Hello."
Yujinhyuk returned the smile and greeting in kind.
He wondered why, out of all these people, it had to be him, but he kept his expression neutral for now.
"It's pretty late, but it looks like you were hiking."
"Nighttime strolls are my hobby. No crowds, and it's peaceful."
"Haha. We have similar tastes, then. I only walk in parks at night or dawn myself."
Jin Yunho, conversing casually, glanced around.
Inwangsan was no easy mountain with gentle slopes.
Thanks to that, everyone who had just come down was panting for breath.
Everyone except one—the man right in front of him.
"There was an unconfirmed transfer cleared on Inwangsan just now, so we're looking into a few things. You seem familiar with the mountain, so mind if we chat for a moment?"
"Of course."
Turning toward the parking lot, Jin Yunho continued.
"I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Jin Yunho, team leader at the Player Hunter Agency. This is team member Yun Miri."
"I'm Yujinhyuk."
"Yes, yes, nice to meet you. It might be rude to ask on first meeting like this, but are you perhaps a player?"
"Yes, that's right. Though the floors I've cleared are pretty low."
"I knew it! That explains the great stamina. In that case, could I ask how many floors you've cleared? Of course, you don't have to answer. It's just a habit since my workplace is the Agency."
"19th floor."
Jinhyuk answered without hesitation, smiling.
He'd been buried in gloom farming for days, but that didn't mean he'd put off climbing the Tower.
Without missing a day, he'd reached the 19th floor now.
His level had hit 21 as well.
'No reason to lie when I haven't done anything wrong.'
He'd heard some classes had abilities to scrutinize opponents' info.
Which made clumsy lies all the more risky.
Hearing the answer, Jin Yunho wore a faint smile.
'No lies, huh.'
A person with an ability akin to scrutiny, the one Jinhyuk had heard of.
Player Hunter Agency Team Leader Jin Yunho was one such.
Cleared Floors: 19th Floor.
He stared at the information floating above Jinhyuk's head.
Inside the Tower, he could see more details on monsters or Tower residents, but outside, with the low sync rate, floors cleared was the best he could get.
Even that was tremendous intel, so no complaints.
After a few routine questions and answers, Jin Yunho nodded.
"You must be tired, but thank you for cooperating."
"No trouble at all."
"Then take care getting home."
"Yes, you too. Have a good night."
Exchanging polite farewells, Jinhyuk left the parking lot.
Yun Miri, who had been waiting, handed over the pad she was holding.
"The CCTV at the mountain entrance you mentioned earlier."
Jin Yunho fast-forwarded through the footage, a smile forming.
CCTV footage kept for two days.
At the very least, there was no scene of Jinhyuk ascending the mountain within it.
Meaning he'd climbed at least 48 hours ago and was only now descending.
In his mind, Lee Changgi's offhand comment replayed once more.
-Going out to the field once in a while isn't a bad idea, you know?
There were still more things to verify.
But he was certain.
He'd caught the tail.
"Team Leader? You okay? You looked like the world's biggest grump earlier, and now you're grinning. It's creepy."
"What's creepy about it? A person's smile is a good thing."
"But why'd you pick Yujinhyuk out of that whole crowd to ask?"
"Miri."
"Yes?"
"I might've found him."
"Found what?"
The corners of Jin Yunho's mouth curved high.
"The Honor Book Runner."
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T/N:
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