Getting the Money
A luxury officetel in Hannam-dong.
On the marble floor, the ranker Cheon Se-yeon made her appearance.
"Haa. Haa."
She lay down on the floor, breathing heavily.
And with her arms and legs spread out wide like a starfish.
"I cleared it agaaaaaaaain!!!"
She screamed loud enough to shake the house.
In her overwhelming joy, she even punched the air wildly.
She had been stuck at the 83rd floor for so long, unable to progress, but four days ago she'd broken through it, and today, she'd finally cleared the 84th floor too.
Se-yeon rolled around on the floor, heedless of the blood smeared on her body.
Se-yeon grabbed her nearby phone and made a call.
Hunter Cheon Se-yeon?
The cautious voice of a Hunter Agency staffer came through.
"I cleared it! I broke through the 84th floor!"
Wooow!
The cautious tone vanished in an instant.
A cheer erupted, loud enough that she had to pull the phone slightly away from her ear.
Congratulations! Two floors in the 80s section in just a week—what a huge accomplishment! You must be exhausted!
"Oh, come on! You're the one who just got assigned to me and must be swamped, but you've been taking such good care of me. Thank you."
If anything, it's an honor for me! I'll continue to support you with all my heart and soul!
"Thanks! I'll call you again soon!"
Yes! I'll report this to the higher-ups right away!
After hanging up, Se-yeon let out a sigh of relief.
Then, a message appeared in front of her.
[The effects of the Potion that Dwells in Darkness will now wear off!]
Se-yeon broke into a radiant smile.
The 83rd and 84th floors, where holy attacks hadn't even scratched her.
Attribute conversion had been essential, and every tower clear had been thanks to this potion.
'How on earth am I going to repay this debt?'
The Phoenix's Breath she'd handed over to Jin-hyuk was already a distant memory.
Right now, all she wanted was to meet Jin-hyuk as soon as possible and pour out this overflowing gratitude.
"But seriously, this guy."
Se-yeon checked KakaoTalk and let out a deep sigh.
He'd said he'd read her messages, but Yu Jin-hyuk was still completely silent.
With her personality, she would've just gone straight to find him under normal circumstances, but she didn't even know where he lived, so that was out.
"He's really grinding away at the tower, huh."
Se-yeon checked the tower site and clicked her tongue in amazement.
There was no hiding Jin-hyuk's tower climbs.
The Hall of Fame updated almost daily.
Thanks to that, the moment Runner hit the tower, everyone in the world could tell.
'It's blowing up. Totally blowing up.'
Runner's popularity was skyrocketing.
As if to prove it, even the world's largest gambling site had started featuring games related to the Hall of Fame's Runner.
Bets on whether he'd fail a given floor, whether he'd get SSS+, when exactly he'd finally wipe—things like that.
They were popping up left and right, ushering in a second golden age.
@ I bet on him failing this one and got screwed again. Is that thing even human? Shouldn't we investigate?
@ Investigate what, you idiot? You gonna send the cops into the Tower of Despair?
@ That bastard Runner! If I find out who you are, I'll kill you!
As the floors climbed higher, more people were betting on failure, but Runner mocked them all by smashing through the tower day after day.
Naturally, the number of people losing money and cursing Runner out was growing too.
'No wonder he wants to hide his identity.'
Just looking at Se-yeon's inbox, it was full of hate.
Right now it was all aimed at Runner, but before that, rankers had been prime targets for the betting pools too.
"Oh man. First things first, I should wash u—"
Riiiing riing riing.
Se-yeon's eyes widened.
Speak of the devil.
"Ahem."
Se-yeon cleared her throat and picked up the phone.
Before the voice on the other end could say anything, she flashed a sly smile and spoke.
"I thought you'd deleted KakaoTalk!"
I just reinstalled it.
"That's a fresh move."
Yu Jin-hyuk was the kind of guy who could clear what took others an hour in just five or ten minutes.
If he'd said he was too busy with the tower, she would've called him shameless.
Se-yeon, by any chance...
As Jin-hyuk started to speak.
"Wait a sec!"
Se-yeon cut him off in a hurry.
"I don't know what you're about to say, but let's meet up first and talk. Whatever the favor is, I'll do everything I can to help. I just cleared the 84th floor, so I'm in an amazing mood!"
Oh, really?
At her immediate agreement, Se-yeon made a wincing face.
A forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
This was the guy who'd asked for the Phoenix's Breath for free.
But she had to express this bursting gratitude, so Se-yeon quickly set a meeting spot.
Got it. I'll be there on time.
"Yeah. See you soon."
Smiling as she hung up, Se-yeon headed to the bathroom.
All in all, it was a great day.
Still, what kind of favor was he going to ask for?
A milk tea shop known only to those in the know.
It was famous for the chewy, nutty pearls inside the tea.
And right now, those pearls.
"Pfft!"
Were flying straight into Jin-hyuk's face.
He'd dodged arrows from ogre archers with ease, but.
He couldn't react to the sudden pearl assault.
"S-Sorry!"
Se-yeon, who'd spat out her milk tea, hurriedly wiped Jin-hyuk's face with a handkerchief.
Since she'd half-chewed them before spitting, it looked pretty bad.
"It's fine. Totally understandable. Here too."
After wiping the pearls from under Jin-hyuk's eye, Se-yeon caught her breath.
The reason for the pearl spray was simple.
"F-Fifty billion?"
"Five hundred billion."
"Wow."
Se-yeon let out a small gasp.
It was an amount so massive it blindsided her without warning.
No, even with a heads-up, it was the kind of number that made you doubt your ears.
Her throat suddenly parched, Se-yeon reached for her milk tea cup.
Jin-hyuk reflexively scooted his chair back.
"I won't spit this time, so come back."
Jin-hyuk pulled his chair forward again and put on the most serious face imaginable.
"So, is it possible?"
"Just a moment."
Se-yeon checked her bank balance.
Her annual salary was 100 billion won.
But compared to that enormous paycheck, her account balance was pathetically low.
People always spent as much as they earned, after all.
"No good."
Reading her expression, Jin-hyuk squeezed his eyes shut.
"Ah, don't give up yet! Just wait a bit!"
Jin-hyuk had made it possible for her to clear the 83rd and 84th floors, which had seemed impossible forever.
She wanted to help him however she could, materially and otherwise.
"It's an era where investments are key these days! I've got a bunch set aside in advance!"
Se-yeon logged into her crypto account.
She'd been steadily putting in her spare cash on a friend's recommendation.
"Ah."
She let out a short gasp and rubbed her eyes.
Down 98%? How the hell did you even get a number like that?
'I'm screwed.'
She stole a glance at Jin-hyuk.
Even adding it all up, she didn't have 70 billion.
Se-yeon was suddenly acutely aware of her dire financial state.
"I'm sorry. I said I'd help with anything, but this one's no go."
"Sorry? No, I was the one who made an unreasonable request out of the blue."
If he'd asked anyone else, they'd have slapped him and told him to get a grip—and that would've been putting it mildly.
He was just grateful that Se-yeon was taking it seriously.
"Jin-hyuk, have you... gone to a loan shark or something? Like, if you can't pay it back, they harvest your kidney...?"
No matter how OP you were in the tower, low sync rate meant you weren't much stronger than a regular person in the real world.
It was a world where plenty of players vanished without a trace after acting recklessly without realizing that.
Jin-hyuk's clear speed was miraculous, but his floor progress was low.
So his sync rate had to be low too, making it a perfectly reasonable guess.
"No, nothing like that. I just need to buy something."
He didn't lecture her that it was overspending on her part.
The loan shark thing was just a what-if; deep down, she knew Jin-hyuk wasn't the type.
"Hmm."
Se-yeon sipped her milk tea, pondering as she scrolled her phone.
Five hundred billion—that was way too big an amount to even attempt.
"Ah."
Then, something occurred to her, and she looked at Jin-hyuk.
The moment he saw that glint in her eye, he smiled faintly and spoke.
"The Hunter Agency?"
"Huh? Yeah!"
Was he reading her mind?
Se-yeon gaped at how spot-on Jin-hyuk was.
"Hmm."
Jin-hyuk leaned back in his chair.
'Guess the Hunter Agency's the only option.'
Legal, low-risk, with massive funds they could hand over in cash, and at least some connection to Jin-hyuk.
Nothing else came to mind.
He'd considered reaching out to Jin Tae-gon, but the man was a shrewd businessman at heart.
He'd have to deliver something worth the five hundred billion.
"Jin-hyuk. If you're okay with it, just say the word."
Se-yeon showed him her phone screen.
"Let's have dinner together."
The name on the screen was one Jin-hyuk recognized.
Hunter Agency Team Leader Jin Yun-ho.
The guy he'd been dodging for days.
Sizzle!
A satisfying sound rang out.
The savory aroma of oil seeped into his nostrils.
This place had to be a gem.
Of course, separate from that certainty.
'Uncomfortable.'
Jin-hyuk was on pins and needles.
Across from him, Jin Yun-ho stared back and forth between Jin-hyuk and Se-yeon with a dumbfounded look.
It couldn't be helped.
He'd hunted high and low for the Hall of Fame Runner, who kept vanishing into thin air despite all efforts.
And now, that very Yu Jin-hyuk had walked in on his own two feet.
"Ahem."
After a few false coughs, Se-yeon glanced at Jin Yun-ho.
"The personal request you made to me—it's resolved, right?"
A week ago, Jin Yun-ho had privately asked Se-yeon to track down Jin-hyuk, suspected to be the Hall of Fame Runner.
Until now, every time he'd asked, she'd said there was no progress, and yet here she was, bringing the man himself.
"...Hunter Cheon Se-yeon, is this how you do things?"
Jin Yun-ho narrowed his eyes at Se-yeon.
Whatever the case, she had known about Jin-hyuk all along.
She'd just hidden it for some reason.
"No way."
Jin Yun-ho pointed at Jin-hyuk and Se-yeon with his finger.
It was because the news of Se-yeon's 84th-floor clear that afternoon came to mind.
"Yep. Yu Jin-hyuk helped me clear the 83rd and 84th floors."
"Hah."
At Se-yeon's frank admission, Jin Yun-ho let out an exclamation.
Whether he realized it or not, Jin Yun-ho had been feeling guilty toward Se-yeon.
He'd boldly promised maximum support, but he hadn't been able to provide any real help for the 83rd-floor clear.
And Yu Jin-hyuk had solved that.
It wasn't just Jin Yun-ho personally—the Hunter Agency and even the nation had benefited.
Composing himself, Jin Yun-ho fixed his gaze on Jin-hyuk.
"There must be a reason you've suddenly revealed yourself to me. Be straightforward and get to the point."
"Straightforward?"
"Yes! Man to man!"
"Lend me five hundred billion."
"Five hundred billion?!"
Jin Yun-ho picked up his water glass and tilted it without changing expression.
"Cough! Cough!!"
Water sprayed from Jin Yun-ho's mouth.
He'd tried to play it cool, but he'd been utterly shocked.
Five hundred billion?!
Barely regaining his composure, Jin Yun-ho caught his breath.
"Is this for climbing the tower?"
"Yes. Exactly. I absolutely need it. Absolutely, absolutely."
After thinking it over, Jin Yun-ho nodded.
"It's possible. But there are conditions."
Jin-hyuk swallowed hard.
Conditions for five hundred billion.
What could they be?
----------
T/N:
Just for being a free member, you'll get 5 advanced chapters every week!
Access 35 chapters in advance on my Patreon:[email protected]//towerup