The End of the Day
[You have cleared somewhere between the 40th and 51st floors!]
[Player Yoo Jinhyuk's level has increased!]
[Player Yoo Jinhyuk's level has increased!]
.
.
.
[You have reached level 74!]
[All stats increase by 10 simultaneously! Maximum mana rises to 22,000!]
[Commander of the Black Knights, Saira Kincayton's level has increased! Current level: 126]
[Captain of the Yodle Ranger Unit, Kancho's level has increased! Current level: 89]
[Undying One Dark Castro's level has increased! Current level: 99]
[Greedy Collector Momo's level has increased! Current level: 92]
[Star Alchemist Elia Possen's experience has increased! Current experience: 80%]
Jinhyuk stared at the messages floating in front of him.
His level had gone up by four, and yet…
He felt oddly underwhelmed.
"Dopamine really is terrifying."
He couldn't deny it.
That whole achievement-collecting spree with the Imoogi had soaked his brain in dopamine.
He probably needed a detox period for a while.
"At least I got this much done thanks to the Compression Ticket."
If he'd climbed from the 40th to the 50th floor one by one in the normal way, he probably wouldn't have even gotten those four levels.
The average level of players scaling this section was between 30 and 40.
For Jinhyuk, who was already level 70, this was a zone where the experience gain was far from sufficient.
"This is probably the biggest haul."
His gaze dropped to the fragment of black knight's armor in his hand.
A quest starter item that would push Saira's grade from Epic up to Legendary.
Completing the quest was a prerequisite, sure, but the reward was absurd.
In terms of total combat power increase, it was on a whole other level even compared to everything he'd gotten from the Imoogi.
Saira's current level was 126.
Which meant it would shoot her straight up to at least level 201, the minimum for Legendary.
And that was aside from the ability unlocks that came with a grade-up.
Gulp.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly and glanced at Saira, who was tending to her sword.
She was already this strong—how much more of a monster would she become once she stepped into Legendary?
"Will she become the Dragon Slayer I saw in that very first memory?"
His heart started to race.
Saira's growth was directly tied to the growth of player Yoo Jinhyuk.
The skills and abilities he could engrave on his Blank Card would increase dramatically, after all.
Not to mention the power boost to the entire party.
After sketching out that hopeful future in his mind, he looked around.
Saira, Dark, Elia, and Kancho were all busy maintaining their gear.
Only their quartermaster Momo was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Momo?"
Kancho, who'd been darting his eyes around, pointed with his stubby little finger in one direction.
"Over there!"
Far off in the distance, Momo was hustling around.
Looked like the sheer number of Netherworld Knights was slowing him down.
"Hang in there, Momo."
He wanted to go help, but greedy collector Momo hated that.
If someone without the "Nimble Hands" trait picked things up, the quality of the components dropped.
"When Momo gets back, let's boil up some cocoa for him."
"Sounds good! I want some too!"
He set a pot of water over the campfire.
While waiting for the water to boil, Jinhyuk walked over to Saira's side.
Saira looked up from wiping the blood off her sword.
"Master, your performance in battle today was exemplary."
She smiled.
When a student did more than you'd taught them, it was rewarding as a teacher.
"And that armor fragment you showed me earlier… I'm not sure about it. I don't know why it suddenly appeared, or whose armor it is."
"It is the Black Knights' armor, right?"
"Yes. It's probably made of the same material as the one I'm wearing."
Jinhyuk rubbed his chin.
Since the reward was outrageous, the quest clear conditions would likely be just as ridiculous.
He'd worried there might be a time limit attached, so his plan was to gather as much information as possible and start it cautiously.
But if even Saira couldn't think of anything, it didn't seem like they'd be getting any more clues.
Whether it ended in disaster or success, he'd probably have to just trigger it boldly as soon as they got out.
"I am curious, though. About what paths those who once fought beside me chose after leaving the order."
Maybe some old memories had surfaced.
A faint smile appeared on Saira's lips.
"Momo has arrived!"
Right on cue, Momo raised a hand high as he came trotting up to the campfire.
Judging by the state of him, the scavenging had been pretty intense.
His whole body was splattered with blood and bits of flesh.
Jinhyuk quickly pulled out a wet towel and wiped Momo's face.
"The greatsword was too heavy, so I left it!"
Flix's subspace bag didn't mean there were no limits.
If a single item exceeded a certain volume or weight, you couldn't store it.
"You did well. It had chips and cracks all over it anyway."
Calista's greatsword was not only enormous, it weighed several hundred kilos.
It simply wasn't worth the trouble to haul it around.
He sat Momo down and handed him a cup of cocoa.
Slurp.
"It's good!"
Beaming, Momo deftly pulled out some snacks and started munching.
Kancho came scurrying over as well, took a snack, and popped it into his mouth.
Jinhyuk grabbed one too, chewing as he plopped down onto the ground.
He let out a long breath as he looked up at the sky.
From Jade Dragon Snow Mountain all the way to the Tower of Despair now.
He could say with total confidence:
This had been the longest day of his life.
He turned to his friends, each of them nibbling on their snacks.
"Once we get out, let's take it easy for a bit."
"I agree. I'm feeling sleepy for some reason."
"Momo's arms hurt."
He reached out and started kneading the quartermaster's arms.
So short, so plump.
And yet they were unbelievably capable.
[Would you like to exit the Tower of Despair?]
After making sure his friends had finished their snacks and cocoa, he nodded.
It was time to put an end to this never-ending day.
Seoul Central Player Hunter Bureau.
Even though it was late, heated debate filled the conference room.
A strategy meeting on the ever-accelerating rate of Transfers and the way the updates to the top floors had suddenly come to a halt.
"I should've just gone with Jinhyuk."
Seyeon squeezed her eyes shut in her seat.
She'd been loitering around instead of going, and ended up being dragged into the meeting.
It was too late to sneak out now.
The agenda was heavy, and all the top brass from the central Bureau were in attendance.
The presenter, Strategy Director Han Jiwon, pointed at the monitor.
"Currently, the highest cleared floor we're aware of is the 92nd."
Hunter Bureau Chief Kang Younghoon let out a low hum.
"It was 92 at our last meeting too, if I recall. No one's managed to push past that?"
"Yes. No one has climbed any higher."
"What about players climbing the Tower off the radar, without reporting? It's possible someone's cleared higher floors than the official records show."
"In that case, it would be ideal. But we can't bet the future on uncertainties. The right assumption is that Transfers will begin from the 93rd floor onwards."
"If a Transfer from the 93rd floor does occur, can we stop it?"
"We can. But based on the records sent from each country for the 93rd floor and the information on the Tower site, it won't be smooth sailing."
Outside the Tower, players were nerfed according to their synchronization rate.
Monsters, on the other hand, respawned without any debuffs, so the difficulty of subjugation would skyrocket.
Kang Younghoon frowned slightly, then nodded.
"Which players do we believe are capable of clearing the 93rd floor before a Transfer appears?"
"The current rankers clearing in the 90s, and Hunter Chun Seyeon, who is attending this meeting."
All eyes turned to Chun Seyeon.
With Jinhyuk's help, she'd cleared the 83rd floor, then climbed straight up to the 88th.
After that, she'd been stuck there, taking time to adapt.
"I feel like we're placing all the burden on you again. My apologies, Hunter Chun Seyeon."
If worst came to worst, they could request reinforcements from another country.
But that was a last resort.
Players were a nation's most critical strategic assets now.
They were busy enough climbing their own country's Tower—using such a precious ticket on another nation's behalf was no small thing.
And there was always the risk that something could go wrong during the process; securing that kind of support required astronomical compensation.
"Please don't mention it. I'm only doing what needs to be done."
"We'll continue to support you to the fullest. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you."
A brief silence settled over the room.
Then Personnel Director Lee Changki, who was seated with Jin Yunho, raised his hand.
"There is one more. A player we expect could clear the 93rd floor."
The others' gazes shifted to him.
Han Jiwon tilted his head at Lee Changki.
"And who would that be? Did I miss someone?"
"He's a player you all know. The runner of the Tome of Honor."
"Runner? That player should've only just cleared the 40th floor."
Han Jiwon pushed his glasses up his nose.
"I hear rumors that you and Team Leader Jin Yunho know who Runner really is. That you're in contact."
"Is that true?"
"Yes, Chief."
"Have we scouted him to the Bureau?"
"No. We've only secured a promise that he won't defect to another country or affiliate with another organization. Runner himself doesn't want to belong to any organization."
"So who is he? Runner?"
"I can't disclose that yet. It's a black project under my discretion."
Kang Younghoon didn't press further.
He was the one who'd granted each director that level of authority in the first place.
But Strategy Director Han Jiwon had no intention of stopping there.
He'd been itching for this moment.
"A man who doesn't belong to the Hunter Bureau, whose identity you can't even reveal. All you have is verbal and written agreements that could fall apart any day now. Am I wrong?"
"That's about right."
"And yet you've given him excessive support. We're talking about a Flix Subspace Bag worth fifty billion won, aren't we? In the process, a promising up-and-comer, player Jo Kangtae, got left behind."
"We didn't abandon him. He collapsed on his own."
"If you'd handed over the Flix Bag according to the original contract, it wouldn't have happened."
Lee Changki shrugged.
"If you put it that way, I suppose we share some responsibility."
"I even heard you arranged a house for him in Hannam-dong."
"We only helped with the lease deposit. And you've got sharp ears, I'll give you that. We tried to keep it low-key, but it seems you heard all about it."
"You're coddling him too much. He's only just cleared the 40th floor, and yet you're saying it's plausible he could clear the 93rd, where current rankers are struggling. Are you making that kind of ridiculous claim just to secure even more support? I honestly have to question whether there's some personal relationship involved."
"You check the Tome of Honor every day, don't you?"
"Those are lower floors. The lower levels."
"I see we still have someone here who says things like that."
"Was that supposed to be sarcasm?"
"No. In that case, let me ask you again. Among the current rankers, is there anyone who has updated the Tome of Honor to that degree in that range?"
"Well, not me, for one."
Seyeon flashed a bright smile.
Han Jiwon clenched his teeth and turned to Kang Younghoon.
"As Strategy Director, I'd like to officially lodge an objection. Providing support to Runner, who isn't even part of the Hunter Bureau, goes against established practice and is downright biased. Either bring him into the Bureau, or put him under special oversight."
It was a reasonable argument, so Chief Kang Younghoon fell silent, frowning.
Ding!
The phones of the executives around the table began to chime.
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T/N:
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