Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 25
The headquarters of the Iron Blood Legion, one of South Korea's five major guilds.
The top floor of the 60-story building, its exterior painted stark black.
Guild Master 'Mr. Pistol' Lee Eunwoo gazed at the image on the screen in his office, which was designed to resemble the command center of a battleship."
"...."
The person Lee Eunwoo was looking for had just appeared on the CCTV footage.
A man getting out of a taxi that had stopped in front of Seongnam City Hall.
The resurrected Baekya.
Or a rookie Pyromancer, as they suspected.
Lee Eunwoo leaned more towards the hypothesis that he was the resurrected Baekya.
Even if he had contracted with the same Constellation, and that Constellation, unable to forget its former contractor, had influenced the new contractor's appearance, they couldn't be this alike.
It wasn't just the face, but also the subtle details that inevitably differed between individuals.
The gaze always directed towards some distant place, the languid smile filled with the casual confidence of someone who bestowed favors as easily as breathing, the gait that drew a straight line like a fashion model's walk.
Everything resembled 'The Sun' Baekya.
"...You."
Lee Eunwoo unconsciously crossed his legs.
The neatly pressed suit pants wrinkled along with his stoic expression.
He gestured to his Awakened secretary to move on to the next piece of information.
A simple confirmation was more than enough.
"So, where does he live now?"
The secretary answered respectfully.
"In the Seoul refugee camp, or rather, the public housing complex."
"Does he live alone?"
"According to the data from the Community Service Center they provided, he lives with his brother."
"Are they both Awakened?"
"Yes. They're F-Rank. They work at the Aringen's Abandoned Open-Pit Mine, managed by the Sun-Moon Divine Sect."
Lee Eunwoo leaned back in his chair for a moment.
'If possible, we need Baekya to climb the Tower to at least the 80th floor, if not higher than the 90th. We paid too high a price in the previous timeline.'
As was his habit, he closed his eyes and organized his thoughts.
'But we already killed Baekya once. A confrontation is inevitable. He might be lying low now because he's weak, but once he regains his strength, he'll try to kill me and the other Regressors. Even if he forgives us, the hardliners won't forgive him.'
Hum. Hum. Hum.
The half-overlapping black and blue diamond-shaped halo glowed, casting a neon-like light on his cold, handsome face.
'Therefore, Baekya's return must not be made public. He'll probably enter the Tower again soon anyway. Even if he travels the whole world's Gates, it won't be enough for him to regain his former strength.'
The secretary, knowing her Guild Master's long-standing habit, left him alone.
In fact, she and all the other Iron Blood Legion employees quite liked it when Lee Eunwoo was lost in thought.
'Then... I need to conceal his return. If possible, stop it from being revealed, and if it is revealed, it needs to be framed as the appearance of a rookie.'
Their Guild Master, famous for being handsome even among Rankers, looked more human when his eyes were closed than when they were open.
'I need to coordinate with Na Jeong-won. And if possible, with Ryu Haneul too. There's no way he likes me, but he'll need my help for now.'
Having thought that far, Lee Eunwoo slowly opened his eyes.
His lapis lazuli blue eyes lit up, reminiscent of a moment when power is turned on in an electronic device.
"Secretary Kim."
"Yes."
"Contact the 'Fairy King' and the 'Deputy Sect Leader' of Sun-Moon Divine Sect and set up appointments. Make sure the Sword Saint, Fist Demon, and the Awakened Support Agency don't find out. Keep it strictly confidential."
"Understood."
"Send a few boxes of Non-Awakened elixirs to the Seongnam City Police Chief."
"I'll do that."
"Assign a sniper to that kid. Use spell bullets with the Freeze Formula. Have them report everything, including who he meets and what he eats."
Lee Eunwoo's finger pointed to the face of the young Awakened on the screen.
Secretary Kim didn't ask why.
Not questioning the superior's orders.
It was an essential virtue for a high-ranking Ranker's secretary.
* * *
"Is someone talking about me?"
"Someone, somewhere, is always talking about you, Senior."
Ryu Haneul's car was a Rolls-Royce Phantom provided by the guild.
It was customary for most S-Rank Hunters to receive one.
Baekya sat side-by-side with him in the backseat.
Since Ryu Haneul had offered Baekya the seat behind the driver, Baekya could sit in his usual spot.
'It's been almost a month.'
He could see the buildings of Seoul through the window.
The feeling of the seat against his buttocks and back, the legroom that allowed him to fully extend his legs without his shoes touching the front seat, the size of the window that offered a wide view ahead—it was all familiar.
Vroom.
The nostalgia peaked as the car passed by Baekya's building.
Yellow police tape fluttered around the massive building.
The multiple layers of police tape, wrapped around the building, resembled a fortress wall. Yet, there wasn't a single police officer or investigator in sight, despite it being a place they should be frequenting.
"...."
Ryu Haneul and Baekya fell silent at the same time.
The Tower came into view ahead.
Ryu Haneul, gauging Baekya's reaction, said—
"We're almost there."
Baekya gazed at the Tower with eyes filled with a myriad of emotions.
"Yes."
The octagonal white tower that appeared in the capitals of various countries 15 years ago.
Its diameter was 500 meters, its height 4 kilometers.
From 4 kilometers upwards, the Tower became translucent, blending into the surrounding space, and crimson and turquoise electric sparks crackled where it merged with the space.
Of course, this was just the visible form perceived by the naked eye; the internal space was completely different.
It was the space that Baekya loved more than anything, hated more than anything, and where he had spent the longest time in his life.
Baekya spoke to Ryu Haneul, who was still cautiously observing him.
"You know my building was modeled after the Tower, right?"
"Yes."
"If I climb that, I'll be able to climb my building again, won't I?"
"That's right."
"You're the one giving me that chance. I'm grateful to you."
Only then did Ryu Haneul smile shyly.
He murmured, his head turned away—
"You don't have to thank me for something like this."
The car stopped in front of the Outer Tower Management building, the donut-shaped structure surrounding the Tower.
It was a complex building housing the Gate Management Department (GMDK) officials, staff from various guilds, and branches of production guilds that sold consumables and artifacts.
This was where the coordination between the Tower's various systems and South Korean law took place.
"Floors 1 to 20 will continue to be managed by Samjeong JY!"
"We've announced a 50% tax increase on the 33rd floor starting this week! If you don't like it, don't come in, and if you're unhappy, clear it yourselves!"
"Floors 24, 38, and 41 will be closed for one month starting next week! It's training time for new guild members!"
"If you've obtained a Heroic-grade or higher artifact, you must register it with the Gate Management Department! Open your inventory while I'm still being nice!"
Once a floor was cleared, the 'Epilogue Story' disappeared, and it transformed into a space friendly to humans.
The quality of artifacts, elixirs, and Mana Stones found there was incomparable to those from Gates, and any Awakened could freely come and go to gather them.
At least, that's how it worked 'systematically' in Aitel.
The high-ranking guilds who had shed blood to conquer those floors had no intention of letting just anyone enter.
'We risked our lives to clear this floor, so why should you profit from it?'
The Tower was different from Gates.
There were more people willing to fight monsters to protect their families, loved ones, and country than one might think.
But what if you asked them to leave their families, loved ones, and country behind, venturing into another world with no guarantee of return?
What if, even if they did come back, they might have aged decades in the meantime?
That was a difficult request.
It's no wonder fewer Awakened dared to challenge the Tower than one might think.
But climbing the Tower increased the number of tutorial participants, attracted the attention of Constellations to South Korea, and lowered the average danger level of the Gates that appeared.
Those who 'climbed' the Tower were doing a favor.
Even the most shameless politician couldn't demand that they share those floors.
Therefore, in present-day South Korea, the Hunter or guild that conquered a floor had the mining rights to that floor.
Baekya chuckled, recalling his time as the chairman of the Awakened Association.
'The guild that clears the floor gets it all. If it's a joint effort, then they split it.'
'If a floor has almost no artifacts, only Mana Stones. What should we do?'
'Let's just charge a commission and open it up. The porters would prefer the Tower, which is safer than Gates.'
'What if a high-grade artifact appears on such a floor?'
'Just ask them to hand it over!'
'Are we gangsters? Don't be ridiculous.'
'B-But that's unfair! We spent years clearing that floor!'
'Unfair? It's dangerous for high-grade artifacts to be indiscriminately distributed... If they're really upset, let the guild in charge of the floor buy it from them at market price.'
'Can we really force them like that?'
'Force them? If they don't like it, they can climb the Tower themselves. Make them sign an agreement before entering. We'll take a lower commission than for Gates, but in exchange, they have to sell us any high-ranking artifacts they find.'
He was the one who created this entire system.
The system he had built was still running smoothly even after he died once.
Ryu Haneul approached the Sun-Moon Divine Sect counter.
There were two lines in front of the counter; one for ordinary Hunters who wanted to hunt on the floors owned by the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, and the other for Hunters belonging to the Sun-Moon Divine Sect.
Ryu Haneul walked leisurely through the line for Sun-Moon Divine Sect Hunters and approached the counter.
The staff at the counter stood up and bowed.
"Ah, welcome, Deputy Sect Leader."
At the mention of the Deputy Sect Leader, the surrounding Hunters checked Ryu Haneul's halo and gasped.
Ryu Haneul spoke in a mature tone that belied his appearance.
"I'd like to go to the 23rd floor. One companion."
"Yes, you're all set. You can go inside now."
The registration was completed in an instant.
Ryu Haneul turned and headed towards the Aitel Tower, and Baekya followed behind him.
The Hunters waiting in the long line looked at Baekya, not Ryu Haneul, with envious eyes.
They couldn't understand who this person was that the recently famous young S-Rank Hunter was taking such good care of.
Ryu Haneul and Baekya entered the Tower's lobby.
They stepped into a magnificent marble plaza, its vast expanse reaching 500 meters in diameter.
The dome-shaped ceiling was so high that everyone felt overwhelmed when they first entered for the tutorial.
The moment Ryu Haneul stepped into the lobby...
【Ba-da-da-dum! Ba-ba-ba-dum!】
【Server: South Korea, Rank No. 7, 'Heavenly Demon' Ryu Haneul has entered.】
An Aitel System notification, as large as a house, appeared in the center of the dome ceiling.
A purple halo, shaped like a square overlapping a circle, rotated in a holographic form on the dome ceiling.
All the Awakened in the lobby bowed towards Ryu Haneul.
"Greetings!"
"Pay your respects! An S-Rank has arrived!"
"Heavenly Demon Returns, All Demons Submit!"
Some enthusiastic Hunters, particularly those from the Sun-Moon Divine Sect, even shouted out greetings.
Regardless of affiliation, it was a show of respect towards a top-tier Hunter, an S-Rank.
Baekya, watching the scene, broke out in a cold sweat.
'This is a bit nerve-wracking.'
The handkerchief on his wrist was damp with sweat.
If the Ghost Princess's Handkerchief didn't work here, he was done for.
That fanfare played for every Hunter chosen by a Constellation.
He was currently C-Rank, so it wouldn't be as grand a fanfare as Ryu Haneul's, but the notification that 'The Sun' Baekya had entered would surely be visible to everyone.
It just occurred to him that he could have asked Ryu Haneul to enter while wearing the 'Ghost Princess's Handkerchief' to test its effectiveness.
Having lived a life far from hiding his identity, he was always a bit slow in this regard.
Baekya took a shallow breath.
He could see the goosebumps rising on the back of Ryu Haneul's neck.
He was also nervous, just like him.
Seeing that strangely eased his tension.
He took a step into the lobby.
* * *
The 23rd floor of the Tower.
To briefly summarize its 'Epilogue Story,' it involved defending a medieval-style kingdom against a horde of giant ants emerging from the underground.
Now that the floor had been cleared, the kingdom, the Ant Queen, and the named mobs were all long gone, but giant ants still crawled up in swarms from beneath this green land.
Baekya followed Ryu Haneul to a 'power-leveling zone.'
This particular ant nest, with an exceptionally fast respawn rate, was the Deputy Sect Leader's private hunting ground.
"It's here."
"Not bad."
Baekya walked calmly towards the entrance of the nest.
Ryu Haneul grabbed his sleeve and said—
"Use this."
He handed Baekya one of the two swords he had at his waist.
【White Lotus Refined Steel Sword (Master)】
【A sword made of high-quality steel, forged a hundred times. Its edge is peerlessly sharp, and its resilience unmatched.】
It didn't have any special abilities, but it was an excellent sword.
It was well-suited for Baekya, who often used the 'Radiant Sword' skill to heat the blade to a high temperature.
"Even as the Vice Leader, are you sure you can just give away a Master Grade item like this?"
"I broke the sword you were using before, Senior."
"Don't worry about that. It was just a Rare grade item."
Baekya said that, but he didn't refuse the offer.
He expertly spun the new sword in his hand.
Countless eyes glowed red from within the ant nest.
"Hiss!"
Ants the size of cars started pouring out.
"Shall we?"
Baekya calmly pointed his sword forward.
That day, Baekya reached B-Rank.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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