What broke the flowing silence was the sound of hurried footsteps.
“Mr. Baek Ubin! What happened…!”
It was Lee Chaeyeon.
Her disheveled hair and startled eyes made her bewilderment plain.
Lee Chaeyeon’s gaze moved back and forth between the man collapsed on the floor and me.
“Ah, you came at just the right time.”
I lightly dusted off my hands and gave her a shameless smile.
“He was making a fuss, so I subdued him… Do I get a bounty?”
Lee Chaeyeon blinked, as if momentarily at a loss for words.
Then she let out a small sigh and soon spoke with that distinctive expression of hers.
“I’ve roughly assessed the situation at the scene. Thanks to you being here, Mr. Baek Ubin, we were able to prevent greater damage. Thank you.”
She glanced sideways at the fallen man, operated the communication device on her wrist, then lifted her phone and called someone.
Then, looking at me as if to reassure me, she said,
“Of course, the reward money for suppressing a special situation will naturally be paid.”
“Oh, really? Then….”
“It will take a few days before the actual reward money is deposited into your account, Mr. Ubin, so if you wait a little, it will be transferred.”
…A few days?
I stared at Lee Chaeyeon with a blank face.
It was absurd, but what would be the point of making a scene with her over it?
“Yes, understood. Then please have the Association take care of this place.”
In the end, I had no choice but to nod bitterly.
Then I turned and headed outside.
When I stepped out of the hospital, the gray clouds were clearing from the sky.
Cold air brushed my cheeks.
With both hands shoved into my pockets, I began walking aimlessly.
‘…In the end, going to the Tower is the only way.’
Then I’ll go, I guess.
There was no telling when I’d be officially registered with Aegis, and they said it would take a few days for the reward money to be paid.
As I walked, lost in thought, a grotesque building came into view.
A pitch-black structure that pierced through the heart of the city and soared toward the sky.
The grave, workplace, and hope of Hunters—commonly known as the “Tower.”
Thirty years ago, unknown buildings had suddenly appeared all over the world without a sound or rumor.
Towers appear suddenly, anytime and anywhere.
And if they are not cleared within a two-year cycle, they collapse.
Where they collapse, a Rift forms, and an unlimited monster wave begins.
The incident that occurred at the old Seoul Station a few days ago was exactly that.
The grade of a Rift is random, varying from S-rank to D-rank.
In any case, there was still a Tower in Seoul, and I headed toward it.
“…Ah, now that I think about it, wouldn’t it be nice to move near the Tower? The housing prices are cheap, too.”
I’m a genius, aren’t I?
While I was thinking that, I had arrived at the Tower entrance before I knew it.
Swallowing dryly, I looked up at the entrance.
In the past, I’d challenged it boldly and broken through to the 4th floor. Of course, by leeching off a party.
But I had repeatedly failed to clear the 5th floor, and with my final chance remaining, I ran away.
Since then, I had never once visited the Tower. Because I was scared.
Even now, I should have been reluctant to so much as look at it, but….
“Shall we go?”
Far from being scared, all I could think was that I needed to clear it quickly and sell the mana stone.
A single chance.
If I failed this time as well, I would never be able to challenge the Tower again. At least not the Tower in Korea.
Even so, I wasn’t afraid.
‘…How strange.’
I clenched my fist tightly.
The sensation of taking down the villain in the lobby with a single blow was still vivid.
With this power, I was certain there was no way I could fail.
I took a step forward and entered the entrance.
[Do you wish to enter the Tower?]
[ YES / NO ]
When I selected YES, my vision warped grotesquely, and the distinctive dizziness of space leaping swept through my entire body.
[You have entered the 5th floor of the Tower.]
[Current remaining challenge attempts: 1 / 5]
[Warning! If you fail this challenge, a 5th-floor binding penalty will be applied.]
[Time limit: 00 hours 30 minutes 00 seconds]
The familiar yet unpleasant system notification rang inside my head.
As my vision cleared, the scenery of the 5th floor was revealed: a massive underground cavern.
And a message appeared before my eyes.
[Time limit: 00 hours 30 minutes 00 seconds]
[Would you like to begin?]
[ YES / NO ]
“Yeah, let’s have some proper fun.”
I slowly stretched my right hand forward.
Thump, thump.
The mana core in my heart began to surge.
In order to perfectly recreate the sensation from the lobby, I activated the Regia Circulation Method and raised the speed of my mana circulation.
[ YES ]
When I pressed YES with my left hand, a monster appeared ahead.
The boss of the 5th-floor semi-boss stage, the Goblin Warrior.
“Krrrrrk….”
Unlike an ordinary goblin, it had a height reaching two meters and bulging muscles beneath green skin.
In its hand was a rusted greatsword.
The moment I met its flashing red eyes, memories of the past resurfaced.
The Goblin Warrior kicked off the ground hard and rushed at me with a monstrous roar.
Incredible speed. But to my eyes, it looked slow, as if in slow motion.
And the moment a smile spread across my lips—
‘Don’t overdo it. Just enough to kill.’
The blue lightning that had been about to scatter through my whole body along my bloodstream was forcibly dragged back as if seized by the collar and compressed into the tips of my right fingers.
Along with an alien pressure in my palm, tingling sparks scattered in every direction.
“Bang.”
With that light murmur, I released the compressed lightning I had been holding back all at once.
Pajijijik, paaaang—!! Kwagagagak!!!
Along with a pure white flash that filled my vision, blue lightning shot out in a straight line.
The lightning disintegrated the Goblin Warrior’s greatsword and pierced through its head.
It couldn’t even let out a death cry.
Its body was swept away by overwhelming power, turning to ash and scattering into the air.
Pajijik, jijik.
I looked at the faint residual current lingering at my fingertips.
Then I turned my gaze and stared blankly at the system window floating before my eyes.
A single blow. As expected, it ended with a single blow.
[You have successfully cleared the 5th-floor semi-boss room!]
[Clear Time: 00 hours 00 minutes 03 seconds]
[An incredible achievement! You have renewed the world’s shortest clear record for this floor!]
…Three seconds?
Along with the cheerful notifications that appeared one after another, warm rays of light enveloped my body.
[As a reward for setting a new record, all stats permanently increase by +1.]
A pleasant sense of fullness filled my entire body.
[The basic reward for clearing the 5th floor will be issued.]
Two silver cards emitting a soft light appeared in midair.
When climbing the Tower, one could obtain skills or exclusive equipment every five floors.
It was the moment Hunters climbing the Tower looked forward to the most.
“…It’s a bit disappointing that they’re Silver Cards.”
Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black, Red.
If I had to say, Silver was closer to an ordinary reward.
The moment I smacked my lips and looked at the cards, the system window flickered again.
[The system is reevaluating your new record achievement.]
[An additional effect is activated as a reward for achieving a new 5th-floor record.]
[The grade of the reward increases!]
The cards shone with golden light and gradually began transforming into Gold Cards.
“No way!”
What soon revealed itself was a Gold-grade card.
It was a grade where, if I was lucky, I might get a usable skill.
“…Please be a good skill, pleasebeagoodskillpleasebeagoodskillpleasebeagoodskill.”
Please!
I carefully looked back and forth between the two cards.
Left or right? Hmm, if you’re a man, it’s obviously the right.
Without hesitation, I chose the Gold Card on the right.
The weighty feeling at my fingertips raised my expectations endlessly.
Paat.
The card flipped over, and at last, the name of the skill appeared before my eyes.
[ Lightning Bolt ]
“…Excuse me?”
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the system window again.
A Gold Card shining with golden light.
And written inside it was the name of a skill known as one of the basic spells.
[Skill Description: Fires an electric arrow to inflict a weak paralysis effect and impact on an enemy. With low mana consumption, it is excellent for keeping enemies in check.]
I looked back and forth between the pile of ash over there and the Gold Card in my hand.
Then I recalled the technique I had used when dealing with the boss.
I read the skill description again. A weak paralysis effect and impact.
Low mana consumption, excellent for keeping enemies in check.
“…Ha, are you kidding me?”
I shouted in sheer injustice, but naturally, no answer came back.
Whether it knew that or not, a new message appeared in midair.
[You have achieved a world record.]
[Would you like to register your name in the Hall of Fame? (If not entered, you will be processed as anonymous.)]
It told me to register my name.
I was already troubled to death, and it wanted my name, my ass.
“…Still, I should register.”
If I wrote my real name, it was obvious things would get annoying.
I stroked my chin for a moment, thinking, then began entering letters into the input window.
[ white ]
Well, if I leave it at that, Lee Chaeyeon should figure it out at once.
Thinking that, I looked at the time limit floating in midair.
[Time limit: 00 hours 25 minutes 07 seconds]
There was still time left.
Wondering what to do, I opened the gallery out of resentment.
Then I started writing a post.
Title: Went to the 5th floor and it was seriously a one-shot
Author: Baek Ubin
[ Seriously, it was just a 3-second cut lol
They upgraded the skill reward to Gold because I set a new record
But the skill that came out was only Lightning Bolt lmao
This is too much ]
It was just a complaint.
I hoped the heroines would curse along with me or at least comfort me.
But the comments were the exact opposite of what I expected.
ㄴ ????????
ㄴ You fool, what kind of spoiled nonsense are you spouting right now!
ㄴ Gallery Master, you should think a little! For a natural lightning-type awakened one, getting a lightning skill means you’re lucky.
ㄴ He doesn’t even know how lucky he is and he’s whining.
ㄴ This lady is embarrassed for you. How can you be so ignorant?
“Mm…??”
What the hell are they talking about? Lightning Bolt is good?
Isn’t it a basic skill?
Unable to understand their reaction at all, I just blinked as I stared at the gallery.
Then I posted a comment.
ㄴ Is this good?