Chapter 53
From the 60th floor onward, the number of challengers dropped dramatically as the difficulty spiked.
The 69th floor in particular—the gate to the 70th—was so absurdly difficult that even rankers hesitated to challenge it solo.
“Hah… Hah… I can’t do this anymore. I’m done! I can’t go on!”
The massive golem, the boss of the 69th floor, crumbled into a cloud of dust. Its core had shattered, and its power was extinguished.
Perhaps from the strain of his all-out attack, No Death—coated in dust—rolled on the ground, shaking his head over and over.
“Hoo!”
No Death wasn’t the only one exhausted.
Hyuk-min, with [Regression Mode] deactivated, and Hyun-jung, who’d fired until her muzzle turned black, were both completely spent.
Hyuk-min walked over to No Death.
“Still, we cleared it. Thanks to today, all we have to do is clear the 70th floor tomorrow.”
“You crazy bastard. Who challenges the Tower this recklessly in a single day? What would you have done if we’d died?”
At the mention of death, a laugh slipped out before Hyuk-min could stop it.
‘That would’ve been a thank you, wouldn’t it?’
For a Revenant who desired death, wouldn’t death be a gift?
But No Death shot him a sharp, menacing glare and shouted.
“Hey! That’s not what I meant! If I was going to die like this, I would’ve died ages ago. There’s nothing I haven’t tried, you punk.”
While No Death whined, Hyun-jung dragged her exhausted body over.
Then she glared at No Death with the same menacing look and asked, “Did you really make it to the 70-somethingth floor? You cleared this place solo?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true. The difficulty went up because there are more people. It was easier when I was alone. Well, I died a few times, but I still cleared it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”
“Ah, this is driving me crazy. Hyuk-min, you tell her. She doesn’t believe me.”
Hyuk-min just smiled.
No Death, who had been lying down, bolted upright. “By the way—what kind of [Hidden] is on the 70th floor that you’re pushing this hard? Is it related to that incident that’s about to happen at the department store or wherever?”
Hyuk-min nodded.
“I had to get it eventually, but normally I wouldn’t have needed it badly enough to go this far.”
“Huh?”
“I just want to be absolutely sure. I don’t want things to go wrong because of some variable.”
There could be no variables.
He would lay all the groundwork in advance. No matter what, what had happened in his past life could not happen again.
No matter what, it had to be done.
“Just bear with it a little longer. We were going to get what we’re after this time anyway. We just wouldn’t have pushed ourselves this hard.”
“Sounds like you’re pressed for time.”
Hyuk-min nodded.
No Death sighed like he had no choice and shoved his fallen sword into his [Inventory].
“Alright. If you’re putting it that way, I guess I have to. What choice do I have? More importantly…”
Brushing dust and dirt off his beanie and long leather coat, No Death glanced furtively at Hyun-jung and spoke.
“Doesn’t she need an [Inventory], too?”
Hyun-jung, who didn’t even know what an [Inventory] was, was idly poking at the dirt with a spent shell casing.
In battle, she not only carried a heavy gun, but also a large backpack.
Anyone would have found it pitiful.
“Don’t you feel sorry for her, running around like that? It’ll probably stunt her growth, too.”
Hyuk-min let out a quiet chuckle.
Even though the two of them bickered and snapped at each other, the way No Death and Hyun-jung subtly looked out for one another was strangely pleasant to watch.
Caring for each other.
Wasn’t that the kind of party Hyuk-min had always wanted?
Maybe he realized he’d been caught thinking something nice.
No Death coughed a few times, then raised his voice as if provoked.
“I mean, it lowers our combat effectiveness. She’s already slow, and if she gets any slower, it’ll be even more of a pain to deal with…”
“What did you say!?”
Hyun-jung sprang to her feet, backpack and all, and glared at No Death.
“What.”
“I have a hiding [Skill] now, so it’s fine if I’m a little slow, you know? Besides, I’m pretty fast, too.”
“But you’re still the slowest among us.”
“This old man, seriously…”
As if too embarrassed to keep going, No Death coughed again and nudged Hyuk-min in the side.
“Don’t you have any info on an [Inventory]?”
“Unfortunately, it’s extremely rare. I’m looking everywhere, but it’s not easy to find.”
“Not even through the Black Label?”
“Even if they had one, they’d use it themselves. They wouldn’t hand it over to me.”
It wasn’t that Hyuk-min didn’t care about Hyun-jung having to lug around a massive bag of bullets.
He’d looked into it everywhere, but since [Inventory] wasn’t widely known yet, there were few people who even recognized it—and those who did would try to claim it for themselves, not share information.
It was such a valuable item that it could even loosen the System’s restrictions. Even Hyuk-min, with memories of a past life, couldn’t recall any location tied to an [Inventory] aside from where he got his.
“So that’s how it is.”
No Death’s expression turned a little strange.
“What. You look like you know something.”
“Forget it. Anyway, we’re done for today, right?”
“All done. It’s 9:40 PM right now. Ruthless leader or not, I’m not that bad.”
“Good to know. I’ve got something to do, so I’m leaving first.”
No Death hurried out.
Hyun-jung walked over, blinking. “Huh? Did that old man leave already?”
“He said he has something to do.”
“But he said he had nothing to do now that he’s not with the Black Label…”
Hyuk-min couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Pfft.”
“You know something, don’t you.”
“Something must’ve come up suddenly. Like… getting a present for you.”
Hyun-jung’s eyes widened.
“That old man? For me? Nah. No way.”
“He didn’t tell me either. Anyway, should we go home and rest? Is there anything you want to eat today? My treat.”
“Hm… no. Didn’t you say you have that thing coming up soon? I’d rather rest. Let’s eat after it’s all over.”
“I want to give you a present, too.”
“Heehee.”
A completely harmless smile bloomed on Hyun-jung’s face.
Now that she was no longer a Water Rat, her [Stats] had risen and her life had improved dramatically.
Because of that, even though she was still in elementary school, she looked enough like a third-year middle schooler to pass at a glance.
How could a drastically changed Hyun-jung not be cute?
“You’re the present, Uncle. If anything, I should be the one giving you a gift. What do you want? I have a lot of money now.”
Even the way she said it was cute.
A thought flashed through Hyuk-min’s mind.
‘Is this what a father’s heart feels like? If Hyun-jung got a boyfriend…’
Just imagining it made him feel briefly sorry—and then irrationally furious, as if that boyfriend would deserve to be beaten half to death.
The thought passed as quickly as it came.
Hyuk-min came to his senses and ruffled Hyun-jung’s hair with a gentle smile.
“Save it. Let’s go home. Like you said, what’s coming up is extremely important to me.”
Hyun-jung lifted her gun and nodded firmly.
“Leave it to me. What’s important to you is important to me too, Uncle. I’ll be fully prepared.”
“Right—but the most important thing is tomorrow. Let’s conserve our strength for tomorrow.”
“I’m ready. Every [Hidden] you’ve mentioned has been tough.”
“Thanks.”
“Shall we go? What about the [Magic Stones]…”
“Let’s leave them today. Save that energy for tomorrow, too.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing Hyuk-min—who always scraped up every last [Magic Stone]—say to leave them behind, Hyun-jung’s expression hardened with resolve.
On their way out of the Tower, Hyuk-min looked at Hyun-jung and spoke seriously.
“Get into the habit of sleeping on edge. As you know, this world isn’t easy.”
= = =
Late that evening, as Hyuk-min was about to enter his house, he sensed a presence and turned around.
“You’re late.”
With the day she’d been eagerly awaiting now only two days away, Hwang Ji-young had come in person.
“Thanks for telling me about the non-disclosure agreement.”
“Well, I’ve received a lot, so this is nothing.”
“Did you meet your daughter?”
Hwang Ji-young shook her head.
“I couldn’t bring myself to meet her.”
“I see.”
“She was adopted. I looked into the parents, and they’re good people.”
“Can you take a note?”
“A note? Why all of a sudden?”
“It would be best to get that child before the year 2037.”
「“No… *sob*… Uwaaaaah…”」
The image of Hwang Ji-young from his past life—clutching her daughter’s photo and sobbing—flashed through Hyuk-min’s mind.
In that life, she’d collapsed, wasting away in sickness and grief, as if she’d lost all meaning.
“What are you talking about?”
“On that day, something happens to your daughter and her family.”
“What do you mean by that!?”
“I’m just telling you because I’m grateful. That’s all.”
“Wait—who are you? What the hell are you? You not only knew the location of my husband and daughter—something no one else did—but you also know about things happening in ’37? What the hell are you!”
Hwang Ji-young was shaking with emotion, likely from hearing her daughter was in danger.
Hyuk-min smiled.
“Your business partner. And your new companion.”
“Companion…?”
“Ah, not in a romantic sense. I mean a companion for the work ahead. Sorry, but I’m not really into married women.”
“This bastard…”
“I’ll give you more than you’ve given me. So do a good job.”
With that, Hyuk-min turned to go inside.
“Park Chung-ho.”
That single name stopped him.
“It seems that guy has made his move within the Haeundae Guild. Right now, Park Chung-ho and thirty-four other Haeundae Guild members are at the department store.”
It was June 3rd.
There were still two days left until June 5th, when the incident would occur.
So why so early?
Something that hadn’t happened in his past life had happened again.
‘There must be someone with a strange ability near Park Chung-ho. Ahn Hyunwoo, maybe?’
The name of the Western Shaman, Ahn Hyunwoo, surfaced again.
“We haven’t figured out what his ability is, but Ahn Hyunwoo seems to be doing something strange. They said the properties of all the [Barriers] we’d identified have completely changed.”
Worry was etched across Hwang Ji-young’s face.
“I’m telling you this because you helped me. Make sure your father doesn’t go to work tomorrow or the day after. And you… just give up.”
“You seem to know something.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Hwang Ji-young spoke.
“Two Black Label agents who entered a [Barrier] Ahn Hyunwoo had touched came out dead.”
“You sent agents?”
“They knew more about [Barriers] than anyone. I didn’t hire them for a job—I just asked them to gather information.”
“And?”
“I don’t know what got them. They were afflicted with all sorts of status effects that couldn’t be removed. They died in less than five minutes. Both of them were near-experts on [Barriers]. So…”
“I expected it.”
“What?”
The Western Shaman, Ahn Hyunwoo.
Hyuk-min had seen him make his move. He’d even confronted him.
It was only natural that Ahn Hyunwoo would prepare more thoroughly than he had in Hyuk-min’s past life.
And because Hyuk-min already knew that, he’d been trying to secure the 70th-floor [Hidden].
If anything, it only made the need for it even more certain.
“It means it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not all.”
“What else.”
“The White Mountain Guild is on the move.”
That, too, was within Hyuk-min’s expectations.
A national order had been issued.
They had no way of knowing Hyuk-min was a [Legendary Title Holder], but that wasn’t what mattered.
Whether he held the [Title] or not, the moment their names matched, they would use it as a pretext to move.
After all, their true target was Hyun-jung.
It was expected—but the timing was awful.
“The target?”
“Both you and the kid named Hyun-jung.”
“There must be a priority.”
“The priority is the kid.”
“Are they moving today, too?”
At the words “today, too,” Hwang Ji-young’s eyebrow twitched.
“Today, too? You knew…?”
“Isn’t that why you came to tell me? That the Black Label has been holding them off until now.”
It had been quite a while since the national order was issued, yet Hyuk-min hadn’t seen even a trace of the White Mountain Guild.
There was only one explanation.
The Black Label had been clearing away their shadows.
“Why don’t you just join the Black Label? You don’t even have a guild. I’ll treat you well.”
“I doubt that’s what you came here to say. The White Mountain Guild is moving today too, right?”
Hwang Ji-young nodded, then spoke with an apologetic look.
“I can’t help anymore. We received an official notice from the White Mountain Guild—a declaration that if we help you any further, they’ll declare us their primary enemy.”
“It’s a shame. It would’ve been nice if we had just two more days.”
“Is it okay for you to be standing here like this? The White Mountain Guild could already be making a move on your kid right now.”
Hyuk-min laughed under his breath.
“Hmph. The Black Label’s information still isn’t up to date.”
“What?”
“Hyun-jung isn’t a child who goes down easily.”
“Don’t joke around. This is the White Mountain Guild. How strong can a thirteen-year-old kid be—”
*Ding.*
As if on cue, Hwang Ji-young’s phone rang.
The moment she saw the message, her face hardened.
“I told you. It won’t be easy.”
A photo showed Hyun-jung—splattered with blood—standing amid what looked like White Mountain Guild men strewn across the ground.
“In-insane…”
A follow-up message made Hwang Ji-young doubt her own eyes.
[Information on Choi Hyun-jung needs to be updated. She handled 7 of the White Mountain Guild’s shadows single-handedly. Must be classified as at least A-rank.]
A thirteen-year-old girl.
And yet, she was at least [A-rank].
It was unbelievable.
Hwang Ji-young snapped her head up, eyes meeting Hyuk-min’s utterly calm gaze.
“There’s a good reason why not just the White Mountain Guild, but Jeonsin is after her.”
“You… you…”
“She’s the child I chose. It was hard for her to get on track, but now that she’s there, even the Black Label can’t afford to look down on her. I was the one who recognized that.”
There was a reason Hyuk-min could be this confident.
Hyun-jung’s growth was one part of it, but Hyuk-min’s gaze—slowly drifting downward—settled on the Dark Ring.
“Like I said before, you hit the jackpot. Not just Hyun-jung—everything. We’re only just now starting to get on track.”
Hwang Ji-young was left dumbfounded by the sheer impossibility of it all.
Hyuk-min patted her shoulder once, smirked, and stepped into his house as if none of it mattered.
The door shut.
Hwang Ji-young stared at the empty space where he’d been and murmured in a dazed, weak voice.
“He’s always beyond my expectations… I never thought it would be to this extent.”
The White Mountain Guild and Hyun-jung.
In that moment, she understood why he’d chosen Hyun-jung over a guild.
This wasn’t being one or two steps ahead.
This was seeing far, far into the future.
If that was the case…
“Don’t tell me… at the department store, too?”
*Ding.*
Another message arrived.
The instant she read it, Hwang Ji-young’s expression twisted, and she spat out a curse.
“Dammit—who’s the bastard that got the [Inventory]!? I’m gonna kill them!!”
(TN: OOOOOOOOHHHHH, so uncle No Death the tsundere got Hyun-jung an [Inventory]? )