abcnovels
Chapter 25
Chapter 25
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 25
The headquarters of the Iron Blood Legion, one of the five major guilds of the Republic of Korea.
The top floor of the 60-story building, its exterior painted stark black.
In the office, reminiscent of a spaceship bridge, Guildmaster 'Mr. Pistol' Lee Eunwoo stared at the image on the screen.
"....."
The person Lee Eunwoo was looking for had just appeared on the CCTV footage.
A man got out of a taxi that had stopped in front of Seongnam City Hall.
The resurrected Baekya.
Or the man presumed to be the rookie flame magician.
Lee Eunwoo leaned more towards the hypothesis that he was the resurrected Baekya.
Even if they had contracted with the same constellation, and even if that constellation, unable to forget its former contractor, had influenced the new contractor's appearance, they couldn't be this similar.
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, self-assured smile of someone who bestowed favors as easily as breathing, the gait that drew a straight line like a fashion model's walk.
Everything resembled 'Baekya the Sun.'
"...You."
Lee Eunwoo unconsciously crossed his legs.
His neatly pressed suit pants wrinkled along with his previously stoic expression.
He gestured to his Awakened secretary to move on to the next piece of information.
Simple confirmation was more than enough at this point.
"So, where does he live now?"
The secretary replied respectfully.
"In the Seoul Refugee Camp, or rather, the public housing support complex."
"Does he live alone?"
"The data from the Community Welfare Center we received shows that two brothers are living there."
"Are they both Awakened?"
"Yes. They're F-Rank. They work at the open-pit waste crystal mine, the Gate managed by Sun and Moon Divine Guild in Namhansanseong."
Lee Eunwoo leaned back in his chair for a moment.
'If possible, we need to ensure Baekya ascends the Tower to at least the 80th floor, preferably even higher. The sacrifices we made in the last time loop were far too devastating.'
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 powerless, but once he regains his strength, he'll try to kill all of us Regressors, including me. Even if he forgives us, the hardliners won't forgive him.'
Hum. Hum. Hum.
The overlapping black and blue diamond-shaped haloes emitted a glow, casting 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. He'll need to go around all the Gates in the world to regain his strength.'
The secretary, knowing her Guildmaster'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, we need to spin it as the emergence of a rookie.'
Their Guildmaster, known for his good looks even among Rankers, looked more human with his eyes closed than when they were open.
'I need to align my plans with Na Jeongwon. And if the opportunity arises, with Ryu Haneul as well. He probably harbors no fondness for me, but he'll require my assistance in the immediate future.'
Having thought that far, Lee Eunwoo slowly opened his eyes.
The way his lapis lazuli-like blue eyes were revealed reminded one of an electronic device powering on.
"Secretary Kim."
"Yes."
"Contact the 'Fairy King' and the 'Vice Guildmaster' and set up appointments. Make sure the Sword Saint, Fist Demon, and the Gate Management Agency don't find out. Keep it strictly confidential."
"Understood."
"Send a few boxes of non-Awakened elixirs to the Seongnam Police Chief."
"I'll do that."
"Assign a sniper to that kid. With Freeze Formula-infused bullets. 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 her superior's orders.
It was an essential quality 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 beside him in the back seat.
Since Ryu Haneul had offered Baekya the seat behind the driver, Baekya was able to sit in his usual spot.
'It's been almost a month.'
He saw the buildings of Seoul passing by outside the window.
The feel of the seat against his buttocks and back, the distance where his toes wouldn't touch the front seat even when he stretched his legs out, the size of the window that allowed him to see far ahead— it was all familiar.
Vroom
The nostalgia peaked when the car passed by Baekya's building.
Yellow police tape fluttered, encircling the massive building.
The multiple layers of police tape formed a wall in itself, but there wasn't a single police officer or investigator in sight who should have been coming and going through that wall.
"....."
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 looked at the Tower with eyes filled with a myriad of emotions.
"Yes."
The octagonal white tower that appeared in the capitals of each country 15 years ago.
500 meters in diameter, 4 kilometers tall.
From 4 kilometers up, the tower became translucent, blending into the surrounding space— 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 interior space was completely different.
It was the space that Baekya loved the most, hated the most, and spent the longest time in his life.
Baekya spoke to Ryu Haneul, who was still watching him cautiously.
"You know my building was modeled after the Tower, right?"
"Yes."
"If I climb that, I guess I'll be able to climb my building again too."
"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, turning his head away.
"You don't have to thank me for something like this."
The car stopped in front of the Outer Tower Administration building, the donut-shaped structure surrounding the Tower.
It was a complex building housing the Gate Management Agency officials, staff from various guilds, and branches of production guilds selling various consumables and artifacts.
This was where the Tower's various systems were coordinated with the laws of the Republic of Korea.
"Floors 1-20 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 Hero-grade or higher artifact, you must register it with the Gate Management Agency! Open your inventory while we're still being nice!"
Once a floor was conquered, the 'Epilogue Story' concluded, and the environment within transformed into a space hospitable to humans.
The quality of artifacts, elixirs, and mana stones found there was incomparable to those from Gates, and any Awakened could freely enter and collect them.
At least, that was how it worked in the Aitel 'system.'
The high-ranking guilds who had shed blood to clear the floors had no intention of letting just anyone enter.
'Our guild risked our lives to clear this floor, so why should you guys make the money?'
The Tower was different from Gates.
There were more people willing to fight monsters to protect their families, friends, and country than one might think.
But if you asked them to leave their families, friends, and country behind and go to another world, possibly never to return?
And even if they did return, they might have spent decades inside?
That was a difficult proposition.
Fewer Awakened dared to challenge the Tower than one might expect.
However, climbing the Tower increased the number of tutorial participants, attracted the attention of constellations to South Korea, and lowered the average danger level of Gates that appeared.
It was a commendable act to 'climb' the Tower.
Even the most shameless politician couldn't demand that those floors be shared.
Therefore, in Korea, the Hunter or guild that cleared a floor was granted the mining rights to that floor.
Baekya chuckled, recalling his time as the chairman of the Awakened Association.
'The guild that clears it gets it all. If it was a joint effort, then they split it.'
'This floor has almost no artifacts, only mana stones. What should we do?'
'Let's just charge a fee and open it up. Porters would prefer the safer Tower to Gates anyway.'
'What if a high-grade artifact appears on such a floor?'
'Let's ask them to hand it over!'
'Are we gangsters? Don't be ridiculous.'
'B-But it's unfair! We spent years developing that place.'
'Don't talk about being unfair. Still, it's dangerous for high-grade artifacts to be indiscriminately distributed... If you insist, let's make the guild managing the floor forcibly purchase it at market price.'
'Can we really act like such thugs?'
'Thugs? If they don't like it, they should climb the Tower themselves. Make them sign an agreement before entering. We'll charge a lower fee than for Gates, but in exchange, you must sell any high-grade artifacts you find.'
He was the one who had created this entire system.
The system he had created was still running smoothly even after he had died once.
Ryu Haneul approached the Divine Guild’s counter.
There were two lines in front of the counter; one for ordinary Hunters who wanted to hunt on the floors owned by the Divine Guild, and the other for Hunters belonging to the Divine Guild.
Ryu Haneul leisurely walked past the line of Divine Guild’s Hunters and approached the counter.
The staff at the counter stood up and bowed.
"Ah, Vice Guildmaster, welcome."
At the mention of the Vice Guildmaster, 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. Please proceed inside."
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.
A vast marble plaza, 500 meters in diameter, unfolded before them.
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.
?Ta-da! Ta-da-da-da!?
?Server: Republic of Korea, Rank No. 7, 'Heavenly Demon' Ryu Haneul has entered.?
An Aitel system notification, as large as a house, appeared in the middle of the dome ceiling.
A purple halo, with a square overlapping a circle, spun around in the dome ceiling as a hologram.
All the Awakened in the lobby bowed towards Ryu Haneul.
"Greetings!"
"Pay your respects! An S-Rank has arrived!"
"Heavenly Demon's Return, Ten Thousand Demons Submit!"
Some playful or Divine Guild Hunters even shouted out slogans.
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, isn't it?'
The handkerchief on his wrist became damp.
If the Ghost Princess's handkerchief didn't work here, he was done for.
That fanfare sounded whenever a Hunter chosen by a constellation entered.
He was currently C-Rank, so it wouldn't be as grand a fanfare as Ryu Haneul's, but the notification that 'Baekya the Sun' 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 just as nervous as Baekya.
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 was about saving a medieval-style kingdom from 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 had all disappeared long ago, but giant ants still crawled up in swarms from beneath the green earth.
Baekya followed Ryu Haneul to one of the 'power-leveling zones.'
This particular ant nest, with an exceptionally fast respawn rate, was the Vice Guildmaster's private hunting ground.
"Here it is."
"Looks good."
Baekya calmly walked 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.
?Heavenly Lotus Sword (Masterpiece)?
?A sword made of high-quality steel, refined a hundred times. It is very sturdy and sharp.?
It didn't have any special abilities, but it was an excellent sword.
It was well-suited for Baekya, who often used the 'Radiant Light Sword' skill to heat the blade.
"Aren't you being too generous, giving away a Masterpiece-grade item like this, even if you're the Vice Guildmaster?"
"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.
The new sword spun in his hand.
Countless compound 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.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]