On the screen, the hands of the reporters assigned to the Presidential Office grew busy.
The sound of laptop keyboards being tapped echoed throughout the briefing room.
[At present, the Republic of Korea is in a national emergency due to the absence of top-ranked Hunters.]
“A national emergency...!”
“Surely not.”
But that “surely not” was real.
The president’s calm yet firm voice flowed from the screen.
[Until the situation stabilizes, we will temporarily declare a national state of emergency and establish an emergency organization under the Emergency Preparedness Resource Management Act.]
“Ah, that existed!”
“It is a state of emergency, to be fair.”
Perhaps because everyone gathered in the auditorium was a public official, the general atmosphere was one of agreement with the president’s statement.
[We will establish the Hunter Management Agency under the Ministry of National Defense, operate it on a trial basis, and later elevate it to an official government agency in accordance with administrative procedures.]
“There should have been one, honestly.”
“I actually find it stranger that it is only being created now.”
The president shifted the mood and continued speaking in a somewhat brighter voice.
[The Hunter Management Agency will grow into the organization representing the Republic of Korea in Hunter management. Accordingly, the Hunter Management Agency seeks to recruit talented individuals from various fields.]
“That is about you, Officer Lee.”
The team leader beside me smiled with satisfaction and lightly tapped my arm.
[Administration, taxation, science, research, engineering, combat... the field does not matter. However, for the time being, recruitment will be limited to the Awakened, so we ask for your understanding.]
“What a shame!”
“I really want to do something too.”
“Officer Lee, I envy you.”
I had unintentionally become the object of envy for the employees in the auditorium.
[The purpose behind the establishment of the Hunter Management Agency is as follows.]
After pausing briefly, the president spoke again in a solemn voice.
[To strengthen Korea’s self-sufficiency and build a nation that does not depend on foreign powers. And to protect the lives and safety of the people, while preventing the collapse of the Towers.]
The people reacted to the words “collapse of the Towers.”
Everyone had trauma related to it.
The first Tower in the Republic of Korea.
It had appeared on an uninhabited island near Baengnyeongdo.
On an uninhabited island where no people set foot, the Tower had been used as a nesting place for birds.
A year passed like that.
No one paid attention to the one-floor-high Tower, which had already become a paradise for birds.
It did not stand out very much either.
After all, a Tower’s number of floors did not increase before it was cleared.
Then, at some point...
The Tower turned red.
The Tower, swollen as though it were about to burst, soon collapsed.
And at the same time, a Gate erupted.
Distance meant nothing to the monsters that poured out of the Gate.
In an instant, they occupied Ganghwa-do.
Less than an hour passed before every resident of Ganghwa-do was massacred.
Riding that momentum, they advanced all the way to the West Coast, and the government barely managed to stop them by mobilizing Hunters from across the country.
After that, Hunters began to clear not only Dungeons but also Towers on a regular basis.
[As the fifteenth anniversary of the Ganghwa-do Tragedy approaches in two weeks, the government feels a greater sense of responsibility than ever before. When a state fails to function as a state, such events may be repeated at any time.]
“Ah... has it already been that long?”
“That is bitter.”
“Ha, what are we supposed to do?”
“They say they are creating a new Hunter Management Agency, so we will have to wait and see.”
“I hope it works out.”
[The government fully understands the shock and anxiety that the people will feel now that we have lost the Hunter who stood at the front line. However, my beloved citizens, the state still exists as the shield of the people. We will never retreat under any circumstances.]
A brief silence passed before the president continued.
[As part of that, the government promises that it will spare no full support for the Hunter Management Agency, which will stand at our front line from now on.]
I could feel gazes turning toward me from all directions.
[Because in order to manage power, an even greater power is necessary.]
Those were the president’s final words.
“Officer Lee, your path to success has opened wide.”
“I am so envious!”
“I want to awaken too!”
The team leader also said a word.
“It will be hard to see your face from now on. You might be reassigned as early as tomorrow.”
“Surely it would not happen that quickly.”
But that “surely” became reality.
In civil service society, a personnel transfer at this speed was unprecedented. It meant the president was pushing this matter with truly powerful determination.
“Good morning. I am Lee Ji-hu.”
My first day reporting to the Hunter Management Agency.
In the ten-story building that did not even have a signboard yet, there were only two people.
A man who looked to be in his early forties asked me a question.
“What grade?”
“I am Grade 7.”
“Good. From today onward, you are Grade 5.”
It was an extraordinary promotion.
However, I felt somewhat dazed.
‘Is this work rougher than I expected?’
Something about this felt unusual from the start.
I had vaguely assumed that my main duties here would be writing administrative documents related to Hunters.
“For the time being, yes. Now then, let us see what you are capable of.”
“What I am capable of...?”
“Report to the Tower for work tomorrow.”
As he said that, the man handed me a watch.
It was a black smartwatch engraved with the president’s signature on the underside that touched the wrist.
“The floor number is checked automatically, so wear this.”
“......”
“And this.”
“This is...”
What the man held out to me was a black stone engraved with an unknown pattern.
“It is a Tower Escape Ticket. It costs around two hundred million won... In any case, if it seems impossible, come out immediately. You can use it anywhere in the Tower as long as you are not on the top floor.”
It seemed to be a measure that took safety into account in its own way.
But in the end, did I have to clear the Tower?
If so, this was not much different from being a Hunter.
“By the way, what is your class?”
“...Necromancer.”
That was right.
I had awakened as a Necromancer.
That was why ghosts had begun appearing before my eyes again. Just as they had when I was young.
As a child, I saw more ghosts than people.
When I began confusing the living and the dead, my mother moved out of my maternal grandmother’s house with me.
In a way, perhaps it was only natural.
The blood of a great shaman flowed in me.
And not just any shaman’s blood, but the blood of Kim Hee-gyeong, who had once been counted among the greatest shamans in Korea.
That person was my maternal grandmother.
My mother was her only daughter and only child.
My mother refused the divine calling and lived as an ordinary person to the end.
Because of that, her life was far from smooth.
Tormented by the gods, she could not even dream of an ordinary job and spent her entire life moving from one uncertain day-labor job to another.
That was why, after I became a high school student, I always worked part-time jobs. The money was small, but it was to help with the household expenses.
My mother, who had known only hardship all her life, passed away.
And the day of her death was the very day my civil service exam results were announced.
“Our Ji-hu, you worked so hard!”
On the way back after eating out, as my mother held my hand and rejoiced, I saw red flames behind her back.
Soon after came the sound of sirens and an air raid warning.
<This is not a drill! This is not a drill!>
<A new Gate has appeared near Nakseongdae Station!>
<Access to Nakseongdae Station and nearby areas is being restricted!>
<Citizens are requested to evacuate immediately!>
It happened in an instant.
A monster appeared right beside us.
With superhuman strength, my mother pushed my body away.
And then.
CRUNCH—!
My mother’s arm was torn off like a sheet of paper and flew far through the air.
BANG! BANG—!
At that moment, bullets came flying from somewhere, and the monster staggered briefly.
I could not miss that chance.
I carried my mother on my back and began running like a madman.
How long had I run like that?
From inside Nakseongdae Station, I heard the voices of the rescue team.
“This way!”
And just when I thought we had survived...
“You should prepare yourself.”
The doctor in the shelter said this after seeing my mother’s condition.
“She has lost too much blood.”
That day was the first time I learned that a person’s complexion could become so pale.
“I... protected you.”
“Mother...”
The smile she showed at the final moment of her arduous life contained many meanings.
In truth, my mother had saved my life.
But her final words did not refer only to that in the physical sense.
The reason my mother had refused the divine calling to the very end.
It was because she had possessed a powerful determination not to pass her own life on to me.
...And so I had thought that blood had been diluted.
“Necromancer, is it. In any case, Section Officer Lee.”
In a single day, my title had changed from Administrative Officer to Section Officer.
“From now on, you may call me Commissioner.”
“......”
A hollow wind blew through the empty ten-story building.
Although the Hunter Management Agency consisted of only two people, it already had both a Commissioner and a Section Officer.
“Yes, understood, Commissioner.”
He seemed pleased with the title and folded his arms with a satisfied expression.
“Ah, and if you climb the Tower, the performance bonus is 200%.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“From the 1st floor to the 5th floor, it is 200% per floor. From the 5th floor to the 10th floor, 400%. From the 10th floor to the 15th floor, 600%... At this point, you understand what kind of system it is, do you not?”
“......!”
My choice had been correct.
As expected, no matter what one did, the earliest stage was the sweetest time to reap the rewards. Who knew what would happen to that system later, once more people joined?
By nature, civil servants’ compensation somehow had a way of stirring up public sentiment.
The best possible time when no one would accuse them of holding a bonus feast with taxpayers’ money was right now.
“Climb the Tower, Section Officer Lee.”
The Commissioner’s expression was quite serious.
And I felt the same way.
“Understood. I will prove myself through results.”
As I fastened the smartwatch engraved with the president’s signature, I reminded myself once again of my mindset as a civil servant.
‘I will protect the lives and safety of the people.’
That was why I would climb the Tower.
The one most delighted by this news was the ghost in my house.
[We leave immediately!]
“Tomorrow.”
[Why? Why!!!]
Why, indeed.
I had already gotten off work today.
I would enter the Tower exactly at my work start time tomorrow.
[In any case, you made the right choice!]
The ghost, who no longer had to be kicked out of the house, looked several times happier than I was.
[Let us do well from now on!]
“Fine.”
Since I had decided to climb the Tower anyway, I had no intention of refusing the help of a ghost who had once been Korea’s number one Hunter.
Above all, I was a Necromancer.
Ah, before that.
“Are you, by any chance, an earthbound spirit?”
[What is that?]
“I am asking whether you cannot go anywhere else and have to stay stuck in this corner of the room.”
[......??]
His face was innocent.
He seemed not to know himself.
“We will know tomorrow. If you are an earthbound spirit...”
[What happens if I am?]
“I will send you to a better place. With Exorcism.”
After watching the video in the auditorium, the room-corner ghost somehow looked different to me, but if he could not even enter the Tower, that changed things considerably. His reason for existing would disappear entirely.
And of course, even for a ghost, going to the afterlife to prepare for the next life was a better choice than wandering the world of the living.
This was the small repayment I could offer Cha Jun-hyeok, who had protected us all this time.
It truly was repaying a debt of gratitude.
If a soul wandered the living world for no particular reason, a grim reaper might grab it by the collar and drag it off.
[What?!]
The ghost seemed quite startled.
Perhaps because he was frightened, he stuck fast to the ceiling and showed no sign of coming down.
[An earthbound spirit? Exorcism? What is that? Does it mean you are holding memorial rites for me? Actually, I am a little weak when it comes to the occult and Chinese characters. Ha ha!]
“......”
By nature, ignorance was a sin.
The room-corner ghost, whose mind was so innocent it was criminal, was scheduled to cross the boundary between life and death tomorrow, though he himself had no idea.
There were currently three Towers in Korea.
One in Gangwon-do, one in Jeju-do, and one in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.
No one knew when or where a Tower would appear.
That was why various benefits were given to the first discoverer.
First, upon discovering a Tower, one would awaken without exception.
There were no exceptions to this anywhere in the world.
Next was the buff granted when entering the Tower one had discovered.
It was a first-discoverer-only buff, and its duration was one week.
Those were the benefits granted by the System, and each country separately paid reward money or pensions comparable to winning the lottery.
After all, once a Tower collapsed, a national disaster followed.
That was why a profession had even emerged in which people checked the entire world every day through satellite maps.
A Tower discovered in this way was registered in the System.
From then on, Hunters belonging to that country could freely enter the Tower from anywhere in the country through the Status Window.
The same applied even if they were overseas.
However, unlike Towers, Dungeons required one to go directly to their entrance.
In any case, since I had awakened as well, I could use this system.
<Please select the Tower you wish to enter.>
1. Hwanseon Cave Tower (40th Floor, 91 days 05:31:05)
2. Gwanaksan Tower (36th Floor, 101 days 20:54:17)
3. Seopjikoji Tower (26th Floor, 153 days 07:22:34)
“Hwanseon Cave, Gwanaksan, Seopjikoji.”
I briefly pondered the options before me.
[Go to Gwanaksan!]
“Why?”
[It is nearby.]
“......”
Entering the Tower was merely a matter of selecting it from the Status Window anyway.
So did distance have any meaning?
However...
“What is your reason?”
[There is a back route when you come out.]
“A back route?”
This was the first I had heard of it.
But when I thought about it, that made sense.
If entry and exit were done only through a system window like this, there would have been no need for Towers to physically exist in the first place.
“What about when entering? Is there a separate buff when you enter or something?”
[There is nothing like that. But when you come out...]
“When you come out?”
[The reward is different!]
That changed things.
[If you pass through the back route, you come straight outside Gwanaksan Tower.]
Did that mean I would be transported outside in my current state?
In preparation for coming out, I even took my wallet and put on my shoes at the front door before speaking.
“Select Gwanaksan Tower.”
<Entering Gwanaksan Tower.>
You are the first registered player.
Please enter a nickname.>
A keyboard-like panel appeared on the system window.
This was something I had already discussed with the Commissioner yesterday.
“To climb the Tower, you need a nickname. Think of it as a sort of codename.”
“Is that so?”
“Is there anything you would like to use?”
If that was the case, there was something rather fitting.
“What do you think of Jack Rich?”
It was the codename of the protagonist from a spy movie I had watched as a child.
“That is perfect.”
And so the nickname Jack Rich was decided.
Plain Jack Rich was already taken, so I added an underscore and 07 to the end.
<Player Jack Rich_07 will enter the 1st floor of Gwanaksan Tower.>
Then another alert appeared.
<Would you like to bind Cha Jun-hyeok as your affiliated spirit?>
“Bind him.”
FLASH!
My field of vision changed in an instant.
The place that soon appeared was a forest.
But the moment I entered, I heard someone shouting in delight.
“This air! This sunlight! This sensation!”
Someone was leaping around in joy while touching various parts of his body.
He was a tall man who looked to be in his early thirties.
But his face was somehow familiar.
When he saw me, he smiled brightly and opened his arms wide.
“Thank you!”
But I was not pleased at all.
I moved several steps away from him as he approached.
“Who are you?”
“Hm? You do not know me? It is me!”
...Surely not.
“The room-corner ghost?”
“What?? Room-corner? Anyway, I am the ghost who lives with you! It is me, me!”
Looking closely, I could see how he overlapped with the hazy image he had had at home.
Seeing his face, I was certain.
“Could you be Cha Jun-hyeok...?”
“That is right!!!”
Cha Jun-hyeok (ghost) began leaping around in joy again.
But I simply could not understand this situation.
Something physically impossible had happened.
The system had clearly called him an affiliated spirit just now.
“Why did you become human?”
“Hmm... I do not know?”
It was a truly irresponsible and insincere answer.
The ghost scratched his head roughly and said,
“If I had to look for a reason... I heard a voice right after I died.”
“A voice?”
“Yes, telling me to go to the Tower. It said it was not yet time.”
He nodded as he said that.
“Ah! And it said this too!”
“What?”
“That it would send me to a safe place!”
A safe place?
“Somewhere the Reaper’s hand could not reach? It was something like that?”
The Reaper? Did he mean a grim reaper?
Cha Jun-hyeok fell deep into thought as he spoke.
“And my soul...”
“What happened to it?”
“Whoosh!”
Whoosh?
The room-corner ghost enthusiastically mimed a pitcher throwing a ball.
“I am telling you, someone grabbed it like this and threw it.”
“Your soul?”
“That is right. My soul! And when I came to...”
I could guess what had happened after that.
“You were in my house.”
“Exactly! That is it!”
The ghost clapped his hands together as though I had given the correct answer.
“The Tower. It really has been a long time!”
He swung his arms around, loosening up.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Looking at the five goblins that had appeared before us at some point, Cha Jun-hyeok grinned.
“Three seconds is all I need.”