“What happened?”
As soon as the situation was settled, Jeong Hyeon-a looked for Jeong Hyeon-su first.
“What do you mean? Ah, those?”
What Jeong Hyeon-su meant were the ones who should have had no names, the beings that were supposed to attack Hunters who accompanied them on the second floor of the Tower. The greatest question was why they were obeying Jeong Hyeon-su’s words.
“It was nothing special.”
He had merely used the reward he received for clearing the first floor with an SSS-Rank.
[Seal of Name (Unique): You can bestow a name upon a designated target. However, the target must acknowledge it.]
[Existence Engraving (Unique): You can engrave existence upon a designated target. However, the target’s consent is required.]
In a sense, their uses seemed unclear, but the Seal of Name and Existence Engraving boasted abilities so absurd that, at least in the trials granted up to the tenth floor, they could disrupt the entire ecosystem.
Even on the second floor, enemies called Nameless Ones appeared.
The result of bestowing names upon them and engraving existence into them was the more than two hundred “Named Ones” that followed him.
“You bestowed names on them…?”
“Well, I named them on a first-come, first-served basis.”
The first one he met and engraved was 2-1.
Not only Jeong Hyeon-a’s expression, but Ji Min-jeong’s as well, turned strange.
“What is with that naming sense?”
“No, but what method did you even use to…”
There were various ways to satisfy the conditions. Among them, Jeong Hyeon-su had chosen the easiest method.
“You just beat them until it works.”
Looking closely, from 2-1 all the way to the last, 2-296, not a single one had an intact face.
“All right, everyone. You worked hard.”
Those who had regained their names gathered before Jeong Hyeon-su.
The wanted criminals Ling Wehao had brought with him were either dead or subdued, and now it was time to begin the clear again.
“You are not going?”
“Do I need to?”
Jeong Hyeon-su merely smiled.
***
At that same time, Chae Mu-hyeon, who led Songgwang Guild’s clear party, was advancing madly toward clearing the second floor of the Tower.
‘It is mine.’
At the very least, he had to take the new record for the second floor.
This time, he would absolutely record the best result and make his own name known to the world. He continued the clear like a madman, believing it was already as good as his.
CRUNCH!
He smashed the Nameless Ones that blocked his way and broke through even the enemies that grew steadily stronger with the power of Rending Wave Energy, taught to him by the Tyrant Fist.
‘I think I am almost there.’
As advised by his seniors, he had already finished studying the terrain and landmarks. He arrived at the edge of the second floor, and just as the clear seemed about to become reality,
CLATTER.
“…?”
His eyes trembled when he discovered a massive warrior collapsing in the distance at that very moment.
No matter who looked at it, that was the gatekeeper said to guard the end of the second floor.
And astonishingly, the ones who had brought down that gatekeeper were none other than ordinary second-floor mobs that clearly seemed to be its subordinates, the Nameless Ones.
[2-397]
[2-398]
[2-399]
.
.
.
[Im-333]
Dozens of mobs with names different from the other monsters had finally combined their attacks against the gatekeeper and brought it down.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Then, as if to show off, they began ringing the bell.
“Damn it!”
Chae Mu-hyeon, who had been staring blankly, suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly closed the distance.
[Announcement!]
“Urgh!”
In the end, the Tower’s announcement began.
[Today, a new record for clearing the second floor of the Tower of Trials has been achieved.]
[Congratulations! Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su, a national of South Korea, has renewed both the shortest-time record and the highest-score record!]
[Clear Grade: SSS]
But Chae Mu-hyeon could not accept it.
“I submit an objection! I cannot accept this!”
No matter how he looked around, Jeong Hyeon-su was nowhere to be seen.
“That is right! The Tower must properly explain the result!”
“Songgwang’s clear party reached the gatekeeper first, so explain how you can claim Jeong Hyeon-su cleared it!”
Songgwang’s clear party also came forward to support him.
It seemed strange even to them.
[The objection request is rejected.]
Along with those words, the Tower presented a video before Songgwang’s clear party.
“Uh…?”
Jeong Hyeon-su existed within the video.
He smashed and knocked down the approaching Nameless Ones.
Then he charged at the gatekeeper, evaded its attack, and struck back with a counter, destroying its balance.
After completely suppressing it with a powerful blow and forcing it into a groggy state, Jeong Hyeon-su suddenly turned his head.
Then he disappeared, and the Nameless Ones that had collapsed along the path he had passed stood up and abruptly began attacking the gatekeeper.
“Wh-what is this?”
“How can such an ability exist?”
No matter who looked at it, it was fraudulent.
He was not a Necromancer, so how could something like that be possible?
[The ability cannot be disclosed.]
[However, it is certainly an ability possessed by Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su, and this video was also willingly recorded and provided by Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su to prevent objections.]
[Partial acceptance of the objection. The Tower will impose a condition.]
[Before the Hunters of Songgwang Guild, the second-floor gatekeeper, the Nameless Gravekeeper, can be manifested using dummy data.]
A strange light settled in Chae Mu-hyeon’s eyes.
If it was a reclear using dummy data, did that not mean that if he could defeat it faster than Jeong Hyeon-su, an objection would be accepted for the first time in history?
[However, if Songgwang fails to prove it, the Tower will impose a restriction forbidding disclosure.]
Chae Mu-hyeon was confident.
The Gravekeeper Jeong Hyeon-su had defeated. If he set his mind to it, would he not be able to win?
No, he had to win.
He, too, sought to prove his achievements in the Tower and eventually become the master of Songgwang.
“I naturally accept.”
RUMBLE!
A moment later, the fallen Gravekeeper rose to its feet.
[An objection has been submitted.]
“I will do it alone.”
If Jeong Hyeon-su had done it alone, Chae Mu-hyeon was confident that he could do the same.
As he walked forward, Chae Mu-hyeon felt that something was strange.
‘What is this?’
Its presence was considerable.
In the first place, the prevailing evaluation was that the Nameless Gravekeeper was not a monster designed to be defeated alone.
However, legendary Hunters who transcended their era, Alexander of the United States and Hunter Association President Seon Woo-hyeon, had also defeated the Gravekeeper alone, had they not?
And so he challenged it.
The Gravekeeper swung the spear it held. Chae Mu-hyeon, who blocked the attack with a form of the Tyrant Fist, instinctively realized something had gone wrong.
“Ugh!”
His forearm ached. The problem was that its power was not the only thing that was tremendous.
WHOOOOSH!
In the meantime, the Gravekeeper’s consecutive attacks continued, and Chae Mu-hyeon felt dizzy.
He had to dodge. He naturally tried to continue evading, but it was a false strike.
‘Damn it!’
Chae Mu-hyeon was struck by the Gravekeeper’s attack and sent flying.
[The dummy data will be nullified.]
[Time limit exceeded.]
[The final result will be announced.]
[Hunters affiliated with Songgwang Guild, including Chae Mu-hyeon of Songgwang Guild, submitted an objection, but it has been rejected as a result.]
[Videos of Hunter Jeong Hyeon-su of Garam and Chae Mu-hyeon of Songgwang Guild fighting the Nameless Gravekeeper will be released on HunterNet.]
As if that were not enough, Chae Mu-hyeon’s crushing failure had now been preserved for everyone to see.
It was only the beginning, but with the appearance of a rookie who had cleared both the first and second floors with SSS-Rank results, HunterNet was thrown into an uproar.
└The first floor is one thing, but getting SSS-Rank even on the second floor is absolutely incredible.
└└I watched the video, and the way he dodged before landing the counter was no joke.
It was only a very short video, but the maturity of his battle, in which he made proper use of his trap and defeated the Gravekeeper with counter damage, stood out even more. Naturally, attention focused on the newly emerged rookie.
└Honestly, was that not pure luck?
└└Luck? The Tower is not blind. Do you think it would fail to catch something like that?
└└└Have you still not seen how Chae Mu-hyeon of Songgwang submitted an objection like you and left behind a funeral video?
Some people doubted Jeong Hyeon-su’s ability, but Chae Mu-hyeon, who had submitted the same objection and left behind a humiliating video, wiped out all such counterarguments.
└Chae Mu-hyeon cleared the first floor with SS-Rank, and he has built up a fair amount of skill, has he not?
└I heard he was fairly good. Honestly, if he had done it with help from his clear party instead of alone, he would probably have cleared it without much trouble.
└└It feels like he is a little too self-important. Only Alexander and Seon Woo-hyeon have solo-killed the Gravekeeper.
└└└Has Joseon produced another talent on Seon Woo-hyeon’s level?
└└└└Do not exaggerate. How could he be on the same level as Seon Woo-hyeon and Alexander? He must have found a clear method through the data that had already accumulated. Stop comparing him to Hunters from that era. It is embarrassing.
Even so, there were opinions that doubted Jeong Hyeon-su’s pure ability itself.
When voices demanding proof grew louder, another video appeared on HunterNet.
It was a video of Ling Wehao appearing and pressuring Hanul and Garam, and in the middle of that fight where people were truly dying, Jeong Hyeon-su appeared wearing a tracksuit and three-striped slippers, sending Ling Wehao flying with a flying kick.
That video was immediately connected to the previous one.
It showed Jeong Hyeon-su, just before he completely finished off the Gravekeeper, turning his head somewhere and leaving without hesitation.
The people’s reaction was truly explosive.
└He could have renewed the record even further, but he just left to save his younger sister and his guild members?
└└That is insane. Even after doing that, he still got SSS-Rank. Ha ha ha. Seon Woo-hyeon and Alexander, prepare yourselves.
On top of that, the opponent had been Ling Wehao.
People could hardly believe their eyes at the sight of Jeong Hyeon-su overwhelming a wanted criminal from China who was already known to be at least Gold Rank-level.
When they saw him extinguish through pure force the Blue Flame that boasted such overwhelming majesty that even Ji Min-jeong and Jeong Hyeon-a had been put in danger, those who longed for the appearance of a powerhouse even cheered.
└What exactly was that at the end?
└└How did he do that?
└Is that really real?
└└Have you only been deceived your whole life? It is a video, so of course it is real.
└└└No, how could that be real? How can a rookie-grade Hunter crush Ling Wehao like that? Ha ha ha.
└Jeong Hyeon-su was even treated as a complete failure at Cradle.
└└You must be lying. How could a monster like that be a failure?
└Cradle simply could not contain Jeong Hyeon-su!
└└└Why does the video not continue? Give us more.
└When is the third-floor video going up?
└└Ah, apparently the Hunter Association requested that the climb be halted because of Ling Wehao’s intrusion.
People were disappointed that they could not see more of Jeong Hyeon-su’s performance.
At the same time, from that day onward, tracksuits and three-striped slippers sold out at local discount marts.
At that hour, Jeong Hyeon-su, who had become the man who sold out Da-It-So without even knowing it, returned to Garam.
“You worked hard.”
Jeong Cheol, who had been waiting, welcomed his son in an indifferent tone. However, in his hand was a bottle containing a liquid that radiated not merely freshness, but auspiciousness.
“Is that an Elixir?”
“Drink it.”
Jeong Hyeon-su did not bother refusing.
It was because he had many things to do starting tomorrow.
Not climbing the Tower, but looting items and rewards from nearby Gates, then sweeping straight up to the tenth floor in one go next time.
PANT! PANT!
Jeong Hyeon-su picked up Happy, who leaped into his arms, and faced Jeong Hyeon-a standing before him.
“Did you injure your Mana Circuit or something? Why are you twisting your body like that?”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“Leave if you have nothing to say. I need to rest too.”
Just as Jeong Hyeon-su walked past Jeong Hyeon-a,
“Th-thank you…”
Jeong Hyeon-su’s steps came to a halt.
However, before he could even turn his head, Jeong Hyeon-a had already vanished beyond the stairs as if she were flying through the sky.
“If you had moved like that earlier, you would have landed at least one blow on that bastard.”
“Oh, what are you even saying?”
As Jeong Hyeon-a shouted in embarrassment, Jeong Hyeon-su’s voice reached her ears.
“If you are grateful, devote yourself to training. Become strong enough that no one can touch you.”
That would be enough.
Recalling the future that would come, Jeong Hyeon-su gave a bitter smile, then immediately took the Elixir and moved on.