Chapter 6

Chapter 6

6. I Got an S-Rank Reward

‘My body feels light as a feather.’

I set [Krog’s Gatling Laser] down on the bed.

Crash, the bed snapped in half.

‘It’s heavy again.’

Looking at it like this, the thing really was enormous.

And it looked unbelievably heavy.

Apparently, the passive skill ‘Krog’s Strength’ was there to let me handle the Gatling Laser properly.

‘I could probably kill someone just by swinging this thing.’

They’d definitely be turned into meat paste.

I had also obtained something called [Krog’s Munitions Factory Control Authority], but I had no idea what that was.

It was probably some facility on the 80th floor of the Tower of Fate.

I’d probably have to go there myself to find out.

‘Then I’ll never know for the rest of my life!’

Let’s just pretend that munitions factory or whatever doesn’t exist.

Lastly, there was the title.

[Silent Assassin (S)]

-O one without sound, shadow, or even presence. You shall grant your enemies a death they cannot perceive.

-Your presence disappears.

-Evasion greatly increases.

“Oh...”

Out of all the rewards, I liked the title the most.

I didn’t really know what it meant, but making my presence disappear sounded fantastic.

Anyway, I wondered what to do with [Krog’s Gatling Laser].

‘Should I sell it?’

From what I’d heard, equipment obtained in the Tower traded for enormous sums among hunters.

Looking through Hunven, I found something called the ‘Trading Board.’

[For Sale! ★Sea Serpent Marrow★]

-I have the bones too. Buy them together and I’ll throw in the flesh. 500 million won total.

[Buying! Looking for an Elixir.]

-Urgently buying an Elixir. I’ll pay whatever you ask, so please sell me one if you have it ㅠㅠ

‘An Elixir?’

It was a famous cure-all even among the general public.

‘I heard it can even save someone with terminal pancreatic cancer?’

Apparently, it could regenerate limbs too.

An incredible luxury item!

Naturally, demand was extremely high.

And stock was always scarce.

‘Must be insanely expensive.’

Getting an Elixir would turn anyone’s life around.

‘But I’ve got a ton of notifications?’

Comments, private messages, and all sorts of things.

There were more than a hundred.

-Did you seriously go to Pyongyang?

-Pretty sure you’re getting arrested for violating the National Security Act;

-Hello, Divine One. We’re the A-Rank hunter guild ‘Professional.’ If you have time, we’d like to speak with you...

-How did you know the gate disappeared? Did you really kill the boss monster?

-What’d you get for the first-clear reward? Share some info

‘They actually believe it?’

Of course!

-Wasn’t it just a lucky guess? If not, whatever~

There were some skeptical comments too.

But quite a few people seemed to genuinely believe I’d been to North Korea.

‘I didn’t go, though?’

I did clear it, to be fair.

There were system messages too.

‘My followers suddenly passed one hundred.’

[You have unlocked permission to open ‘E-Rank Gates.’]

[You have unlocked permission to close ‘E-Rank Gates.’]

[You have received ‘E-Rank Gate Open & Close Tickets (x33).’]

[You have received ‘D-Rank Gate Open & Close Tickets (x11).’]

‘I haven’t even used a single E-Rank Gate Ticket yet.’

And I’d already gained permanent access.

“Then why are you giving me E-Rank tickets?”

[Remaining tickets may be synthesized for a chance to obtain higher-rank Gate Tickets.]

“Then synthesize everything E-Rank and below.”

[Synthesizing ‘E-Rank Gate Tickets’ 5 times.]

Flaaash!

A burst of light flashed.

[You have obtained ‘E-Rank Gate Open Tickets (x3).’]

[You have obtained ‘E-Rank Gate Close Tickets (x4).’]

Then a green light burst forth.

Flash!

[You have obtained a D-Rank Gate Open Ticket.]

So that was how it worked.

“Can an F-Rank ticket synthesis give me an A-Rank or S-Rank one?”

[It is possible at an extremely low probability.]

Extremely low probability?

‘Probably around 0.0004 percent.’

That was just the feeling I got.

But when I tried to use the Trading Board.

“I can’t post anything.”

[You must clear the 10th floor of the Tower of Fate to use the Trading Board.]

“What? Why?!”

What kind of ridiculous restriction was this?!

[The 1st through 10th floors are tutorial stages intended to help you adapt to the Tower of Fate.]

[Please note that all floors from the 1st through the 10th must be cleared to use the Trading Board.]

They must have been worried I’d skip ahead through dumb luck like I did with the 80th floor.

‘I was going to sell Krog’s Gatling Laser for 999.9 billion won.’

With an S-Rank weapon like this, the seller could practically name any price.

But my dream of wealth and glory had slipped farther away.

* * *

Hunter Association conference room.

“A gate opened in reality, and on top of that, it was connected to the 80th floor of the Tower of Fate. Is this report accurate?”

At the Association President’s question, one employee nodded.

“Yes, President. Hunters belonging to the Association have already confirmed it.”

“How is that possible? Our highest recorded clear was only the 75th floor.”

The executives gathered in the conference room stirred.

From bureau chiefs to working-level analysts.

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.

“That... we still haven’t determined.”

The reporter lowered his head apologetically.

But the Association President did not blame him.

The Tower of Fate could never be judged by ordinary human logic in the first place.

“Have we identified the person behind the account called ‘Divine One’?”

“Not yet. But since they connected to the Korean server, we know for certain that they’re Korean.”

“They must be connected to this incident somehow, correct?”

“It is extremely likely. The gate closed immediately after the ‘Divine One’ account posted on Hunter’s Inventory.”

The Association believed there was a high probability that ‘Divine One’ had closed the gate.

But it had never occurred to them that ‘Divine One’ might have been the one who opened it as well.

The reporter continued.

“According to ‘Divine One’s’ post, he said he was going after the pig... I mean, Kim Jong Un, and is believed to have crossed into North Korea shortly afterward.”

“What are the odds that all of this was merely coincidence?”

“Low.”

“On what basis?”

“We have already confirmed it with the ‘Eye of Truth.’”

Thump.

The atmosphere in the room turned cold.

“If the ‘Eye of Truth’ confirmed it... then there’s no room for doubt.”

“There is one more detail that lends credibility to the theory.”

“What is it?”

“The fact that his nickname is ‘Divine One.’”

“What’s special about the nickname?”

The reporter’s eyes sharpened at the Association President’s question.

“When creating an account on Hunter’s Inventory, nicknames containing the character for ‘god’ cannot be registered.”

This was one of the pieces of information tightly controlled by the Hunter Association.

The room erupted into murmurs at the reporter’s words.

“Then how did that hunter register the name Divine One?”

“Could the ‘Divine’ in ‘Divine One’ not mean ‘new’... but actually ‘god’?”

“That’s absurd!”

Thump, thump.

The Association President struck the table to silence the commotion, then asked in a low voice.

“Have we tried contacting this hunter called Divine One?”

“Yes. But we have yet to receive a reply.”

“Tell all Association hunters to closely monitor Divine One’s posts and activity from now on.”

“Yes, sir!”

One thing was certain.

A newcomer worthy of the Hunter Association’s attention had appeared.

Naturally, the Korean Hunter Association was not the only organization taking the situation seriously.

* * *

Washington, D.C., United States.

White House briefing room.

The lights were dimmed, and the words ‘TOP SECRET’ glowed red on the screen.

The President of the United States, the Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Defense.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others.

Senior officials from every department and key military leaders stared gravely at the screen without uttering a word.

“This footage was recorded this afternoon at the U.S. military base in Yongsan.”

A Pentagon intelligence analyst pressed the remote.

A training ground at the U.S. military base in Korea.

An American soldier was carefully lifting a massive metal weapon.

Two meters long, with a rotating structure of six barrels.

A red crystal was embedded in one side of the body.

“Is that the orc weapon captured by the U.S.-ROK combined forces?”

At the President’s quiet question, the intelligence analyst nodded.

“Yes, Mr. President. It’s the weapon the orcs called a ‘Gatling Laser.’ Our technicians are currently testing it while wearing full protective equipment.”

The camera zoomed in.

The soldier holding the Gatling Laser pulled the trigger.

Vweeeee!

The barrels began rotating noisily.

Then a sharp, rhythmic sound rang out.

Pewpewpewpewpew!

At that exact moment.

Six dazzling beams of light shot straight ahead, leaving brilliant trails behind them.

With a roar as though the very air were tearing apart, the North Korean tank target hundreds of meters away melted instantly.

All that remained was a pool of glowing molten metal.

Everyone in the conference room sucked in a breath.

“What in the world is that?”

“Our engineers are still analyzing it, but it’s a weapon impossible to reproduce with current technology. The researchers believe it is an energy weapon that combines extreme heat with kinetic energy.”

Silence lingered for a moment.

“It isn’t stronger than a nuclear weapon, is it?”

The Secretary of State asked.

“Considering pure destructive force, precision-strike capability, and mobility together, our calculations place it above a small tactical nuclear weapon. Most importantly, because it produces no radiation, it does not violate the NPT or the Geneva Conventions.”

Thump!

The cabinet members groaned at the analyst’s words.

“How many of them have we secured?”

“Four so far. All four are operational.”

“And the orcs were using these... on a large scale?”

“Yes. We estimate that nearly half of the orcs were actively equipped with them.”

“Was Pyongyang destroyed by these weapons as well?”

“Yes. Two regiments of Pyongyang’s armored forces were vaporized within thirty minutes.”

The American President’s expression grew even graver.

He stared at the screen for a moment before quietly speaking.

“...If the orc civilization that created these weapons pours out of the Tower, we will have to prepare for the extinction of humanity.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“First, request close coordination and cooperation from the Republic of Korea. Deploy air squadrons and ground forces to Pyongyang for ‘peace on the Korean Peninsula,’ and dispatch an aircraft carrier as well.”

The Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs nodded as though it were obvious.

The President continued.

“Also secure as many Gatling Lasers as possible. Press Congress for the legislation and budget necessary to do so.”

“Wouldn’t the Republic of Korea strongly object?”

“If South Korea agrees to hand over every Gatling Laser...”

A shadow fell across the President’s face.

With his fingers interlaced, he spoke in a low voice.

“Let them know the United States would be willing to turn a blind eye to a South Korean-led military annexation of the peninsula.”