Chapter 03

Jinwoo went to Uijeongbu with Lee Sohee to prepare for entering the Tower of Babel.

In truth, there was an item called a “Tower Entry Ticket,” so there was no need to physically travel to Uijeongbu every time someone wanted to enter the tower.

However, Jinwoo was obsessed with extreme efficiency, and since he had even bought a house right near the Tower, he usually entered directly without using items.

[Would you like to enter the Tower of Babel?]

As he stood in front of the Tower, those words appeared before him.

Without much thought, Jinwoo answered, “Enter.”

Lee Sohee also followed him and shouted, “Enter,” and in an instant, the two of them arrived on the 10th floor of the Tower of Babel.

The 10th floor was essentially a safe zone.

There were no hostile monsters or traps, and there were even shop NPCs.

Even now, many hunters were walking around and using the shops on the 10th floor.

“So even though you said you were scared, you still followed me all the way to the Tower.”

When Jinwoo said that, Lee Sohee smiled brightly and replied,

“They say thread always follows the needle, right? Wherever Captain goes, of course I should follow too. No matter where it is!”

“…”

After saying that, Lee Sohee’s face turned red.

It sounded strangely similar to a confession of love.

But Jinwoo himself did not think much of it.

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind them.

“Well, look who it is.”

The owner of the mocking voice was Hunter Park Jinsu, a man over 190 centimeters tall.

He was nicknamed “Hulk Park,” and just like the nickname suggested, he possessed tremendous power.

His appearance was also extremely masculine, making him look like the perfect tough guy.

But standing before Jinwoo, he wore a petty-looking expression as he spoke.

“Shouldn’t someone like you be hanging around in a 2-star dungeon? What are you doing in the Tower?”

Jinwoo looked at Park Jinsu indifferently.

Standing next to him was Choi Eungyu, who had once belonged to Jinwoo’s raid team.

The moment Choi Eungyu made eye contact with Jinwoo, he hurriedly looked away like someone who had done something wrong.

After all, he had betrayed Jinwoo and joined Park Jinsu’s raid team, so naturally he felt uncomfortable facing him.

“Hey. Are you ignoring me?”

Jinwoo looked back at Park Jinsu and replied calmly,

“What does it matter where I am?”

“You’re not seriously planning to challenge the 17th floor, are you?”

Jinwoo shrugged.

“And if I am?”

Park Jinsu burst into laughter and said,

“You really must be scared of me. The fact that you suddenly decided to try the 17th floor right after hearing I’m going there proves it.”

“If you want to think that, then go ahead.”

As if he could not care less about whatever nonsense Park Jinsu said, Jinwoo stopped responding and simply walked away.

Park Jinsu mocked his back once again.

“Just keep playing around in dungeons. At least you’ll keep making money that way. Or go to America. Better to be the tail of a dragon than the head of a snake, right?”

Once they were farther away, Lee Sohee could no longer hold back her anger and shouted,

“That was way too rude! How can someone who received Captain’s help act like that? If it weren’t for Captain, he wouldn’t have even dared try climbing the Tower!”

Despite Lee Sohee’s anger, Jinwoo remained calm.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Captain, you really are so understanding.”

“To think someone once called a psychopath like me understanding. That’s pretty funny.”

As they talked, the two headed toward the shopping district.

Once they arrived at the general store, Lee Sohee asked,

“But why are we here? What kind of item are you trying to buy?”

Instead of answering, Jinwoo suddenly picked up an item shaped like a raincoat.

Lee Sohee looked confused.

“Isn’t that a Shadow Raincoat? You’re not seriously buying that, are you?”

As the name suggested, it was simply an item used to block rain.

Its effects were nothing special, yet it was unnecessarily expensive.

Naturally, Hunters never even glanced at items like the Shadow Raincoat.

“The Shadow Raincoat has a concealment effect.”

“I know that… but the effect isn’t very strong, is it?”

“It works pretty well against golems.”

Jinwoo answered confidently.

‘With this alone, clearing the 17th floor will be easy.’

After that, Jinwoo purchased several more items.

They were not ordinary items that increased attack or defense power, but items with unique special effects.

“What is this one for?”

Naturally, Lee Sohee kept questioning him.

To her, they all looked like useless items.

But Jinwoo answered every question without hesitation.

It was almost as if he knew every single item sold on the 10th-floor shops.

‘Captain always surprises me. How did he figure all this out?’

Lee Sohee was once again amazed by his knowledge and memory.

[You have entered the 17th floor.]

After buying the necessary items on the 10th floor, Jinwoo and Lee Sohee teleported directly to the 17th floor.

The 17th floor was a place filled with gigantic golems and was infamous for its terrifying difficulty.

[17th Floor Mission: Find the portal leading to the 18th floor.]

[Completion Condition: Secure the portal leading to the 18th floor.]

Compared to its high difficulty, the objective itself was simple.

They only had to find the portal.

Of course, the problem was that the process of reaching that portal was far from easy.

The moment they arrived on the 17th floor, Jinwoo put on the raincoat and whispered to Lee Sohee,

“From here on, just follow behind me. Don’t make any noise and move quietly.”

Following his instructions, Lee Sohee also put on the raincoat and quietly followed him.

Not long later, a giant golem slowly approached them with an overwhelming and threatening presence.

Every time a golem came closer, Lee Sohee held her breath in fear.

If one of them noticed her, she might be crushed into paste instantly.

But even with the golem nearby, Jinwoo remained calm.

He carefully observed the surroundings while searching for the route leading to the portal.

Thanks to returning to the past, Jinwoo already knew the hidden route of this floor.

Even memories he had forgotten resurfaced vividly once he arrived on the 17th floor.

He gestured to Lee Sohee and began moving.

Seeing the confidence in his eyes, she silently followed him.

Jinwoo avoided the golems’ vision while moving in a precise pattern.

He knew exactly where the traps were located.

Then suddenly, one of the golems moved dangerously close.

Lee Sohee held her breath as her heart pounded loudly.

But Jinwoo showed no panic whatsoever.

He signaled to her with his eyes that everything was fine.

From his past experience, Jinwoo knew perfectly where every trap was hidden.

With a flick of his finger, a small stone flew outward and triggered one of the traps.

Boom!

A trap suddenly opened beneath the approaching golem, causing it to fall underground.

‘Wow!’

Lee Sohee could not help admiring his precise judgment and actions.

When another golem approached, Jinwoo quickly used the nearby structures to block its line of sight.

Once its vision was obstructed, the golem changed direction and moved elsewhere.

Jinwoo signaled to Lee Sohee once again and continued forward.

Finally, they reached the portal at the end of the 17th floor.

Lee Sohee stared at Kim Jinwoo in disbelief and said,

“This is incredible. We cleared the 17th floor so easily…”

Jinwoo shrugged.

“As always, strategy is what matters most.”

Lee Sohee kept admiring him but then suddenly screamed.

“Ah! It says highest rank!”

[You have achieved SSS Raid Rank on the 17th floor of the Tower of Babel (Korea).]

[SSS Raid Reward: B-Rank Random Skill Book, 9,999 Karma.]

As they stood before the portal, the mission completion message appeared.

At the same time, another notification popped up before them announcing that they had achieved the highest rank.

‘A B-rank skill at this stage…’

When he first cleared the 16th floor, the skill he received had only been a D-rank skill.

But now, after achieving SSS rank, he had obtained a B-rank skill.

Although general-purpose skills were far weaker than skills tied to traits, a B-rank skill was still quite valuable.

Of course, it also depended on what kind of skill came out of the random skill book.

‘I should aim for SSS on the 18th floor too.’

Thinking that, Jinwoo stepped through the portal toward the next floor.

Lee Sohee followed him to the 18th floor while looking at his back with admiration.

Unlike when she entered the 17th floor, she no longer hesitated at all while heading to the 18th.

Hunters were rare beings who made up less than 0.1% of the population.

Raid teams that climbed the Tower were naturally even rarer.

“Nice to see you all, Cheese Squad.”

Being rare also meant being special, and people were easily fascinated by special individuals.

That was why it was not difficult for Hunters to become popular on streaming platforms and live broadcasts.

And what if they were handsome too?

Then even becoming a streamer with over ten million subscribers was possible.

• Chi-hi! Chi-hi!
• Sol-hii~~
• Jinsol looks insanely handsome again today~
• Our Jinsol is seriously more handsome than most celebrities LOL

Baek Jinsol.

He was one of the most famous hunters in South Korea.

A handsome appearance, a unique trait, and a career as a former member of the “First Raid Team.”

With credentials like that, it was only natural for over five thousand viewers to gather the moment he started streaming.

“First, I want to tell everyone about my future broadcast schedule. I probably won’t be able to stream for a while.”

• Oh? Are you challenging the 17th floor?
• Finally happening LOL
• Park Jinsu has been bragging nonstop on Stargram lately.
• Fighting!!! Please succeed in the raid!!

It was rare for viewers to react so positively to a streamer announcing a break.

But if that streamer belonged to a top-tier raid team, reactions like this were unavoidable.

Raid teams practically determined the fate of entire nations.

Even at this very moment, dungeon breaks were occurring in countries whose Hunter forces were too weak and had fallen behind in Tower progression.

Thankfully, Korea was still in the “safe” category.

But within a few months, it would likely enter the “danger” category, so people desperately wanted the raid teams to clear the next floor as soon as possible.

That was why viewers reacted happily rather than negatively to Baek Jinsol’s streaming break.

“Thank you for cheering us on. We’ll definitely succeed in the raid and return safely.”

Baek Jinsol smiled while responding to viewers’ support, but then his expression suddenly froze after reading one particular chat message.

• Did you hear the news? Apparently, the first raid team has started challenging the 17th floor.

The First Raid Team referred to Jinwoo’s raid team.

Although it was called the First Raid Team, it had originally been Korea’s one and only raid team.

Just as Jinwoo’s team overwhelmingly dominated other countries, they had also completely overshadowed every other Hunter in Korea.

Other Hunters had not even dared think about forming their own raid teams.

But in just two short months, multiple new raid teams had been formed one after another.

One of those new teams was Park Jinsu’s team, which Baek Jinsol had transferred to.

• LOL they’ve gone crazy. Are they trying to die?
• But whenever Kim Jinwoo attempts a raid, doesn’t he almost always clear it in one try?
• He only moves when he’s certain he can succeed LOL
• Seriously? Are they actually going to clear the 17th floor?
• Nope~ no way.

The chat instantly became flooded with discussions about Kim Jinwoo.

The man once called the world’s strongest hunter had broken his long silence and challenged the 17th floor, so naturally it became a huge topic.

And Baek Jinsol had once been one of Jinwoo’s subordinates.

‘He should’ve just quietly hunted in dungeons. Why crawl into a death trap?’

Baek Jinsol felt slightly indebted to Jinwoo.

Probably everyone who had once belonged to Jinwoo’s raid team felt the same.

Originally, Jinwoo’s raid team had practically been a one-man team.

In reality, Jinwoo had almost single-handedly cleared the Tower up to the 10th floor.

Yet Jinwoo divided all rewards equally among the team members.

He always added that it was “more efficient that way.”

Thanks to Jinwoo’s fairness, Baek Jinsol had also grown quickly by receiving portions of the first-clear rewards.

‘I’m grateful, sure. But if you’ve become washed up, then just retire quietly. Don’t drag me down with you.’

Thinking that inwardly, he spoke in a worried tone instead.

“His team barely has any members left now, yet he still made such a reckless challenge. I just hope Captain Korea returns safely.”

• LOL so you already assume he’ll fail?
• Still, he’s worrying about his former captain LOL
• That doesn’t sound like concern. It sounds like total disrespect LOL
• But if it’s Godsol, he has the right to look down on him. Unlike that washed-up guy, he’s at the peak of his career right now.

The viewers who had been supporting Kim Jinwoo immediately changed attitudes after hearing Baek Jinsol’s words.

The word “washed up” flooded the chat hundreds of times.

Then it happened.

[The Tower of Babel (Korea) has achieved SSS Raid Rank on the 17th floor.]

Baek Jinsol, who had been chatting with viewers, widened his eyes after seeing the message appear in the center of his vision.

• What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?
• Looks like he made eye contact with a ghost monster LOL
• Maybe the food delivery he ordered arrived outside his house? Since he’s a Hunter, maybe he sensed it LOL
• Wow, that’s actually kind of insane.

Baek Jinsol stared blankly at the chat for a moment before explaining the notification that had appeared before him.

The viewers, who could not see the announcement because they were not Hunters, were soon shocked after hearing his explanation.