Chapter 87

Chapter 87.

I returned to the Hanam Fortress conference room.

“Everyone’s here.”

I looked over the faces gathered in the conference room.

Jin Cheon-jin. Min Ji-hee. Han Seol-ah.

That made the three from the Hunter Association.

Next were Lee Hyeong-je and...

‘Whoa, you scared me.’

For a moment, I thought a living corpse had walked in on its own two feet.

Blue-black dark circles hung beneath his hollowed-out eyes.

He looked so much like an overworked zombie that I failed to recognize him as Kang Hyo-jun for a second.

“Happy couldn’t come. There was just no way for her to free herself...”

“Mm. So she’s working at her post, then.”

‘You should’ve stayed and worked too...’

Anyway, the two from the Golden Foundation.

Lee A-un and Kim Cheol-su.

My party members.

Now that I thought about it, one person was missing from the party member seats, where there should have been four.

“Where’s Yeriche?”

“She returned to Italy.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, I had burned through all the vouchers to use her for the 94th Floor climb.

I hadn’t replenished the vouchers.

‘She must’ve thought, “Now’s my chance,” and run.’

Well, that was fine.

She would need Nutritional Supplements, so she would be back soon.

And...

She would regret not answering my summons now.

“I have gifts.”

***

CLATTER—!

When the Apostle stretched out his hand, equipment radiating brilliant light poured out like a mountain.

‘...Artifacts?’

Aside from a few pieces of armor, most of them were accessories.

Even the armor had no overlapping parts, as if he had stripped the Artifacts straight off one person.

‘Is that the Eye of Aegis?!’

Min Ji-hee’s gaze locked sharply onto a brooch rolling across the table.

The Eye of Aegis, an anti-sniper A-rank Artifact said to be especially effective against projectiles!

It was the same kind of self-defense item as the keepsake she had sold off to Pandemonium, “Constellation Ward,” so she recognized it at a glance.

And above all, that item was secretly known as the exclusive gear of Richard, the U.S. Hunter Association President.

‘With value like this... these must be goods from that neighborhood across the sea flying the Stars and Stripes.’

Lee Hyeong-je also instantly recognized the origin of several Artifacts spilled across the table.

‘...They’re all stolen property. American, too.’

It looked exactly the same to Kang Hyo-jun, a stolen-property expert belonging to Black Market.

The three people who simultaneously realized “whose personal effects” these were met eyes as if by agreement.

‘Keep it secret.’

‘Mm.’

‘Let’s.’

Nod.

By the time the three foxes finished exchanging glances like that, the others, unaware of the circumstances behind the items, were staring slack-jawed at the Artifacts that looked obviously precious.

“Wow... Where on earth did you get all this?”

“After taking care of the Tanker and Healer, you gathered these to give us a full equipment setup too, right, Brother?!”

Even amid Lee A-un’s excited fuss, the Apostle’s expression remained as impassive as usual.

“I picked them up on the way here.”

“To think you would pick up something like this while passing by! As expected, Apostle, even fate itself helps you!”

“...Sure. Thanks, Han Seol-ah.”

The Apostle picked up the most conspicuous brooch on the table and tossed it toward Min Ji-hee.

“This one’s yours.”

“Oh.”

It was the A-rank Artifact Min Ji-hee had noticed first, the Eye of Aegis.

“Wh-why are you giving this to me...”

“Your role is to control the situation from the rear. If you die because some stray projectile from who knows where, or an assassin’s bullet, hits you, the loss would be enormous.”

At that indifferent tone, Min Ji-hee bit her lip.

‘Apostle...’

Min Ji-hee, who had not Awakened any combat-related ability, had always lived among monstrous Hunters with the label of a “weakling who needed to be protected.”

Min Ji-hee wanted to reduce the burden of guarding her even a little and send even one more Tanker to the front line.

That was why she had searched for self-defense Artifacts.

Most already had owners, or the ones on the market were far too expensive... so she had never managed to buy even one.

But in one corner of her heart, there had always been a thirst.

‘If only I had even one self-defense Artifact like that.’

‘The Apostle saw through even this anxiety of mine... and gave me the surest answer.’

Her secret fear that she might become a burden to the party.

The Apostle had comforted that fear by giving her the Artifact she had needed most desperately.

“Thank you...!”

Min Ji-hee clutched the brooch tightly.

‘Hm?’

And the moment she turned the brooch over, a familiar earring that had been lying beneath it caught her eye.

‘...!’

The keepsake of her parents she had sold as payment for her transaction with Pandemonium...!

It was the A-rank self-defense Artifact, “Constellation Ward.”

‘H-how does the Apostle have this...?’

She had definitely sold it to Pandemonium...

‘Ah!’

In that instant, the scattered fragments of information connected into one line inside Min Ji-hee’s mind.

Pandemonium, Richard, terrorism.

Richard had been Pandemonium’s underling.

‘...They had the head of the most powerful nation acting as their underling? Was Pandemonium really on that level? Then... No, this isn’t the time for that.’

Min Ji-hee suppressed the questions that kept branching endlessly and decided to focus only on the “gift” the Apostle had given her.

“Thank you very much, Apostle!”

Her eyes filled with hot emotion.

But the Apostle merely glanced past her desperate gaze and, without delay, picked up the next Artifact.

“Next. Han Seol-ah.”

“Yes!”

Han Seol-ah, who had been watching enviously from behind, trotted over like a puppy wagging its tail.

What the Apostle held out was a necklace set with a large blue gem.

“This is a B-rank Artifact with a function that adjusts perceived temperature.”

“Oh...”

“Due to the nature of its training, the Frost Type often has to remain in cold places for long periods. If the balance of your training goes wrong, you suffer a Frost debuff... in other words, your body freezes. In severe cases, it can even lead to permanent injury.”

“Yes!”

Han Seol-ah nodded with a spirited answer on the outside.

‘Though after becoming EX-rank, I’ve never actually felt cold during training...’

[Still, engrave it in your heart. He is the one who stands at the pinnacle of Frost Magic.]

‘...I was trying to understand it as meaning that will happen in the future.’

Since she had received it, Han Seol-ah immediately tried wearing the necklace.

‘!’

And she felt her body... growing warm.

‘What on earth is this...?’

[Th-this kind of Artifact existed in the world?]

Han Seol-ah hurriedly looked inward.

Nothing had changed.

Her Mana Hall and Mana Road were still filled with EX-rank Frost Type Mana of a bitingly cold nature.

Then what was this warmth she felt?

[I see... So that was what he meant.]

‘What is it? Tell me too!’

[Frost is ultimately a power that must aim below zero... Yet paradoxically, the Apostle, who stands at the pinnacle of the Frost Type, bestowed upon you an Artifact that makes you warm. The answer lies within this contradiction, this paradox.]

‘...’

[An Artifact is a rare object imbued with a portion of the Tower’s “rules.” In other words, the contradictory rule of “feeling warmth even while containing extreme Frost Type Mana” is being applied to your body.]

‘Ah!’

[To see the end of Frost, you must ultimately embrace even the opposite quality and overcome even the Tower’s rules. The Apostle is presenting you with your ultimate goal.]

‘Such a deep meaning...’

Even this brief moment of receiving an item became a succession of precious Enlightenments for her.

Han Seol-ah felt the cold contained in her Frost Type Mana deepen slightly, and she tightly gripped the gem at the center of the necklace.

For some reason, it felt as though warm heat was also flowing from the gem.

“I’ll work hard!”

“Mm.”

Next.

The Apostle gave Lee A-un the “Ring of Regeneration,” which raised physical healing ability.

The moment Lee A-un put on the ring, his face twisted in pain.

“Ugh! This thing hurts like crazy just from putting it on...”

Lee A-un felt pain as if tens of thousands of sharpened thorns were scraping through his blood vessels.

Ratty, who felt that sensation together with him, poked its face out of Lee A-un’s pocket.

[Dark Mana and recovery power are colliding. You have gained a fine training tool. Thank you, my lord.]

“...Mm.”

What Kim Cheol-su received was a bracelet-type Spatial Expansion Bag.

“Hup...!”

The moment Kang Hyo-jun saw it, he inhaled sharply without realizing it.

“What is it?”

When the Apostle’s sharp gaze pinned him, Kang Hyo-jun flinched and hurriedly shook his head.

“...It is nothing.”

Kang Hyo-jun lowered his gaze, trying hard to look composed, but inwardly, he was astonished.

‘That’s definitely... the Pouch of the National Treasury!’

Its storage capacity was in no way inferior to other bags.

And yet it possessed the tremendous convenience of being bracelet-shaped.

The king of Spatial Expansion Bags!

That was the “Pouch of the National Treasury.”

Naturally, it was so precious that no price could be put on it.

‘Even if all the top-grade equipment piled up here were converted into cash, it might barely compare to that one pouch.’

Kang Hyo-jun looked at Kim Cheol-su again.

If the Apostle bestowed the most precious Artifact on him, then this ordinary-looking man must be the person the Apostle cherished most within his Tower-climbing party...!

‘Kim Cheol-su...’

Kang Hyo-jun engraved Kim Cheol-su’s ordinary face clearly into his mind.

‘...I feel like I’ve seen that face somewhere before. Hm, it won’t be easy to memorize.’

Even to Kang Hyo-jun, an experienced merchant, Kim Cheol-su’s excessively ordinary face was a difficult opponent.

‘Still... I must remember him.’

Lee Hyeong-je received “Vishnu’s Six Steps,” which now had one use remaining.

Since he had built up infamy through this “business,” it was meant as preparation against a possible assassination.

“Heh, heh. If an assassination comes, I can simply die.”

“...You must absolutely not die.”

“Haha. I will be careful.”

For Jin Cheon-jin, there was a return ceremony for the S-rank Artifact, White Tiger’s Fang.

The Apostle clearly declared, “It is mine, which I received as payment, and I am only lending it to you for now,” but Jin Cheon-jin merely shed hot tears and thanked him.

And lastly.

“Kang Hyo-jun.”

“Yes?”

‘For me too?’

The Apostle threw a pair of rings to Kang Hyo-jun.

At first glance, they were a pair of ordinary-looking gold rings.

However, the story changed if those were the gold rings Richard had been wearing.

‘These... Are they the Ring of Dawn and the Ring of Twilight?’

A pair of matching rings that formed a set under the names “Dawn” and “Twilight.”

For such grand names, their abilities were extremely simple.

Increased sleep efficiency.

And fatigue recovery.

Because improving sleep efficiency allowed the wearer to wake earlier than others and see the “dawn,” it was called the Ring of Dawn.

Because afterward the wearer would never tire until the sun went down, it was called the Ring of Twilight.

They were Artifacts obtainable in the 40th Floor range, so they were fairly common items.

In fact, they were also given as joining gifts to new employees of the U.S. Hunter Association.

A gift for Kang Hyo-jun, who suffered from extreme fatigue every time.

He wanted to interpret it that way, but...

New employees of the U.S. Hunter Association who received these Artifacts as gifts interpreted them like this.

—You think you have time to sleep? Work!

‘...As expected, it means I should work even harder.’

Kang Hyo-jun bowed deeply and took the rings.

Once he received them, he realized there were four rings in total.

Two pairs.

‘One pair can go to Happy.’

“Good. Now Min Ji-hee, Lee Hyeong-je, Kang Hyo-jun. Only you three stay. Everyone else, leave.”

‘Yeriche?’

For a moment, everyone present thought of the Saintess’s empty seat as if by agreement.

But just as they were about to move on, thinking there had to be a reason she had not been called...

“What about the Saintess’s?”

The bright-eyed Lee A-un politely raised his hand and asked.

“None.”

The Apostle said it flatly.

***

The rest is all mine.

That bastard Richard had been using good armor.

It was stolen property anyway, so I couldn’t sell it.

If someone wore equipment that was too famous, there was a risk others would find out it was stolen property.

So I would wear it.

If anyone raised suspicions or did whatever else, I could just ignore them.

The others, on the other hand, could not handle the fallout.

CLICK.

With the sound of the door closing after Han Seol-ah was the last to leave, the atmosphere in the conference room changed.

At the same time, the faint smile on my lips disappeared.

“We are ready, Apostle.”

I had deliberately left only the ones who knew how to use their heads.

Han Seol-ah... was smart, but she did not really use her head when it counted.

Jin Cheon-jin was the type who hated using his head.

Lee A-un and Kim Cheol-su were slow on the uptake.

Happy was... hard to say.

Yeriche was stupid.

“Now. Everyone, focus on this.”

I set down the “Egg of an Outer God” I had brought in my pocket with a light tap.

It had the form of an empty Mana Stone, split in half with all its Mana drained away.

“Is that... a Mana Stone?”

Kang Hyo-jun asked cautiously.

From the question mark in his voice, he did not seem certain even as he spoke.

“How does it look?”

“It looks like a Mana Stone. But it is a little different.”

Kang Hyo-jun took appraisal glasses from his coat and carefully examined the Mana Stone-like egg.

“...Since I can see nothing, it is not an item from the Tower—that is, not an Artifact.”

He could tell even that?

Pretty useful.

“You’re saying this isn’t a Mana Stone? It looks exactly like one.”

Lee Hyeong-je raised the question.

He was right.

I did not know what point Kang Hyo-jun had noticed at first, but to an ordinary person, a Mana Stone and an Egg of an Outer God were impossible to tell apart.

“How did you realize something was off from the start?”

“The cut surface is different.”

Kang Hyo-jun stretched out a finger and pointed to the severed part.

“A Mana Stone is a stone containing high-concentration, high-purity Mana inside. If you cut it, the Mana bursts out and leaves traces of an explosion. But...”

Kang Hyo-jun swept a finger over the cut surface.

“It is clean. Which means it is not a Mana Stone.”

As expected of Black Market?

His understanding of “merchandise” was on another level.

Even I had just learned that.

“Right. This is not a Mana Stone.”

“Apostle. Then this is...”

Min Ji-hee’s face turned serious.

“...This is the egg that contained the Degraded Entity. The name I use for it is Egg of an Outer God.”

“Degraded Entity?”

I showed Kang Hyo-jun the video as well.

I paused the video at the beginning, where the Degraded Entity appeared, and explained.

“...This monster was inside that stone resembling a Mana Stone?”

“For reference, it has enough combat power to kill several S-rank Hunters if they are not specialized in combat, even if they attack together.”

The three of them grew grave.

But there was something even more dangerous than that.

“Now, then... how widely do you think these ‘Eggs of an Outer God’ have spread across the world?”

“...We cannot predict that.”

“The supply and utilization of Mana Stones are sensitive information treated as top secrets by each country.”

As if agreeing with Min Ji-hee’s words, Snowy’s voice flowed from the Hunter Watch.

[Even I would need time to break through each nation’s information networks, Agent. And if it is a physically isolated closed network, there is no way to hack it from the outside.]

“....”

I grew serious along with them.

I could not get a sense of how far, or how widely, the Eggs of an Outer God had spread.

“What about us?”

“...There are none domestically.”

“How can you be sure? As you can see, before it is cut open, an Egg of an Outer God looks exactly like a Mana Stone.”

“...Well.”

Min Ji-hee trailed off, mumbling as if embarrassed.

Seeing her hesitate in a way unlike her usual self, I figured the eggs must have spread seriously within the country as well.

“What is it? Say it properly.”

“...Apostle, the Republic of Korea is the only country without a Mana Stone power plant.”

“....”

“...Therefore, there are none. I am certain.”

Wow...

Being Earth’s top beggar nation actually helped at times like this.

“...So we’re safe.”

“...Yes.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Yes. It is fortunate...”

Ahem, ahem.

“Then the solution becomes simple.”

At my assertion, Min Ji-hee was startled.

“Pardon? Simple? We are currently in a situation where we do not know how widely this dangerous thing has spread across the world.”

Sure, it would sound strange.

“To use an analogy, this is like a remote-controlled bomb.”

But it was true.

“Kill the bastard holding the switch, and the bomb won’t go off.”

The target was clear.

Pandemonium.

All we had to do was fuck them up.