Chapter 42

I only let out a sigh of relief once we left the Tower.

“Whew, it all worked out somehow. Thank you, Woo-jae.”

“We were lucky. Since they moved separately, it was fine. But if all five had known who the boss was and come together… it would’ve been tough. We’d have escaped, but still.”

“You’re right. I’ll need to be more prepared.”

“If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know!”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks.”

Just because it was China this time didn’t mean others wouldn’t try something similar.
Sending five S-rank Hunters was absurd both logically and in terms of national power—but there were plenty of strange organizations in the world.
Not just countries, but even criminal syndicates.

“I should call the Association President and discuss this.”

I felt like my personal safety was increasingly being threatened.

While I now truly understood how strong Woo-jae’s protection was, true safety isn’t reactive—it’s proactive.
That is, if you don’t prepare ahead of time, you’re not safe at all.

Ding-ling—

Just as I was about to call the President, my phone rang.
Speak of the devil—it was the Association President.
He probably heard about the attack and was checking in.

“Hello?”

— “Mr. Namjoong, are you alright!!”

The voice blasted through the speaker like it would explode the phone.

Rubbing my ear, I replied:

“Yes, I’m fine. You’re calling because of what happened yesterday?”

— “Yes. I was alarmed when everyone suddenly disappeared. I couldn’t even trace your phone location.”

“Ah, I briefly entered the Tower. No need to worry.”

— “Whew…”

I could hear the sigh of relief even over the speaker.

Trying to further ease his mind, I added:

“I’m okay, so please don’t worry. Still, I think I’ll need to take more precautions. After this incident, others probably found out—at least unofficially—where I live.”

— “Of course. We’re already taking action. I’m sorry this happened.”

“No, it’s fine. I figured this would happen eventually when I got this trait. It just happened a bit sooner than expected.”

— “Yes, I’m truly sorry. We’ll act immediately. Oh, but… actually…”

“Yes?”

— “While I did call because of yesterday’s incident… there’s also a situation in China.”

“A situation?”

A situation?

Did too many monsters kill civilians because they overextended their Hunters?

If so, that was tragic.
But the President’s tone felt… oddly vague.

— “Perhaps… you don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?”

What was he talking about? I genuinely had no idea.
All I did was trap some Hunters in the Tower.

I joked:

“What, did the Chinese Vice Chairman die or something?”

— “So you do know!”

“Huh?”

— “Was that Woo-jae’s doing as well?”

“Wait, what? Are you saying the Vice Chairman actually died?”

— “Didn’t you just say you knew…?”

“I was just joking.”

— “…You’re really not involved?”

“I’m not!!”

Even I was shocked.

He was the one who sent the Hunters after us… and now he was dead?

Why?

I hadn’t even told Woo-jae to kill him.

In fact, Woo-jae had been with me the whole time.

— “Understood. It seems this is more complicated than we thought.”

“Yeah, no kidding. The Vice Chairman just… suddenly dying? I’m speechless.”

— “That…”

“Geez, I told you, it wasn’t me! I was in the Tower until just now!”

— “Y-yes. I understand. It’s just hard to believe.”

I couldn’t believe it either.

“How did you even find out about his death? It’s barely been any time since the fight.”

— “If he had died quietly, we wouldn’t have known. But it was… noisy. The bunker he was in exploded.”

“Wait, what?”

— “Apparently, it was a suicide bombing. Only someone like the Vice Chairman could’ve authorized it. That’s how we got the intel so quickly.”

What?

The Vice Chairman blew himself up?

Why?

Did he really panic after losing five S-rank Hunters?

It didn’t make sense.

“So… the U.S. and our government think it was murder?”

— “Yes. Shi Yanpeng was not the type to commit suicide. He had no reason to.”

“If it was murder… then who?”

— “That’s the problem. There’s no lead. He had eliminated all political enemies in advance, and the number of people who could enter the bunker was extremely limited.”

“No eyewitnesses?”

— “Everyone in the bunker died.”

“Ha…”

Well, with that kind of explosion, obviously no one survived.

President Kang continued:

— “That’s why both the government and the U.S. are identifying V as a suspect.”

“Wait, what?! Why?”

— “Isn’t it obvious? He has the strength to clear three A-rank gates in moments, a hidden identity, and just defeated five of China’s S-rank Hunters. He has motive and ability. Though I personally believe you’re innocent.”

I swept my hand through my hair in frustration.

“So what now?”

— “Fortunately, your identity hasn’t been exposed. You signed the penthouse lease under a fake name from the beginning.”

“That’s a relief.”

— “But now, international investigations will begin. Eventually, they’ll figure out who really lives there.”

Damn it.

All this trouble because of China.

Or rather, because I revealed my power.

Still, at least everyone already believed V lived in the penthouse.

That slowed down the investigation.

If they thought Midas lived there, they would’ve gone insane already.

V was still important after this, but not irreplaceable like Midas.

President Kang continued:

— “That’s why I’m calling. It’s best you hide yourself for now. Do you have a place to go?”

“Of course… not.”

Nope.
Unless you counted Woo-jae’s penthouse on the 90th Tower floor or the auction-purchased inventory.

But the 90th floor’s mana pressure was unbearable, and the inventory wasn’t well-developed yet.

— “Then come to the place I’ll send you. You were going to need to visit eventually anyway.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

— “You’ll see when you get there. I’ll send the location and code via message.”

“Thank you for coming all the way here.”

“Next time, give me a heads-up, please. That scared the hell out of me.”

“Apologies. It was too complicated to send all that via message.”

Well, considering the password and the whole process, it really was complicated.
I accepted it.

Honestly, it was strange for an A-rank Hunter like me to be shocked by a slide like that in the first place.

Call it an instinctive coward’s reflex.

“So, what exactly is this place? A weapons research lab?”

“Exactly as it sounds. This is a weapons research facility. We research everything from D-rank to S-rank gear—civilian and Hunter-grade alike. It’s a top-secret site.”

“Ooh…”

“You also had requests regarding Chris, and you needed a secure place to stay. I figured this would be best for now. Sorry it’s underground.”

“No, it’s fine. Honestly, it doesn’t even feel like we’re underground.”

Usually, underground places feel musty, humid, and uncomfortable.

But this place was the exact opposite—perfectly clean and pleasant.

Probably thanks to magic and state-of-the-art ventilation systems.

There was even magically simulated sunlight, making it feel no different from the surface.

And as a homebody, I wasn’t that fond of sunlight anyway.

“This place has the best weapons specialists in the country. Naturally, they’re top-tier in scientific fields like math, physics, electronics. They can build anything. It’ll help Chris.”

“Thank you. But more importantly, how secure is this place for me?”

“That’s exactly why I invited you here. No one except the President and the researchers stationed here know about this facility. It’s classified.”

Oh, this is nice.

“So what’s the chance the President comes looking for me here?”

“Zero. He hardly ever visits, and even when he does, he just inspects a few critical items before leaving.”

“Perfect.”

“Of course, if you ever feel cooped up, you’re free to leave. We’re already looking into alternative housing options for you. You can move whenever you want.”

“For now, I’ll stay here. I still need to get my weapon made.”

It was the best option.

My safety was guaranteed, it didn’t feel like I was underground, and I needed to work on my gear anyway.

“Thank you. Now then—”

“What is that?”

While I was talking with the Association President, Woo-jae suddenly interrupted.

His voice was unusually heavy.

He was staring at a wall lined with dozens of monitors.

The President responded:

“Ah, those are screens showing major incidents around the country. Photos and footage get archived there.”

“No, not the monitors in general. I mean that one. What is that?”

He pointed precisely to a specific screen—breaking from his usual tone for the first time.

Out of hundreds of monitors, he focused on just one.

Inside it pulsed a bizarre-looking object.

One of the staff spoke up:

“Ah, that’s footage from North Korea. A monster that broke out of a gate laid an egg, and that’s the recording.”

“No, that’s not an egg.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s the cocoon of a Lich, a death sorcerer. And…”

Woo-jae swallowed hard, like he couldn’t believe what he was about to say.

“It’s the mid-boss of the 15th floor.”

The thing in North Korea wasn’t a normal monster from a typical gate.

A mid-boss from the Top-Tier Tower was… being born on Earth.