Chapter 6

Potion Seller (1)**

A building so tall you could see all of Seoul from above.

B-rank Hunter Ahn Yeonseo stepped out of the elevator and hurried down the hallway.

When she reached the top-floor office and entered, she immediately bowed.

“Sir, I have urgent news.”

The man who lifted his head was young.
His face looked neat and handsome, but the presence he radiated was enormous—almost overwhelming.

His name was Seo Jaehyuk.

The guildmaster of Aegis, Korea’s #1 guild, and the man who has never once lost the #1 Hunter ranking in the country.

Ahn Yeonseo had followed him for over five years, working as his supporter.

Seo Jaehyuk, eyes closed, asked calmly,

“What is it?”

His tone was flat, but Yeonseo immediately sensed it.

‘He’s extremely irritated today.’

Very, very irritated.

Which meant Yeonseo needed to tread lightly.

Normally, S-rank Hunters suppress their aura so that lower-ranked Hunters don’t get crushed by it. It’s a courtesy.

But today, Seo Jaehyuk clearly had no intention of being courteous.

‘It must be because of the 49th floor.’

Yeonseo swallowed dryly and stepped farther into the room.

It had been six months since Korea reached the 49th floor.
Yet no country in the world had cleared it—not even Korea, famous for dominating Tower raids.

Aegis had already failed three times, losing many Hunters each time.

The media constantly harassed them, asking, “When will you clear the 49th floor?”
Guild members were pushed to enter again and again… and many died.

Of course Seo Jaehyuk was in a foul mood.

‘No point trying to comfort him. I’ll just do my job.’

Yeonseo placed a file onto the desk and spoke.

“Sir, do you remember the reward for breaking the 36th-floor record?”

“Of course. The Jade Ring.”

Her question was so out of nowhere that Seo Jaehyuk tilted his head slightly.

Unlike other floors that have scenarios, the 36th floor is simply an endless monster wave.

Mostly B- and A-rank monsters appear.
Only five people can enter at a time.

And there are two strict restrictions:

All healing abilities are sealed, no exceptions.
Potions cannot be brought inside from outside.

You must survive using only your personal skill and physical ability.

“Why bring up the Jade Ring?”

The A-rank Jade Ring, given for setting a new record on the 36th floor, was something he used for a long time—
a ring that raised all stats by 10%.

He wore it until he finally obtained a superior S-rank ring after clearing the 45th floor.

He’d auctioned it off over three years ago.
So why mention it now?

Yeonseo answered.

“The market price of the Jade Ring suddenly dropped by half.”

“…What?”

Impossible.

There were only three Jade Rings in Korea:

– The first-ever 36th-floor record breaker
– The next person who broke that record
– And finally the ring Seo Jaehyuk earned himself

A rare item like that doesn’t suddenly lose half its value overnight.

“Did someone smuggle one in from overseas?”

Normally, high-quality items were heavily restricted by governments—
because items boost Hunter power, their export was tightly controlled.

If foreign items were illegally smuggled in, the price drop might make sense.

But Yeonseo firmly shook her head.

“No. The 36th-floor record has been broken.”

“By who? Baekdan Guild?”

Baekdan was Aegis’s biggest competitor and current #2.
Annoying, but still elite enough that breaking the record wasn’t impossible.

But Yeonseo answered,

“Not Baekdan. And not any top guild.”

“…?”

“Eight different new guilds broke the record one after another. Every single one was a temporary ‘project guild.’”

“…Come again?”

Seo Jaehyuk frowned.

Not because he didn’t understand—but because it made no sense.

This was his record.
He hadn’t lost the #1 rank since awakening.
Nobody stronger than him suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
And none of the top 7 guilds did it—
but new guilds?

Eight of them??

“How? Did they have a high-ranked Awakener?”

“No. All B to C-rank. Occasionally one A-rank.”

“…Then how did they beat my record?”

He stared intensely at Yeonseo.

But she didn’t add anything else.

Which meant he had to find out himself.

“Can I meet the most recent record breaker?”

“I expected you would say that.”

Yeonseo opened the office door.

“I brought him.”

Outside, a trembling man stood frozen like a scared rabbit.

Yeonseo gestured kindly.

“Please come in.”

“This is Kim Minsu, age 38, B-rank.
Title: Frostlight Blade.
He’s an ice-attribute melee dealer.
He belonged to a new guild that cleared the 36th floor two days ago.”

“Kim Minsu.”

“Y-yes, sir?!”

Yesterday, he had been thrilled.

He sold a Jade Ring at auction, made a ton of money, bought new smartphones for his two adorable daughters…

Now, Seo Jaehyuk looked at him like a predator sizing up prey.

Minsu felt like he might suffocate.

Seo Jaehyuk asked,

“How did you break the record?”

“T-that, well, I… uh…”

He knew he needed to answer properly to survive,
but his brain refused to work.

He was just an ordinary man.
He had never stood in front of an S-rank hunter before.

To him, Seo Jaehyuk’s presence felt like pressure that could crush bones.

Minsu hesitated only 10 seconds.

“Enough.”

Seo Jaehyuk got up, clearly irritated.

He slowly walked toward the shaking Minsu.

“I’ll find out myself.”

The last thing Kim Minsu saw was Seo Jaehyuk’s eyes glowing gold.

***

Meanwhile…

“Hello, I’m Chunja. I’m an E-rank supporter working with you today. Please take care of me!”

Today, I’m Chunja.

“What kind of support do you do? You know healing doesn’t work on the 36th floor, right?”

“Of course! I can cast buffs. Mana Optimization!”

“What’s Mana Optimization?”

“It helps you use your mana more efficiently.”

“Oh? That actually sounds great!”

Lying gets easier after doing it ten times.

The tank—who looked like a giant boar—brightened, so I gave him two big thumbs-up.

He smacked his lips, impressed.

“When things get rough, I can also tank hits.”

“How can an E-rank tank? We’re not that desperate.”

“Hahaha…”

I scratched my neck awkwardly.

To be honest, I was the best tank here.
They could literally use me as a shield and I wouldn’t die.

Though I’d scream from the pain, so maybe they wouldn’t like that.

“Chunja, why are you covering your face?”

The long-ponytail ranged dealer stared at me.

Why does everyone care so much about this stupid mask…

‘Was his name Kim Minsu?’

Too ordinary a name—easy to remember.

Anyway, I touched my cheap 2-gold mask and answered sadly,

“Oh, I have a big scar on my face.”

Feeling guilty, the ponytail girl shut her mouth quickly.

“It’s fine. No need to think about it.”

I’m very generous, after all.

This mask was just a cheap disguise I bought quickly from the market so no one would recognize me.

While I was smirking under the mask, someone spoke up again.

“Is it true? That the 36th-floor record keeps getting broken lately?”

It was the dual-sword melee dealer—
not that I wanted to call him that, but he insisted on being called “Dual Sword Warrior.”

Except his “dual swords” were… a dagger and a long sword…?
Is that even considered dual-sword style?

While I was pondering that, another melee dealer reacted loudly.

“It’s true! Seo Jaehyuk held the record for years, but it’s been broken like five times already!”

Actually, it was eight times.

‘And today will be the ninth.’

This kid was a high-schooler who awakened only a week ago.
With that bright neon green hair, he must think the world looks neon green too.

The boar-tank stepped in to settle the noise.

“Since records keep getting broken and no information is being shared, something must’ve changed on the 36th floor. Our goal today is to set another new record.”

Everyone nodded seriously.

The temporary guild I joined today was called “Violent Suppression.”
The goal: clear the 36th-floor Infinite Monster Wave.

The name was ridiculous, but I chose them for a reason:

As the tank said, the guild was created only for this floor.
No one cared about each other personally, and once today ended, none of us would ever meet again.

“Shall we enter?”

The tank placed his hand on the Tower.

A blue portal opened.

Facing everyone, he said solemnly,

“Let’s do this. Don’t get hurt. Just hit the objective and get out.”

His expression carried the weight of the world.

It almost made me feel serious too—

…Just kidding.

I nodded half-heartedly and stepped into the blue portal.

These people would not get hurt or tired today.

***

[Open Market ‘Friendly Market’ | Manager: Lee Hae]