The Hunter Returns Chapter 2

2

Kim Yun-do, who came out of the starting room, was faced with a dazzling light.

It is a light that you can’t believe is inside a tower. It is a brilliant sunlight that even feels warm. It is impossible to believe that it is fake. It is the amazing system of the Tower of Heaven that can even change the environment if necessary.

Kim Yun-do silently received the sunlight on his body.

It’s warm.

How could the warmth created through lies be so sweet? How tired must he have been? A bitter smile appeared on his lips without him realizing it.

The future where the abyss gate opened was a time of endless winter.

To be exact, it is a season created by the abyssal environment. The turbid air flowing out from inside the door made the land barren, and this further polluted the sky.

A horrifying sight, as if the entire world had been swallowed by an abyss.

The front line where Kim Yun-do and his colleagues were facing off was such a hell.

Both eyes, adapted to the light, recognized their surroundings.

Under the gently falling sunlight, a ruined street was spread out. Like Kim Yun-do, the successors who had come out were looking around. In their hands, they all had the weapons that had been given out in the starting room a little while ago.

“What happened? I’m sure he came out the door….”

“This is inside the tower? That’s ridiculous.”

“Wait a minute. So this is the first floor?”

“Just be quiet. Can’t you see that?”

In front of the successors who were trying to figure out the situation, there was a large rat.

A rat with pathologically white skin, like a rat used in experiments. The guy dressed in oriental clothes had red glowing eyes. After eating the cheese he was holding in both hands, he opened his mouth at the sight of the silent successors.

“Hello, Successors. I am Constellation Baekja, in charge of Section 1. Oh, Section 1 refers to floors 1 through 10. I think the Constellation of the Tower told you in the starting room, but many of you probably didn’t hear it and left. From what I can see, everyone here is impatient and left without even asking about such things.”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to come out already,” the constellation, who revealed himself as Baekja, continued.

“What can I do? It’s my job to kindly explain things to these successors, so I’ll have to accept some losses. Hey, I’m too kind. Okay. You’ll be with me until the 10th floor, so get used to my face. There’ll be a lot to see in the future.”

Unlike the noisy successors, Kim Yun-do’s eyes were cold and settled.

I never thought I’d see that rat’s face again.

It’s the work of a worldly advisor.

The constellation in charge of the section of the tower.

It was easy to understand if you thought of them as a kind of manager in charge of each section. They were fundamentally different from the constellations of the tower, who only performed their assigned duties in the starting room. They had their own thoughts and will.

Constellations are mysterious entities that can only exist within the tower.

Outside the tower, he was a half-existence, unable to exert any influence.

But the guys inside the tower are absolute.

Those who possessed powers beyond the standards of authority reigned like gods.

And the rat in front of me was the worst of all constellations.

「The rules of the tower are very simple. You just need to clear all the tower floors from the 1st floor to the 50th floor. The first 10th floor is more like a tutorial, and then slowly clear the sections from the outside in. Then, the successors will be able to control powers that cannot even be imagined from the outside…」

“Hey, rat. Enough with the story that everyone knows. Tell me what we should do first.”

It was a man who interrupted Baekja’s words.

He stuck his beginner’s greatsword into the floor and spat out a spurt of saliva mixed with phlegm.

「… I see. It seems I told you too easy a story. Right. To be honest, it wasn’t fun, and I thought I was stupid for telling you the same story every time. Should I prepare a guide next time? If you check the bases, there are guides everywhere.」

“Okay. Let’s talk quickly since we don’t need to gossip. Don’t you like that?”

The constellation of the tower that is generously given to the successor and the white porcelain in front of you should be considered as separate entities.

The fate of the man who didn’t even notice such a simple fact was decided in that moment.

The white porcelain’s front paws struck the floor.

A small crack appeared in the ground. There was a rumbling sound of something breaking. It had penetrated the ground and reached the man in an instant. A large stone wedge protruded from the ground and pierced the man’s body.

The poor man couldn’t even scream.

His body, suffocated by a single blow, rose up on the wedge.

The body that had been shaking precariously suddenly snapped.

The man’s upper and lower bodies were separated. 

Red blood and viscera. Flesh falling from the wedge is unrealistic.

But this is reality. The strong smell of blood tickling the tip of the nose made the successors panic.

“Whoa!”

“What, what what!?”

“It’s noisy. They’ll be resurrected after a while anyway. It’s a rule in the tower that the corpse of a recently deceased successor is not immediately disposed of in order to give it a sense of reality. How is it? Are you coming to your senses now, Successor? And there, woman. Don’t crowd around. One or two. I don’t mind killing more people here.”

“Eek.”

The body of the woman who had been pointed at by Baekja trembled. She nodded absentmindedly.

Baekja continued speaking, seeming to like the sight.

“Okay. It’s really nice to see you following my instructions. Now, let’s get back to the main topic. I’m sorry, but I’m not taking any questions from you. This isn’t a school, and if you’re an adult, you should find the answers yourself like an adult. That’s also fun.”

A rat-like cry came out of the boy’s mouth.

It’s a laughter unique to Baekja.

It’s a creepy sound you’ll have to hear over and over again before you get past this one section.

“The first floor is a playground prepared for you rookies who have just entered the tower. All the successors who come here are the same. Just catch the monsters that appear. Kill, kill, and kill again. Make that power your own. There’s no need to be afraid. Everyone adapts like that. Go. Find out for yourself what you are really good at.”

With a thud, the porcelain hit the ground just like before.

Two wedges rose from the floor. They began to intertwine like a chain link, creating a large door.

“Then let’s start the tutorial. Please kill the monsters in the area. You little chicks.”

The sound of the bell announcing the start of the first floor.

Unlike the hesitating players, there was a man who rushed to the door.

Kim Yun-do.

The reason I left the starting room without a moment’s delay was for this moment.

This tower of heaven had elements that gave various rewards.

A special system that is not explained to the Successor who first enters the tower.

A challenge system that provides rewards for achieving specific elements and feats, commonly known as great achievements.

The former refers to a special achievement that only one person across all successors can achieve, while the latter refers to an individual achievement that can be challenged in that field.

The difference between the two systems cannot be detected by conventional methods.

You just have to look at the rewards and explanation to find out. 

And to clear the first challenge, he needed to arrive at the battlefield before anyone else.

What greeted Kim Yun-do as he entered the abandoned street was a beast-like being reminiscent of a hyena.

This is a Gnoll, one of the monsters that comes out of the tower.

The physique is similar to Kim Yun-do. The weapons are also not very good. The guy wearing shoulder armor that looks like a giant had a rusty iron mallet on his waist. The guy’s ears reacted when he noticed Kim Yun-do approaching.

There is hostility in Nol’s eyes.

A clear sense of murderous intent. A person who has lived in a peaceful society would cringe just at the sight of that energy. This is not a game. It is the stark reality that takes place inside the tower. However, Kim Yun-do did not blink an eye even when he was subjected to blatant hostility.

Although the stats are low, the physical condition is excellent.

It was a body from 10 years ago. The body filled with youthful energy was responding to the owner’s wishes. Will the body move as I want? No problem. I remember every single way to use the body. The memories and experiences from the previous world that Kim Yun-do brought back are not something that can be obtained no matter what.

The hunter went on his first hunt with a happy heart.

Hmm!

Seeing the hunter’s unflinching appearance, Nol grabbed his hammer. The muscles in his arms twitched. Seeing the man holding the hammer straight, the hunter pulled out his sword.

You can’t stop the hammer.

His current stats are no different from those of a normal person. Even though it is a game that comes from the first floor, if you block it from the front, you will inevitably have restrictions on your movements.

If that happens, it will take time.

That shouldn’t have happened. The first monster. I had to avoid wasting time.

Step on.

One, two. The hunter, who had been stepping in rhythm, dug into the guy. He swung his hammer. He aimed for the head that was approaching. It was not a path that could be avoided. It was a moment when he laughed at the hunter who was rushing in without regard for the front or back.

The hammer bounced into the sky.

A slight pain in the wrist.

The hunter dug into the play and struck the guy’s wrist with his fist. It wasn’t strong enough to make him miss the hammer. However, he couldn’t avoid raising his hand for a moment.

And the hunter did not miss that weak point.

A movement that showed no trace of extraneous elements. The hunter’s sword, which had taken the shortest route, pierced the guy’s neck.

“The first step.

 – You hunted the first monster faster than anyone else in the tutorial room! The constellation of the tower, impressed by the courage of the successor, Kim Yun-do, is giving a small reward.

“Bonus stat: 3”

“Successor’s Essence: 100”

“The Essence of the Successor

 – It is a great will that gives strength to the successors within the Tower of Heaven.

The Essence of the Successor was a type of currency used within the Tower of Heaven.

Normally, you can get it by hunting monsters, like experience points. Or, there was a successor’s magic stone that dropped with a certain probability when you killed a monster. Using this, you could obtain a certain amount of essence. 

You can also level up with the Jeongsu if necessary, and you can also trade with the residents of the tower.

If you die, all the essence you have accumulated will disappear, so it is better to use it carefully.

Kim Yun-do opened the status window after seeing the message window pop up before his eyes.

The combat state is released. It is possible to level up. At first, balance was important. Since you cannot decide the stats that increase with leveling up, it was better to increase the stats that were lacking later. 

“The successor’s essence is 100. Do you really want to level up?”

Kim Yun-do, who successfully leveled up, invested bonus stats into agility that doesn’t even move.

Check Nol’s body.

Nothing came out of the corpse that disappeared into white light. It was the first monumental death of a monster. I had hoped that I would get the Successor’s Magic Stone, which is both experience and currency. It seems that it won’t be that easy.

It’s okay.

Anyway, the monsters in this section are endless.

The field ends after the sun has set.

Until then, hunt as many monsters as possible and collect essence to level up.

The most important thing is to adapt to this body.

My body’s movements were not as natural as the thoughts in my head.

Considering what would happen in the future, it would have been better to adjust this subtle difference quickly.

Fortunately, the tutorial system on the tower was well implemented.

1st floor.

For the successors who are experiencing the tower for the first time, the monsters here are all leveled down. They are also not granted the characteristics they have on their original floors. That means that the most troublesome characteristics in the tower are not activated. In other words, there are no monsters on the first floor that have their original strength.

The hunter grabbed his sword at the sight of an orc loitering around a streetlight.

There is no flashy technique or skill in the movements of the hunters moving through the orcs.

A thoroughly calculated movement. Achieving maximum results with minimum movement. Perhaps it was because they saw the hunters running wild in front of them. The successors who arrived in the city late also began to fight monsters one by one.

“fu*k!”

“What kind of tutorial is this!”

“Hey, help me!”

Some successors fight in unison as if they were forming a party, while others hunt using the terrain’s advantages. In the starting room, they were able to choose from five weapons. It’s not a bad choice to take advantage of the weapon’s characteristics.

Even if the speed is slow, it is safe to proceed.

The hunter who had defeated the last remaining orc checked the status window.

Kim Yun-do

Level: 5

Strength: 13

Agility: 11

Stamina: 15

Skill: None (Not learned)

Successor’s Essence: 27

Not bad for a first floor.

There, in Kim Yun-do’s hand, were three successor’s magic stones that the orc had given him.

“The Successor’s Magic Stone (1 section)

 – This is a magic stone that contains the will of the successors. The successors who climb the tower use the essence as their strength. The power contained in this magic stone is the will of the fallen successors. Only the same successors can inherit their will.

Not only does it become a material for certain skills, but it also does not disappear upon death like an essence.

It was an item that was used as a valuable currency among the Successors because it could be used in various ways, such as sometimes strengthening the boss of each section.

If possible, it is better to collect as many of the Successor’s Magic Stones as possible.

Unlike the residents of the tower, the heirs could not trade the essence itself.

If there was something that each side wanted, they had no choice but to try bartering using magic stones.

After all, the Successor’s Magic Stone was worth much more than the small amount of essence it gave.

Kim Yun-do, who saw the sun setting, sat down and said, “Whoo.”

“The first floor is finished.”

An alarm sounds throughout the city.

The white porcelain inside the door he had created appeared from the sky.

“Wow. That’s pretty good. As expected from a group of short-tempered successors. Of the successors who entered the tower this time, the successors from Area A caught the most monsters. Congratulations. You must have accumulated a lot in society, right? You seem like these social misfits. How did you feel? How did it feel to free yourself from the oppression you had been holding in?”

“You fu*king rat.”

“Watch what you say.”

A man was muttering under his breath, but another successor nearby stopped him.

There was no way that the nasty rat wouldn’t hear that. If by any chance the fire benefit were to fall, it wouldn’t be a welcome situation for the successor of this section.

“It’s okay. You’ve worked hard enough today, so I’ll give you a break that’s worth it. Okay, this is the end of the friendly tutorial on the first floor. The next floor is located in the center of the city. Those of you who are ready, please go first.”

Baekja continued, pointing to the center of the street.

「Of course, it would be better to fill your stomachs and rest before you go. You never know what dangers might lie ahead. Don’t worry about food. I’ve prepared plenty throughout the city. So please don’t fight each other and rest comfortably. This was Baekja, the constellation of the first section.」

Then goodbye, the white mouse said and disappeared as if melting away.