Chapter 2 : Boss Mob Gallery (2)

The Association is always busy.

When Towers soared into the world, and it reached a point directly linked to the end of humanity—

The role of the Hunter Association, managing the Hunters needed to prevent such disasters, rapidly emerged as the most crucial element in

human civilization.

The world needs Hunters.

Of course, if talent is lacking, one might be assigned a role in resource regeneration rather than being a Hunter.

Still, the ‘Hunters’ who most directly impact Tower conquest were everyone’s main interest.

And a short while ago, the 21st Awakened appeared in the Republic of Korea.

Name: Kim Do Yoon, Male. Age: 26.

You never know what will hatch from an egg until it does, but Korea was currently suffering from a lack of talent.

The Association’s talent scouting team hoped dearly that he would possess the talent to make Korea shine.

‘…Please have Hunter aptitude!’

And today.

The man receiving immense attention, unbeknownst even to himself, finally opened the Association’s doors and walked in.

(My Post) Title: Phew… Nervous

-(Photo of the Hunter Association main entrance)

Never imagined I’d come here in my life…

I prepared hard, so it should work out somehow;

ㄴ Whoaaa Association entry keke

ㄴ Wow, so that’s what the Association looks like.

ㄴ So monstrous Hunter guys are just churned out from there?

ㄴ My Post) No no; they don’t just come from here, there are Associations all over the world.

ㄴ Like some kind of factory ㄷㄷ

ㄴ But there aren’t actually that many Earthlings inside the Tower?

ㄴ Earth-born Hunters are few to begin with.

Before officially taking the Awakened test, he summoned the Boss Mob Gallery, seeking courage with a trembling heart.

Gathering strength from the guys who offered words of encouragement (?) just like the first time, Kim Do Yoon slowly steadied his mind.

ㄴ PaperLover*) What prep did you do?

ㄴ My Post) Ran hard every morning, looked at your guys’ pics for two hours a day.

ㄴ Whoa…

ㄴ Exposed to the newbie…

ㄴ Teacher…

ㄴ Ah, please stop.

ㄴ PaperLover*) Well done. If you just do as you’ve been doing, you should pass without issue?

Title: I wonder if this is right

-Whether just showing our pics a few times will even have an effect…

ㄴ He’s not a veteran Hunter anyway, so it’ll definitely have an effect lol

ㄴ Showing his lack of Hunter experience kekeke

ㄴ Just type lol keke already ah kekeke

ㄴ Doing it this way is much more efficient than sending him straight to a stage from the start;

ㄴ PaperLover*) Hmm. Is this trolling?

ㄴ Huk

ㄴ Isn’t he actually provoking to dig up a few more Wine-jaw pics?

ㄴ Huh, maybe he’s a genius?

ㄴ That’s right 

Title: The fact is…

-The difference between having seen a Tower floor boss mob with your own eyes and not is like heaven and earth…

Whether you see it with the naked eye or through a refined filter like this. That’s different too lol;

ㄴ My Post) Honestly, I don’t really feel much difference, but I have to try, I guess.

ㄴ Give us a review when you come back.

ㄴ If you don’t post a review, you’ll sh*t your pants.

ㄴ Why would he sh*t his pants?

ㄴ Whoa, that’ll be hefty lol

ㄴ Kraaaaaaak!!

He didn’t know about anything else, but he felt his heart pound when looking at Wine-jaw’s picture.

‘This must also be Wine-jaw’s blessing.’

Is this love?

He had never seen such a beautiful person… no, form, in his life, and the fluttering in his chest from that time was still ongoing.

“Phew…”

As the time approached, he stood up and headed towards the Association’s main entrance.

Passing through the glass doors that slid open smoothly, he confidently approached the counter where the receptionist was.

“Excuse me… today, the Awakened-“

“Yes~ Awakened Kim Do Yoon, confirmed.”

“…No. My ID is-“

“Yes! All verification procedures are complete, please wait in your seat, and we will call you shortly.”

Kim Do Yoon was taken aback.

‘This easily?’

It was arguably the nation’s highest institution, yet the process was handled so effortlessly?

Looking bewildered, he sat down in the provided seat and waited. Soon, people who seemed to be looking for him approached.

One had a sharp suit fit.

The other faced Kim Do Yoon in a shabby hoodie.

Just as the gazes filled with an unknown emotion started to feel burdensome.

The man in the suit smiled gently first and offered a greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kim Do Yoon. We’ve been waiting.

“To have another Awakened appear in the Republic of Korea, what a blessing this is…. Ah! My name is ‘Choi Gun Woo’.”

“Hello.”

“My position is the Awakened supervisor here at the Gangnam branch… And this is.”

Choi Gun Woo’s gaze shifted to the person beside him.

The woman in the shabby hoodie he saw earlier.

However, her appearance was strikingly beautiful, elevating even such casual attire into fashion.

“Jo Ha Rin. Hunter.”

“Hunter, ah…”

“I heard an Awakened appeared after a while, so I came out of curiosity. Don’t feel too pressured.”

Taking a step forward, Jo Ha Rin offered a handshake first.

Kim Do Yoon took her hand and exchanged simple greetings.

“Well then, I’ll guide you.”

The man in the suit, Choi Gun Woo, led the way with a friendly smile.

Do Yoon couldn’t quite understand the Association’s warm reaction.

Maybe it was because, until just a few months ago, he had been working in environments where curses were constantly exchanged.

Having someone treat him kindly felt quite awkward.

-Tap. Tap.

Jo Ha Rin walked beside Do Yoon, looking indifferently at her phone.

After moving for a short while, a huge lecture hall greeted him.

“We’ll provide some basic training here for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Choi Gun Woo headed towards the large screen provided, and Jo Ha Rin, with familiar movements, went to sit in a corner seat.

Do Yoon tactfully took a seat in the front.

The screen turned on with a soft sound, displaying the words ‘Hunt Business’ prominently.

“Mr. Do Yoon, how much do you know about Hunters?”

“Uh… People who equip gear and conquer the Tower.”

“Precisely.”

Choi Gun Woo smiled and operated the remote control.

As it switched to the next screen, images of Hunters equipped with gear, conquering the Tower, appeared.

Some held shields, others held spears—

Pictures of them fighting monsters several times their size.

“These are the future of the Republic of Korea! They are the Hunters working within the Tower for justice and peace.”

Choi Gun Woo continued.

Towers, structures capable of causing national disasters, have risen in the world, and if they are not cleared within a certain time, they collapse.

And then, hell, known as a ‘Gate Break’, is created in reality.

Hunters were akin to humanity’s heroes, fighting on the front lines to prevent these calamities and disasters.

-Thump. Thump.

Listening to his explanation, Do Yoon felt his heart beating faster without realizing it.

It was due to a strange anxiety.

Did that mean if a Gate Break occurred, the users inside the gallery would emerge?

Outwardly, they seemed like crazy guys busy just trading jokes, but he was reminded anew of their true positions.

“Awakened Kim Do Yoon, you have gained the opportunity to become such a hero.”

“…Yes.”

The next screen.

This time, a picture of a huge simulation room popped up.

It looked rather stark, like some kind of laboratory.

“What’s that?”

“This is a simulation room to measure how well you can withstand the environment within the floors before entering the Tower, Mr. Do

Yoon.”

“So then…”

“When an ordinary human enters the Tower, they begin to receive a kind of ‘burden’. To operate there, we need to confirm the level of magic

resistance you possess through this simulation room.”

“Magic resistance?”

Memories of past days surfaced in Kim Do Yoon’s mind.

Memories of building mental fortitude by looking at various boss mob gallery pictures, so-called disgusting pics.

‘I’m confident.’

The floor’s magic burden?

What’s the big deal about that?

He had seen the faces of the monster freaks who flew and crawled there.

‘Wine-jaw, stay out of this.’

Forgiving the owner of the only healing pic, Kim Do Yoon secretly nurtured his confidence.

“You don’t need to worry too much. The test is conducted within limits that won’t harm the Awakened.”

Misinterpreting Kim Do Yoon’s determined expression, Choi Gun Woo tried to reassure him with a relaxed face.

“Yep.”

“Don’t be scared. It doesn’t hurt.”

Jo Ha Rin, sitting in the back, also offered words of encouragement.

“You might faint if it’s severe, but that’s extremely rare.”

“Ah.”

Actually, he became a little anxious.

The tightly closed door of the simulation room opened.

Around them, individuals who appeared to be researchers, dressed in white coats, were diligently tapping on clipboards.

Even though they packaged it as ‘it’s fine, it’s fine.’

The atmosphere grew colder and stiffer as they proceeded.

Before finally entering the room, he ducked into the restroom and entered the ‘Boss Mob Gallery’.

(My Post) Title: Newbie going for the test now…

-So nervous 

ㄴ PaperLover*) What’s the test content?

ㄴ Look at the mod’s reaction 

ㄴ Always-waiting obsessive mod;

ㄴ My Post) They said it’s some magic resistance test?

ㄴ Magic resistance?

ㄴ Ah, are you talking about the ‘burden’ ← this?

ㄴ My Post) Yeah yeah, that’s it.

ㄴ What’s that, you otaku?

ㄴ This guy is a boss mob and doesn’t even know what burden is kekekeke

ㄴ WarTitan*) Bbi-bbyu-ppyu-bbop?

ㄴ Translation: Burden refers to being affected by the Tower Lord’s magic power inside the Tower.

ㄴ Oh, how did you translate that?

ㄴ Just said what I wanted to say?

• AgedWine*) Hawawa…! Then there’s no need to worry anymore!

• ㄴ PaperLover*) Ah, then you’ll pass easily.

• ㄴ My Post) This really works, right?;

• ㄴ AgedWine*) Hoeee…! There’s no way a mere burden test seen on Earth could be stronger than my picture…!

• ㄴ Seriously kekeke

• ㄴ How can a mere machine beat the pressure of a Tower Lord? keke

• ㄴ So give me a picture too…

The gallery’s reaction was favorable.

Do Yoon wasn’t sure if he understood correctly, but because he had already adapted by viewing the picture of ‘Wine-jaw’, who was called a

Tower Lord, beforehand.

They believed he would easily pass a mere resistance test that only replicated a part of the actual environment.

‘…Is this right?’

He was dubious, but figured it would be okay since specialists in this field were saying so.

Gaining confidence in his own way, Do Yoon decided to face the test seriously.

“Are you ready?”

At Choi Gun Woo’s gentle question, Do Yoon nodded heavily and entered the room.

“You look gentle.”

Jo Ha Rin spoke only after he had left.

She too had experienced this room before.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

The feeling of something vague infiltrating her mind.

An inexperienced ordinary person would naturally have a rejection reaction, and the simulation existed to gradually acclimate them to such

reactions.

“You will do well.”

Supervisor Choi Gun Woo always maintained such an optimistic attitude.

Even towards Awakened who couldn’t endure life in the Tower and fled to production jobs.

Always the same reaction.

For Korea, which needed talent, it might be a disposition that wasn’t particularly helpful.

That man named Kim Do Yoon was the same.

A gentle and kind disposition is useless in a real fight.

Because inside the hell known as the ‘Tower’, demons invading from various worlds were targeting Hunters’ lives in real-time.

To avoid dying, one must kill.

Could one really survive with a normal way of thinking?

“Oh. What, did it start already?”

As she silently waited for the simulation room to activate, she heard footsteps approaching, recognizing them from afar.

Jo Ha Rin turned her head and spotted three individuals.

Hunters.

They too were Hunters continuing their activities inside the Tower.

Jo Ha Rin nodded with a blunt expression.

Cha Yoon Ha, Han Ji Hyuk, Jung Ah Hyun.

Awakened and Hunters of the Republic of Korea.

The simulation room. Just remembering that time still makes me jolt awake from sleep.”

Han Ji Hyuk spoke with a bitter smile.

“Me too.”

Jung Ah Hyun chimed in agreement.

That moment of experiencing magic for the first time was more unpleasant and dirty than anyone expected.

Many fainted, and some foamed at the mouth and had seizures.

It was a very embarrassing moment to show in front of others, but it was essential to experience it to become a proper Hunter.

“How does he seem?”

Cha Yoon Ha came closer and asked.

“What?”

“In your opinion, does he look like he’ll do well?”

“Hmm…”

Jo Ha Rin hesitated for a moment, then answered based on her intuition.

“No.”

Hoping it wouldn’t remain a painful trauma, the four Hunters watched the newbie of this industry.

However, a moment later.

“No rejection reaction! Test, perfectly passed…!”

“S-rank! Th-This is an all-time high potential score…!”

At the questioning sound, unsure who even uttered it, the Hunters’ gazes drifted blankly towards the simulation room.