Chapter 28: Recruiting Party for First Wave Returnees to Conquer the Tower of Destruction

A few days had passed since I returned from the Tower of Destruction.

I decided to check out the forums, specifically the hunter-related forum I had visited before.

As expected, the story from that day had surfaced.

I skimmed through the popular posts and came across a post from an anonymous user who had previously criticized the Hero and Conqueror Guilds.

—

[Author: (1xx. 2xx)]
[Title: lol lol lol. Do you guys know this?]

A bunch of guild members, who supposedly have a reputation, got completely wrecked trying to stop the saintess.

My friend was there and said she kept killing and reviving people repeatedly.

It might be exaggerated, but it seems they really got their butts handed to them.

[Comments]
(1xx.xxx): My friend who was there said the raid is over, don’t ask about it anymore.

(2xx.1xx): lol lol lol. You know that guy who followed the saintess? He quit being a hunter, moved into a brand-new house, and even cured his daughter’s illness. Seems like he got some elixir.

L(xxx.xxx): That guy really hit the jackpot. Should’ve gone with them.

L(2xx.1xx): Hope those arrogant guild bastards all get wiped out. Oh, did they really get their asses kicked this time?

ConquerorFanClub: lol lol lol. Y’all talk big here, but stay dead quiet in front of them, right? Idiots who don’t even know what’s good for them. lol lol lol.

L(1xx.2xx): Is this chick for real? Do you even know what power abuse looks like? lol lol lol. Why curse them face-to-face when it’s way easier to do it here? lol lol lol.

ConquerorFanClub: Enjoy your life as a bottom-tier hunter.

L(1xx.2xx): Probably better than the Conqueror who got humiliated by a single woman. lol lol lol.

—

Wow, this is seriously entertaining.

Looks like none of these guys were there when it happened.

There were tons of comments below, most of them mocking the hunters from the guild that got wrecked by me.

And there were even more related posts.

It seemed like, over the past few days, the story had spread in various ways.

“Wow, this is hilarious.”

-Yeah, it is.

“Wouldn’t it be fun to drop something here?”

-But what are you going to do? Are you really giving up on the Tower?

“Of course not. I’m going back.”

But there’s no way I’m going alone.

There’s no way I’d want to give those nasty hunters even a little benefit!

I’m going to hog all the loot myself!

That means I’ll need someone to support me, not just open the door to the fourth floor.

Guess I’ll head to the returnees’ forum.

As always, the returnees’ forum was full of worthless posts.

[General] What’s with that dumb girl? [3] – 100-Year-Old Succubus

[General] Got caught with my secret stash again [16] – Innocent Elf

[General] Crazy humans can’t even tell the difference between me and a wild orc [32] – Overweight Orc

[General] Mom keeps grilling mackerel [47] – SirenIsBaby

[General] Yangnyeom Chicken is delicious… [19] – Harpy Life 20 Years

The usual bunch of lazy slackers.

Among them, the 100-Year-Old Succubus’s post caught my eye.

It was the most recent one.

I clicked on the title and it opened up to the content.

Turns out the rumor about me beating up hunters in the Tower of Destruction had made its way to the returnees’ forum as well.

—

[Author: 100-Year-Old Succubus]

[Title: What’s with that dumb girl?]

This crazy girl apparently beat the hell out of a bunch of hunters on the third floor of the Tower of Destruction.

I don’t know what her power is, but she kept killing and reviving them.

Someone secretly took a GIF, and man, she’s seriously nuts.

[Comments]

MiserableSlime: lol lol lol. That’s what happens when you’re human. Slimes don’t turn into meat bags like that.

└100-Year-Old Succubus: Doesn’t your poop water get dirtier when mixed?

└MiserableSlime: You jerk.

Neko Cheonma: With just a mace? That’s pretty strong.

└100-Year-Old Succubus: But if you mess with her, you’ll probably be screwed.

RevolutionaryLeader: Is she allowed to do that?

└100-Year-Old Succubus: The ones who experienced it are half-traumatized.

100-Year Weapon Maker: Looks like she doesn’t even need a weapon.

HeadSmasherSaint: Hehe, so embarrassing. It’s thanks to the power of God.

└100-Year-Old Succubus: Are you nuts? Who the hell uses divine power like that?

└HeadSmasherSaints: Here?

—

Anyway, enough of that. It’s time to gather a team for the Tower.

This is where heroes come in handy.

Even if they waste money like water, their skills are always top-notch.

That’s why it sucks.

While I’m just swinging a mace, they’re using flashy moves like Meteor and pulling off all sorts of crazy attacks.

Whatever.

Since I don’t have a hero party, maybe I should just make a new one.

I started writing a recruitment post.

—

[Author: HeadSmasherSaint]

[Title: Recruiting members to break skulls in the Tower of Destruction.]

Looking for members.

[Comments]

Innocent Elf : Me! I’m coming too! I’m getting beaten up by my wife every day. She takes all my returnee pension. If I want to buy a Nintendo, I have to work! ᅲᅲ

└HeadSmasherSaint: Sure. I’ve got the master key to the fourth floor, so you can only go higher if I open it.

└Innocent Elf : Whoa. Let’s meet up and discuss where to gather. My position is Spirit Mage.

└Overweight Orc: lol lol lol. You’re back to being a pure elf?

└True Battle Mage: Can I come too?

└HeadSmasherSaint: Sure, sure. Let’s recruit some more people and head out together.

Neko Cheonma: I’m coming too.

└HeadSmasherSaint: Alright!

—

Thus, the group of returnees gathered for their meeting.

This time, we had quite a few participants: Overweight Orc, Innocent Elf, True Battle Mage, and Neko Cheonma.

Including me, there were five of us in total.

We met at a café just outside the Tower of Destruction.

As I spooned mint chocolate ice cream into my mouth, I scanned the returnees seated in front of me.

“I have a question.”

I said.

“What is it?”

Someone asked.

“Why are all returnees non-human?”

We had an elf, an orc, a cat-like humanoid, and someone with red hair who had slightly pointed ears.

“Well, technically, I’m human.”

Said the woman who seemed to be Cheonma.

Her nickname was Neko Cheonma, so I had a hunch.

Could she really be a female Cheonma?

And she was even a cat-person?

No, wait.

On closer inspection, it was just that her hair was styled like cat ears.

“Hey, but your nickname is ‘Neko Cheonma’—you said you’re a cat-person?”

I asked.

“Well, I am… but in my case, it’s a little special.”

The woman, who looked like Neko Cheonma, snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, smoke rose from her body, and she transformed into a small black cat.

A small, cute cat, proudly raising its tail and swaying it gracefully.

“So, you can transform between a human and a cat?”

As I asked, she returned to her human form.

“And in my human form, my hair just happens to look like cat ears. My little brother started calling me ‘Neko,’ and it stuck. Hence, ‘Neko Cheonma.’”

That little brother sounds suspicious.

“Wait, what the… So do you shout out special move names and stuff?”

I asked.

“Well, recently I’ve been using ‘Nyanyang Punch.’ But even that was because my brother kept pestering me to show it to him. He’s a bit strange.”

“Wait, don’t martial artists usually shout things like ‘Unstoppable Iron Body’ or ‘Void-Grabbing’ or ‘Three Fires of Truth’?”

“Why would I need to yell that stuff out like a fool? I even practice my qi exercises silently in the morning. Besides, I have no desire to loudly proclaim things that people already think are novel and fantastical.”

She said, as if slightly exasperated.

Something’s off about this Cheonma.

“Nyanyang Punch?”

Really?

Well, she does kind of give off a martial artist vibe, but that aside, why on earth is she dressed like an office worker in a business suit?

“If you’re Cheonma, you’re supposed to be a damage dealer, right? So, where’s your weapon?”

I asked.

Neko Cheonma chuckled, pulling out what looked like a metal rod from her waist.

For a moment, I was expecting her to take up some sort of martial arts stance, but no—it was just a metal stick.

Or maybe… was it the hilt of a sword?

“Hyaah!”

Neko Cheonma concentrated for a second, and a blue beam of light extended from the rod, forming what looked like a blade.

It resembled a lightsaber.

“This is it—the Dragon King’s Cheonma Blade. It’s a weapon created from my own qi. Its cutting power surpasses any sword made by mortal blacksmiths.”

“That… looks kind of cool, actually.”

Well, she’s definitely a damage dealer.

But right now, I shouldn’t get too caught up with just Cheonma.

It’s time for everyone to introduce themselves.

I finished the rest of my mint chocolate ice cream and stood up from my seat.

“Alright, let’s start introductions. I’ll go first. My name is Karina. Before I returned, I was a priestess serving the Goddess of Death on the continent of Yuklan. I came back after helping a Hero’s Party shatter the Demon King’s skull. What’s up with that hand?”

I noticed the orc raising his hand.

“Are you, like, in some sort of cult?”

Does this orc have a death wish?

Even if the goddess I served is a bit… obnoxious, it’s still a real religion, and I’m the saintess!

“Would you like to receive the salvation of Lady Kanora?”

I asked him, gripping my mace.

“Uh, no, I feel like that’s a bad idea. Sorry,”

The orc said, immediately turning his head away.

Yeah, you’d better be sorry.

“Okay, another question. You said you were part of a Hero’s Party. Where are the heroes?”

This time, it was the elf who spoke, looking rather ordinary.

The heroes?

“They weren’t affected by the cataclysm that brought us back, so they didn’t come along. “

Anyway, let’s move on.

“Next is you, Neko-san.”

I said, gesturing to Cheonma.

“My name is Seo Se-ryeong, and my gallery nickname is Neko Cheonma. I was the 12th leader of the Cheonma Cult. After a long life, I started to miss my homeland and was heading back to Joseon, but while crossing the Amnok River, I suddenly ended up here in Korea. That’s when my memories returned.”

Her speech was a bit awkward, confirming what she said.

Then something suddenly popped into my head—a recent video I watched on WayoutTube.

“Wow, a Cheonma from Joseon? That’s totally like the K-Cheonma that America watches nervously, China gets jealous of, and Japan envies! You’ve got the ‘cat’ and the ‘K’ down pat. But seriously, what’s with the outfit?”

Shouldn’t a Cheonma wear some kind of ancient robes or something?

“This is what I wear when I occasionally help my brother at his Hunter guild. It’s comfortable, so I just kept wearing it. I’m also friends with True Battle Mage, Kaine.”

Ah, so that’s why she looks like an office lady from Japan.

“Okay, moving on to the redhead.”

I said, gesturing to the next person.

“My name is Kaine. My gallery nickname is True Battle Mage. In the world I came from, there were also heroes and demon lords. I became a Battle Mage at the academy and fought the Demon King before returning here. I imagine my story is similar to yours.”

Kaine wore a sleeveless tank top and dolphin shorts, clearly enjoying a rather revealing style.

She must be the kind of woman who likes to flaunt her body.

I should probably be cautious around her, considering how exposed she is.

Even though more open outfits are becoming trendy, are dolphin shorts really necessary on the society?

“Hey, what’s with the way you’re staring?”

She snapped.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

I shot back.

And with that, I hit her with the brutal truth.

Wow, she’s quite the exhibitionist…

At least I don’t walk around like that.