Chapter 6: I Obtained an S-rank Reward
My body feels as light as a feather.
I placed [Krog's Gatling Laser] on the bed.
Crash!
The bed broke in half.
It became heavy again.
Now that I looked at it properly, the weapon really was enormous.
And it looked incredibly heavy.
It seemed the passive skill [Krog's Strength] existed so I could properly carry the Gatling Laser.
Honestly, I could probably kill someone just by swinging this thing around.
They'd definitely turn into minced meat.
I had also obtained something called [Krog's Munitions Factory Control Authority], but I had no idea what it did.
It was probably connected to the facility on Floor 80 of the Tower of Fate.
I'd likely have to visit it personally to find out.
Then I guess I'll never know for the rest of my life!
Whatever that Munitions Factory was, I decided to pretend it didn't exist.
Lastly, there was the title.
[Silent Assassin (S)]
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One without sound, shadow, or even presence. You shall grant your enemies a death they cannot perceive.
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Your presence disappears.
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Evasion greatly increases.
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"Oh..."
Out of all the rewards, I liked the title the most.
I wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but the part about my presence disappearing sounded excellent.
Anyway, I started thinking about what to do with [Krog's Gatling Laser].
Should I sell it for real money?
I'd heard that equipment obtained from the Tower was traded between Hunters for extremely high prices.
After looking through HunVen, I discovered a section called the Trade Board.
[Selling! ★Dragon Serpent Marrow★]
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Comes with bones. Buy everything together and I'll throw in some flesh too. Selling the whole set for 500 million won.
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[Buying! Looking for an Elixir.]
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Urgently looking for an Elixir. I'll pay whatever price you ask, so please sell me one if you have itㅠㅠ
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An Elixir?
It was a miracle cure widely known even among ordinary people.
I heard it can even save terminal pancreatic cancer patients.
Apparently, it could regenerate lost limbs too.
An incredible luxury item!
Demand was naturally extremely high.
And the supply was always short.
It must be insanely expensive.
Obtaining an Elixir would truly turn someone's life around.
But I have a lot of notifications.
Comments.
Private messages.
There were more than a hundred in total.
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Did you really go to Pyongyang?
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You're probably getting arrested for violating the National Security Act;;
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Hello, DivineMan. We're the A-rank Hunter Guild "Professional." If you have time, we'd like to speak with you...
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How did you know the Gate disappeared? Did you really kill the Boss Monster?
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What did you get as the First Clear Reward? Please share the info.
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They actually believe me?
Of course!
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Didn't he just randomly guess correctly? If not, whatever~
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There were some skeptical comments too.
But quite a few people seemed to genuinely believe that I had gone to North Korea.
But I didn't.
Though it was true that I'd cleared it.
There were system messages too.
My Followers suddenly went over one hundred.
[E-rank Gate Open Authority unlocked.]
[E-rank Gate Close Authority unlocked.]
[You have received "E-rank Gate Open & Close Tickets" x33.]
[You have received "D-rank Gate Open & Close Tickets" x11.]
I haven't even used a single E-rank Gate Ticket yet.
Yet I'd already unlocked the authority.
"Then why are you still giving me E-rank Tickets?"
[Remaining Tickets can be synthesized for a chance to obtain higher-ranking Gate Tickets.]
"Then synthesize everything E-rank and below."
[Synthesizing E-rank Gate Tickets 5 times.]
Flash!
A burst of light appeared.
[You have obtained "E-rank Gate Open Tickets" x3.]
[You have obtained "E-rank Gate Close Tickets" x4.]
Then green light burst out.
Flash!
[You have obtained a "D-rank Gate Open Ticket."]
So that was how it worked.
"Can I synthesize F-rank Tickets and get an A-rank or S-rank Ticket?"
[Possible at an extremely low probability.]
Extremely low?
Probably around 0.0004 percent.
That's what it felt like.
But when I tried to use the Trade Board...
"Why can't I make a post?"
[You must clear Floor 10 of the Tower of Fate before you can use the Trade Board.]
"What? Why?!"
What kind of ridiculous restriction was this?!
[Up to Floor 10 is considered the tutorial stage for adapting to the Tower of Fate.]
[Please note that you must clear Floors 1 through 10 in order to use the Trade Board.]
It seemed they were worried about people skipping ahead through sheer luck like I had with Floor 80.
I was going to sell Krog's Gatling Laser for 999.9 billion won.
An S-rank weapon like this was practically priceless.
But my dream of wealth and luxury had suddenly moved farther away.
Hunter Association Conference Room.
"A Gate opened in reality, and not only that, it was connected to Floor 80 of the Tower of Fate. Is this report accurate?"
At the Association President's question, an employee nodded.
"Yes, President. Hunters belonging to the Association have already confirmed it."
"How is that possible? The highest record until now was Floor 75."
The executives gathered in the conference room began murmuring.
From department directors to working-level analysts.
Every one of them wore an expression of disbelief.
"We still... haven't figured that out."
The reporter lowered his head apologetically.
But the Association President didn't blame him.
The Tower of Fate couldn't be judged using ordinary human logic in the first place.
"Have you identified the person behind the account called 'DivineMan'?"
"Not yet. Since they connected to the Korean server, we can confirm they're Korean."
"There's no doubt they're related to this incident somehow, correct?"
"The probability is extremely high. The Gate closed immediately after the account 'DivineMan' posted on Hunter Inventory."
The Association believed there was a high chance DivineMan had closed the Gate.
However, they had not yet reached the conclusion that DivineMan was also the one who had opened it.
The reporter continued.
"Judging from DivineMan's post, they said they were going after the pig... I mean, Kim Jong-un. Shortly afterward, we believe they crossed into North Korea."
"What's the probability that all of this was simply coincidence?"
"Low."
"Evidence?"
"The Eye of Truth has already confirmed it."
The entire room fell silent.
"If the Eye of Truth confirmed it... there is no reason to doubt it."
"There is one more detail that makes this even more credible."
"What is it?"
"The nickname itself. 'DivineMan.'"
"What's so special about the nickname?"
At the Association President's question, the reporter's eyes sharpened.
"When creating an account on Hunter Inventory, nicknames containing the character for 'god' cannot be used."
This was one of the pieces of information strictly controlled by the Hunter Association.
The room erupted into murmurs.
"Then how did this Hunter create the nickname DivineMan?"
"Could it be... that the 'divine' in DivineMan doesn't mean newcomer, but literally... divine?"
"That's ridiculous!"
Bang, bang.
The Association President tapped the table and calmed the room.
Then he asked in a low voice.
"Have you tried contacting this Hunter called DivineMan?"
"Yes. But we haven't received a response."
"Tell all Hunters under the Association to closely monitor DivineMan's posts and movements from now on."
"Yes, sir!"
One thing was certain.
A newcomer had appeared who had drawn the attention of the Hunter Association.
Naturally, the Korean Hunter Association wasn't the only organization taking this incident seriously.
Washington, D.C., United States.
White House Briefing Room.
The lights were dimmed.
A red warning reading [TOP SECRET] was displayed on the screen.
The President of the United States.
The Secretaries of State, Homeland Security, and Defense.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
Senior officials from multiple departments and key military figures stared at the screen in grave silence.
"This footage was recorded this afternoon at the U.S. military base in Yongsan."
A Pentagon intelligence analyst pressed the remote.
The screen showed a training ground at the U.S. military base in Korea.
An American soldier was carefully lifting a massive metal weapon.
It was two meters long.
It had six rotating barrels.
A red crystal was embedded in one side of its body.
"Is that the Orc weapon recovered by the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces?"
The American President asked quietly.
The intelligence analyst nodded.
"Yes, Mr. President. The Orcs called it a 'Gatling Laser.' U.S. technicians are currently testing it while wearing full protective equipment."
The camera zoomed in.
The soldier holding the Gatling Laser pulled the trigger.
Vrrrrrrrr!
The barrels began spinning noisily.
Then a sharp yet strangely light sound filled the air.
Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!
At that instant, six dazzling beams of light shot forward in straight lines, leaving clear trails behind them.
With a thunderous sound that seemed to tear the air itself apart, a North Korean tank target several hundred meters away melted almost instantly.
All that remained was a pool of glowing red molten metal.
Everyone in the room inhaled sharply.
"What in the world is that?"
"Our engineers are still analyzing it, but it is currently impossible to reproduce using modern technology. Researchers believe it is an energy weapon combining extreme heat with kinetic energy."
Silence followed.
"It's not stronger than a nuclear weapon, is it?"
The Secretary of State asked.
"When considering raw destructive power, precision-strike capability, and mobility together, our calculations suggest it surpasses a small tactical nuclear weapon. More importantly, it produces no radiation, meaning its use would not violate the NPT or the Geneva Conventions."
The officials let out low groans.
"How many have we secured?"
"Four so far. All are functional."
"And the Orcs use these... in large numbers?"
"Yes. We estimate nearly half of the Orc forces were actively using these weapons."
"Was Pyongyang destroyed with them?"
"Yes. Two regiments of North Korean armored forces were erased within thirty minutes."
The American President's expression grew even darker.
He stared at the screen for a moment before quietly speaking.
"...If the Orc civilization that created those weapons pours out of the Tower, humanity may have to prepare for extinction."
"Then what do you propose?"
"First, request close coordination and cooperation from the Republic of Korea. Deploy air wings and ground forces to Pyongyang for 'peace on the Korean Peninsula.' Mobilize a carrier strike group as well."
The Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs nodded as if it were obvious.
The President continued.
"Also secure as many Gatling Lasers as possible. Push Congress to approve the necessary legislation and budget."
"Wouldn't the Republic of Korea strongly object?"
"If South Korea hands over every Gatling Laser..."
A shadow crossed the American President's face.
With his fingers interlocked, he spoke in a low voice.
"Let them know that the United States may be willing to overlook a South Korean-led military annexation of the Korean Peninsula."
