READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 303: White Tower
Not abroad.
Here in South Korea, the Otherworldly Nest known as [White Tower] has appeared.
With that news, Jeong Ha-seong was utterly taken aback.
He canceled his dinner grocery shopping to buy himself some time for fact-checking and exchanging information.
*
Sejong Special Self-Governing City.
A man dressed in comfortable bright-toned clothes promptly got out of a car.
Next to him stood another man wearing black leather gloves.
‘In this weather?’
At first glance, it seemed a bit hot for such attire, but the chilly vibe of the hunter made one feel at ease after a moment.
‘Not a drop of sweat. Is he naturally cool, or does he have an undisclosed Awakening Ability?’
On-site in Sejong, there stood several government officials from the Hunter Association and an A-Class Awakened with a Buff skill.
“Did Hunter Kang Chang-ho miss the call?”
Of course, amidst this tense security system, the Unknown Awakened didn’t let anyone down.
“Well, I’m not sure if he’s in the dungeon or not…”
Kang Chang-ho.
The once notorious Awakened had been running raids on various dungeons around the area lately for the sake of settling disputes.
At first, he diligently attended every raid, but…
At some point, he started delegating to an A-Class Hunter team brought in from abroad, effectively putting his name on a party list just for “automatic hunting.”
Thus, Kang Chang-ho was likely outside. True to predictions, he hadn’t checked the Association’s calls.
“Jeong Ha-seong Hunter. Our agreement didn’t explicitly state that I must personally clear a dungeon; it just says I need to resolve a minimum number of dungeons each month. So, am I technically breaking the promise?”
Seriously, the complaints could only pile up like the white hair on his head.
“Uh, Jeong Hunter, are you alright? You seem a bit pale.”
“Don’t mind me.”
But Jeong Ha-seong ultimately overlooked the other’s actions.
He found it bothersome.
He had never expected Kang Chang-ho to be diligent with his obligations, and thinking about it, he was already grateful that the dungeon was being cleared at the cost of so much money.
But since he was paying attention, shouldn’t he at least show up for this dungeon?
“Mr. Kim Gye-ryeo…”
Jeong Ha-seong subtly looked up at the massive gate before him.
Then he shut his eyes tightly and spoke.
“I’m sorry, but could you perhaps intimidate Hunter Kang Chang-ho into participating in the raid by force?”
The man in black gloves next to him closed his mouth, looking as though he’d eaten a poorly cooked frog.
“Right… I mean, a person of your character wouldn’t resort to something so violent. I understand. But…”
The blond hunter remained silent.
“Ha…”
The top-ranked hunter in the Korean Hunter industry, reading the silence of his fellow hunter, tried to calm his own irritation.
Anyway, they could let Kang Chang-ho’s actions slide for now.
Regardless, a rather exhausting incident had come to call.
That was because the dungeon right in front of them was notoriously difficult.
“Hey.”
At that moment, a reinforcement-type Awakened from Sejong spoke up.
“Hello, Jeong Hunter! But I only received the official document and rushed here. Yet when I searched the Pixis database, nothing significant came up.”
“Huh?”
“It seems quite a dangerous dungeon. What exactly is the [White Tower], that two S-Class hunters have come here?”
Seeing is believing, after all, and that saying applies in this industry as well.
The administrative staff of the Association worked day and night to provide quality information to the hunters.
To be precise, they were fervently collecting data.
But no matter how hard they worked, it was hard to know the fine details of the Otherworld directly compared to being on-site.
“Is this going to destroy our Sejong City?”
Perhaps the person who could best describe this situation was a living legend with thousands of experiences.
At the resident’s question, the two men turned their heads simultaneously.
The A-Class Awakened flinched.
“Well…”
In contrast to the worries, it was only a kind voice from a National Hero.
“Well, since this dungeon is a first incident appearing in South Korea, it seems that the practical cases haven’t been well transmitted.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Let me explain. The name [White Tower] comes from the implication that a hundred people will be needed to clear this dungeon.”
From the start, something felt wrong.
“In simpler terms, it means the dungeon is that difficult.”
“Huh.”
“I first encountered this dungeon format, the White Tower, in Singapore, and from what I’ve researched, it seems to be a term from some game…”
“What kind of term?”
“If you’re someone who enjoys gaming, you might catch on easily. The special Blue Gate can be summed up: it’s in the format of a ‘Boss Rush’.”
Ah! Boss Rush!
Upon hearing that, several young men at the site expressed their delight in understanding.
Of course, the aliens couldn’t possibly know this, looking flustered as they glanced at Ha-seong, which caused him to tense up.
The top-ranked team interpreted the man’s behavior as a signal.
“Ah, right. Many of the people here don’t know specialized terms, so I’d better explain everything. Not everyone studies like Mr. Kim Hunter, after all.”
Now, it seemed pointless to mention the distortions.
“Um, and since the White Tower is a rare dungeon, there’s a lot of undisclosed information in the world. So let me share as many details I know about what I experienced.”
The National Hero continued with explanations.
However, in the ensuing conversation, Gye-ryeo couldn’t hide his surprise.
That was because the hunter with the black hair recounted even the minutest details he remembered about the dungeon.
The conditions of the White Tower were complex.
1. Although it’s called the White Tower, only a hundred people cannot enter due to its structure. The interior area is as cramped as an arena, naturally limiting the number of challengers.
2. There are a total of ten floors.
3. Once inside, only boss-level monsters from around the world will randomly appear within the dungeon difficulty range.
4. The random aspect includes the number of enemies. When Jeong Ha-seong experienced it, the monsters appeared in a chaotic order of 3-1-2-2 (monsters) per floor…
5. After entering via the gate, the entrance closes roughly 30 seconds later, and the first-floor trials begin, so adding personnel mid-session is impossible.
You could really feel that this dungeon was designed to draw out pain.
Monsters of boss-level will continuously pour out from the gate.
‘Hasn’t there been talk in the news about something like this?’
The Awakened gathered on-site almost nodded in understanding, but when they heard Ha-seong’s examples, their jaws dropped in surprise.
“If I were to liken it, clearing this dungeon feels like facing three Golden Fragrance’s [Grid] monsters, with one shaking the ground, another swinging fists at the hunters, and the last tackling in.”
“Wow…”
Goodness.
“Just imagining it is overwhelming. Yet, as you go up in levels, it seems to be designed to become even tougher. In the later stages, monsters that I hope won’t cluster together come out all at once…”
In any case, it’s tough.
As Ha-seong finished his explanation, silence fell.
“Jeong Ha-seong, didn’t you clear this White Tower alone before?”
The one to break the atmosphere was a certain blond man.
“Yes. At the time I cleared the White Tower, Singapore was overrun by dragons… I remember going alone to help because Korea was also in a tough situation.”
“Hm.”
“Back then, I was personally overworked. I was awake for three days straight out of the week, so now that I think of it, I wonder what kind of mindset I had to work like that…”
Fidget.
The top-ranked hunter stole a glance at the blonde man standing next to him.
But it was only a brief memory.
“Moreover, the White Tower feels tougher due to the limits of human capability.”
Jeong Ha-seong confidently stated the key points about the dungeon.
“Above all, ‘camping’ is impossible.”
“Camping?”
“The rooms are cramped, so once you defeat the monsters of the current round, you immediately move to the next floor, leaving no time for rest.”
“Whoa.”
“That’s why this is a dungeon that kills people.”
Once you start a raid, you can’t even sit for a moment until reaching the final floor.
The gathered Awakened maintained tense expressions.
Looking like workers about to face an unwanted holiday shift, their eyes were mixed with fatigue.
With such a complex mechanism, even gathering the A-Class hunters wouldn’t guarantee safety.
Wasn’t the reputation of [White Tower] high for no reason?
“Don’t worry too much, everyone.”
Nonetheless, their nation had no unusual need to be overly concerned about this high-difficulty dungeon.
With diverse properties in play.
The lengthy formations unique to tower dungeons.
No matter what grotesque downside it had, in the end, this was just a single nest. Given the context of the South Korean hunting industry, they were blessed with the best human resources.
“Anyway, it’s gotten long, but according to the prior agreement with the main office, I’ll be responsible for this gate.”
“Huh!”
“Really?”
Not just any gate, but an attempt to clear the [White Tower] solo.
“It was just to let you know that if such a gate comes up while I’m absent, you can refer to this.”
Moreover, what was even more surprising was how bright the demeanor of the person making this statement was.
“Since the White Tower is rated A-Class, it’s honestly more efficient to have one high-ranked person clear it than to have many people crowded in.”
For reference, Esther had declined the schedule because she saw no necessity to swarm into a dungeon that wasn’t even S-Class.
“One person?”
But besides the curse mage with purple hair, there was another person here too, right?
“What do you mean one person? What about Mr. Kim Gye-ryeo next to you?”
“Oh, Mr. Kim is…”
Swoosh.
While the office staff and the top-ranked hunter talked, the hunter who had been standing quietly like a straw mat subtly peeked from inside the gate.
“He’s just here to analyze this rare gate.”
“Ah~”
“Since he also has the [Appraisal] skill.”
So that’s why he was standing there with his arms behind his back like he didn’t care.
To be honest, it’s rare to see an appraiser accompany a dungeon raid.
‘An S-Class appraiser, huh.’
In this case, should they be protecting the special ability user?
Just when the staff from Sejong City was getting flustered from meeting such a strong appraiser.
The blond-haired man’s head popped back out of the Otherworldly Passage.
“Have you confirmed everything, Hunter?”
Confirmation.
Yeah. Sure, he initially came down for just that.
“Huh? Hunter?”
The appraiser, after finishing his observations, suddenly reacted strangely.
Gye-ryeo was in a perfectly emotionless state that an Earthling could hardly discern.
‘Oh no!’
This [White Tower] dungeon…
No matter how he looked around, something felt off.
In particular, if he were to use the terms commonly used by humanity on this land, he’d describe the atmosphere as ‘creepy.’
‘Hmm.’
According to Pixis’s analyzer, this nest was rated A-Class.
But upon entering, the magic power that could be felt differed slightly.
‘Why does it feel so uneasy?’
From the judgment of the Great Mage.
He felt that the power levels in each floor of this dungeon were excessively uneven.
“Ugh.”
“What’s wrong?”
But explaining this to Ha-seong was difficult.
‘The lower floors certainly fit within the A-Class gate parameters… but I have a gut feeling the upper floors might just brush against S-Class.’
Why?
Because the negative atmosphere felt here was something only someone with transcendent magical powers like a Great Mage would be able to sense.
“Mr. Kim Gye-ryeo. Are you worried I might struggle in this dungeon?”
“…”
“But I’ve already experienced the White Tower before, and I’m confident that I could clear this place much more easily now.”
“…”
“Rest assured that I’ll yield results to prove you didn’t regret teaching me. P-Please trust me.”
Exposing such wonderful instincts in front of an Earthling wasn’t likely to yield any good.
After finishing his calculations, Gye-ryeo lightly adjusted his gloves at the wrist, speaking.
“Ha-seong, I’ve changed my mind. Please call the Association.”
“Uh?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you; I just became curious about the gate.”
After all, that was an excuse, given how difficult it was to explain.
“Ultimately, to observe the results firsthand, I’d find the weak points much better…”
“Ah, I see.”
Jeong Ha-seong.
The usually expressionless youth suddenly showed many reactions.
By the time the hunter next to him rubbed his forehead and said this, the top-ranked hunter was so shocked it was rare.
“Ugh! The stress and muscle tension headache from my last confrontation with Kang Chang-ho suddenly…!”
“Huh!?”
“Since the lingering effects are still here, I might struggle to assist in battle, so keep that in mind.”
Because the triple-eyed group had such deadpan expressions, it took a while to realize.
Listening closely, it turned out to be just a joke, and the atmosphere loosened up soon after.
“Ah, yes! Of course. Hunter, I’ll ensure you can focus on the analysis!”
Korea’s [White Tower], where the magical density among the floors was absurdly uneven, felt like mixing oil and water.
If so, was the final boss of this dungeon really something that could be considered S-Class?
‘The chance that it was just my gut feeling was 80%.’
Whatever it was, it didn’t matter greatly.
‘Even if an S-Class-worthy boss appears, Jeong Ha-seong has a 90% probability of roasting it.’
As shown in the previous [Six-Legged Corridor] incident.
Jeong Ha-seong’s current skills were on a different level from the time he cleared Singapore’s [White Tower].
‘And even if, by some rare chance, things go wrong, with my equipment worth billions backing me, I have a 100% chance of survival.’
Hehe.
But if a lazy mistake led to the death of a hard-earned S-Class, that would be a tragedy.
Thus, Gye-ryeo decided to consider himself a form of insurance to prevent damage from stock delisting.
The top-ranked hunter, who had gone through tough training!
And furthermore, accompanying a being superior to a common appraiser in trap detection.
When these two monsters entered a mere A-Class rated gate, surely nothing major would happen, right?
“Ha-seong, let’s get moving quickly.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, I just remembered that Ahn Yoon-seung is around tomorrow morning. A business acquaintance of mine got invited to a famous restaurant on Gram’s social media, so I’ve got a little extra plan…”
But the Great Mage and his disciple.
Less than 30 seconds into entering the dungeon, regretted stepping foot in this nest.
– Dong dong dong dong dong dong…
– 【Welcome Message】
In fact, they regretted that they had challenged this nest ‘with their comrades.’
– [If life is too easy, it becomes boring.]
– [So this time, we prepared something new.]
Anyway, how on earth did such sentence elements manage to possess a complex creature like an Earthling?
– Penalty
– [In this space, the vertical and horizontal views are inverted.]