TSOT#1 Chapter 29

“How’s training with Chan-hee going?”

“Not great.”

Jae-rim was taken aback by Joo-ah’s immediate and candid response.

“Ah… Chan-hee can be a bit intense with his training, can’t he?”

“It’s not a bit, it’s very intense.”

Her firm voice brought a small smile to Jae-rim’s face.

“That just means Chan-hee is paying a lot of attention to you, Hunter Seo Joo-ah. Don’t take it too personally. It’s all about preparing you to minimize risks in the tower.”

His calm tone made Joo-ah let out a sigh as she leaned back against the sofa.

“I know that. That’s why I’m enduring it and continuing the training.”

Chan-hee had already left for the dorms, but Joo-ah had stayed behind to continue her training until the very end.

Some time later, Jae-rim stopped by the special training room. As usual, he planned to wind down with a light workout before sleeping.

By then, Joo-ah had finished her training and was resting on the sofa. She glanced over at Jae-rim, who was inspecting weapons from his inventory.

“Aren’t you taking the pills Yoo Chan-hee gave you?”

Jae-rim’s hand paused briefly as he checked the condition of a high-grade longsword.

She continued nonchalantly, “The sleeping pills, I mean.”

Just in case he didn’t know what she was referring to, she clarified. After all, what other pills could Chan-hee have given him besides sleeping aids?

“I haven’t taken them.”

Jae-rim resumed touching his inventory as if nothing had happened, but Joo-ah gave him a curious look.

“Why not?”

Jae-rim turned to meet her gaze, his soft brown eyes looking back at her.

In a low voice, he replied, “I don’t want to fall asleep like that.”

“Is it because you’re uncomfortable taking medication?”

Her voice was calm, yet her lips curled up slightly in a playful expression as she pressed on.

“Or do you have an aversion to sleep itself?”

Jae-rim’s expression twisted slightly, and that alone was answer enough.

Joo-ah kept watching him with a faint smile on her face.

Even though she had discreetly used her purification magic on him countless times, it never lasted long. He would always wake up quickly.

It wasn’t because her power was weak. Purification magic’s efficacy depends solely on the purity of the caster’s mana.

Joo-ah’s mana was utterly free of impurities.

The reason her magic didn’t fully work on Jae-rim might have been his deeply ingrained resistance to it. Perhaps it was the clash between his subconscious guilt about sleeping peacefully and his desire to rest.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of police sirens outside.

Joo-ah turned her gaze toward the window of the special training room.

Since Kwon Eun-young’s disappearance from the hospital, police cars had been roaming the streets day and night.

She recalled a post from earlier on the “Community for Everyone” forum:

Some people were comparing the situation to a powerful weapon breaking down and being stolen by someone else.

Though it wasn’t a pleasant analogy, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

The reason the country was on high alert wasn’t because of a missing person, but because the ultimate weapon for defeating monsters had vanished.

Joo-ah, still gazing at the window, turned her attention back to Jae-rim with a peculiar expression.

“Now that I think about it…”

As she slowly began to speak, Jae-rim looked up at her.

“You mentioned you admired Hunter Kwon Eun-young, who was part of the elite division, didn’t you?”

Jae-rim’s face shifted into an expression of disbelief, as though he hadn’t expected such a remark.

With a slightly awkward frown, he asked, “How do you know that, Hunter Seo Joo-ah?”

He looked somewhat flustered but didn’t deny it.

Joo-ah shrugged casually, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Hunter Choi Yeon-joo told me. She said you were an enthusiastic fan of Kwon Eun-young Hunter.”

Admitting it aloud felt a little embarrassing, but Jae-rim’s reaction made it worthwhile.

He seemed completely unaware of the conversation Joo-ah and Yeon-joo had shared at the banquet.

Jae-rim let out a soft chuckle and shifted his gaze forward, lightly brushing his neatly combed hair. The tips of his ears had turned slightly red.

“Yeon-joo shares the oddest things.”

Joo-ah tilted her head as if curious.

“Yeon-joo also mentioned that Hunter Kwon Eun-young saved your life. Is that true?”

The topic seemed to be one Jae-rim wanted to avoid, judging by his uncomfortable expression. However, the clear curiosity in Joo-ah’s eyes made him sigh softly before speaking.

“Yes. Hunter Kwon Eun-young saved my life three years ago.”

Joo-ah’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Three years ago? Was it on the day she climbed the sixth tower for the last time?”

The phrase three years ago covered a broad time frame, but for Joo-ah, it pointed specifically to the catastrophic battle on the 999th floor.

Jae-rim gave a faint smile and nodded.

“That’s correct.”

His answer was simple, but his expression was far from composed.

Joo-ah studied his face, a shadow passing over her own.

Three years ago the opening of the sixth tower’s 999th-floor gate.

That day, she had been summoned by the Special Awakener Association and witnessed countless Hunters lose their lives.

The monsters residing there were unimaginably powerful, befitting the highest tower.

Even in a profession where death was common, the events of that day stood out vividly in her memory.

[“…I don’t want to grant a wish like this…”]

In the pitch-black space, a single Hunter sat slumped on the floor, sobbing.

[“Why did I survive alone…? We swore to stay together until the end…”]

Around him lay four lifeless teammates. The pale faces and stifling air told the story, they were all dead.

The surviving Hunter’s state was pitiful, resembling someone who had lost their mind.

[“Grrr…”]

A monster, the same one that had killed his teammates, loomed just ahead.

Although he could have escaped using the final skill imbued with his team’s dying wishes, he simply stood there, staring blankly.

[“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Your teammates used their last strength to keep you alive, and now you want to throw it all away?”]

Unable to ignore it, Eun-young had stepped forward, taking down the monster with a taser gun. Then, she scolded him.

[“You don’t have a choice anymore. Survive, leave this tower, train, and grow stronger. Climb the tower your teammates couldn’t.”]

[“…”]

[“That’s why you survived.”]

The memory hit Joo-ah like a wave.

The pitiful Hunter from that day had been Jae-rim.

At the time, she hadn’t recognized his face amidst the chaos and darkness. Besides, he had only been a B-rank then.

[“Apparently, idolizing the rank-one Hunter helped him level up quickly.”]

Yeon-joo’s words from the banquet resurfaced in her mind.

Joo-ah gave Jae-rim an awkward look, but he frowned slightly and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shaking her head dismissively, she decided to change the subject.

“I guess you must have been shocked to hear about Kwon Hunter Eun-young’s sudden disappearance.”

It was an offhand remark, meant to fill the silence.

“Everything will be fine.”

Jae-rim’s response, however, was calm and sincere.

“Hunter Kwon Eun-young is a strong person. She’ll be okay.”

His words felt oddly comforting, as if he were reassuring her instead.

Boom!

A deafening explosion sounded from outside, shattering the tranquility. At the same time, Joo-ah’s wrist communicator began flashing.

【Third Tower – Gate on the 300th Floor. Immediate dispatch required.】

Jae-rim turned to look at Joo-ah, who met his gaze.

Their eyes locked.

This was it Joo-ah’s first official mission order.