As if his experience in the tower had been a dream, Min-hyuk returned to his own home.
Looking quietly at the scene of his home, which remained as messy as ever, Min-hyuk raised his head and looked into the air.
[Korea Server 1st Floor Perfect Clear Hall of Fame]
[※ Entry into the 1st Floor Hall of Fame is limited to level 9.]
ᅳAnonymous: Level 1—
Cheon Tae-san: Level 6—
Kim Seon-hwa: Level 9―
Park Young-hwan: Level 9
Even though it was only the first floor, the number of people wasn’t high, as if a perfect clear wasn’t easy.
There were barely ten people.
Most of them were level 9, but one person, Cheon Tae-san, had achieved a perfect clear at level 6.
The problem was that Cheon Tae-san was one of only 11 SS-rank individuals in the entire world.
While one of them, Cheon Tae-san, cleared it at level 6, Min-hyuk had done it at level 1.
“Now it’s starting to feel real.”
It was finally sinking in that he had awakened an EX-rank skill.
There might be someone else out there who had awakened a skill of the same rank, but officially, SS-rank was the maximum.
Even then, there were only 11 of them.
It was as he was celebrating alone, thinking about how he had surpassed them.
[Congratulations! A flawless clear has occurred, making you the first in the world to clear the 1st floor at level 1!]
[The number of Awakened who can enter the Korean Tower will increase.]
[Safety measures on the 1st floor of the Korean Tower will be increased.]
[Limited to Korea, the period for conquering the tower will be slightly extended.]
[Limited to Korea, the deadline for hunters to conquer the next floor will be slightly extended.]
Rewards were being bestowed upon the entirety of Korea, as if Min-hyuk’s flawless clear was even more incredible than he thought.
However, the system didn’t seem to intend to stop there.
It gave additional rewards to Min-hyuk personally.
[Affected by the 1st-floor bonfire, the lock on the Butcher skill is released.]
[Skill ‘Butcher’s Meat Processing’ is unlocked.]
[※Description: A butcher must fundamentally sell the freshest meat. However, there are times when fresh meat cannot be sold and must be partially processed for sale. When faced with an unavoidable situation, try using a processing method that utilizes a bonfire.]
[Affected by the 1st-floor weapons, the lock on the Butcher skill is released.]
[Skill ‘Butcher’s Tools’ is unlocked.]
[※Description: A butcher must know how to use various tools depending on the meat. Let’s become a first-class butcher by handling various tools skillfully!]
[You are the first to unlock additional skills at level 1!]
[As a reward, the 1st-floor reward subspace is upgraded to the Infinite Subspace.]
[As the first to achieve a level 1 flawless clear, you can summon a bonfire once a day on any floor. ※ Once a day, bonfire sales are possible.]
The system was pouring out rewards to the point where he wondered if it was okay to give away this much.
He had worked in monster-related affairs at the Hunter Management Bureau for a long time, but he had never heard of a case like this.
It meant that this flawless clear was just that significant.
What kind of rewards would be waiting if he cleared the 2nd floor flawlessly too?
“Right to the next floor…”
Unable to contain his excitement, he tried to conquer the next floor immediately, but he was blocked at the entrance by the system.
[Beep! The system considers the safety of the conquerors as the top priority. To manage your condition, the next floor can be attempted in ten days.]
[Please note that repeated attempts of the 1st floor are possible starting tomorrow.]
“Hmm…”
Since it was the first time he had heard that the system prioritized the safety of conquerors, he stared blankly into the air with a stunned expression.
[Basic benefits for Tower Conquerors (Hunters)!]
[1. Hunter Net!]
[※ This is a dedicated space only for hunters. Like the internet, you can view basic information shared by hunters and talk with other hunters.]
[Please note that you can act anonymously if you do not wish to reveal yourself.]
[2. Hunter Market]
[※ It is linked with the Bank of Korea through transactions with the Korean government.]
[Hunter Market accounts are linked to actual Korean currency, so please use it frequently.]
The hunters’ exclusive platform and market, which he had only heard about, appeared.
It was something that could be used as soon as one awakened.
In the past, it was a privilege that only a few hunters could use, but that was no longer the case.
With the number of climbers exceeding one million, and over three million if those who had essentially given up on the tower were included, the market for them had grown immensely.
Many people had begun to resolve their daily needs independently within the Hunter Market without going through the Hunter Management Bureau.
As a result, things that would normally be sold in regular stores were also listed.
Clothes, ramen, even cosmetics.
They sold everything used in daily life.
The funny thing was that as time passed, a site was created that shared information with the Hunter Market almost in real-time, and a channel was established where ordinary people could trade through agencies.
Of course, because the commission fees were disgustingly high, there was a huge difference compared to using the Hunter Market directly.
In other words, being able to use the Hunter Market was an enormous advantage in itself.
Of course, all these benefits were limited to ‘those who were properly climbing the tower.’
[Warning: If you give up on climbing the tower, you may be subject to sanctions by the system.]
[※ If you apply to give up climbing, you must regularly perform actions that help the system, such as being active on the Hunter Market or Hunter Net. Please be advised.]
After confirming that the system window had completely disappeared following the warning, it finally felt real that he had awakened.
“EX, huh…”
Staring blankly into the air with an expression that still showed disbelief, Min-hyuk clicked on the Hunter Net floating in the void.
Even though it was his first time entering, Min-hyuk chuckled at the somewhat familiar appearance and clicked on the real-time search terms.
1. Flawless Clear!
2. Level 1 Perfect Clear.
3. Korean Tower
4. Korea Benefits
Seeing the real-time search terms dominated by things related to himself, he unconsciously smiled.
Soon, a keyboard and mouse in the form most familiar to him appeared at the bottom of the Hunter Net screen, and he became absorbed in the Hunter Net as if possessed.
Information related to him was good, but the important thing was information about the next floor.
Even as he searched for information related to the 2nd floor, the Hunter Net was in an uproar over things related to Min-hyuk.
「Has anyone here tried conquering the 1st floor?」
ᄂ I just did a repeat run.
ᄂ How did it change?
ᄂ First of all, the types of weapons increased. And the radius of the bonfire seems to have widened?
ᄂ Hmm… is that all?
ᄂ There’s more. Originally, if you tried to touch the bonfire, it would flare up, right?It’s not like that anymore. If you take out one piece of wood, the radius shrinks a bit, but you can carry it around like a torch.
ᄂ Crazy! That’s possible?
At the incredible information, hunters who hadn’t cleared the 10th floor yet all began to enter the 1st-floor tower for repeat runs.
As a result, various pieces of information began to come out one by one.
Everyone started experimenting with various things based on the information that a torch could be made.
「If you just get wood from nearby, you can make additional small-scale bonfires. It seems scouting inside the forest has become possible with this!」
「It seems burning down the forest is impossible. But it is possible to burn slimes to death.」
「If you make more than a certain number of bonfires, slimes swarm in large numbers to put them out. Note that they only put out the additional bonfires.」
Information about the 1st floor, which had seemed like there was nothing left to gain, exploded and took over the Hunter Net.
However, most of it was just posted for fun.
It felt like a veteran player in a game who had cleared the main story and was wandering around the map.
While slimes were said to be worth money, getting the fragments was still tricky, so interest in the 1st floor was likely to flare up for just today and then disappear.
In such a situation, unbelievable information was posted.
「Has anyone expanded the bonfire to the front of the forest? A special quest popped up?」
ᄂ It popped up for me too!
ᄂ Crazy! The reward for this is insane!
ᄂ Wow! This is the reward?
ᄂ This is nuts.
ᄂ What is it? Don’t keep it to yourselves, tell us too!
ᄂ What is it. What! I said, what is it!
ᄂ Tell us too!
ᄂ Tell us too 22
ᄂ Tell us too 333
In the Hunter Net, which would normally be full of posts begging high-floor conquerors for information, a situation unfolded for the first time where people were begging low-floor conquerors for information.
As if they had made a pact, everyone kept their mouths shut about the reward for the special quest, until someone finally revealed the reward as if showing mercy.
「For the kids who are going to beg for info all night, this big brother is going to show some special mercy.」
– The special quest reward is a torch. You can even sell it. ―
ᄂ Crazy! Is this for real?
ᄂ No wonder they kept quiet.
ᄂ Wait, then does that mean the torch can be used on other floors?
Once someone leaked the information, details about the torch began to pour out in earnest from then on.
「The torch’s performance is about 1/10th of a bonfire. Plus, it seems the torch-related quest can only be received once every ten days.」
ᄂ Even this much is great.
ᄂ I wonder how much it’ll trade for.
ᄂ First of all, the important thing is whether it works on high floors.
ᄂ If it works in the 30s, the price of torches will go crazy.
As information about the torch was posted, the refresh rate of posts on the Hunter Net became insanely fast.
At the same time, the Hunter Market also heated up.
It was because the long-awaited torch had finally been listed on the market.
—It’s up!—
As soon as it appeared in the auction, the price began to skyrocket insanely.
It surpassed 10 million won in an instant, but there were no signs of it stopping.
Seeing the high level of interest, everyone started listing torches in the auction.
Despite quite a few being listed, the price of torches showed no sign of decreasing.
ᅳ What the. Why is it so expensive?
ᄂ It’s not just our country that’s interested.
ᄂ Yeah. Other countries are probably already in a frenzy trying to secure them by hiring agents.
ᄂ This is crazy.
ᄂ It’s worth being crazy over.
As you climb the tower, dark areas inevitably appear.
Caves, undead zones, dark forest regions.
In these areas, people used things like light-attribute magic, magic tools, or torches burning with holy fire.
But what if there was a torch that could secure a safe zone?
And what if that was effective even on high floors?
It had to be secured at all costs.
— Is it going to hit 100 million at this rate?
ᄂ It looks like it’ll go even higher?
ᄂ Yeah. If it’s effective on high floors too, it’ll get even more expensive.
ᄂ Just to verify, the torches uploaded today will likely trade at high prices.
While looking for information on the 2nd floor, Min-hyuk entered the market after seeing the Hunter Net heated up over a single torch.
There, he saw the price of a torch heading towards 100 million.
“A mere torch is 100 million?”
Looking at the auction window with an absurd expression because something from the 1st floor was hitting 100 million, Min-hyuk opened his subspace.
“Then how much is that?”
Min-hyuk stared intently at the bonfire set neatly organized in a corner of the subspace.
Maybe he could get over a billion? When that thought occurred, he felt a sense of emptiness.
The fact that he would surpass the total amount he had earned while working at the monster disassembly plant in one go made him realize once again that he had truly awakened.
“Well, the more money the better… should I try listing it?”
Muttering that, Min-hyuk listed everything he had obtained on the 1st floor in the auction house and lay down on his bed with a tired expression.
He could just check the auction results the next day.
Min-hyuk closed his eyes peacefully.
Meanwhile, the auction house and the Hunter Net were in a state of chaos.