While the high-level hunters of Floor 10, who had finally seized their opportunity, were buzzing with excitement, Min-hyuk was personally participating in a video conference with the Global Association to discuss the situation.
“As expected, seeing your face while we talk is making the planning go much faster.”
Min-hyuk nodded at Park Young-hwan, who spoke as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
They were experts, after all; even when Min-hyuk explained things vaguely, they understood perfectly and helped him establish a detailed plan.
As a result of their all-night meeting with the Global Association, they set several urgent priority tasks to be completed once Floor 10 opened.
First, they had to verify whether the temporary immigrants would be kicked out once they reached Level 10.
The difficulty of their future operations would shift drastically depending on whether this was possible, so they needed to be ready to pivot their plans immediately.
Second, roles would be assigned even to hunters from Floors 1 to 9.
If Min-hyuk had chosen the first option, this wouldn’t have mattered much, but since he chose the second, it became significant.
This was because everything from basic equipment shops to food ingredients could be sourced to some extent from Floors 1 to 9.
Furthermore, they might even be able to sell cooked food or self-crafted equipment directly on Floor 10.
Therefore, confirming this was crucial.
The third task concerned Min-hyuk.
If the first method failed, he would have to quickly break through Floors 11 to 19 to trigger changes in the Tower.
Before that, it was also vital to clear Floor 11 as fast as possible to see what changes would occur.
This plan was only feasible because Min-hyuk possessed such overwhelming martial power.
“Let’s discuss the rest of the plan on the first day after we check the Tower.”
Everyone nodded slightly at Min-hyuk’s words.
After the hectic meeting concluded, Min-hyuk headed straight home to prepare for his entry.
While Floors 10 to 15 were currently blocked, he could still enter the other floors.
It was just as he was leaving the Hunter Bureau to visit the other floors where he hadn’t yet reached his growth limit.
“There sure are a lot of them.”
“I forgot to warn you,” Park Young-hwan said, looking apologetic as he saw the swarm of reporters.
“Well, I had to face them sooner or later. I might as well get it over with.”
Min-hyuk stood before the reporters, knowing that avoiding them would only invite more “flies” to buzz around him later.
Immediately, the reporters began to surge forward.
“That’s enough. If you want an interview, please maintain some order. Oh, and if any of you try to seek me out privately instead of at a venue like this, I will exclude that reporter from all future engagements.”
The sharp way he cut them off from the start made several reporters furrow their brows.
One reporter’s lips twitched as if he wanted to object, but Min-hyuk stared him down.
Not wanting to get blacklisted by association, the surrounding reporters quickly distanced themselves from that man.
Satisfied with the sudden silence, Min-hyuk nodded with a smile.
“The person in the fourth row on the right, the third one with their hand up.”
When he gave the opportunity to the reporter who had raised their hand the fastest, the man seemed to freeze for a moment, apparently not expecting to actually be picked.
Other reporters immediately threw their hands up like sharks smelling blood, but Min-hyuk waited calmly for the first reporter to speak.
“Thank you for waiting. There is currently a lot of talk regarding Floor 10. Could you briefly explain how you plan to proceed?”
“Hmm… I was actually planning to post about that on the community board, so this is good timing. First, I’ll explain what was discussed with the Global Association.”
Min-hyuk proceeded to explain everything they had just discussed without adding or subtracting any details.
Because his explanation was more detailed than expected, the reporters were busy scribbling or typing away.
“There is still time left before the Floor 10 raid. Do you have any separate preparation plans?”
“For now, I plan to focus on reaching my growth limit on the lower floors.”
Since he had been tasked with clearing Floors 11 to 15 as quickly as possible, Min-hyuk intended to focus on that goal.
The subsequent questions were all related to Floor 10.
Since this was a massive, breaking news story, the focus was inevitably narrowed.
Instead of taking more questions from the reporters who raised their hands again, Min-hyuk spoke what was on his mind.
“Things are hectic because of the Floor 10 issue, but one thing remains clear. As I mentioned when I registered with the Hunter Bureau, I have not yet decided to stay in South Korea.”
Min-hyuk was warning the government not to forget his position.
He had risked appearing in public specifically to pressure the government, which tended to try and cover things up the moment his guard dropped.
He had to use this platform properly.
“If this matter isn’t handled soon, I intend to look into seeking asylum in another country. I suppose the deadline will be by the time I clear Floor 11.”
The crowd stirred at those words.
The timeline was much tighter than they had expected.
Given Min-hyuk’s current power, it seemed likely he would clear the floors the very day Floors 10 to 15 opened.
As the quick-witted reporters realized this was the real reason Min-hyuk had stood before them, a barrage of follow-up questions flew out.
“Do you have anything else to say to the government?”
“What level of action do you expect from the government?”
“Do you feel the speed of punishing those involved is insufficient?”
The questions continued, but Min-hyuk did not answer further.
Telling them he needed to prepare for Floor 10, he asked them to make way.
The reporters stepped aside hesitantly.
If they blocked his path and continued the interrogation now, it felt like they might actually die.
What would happen if someone interfered with the plans of a man who held the world’s attention?
Being fired would be the least of their worries.
In fact, even the villains had issued a statement saying they wouldn’t interfere until the Floor 10 to 15 issue was resolved.
[**Villain Alliance: We will not touch Choi Min-hyuk until he completes the Floor 10 base quest.**]
The fact that such a message had been delivered through a media interview showed just how important this matter was.
Min-hyuk walked out, wearing a slightly disappointed expression at how easily the reporters gave way.
Seeing his face, the reporters thought, ‘If only we had asked better questions, we might have gotten an additional interview!’
“Let’s do better next time.”
“Yeah. Let’s focus on roasting the government for now.”
“Sounds good.”
The reporters consulted with one another on future questions as they left the Hunter Bureau.
Having gained everything they could from Min-hyuk, they departed without lingering.
Min-hyuk returned to his large house and immediately prepared to enter the Tower.
[**Would you like to enter Floor 9?**]
“Yes.”
The moment he answered, Min-hyuk was transported to Floor 9 enveloped in a brilliant white light.
“Wow…”
Floor 9 had changed more than he expected.
He could still see the mad horses running across the plains and the crazed buffaloes charging around, but what surprised Min-hyuk was the pillar of light.
The pillar of light, the symbol of the Safety Zone, was several times larger than before.
[**A Farm Area is being created on Floor 9**]
[**Please select the primary crop to be cultivated**]
[**Wheat / Rice / Beans / Barley…**]
[**A Ranch Area is being created on Floor 9**]
[**Dairy cows have been generated as the primary livestock**]
[**Additional monsters are being generated on Floor 9. If taming is successful, they can be added to the ranch**]
Just like Floor 10, Floor 9 was undergoing massive changes.
However, this wouldn’t be the end of it.
If Floor 10 developed further, a significant portion of Floor 9 might be designated as a Safety Zone.
‘I’ll have to work even harder.’
With a satisfied expression, Min-hyuk strolled through the vegetation with the leisure of a landlord inspecting his farm.
“Neigh!”
When a herd of zebras charged at him, instead of racing them like before, he drew his Horse-Slaying Sword and began to cut them down.
His martial power was on a completely different level than when he was Level 9, and the zebras were quickly reduced to chunks of meat.
Just as they were evaluated on Earth as “crazy horses” that were useless for taming or meat processing, the system’s evaluation of Min-hyuk’s skill was also harsh.
[**Not good as meat processing material**]
[**Not cost-effective**][**Gamey smell remains even after aging**]
[**Limit on cooking methods due to toughness**]
Min-hyuk chuckled as he watched the system windows pop up one after another.
Still, he thought he could make a stew out of it if he boiled it for a long time to remove the odor, so he stored some in his Subspace.
He could handle the butchering after he finished clearing the area.
“Are goats and bulls the new additions?”
Min-hyuk looked satisfied as he saw the new additions related to the ranch.
Perhaps because he was killing everything in his path with overwhelming force, the monsters soon began to avoid him.
Thanks to that, he was able to explore various parts of Floor 9 more comfortably than expected.
Then, he discovered a strange place.
[**Floor 9 Grapevines**]
The vines growing on the cliff at the eastern end of the prairie were indeed grapes. Curiously, that wasn’t the only fruit.
[**Floor 9 Peach Tree**]
On a tiny tree, a single fruit had blossomed — a peach.
He tried to go pick it immediately, but a sudden gust of wind blew in and pushed him back.
Min-hyuk tried to resist using his mana, but he was thrown back like an ordinary person.
A system window appeared before him.
[**Entry is denied as conditions have not been met**]
“Darn it…”
Min-hyuk looked at the cliff with a look of regret.
This time, he headed toward the opposite end.
However, he was pushed back by the wind once again.
This time, it was a river crossing the edge of the prairie.
[**Entry is denied as conditions have not been met**]
“Does this mean I can enter once the conditions are met?”
The moment he muttered that, a system window appeared in front of him.
[**Special Quest: Expand the Floor 9 Safety Zone and create a path**]
[**A special space will open once a path crossing the prairie on both sides is completed**]
Having received a special quest for Floor 9, Min-hyuk looked disappointed that he couldn’t go there right now.
Though he was sad to miss out on the fruit and freshwater fish, he gave up cleanly.
[**You have perfectly explored Floor 9. As a reward, your physical abilities increase, and the Blessing of the Wind is applied to both feet**]
[**The elemental power of wind will further reside within your body**]
Having thoroughly collected his rewards for completing the exploration, Min-hyuk began the serious work of reaching his growth limit on the upper floors.
Every day, he circled Floors 6 to 9 and slaughtered his way through Floors 1 to 5 to gather materials.
He rested on Floor 1 while aging large quantities of meat.
Despite having finally acquired a nice house, Min-hyuk lived in the Tower without ever really getting to enjoy his home.
Thanks to his efforts, he was able to reach his growth limit much sooner than expected.
The extensive support from the Hunter Bureau also played a part.
[**Bizarre Slippery Banana Dish**]
[**Explosive Fruit’s Spicy Jellyfish Salad**]
[**Fish Porridge with All Kinds of Fruit and Fish**]
Perhaps because he had done nothing but hunt and eat for several days, Min-hyuk had now even mastered “bizarre foods.”
Consistently eating Tower food provided effects, but like most elixirs, the first time was usually the most effective.
Consequently, he had no choice but to resort to strange dishes.
“Ugh!”
Min-hyuk finally managed to swallow a dish that made him feel like vomiting just by looking at it.
At that moment, a system window appeared before his eyes.
[**Floor 10 is now open**]
[**Floor 11 to 15 remodeling is complete!**]