After exchanging brief greetings with each of the hunters...
They were all desperate for fresh talent, so they showed Kim Do-yoon an incredibly warm reception.
Do-yoon responded to their expectations, preparing himself for a rewarding day ahead.
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Newbie's Latest Update!! - Breezed through the Awakener exam - Greeted the other hunters too! - They're all good people— AnonymousDon't trust hunters so easily— AnonymousIs that something the boss mob should say?— AnonymousFor real lololol Way safer than us⭐ Top Comment— Aged Wine is...Whoa, greeting the newbie-chan? I'm so jealous ㅠㅠ— AnonymousSo when are you gonna greet us?— Me (OP)Uh.... um.— Anonymous??— Anonymouslololololololol— AnonymousMeeting right now would be more dangerous anyway— AnonymousCome back when you're grown, newbie— AnonymousKey guy incoming lol— AnonymousRaise him up and actually eat him lol
The gallery's reactions were all over the place.
Don't trust people so easily, post a gratitude meme right now, when's the fan meetup, and so on.
It was filled with goodwill no less than the hunters' reactions.
-Swoosh!
In that pleasant mood, while taking a shower, he happened to glance at the mirror.
The man in the mirror was exactly the same as the one Do-yoon had seen his whole life.
He wasn't stupid enough to ignore the connection between passing the Awakener exam and all the memes(?) from the gallery so far.
Clearly, he'd been influenced in some way, leading to that result.
'How?'
But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand what kind of effect it was.
And while it was a bit uncomfortable to dwell on here...
Could he really trust those gallery folks?
He was a hunter, and they were monsters inside the tower...
"Argh, damn it."
He slapped his cheek with an open palm—smack!
The stinging pain on his cheek snapped his drifting thoughts back on track.
What could he do if he didn't trust them anyway?
Without their help, he would've sold every part of himself during that exam.
"Infinite thanks."
He bowed his head in gratitude to the gallery members watching from somewhere(?), then left the bathroom.
Lying on the floor with his refreshed body, fiddling with his phone, he noticed a missed message.
It was from Uncle Kim, someone he'd grown close to at recent sites.
He'd gotten an earful of scolding at first, but the guy had a good heart.
And he'd helped out a ton, of course.
「Uncle Kim: Team leader was looking for you earlier. Heard you became a hunter. Hit me up later. Let's grab some meat. Congrats.」
"..."
Since he hadn't shown up at his usual site, the team leader must've checked in somehow.
'But how'd they know?'
They could've just contacted him directly—why would the Association inform them first?
"Hm."
He decided to shove aside problems that wouldn't yield answers just by pondering.
"I'll ask later."
As he spaced out scrolling his phone, a call came in from Handler Choi Geon-woo.
-Ring ring!
"Yes, hello?"
-Hello, Hunter Kim Do-yoon. This is Handler Choi Geon-woo.
"Yes."
He immediately sat up straight.
-Is now a good time?
"Yes, I'm just resting at home."
Choi Geon-woo's purpose was this:
With his mana adaptation measured at S-rank and stats suitable for immediate tower deployment...
Official hunter initiation training would start tomorrow.
'Fast.'
He was tense, but it was inevitable as a hunter.
-The hunters you met will assist you.
"Yes."
The four hunters who'd just greeted him warmly.
No worries if they'd help directly.
'I'm confident in adapting.'
Memories of toughing it out at sites bolstered that confidence.
Do-yoon firmly believed he could do it.
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Starting real training tomorrow ㅇㅇ -Handler just called to say so.— AnonymousNice— AnonymousSolid! Keep pushing hard⭐ Top Comment— Short-Eared GoblinHmm... We've only seen finished hunters before—watching from training is intriguing~— AnonymousKinda curious for real lol— AnonymousWhat weapon? Spear? Shield?— AnonymousNewbie's still super low level—can only use trash gear?
Gear?
Come to think of it, to operate in the tower, he needed equipment to protect himself from monsters and hostiles.
— Me (OP)Probably tell me tomorrow?⭐ Top Comment— Paper EnthusiastMagic tome go go— AnonymousLook at them recruiting already lol— Me (OP)Why? Shield or sword no good?⭐ Top Comment— Paper EnthusiastNo wristband experts for martial arts— AnonymousAway;— Me (OP)Oh, not here right now?— AnonymousYeah, probably facing the raid team right now— AnonymousOthers are around but Can't wrinkle brows in front of 'that wristband' holder ㅇㅇ
'There's stuff like that too.'
Do-yoon felt their position anew.
Boss mobs, standing against challengers.
He didn't know what lay behind them yet, but he had a rough idea of their role.
Boss mobs lurked on each floor, and clearing them allowed progression.
— Me (OP)So we'll meet someday anyway?— AnonymousYeah; Can give a solid welcome;— AnonymousWelcome: Newbie slicer, crusher— AnonymousFuck off don't touch the newbie— AnonymousYeah yeah⭐ Top Comment— Aged Wine is...Hooee...! Touch newbie-chan and get smacked!— AnonymousWristband shield lol— Me (OP)Just you wait. I'll school you proper.— AnonymousLoud hoo-goo-goo— Anonymous????
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Newbie additionally curious about -Watched your memes hard and passed sim room thanks to it but What's the principle behind it? Seems super mysterious no matter how I think— AnonymousAh... well you see~— AnonymousYes~ Here's the info~— AnonymousThanks for the good info!— Me (OP)Shit;— Anonymouslololololololololol— AnonymousThey sync up perfectly when it suits them these bastards⭐ Top Comment— Short-Eared GoblinWe know everything about the tower~ Especially mana~— Me (OP)Mana?— AnonymousYeah mana resistance is in that field too— AnonymousMana = tower = tower lord = boss mob— AnonymousMana originates from the tower, so facing related objects helps with mana adaptation training— AnonymousOoh logic
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Of course not entirely without side effects Nickname: Paper Enthusiast* -Bit late to say now but Newbie has to report status to us live from now on ㅇㅇ; You started wagging tail first— Me (OP)...?— Anonymousㅗㅜㅑ...⭐ Top Comment— Aged Wine is...We've ridden the same boat now...! We'll protect newbie-chan!
Do-yoon felt dizzy.
He'd never planned to ignore the gallery.
It was his right, his unique skill.
— Me (OP)Was planning to suck it dry to the bone anyway no worries⭐ Top Comment— Aged Wine is...Hooee...! I like sucking too..!— AnonymousGasp— Anonymouslol— AnonymousWine Lord's suck is legit...⭐ Top Comment— Paper EnthusiastNo intel hub in the tower beats us, so trust and use it
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Suddenly curious but -Why are you guys helping me this much?— AnonymousTeacher asking that now?— AnonymousAlready took all the help lol— AnonymousDifferent school of shamelessness lololol⭐ Top Comment— Paper EnthusiastIt's fun— AnonymousAha!— AnonymousSick of stuck-up tower vets, fresh blood's exciting—how could it not tickle?— AnonymousFr can't resist that sexy scent ㅇㅇ lololol⭐ Top Comment— Short-Eared GoblinSo work hard~ Newbie-kun growing means more we can do for you~
Lots, huh.
That word sparked a surge of growth desire.
— Me (OP)ㅇㅇ Heading to Association tomorrow and update again— AnonymousNight newbie— AnonymousBB
Do-yoon closed the skill window and went straight to bed.
Thus, the gallery's hot topic fell asleep late at night.
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: ...Gone? -He's gone lololol— AnonymousNewbie gone!— AnonymousBopkki yatho!— AnonymousMafia raise your heads..— AnonymousMafia fieldinu just lololol— AnonymousFor real lololololol
📰 Boss Mob GalleryTitle: Ha... almost couldn't hold back and 'messed up'... -Why so nice to him? Says he has nothing to offer? ...This was just appeal, right?— AnonymousFr it is;— AnonymousWhat is lololololol— AnonymousThis guy's eyes are weird⭐ Top Comment— Paper EnthusiastStill green and naive about the world— AnonymousFr lololololololol
— AnonymousWanna know whose tower on Earth first— AnonymousHope it's ours ㅇㅇ— AnonymousAll scram, War God tower it is— War GodPpikyo ppop?— AnonymousTower Lord has arrived— AnonymousFr nobody knows whose tower it is on Earth?— AnonymousYeah Earth hunters super rare, and even they vary by country— AnonymousProbably. Earthlings rare so idk well either— AnonymousAnyway fuck raise him quick and normalize the tower⭐ Top Comment— Aged Wine is...Really. Wanna clean up unqualified hunter trash— AnonymousWristband real talk— AnonymousWine Lord this mad means real issue— AnonymousProblematic times long past
#
The next day.
Arriving at the Association, Do-yoon met the familiar faces.
Choi Geon-woo and the four hunters.
His gaze lingered especially on Jo Ha-rin.
She wore something quite different from their first meeting.
Casual outerwear, but below her shorts, her skin was covered in a strange material.
"That's the Ether Suit hunters wear."
"Suit?"
"Yes. You use dedicated gear inside the tower, but you always wear at least minimal armor like that."
"Do-yoon has one too!"
The lively woman who'd stuck close to Jo Ha-rin spoke up cheerfully.
"Oh."
"Do-yoon. Today we'll start with a simple rundown of the tower's internal structure."
The bear-like man looked at Do-yoon with a friendly grin.
Do-yoon stared right back.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Uncle! You gave our newbie that creepy stare again?!"
"N-No! Not this time, for real!"
"Just call me Do-yoon, bro."
"...Huh?"
"We're gonna be together from now on—awkwardness is weird."
Especially with that build and age using formal speech—it'd take getting used to.
Han Ji-hyeok scratched the back of his head and nodded cautiously.
Do-yoon donned the Association-provided Ether Suit.
Unlike feared, it was quite comfortable.
"Looks good on you!"
The friendly woman from earlier approached casually.
"Feels pretty decent, actually?"
"Right? I sometimes forget to take mine off!"
"..."
Passing that conversation that left him speechless, the bear-like Han Ji-hyeok approached and explained the next step.
"Experience stacks faster the sooner you get it, so how about hitting Floor 1 right away?"
"Floor 1..."
"Yeah. Famous among hunters as the tutorial floor, and clearing with everyone will be easy."
The long-awaited tower entry was finally near.
Kim Do-yoon let out a tense breath in secret.
"Before that, Do-yoon."
"Yes, bro."
"What exactly is your awakened skill? Mana adaptation related, for sure."
"Magic type?!"
All eyes turned to Do-yoon.
The moment had arrived.
The skill name surfaced in his mind.
'Boss Mob Gallery.'
At this stage, was spilling the skill truth to them the right move?
"..."
He found the gallery folks friendly and nice, but others might see differently.
So—
"...Benefactor."
"What?"
"A skill where an unknown benefactor gives advice about the tower. The skill name is 'Benefactor' too."
"...Wild."
"Wow! So you got mana resistance from that person—no, benefactor?"
"Well... yeah. Roughly."
"Awesome! Awesome!"
Jeong A-hyeon believed it straight up, eyes sparkling.
A tiny prick of conscience stung, but he'd be honest later once closer.
It wasn't entirely wrong anyway.
He really was getting their help.
"Then, shall we enter?"
"Yes."
Boarding the Association's massive vehicle, Do-yoon headed to the gigantic tower in South Korea.