TRHSOS 16

Chapter 16

I Got a Pocket Guy

I succeeded!

Seizing the moment when I got closer to Beka, I clenched my fist.

When reason doesn’t work, you’ve got to wake them up—with love!

Pow!

My fist landed squarely on Beka’s forehead in a sharp flick.

[You have acquired the hidden skill ‘Hot Spring Owner’s Trademark Loving Smack.’]

“What the—….”

Beka, having taken the flick, rubbed his reddened forehead with a dazed expression.

“Have you ever tried to get out? Have you ever tried to leave this tower on your own?!”

[Due to the effect of the hidden skill ‘Hot Spring Owner’s Trademark Loving Smack,’ upon being struck by the hot spring owner’s smack, enlightenment is gained.]

Beka’s red eyes, which had been gleaming ominously, wavered violently as if shaken.

“Everyone has a place where they were born and raised. But that doesn’t mean you have to be bound to that place forever, Beka.”

The 46th floor had never been opened to anyone yet, so there was probably no one who had ever taught Beka what ‘freedom’ was.

So he must have been bound to the system window, spending countless lonely years trapped on the 46th floor.

“Beka, if you’re okay with it, would you like to try going outside this tower with me?”

I carefully held out my hand so as not to startle Beka, a young bird just about to break out of its shell.

Everything was unfamiliar to Beka, and when this sudden moment of choice arrived, he hesitated in confusion.

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay to stay as you are. If that’s what you wish, then it’s not the wrong choice.”

The moment I finished speaking, Beka grabbed my hand tightly.

“I want to go. To the world where you are. Together.”

The instant Beka took my hand, a warm, radiant light wrapped around my body, and the shackles binding my arms and legs snapped apart.

[Congratulations! You have cleared Tower Floor 46. The path to Tower Floor 47 has opened.]

There were no secrets in the hunters’ system windows.

[Congratulations! ‘Hot Spring Owner’ has cleared Tower Floor 46. The path to Tower Floor 47 has opened.]

Just as foretold by the fortune, Su-on had obtained golden glory.

Though it wasn’t something he wanted.

The anonymous hunter forum was going wild over Su-on’s exploits.

<The one who said the guy who went up to Floor 46 was the hot spring owner>

Who was it? This is creepy as hell.

└ Anonymous1: That’s what I’m saying.

└ Anonymous2: Whoa, gotta go on a pilgrimage. Anyone know the coordinates?

└ OP: It’s here. (Address)

└ Anonymous3: If that person sees this, please let me awaken as an S-rank hunter.

└ Anonymous4: Yeah, like that’ll happen.

└ Anonymous3: Got nothing better to do than picking fights online?

└ Anonymous4: Talking about yourself? What now, huh? Got nothing to say?

└ Anonymous3: I have a lot to say, but I won’t.

Speculative posts about whether the hot spring owner had gone up to the 46th floor racked up explosive view counts thanks to the nonstop traffic from hunters.

<The one who opened Floor 46 this time isn’t an EX awakener?>

Didn’t it open not long after that hot spring owner awakened?

└ Anonymous1: Just stating facts—his rank still isn’t confirmed. Only the hidden field hot spring is confirmed EX-rank. The claim that the hot spring owner himself is EX-rank is just speculation by hunter experts.

└ Anonymous2: Here comes the explanation guy.

└ Anonymous3: If you’d awakened instead of typing this, you’d be S-rank.

└ Anonymous4: Do you think S-rank is the name of someone’s pet dog? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry saying S-rank my ass.

└ Anonymous3: Judging by the salt, you’re F-rank, right?

└ Anonymous5: I’ve come on a pilgrimage. Please keep my family healthy this year!

└ Anonymous20501: Please let me get a job at ㅋㅋㅇ.

<Is it for real that Floor 46 was cleared in half a day?>

Is it real that Floor 46 got cleared in less than half a day? Solo, at that?

└ Anonymous1: For real. Absolute monster.

└ Anonymous2: When the ㅈㅍ Guild cleared Floor 45, five rankers went in and it still took a full day.

└ OP: But the hot spring owner did it solo in half a day. Insane…

└ Anonymous3: Maybe the hot spring owner mobilized the hot spring members.

└ Anonymous4: The hot spring I go to is EX-rank?

└ Anonymous5: Sister hack—just use the hot spring and level up!

└ Anonymous6: LOL, is that actually going to become real?

└ Anonymous7: At this point, isn’t the hot spring owner basically confirmed EX-rank?

└ Anonymous1: Agreed. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense.

└ Anonymous3: Rankings are probably about to get reshuffled.

└ Anonymous8: Poor Park Si-…

└ Anonymous4: Yeah, you won’t even make second place.

└ Anonymous5: Judging by the comment level, probably pre-awakening.

└ Anonymous4: LMAOOOO, totally agreed.

<Reactions of top rankers right after seeing the clear message (pics included)>

[Photo]

Just staring blankly at the clear message in the hunter window.

└ Anonymous1: Did you really have to take EVERYTHING!!

└ Anonymous2: Looks really pissed.

└ Anonymous3: There’s a fire here! Someone call 119!

└ Anonymous4: And Park Si-’s expression is stealing the spotlight lol

└ Anonymous2: Looks like a raccoon shocked after cotton candy melted in water lol

└ Anonymous3: Park Si- is cute lol

└ Anonymous5: Park Si- dislikes this comment.

└ Anonymous6: But what’s Park Ji-nu- doing showing his wallet to guild members? He looks super excited.

└ Anonymous1: That’s a ㅈㅍ guild member across from him—he’s bragging about how pretty his sister’s ID photo is.

└ Anonymous7: Anyone would think she’s his girlfriend lol

└ Anonymous8: Why don’t I have a little brother like that?

└ Anonymous2: Why is my family registry mate always just stuffing his face with seaweed?

└ Anonymous8: Why only seaweed?

└ Anonymous2: No idea, but he’s an ugly-thing enthusiast.

└ Anonymous8: The ugly thing he’s always eating, lol

└ Anonymous9: Never imagined the true identity of seaweed, omg!

<About the boss that appears on Floor 46>

When the ㅈㅍ Guild cleared Floor 45, they got a hint about the next floor’s boss.

└ Anonymous1: And then?

└ Anonymous2: There are three ways to make people angry. The first is stopping mid-sentence, and the second—

└ Anonymous3: What’s the second?!

└ Anonymous4: What is it?! Tell us! I’m so curious I can’t sleep!

More than anything, there were people who were really benefiting from Su-on’s achievements—namely, the hunter general store.

As photos of the white-bearded gatekeeper of Floor 46 spread, products designed like Siu’s cherished one-person sauna barrel began selling like hotcakes.

<If you buy the hot spring owner’s one-person sauna barrel>

Will he come fill it with hot spring water?

└ Anonymous1: He’d probably turn back the moment he sees your face.

└ Anonymous2: If I can just meet the hot spring owner, I’ll buy a hundred barrels.

At the same time, the number of fans wanting to meet the hot spring owner skyrocketed.

<If you find the hot spring owner> [Author: Han Chang-hee]

I’ll pay 100 million gold.

└ Anonymous1: So generous!

└ Anonymous2: Just finding the hot spring owner is a total life reversal!

└ Anonymous3: He’s a walking lottery ticket.

Eventually, people even started putting bounties on the hot spring owner.

<Can’t lose this.> [Author: SiX-tto]

Bring me the hot spring owner’s location and I’ll pay 1 billion gold.

└ Anonymous1: As expected of ㅈㅍ class!

└ Anonymous2: Can’t compare to Han Chang-hee.

└ Anonymous3: This bastard’s causing trouble again.

└ SiX-tto: Yeah, next is Han Chang-hee.

There was even a real older brother who, not knowing the truth, put a bounty of one billion on his own younger sister.

“Hyung, the hint we got—are you sure it’s legit?”

Jiho poked Siu’s back as he asked. Siu had been completely spaced out since the hot spring owner’s feat.

“Have you ever seen the system window lie?”

Resting his chin on his hand, Siu replied indifferently as he pulled out a small note from his pocket.

It was the one he had received after clearing Floor 45.

The only clue that allowed advance preparation for Floor 46.

When he unfolded the note in his hand, the words written on it were revealed.

[Tower Floor 46 Boss: ‘Beka,’ the tower’s owner who has lost his memories (SS)]

‘Beka’ was a name famous among hunters.

He was the ruler who possessed the power to move the tower, and its owner.

“Even if he’s supposedly lost his memories, he’s SS-rank—and that was cleared solo?”

Still unable to believe it, Siu muttered in disbelief while staring at the message displayed in the overall hunter system window.

“Hot spring owner… just how much of a monster are you?”

At that moment, that monster was facing another monster on Tower Floor 46.

“Weren’t we going together?”

“It’s difficult right now. I’m not living alone, so if I’m going with you, I need their permission. Next time, I’ll definitely invite you to our hot spring.”

“If it’s you, the door to Floor 46 will always be open.”

Honestly, I thought he might cling to me or throw a tantrum saying he didn’t want to part, but Beka accepted the farewell surprisingly calmly.

Beka must have grown as well.

“Beka, then I’ll see you next time!”

Feeling proud that I had guided a growing sprout onto the right path, I left Floor 46.

“Oh? You made it out alive?”

When I reached the entrance, the white-bearded old man was still enjoying his sauna.

“I’m heading back now. I’ve got a lot of luggage today, so I’ll come pick up the sauna barrel next time.”

“You certainly do look heavily loaded. I hope you safely complete your first outing into the outside world and return.”

Until then, caught up in the thrill of having escaped Floor 46, I didn’t realize two things—

That the white-bearded old man’s final farewell was oddly meaningful, and that my herb bag had become heavier than before.