The Struggles of the #1 Rank - Chapter 34
The deep water covered an entire floor of the Tower. They swam for a long time before finally reaching the stairs leading to the next floor and emerging from the cold water.
“You could breathe freely underwater. How did you do that?”
Yeon-joo took an item called Fluffy Powder out of her item box and tossed it into the air.
“I created a barrier using a defensive shield.”
Joo-ah answered while wringing the water out of her soaked hair.
The Fluffy Powder Yeon-joo had thrown trembled slightly before bursting with a soft pop. Pure white powder spread across the wide area.
At the same time, the team members’ wet clothes, shoes, and hair all became completely dry.
“Wow, that’s amazing. So that’s how we were able to move around comfortably?”
The abilities Hunters possessed had various functions depending on their attributes.
Hunters with the Light attribute could assess a situation and freely create the energy they needed.
Joo-ah’s mana had also supplied her with oxygen through a defensive barrier when she felt her life was in danger underwater. It was an ability that worked in much the same way.
Chan-hee, who was straightening his clothes, chuckled softly.
“I thought you’d just tremble in fear, but you’re full of surprises.”
Joo-ah gave a slight shrug.
He had certainly looked quite surprised when he saw her using mana underwater.
It was understandable to be startled when they had suddenly jumped into the water, but Joo-ah had immediately thought of using her mana to create an air pocket. That was what had surprised him.
“What floor are we on?”
Jae-rim asked as he looked around.
“I think it’s Floor 93.”
Yeon-joo answered while looking toward the passage leading to the stairs. A faint number was visible on the dark wall.
Chan-hee curled his lips into a thin smile.
“This is the perfect floor to climb from.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a blue system window appeared before them.
【Bonus Quest Initiated!】
【Obtain a pearl from a beautiful mermaid living underwater within 15 minutes!】
【Quest Success: Teleportation Marble + Special Pass applied to the next quest reward】
【Quest Failure: Death】
A timer appeared above the water from which Joo-ah’s team had emerged. The fifteen minutes had not started counting down yet.
【If you wish to undertake the bonus quest, enter the water. The timer will begin once at least one team member enters the water, signaling the start of the quest.】
A more detailed explanation appeared above the system window.
Yeon-joo spoke with an irritated expression.
“They should’ve told us that earlier. I wasted my Fluffy Powder item for nothing.”
Chan-hee replied with a look of exasperation.
“If there’s this much water in a Tower, the quest is pretty damn obvious.”
He took a massive longsword out of his inventory and started walking.
“You guys stay here. I can handle a quest like this by myself.”
“What?”
Yeon-joo called out to Chan-hee in a hurry, but he had already entered the water. Jae-rim watched the timer begin to move and spoke.
“Let’s wait five minutes. If he doesn’t come back by then, we’ll go in.”
Apparently, he didn’t think this quest would be particularly difficult.
Yeon-joo could only sigh as she stood before the boundary leading into the deep water.
Joo-ah, who had been quietly watching them from behind, muttered in disbelief.
“…I thought there was no acting alone on our team?”
She was talking about Chan-hee, who had already disappeared underwater.
She remembered how confidently he had told her that acting alone was not allowed when she had said she would stay on the train.
Judging by her teammates’ reactions, it seemed they had intended to pursue the bonus quest from the very beginning. That was probably why they had jumped off the moving train.
If they could have simply taken the train to the next floor, they wouldn’t have needed to make such a choice. But the monster fight had become a nuisance, so they had chosen another route.
The rewards from bonus quests were a little special.
Since these quests were usually on the easier side, the reward was a Teleportation Marble instead of a Train Ticket. It could transport Hunters up or down roughly ten floors.
However, the Teleportation Marble had one drawback. It did not work on Towers above Floor 500.
But Joo-ah’s team had originally planned to take the train to Floor 100, and they were currently on Floor 93. The Teleportation Marble was more than enough to reach their intended destination.
Moreover, there was another reward given alongside the Teleportation Marble. In fact, this was the real reason her teammates wanted to complete the bonus quest.
Special Pass Granted.
A Special Pass would be applied to the reward they received for the next floor’s quest. A train ticket with a Special Pass would transport Hunters safely all the way to their final destination.
In other words, it would shorten the time needed to reach the boss.
Joo-ah furrowed her brow and stared straight ahead. It was as though an invisible glass wall divided the place where she stood from the water-filled Tower beyond it.
The timer showed 11 minutes and 10 seconds.
The water remained calm, as though nothing were happening beneath the surface.
This was becoming a headache.
Watching her teammates climb the Tower in such an unfamiliar way made her realize all over again that she really had joined a new team.
When the timer reached exactly ten minutes, Joo-ah stepped forward and began to speak.
“We should probably go in soon, too…”
Since Chan-hee hadn’t returned, she was about to suggest that they enter the water and complete the quest before any more time passed.
But her words were cut short.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion rang out from the center of the water. A circular patch of ground appeared, only to disappear almost immediately.
And then…
“Oh? He’s back.”
Yeon-joo pointed at something.
A faint silhouette could be seen swimming through the pitch-black water. Someone was dragging something with one hand as he approached and stepped onto the ground.
Jae-rim greeted him with a smile.
“If you’d taken any longer, we were about to go in ourselves.”
Chan-hee casually flung the thing he had been carrying onto the ground, then roughly shook the water from his hair with one hand.
“I told you I could handle it myself.”
【Bonus Quest, “Find the Mermaid’s Pearl,” Completed!】
【Reward: “Teleportation Marble.”】
【Reward: “Quest Reward Special Pass.”】
【The “Teleportation Marble” can be found in your item box. The “Special Pass” will be automatically applied upon completion of the next quest.】
On the ground lay a silver pearl beside a male mermaid who appeared to have met his end.
Yeon-joo used the last remaining Fluffy Powder in her item box on Chan-hee.
He quickly returned to a neat and tidy state, then flashed her a grin.
“Thanks.”
She nodded and picked up the pearl lying on the ground.
“What should we do with this?”
She asked because she knew Chan-hee didn’t consider something an item unless it was particularly impressive.
After casually glancing at the pearl in Yeon-joo’s hand, he tilted his head and looked at Joo-ah, who was standing behind them.
“We should give it to our poor D-rank.”
Chan-hee continued with a smirk.
“When would someone with such a low rank ever get to own something like this?”
Joo-ah smiled sweetly as she replied.
“I’ll pass.”
Chan-hee wrinkled his nose as though he had misheard her.
Yeon-joo asked Joo-ah with a puzzled expression.
“You really don’t want it? It might not increase your stats by much, but you could sell it at a shop for a decent amount of money.”
“I already have quite a lot of money.”
At her arrogant answer, Chan-hee let out a disbelieving laugh.
Yeon-joo, on the other hand, turned to Chan-hee with a pleased expression.
“Then I’ll take it, okay? You don’t need it anyway.”
Without even waiting for his answer, she placed the pearl into her item box.
Jae-rim took out his Teleportation Marble and spoke.
“Shall we head to the next floor, then?”
At his words, the other team members also took out the Teleportation Marbles stored in their item boxes.
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah.”
Jae-rim held out his hand toward her.
“When using Teleportation Marbles as a team, everyone needs to stay close together. That way, we’ll all end up in the same place.”
She already knew that.
A Teleportation Marble could transport its user up or down within a range of ten floors. The floor they traveled to depended entirely on the user’s intention.
Therefore, if team members used their Teleportation Marbles separately, they risked ending up in different places. The way to prevent that was through trust in one another.
Most teams used their Teleportation Marbles while standing close together as a way of demonstrating their trust. It was the most reliable method for ensuring that everyone arrived safely.
Joo-ah carefully placed her hand on Jae-rim’s palm. His large hand closed firmly around hers.
Jae-rim suddenly chuckled softly and asked her,
“Hunter Seo Joo-ah, aren’t you afraid?”
“Pardon?”
Joo-ah tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Jae-rim glanced down at their joined hands before raising his head to meet her gaze.
“You seem far too calm for a Hunter who is climbing a Tower for the first time.”
“…Oh.”
“I was just a little curious, that’s all.”
At his quiet voice, Joo-ah awkwardly shifted her gaze.
“I do feel nervous, but I have my teammates with me.”
Jae-rim widened his eyes as though he hadn’t expected that answer.
Joo-ah smiled prettily and added,
“Besides, our team belongs to the Higher-Ranked Group. We can confidently say that we’re among the strongest Hunters. How could I not feel reassured?”
Yeon-joo, standing beside them, smiled and spoke up.
“That’s right. We’ll protect you somehow, so just trust us and follow along.”
Chan-hee held out the Teleportation Marble in his hand.
“Let’s head to the next floor.”
Yeon-joo and Joo-ah also brought their Teleportation Marbles in front of their bodies, one after the other. Blue light soon began to spill from them.
Jae-rim, however, still hadn’t done anything. Joo-ah looked at him in confusion.
“Hunter Shin Jae-rim?”
He had been staring blankly into space. Only after a moment did he finally hold out his Teleportation Marble.
Blue light soon enveloped the team members, and in an instant, they were transported to another floor.
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