Chapter 84

084. Dimensional Invasion (3)

The moment I heard that Changcheon Sword Dragon Namgung Hyuk had appeared in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, transcending dimensions.

I immediately picked up only the items on the floor that I could use right away.

“Vampire Count’s Worn Tuxedo”

“Grade: A-”

“Movement Speed +8%”

“Mana Circulation +10%”

“A special tuxedo that a certain count among Kallian’s vampires used to favor when he was young.”

“When attacked, it can create a blood-colored protective barrier by consuming a random amount of health or internal blood.”

“The level of the barrier is determined by the amount of health and blood consumed.”

I discarded the tattered clothes I was wearing and put on the Vampire Count’s Worn Tuxedo, which I had taken from Kim Seung-jun.

“Blood Sky Demon Sword (血天魔劍)”

“Grade: B+”

“Reaction Speed +7%”

“Attack Speed +10%”

“A famous sword, one of the treasures that once descended from the Blood Demon Sect in the martial arts world.”

“When used by someone with sword skills, blood energy (血氣) swirls around the blade, and the flow of mana through the blood vessels becomes smoother.”

I also held the Blood Sky Demon Sword, which I had obtained from Kim Seung-jun, not the Thunder Sword.

To be honest, if I were facing a regular challenger, this preparation would have been quite excessive.

But I am not going to face a regular challenger.

‘To be honest, even this is not enough preparation.’

The Iron-Blooded Overlord said that I would have no chance of survival if I faced Namgung Hyuk.

Namgung Hyuk, who has been familiar with killing people since he was young and has trained in swordsmanship, is a renowned expert in the martial arts world.

Even if he is weakened by the penalty of a dimensional invasion, she was certain that I would be unable to do anything and would die if I faced him.

That is Namgung Hyuk, the Changcheon Sword Dragon.

Moreover, he appeared not in the tower but in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward.

It might just be a guess, but there is a possibility that Namgung Hyuk has not weakened.

‘The one who appeared in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward is not subject to the penalty of a dimensional invasion.’

It’s not just because it’s a fight happening outside the tower...

It’s because of the news that Namgung Hyuk killed six A-rank hunters in just a few seconds.

To be honest, I might be able to defeat six A-rank hunters right now.

But it’s impossible to kill several strong hunters in just a few seconds.

In other words, he must possess at least the strength of an S-rank hunter.

With all the preparations now complete, I came to one conclusion.

“I can’t handle this alone.”

There is no way to face Namgung Hyuk alone.

Going to Japan immediately, ignoring the Hunter Association’s challenger summons, is beyond what I can handle.

So—

I need to go to the Hunter Association to think of an accurate way to deal with this.

With that conclusion, I immediately went outside and headed to the Hunter Association.

***

When I came out of the one-room apartment and tried to hail a taxi on the street...

For some reason, there were no cars passing on the street, and no people were walking around.

Having no choice, I called a taxi with my smartphone and soon got into the back seat of the arriving taxi.

“Please take me to the Seoul Hunter Association.”

The destination was none other than the Seoul Hunter Association.

The taxi driver looked at me, wearing a tuxedo in broad daylight, as if I were crazy.

But when I asked him to take me to the Hunter Association, he changed his expression, as if realizing his mistake, and answered.

While heading to the Seoul Hunter Association, which was designated as the destination for the challenger summons, I immediately noticed that the streets were unusually empty.

Noticing that there was not a single person on the street, I felt strange and asked the taxi driver.

“Why are there no people on the streets? Has something happened?”

The taxi driver glanced at me and then said, as if he couldn’t understand.

“Since you’re going to the Seoul Hunter Association, you must be a hunter who has been summoned, right?”

“Yes.”

“But haven’t you heard the news yet?”

“...?”

“There’s a lot of talk about a gate opening in Tokyo.”

“...”

“Isn’t that why you were summoned, Mr. Hunter?”

“Well, but what does that have to do with the streets being empty?”

At that, the taxi driver clicked his tongue and answered, as if it were a hassle.

“Rumor has it that the gate that opened in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward is due to the Tower of Trials.”

“What...?”

“They say it’s not a regular gate but one caused by the Tower of Trials.”

“...”

“While it’s not officially confirmed, the fact that the Hunter Association is summoning tower challengers and hunters suggests that it’s not entirely wrong.”

“So the streets are empty because people are afraid that a gate might open like in Shinjuku.”

In other words, it’s strange that the taxi driver is driving around like this.

Most citizens are not even walking on the streets, fearing that a gate might open like in Shinjuku.

After all, who wouldn’t be afraid if ordinary people are being dragged into the tower and terrifying gates are opening due to the tower?

‘The appearance of the interdimensional challenger in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward was supposed to be a secret.’

Even if it’s a secret, some information seems to have leaked to the public.

The taxi driver even used the term “Tower of Trials” without hesitation.

That means a lot of information about the Tower of Trials has been revealed.

‘Have most ordinary people already learned about the Tower of Trials?’

It seems that society has undergone many changes while I was on the 11th floor waiting room.

As if to prove this, the taxi driver poured out his complaints to me.

“While it’s understandable that ordinary people are being dragged into the Tower of Trials, it’s now affecting the real world... Tsk, the world is truly in decline.”

I looked out the window, not reacting to his words, and inwardly smiled bitterly.

‘The world has been in decline since the gates started appearing and monsters began to show up.’

When did the world ever consider it normal that those without talent could never become strong, no matter how much they risked their lives?

Even if you dedicate everything to training, you can’t even acquire a single skill if you lack the aptitude.

I could do nothing even after losing all my family.

I lived in such a world.

I survived for seven years in such a world.

And finally, I started to see the light in such a world.

So—

Just because the world has become a bit more twisted, it doesn’t mean it’s in decline.

I have always known that I am the type who survives in a world that is constantly changing.

Survival of the fittest.

Those who cannot adapt to the newly changed world will be eliminated.

Those who adapt to the newly changed world will reign as the top predators.

“...”

I calmly recalled this fact and thought about Namgung Hyuk, who appeared in Tokyo’s Shinjuku.

Right now, I am just confused and afraid, but I believe I will overcome this, just like before.

Just like when I was summoned to the tower.

It’s time to adapt again.

***

Upon arriving at the Seoul Hunter Association, I immediately contacted Lee Hyeon.

Since the challenger summons were issued, Lee Hyeon was also included in the summons.

As a result, she was already at the Seoul Hunter Association and came to pick me up.

Lee Hyeon ran up to the entrance of the Seoul Hunter Association, smiling, but then...

“...Seung-yun, what’s with that outfit?”

She immediately asked, looking at the outfit I was wearing, as if she couldn’t understand.

“Since there’s no time, let’s talk while we go inside.”

Lee Hyeon immediately led me inside the Hunter Association and asked for an explanation, to which I briefly replied.

“It’s new equipment I obtained from the tower.”

“What? I mean, why are you wearing it...”

“From what I heard, the challenger summons were issued, and I thought I might need to support the Japanese Hunter Association.”

“...”

“Since the Japanese Hunter Association mentioned a Korean challenger, we can’t ignore it.”

She seems to not know the details, as she didn’t hear the name of the Korean challenger clearly.

But since I was mentioned, the Japanese Hunter Association will likely hold Korea responsible.

So, the Korean Hunter Association will have to send challengers to support the Japanese Hunter Association out of a sense of duty.

“...Are you really saying you didn’t know anything and were just in the tower?”

Lee Hyeon, hearing my words, said, as if she couldn’t believe it.

While she had some knowledge and could make guesses, she didn’t know everything.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be so relaxed in the tower.”

If I had known that Namgung Hyuk appeared in Tokyo’s Shinjuku, I would have already sought a solution.

In any case, the reason he appeared in Tokyo’s Shinjuku is because I killed Baek Seon-hak in the tower.

“From what I heard, the Korean Hunter Association is planning to send a few challengers to support Japan, as you guessed, Seung-yun.”

“Is there any resistance?”

“Of course. There are many who question why Korean challengers should support Japan just because they were mentioned.”

“...”

“Some even argue that we should find the exact Korean challenger mentioned and hold them accountable... It’s a headache.”

“Do you not know the exact Korean challenger mentioned by the interdimensional challenger?”

“That’s what they say. The surviving A-rank hunter didn’t hear the name clearly.”

While I felt a bit bitter about this news, which could be considered a silver lining,

I soon realized I was already in the meeting room of the Seoul Hunter Association.

“...”

Inside the meeting room, about ten people were seated in their respective positions.

Perhaps because my mana circuit skill level has improved, my perception has also enhanced.

I noticed that the people seated in the meeting room were quite skilled challengers.

I sat next to Lee Hyeon and asked her about the doubts that came to mind.

“Lee Hyeon, the challenger summons were issued to all difficulty level challengers, right?”

“Yes. So all difficulty level challengers have visited the Hunter Association at least once.”

“But why are there so few challengers in this meeting room?”

“That’s because only the top 40 ranked challengers were gathered here.”

I tilted my head at her words, and she immediately explained.

“Challengers from difficulty levels below the 7th floor didn’t even come to the meeting room.”

“...”

“They are considered secondary, and they don’t have much information, so only the top-ranked challengers who have faced interdimensional challengers were gathered.”

“I see.”

After all, what would be the point of summoning lower-ranked challengers to the meeting room?

But looking around, I couldn’t see Kim Seung-hoon or Oh Chun-seok anywhere.

Of course, there’s a possibility they haven’t returned from the tower yet, but it doesn’t seem likely.

They told me they planned to return to Earth after completing the 10th floor trials.

They wouldn’t have spent time like me, raising their skill levels and practicing sword energy.

Even if they were delayed by additional contracts with other managers, they should have already returned to Earth.

“Is there anyone among the top-ranked challengers who is not present?”

“There are some. Those who have lost contact or moved to other places.”

“What do you mean by ‘moved’?”

“It’s simple. Those who refused to support the Japanese Hunter Association and only provided information, or those who went to Japan.”

Went to Japan?

I looked at Lee Hyeon, wondering what she meant, and she continued her explanation.

“As you know, the Japanese Hunter Association requested help from various countries.”

“...”

“One hunter from the United States and two from Korea have already gone to Japan.”

“Can you tell me who the two Korean challengers are?”

At that, Lee Hyeon nodded and told me who they were.

“Kim Seung-hoon and Oh Chun-seok. The top-ranked and second-ranked challengers went to Japan together.”

Hearing this, I felt a glimmer of hope.

Namely, the possibility of collaborating with Kim Seung-hoon and Oh Chun-seok to tackle Namgung Hyuk.