There are officially six S-Rank Towers in the United States.
However, there are two additional Towers that the U.S. government has been unable to disclose to the public. Drei managed to uncover this information through hacking, but since it is not officially acknowledged, I cannot speak about it either.
To reveal it would be equivalent to declaring, “I can access all your data whenever I want.”
Honestly, those in the know within the U.S. probably already understand this, but there’s a huge difference between something being unspoken knowledge and openly discussing it.
– Korea, isn’t that missile launch technology for space rockets?
– Yes.
– Alright, let’s just say it’s for peaceful purposes.
Even if a country possesses the capability to turn a space launch system into an intercontinental ballistic missile, they will still officially deny it. That’s just how things work.
With that in mind, I can only publicly raid the Towers that are already disclosed.
Whether I clear all six official Towers first or tackle the two hidden S-Rank Towers in between, the strategy remains the same—I will swiftly take down the six Towers in order of proximity.
The First Target: The Golden Gate S-Rank Tower
The Golden Gate Bridge, spanning the strait of San Francisco, was once one of America’s most iconic landmarks—until an S-Rank Tower manifested at its very center.
To be precise, the Tower didn’t appear on the bridge itself but right over the ocean in front of it.
Some people even proposed turning the Tower into a tourist attraction.
However, the U.S. government viewed an S-Rank Tower as no different from an unstable nuclear power plant—essentially a “Chernobyl waiting to happen.” As a result, the Golden Gate Bridge had been closed off for a long time.
Even taking a picture of it was difficult since access to the area was heavily restricted.
With the bridge out of commission, people faced major inconveniences, forcing them to take long detours. Sure, America has plenty of land, so one might think detours aren’t a big deal. But once people get used to convenience, losing it suddenly makes things feel much worse.
Thus, I directed Illinois straight toward the Golden Gate Bridge.
On purpose, I kept the speed slow.
“President Luigi, we’ll be there in ten minutes. How’s the photo op going?”
[Of course. The roads are completely blocked because citizens have stopped to take pictures and record videos.]
President Luigi sent me a picture.
The image showed crowds gathered along the shoreline, taking photos, while police officers stood with hands on their hips, merely watching.
And beyond them, Illinois loomed.
A fleet of warships trailed behind Illinois in support, but they were just escort vessels in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Unlike Illinois, these warships weren’t carrying any Hunters—only naval personnel.
Whaaaaaa.
The fleet surged forward, cutting through the waves toward the Golden Gate Bridge.
Since Illinois wasn’t moving at full speed, the other ships arranged themselves in formation as they approached the S-Rank Tower.
[Are you really sure about this? Even if you’re not technically alone, it’s still an S-Rank Tower.]
“Korea has cleared S-Rank Towers solo multiple times. The U.S. should be no different. In fact, it would be more troublesome if other Hunters interfered.”
[Hmm….]
“I understand the goodwill, but my party will handle this S-Rank Tower raid alone. Please trust us.”
[Understood. As President, I will ensure that no unauthorized personnel interfere with your raid. I’ll keep other Hunters in check.]
Even with the naval presence, I was sure some American Hunters had received the message. But President Luigi seemed to have a few specific individuals he was particularly wary of.
“I just need one promise. If any unauthorized entity enters the Tower during our raid, Illinois may have no choice but to open fire.”
Officially, this would be classified as friendly fire—collateral damage.
“If that happens, they might end up like Ironblood—completely losing their magic and never recovering as a Hunter.”
Illinois’s mana cannon completely wipes out an enemy’s mana reserves.
Just like Ironblood had rendered Blue Lightning impotent by striking him in the groin, she herself had lost all her mana and become crippled after being hit by Illinois’s bombardment.
Along with complete lower-body paralysis.
Whether it was the shock of hitting the ocean or the sudden mana loss overloading her body, she had been unable to get back up.
Or perhaps she simply couldn’t bring herself to stand.
And Ironblood wouldn’t be the last.
“Are you still okay with this?”
[Of course. If they’re ignoring government orders and interfering in your raid, they’re not Hunters—they’re villains who secretly harbor malice toward you.]
President Luigi gave his word.
[There will be only one authorized government representative in the raid—the person we’ve designated beforehand. If anyone else claims to be a government agent and enters the Tower… Shoot them without hesitation. I’ll take full responsibility.]
President Luigi made it clear that he would not evade responsibility if an unexpected incident occurred.
“One day, something like that may happen. But at least for now, it won’t.”
Swooooosh.
Illinois cut through the warships lined up in formation near the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Even if Hunters try to make a move now, it will take time for them to reach the bridge…”
As Illinois advanced confidently toward the S-Rank Tower that stretched toward the sky, Marines stationed on the warships saluted.
“And even if someone with ill intentions does arrive, we’ll clear the S-Rank Tower before they can do anything.”
[…We shall trust you, my friend.]
“Glad to hear it.”
Swooooosh.
“Repaying the grace of X090—this much is only natural.”
* * *
[5 minutes ago, Korea. A studio apartment in Seoul.]
“Damn, that should’ve been a turtle ship.”
A-Rank Hunter Park Chang-hwan clicked his tongue as he watched an 85-inch TV in his living room. The screen displayed live drone footage from the U.S., showing Illinois stationed near the Golden Gate Bridge.
“If it were a turtle ship, it’d be breathing fire, stabbing monsters with spikes so they couldn’t climb on board, and inside, Admiral Yi Sun-sin would be firing spirit cannons.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Another A-Rank Hunter, Kim Yoon-chul, handed him a can of beer and plopped down on the couch.
“Why bring up Admiral Yi Sun-sin all of a sudden?”
“If he can summon a turtle ship, he could summon the admiral too.”
“Where the hell would Admiral Yi Sun-sin come from? …Oh, wait, I guess he could show up in that mobile game with all the historical heroes.”
“…Dude.”
Park Chang-hwan tapped on his smartphone, then turned his gaze back to the screen.
“What if he really is summoning characters from a mobile game?”
“Who knows? But that’s the rumor, right? The ‘Maid’ is supposedly just Elaine from a gacha game, Illinois was pulled straight out of a warship game…”
“That’s only two examples.”
“Three. Remember that Chinese game with the gun-girl androids? One of them apparently defended his house from an enemy attack.”
“So did the government raid the game company or something?”
“They almost did, but Blue Lightning showed up and shut it down.”
“Wait, Da-ram?”
“Yeah.”
The TV screen split in half, displaying another video—an unofficially downloaded clip from YouTube that had been deleted.
[W-What the hell?! What are you doing here?!]
[The real question is, what the hell are YOU doing? What’s your plan—raid the game company the Master likes? And what if the U.S. brings in warships? You gonna take responsibility for that?]
[T-That would never… AAAAARGH!! B-BLUE LIGHTNING JUST ELECTROCUTED—KAAAAGH!!]
“Okay, now I’m actually scared of Da-ram.”
“He awakened. Losing his balls must’ve made him lose all restraint. …Honestly, someone needed to step up like that as an S-Rank.”
The two A-Rank Hunters shook their heads as they watched Blue Lightning unleash lightning upon government officials, shocking them all into submission.
“Man, if only Master had stayed in Korea and teamed up with Blue Lightning for this.”
“Dude, you too? I was just thinking the same thing. If Master had stayed and handled things like this, oh man…”
“Well, he did turn Ironblood into a mana-less cripple. Cheers to that.”
Master’s move to the U.S.
Some bitter critics called it betrayal, but from a global perspective, no one could say anything.
He was clearing Korea’s S-Rank Towers and taking on S-Rank Towers in other countries.
The only real question was whether requests to clear their own S-Rank Towers should be submitted to the U.S. State Department or the Korean Foreign Ministry.
[…And now, Illinois is approaching the S-Rank Tower at the Golden Gate Bridge!]
The anchor’s excited voice echoed through the live broadcast.
[Will Master step onto the bridge of Illinois? Or will he have the ‘Maid’ dash across the deck and enter the S-Rank Tower?]
“Hey. S-Rank Towers usually float in midair, right? Can they even enter it?”
“No idea. If the highest point of the ship reaches the Tower… huh?”
The two A-Rank Hunters tilted their heads.
“Wait, why is Illinois accelerating?”
“…Is it running?”
GUUUUUUUUUU—
Illinois began increasing its speed.
Threading through the escort fleet, it surged forward.
“W-Wait. He’s not actually planning to ram the Tower, is he?”
“No way! If they keep going like this, they’ll crash right into the Golden Gate Bri—”
GUUUUUUUUUU—
The stern of Illinois.
The massive ship’s rear turrets lowered toward the ocean, while the bow gradually lifted.
As if something was weighing down the back.
“…No way.”
“A booster?”
Illinois tilted its bow upward at a 15-degree angle, pointing straight at the S-Rank Tower.
BOOOOOM!!
With a massive explosion, the battleship launched itself directly toward the Tower.
* * *
Executing a Mana Boosted Battleship Jump required an enormous amount of mana.
From a purely efficiency-driven standpoint, the better move would have been to de-summon Illinois on the ocean, have Elaine carry me into the dungeon, and then re-summon Illinois inside.
…
But if I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have brought Illinois here in the first place.
This was a statement.
A declaration of hope for humanity.
The world would witness this scene countless times—Illinois soaring into an S-Rank Tower, clearing it, and emerging victorious as the Tower disintegrated.
“Drei, deploy the recording drones.”
“Roger~”
Inside the dungeon.
Unlike the S-Rank Tower at Dokdo, the one beyond the Golden Gate Bridge opened into a vast teal-colored ocean.
Or rather, a reversed world—where land had become water, and the American continent was now an endless sea.
And in that sky, monstrous birds, each over ten meters long, were soaring and screeching.
“Illinois.”
Click.
Auto-Combat Mode: On.
“All cannons open fire. Do everything you can—”
Before I could even finish my sentence—
From the opened missile silos on Illinois’s sides, an overwhelming barrage of cylindrical projectiles launched toward the sky.
“…Missiles?”
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
