[Captain’s Quarters of the Illinois, on the sea heading toward Australia.]
Anxiety brought on by the Towers and Babel.
People said it was just “inconvenient to get immersed in the game,” but honestly, it wasn’t just the game that was uncomfortable.
-Honey, do we really have to live here? What if some monster pops out of that Tower?
-The kids need to go to school! We wouldn’t be able to live here otherwise. And your parents’ hospital is nearby, remember?
-But your job isn’t…
-I can leave early in the morning. As long as that Tower disappears, this place will be safe again.
The Towers had become a part of everyday human life.
Some people moved every time a Tower appeared. Others dismissed the idea of monsters pouring out of the Tower as a rare anomaly and felt reassured.
-Besides, your cousin is a Hunter, right? Didn’t he say Hunters live here too? When the government promoted this place, they said there was a ‘Hunter Premium’—do you know how expensive this neighborhood was?
-But… Oh, sweetie. You’re up? Want Daddy to read you a story?
Everyone had their own judgment.
But regardless of what it was, once it became a thing of the past, whether it was right or wrong depended entirely on the outcome.
-Hello? Dad? Why did you call—
-Ah, son. Sorry abou—
-Dad?
Sometimes, the ones who sold their homes and moved away from the Tower turned out to be wise. Other times, people bought homes near the Tower at discounted prices, only to have their buildings destroyed and loved ones killed when monsters poured out.
The government… well, there was a lot of talk back then.
A Hunter was dispatched in a rush and did their best, but not everyone could be saved.
-The government has launched a joint investigation into Hunter ___’s abandonment of the scene…
-Hunter ___ is currently missing. The Hunter Association has permanently expelled the Hunter and called for a global manhunt…
Because the Hunter who should’ve been on standby in that area had gone somewhere else.
-Why on earth did so many monsters pour out of the Tower? This can only be seen as the Hunter responsible for that Tower neglecting their duty—
-This is exactly why Hunters need to be regulated by law.
-Wait, wasn’t it that same regulation that drove the Hunter away and caused this whole mess?!
-All the more reason to clamp down harder! They shouldn’t be able to move freely! Have you ever seen a soldier leave their designated zone? This is desertion—desertion!
-Hunters aren’t soldiers…!
Hunters were supposed to periodically enter the Towers to clear out monsters. But sometimes, for highly personal reasons, they didn’t—causing all sorts of problems.
Sudden monster outbreaks from a Tower.
No Hunter present to protect the assigned zone. A Hunter from another area rushed over, but by then, it was too late.
Many lost their families that way, and some were forced to stand up again on their own.
– This is Hunter ___. We can offer help through the Foundation. We should be able to support you financially at least through college…
Ironically, even those who lost their families because of a Hunter, sometimes had to rely on a Hunter to survive—or to find hope again.
…
Anyway.
‘That constant fear of monsters bursting out of a Tower—how could that anxiety only affect games?’
Living near a Tower was stressful in itself.
It’s not like Towers only appeared at cultural heritage sites or fixed coordinates—they popped up randomly. For humanity, Towers were a huge source of fear.
And now Babel too?
People are still shouting today.
– The monsters descending from the sky will devour humanity!
Conspiracy theories.
Doomsday cults.
If you look closely, these people are just con artists trying to exploit people’s anxiety to make obscene amounts of money.
They claim that if you die to a Tower monster, you’ll be dragged to hell, and that drinking a “holy water” worth 50 million won will save your soul and send you to heaven instead.
Many families were harmed by those frauds.
Couples spent 100 million won combined on the so-called holy water, only to die when they failed to flee in time from a Tower monster outbreak.
Did they really go to heaven?
No one knows.
With the rise of summoning, there are now beings who claim they can detect the souls of the dead and even speak with them. But looking back won’t bring them back.
‘Might as well move forward.’
Sorry to those who’ve already passed—but right now, the living matter more.
For the living to enjoy even a slightly more comfortable life—
That alone would bring peace to the dead, watching from above or through something like a crystal orb.
Therefore—
We go to Australia.
Why Australia? Because that’s where a Babel is.
After clearing the East Asia Babel, the next closest Babel accessible by sea is in Australia.
The issue now is choice.
“Master.”
“Yes, Elaine.”
“This is intel confirmed through President Luigi. The Australian Prime Minister would prefer we clear the S-rank Towers within Australia rather than attack Babel.”
“Of course he would.”
Clear the S-rank Towers, or tackle Babel.
Doing both—has become difficult.
“Did President Luigi not inform the Australian PM of the entry conditions for Babel?”
“The information has been unofficially shared with world leaders.”
“So he knows that only a Hunter who’s cleared 10 S-rank Towers can enter Babel…? And even knowing that, he still wants us to clear his country’s S-rank Towers first?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
At first glance, the Australian PM’s stance might seem selfish, but in truth, he’s just as desperate as any national leader responsible for his people.
“Australia has no S-rank Awakened… but they have three S-rank Towers.”
There’s no one capable of clearing them.
They have A-rank Hunters, yes—but not strong enough to conquer S-rank Towers.
“So this is why they brought out a fleet like this?”
As Illinois makes its way down toward Australia, a procession of ships sails around us—like a naval exercise, or a grand maritime parade to welcome foreign dignitaries.
“What a waste of taxpayer money.”
“Perhaps they fear their political standing will be undermined if they don’t do this sort of display?”
“Political standing?”
“Well, the Japanese Prime Minister ran into trouble thanks to you, Master.”
“That was because he insisted on clearing the Tower in Shibuya himself, claiming Japanese Towers must be handled by Japan. He made a fuss.”
Japan was like that.
But that was before Babel.
Now that I’ve entered and returned from Babel, things are different.
Tower Addict.
A lunatic who clears any S-rank Tower.
The Australian PM is probably expecting something like that—but unfortunately, that won’t be the case this time.
“Illinois.”
[Yes, Captain!]
“We’ll anchor temporarily in northern Australia. Then we stop. Understood? Here are the coordinates.”
[Understood!]
Illinois sails between the other ships aligned port and starboard, heading toward the coordinates I set.
“Elaine. Do you know what the capital of Australia is?”
“Based on various discussions found on the internet, it seems the answer ‘Canberra’ is used as a counter to the common misconception that it’s ‘Sydney.’”
“…Correct.”
The capital of Australia is Canberra.
Most people associate Australia with the Opera House—which is in Sydney—so it’s easy to get confused.
“Canberra or Sydney, either way, they’re both in southeastern Australia. Now, see those warships over there?”
“Yes. Looks like they’re preparing to escort us east.”
“Exactly. They think we’re heading toward the capital since we followed this route.”
How very convenient.
“They still haven’t figured me out, have they.”
I’m a contrarian at heart. A bit of a rebel.
“Illinois. We’re still on course, right?”
[Yes! Should I veer off?]
“No. I’ll take the wheel myself.”
I pulled out my smartphone and placed my hand on the directional controls for Illinois.
“I came to clear Babel—not your S-rank Towers. Elaine, is everything on the deck ready?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s begin.”
* * *
[At that moment, in Sydney.]
“Prime Minister, there’s no need for you to come all the way to Sydney—”
“Forget it.”
The Australian Prime Minister, Antonio, ignored his aide’s words and stood atop a battleship, clicking his tongue.
“He’s definitely coming to clear our S-rank Towers. Heh.”
“There are S-rank Towers in Indonesia as well…”
“Come on now. That S-rank Tower over there and this one here—are they the same?”
Prime Minister Antonio gave his aide a stern look.
“You cleared out everything around the area, right?”
“Yes, Prime Minister.”
“Good. …And what about the villains?”
“We gave a very clear warning this time: if they stir up trouble again, the government will take action. Unless they want to end up like Ironblood, they’ll keep their heads down.”
“Phew, good. Then… huh?”
Beep-beep.
A message popped up on the Prime Minister’s smartphone.
“What is this?”
[Prime Minister. It’s the U.S. President on the hotline.]
“…President Luigi? Right now?”
A chill ran down Antonio’s spine.
He nervously accepted the incoming call on his encrypted line.
“W-what’s the matter? Why contact me directly on my private line like this?”
[The Master.]
“T-The Master, what about him?”
[He says he’ll be going live in five minutes. He told me in advance, and now I’m informing you via secure phone… you’ve got one minute left.]
“W-What…?”
[Good luck.]
Click.
Before the line even fully cut off, Antonio scrambled to open the Master’s UTube channel.
And then he saw it.
[Ah—people of Earth, tuning in from around the globe. This is the Master.]
The Master was holding the camera himself, walking through the interior of Illinois, making his way to the deck.
[Right now, I am—]
The camera tilted up toward the sky.
[—headed to Babel.]
“…He’s going where?”
As the camera tilted back down to the deck of Illinois—
Whirrr.
A mechanical whine.
The deck split open sideways, revealing a surprisingly large structure underneath.
“…A hot air balloon?”
No matter how he looked at it, it was a hot air balloon.
And floating just above that balloon—
“Ba…bel?”
