How powerful is a Hunter’s physical ability?
Of course, they are far superior to ordinary people, but there is room for debate regarding the maximum output a Hunter can achieve.
However, most people would likely share the same thought.
No matter how strong a Hunter is, falling from the sky to the ground would be a serious impact.
They might end up as a crushed mess, their human form completely erased.
Yet, despite that, I jumped.
[Ahh! What in the world?! Master has jumped!]
A flustered voice rang through my earphones.
The reason I was hearing Korean instead of English was that I had a live broadcast from a Korean network playing.
[Master, what on earth…! It’s not dangerous, is it?]
A mix of concern and anticipation.
Even if translation apps were excellent and I was learning English, I couldn’t perfectly discern the emotions embedded in the voice when hearing English.
‘But this is different.’
It was clear through Korean.
They were wondering if there was some special reason why I had suddenly leaped from the sky.
Or if something had gone wrong during my fall.
‘Well, technically, something is wrong.’
Even for me, falling from this height was reckless.
I wasn’t an exceptional Hunter, nor did I possess the abilities of an S-rank Hunter.
However, this had to be done.
One reason—
[Is Master attempting to dive into the Tower entrance?!]
Just as people were speculating, I needed to put on a show, demonstrating that I was trying to enter that S-rank Tower directly from the air.
[If he enters the Tower without a parachute… truly, what an incredible performance!]
[No way! Like Iron Man…? Could he be wearing some kind of suit to enter the Tower?]
[Master is already wearing a ‘gaming suit’!]
The voices of the spectators were coming through the broadcast microphones, vividly captured.
Apparently, no one had anticipated that I would fall from the sky. They had no prepared commentary and were just spouting whatever came to mind, waiting for my landing.
However, their eager gazes weren’t my concern.
I had jumped intending to satisfy 99.99% of the world’s population’s dopamine, but there was a much more pressing matter at hand.
‘They should be making their move soon.’
[Partner, they’re moving now, nyah.]
Kiharu, who was falling alongside me, spoke in a way that only I could hear through mana.
[Seems like they’ve calculated your falling speed. The ones gathered below are starting to act, nyah.]
I didn’t take my eyes off my smartphone, but I assessed the situation below through the split-screen display and Kiharu’s words.
This was the second reason I had jumped.
[W-What?! Everyone! A bald man has suddenly entered the S-rank Tower!!]
And that second reason was now unfolding.
[Y-You people! Who said you could enter the Tower… Ahhh!]
[Watch out! Villains!!]
[Stop them from entering the Tower—Guh! B-Betrayal?!]
Bzzzzzz.
A surge of mana resonated from below.
Hunters were breaking through.
The ones recklessly storming into the Tower had no intention of obeying even the U.S. government’s authority, leaving the people gathered outside in shock. Yet, those who had already entered showed no signs of coming back out.
“Kiharu. It’s time to turn things around.”
[Get ready to press down properly, nyah.]
I slipped my smartphone into my pocket, keeping my thumb slightly lifted from the screen, and adjusted my posture for a direct fall into the Tower.
If it were up to me, I would have landed with both hands in my pockets, touching down with just one foot, but I wasn’t Elaine.
Instead, I aimed precisely for the Tower.
From above, I could clearly see the people gathered near the Tower entrance, looking up at me.
Shock, disbelief, anticipation… And now?
Worry and anxiety.
Caution and unease toward an unexpected variable.
It was obvious why.
Down below, the police lines had been completely trampled over by individuals who had charged in without hesitation.
“Master!!”
I could hear voices shouting from below.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Heh, so many villains here.”
Some hurled curses and hatred at me.
First, out of jealousy toward my ability to summon and command beings far stronger than even S-rank Hunters—such as Elaine.
“You bastard! Because of you, we can’t even take enhancement drugs properly!”
“What’s the point of a Hunter being strong if you’re just going to act all righteous about it?!”
“If only you didn’t exist!!”
Second, because ever since I came to the U.S. and promoted the pursuit of justice, those who despised such ideals saw me as an oppressor and wanted to regain their freedom to act as villains.
“Heh… Hahaha! That bastard must have a ‘mark’ somewhere on him!”
“If it’s not on his hand, it must be on his back or somewhere else! Find it! If we take that, we can become Masters too!”
And third, the delusional belief that killing me would grant them my abilities.
‘That one almost sounds reasonable.’
Among the hundreds of villains gathered here, each had their own reasons for being present.
But regardless of why they came, their intent was crystal clear.
They wanted to kill me and seize the benefits.
Whether for national pride, personal gain as a Hunter, or to claim power by eliminating me, they had willingly turned against their own government to stand before me with murder in their eyes.
Logically, it made no sense.
And that’s why—
“Protect Master!”
“Stop the villains! Don’t let them enter the Tower!”
“W-We’re getting orders from above! Arrest everyone trying to interfere with Master’s entry into the Tower!”
Of course, the reasonable ones tried to act quickly, but unfortunately, the balance of power was tilted toward the irrational.
“Move!”
“We’re Hunters too! Hahaha!”
The villains rushed toward the Tower.
Those outside who had no intention of stopping me were now trying to enter ahead of me, taking advantage of the fact that my fall would take some time.
‘Do they think they can commit a perfect crime inside the Tower?’
That’s not just irrational—it’s an intelligence issue.
The thought amused me slightly.
[What do those villains think they’re doing?]
Just as Kiharu looked down at them with a blank expression, I would never truly understand why they were trying to stop me.
Because—
“Ahh! Master is entering the Tower!!”
Flash.
I plummeted toward the Tower.
Falling directly into the entrance of the S-rank Tower.
The impact from gravitational potential energy and physics—didn’t exist.
As if I had simply been teleported from midair, the moment I entered the dungeon inside the Tower, I was standing perfectly still, both feet firmly on the ground.
“Hmph.”
[Devil’s Tower.]
The interior of the S-rank Tower was a perfect recreation of the 260-meter-tall peak, with a vast coliseum-like space at the entrance.
Right.
A coliseum.
A place where falling off the cliffs meant instant death.
“Heh… Hehehe…!”
“So you’ve entered!”
Nearly a hundred villains stood there—not facing forward toward their objective, but looking directly at me.
Weapons raised.
“Master! You foolishly entered the Tower so willingly, hahaha!”
“…Was it Elaine’s call?”
The first Hunter to greet me was a man wearing a T-shirt with Elaine’s face printed on it, wielding a massive greatsword.
“You already know why I want to kill you!”
“Let me ask you one thing.”
I walked forward.
Behind me, villains who had entered were clashing with Hunters trying to stop them, but I kept walking, one hand still in my pocket.
“I am an EX-rank Hunter, someone who has conquered numerous S-rank Towers. And I will continue to do so, even aiming for the floating Babel. Yet…”
“You’re asking why we want to kill someone like that?”
The villain grinned.
As if I had asked something utterly obvious, he twisted his lips and aimed his weapon at me.
“Because it’s infuriating.”
“…”
“Some of us have risked our lives grinding dungeons, barely reaching B-rank or A-rank. Meanwhile, you? I don’t know how, but you summon SS-rank beings and clear Towers with a mere snap of your fingers—it’s enraging!”
“…Hmm.”
I understood.
“I see. Well, that makes sense.”
It was a reason I could acknowledge.
“But so what?”
“What…?”
“Whether I clear Towers with a snap or grind my way through, I’m the one conquering Towers that you people can’t clear. So what does it matter to you?”
I might understand, but I wasn’t obligated to accept it.
“If you’re that upset, why don’t you become Summoners yourselves?”
“What? You…!”
“Instead of wasting time on drugs and gambling, maybe you should’ve spent it playing gacha games on your smartphones.”
Who knows? Maybe then they could have become Summoners.
“Since I’m being kind enough to hear you out, let me give you two pieces of information. First—some of you may have guessed, but obviously, this isn’t the only S-rank Tower being conquered right now.”
“I-I knew it…!”
“Lies! ‘She’ must be somewhere we can’t see…!”
“She’s not.”
Elaine and Drei weren’t here.
“This is a test. I’m seeing if I can clear three S-rank Towers simultaneously.”
“W-What…?”
“Since the outside is cut off from communication, I can talk freely. And second—”
I spread my legs slightly and pressed my thumb on my phone’s screen, something I had been preparing for a while.
“Countermeasures against dungeon intrusions were established in Korea long ago. It’s just that…”
Click.
“The scale has changed a bit.”
“Hand over your mark!!!”
A Hunter lunged at me, his movements comparable to an S-rank like Ironblood.
But—
“Take them down, Illinois.”
Faster than him.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A battleship erupted from the ground.
