Episode 21. A leisurely cup of coffee. (3)
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2.
– Confucius! This guy is straight. Please die.
“die.”
-ah. Confucius. Is this guy bluffing with a one pair? Oh my, hey. It’s the same. It’s the same. Let’s call and kill him.
“call.”
-Yah. He has the same tile as our Confucius. Same two pair. But what should I do with this? Confucius, two pair has a higher score? Ugh. This is fun. Let’s go until one side falls apart, Confucius!
“Raise.”
-Wow. Is this guy aiming for a full house? Confucius. Don’t worry. I just stuck my nose under the table and took a quick look at the cards. Even if you make it to the end, you will never get a full house. Trust me and go!
“All in.”
There were about 30 poker games played.
“······.”
The man sitting across from me was trembling. venomous snake. The one-eyed hunter’s face turned bright red.
“f*ck you! “This is a scam!”
The viper jumped out of his seat and stood up. Coo! The table shook. The other hunters simultaneously raised their coffee cups as if they had clearly anticipated this situation. Thanks to this, the disaster of coffee spilling on the table was avoided. hmm. Great timing.
“That doesn’t make sense! We’ve already played over 30 rounds, and this guy hasn’t lost even once. Bluffing doesn’t work either. It’s definitely a scam! I don’t know if it’s passive or not, but I’m using a shitty skill! It’s a scam! “It’s a scam!”
“Do you have any proof?”
I sipped my hot chocolate. Now it has cooled down and turned into a plain chocolate latte. This is delicious just like this.
“Maybe I’m a bit of a poker expert. It’s unfair if you keep pushing me even though there is no evidence. Please be kind to me, senior.”
“Hey, this guy is really a registered F-class hunter!?”
The viper looked around and shouted.
“Why does this guy have an F grade? I would rather believe it if the children of the management bureau took kickbacks and screwed me over. “It’s at least grade B!”
“and. How did you know that? “It’s not grade F.”
“yes! “I knew it would be like this…”
“Actually, I just got promoted to E level yesterday. “I was busy attacking the 10th floor since yesterday, so I couldn’t report it to the management office.”
“······.”
I smiled.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. By the way, Master Moon. “Are you out of chips?”
“eww···.”
The viper turned his back. He walked with a weak gait. Outfield seats. The eliminated players who had run out of chips were huddled together in the outfield.
“welcome! Lord Cheonmumun!”
The Heretic Questioner who was eliminated first smiled brightly.
“I thought it was time for Cheon Mu-munju to be eliminated. So I ordered another cup of espresso! There is no need to decline. Eat as much as you want.”
“I hate espresso…”
“yes! I know. “Picky eating is bad, so get over it!”
“You damn religious person…”
The viper sat on the elimination table with a tearful expression on his face.
There were three hunters who survived until the end of the game board. me. A witch from the Black Dragon Guild. She and, surprisingly, her paladin also survived.
“Hmm.”
The paladin looked down at his card deck and narrowed his eyes.
Deputy guild leader of the vigilante group. A hunter famous for being just and fair. The Vigilante was a guild launched to protect the security of Babylon, a city on the first floor of the tower. In terms of the outside world, the hunter in front of me was comparable to the police chief.
It is said that out of self-interest, he donated all his assets to an orphanage.
“lost.”
The paladin sighed and put down the card.
“I’m quite confident in my poker face. Gongja Kim. Do you have any mind-reading skills?”
“well. It could be mind reading or clairvoyance. Guess what.”
“···Rookies these days are really tough.”
The paladin smiled bitterly. She bowed her head to me and then walked to her exit seat.
“hey! “What if you give up so easily, you idiot?”
The viper already sitting in the outfield became angry. The corners of his mouth were dirty, as if he had spilled some while drinking espresso.
“Whether it works or not, you have to stick with it like a hunting dog! “Are you going to leave that fraudster alone?”
“You’re a fraud. “You’re being harsh with the new hero.”
“Just looking at him, he’s using his skills openly!”
The paladin shrugged his shoulders.
“I knew it from the beginning.”
“uh? what?”
“On the other hand, it’s strange not to know. Could it be that a rookie suggested a poker game without any preparation and based solely on luck? The very fact that I challenged myself with a game was a declaration that “I am confident that I can beat you without my skills being discovered.” “We accepted that challenge.”
The viper opened its mouth blankly.
“W-was that something like that?”
“Cheonmumunju… “It’s good to work hard at martial arts, but you should also use your head.”
The paladin looked down at the poisonous snake with a very pitiful expression.
“From the beginning, we had nothing to lose in this game. Of course, if you win, it’s a windfall. But even if I lose… that rookie said that. I’m going to join all the guilds here. “That is a good result in its own way.”
“B-but. We are stubborn! “How can this pale young guy be put on the same level as us…”
“Does pride feed me?”
The poisonous snake became mute after eating honey.
“Espresso is served! Well, Cheon Mu-mun-ju. “Finish your meal!”
“Several…”
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In the end, the last person left was the second ranked hunter, the Black Witch.
and me.
There were only two people.
“······.”
The witch gazed at the card deck and then opened her mouth.
“thank god.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you are still a person who can communicate well.”
The witch bet her chips. Raise. The stakes have been raised. Are you provoking me?
“I am from Ukraine. To be more precise, I’m from Ukraine. After losing my family in the civil war, I have been living abroad. as you know. “Whether it’s in the tower or in the outside world, it’s not good for a woman to live alone.”
“Sure, whatever.”
I gladly accepted the provocation. Re-raise. The stakes were raised further.
“······.”
The witch hesitated for a moment and then knocked on the table twice. Tuk. Tuk. It was a sign that she would accept the win. The Count, who had assumed the role of dealer after being eliminated from the game, laid out the cards.
“So what are you trying to say?”
I stroked my chin, pretending to be worried.
“People who entered the tower. Especially in the first generation, it is more difficult to find people without stories. “I am also an ordinary orphan.”
My card hand is One Pair.
“···This tower is like home to me.”
The opponent’s hand is flush.
“At the top, we don’t ask where you’re from. No, we created a world where no questions were asked. That I am from Ukraine. Cheon Mu-mun-ju is from China. That you are from Korea… “In our tower, that doesn’t matter.”
“Is that so?”
“okay. Thanks to the tower’s protection, we can understand what each other is saying. “Here we are equal challengers… at least more so than in the outside world.”
If it continues like this, I will lose.
But I leisurely upped the ante.
“People in the outside world treat this place as a trash can.”
“Rose flowers bloom even in trash cans.”
The witch firmly gave a call sign.
“Gongja Kim. The moment the clock in the sky points to [00:00:00], the media will start pouring out articles about you. A life completely different from before will begin. I hope you act wisely.”
“It’s good.”
One more card was turned over on the table.
“I’m not bragging, but I like receiving attention. I want people to praise me, look up to me, and envy me. I’m serious. Actually, that’s all I have.”
Now my card hand has changed to Two Pair.
“…honest. “I guess Geomsung and I have completely opposite personalities.”
The witch’s hand was still a flush.
Although my side was still at a considerable disadvantage.
“All in.”
“······.”
“I am confident.”
I took my eyes off the deck of cards and looked at the witch.
“Let me tell you right now. I don’t want you to treat me just because I conquered the 10th floor. 20th floor. 30th floor. 40th floor. 50th floor. We will conquer up to the 100th floor. No matter how long it takes, I will definitely conquer the tower.”
“······.”
“I know you value the tower. I respect it. I also have no intention of fighting with you needlessly. But I will consider you competitors.”
Who climbs the tower first?
Who deserves to be praised as the most hero?
To be remembered by people, to be praised, to be jealous and envious. To build a monumental tower that everyone looks up to.
“I want to see the world beyond the tower more than the world inside the tower.”
Therefore, I will climb the tower.
“War refugees or something. Food shortage or something. I don’t have time to worry about that. to be honest. If you need my name when solving problems, please write it. Feel free to spend as much as you want. However, please support me as I climb to the top.”
How I felt today after conquering the 10th floor. I wanted to feel the feeling of reaching the top again. I’ve only tasted it once, but I feel like I’m already addicted to that feeling.
Because it was that awesome!
“···ha.”
The witch, who had been silent for a while, sighed.
“I thought wrong. “Your swordsmanship and personality are not completely opposite, but are exactly the same.”
The witch raised both hands and pushed the chip. Sigh! A mountain of chips collapsed and gathered in the middle of the table.
All in.
“Is this a compliment?”
“No, it’s an insult. “They seem like greedy people.”
The last card was turned over.
The opponent’s hand is always flush.
My hand is… Full House.
“As expected, it’s a compliment.”
I grinned.
“thank you.”
It was my victory.
“Then, as promised, I expect to be treated equally with you.”
“Can we expect to have obligations as much as we enjoy rights?”
“yes? Isn’t a hunter’s duty to climb the tower? Don’t worry. “I will continue to fulfill my duties as a hunter.”
“It’s a bit of a hassle for a rookie…”
The witch smiled bitterly.
-hmm. Kim Zombie is a bit of a nuisance. In fact, if there was a skill called ‘Pyeonjijigeuri’, he would have reached S rank.
‘···Are you really calling me a zombie again as soon as the game is over?’
-Of course, you zombie! Confucius, what kind of Confucius is freezing to death!
Bae Hu-ryeong was excited and flew around in the air.
-zombie! zombie! Zombie bastard! Wow, I never thought it would be so sad not to be able to call a zombie a zombie! I will never bet with that loser again!
‘It’s ugly…’
How can a man called the Lord of Swords be so ugly?
I stood up, clicking my tongue in my heart.
“Are you going already?”
“yes. The 11th floor will open in a little while. “If you don’t want to fall behind others, you need to prepare now.”
“I don’t know what kind of area the 11th floor might be, so how do I prepare?”
hmm.
‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give a little hint here.’
I am now receiving the same treatment, and if I accumulate even a little debt, my future actions will be easier.
I gathered my thoughts and opened my mouth.
“It’s [role play].”
“huh?”
“The theme from the 11th to the 20th floor is [role play].”
All the hunters, including the witch, looked at me. Everyone’s eyes were hot. It was natural. If you had even the slightest hint, you could beat others faster.
The information I am giving you now is worth a thousand pounds.
“When I cleared the 10th floor, they gave me a hint as a reward.”
Of course it’s a lie.
I have not yet received the reward for conquering the 10th floor. The reward will be given the moment the sky clock strikes 00:00:00. But I knew what was going to happen from now on.
Knowledge of the future. There was no reason not to use this.
“I don’t know any more than this.”
“···huh. “Thank you for sharing the information.”
The witch nodded.
“I will definitely repay this debt later.”
It was a statement that looked forward to the future.
3.
I had a good night’s sleep at the hotel and went out to the square.
The city is already in a festive mood. The hunters were happy that the 10th floor had been conquered for the first time in several years. There were bars that handed out free beer, and people who wanted to sing were able to sing a song in the square.
“But who really broke the 10th floor?”
There is only one question that makes people uncomfortable.
“There is still no official announcement…”
“Someone said they saw guild leaders gathering in one place.”
“Did you see the video where he said he wasn’t a swordsman? He was really frowning when he spoke. “He said he never said that.”
“Then who are you?”
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
I could clearly hear people chatting next to me.
I kept holding back the urge to laugh.
‘It’s right next door.’
I was right in the middle of the festival, mingling with people.
[00:02:09]
A day had passed since the 10th floor was conquered, and the number was gradually decreasing, albeit slowly, on the sky clock.
One hunter held a glass of beer he got for free, and another looked up at the sky while whispering about an unidentified target.
Just like people in the outside world welcoming the new year.
[00:00:10]
“ten!”
As the clock in the sky went down to 10 seconds without anyone telling them to, the hunters shouted out the number in unison.
[00:00:09]
“nine!”
[00:00:08]
“eight!”
The square rang with the sounds of numerous hunters shouting at the same time. Seven, six, five… Although it was not a new year, the anticipation that a new era would begin was written on everyone’s faces.
[00:00:04]
“buy!”
I took out my smartphone and checked the media.
I haven’t seen any articles about me yet to see if the embargo has been properly enforced.
[00:00:03]
“three!”
It was then.
Articles began to be posted a few seconds apart on the media site operated by Babylon. Is it a desire to post a scoop even one second faster than other media outlets?
[00:00:02]
“this!”
I checked the articles.
-[Breaking News] The hunter who cleared the 10th floor is an unknown E-class rookie!
-[Breaking News] Real name is Gongja Kim. From Korea…
-[Breaking News] The hunter who cleared the 10th floor is known to have joined a large guild at the same time.
-[Breaking News] Black Dragon Guild’s official statement. Welcome a new hero…
I smiled.
[00:00:01]
“Day!”
It was the beginning of a new era.
etc,
