CHSE 2

Chapter 2

‘My mana circuits… went back to normal?’
I had a happy dream.
But fragments from the game also flashed by in the middle, so I must’ve dreamt that because I’d been playing like a maniac lately.

“A shame it’s only a dream, huh…?”

I opened my eyes. A space filled entirely with white.
Even when I turned my head left and right, all I saw was a white sky and floor.

“……”

Slap!
I smacked my cheek, but there was no pain.
So it was a dream.

Even though I’d been expelled from my guild and hadn’t seen real combat in a long time, my body naturally slipped into battle mode.
But still, my mana circuits were like solid stone, refusing to move.

“…Urgh.”

When I tried to force them, indescribable pain surged through me.

‘Get a grip.’

Some monsters in the Tower invade hunters’ dreams and devour their minds.
So I couldn’t let my guard down.

‘But how the hell did a Tower monster get outside?’

Something felt off.
This wasn’t some Third World nation—Busan’s Tower was defended by multiple guilds, including Giants.
I hadn’t heard anything about a timer appearing on the Tower or an erosion phenomenon either.

Sure, I mostly just gamed these days, but sometimes I’d still log into the Hunter community to skim through trending posts, unable to forget the old days.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Even as questions swirled in my head, I instinctively scanned my surroundings.
Thankfully, I spotted a wooden practice sword within reach.
It wasn’t in great condition, but better than nothing.

As soon as I grabbed it—

[Training Mode has begun.
Difficulty: Tutorial – Beginner.
Defeat the Third-Rate Warrior.]

A round window popped up in the corner of my vision, like I was in a VR game.

“Save Earth?”

The same message from Save Earth, the game I had obsessed over before bed as if it were the last goal of my life.
And it was Training Mode too.
The command players used to level up their characters.

“…I must’ve played so much I’m seeing hallucinations now.”

It was ridiculous enough to drain the strength right out of me. For a second, I even wondered if I’d been transmigrated into a novel-like game world.

The quest window vanished, and a dark shadow appeared a short distance away.
It radiated killing intent—clearly recognizing me as its enemy.
Definitely not something I could brush off as a prank.

“…I don’t get any of this.”

Still, my eyes quickly sized up the shadow.

Third-rate warrior.
Straight out of a wuxia novel, the kind of character with skills no better than a disposable extra.

Maybe that’s why—

“Plenty of killing intent… but that’s all.”

I threw in a half-hearted feint, and it immediately lost its balance, unable to respond properly.
Intimidating aura, sure—but worthless in actual skill.

So I swung the wooden sword at its head.

Thwack!
Just like when it first appeared, the shadow dissolved away.

[Victory!
Proceeding to the next Training Mode.
Difficulty: Tutorial – Intermediate.
Defeat Arcren’s Trainee Knight.]

Now the shadow was bulkier, as if wearing heavy armor. But that was all.

‘I don’t even need to use mana…’

More than enough to handle it.
Maybe because it was Tutorial Mode, there wasn’t even a hint of tension despite my long break from combat.

[Victory!]

After trading a few blows for formality’s sake, I easily pierced its abdomen.

“Eh, about 10th floor level.”

A newbie Hunter challenging the Tower would’ve struggled.
But not me.

Even with broken mana circuits, I had years of Hunter experience. These kinds of enemies were nothing.

[Achievement Unlocked: “That’s It?”
Achievement effect: Advanced Training Mode cleared automatically.
Proceeding to the next Training Mode.
Difficulty: Tutorial – Expert.
Defeat the Second Disciple of Mount Tai Sect.]

Before I could even finish reading, the new shadow lunged at me.

Unlike the others, this one used structured swordsmanship and even infused energy—whether mana or inner qi.

‘Not bad… but still…’

Physically, I had the edge.
Back in my Giants days, no one could beat me in pure swordsmanship.
Even if my body was weakened without mana circuits, our blades clashed evenly.

‘The inner power makes him tricky, though…’

So I avoided direct clashes whenever possible.
Compared to elite Tower monsters, this guy was sloppy—like a musclehead.

Still, my wooden sword was reaching its limits after three fights.
Each clash made its creaking worse.

When his blade came at me again, I deflected diagonally, exposing a gap.
I struck immediately.

“……!!!”

Startled, the shadow staggered back.
But I pressed forward, chaining attacks to disorient it.
Under pressure, its movements grew messier and more desperate.

I drove it into a corner—

Thwack!
And smashed its head.

[Victory!]

“…That was supposed to be Tutorial? Felt pretty damn tough.”

In the game, was the Tutorial always this hard?
As a guild master, I used to instantly fire recruits who failed training this basic.
Now I felt guilty.

Sorry, Kim Min-gyu, Shin Min-chul, Oh Cheol-young, Yoo So-jung, Park Cho-rong… and all those F-rank Hunters I don’t even remember.

Anyway, when the shadow vanished, I looked at my sword.
It seemed intact, so I swung it lightly—

Crack!
Shattered instantly.

“Click.”

So much for trying to protect it. A wooden sword has its limits.
If I still had mana, I could’ve fought much easier.

“If only I could still use mana…”

Like a wuxia master, channeling energy into a broken blade—

“…Huh?”

The moment I thought it, heat flared in my chest.
My long-dead mana circuits suddenly roared to life.

And blue sword aura began seeping out of the broken weapon.

“M-Mana? My mana circuits?”

They were running.
I gulped, barely holding back a cheer.
But before I could focus on my heart’s circuits—

< I was waiting for the perfect dramatic entrance and— Wait, how the hell did you win?! >

“…???”

I turned toward the voice.

A teddy bear, exuding strange pressure, stood there staring at me.

“…A helper?”

I knew that bear.

Save Earth was a cruel game.
High difficulty, endless patience-testing events.
Powerful nations schemed to control Towers, even committing terrorism to sabotage rivals.

It sounded insane, but reality had been worse.

[Chinese Government Abandons Tibet Tower.]
[Erosion Phenomenon Breaks Out in Tibet!]
[The land becomes death itself, monsters slaughtering Nepal and Bhutan.]
[Dalai Lama: “China has lost all humanity—end your claim over Tibet!”]
[US President Joe Trump: “We will use every means to reclaim Tibet.”]

China had deliberately broken Tibet’s Tower to boost its mainland Towers’ rankings.
The disaster was infamous worldwide—over a million deaths, according to textbooks.
And monsters still lurked in the Himalayas to this day.

Anyway, to help struggling gamers, Save Earth had eventually added a “Helper” system.
One of its few major updates.

‘But that update killed the game.’

Because getting a Helper cost real money.
How much was it again? Around $320 a month?
Whoever set that price must’ve been insane.

Players fled in droves.

Except me.
For me, it was my life game. Plus, I’d been a 2nd-year Hunter with some cash.

< Nice to meet you. >

The bear with a star on its belly greeted me.
The very Helper that had strangled the game’s player base—standing before me in my dream.

< I’m Tichi, by the way. >
“Han Ji-min.”
< Age 4.46 billion years. >
“…Right.”

Tichi?
In-game, it was just “Helper,” no name.
Sounded like some guy who’d say, A man’s dreams never die.

“…And did you just call me a fossil?”
< I saw your swordplay. Don’t play dumb. At least Master-level, aren’t you? >
“…What? I’m just unemployed.”
< Don’t joke around. >

I smirked.

“I was a Hunter. Well, ex-Hunter now.”
So technically unemployed.

< A Hunter? Ahh… so this is a Tower world. Good. >

Tichi sighed in relief. Then pointed at me.

< So what’s your world’s rank system? To beat a Mount Tai second disciple without mana… you’re no weakling. Master? Or… SS-rank Hunter? >

“???”

Was this really Save Earth’s Helper?
The Hunter Association had S-rank, but no such thing as SS-rank.
Even Save Earth didn’t have SS.

“…I’m E-rank.”

< E? As in A-B-C-D-E, the bottom E? >
“Yep. And actually, there’s F too.”

< …Come on. >

Tichi scoffed, but I wasn’t lying.
Once, maybe I’d been stronger. But now, I was an E-rank.

< …An E-rank with your skill? Holy shi—no, kind words. I’m a good Helper. >

“……?”

< Then how strong are your S-ranks? >
“Hugely powerful.”

S-rank…
A monster who could climb to the 50th or 60th floors solo.
That’s why people called them national-class forces. Entire nations measured strength by S-rank headcount.

Hearing this, Tichi suddenly cheered like a lunatic.

< What?! That’s insane! Then my help’s totally useless! Hah! Guess I get a free ride this time! Stick it to those Transcenders! >

He ranted incomprehensibly, so I missed the chance to correct him.

Then he blinked at me.

< So how many Towers have fallen? >
“Towers?”
< Yeah, those damn Towers where the demons crawl out! Don’t tell me they’re still standing? >
“…Well, the furthest cleared is the 79th floor, I think. New York maybe?”

I wasn’t certain, but pretty sure it was America’s Tower.

Tichi looked at me like I was lying.

< Don’t mess with me. No way a guy like you’s only E-rank, and not a single Tower’s been cleared? >

“I told you—I’m a special case. Nearly Master-level once, but my mana circuits broke from injury.”

When I explained, Tichi’s face drooped like he’d lost his country.

< …Knew it. Damn it. >

He glared.

< Don’t get my hopes up like that. You’re cruel. >

Sorry. I didn’t mean to tease, just missed my timing.

< Anyway… you said your circuits broke? That’s weird. Looked fine to me earlier. >

His eyes narrowed, scanning me like X-rays.

After studying me, he tilted his head.

< Your circuits are trash-tier, but working fine. And you’ve got a pretty crazy skill too. Stop playing dumb. >
“Who, me?”
< Yeah, you. >
“…So you’re saying my mana circuits are functional?”

He gave me a baffled look.

I immediately focused inward.

“…What?”

My circuits were slowly turning.
Mana surged from my heart, flowing through my body.

Even at full output, no cracks or instability.

< Told you. Helpers don’t lie. >

“…I’ll check again after I wake up.”

My heart pounded.
Memories of losing everything when my circuits broke came rushing back.
But I couldn’t forget—this was still a dream. Don’t hope too much.

< No, it’s real. >

Tichi just shrugged. Then he rubbed the star on his belly.
A small candy popped out.

“Dorae-mon’s pocket?”

Before I could finish, a message appeared—

[Tichi has used 50 Influence to activate the Save Earth system.]

Influence?
Never heard of that, even in the game.

< Damn, half gone already. >

So it was his personal power. Something to look into later.

Another message followed—

[Daily Attendance System permanently activated.]

“Ohhh…”

That one I knew.
The daily login rewards system from the game.
It gave really useful items each day.
But I remembered—it required spending money too.

As I mulled it over, Tichi tossed me the candy.

“Ugh?!”

It was just a little candy, but catching it nearly broke my wrist.
The weight of its power was insane.

I swallowed my anger—Tichi radiated the pressure of a top Tower boss, even worse than Karas, the most horrific named monster I’d ever faced.

‘What is this thing…?’

The candy looked like a normal blue hard candy.
Felt familiar though.

“…Should I eat it?”
< Yup. >

I put it in my mouth.
The taste was plain, but the texture… strange. Hard candy that melted like cotton candy.

I was just thinking I wanted another when—

[Mana +15]

“…What?”

My eyes widened.
A Tower-style message appeared before me.

I turned to Tichi.

< What? First time eating Growth Candy? >
“N-No…”

I’d fed plenty to my characters in the game. But never myself.

Candy that boosted Hunter stats just by eating it?
Impossible in reality. If it existed, Hunters would’ve cleared all Towers long ago.

< That’s your reward. Activating the attendance system drained me. >

“No… this is plenty. More than enough.”

+15 mana.
At my peak, I’d had about 80.
After my injury, it had stayed at 0 no matter what I tried.

‘Not once has it ever gone up again… until now.’

If only this wasn’t a dream.

I raised the broken wooden sword.

Vrrrm!
Mana surged, making the blade tremble.
Even clearer sword aura than before.
No pain in my chest, no grinding circuits.

Tichi looked proud as he floated beside me.

< So, your circuits were supposedly ruined, huh? How’s that taste of hope for the future? >
“…It’s incredible.”

I didn’t even need to push my limits.
The mana storm raging in my heart… showed no sign of slowing down.