TNHAS 06

Chapter: 06

Legendary Title: Stage 1

[I… told you to go to the Tower?]

[Yeah! That voice!]

Cha Junhyuk snapped his fingers.

[Me? I did?]

But the female ghost, who had no idea what he was talking about, could only widen her eyes.

Hadn’t Cha Junhyuk said that he had never seen the female ghost before in the first place?

[Why would I?]

[I don’t know! Me neither!]

“……”

Was this what people meant by words they couldn’t take responsibility for?

It seemed best to just ignore him completely.

More importantly, there was something I wanted to ask.

“What about your name?”

[Right, do you remember your name?]

[Yes! I have a name!]

“What is it?”

[Chae Seonhwa. Seonhwa. That’s my name.]

[It sounds kind of old-fashioned.]

But it suited her.

The female ghost had an overall delicate and graceful appearance.

And the name wasn’t particularly unfamiliar to me, either.

It was a name that made me think of someone I missed, someone whose memory made me feel warm inside.

After driving for an hour from the airport, we arrived at our accommodations, and a completely different world unfolded before us.

Exotic trees, a sky beginning to turn crimson with the sunset, the blue and transparent sea rolling toward us, and paths lined with black basalt stone walls.

[Jeju Island is really nice!]

Chae Seonhwa twirled around in a graceful, fluttering motion as she lightly walked along the stone walls of Jeju Island.

But she was wearing a traditional white burial dress.

[Landlord, when are we going to our Tower?]

“Tomorrow.”

[Why?!!]

Why?

Because the workday was already over.

Before entering the Jeju Island Tower, I decided to check my current status first.

“Status Window.”

<Name: Lee Jihoo Lv. 2

Class: Necromancer

Rank: Not Yet Measured

Country: Korea

Title: Sealed

Stats: View Details

Skills: Summon Spirit 1(S), Exorcism 1(A), Materialization 1(A), Eye of Truth 1(A)>

S-Rank Seal.

Collect information after defeating the Floor 40 boss.

Benefit after unsealing:

Priority in all judgments related to spirits.>

It was the same as before.

Ah, come to think of it.

“Cha Junhyuk.”

[Why, Landlord?]

“What does a title seal mean?”

But Cha Junhyuk looked rather dumbfounded when he heard my question.

[…What?]

“Title seal. In what kind of situation does something like this happen?”

As if swinging between an ice bath and a hot spring, Cha Junhyuk suddenly became extremely excited.

[Seriously? Landlord! Seriously?!]

“It says it’s an S-Rank seal and that I need to collect information after defeating the Floor 40 boss.”

[Collect information after defeating the boss?! It’s really true! Again!!! What else? What else is there?]

“It says there’s a benefit after unsealing.”

[What kind?]

“Priority in all judgments related to spirits.”

[That’s insane!!!!!!!!!!!]

Cha Junhyuk began tearing at his own hair.

[You’re going to go bald.]

Chae Seonhwa seriously worried about the amount of hair on Cha Junhyuk’s head.

But could ghosts even suffer from hair loss?

[Landlord! You really are!! State power!!!]

This time, Cha Junhyuk flew wildly around the ceiling of the room.

He laughed like a mad scientist.

Then, all of a sudden, he stopped completely.

[Landlord, what did you do before this?]

He should already know that.

“I was a civil servant.”

[Anything else? Nothing? Did you work at something for a long time, or have some genius talent suddenly explode? You know, something like that from when you were young?]

Talent exploding?

I had been extremely ordinary, almost completely devoid of anything remarkable.

But when he mentioned childhood, one memory suddenly came to mind.

Was it when I was seven?

It was a summer day with a pleasant breeze.

I remembered eating watermelon and lying down with my head resting on my maternal grandmother’s legs.

Then I closed my eyes for a moment…

‘You are a child loved by the gods.’

I had heard those words as if they had brushed past me in my sleep.

“I did see ghosts until I was seven.”

Nothing like that had happened at all after my mother and I moved away.

[Really? Does something like that count?]

Cha Junhyuk once again groaned and grabbed his head.

[Anyway, Landlord, listen carefully! That’s a seed!]

“A seed?”

[Yeah, the seed of a Legendary Title! That’s why it’s an S-Rank seal!]

Cha Junhyuk’s expression became utterly serious.

[Once you unlock that, your hardships are over and your happiness begins! It’s the lottery, Landlord! Lottery! The current world’s No. 1, 2, and 3 are all holders of Legendary Titles, you know?!]

[Really? Then our Landlord…!]

The eyes of both ghosts began to sparkle.

[Let’s stay together forever! Landlord!]

[Landlord!!! Me too!]

“……”

[Ah, but Landlord.]

“What?”

[Is there any other information? Like information about fertilizer for the seed or something?]

“The description ends here.”

[Really? Then will this work? I’ve never dealt with a Legendary Title before, so I’m not sure.]

[What will?]

[You know the Korean Strongest title I have, right? That’s Unique grade.]

[So?]

[I grew it through three stages from the seed state. I got rewards three times, and they were pretty nice.]

“How?”

[At first… Right! Landlord, do you have any Essences?]

“I have Earth Essences. Eight of them.”

[That’s enough! Put them into the seal information in your Status Window!]

S-Rank Seal.

Collect information after defeating the Floor 40 boss.>

I took the Earth Essences out of my Inventory and held them near the Status Window.

Pop!

The Essences were instantly sucked into the Status Window.

[Oh, it works! They’re disappearing!]

[That’s amazing!]

At the same time, a new Status Window appeared.

“Seed Quest?”

[Quest?? Does a Legendary Title give quests, too? What! What! What is it?]

“It says to find the traces of a collapsed Tower according to the guide.”

More information followed.

-Distribution Areas

Europe: San Marino.

United States: Grand Canyon.

Korea: Uninhabited Island, Ganghwa Island, West Coast.

-Reward for completing Guide 1: Oath of Death. Blocks one fatal attack once, and the seed stage decreases by one level.

-Hint: Use Eye of Truth.

There had also been a change in the information.

S-Rank Seal.

Collect information after defeating the Floor 40 boss.

Stage 1 Seed generation in progress: 10%

Stage 1 Quest in progress: Guide 1>

When I put all the Essences I had into it, the percentage rose to 80%.

[What about the reward?!]

“Oath of Death. It blocks one fatal attack in the Tower…”

Cha Junhyuk’s eyes suddenly widened.

He looked as if he had just encountered a ghost while walking down the street.

[Isn’t this a complete special privilege?! Even when the owner is a low-level newbie, it feels like the system is determined to keep the Legendary Title holder alive somehow?? Is this really how it works?!]

I left Cha Junhyuk beside me as he continued shouting about how the rich were acquitted while the poor were punished, while Chae Seonhwa flew over and asked me.

[Landlord, what about your skills? Are they very different from ours?]

“Summon Spirit, Exorcism, Materialization, Eye of Truth.”

[What? Materialization?!]

Cha Junhyuk’s face turned pale.

[Huh? What’s Materialization?]

In response to Chae Seonhwa’s question, I read the skill description exactly as it was written.

“It disassembles subdued or bound spirits into various materials, including different items and fragments. The reward increases according to the spirit’s level. Can be used once a month.”

Seeing this, I understood exactly what it was.

Materialization was essentially a skill for dismantling equipment.

Judging from the description alone, it was also the perfect skill for threatening spirits when they refused to obey.

[Th-that… huh? You mean… you can disassemble a bound spirit… meaning me… into an item?]

[Where are you going to find another spirit as capable as me?!]

Sensing danger, Cha Junhyuk immediately began promoting himself.

[I can make your dreams come true, Landlord!]

Chae Seonhwa also began enthusiastically advertising her own abilities.

“I have no intention of doing that right now.”

For now, that is.

[Whew.]

[That’s a relief.]

The ghosts sighed in relief, their faces relaxing.

I continued checking the other skills.

Summon Spirit and Exorcism were exactly what their names suggested, while Eye of Truth, which had appeared as the hint, was…

<Eye of Truth 1:

Sees through the true appearance of people or spirits. Every time the skill level increases….>

I was in the middle of reading the rest of the description when Cha Junhyuk spoke to me with a serious expression.

[But, Landlord.]

“What is it?”

[You said you’re a Necromancer, right?]

“That’s right.”

[That’s unusual.]

“How so?”

[Usually, anything related to the dead is handled by Necromancers.]

“Necromancers?”

[Yeah. It’s a class that raises the corpses or souls of dead monsters and makes them fight… But even that’s not common. It’s a noble class, a noble class.]

“Monster corpses…”

[And as far as I know, there are probably level restrictions, too.]

“Level restrictions?”

[Up to Level 10, you can raise three monsters. Up to Level 20, five. Something like that. There are restrictions on the monster grades, too.]

[Monster grades?]

[Yeah. When you’re a newbie, the grade you can raise probably starts at F-Rank, right?]

[Are you calling our Landlord a newbie?!]

At Chae Seonhwa’s words, Cha Junhyuk casually wiped his nose.

[No, I’m saying he’s amazing.]

[In what way?]

Cha Junhyuk’s expression became proud.

He straightened his shoulders and back and wore a satisfied smile.

[Me. Look at me, Landlord.]

“Why?”

[Who am I?]

“……”

What kind of answer was he expecting?

[Cha Junhyuk?]

[That’s right. Me. Cha Junhyuk.]

[So what?]

Chae Seonhwa stared blankly at Cha Junhyuk, looking as if she genuinely didn’t understand.

I was the same.

But Cha Junhyuk’s momentum didn’t falter.

[I’m ranked No. 1 in Korea! Not only am I Korea’s hope, I’m the hope of the next generation of the Hunter world. I’m an S-Special-grade Hunter, one of only ten in the entire world. And that name is! Cha Junhyuk! Landlord, you’re truly an incredible person! To bind someone like me!!]

In the end, the conversation had simply turned into self-praise.

At this point, it was almost narcissism.

Could it be that all top rankers were like this?

[Yes, yes. Whatever you say.]

[What is that reaction?!]

I left Cha Junhyuk ranting and moved on to check Chae Seonhwa’s abilities.

“Spirit List.”

<Name: Chae Seonhwa (Lv. 60)

Bound: Lee Jihoo

Class: Myeongdo (明道)

Grade: S-Rank

Stats: Vitality [12,050] Mana [300] Mental Power [300] Divine Power [600] Attack [3,555] Defense [550] Strength [300] Agility [50] Intelligence [210] Evasion [50]

Skills: Spiritual Energy Orb 5(S), Possession 4(A), Precognition 1(F), Crimson Flower 6(A), Thunderstorm 3(B)>

“Level 60?”

[What?!]

[Wow!]

Cha Junhyuk and Chae Seonhwa were surprised at the same time.

[Why are you surprised?]

[It’s the first time I’ve seen it.]

[What? Doesn’t your Status Window appear?]

[No, nothing appears.]

[She’s unusual, too.]

Looking at the abilities of the two spirits, I didn’t think I had anything to worry about while climbing the Tower for the time being.

“Get in the car.”

I started the rental car.

It was time to head to Seopjikoji.

[That’s Seongsan Ilchulbong!]

The area around the Seopjikoji Tower was still open to tourists.

But there wasn’t a single person in sight.

Perhaps because of that, nature stretched endlessly in every direction.

The surroundings were a peaceful combination of grasslands, walking trails, and the sea.

Flash!

Inside the Tower wasn’t all that different from outside.

We had been transported near a cliff, and a loud commotion could be heard from directly below.

“Kiieek!”

“Keeek!”

Mermaids were emerging from the sea and crawling up the cliff.

But they didn’t look like the mermaids one would normally imagine.

What appeared before us were creatures with fish heads, human arms and legs, and human hair…

“What the hell are those? Are they mermaids or fish-men?!”

[Ahh…. How grotesque!]

As they came closer, the strong smell of the sea hit us.

In other words, the stench of fish permeated the entire area.

“…Don’t hold back. Take them out.”

“Leave it to me!”

[I absolutely cannot forgive those who ruin the scenery of Mother Nature!]

A sharp sword sliced through the mermaids, while spiritual energy orbs blew away their gills.

The environmental cleanup operation was completed in an instant.

[Phew, the world has become peaceful again!]

<Rewards will be distributed.

Basic Reward: 100 F-Rank mana stones, 3 Sea Essences.

First S-Rank Reward: 1 Time Delay Ticket, 10-slot Inventory Expansion Ticket, 2 Random Box Pieces, 1 Skill Selection Ticket Piece>

<As a special benefit for being the first to conquer it with an S-Rank, a buff will be applied to the Seopjikoji Tower for one week.

Attack +5%, Defense +5%>

“Cancel.”

“Where is the exit?”

But this time, Cha Junhyuk’s reaction was unusual.

He stood still, staring deeply at the sea without moving an inch.

[…Don’t tell me. Is it over there?]

The female ghost looked down at the sea with a terrified expression.

Cha Junhyuk calmly said to us,

“I’m afraid so.”

[But it’s so high!]

“Can’t be helped. We won’t die.”

I mean, you two are already dead anyway.

[The Seopjikoji Tower hidden entrance is…]

“Just jump from here. Easy, right?”

Cha Junhyuk spoke as if trying to soothe the tearful Chae Seonhwa.

“It’s much better than outside, where the coastline is separated from the cliff. At least here, there’s water directly beneath the cliff.”

That didn’t make me feel any better at all.

Regardless, we had to get out of here.

The longer we delayed, the more anxious we would become.

“I’ll go first.”

I didn’t look down at the cliff. I simply looked straight ahead and jumped.

[Landlord!]

“Just as I thought!”

Splash─!

I felt as though I had fallen into water, but I didn’t actually get wet.

At the same time, multiple Status Window alarms rang out.

<You have discovered the hidden entrance to Floor 1 of the Seopjikoji Tower.

Rewards will be recalculated according to causality.>

Ta-ra-ra-rak─!

<Reward recalculation complete.

110 F-Rank mana stones, 4 Sea Essences, 1 Time Delay Ticket, 11-slot Inventory Expansion Ticket, 3 Random Box Pieces, 2 Skill Selection Ticket Pieces>

At the same time, the spirits appeared as well.

[Huh?!]

[They came out right away?]

“You two didn’t jump off the cliff yet, did you?”

[No!!!]

[Ah, is that how it works?]

Just as I had expected.

So this was what being bound meant.

[Landlord! Thank you!]

The female ghost smiled brightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Then now…”

Since I had also received the Essence rewards, there was something I needed to check first.