Chapter 174

After that, we safely rescued Baegar.

Fortunately, he was barely alive until the very last moment.

But Ayu’s Hwandan once again shone brightly at this time.

“Is Ayu’s Hwandan really that versatile?”

As I was thinking that, Ayu poked me in the side.

“Domi Oppa, I worked hard to make it for you. Why do you keep giving it to others?”

“I couldn’t just let someone die in front of me.”

“Our Oppa is so kind. As your girlfriend, I wish you’d only be kind to me.”

Ayu hugged my arm and pouted.

“I’m always indebted to you, Ayu. Thank you.”

Of course, thanks to Ayu’s Hwandan, many people have been saved.

Ayu’s contribution was immense.

Perhaps because of my praise, Ayu seemed to cheer up a bit and turned her head to the side.

“Alright. Well, it’s good education for the child too.”

I paused for a moment upon hearing Ayu’s words.

Come to think of it, there was something I had done in Ayu’s belly.

Seolhyang didn’t say anything, so it must have missed, but with Ayu, I wasn’t sure.

“I need to think about this.”

It’s almost the new year.

At the very least, I shouldn’t look like a mess to anyone.

As I was thinking that, Baegar, who had barely recovered, approached us and bowed his head.

“Thank you. I never thought I’d be indebted to the Returners.”

As an S-class Hunter from Alters, he often clashed with Returners, so he smiled wryly at the thought of being indebted to them.

From the wrinkles around his eyes and his demeanor, he didn’t seem like such a bad person after all.

“Everyone has their own circumstances.”

“Especially to you, I am truly grateful.”

Meanwhile, Baegar bowed to Heuksan.

Heuksan flinched for a moment, then quickly turned her head away.

“…It’s fine.”

I looked at Heuksan with a warm smile.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s annoying.”

Of course, Baeksan next to me didn’t seem too pleased with my expression.

From my perspective, it felt like watching my daughter grow, so I couldn’t help but smile.

After the floor’s owner was defeated, we were able to safely walk out of the tower.

A door had appeared in the place where the floor’s owner had disappeared, leading directly to the 1st floor and the upper floors.

Looking at the two paths, I glanced at the one leading upwards.

What would happen when we eventually surpass the 100th floor?

Does Baeksan know?

I don’t know, but I thought it wasn’t the time yet, so I headed towards the stairs leading to the 1st floor.

As we walked out, the sun had already set.

Even for us, climbing the Tower of Apocalypse took more than a day.

But there was one thing we hadn’t anticipated.

The Tower of Apocalypse is a place constantly watched by the entire world.

The Tower of Apocalypse is visible from anywhere in the world, but nothing about it has been revealed.

It’s one of the world’s greatest mysteries, closely related to dimensions, so every country is sensitive about it.

And among those, the clearing of floors is the most sensitive part.

Every time a floor is cleared, the Tower of Apocalypse gains one more light.

No one knows what the light means, but it’s always being observed from all over the world.

So, when we cleared the 23rd floor, the world observed that the Tower of Apocalypse had gained one more light.

Because of that, the world was turned upside down.

Without anyone’s declaration, the 23rd floor had suddenly been cleared.

News alerts kept coming, and countries around the world scrambled to find out who had cleared it.

People were calling it the Christmas miracle, and reporters from all over the world gathered in front of the Tower of Apocalypse.

Each country had its own location where the Tower of Apocalypse appeared.

Of course, we had momentarily forgotten about this.

With so many Returners on our side, the lower floors of the Tower of Apocalypse weren’t that dangerous, so we had forgotten the value of it.

So, as soon as we stepped out, we were greeted by a barrage of cameras.

Well, not really.

“You’ve worked hard.”

I met Jin So-yeop, who was waiting at the entrance.

He smiled at me with a tired face, holding a cup of coffee, and I understood the situation.

The Hunter Management Bureau had blocked all reporters from approaching the Tower of Apocalypse.

“I thought so.”

Seolhyang spoke as if she had known all along.

Well, given Seolhyang’s personality, if there had been a problem, she would have stopped it earlier.

“We’ve taken care of the reporters.”

I explained the situation to Jin So-yeop, who usually handled my affairs at the Hunter Management Bureau.

I thought it wouldn’t be right to not know the situation after coming out like this.

So, after considering everything, Jin So-yeop nodded in understanding.

“Then why don’t we take advantage of this situation?”

“Take advantage? How?”

“Reporters and other countries will keep investigating. So, why don’t we announce the existence of an SS-class Hunter first?”

“Hmm.”

At that moment, Seolhyang stepped forward.

“You’re planning to take credit for clearing the Tower of Apocalypse for Korea and establish a relationship between the Returners and the SS-class Hunter to ease tensions between Returners and Hunters, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s correct. But are you a Returner?”

Jin So-yeop seemed a bit flustered as he asked Seolhyang, who had a complete grasp of the situation at the Hunter Management Bureau.

Since Seolhyang had never officially revealed herself as the Association President, even Jin So-yeop, an agent of the Hunter Management Bureau, wouldn’t know.

“Well, let’s just say I’m someone who can voice opinions for the Returners Association.”

The girl who is the very opinion of the Returners Association, what is she talking about?

“The idea is good. There are benefits. But the important thing is Ha-chan’s opinion. If things proceed like this, Ha-chan’s exposure will inevitably increase.”

Even in the midst of this, Seolhyang respected my opinion the most.

Jin So-yeop also seemed to be waiting for my words, so I asked Seolhyang.

“If this happens, won’t it create a rift between Hunters and Returners?”

“Just the fact that their interests align proves they’re not enemies. The image of the top Hunter and the Returners Association working together will have an impact.”

“Then let’s do it.”

The world is changing rapidly.

With incidents happening almost every day, I know I can’t just hide forever.

The future Baeksan told me about was a ruined world.

If I can prevent that world even a little, I’m willing to endure any hardship.

At least if the world is maintained, my life can be maintained too.

“Jin So-yeop, please make the announcement as planned.”

“Yes, we’ll handle it carefully to minimize the impact.”

Jin So-yeop bowed to me in relief.

From his perspective, he must have been relieved that the plan he had prepared while I was in the Tower of Apocalypse didn’t fall apart.

After that, Baegar was immediately taken to the hospital.

Alters would take care of him.

Of course, Heuksan was also taken to the hospital.

Since Seolhyang had repeatedly said she wouldn’t let her escape this time, Heuksan was obedient.

Though she kept giving me annoyed looks, thanks to Baeksan, I was used to it.

In fact, it felt somewhat familiar.

Anyway, the incident caused by Heuksan’s escape was well resolved.

Of course, the appearance of intelligent Dimensional Beings remained a troublesome issue.

“Baeksan, is our world going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. It’s too different from my perspective. Everything is a variable now. The timing has also accelerated.”

Baeksan looked at the Tower of Apocalypse with a troubled expression, then turned to me.

“But the flow isn’t bad. Even your sister, Kang Mari, is starting to show what she wants.”

“She’s starting to show?”

“Yeah, I think the results will come soon.”

He didn’t say what the results would be, but Baeksan said so.

I wonder where my sister is and what she’s doing right now.

‘At least I know she’s alive and safe, so I’m not as anxious as before.’

But I still can’t help but worry.

‘I wish she’d at least show her face.’

But it seems my sister isn’t ready for that yet.

“It’s Christmas, and we couldn’t even go on a date. Domi Oppa, I’m so disappointed, what should I do?”

At that moment, Ayu slipped her arm through mine as we were heading home after finishing our work.

Indeed, we had spent Christmas Eve and Christmas essentially in the Tower of Apocalypse.

We had spent almost the entire night climbing the Tower of Apocalypse, so it didn’t feel real.

“What’s there to be disappointed about? We were together with Ha-chan before entering the Tower of Apocalypse.”

At that moment, Seolhyang also linked arms with me and clung to me.

Her chest, still as heavy as ever, completely covered my arm.

“Hmph, whatever. You go handle the Returners Association work. Don’t think I don’t know you’ve piled up work because of the Tower of Apocalypse.”

“You should start doing some work too. Don’t expect the Returners Association to always support you.”

I sighed as I looked at the two people clinging to me on either side.

After running around all day, it seems Returners don’t get tired.

Then I realized I hadn’t checked my phone since coming out.

Because the situation was urgent, I had left without telling anyone else.

Since phones don’t work in the Tower of Apocalypse, when I finally turned on my phone, I paused.

[Manager, you idiot.]

Siho was angry.