"It feels like a dream."

"What does?"

"All of us, hanging out like this." I let out a small laugh and popped a hardened piece of fried food into my mouth. "What's with the sudden sentimentality? You've been to much more exciting places than this."

"I have," she said, setting down her beer glass and hugging her knees. "But you know, even when I'm partying with successful people in a fancy hall or at a noisy club in Gangnam, something feels empty. There are tons of people around, my friends are having fun, but even in the middle of it all, I get these sudden pangs of loneliness."

I listened in silence.

"I actually get lonely really easily. That's why I started using social media. I have to be glued to my phone all day just to keep the loneliness at bay." I nodded silently. "But here... I don't know. I just feel at ease. I like this place, and I like the people here. It's warm and comfortable, like a family... Ahem. Wow, I must be really drunk."

Seojin quietly poured her another beer. "You should drink this and forget. If you remember this tomorrow morning, the cringe will be unbearable."

"Hmph." She snatched the glass and gulped it down before turning her gaze to me. "If I get a little more drunk, I might start bawling and spilling my life story. You ready for that?"

"...Don't. I can't handle both of you breaking down."

Seojin laughed loudly. It had been a long time since I'd seen him laugh like that.

"Hmph, I think 'you're' the weirdest one here," Bora slurred, setting down her empty glass. "You're a chaebol heir, right? Even if you lost the succession battle, you're from a different world. Why are you working so desperately here?"

"Because," Seojin began, fiddling with his glass, a faint smile on his lips, "I want to be acknowledged by all of you—the people from that 'different world'."

The answer was unexpected, and Bora cleared her throat.

"Most importantly, the Magic Tower is a place I chose of my own free will." Seojin's eyes grew cold. "I've had to stand by and watch my own companies get destroyed by my family time and time again. This time, I want to change that fate."

I had a rough idea of what he meant and silently refilled his glass.

"So, what about you, Yusin?" Bora asked, cupping her face with her hands. She was completely wasted.

"...Well, I'm obviously the biggest beneficiary. If the Magic Tower hadn't chosen me, I'd still be struggling at rock bottom. The thought of what might have happened if I'd been too cautious and refused Ea's offer... is terrifying."

"Oh my! You were going to refuse?"

"The way Ea proposed it was a little suspicious."

"What did she say?"

Ea, who had been quietly cleaning up, flinched. She shot me a desperate look, but I was feeling mischievous and decided to imitate her stiff, formal tone.

"I cannot comprehend! To become the master of a tower that oversees the magic of an entire world is the greatest honor a human can achieve! What are you hesitating for?"

"...T-Tower Master!"

"Hahahaha! Did she really say that?"

A burst of laughter filled the room. Ea glared at me petulantly. "...From now on, I will store all of the Tower Master's embarrassing moments in the database."

"Sorry, sorry."

Our laughter woke Eunsol, who rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Sorry. Were we too loud?"

"Let's all head to bed," Bora said, leading Eunsol to a room on the first floor. Seojin went up to the second floor, and I went to the ninth.

"Ugh." I sank into my personal chair and leaned my head all the way back. Ea appeared beside me in a halo of light, but she was still pouting and looking away.

"Ea."

"Yes, Tower Master."

"I bought tickets for the EXIO concert next week."

She looked completely startled. "Th-That was just an idle comment! There is no need for the Tower Master to carve out his precious time to..."

"Hey, what are you talking about? I like EXIO, too."

She hung her head low. After mumbling something hesitantly, she finally whispered, "G-Good night," and quickly vanished.

I couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was the alcohol, but in that moment, everything felt perfect.

* * *

After my quarter-final match against Yeon, my time at the academy was effectively over. I stopped attending classes and could spend my days at the Magic Tower without needing the excuse of a dungeon dispatch. This was the graduation I had longed for, the official rank-5 hunter license I had craved. The sense of accomplishment was refreshing, but in truth, these were things I was bound to achieve the moment I became the Tower Master.

My ambitions had grown. I could no longer be satisfied with just being a professional hunter. Maybe taking over the world like Ea suggested wasn't such a bad idea. With the Magic Tower, anything felt possible.

I slept in for the first time in a long while. Now effectively unemployed, I was lazing on the golden sofa in the lobby, scrolling through my phone. My messenger app had nearly a thousand unread messages—a sight I'd never seen before.

—This is Team Leader Choi Young from the River Guild. The match was fascinating. Our guild may only have passion and planning to offer, but if you give us a chance…

—Yusin! Congrats on graduating early! The club is going wild! We have to throw a party!

—Yusin, congrats! Remember me? Im Yoonji . We were in the same class last year…

—Kim Yusin. This is Professor Lee Yoonhyun. Please stop by my office tomorrow around 6 PM. I'd like to discuss a job opportunity…

—Hello! Cheonho Management would like to extend an offer...

I scrolled through them with a blank expression, but one message made me pause.

—Yoonjeong: Heard you made it to the semis. Congrats on graduating.

It was a short message from Yoonjeong. I did feel a little guilty about graduating and leaving her behind. I replied immediately.

—Yusin: Thanks. Did you watch?

—Yoonjeong: Of course. It was seriously surreal.

—Yusin: How so?

—Yoonjeong: I mean, watching you fight Hong Yeon on equal footing... I just kept thinking, is that really the same Yusin who was struggling alongside me just a few months ago?

I started to type a playful response, but deleted it. I wrote and deleted my message three more times before finally sending:

—Yusin: You can do it too. For real.

—Yoonjeong: Thanks for the thought, at least.

I hesitated for a moment before typing again.

—Yusin: Yoonjeong, ever thought about working with me?

—Yoonjeong: No thanks. I'm busy enough with school.

She didn't even ask what the job was. I'd expected her to refuse. It wasn't that I hadn't considered bringing her into the Magic Tower. But objectively, and as a matter of fairness, I couldn't give her an administrator position right now. Even if I did, she would constantly compare herself to the monstrous talents of Seojin, Bora, and Eunsol, and she would inevitably fall into a spiral of self-pity and unhappiness. Would that truly make her happy? I doubted it.

—Yoonjeong: And thanks.

—Yusin: For what?

—Yoonjeong: The dungeon dispatch rights were reorganized, so now non-combat students can go to the hunting grounds. That was you, right?

'She's as sharp as ever.'

—Yoonjeong: I'm heading into a grade-1 dungeon tomorrow. I'm not giving up. I'm going to work my ass off and become a hunter.

—Yusin: Yeah, good luck. I'm seriously rooting for you.

I felt a little lighter. That was the Yoonjeong Han I knew—gentle on the outside, strong on the inside. Then there was Hong Yeon—strong on the outside, fragile on the inside. I wished they could each be a little more like the other.

"Yusiiiin—"

A voice called to me from the side. "What are you thinking about that's making you smile like that?"

It was Bora, wearing an apron with her hair tied back. It was stained with colorful pigments, a sign she'd already started on her daily quota.

"It's nothing."

She pouted at me, sprawled on the sofa. "You look so carefree. I'm jealous, Hunter Kim."

"Is that your way of asking for help?"

"N-No! I can do it myself!"

Without a word, I put on a spare apron and joined her at the cauldron. "What's first?"

"Oh my, you really don't have to. Well then, could you start by adding the liquid spores?"

As expected. Since I also had the 'Potion Brewing' trait, I helped her out whenever I had a spare moment.

"Who's the order for this time?"

"The Kalos Guild. Thirty bottles of cold resistance potion."

"Whoa, sounds like they're headed to a cold dungeon."

We worked together in perfect sync. After tossing the ingredients into the cauldron, Bora grabbed a ladle as tall as she was and began to stir.

"Take a break. I'll stir."

"Whaat? Oh. N-No, I'm really fine!"

"I'll do it."

I took the ladle from her and began stirring myself. She looked conflicted, but the slight upward curl of her lips suggested she wasn't exactly displeased.

"Go sit down and rest."

"Geez, how can I sit down when my senior is working?! That's so awkward!" she said, while casually walking back to the sofa and plopping down.

I was left speechless.

It had been almost a month, but she was still completely unpredictable. Sensing my gaze, she suddenly struck a pose, stretching her legs out, then bending one and wrapping her arms around it.

"...What are you doing?"

"How is it? A sexy pose that makes my legs look long."

She struck several more poses, as if she were on a runway. She tried her best to be seductive, placing a hand on her hip and letting out a "Yoo-hoo!", but it came across as more cute than anything else.

"Why are you being so distracting?"

"I can't just sit here while you're working! I have to provide some eye candy! Don't you feel your energy surging?"

"You should see a psychiatrist."

"So mean!"

Dealing with a college student who craved attention was exhausting. I wondered if this was what having a childish younger sister felt like. Still, I'd grown used to her eccentricities, and I had to admit, I found it kind of cute.

"Oh, by the way, Yusin!"

"What?"

"Are you going to join a guild now that you're a licensed hunter? You have to keep hunting to get stronger, right?"

"I'm still considering my options, but I'm leaning towards a management company that can work with my schedule."

Hunters generally belonged to one of three affiliations: the Association, a guild, or a management company.

The Hunter Association was essentially for civil servants who fought for the public good. Their income was the lowest, but they held the most power and authority. They also got a pension, so they didn't have to worry about flipping chicken after retirement.

Next were the guilds, which most hunters joined for the high income. In addition to a massive signing bonus, they provided comprehensive support: dungeon matching, schedule management, specialized training, equipment production, legal advice, tax services, and transportation. The downside was a highly controlled lifestyle.

Finally, there were management companies that catered to hunters who wanted to work freely. It was a freelance model where you outsourced complex procedures and non-combat tasks to a professional company. Unlike guilds, where teams lived and operated as a single unit, hunters teamed up with others on-site for each dungeon. Many players became accustomed to this solo style during their provisional license days and continued with it after turning pro. If a guild were a team, a managed hunter was a mercenary.

'Hmm, so which one would be best?'

* * *

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