My Assigned Hunters Climb the Tower - Chapter 31

========== CHAPTER 31 ==========

“Why? We need to get votes too, don’t we?”

“Now isn’t the time for voting. This is just the lobby. The real 100-person competition hasn’t even started yet.”

Go Gyeol’s gaze turned toward Hwang Tae-ja, who was basking in the adoration of thousands.

“There’s a reason they say the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Above all, that Hwang Tae-ja wants to be a hero. Let’s just leave him be for now. He might be getting all the attention right now, but eventually, that’s the seat that takes responsibility for every failure. For us, it’s enough to just be perceived as a decent, kind team with some skill, hiding in Hwang Tae-ja’s shadow.”

Go Gyeol pulled wet towels from his subspace and handed them to his party members.

“Our goal right now is to make it into the top 100, not to be number one. The scariest blade is the one you don’t see coming. Understand?”

At Go Gyeol’s cold calculation, Kang Ji-hyeon rubbed her arms as if she had goosebumps, and Lee Seong-ha burst into a dry laugh.

“You really… you’re going to get divine retribution later, Go Gyeol.”

“I’ll think about divine retribution after we climb the entire Tower.”

The last doppelganger was crushed like mud under Hwang Tae-ja’s greatsword, letting out a scream. With that final death cry, a magnificent mechanical sound echoed throughout the lobby.

[Notice: Selection Match Stage 4, Masquerade, has ended.]

[Confirmation: Current survivors: 1,274.]

[Notice: 12 hours of rest time provided before the next stage.]

As the message vanished, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.

The fresh blood, torn flesh, and debris of destroyed equipment that thousands of hunters had sprayed while fighting each other seeped into the marble floor and vanished, as if time were being rewound.

In just a few seconds, the lobby began to shine without a single speck of dust, just as it had when they first entered. The hunters hesitated, their feet standing on marble that shone like a mirror, where they had been standing on their comrades’ corpses just moments ago.

“……This place is insane, seriously.”

Lee Seong-ha muttered quietly, leaning on his staff. The surrounding hunters also didn’t know what to do, only eyeing each other.

The party members looked at Go Gyeol as if it were obvious. They were preparing to set up a cozy tent in a corner like before and eat their supplies. However, instead of opening his subspace as usual, Go Gyeol walked without a word toward the center, where the crowd was most densely packed.

“Huh? Hyung, where are you going?”

Kang Hoon asked in confusion, but Go Gyeol moved without answering. Kang Ji-hyeon, Kwon Do-geun, and Lee Seong-ha followed Go Gyeol, though they wore puzzled expressions.

Go Gyeol found a spot among the countless dazed hunters and sat down with a thud. It was the cold marble floor, without a comfortable sleeping bag or a warm tent. The party members, not knowing what was going on, awkwardly gathered and sat next to Go Gyeol.

The surrounding hunters’ gazes were fixed on them. They were looks mixed with suspicion as to why they had suddenly come here.

Lee Seong-ha poked Go Gyeol in the side and made a very small, precise gesture so the eyeball camera above their heads wouldn’t catch it.

‘Hey, why aren’t you setting up the tent and what are you doing here? Why are you suddenly cosplaying as a popular kid?’

Go Gyeol didn’t even glance at him, fiddling with his tablet, and placed a single finger to his lips. Then, he waved his hand shortly.

‘Not now. I’ll tell you later. Just keep a straight face. People are watching.’

It was their own secret signal that had continued since kindergarten. At Go Gyeol’s firm attitude, Lee Seong-ha pouted his lips and forced a benevolent priest’s expression.

Watching that from the side, Kang Hoon leaned slightly toward Kang Ji-hyeon and grumbled.

“Noona, those hyungs are doing it again, right? Talking about things only they know. Isn’t that really mean? We’re a team too.”

Normally, Kang Ji-hyeon would have snapped, ‘Don’t talk to me,’ but this time, she let out an annoyed sigh while fixing her smudged makeup.

“Leave it be. That guy in the suit wouldn’t do this unless he’s crazy. He’s definitely calculating something sinister again.”

Toward Kwon Do-geun, who was adjusting his mask and fidgeting in case his identity was revealed, Go Gyeol sent a short signal with his eyes.

‘Don’t worry, nothing will happen.’

At that silent assurance, Do-geun barely managed to relax his shoulders.

As the surrounding hunters lay down on the marble floor one by one out of exhaustion, even Go Gyeol, who usually had near-germaphobic cleanliness, lay down on the cold floor.

“Hey, Go Gyeol. Are you really sleeping here?”

Lee Seong-ha, who was lying next to him, asked in a low voice, as if he couldn’t believe it. Go Gyeol replied nonchalantly with his eyes closed.

“Don’t talk to me and get some sleep, even if it’s just a little. Don’t regret it later.”

At his firm words, the party members seemed to give up, each finding a spot and sprawling out. Just then, Kang Ji-hyeon, who had been sitting upright, poked Go Gyeol’s shoulder. Then, without a word, she held out her palm.

“Cleansing wipes.”

Go Gyeol opened his closed eyes slightly and waved his hand lightly. Then, a heavy pack of cleansing wipes dropped onto her palm with a thud. Used to Go Gyeol’s ability to use his subspace like a personal convenience store, Kang Ji-hyeon opened the lid as if it were familiar.

It was when she pulled one out and began to meticulously wipe away the dust and smudged makeup from her face.

A young female hunter who had been sitting nearby approached hesitantly. Her face was a mess, with sweat and blood matted together.

“Um… excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, could I get just one? I can’t sleep in this state at all….”

At the woman’s question, full of apology, Kang Ji-hyeon handed over the entire pack of wipes she was holding with an indifferent expression.

“Take it all.”

“Yes? Oh, no, I just needed one…”

“I don’t want to be bothered with leftovers, so just take it.”

The woman was flustered and bowed her head to say thank you. Kang Ji-hyeon poked Go Gyeol’s side again. Then, as if on cue, a new pack of cleansing wipes appeared on her empty palm.

Toward the female hunter who was about to return to her spot, clutching the pack of wipes preciously, Kang Ji-hyeon opened her mouth quietly.

“Hey.”

“Ye-yes? Me?”

“Are you just going to go back and wipe your face half-heartedly and sleep? Aren’t you going to wash your face?”

Toward the woman who was nodding with a dazed expression, Kang Ji-hyeon tapped the spot next to her with her palm. When the woman tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what she meant, Kang Ji-hyeon grabbed the woman’s arm and forced her to sit next to her, looking frustrated.

“Sit here and wipe it properly. If you leave your face like that, it’ll all break out by tomorrow morning. Hurry.”

Kang Ji-hyeon’s grumbling care became a strange catalyst. Seeing that scene, the surrounding female hunters, who were exhausted from dust and fatigue, began to approach one by one as if drawn by a magnet.

“Um… could I possibly get one too?”

“Me too… my face is stinging so much…”

Kang Ji-hyeon frowned as if it were a bother and muttered, ‘Ah, seriously,’ but her hands didn’t stop. Every time she poked Go Gyeol’s shoulder, packs of cleansing wipes popped out of the subspace, and Ji-hyeon indifferently handed them one by one to the hands of the approaching female hunters.

A moment later, dozens of female hunters huddled together and began to wipe their faces as if they had made a pact. Once things were somewhat settled, Kang Ji-hyeon poked Go Gyeol’s side with her toe again.

“Foam cleanser.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Go Gyeol flicked his hand, and dozens of tube-type foam cleansers poured into Kang Ji-hyeon’s arms. Ji-hyeon tossed them to the person next to her and ordered.

“Pass it along.”

The tubes were busily passed from hand to hand. However, one hunter who received the foam cleanser tilted her head with a troubled expression.

“Um, Ji-hyeon-ssi… we have the cleanser, but there’s no water, so we can’t wash our faces.”

At those words, Kang Ji-hyeon this time poked Kwon Do-geun, who was lying on the other side of Go Gyeol.

“Water.”

It was just one word. Kwon Do-geun extended his hand into the air as if it were a bother without even opening his eyes. Then, a clear stream of water sprayed from his fingertips. It was very precise skill control. The sprayed stream of water stretched out in a straight line as if ignoring gravity, and without spilling a single drop on the floor, it stopped in front of the female hunters’ eyes, fixed like an aerial faucet.

“Wow…….”

Exclamations burst from the female hunters’ mouths. Kang Ji-hyeon, as if used to it, reached out to the stream of water, cupped it, and began to wash her face by lathering up. The other hunters, who had been hesitant at first, soon began to carefully wash their faces at the magic water fountain Kwon Do-geun had created.

A strangely refreshing scent of soap wafted through the blood-smelling waiting room.

As soon as the face washing was over, skin toner, lotion, essence, and even high-nutrition cream rolled out of Go Gyeol’s subspace one after another. The cosmetics passed between the hunters like a conveyor belt, taking responsibility for their skincare.

This unbelievable scene of group skincare that took place inside the hellish Tower was broadcast to the whole world in real-time, and the chat window was completely flipped upside down.

[Real-time Viewer Reactions]

RoseParty: What’s up with Kang Ji-hyeon lol. They said she was a Witch at first, but she’s a total tsundere Demon King. She’s cursing with her mouth but handing everything out with her hands lol.

BeautyHunter: Wow… did you see Kang Ji-hyeon’s bare face after she washed up? She looks way more innocent and pretty than when she had makeup on? Is that skin for real?

WaterMageWannabe: That water hunter is insane, shivers. He’s using that precise water control to wash his face? Wasting(?) a skill like that is even cooler.

RedGreenColorblind: What is that team’s real identity lol. Porter (President), Faucet (Water Hunter), Cosmetics Supplier (Kang Ji-hyeon). Are they sure they came here to survive lol.

K-Beauty: They look like they’re going to do 1 pack a day even inside the Tower lololol.

Kang Ji-hyeon tapped in the moisture cream to absorb it one last time, then lay her body back down on the cold marble floor. To the hunters who were thanking her and greeting her repeatedly from the side, she threw out one line without even opening her eyes.

“It’s noisy, so just go to sleep. You won’t even have time to let the swelling go down tomorrow morning.”

Amidst her prickly care, the night in the lobby deepened for the first time, harboring a strange sense of relief rather than fear. Go Gyeol opened his closed eyes slightly, checked the viewer reactions on his tablet, and smiled satisfactorily.

Unlike before the regression, Kang Ji-hyeon’s image had changed.