The next morning, I arrived at the Hunter Association (HA) building at 8:50 AM.
My eyes were bloodshot. I had spent half the night watching the ManaX charts and the other half thinking about that A-Rank Purple mana stone. Because of that, I was in a terrible mood.
I walked through the main lobby. It was a massive, high-ceilinged hall. This was the Hub. Hundreds of Awakened were moving around. Some were wearing full plate armor. Others had glowing staves strapped to their backs.
It was loud for such an early morning.
I headed toward the Civil Affairs Desk. But I couldn't get there. A massive crowd had formed near the 'Appraisal and Exchange' counter.
"I'm telling you, this is a genuine 'Sovereign's Fang'!"
I stopped. I knew that voice. It was deep and carried a lot of mana. I looked over the heads of the crowd.
A tall man in polished silver armor was slamming a jagged, dark red dagger onto the reinforced glass counter.
It was Choi Kang-suk. He was a B-Rank Hunter from a mid-sized guild. He was famous for his charity holdings.
"Sir, our automated system has analyzed the item's density and mana conductivity."
The female clerk behind the counter said. She was trembling.
"It doesn't match the records for a Boss-grade drop. We can only offer you the standard C-Rank scrap price."
"Scrap price? Do you know how many B-Rank healers died to get this?"
Choi Kang-suk leaned over the counter.
"This is a Grade-4 Epic item found in the 15th-floor Boss Room. The market value is 500 million Won. Or 5,000 High-Grade Blue mana stones. Pay up or I'll tear this place apart!"
This was a problem. A big one.
In the Tower, items found in Boss Rooms like swords, daggers, armor were worth a fortune. They were much rarer than mana stones. Because of that, the HA had strict appraisal protocols.
If the HA paid out 5,000 Blue stones for a fake item, it would be a massive financial loss. It would be a scam.
The clerk looked like she was about to faint. The security team was standing back. They didn't want to fight a B-Rank Hunter in the middle of the lobby. This led to a standoff that was making the other Hunters restless.
I walked closer. I looked at the dagger on the counter.
I didn't need an appraisal machine. I knew every item in the Tower of Gehenna game. I had seen this 'Sovereign's Fang' multiple times during my streaming days. It was a unique drop from the 15th-floor Vampire Lord.
But the one on the counter didn't look much like it.
The hilt was too wide. The serrated edge curved at a 45-degree angle. The real one curved at 40 degrees.
This was a 'Sanguine Dirk'—a common drop from a 10th-floor mini-boss that had been dyed with Red Moss and polished with mana-conductive wax to mimic the aura of an Epic item.
"Move aside."
I pushed through the crowd. People looked at me and scoffed, after all I was widely known as a level 0 in the workplace. I didn't care.
"What are you, a janitor?"
Choi Kang-suk sneered as I reached the counter.
'Janitor...how funny.'
I picked up the dagger.
"Hey! Don't touch that with your filthy hands!"
I turned the dagger over. I looked at the base of the blade near the guard. There was a tiny, microscopic pore in the metal.
"You said this is the Sovereign's Fang..."
My voice was flat.
"Yes...are you deaf and blind at the same time?"
"The Sovereign's Fang is made of Dragon-bone marrow. Marrow doesn't have pores. Only iron forged in the 10th-floor 'Blacksmith's Forge' has this specific venting pattern."
The lobby went quiet.
"What do you know, aren't you that Level 0 bastard that trended for a while?"
Choi Kang-suk reached for the dagger.
I pulled it back.
"I know that if I drop a single drop of low-grade acid on this, the red dye will peel off. I also know that the Sovereign's Fang has a weight of exactly 1.2 kilograms. This feels like 1.5. Because of the iron core."
I looked at the clerk.
"Check the internal weight again. Disregard the mana aura. Just the physical mass."
The clerk quickly pressed a button on the scale. The digital display flashed. 1.52kg.
The crowd started whispering. Choi Kang-suk's face went from arrogant to panicked.
"This led to a deliberate attempt to defraud the Hunter Association."
I said, looking directly at the security team.
"Clause 12 of the Hunter Code. Attempted scamming of Association funds using forged Boss-grade items. That's an automatic license suspension and a prison sentence."
"You... you brat!"
Choi Kang-suk lunged at me.
-Thud!
A heavy shield slammed into his chest. The security team finally moved in. They pinned him to the floor.
"Hunter Choi Kang-suk, you are under arrest for attempted fraud and threatening staff," the security lead said.
They dragged him away. He was screaming slurs the whole time. The lobby slowly returned to normal. The clerk looked at me with wide eyes.
"Thank you... thank you so much, Mr. Lee," she stuttered.
"If I had processed that payout, I would have been fired."
"Just do your job properly next time."
'How exhausting...just doing that already got me tired...may this day end early or better...a meteor can come crushing down at the HA.'
I walked back to my desk. I spent the rest of the day processing paperwork. Multiple times, people stared at me as they walked by. The rumor about the Level 0 clerk who called out a B-Rank Hunter's fake item was spreading fast.
I didn't like it. Being noticed was dangerous. It led to more work.
'I like money and getting paid...but some things are just too much for me.'
Time passed and it was already lunch break.
I sat at a small table in the corner of the cafeteria. A few minutes later, Han Seo-yoon arrived. She placed two trays on the table. Each had a bowl of spicy beef soup and three side dishes.
"Eat up."
She sat down across from me.
"I told you I'd treat you for handling that D-Rank Hunter. Consider this the payment."
"Thanks."
I picked up my spoon. The soup was hot.
"You didn't have to get the expensive set."
"Stop complaining and eat. You look like you're losing weight every time I see you."
I took a sip of the broth. It was salty. However it made my stomach finally relax.
"How is Yuna?"
Seo-yoon asked. She was already halfway through her rice.
"Is she still topping her classes?"
"She is. She got the highest score in Economics again. Now she's getting even bossier at home."
Seo-yoon laughed. It was a short, dry sound.
"She takes after her brother, then. Stubborn. Haha"
"You're a good brother, Lee Kwon. Most men your age would have spent their salary on low-grade items to try and force a level-up."
I looked at my soup. If only she knew. I had already tried that multiple times. It didn't work.
"I gave up on that a long time ago."
"I'm fine being a Level 0 clerk. It's safer."
"Is it?"
She leaned forward. Her eyes were sharp.
"I heard what happened in the lobby this morning. Everyone is talking about it."
I stopped chewing. I didn't like where this was going.
"It was a simple forgery."
"Anyone who knows the item stats could see the weight was off."
"No. Not anyone. The appraisal machines didn't even catch it at first...and you did?"
She poked at her kimchi.
"You have a weirdly high amount of knowledge for someone who has never been past the 1st floor."
"I read a lot of manuals. Because I have nothing else to do at my desk, I memorize the item database."
"You're a liar, but I'll let it slide because the food is getting cold."
We ate in silence for a few minutes. This led to a comfortable atmosphere. We had worked together for three years. She was the only person at the HA who didn't look down on me for my rank.
"The Director was in a meeting all morning."
Seo-yoon said suddenly.
"They were discussing the budget for the Broadcasting Department. Apparently, they lost another manager today. He just walked out mid-stream."
"Good for him."
"That department is a graveyard. Dealing with those ego-maniac streamers is a nightmare. I'd rather deal with a thousand screaming D-Ranks at my desk."
"Well, they're looking for a replacement...say someone with amazing knowledge on the tower."
I felt a slight chill. I thought about the Director's office on the 32nd floor.
"I'm Level 0."
I reminded her.
"They wouldn't put a Level 0 in charge of Hunter management. It's against the internal policy."
"Policies change when the Association is losing money."
She stood up and grabbed her tray.
"Lunch is over. Let's get back before the supervisor starts looking for us."
I stood up too. My stomach was full, but I felt uneasy.
"Thanks for the meal, Seo-yoon."
"Don't mention it. Just don't get yourself fired. I don't want to train a new junior."
We walked back to the Civil Affairs office. The lobby was quieter now, but the shattered glass from the morning incident had already been replaced. Everything was back to normal.
I sat at my desk and pulled a fresh folder of complaints toward me.
I just had to finish the day.
5:30 PM.
5:45 PM.
5:55 PM.
"Lee Kwon?"
I looked up. It was my supervisor. He looked nervous.
"Yes?"
"The Director wants to see you in his office. Now."
I stopped mid-motion. The Director? The head of the entire regional Hunter Association?
"The workday is over though..."
"It doesn't matter. He's waiting. 32nd floor."
'Was worth a try.'
I looked at the clock. It was exactly 6:00 PM. This led to a cold feeling in my stomach. I thought about the incident in the lobby. I thought about my anonymous Tower-Net posts. I thought about my Level 0 status.
I took the elevator up.
The walls were made of dark wood. I stood in front of the massive double doors. I straightened my tie and knocked.
"Come in."
I opened the door. The Director was sitting behind a desk that cost more than my apartment. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at a video screen. It was a recording of me handling the B-Rank Hunter in the lobby.
I could already tell this wasn't going to be good.