The air you only feel around the strong was running hot.
This is why I don’t like quick-on-the-uptake brats… no, Rankers.
Of course, I’d anticipated this to some extent ever since coming to the tower.
Since the person Jioh was here to see was “the Lion” Eun Seok-won, some degree of exposure was inevitable.
So she covered her face… and more than anything, she was confident in her control.
The chance of getting caught—about one in a million, unbelievably low, or so she thought.
The reason she got caught this blatantly was probably the sudden fluctuation in her stats.
It was all the buffs that poured in the moment she entered Babel. She was so startled she let the control stick clatter out of her hands.
Let my guard down…
Rankers—dig and dig and it’s all honey.
Who could’ve known it’d be this honey-on-honey? A scene of balance collapse that would fluster even a professional freeloader.
Of course, even if they saw through her here, it would only be the Channel 1 folks anyway, so it wasn’t a big problem.
A Ranker’s sense of belonging and camaraderie within their channel is very strong.
It’s an unspoken rule that what’s said inside the channel isn’t leaked outside.
Guarding each other’s secrets was basically the law of the land.
If some nutcase breaks it, we’ll enact justice, that’s all.
Jioh prefers nonviolence and to be an onlooker, but the path of the absolute has always been, by nature—
If the small fries act up, you rough them up a little here and there…
She’d heard that even that Jesus fellow from Nazareth took a swing or two to deal with naughty merchants who wouldn’t listen.
She was too busy studying to spend strength on things like that, but what can you do?
Gyeon Jioh’s normal, cozy life ranked above even the Suneung (college entrance exam) as Priority No. 1.
[Your Constellation, ‘Reader of Fate,’ nods, “but of course, but of course.”]
[They fumble out a cheering lightstick as if to say, “Our baby kitty can do whatever she wants,” and wave it.]
Anyway, since she’d been found out—
Hood up, power hidden, Gyeon Jioh trudged straight toward her destination.
With every step, Gyeon Riok—in the middle of demonizing from afar—speared her with his eyes.
Practically a laser beam.
Uh, X-Men? Thought you were Cyclops.
“…Leader. Hey, what’s wrong with Gyeon Riok?”
“Mmnh. Mmrghh mmnng—sngh—”
Sliiide.
Ignoring him, Jioh kept walking and came to a stop before someone, then tried to sit like a big shot on a single-seat sofa with haughty grandeur… but the sofa was quite large compared to her frame, so she had to draw her legs up and fold them.
Even so, the chin she lifted had a fair amount of charisma.
“Hey, Mr. Eun. Looks like life’s treating you better, huh?”
“…I don’t know who you are, but this rudeness is—”
“Ahn Chi-san.”
Beom jerked his chin.
It meant: don’t bluster without reading the room—step back.
Eun Seok-won gave a fresh, generous smile.
“Still the same. Long time no see. Have you been well?”
“Up until this morning.”
“So it takes a deed like usurpation of the throne to make you move in person. All I did was keep begging for a meeting, not knowing. A good lesson to learn in my twilight years.”
‘Usurpation’ of the throne.
The throne… a king?
Their voices were low and subdued, but it didn’t matter.
For Eun Seok-won’s close aides, and the tiny handful of top-tier Rankers who were pretending not to listen while straining their ears, that was more than enough.
A soundless shock swept them.
Without batting an eye, Jioh sealed the conversation off from the outside. In a flat, affectless tone, she spoke dryly.
“Gramps, don’t get cocky. In that worn-out husk, what are you trying to pull? You that eager to head straight to the morgue?”
“Jio.”
“That’s enough, Beom.”
Gesturing for him to hold, Eun Seok-won asked,
“So, how many years do I have left now?”
Gyeon Jioh, who’d been staring right at him, propped her chin and answered.
“Two years if we’re generous.”
“And if we’re not?”
“One year.”
“Good heavens…”
“Who told you to act up? You turned five years into this? I went out of my way to tip you off and this is how you repay a favor—by stabbing me in the back.”
Jioh turned her head away, sulking.
Among the sub-special skills under ‘Library-ization,’ Hourglass of Fate is a clock that tells you how much life remains.
She only had one open slot, and the moment she reached the proficiency to use the skill, Jioh designated Eun Seok-won as the target.
He’d been past sixty since the first time they met.
Among the people Gyeon Jioh knew, he seemed the likeliest to die first.
If that were to happen, she didn’t want to send him off without a word.
Just like the father she couldn’t even remember.
“This will likely be the last, so forgive me. There was no other way.”
“…”
“I’ve lived my whole life this way and know no other way to live. I’ve lived too long to live differently now. Isn’t an old man’s stubbornness the scariest of all?”
“…”
“If I can die while challenging something, as a Hunter there’s no better ending. A good death. Though the granddaughter I adore more than my own eyes weighs on my mind…”
Eun Seok-won smiled at Jioh.
S-rank or whatever—it didn’t matter.
Ten years ago,
When the man who’d never had a child of his own in his life—Beom—brought little Jioh before him,
Gyeon Jioh had already been the only granddaughter in his world.
“…You’ve already made the mess and then you say what? The bus is gone.”
“Oh dear. Then how do I catch it again?”
“Hmph. No fun. Grandpa denture gag.”
“…Jio, please.”
Beom pressed his fingers to his brow.
A disaster of his own raising…
He’d spoiled her, sure—but he’d made the mistake of spoiling a kid who’d already been top dog of the entire grade since elementary school, and so at times she was outrageously imperious.
Snorting, Jioh flopped back against the sofa.
“Challenge, schmallenge—making King Jio reek of beans? That trashes my cool. I’m taking it back soon, so don’t scratch it—just hold onto it.”
“Hoho. Still, it felt rather good to be No. 1 again after so long. Brought back old memories.”
“This is why things get awkward with number twos. When you treat them well, the innocent, kind number one’s fate is to get a knife in the back or pushed off a rooftop.”
With business done, Beom asked with a look if she’d be going. Jioh shook her head, lukewarm.
“Since I’m here, I might as well watch the Tutorial.”
- 00:00:37:59 Growth Buff (on)/off
[Unique Skill, ‘Library-ization’ Proficiency: 17.028%]
[Title Traits, ‘Heart of the Yongma,’ ‘Mana Latency’ (growing to Stage 2)]
Just wait, old man. I’ll flip it back right away.
Listen to your Constellation, and S-ranks drop in your lap even while you sleep.
There’d been a method to all that nagging to go to the tower every darn day.
Who would’ve thought a surprise like this was waiting.
Feigning indifference, Jioh sneaked a glance at her status window.
Unlike the poker face she was working hard to maintain, her toes under the table kept wiggling.
An awakener’s “Titles” fall into two categories.
One is a “Unique Title,” referring to the awakener’s personal identity by innate fate.
For example, Regressor, Reincarnator, those go here.
The other is the “Common-Work Title,” called First/Second/Third.
This one is like a sort of “profession” that blooms when multiple “Traits” born of talent and aptitude cluster together.
In Gyeon Jioh’s case, at the moment of awakening, the hidden Traits—Unparalleled Genius, Heart of the Yongma, and Mana Latency, etc.—were unlocked, and she immediately obtained the First Title, “Archmage.”
Meeting a high-grade Constellation pushed her beyond racial limits, and as ‘Library-ization’ proficiency rose, she ultimately bloomed into the “Magician King.”
And Traits related to Titles that have bloomed like this generally didn’t climb stages easily—
Not unless there was some enlightenment straight out of a wuxia novel, or some dramatic trigger.
Jioh’s innate mana reserves were unlimited by nature, but since her Title Traits were still at Stage 1, her mana circuits had constraints placed on them.
Of course, even so, it was more than abundant, so she’d left it alone…
But if it goes up on its own, there’s absolutely no reason not to take it. Right?
And this was the Tutorial Walk.
Not even clearing anything—just sitting there—and the proficiency goes up?
Leeching at this level was starting to make her feel just a tiny bit sorry.
Feigning nonchalance, pretending to be interested in the Tutorial, pretending to be a seasoned senior Ranker scouting newbies, Jioh cast a serious gaze across the glass to the plaza.
Suspicious.
Seeing those corners of her mouth creep up and her fidgety feet, Beom narrowed his eyes—he couldn’t not notice.
But just before he could say anything—
[Opening Soon…… 00:00:00:00]
Babel Network
《Welcome to the Tower of the All-Weighing Balance, the star-sanctuary Babel.》
《Ring your name across the firmament. The stars will answer the call.》
[The Tutorial has begun.]
[Festival of Beginnings — Human Disqualification Start!]
At last, the curtain rose on the Tutorial.
/S-rank Hunter Gyeon Riok’s party “Bada” has been created./
/The category for the selected party channel is [Social]. In [Social], several functions including distribution settings are restricted. (View All)/
/Anonymous has declined the invitation to [Social] “Bada.”/
/Anonymous has declined the invitation to [Social] “Accept It While We’re Asking Nicely.”/
/Anonymous has declined the invitation to [Social] “Ha……”/
/Anonymous has accepted the invitation to [Social] “Take It and I’ll Pay 100,000 Won.”/
/The invited target is in name-hidden state. Would you like to change it arbitrarily? The changed name will not be visible to the other party./
/[Arbitrary] nickname will be changed./
Babel Network
Me
Hey, three-time retaker.
Me
So you dodged me.
Me
Show up after two days and avoid my eyes?
Me
You are seriously less of a hu—
Me
Wait.
Me
Your clo— cl— what’s that.
Me
Isn’t that a guy’s shirt— don’t tell me you slept over at a guy’s place?!?
Me
Leaving me on read is just a habit now, huh.
Me
Answer before I head over there right now.
Me
I’m getting up now.
Me
I’m bracing my legs now.
Mom’s Big Mistake
A friend.
Mom’s Big Mistake
Do-hee’s kind of big-framed.
Me
Who’s Do-hee—
Me
Who?
Mom’s Big Mistake
There’s a Baek Do-hee.
Mom’s Big Mistake
Someone you don’t know.
Me
? I know all Noona’s friends, what are you on about; you’re a hikikomori who’s had like three kindergarten classmates as your only friends your whole life—
Mom’s Big Mistake
Riok.
Me
Yeah.
Mom’s Big Mistake
Do I have to keep looking down at the Tutorial through the glass?
Mom’s Big Mistake
Hard to see, Noona—I’ve got astigmatism ( •́ ̯•̀ )
Me
Exactly.
Me
You’re glued to your phone and computer all day, lying down reading webtoons, and I told you to stop reading those novels.
Me
Do you even know how much last month’s bill was? Your life genre is real-world gate-crashers, so why are you reading real-world gate novels?
Mom’s Big Mistake
These days I read romance fantasy on KakaoPage.
Mom’s Big Mistake
My fave is the cool, black-haired demon duke of the North, Winter.
Mom’s Big Mistake
He’s divorced and growls a lot, but he’s awesome—super fluttery.
Me
Use that time to climb the tower, please.
Mom’s Big Mistake
( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )
Me
Sheesh.
Me
Anyway, the monitors split by groups or zones will pop up—watch those.
Me
The live rankings show too.
Mom’s Big Mistake
K.
Me
?
Me
Hey.
Me
Is this for real—
[3, 2, 1.]
The tower’s familiar countdown.
Baek Dohyun quietly closed his eyes.
His heart might be pounding, but his mind was as calm as a lake. He’d been like this for days.
Even though he’d regressed out of a hopeless situation, he wasn’t anxious in the least.
Because now he knew.
The future can change.
Hadn’t he experienced it himself?
He met the King, and Ground Zero at Seolleung Station in March vanished.
Above all… “Jio” was still on humanity’s side.
When Baek Dohyun opened his eyes again, they shone steady.
I can change it. Easily.
A second chance.
A second re-entry.
Before the regression, under identical conditions, F-rank Baek Dohyun’s Tutorial record had been 3rd place.
Total time: four days.
《Welcome back to Babel Tower, Baek Dohyun.》
《The Tutorial has begun.》
And today, as the new No. 1 of this cohort, he intended to shatter the tower’s shortest-time record.