Chapter 12: The Quiet Before the Storm: Kiriel’s Duty and the Infinite Tower

The sea grew silent. Silver waves gently swayed, and only the wind brushed softly across the surface.

Yet within this calm, something moved slowly.

A small, sluggish, and lethargic turtle.

It was the last creature left behind by the Sea King.

Though many monsters had been slaughtered, this turtle was the last to be separated from the battle.

Perhaps because of this, it was fortunate enough to escape with its life.

“Phew.”

The turtle slowly crawled along the shore, desperately making its way forward. It felt relief in the fact that it was still alive.

If it could use the Devour skill to grow once more, it swore it would take revenge.

But that resolve lasted only for a moment. A sharp gaze pierced through the air.

It was life-threatening.

As the turtle sluggishly turned its head, a pair of golden eyes from afar locked onto it.

Summoned by fate, she shared her sight with her master.

The celestial Valkyrie, who had been watching everything unfold, slowly approached.

Her lips barely closed as she muttered softly,

“How dare you…”

Her breathing became ragged.

“How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!”

The Valkyrie, descended from heaven, released a ferocious aura as she took step after step toward the turtle.

With each step, divine energy radiated outward like waves.

“How dare you try to disturb the peaceful slumber of my master…!”

When her master slept peacefully, nothing in the world was more beautiful or noble.

To disturb that time was an unforgivable taboo.

And now, someone had dared to disturb her precious sleep.

An unforgivable heretic.

Kiriel’s eyes twisted coldly.

With an expression that mixed rage and love, she raised her sword.

“I will pass judgment.”

The once mighty sea creature, which had sought to become a perfect lifeform under the patronage of the Constellation, was completely vanquished.

Scene change

At a café.

It was a cat café where pets were welcome.

People were discussing the recent events by the sea.

It seemed the appearance of sea monsters had caused quite a stir.

“Hey, did you see the video?”

“Park Doo-sik was amazing.”

“National pride is overflowing.”

“If Park Doo-sik kept his condition at the top, he could definitely be ranked 1st in S-class.”

“But his performance is too erratic, so I don’t think that will happen.”

“Still, when he’s on, he’s a reliable hunter.”

They slurped their sweet rice drink.

So refreshing.

[Those things! The one who protected you all is our master!]

…? I didn’t really do anything though.

[Master! Didn’t you destroy that filthy sea waste with a single strike!?]

“…Kiriel, are you feeling unwell?”

I don’t recall anything like that.

I secretly raised my divine power to heal her, but nothing seemed to change.

It wasn’t like she was injured… Why was she like this?

The cat on my shoulder suddenly started to glow.

[Hooo! Don’t you remember Master’s powerful, heavy strike?]

…Not really?

I just slept.

Being an F-class Hunter, there wasn’t much for me to do.

Especially on the sandy beach, it felt so nice to have a peaceful nap.

It was warm enough and the sea breeze was cool.

The sound of the waves was refreshing.

Ah.

I enjoyed sleeping in a bed, but I didn’t mind finding a beautiful place in nature to sleep either.

A cat on my shoulder drew attention from the people around me.

“Oh my, look how calm it is. Can I pet it?”

“Yes.”

“Aww, so cute. How are you this yellow? You look like cheese.”

“Because it’s Gold.”

“…Gold?”

[Meow! Let go, human!]

The cat was gentle.

Though it didn’t like being talked about, it didn’t bare its teeth or scratch.

The world was peaceful.

The next day, breakfast and lunch combined.

Sizzling sounds filled the air.

A blonde, golden-eyed, curvaceous maid tied on an apron and grilled fish.

Bubbling sounds.

She even made kimchi stew.

“Hmm… The smell is delicious.”

Still half-asleep, I found myself drawn to the table and sat down.

Ugh… I’m still drowsy…

Holding a spoon and fork in both hands, I dozed off in between bites.

“Master, please wait just a moment! I’ll have your meal ready right away.”

As promised, the meal was quickly prepared.

Each time I lifted a spoonful of rice,

Shwick!

Kiriel would add stir-fried anchovies, carefully deboned fish, or pork on top of the rice.

I didn’t even need chopsticks.

Just moving the spoon was enough, making it convenient.

“Nom nom.”

“Master, you must eat the anchovies too. They are rich in calcium.”

“Hmph, I don’t like anchovies.”

“Kugh! You’re so cute when you’re still sleepy, my lord.”

“Can’t I skip it?”

“Even if you act cute and refuse, you must eat them. It’s for your health, my lord.”

“Alright, alright…”

Despite my grumbling about the side dishes, she kindly persuaded me to eat everything.

As I ate, my sleepiness gradually faded, and I became fully awake.

I pointed out something odd.

“By the way, Kiriel, didn’t you say you couldn’t do household chores?”

“For my master, I diligently learned. The food in this world has a different system,

so adapting was a bit difficult, but for my master’s loyalty, I endured through every difficult moment.”

“Q…….”

It was nice to see her making an effort.

She seemed to pick things up quickly.

I clapped for her.

Twice seemed like too much work, so just once.

Clap.

Of course, I did this while lying down.

“I’ll clean up too, my lord.”

Shwwwaaa.

Clap!

Kiriel put on rubber gloves and quickly wiped down the table with a cloth, her hands moving like lightning.

Sha-sha-sha-shack!

She rinsed the cloth and did the dishes, making a satisfying scrubbing sound.

Squeak, squeak.

The dishes sparkled and shone.

She was too competent.

“The sound of the vacuum is too loud. It might disturb your rest, my lord, so I’ll just do a simple sweep and wipe.”

She even cleaned the room perfectly.

“Is there any fruit you’d like, master?”

“Fruit?”

“Yes, since we don’t have dessert, I’ll go out to buy some.”

“Well, I’d like an apple.”

“I’ll be back soon!”

She was going to the store.

Could she really handle it properly?

I couldn’t help but recall the incident where she had broken the ticket gate recently.

“To be honest, I’m kind of curious. Should we check?”

Since I could share my vision with her, I decided to see for myself.

“Ah!”

Kiriel was standing in front of a mirror, dressed in only her underwear.

Her very presence was provocative.

She held a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans in her hands.

She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, then slowly lifted the T-shirt over her head.

“…It’s big.”

Her head slipped through with ease, but there was strong resistance around her chest.

The fabric stretched tightly, unable to pass over her bust.

She gently pulled the T-shirt down, but the moment it reached her chest, it got caught, making her pause for a moment.

No matter how hard she pulled, the shirt wouldn’t come off.

Reluctantly, Kiriel used her fingers to lift the fabric around the tightest part of her chest and adjust it.

Finally, the T-shirt smoothly conformed to her chest, and Kiriel was ready to go outside, looking perfect.

Whoosh!

As soon as she stepped outside, she spread her wings and flew off.

Arriving.

Once her wings were folded and she entered the supermarket, everyone’s attention naturally shifted toward her.

“Did you see that?”

“She’s so pretty, like a goddess.”

“Is she a celebrity?”

“…She definitely stands out.”

Kiriel, however, paid no mind to the gazes around her and focused on her shopping.

Even when buying a single onion, she carefully inspected it for thin, firm skin without any blemishes, making sure it was organic.

“That young lady really knows how to shop efficiently.”

Her attention to detail was so impressive that even the women nearby complimented her.

After filling her basket with apples and other necessities,

BEEP!

“Please input your point information.”

Apparently, she had memorized my number by now, as she even earned points at the self-checkout.

Afterward, she took the elevator up to the roof, unfurled her wings again, and swiftly returned home.

Fast.

“Master! Please wait just a moment. I’ll peel the apple for you.”

“Wow.”

I could only marvel at her impressive swordsmanship.

Throwing the apple in the air, she expertly wielded a knife, peeling the apple in neat slices and arranging them perfectly on a plate.

The long, continuous peel was tossed into the food waste bin.

I lay down, eagerly accepting the apple slices she offered.

“Nom nom nom. Kiriel, you’re quite capable.”

“Thank you, my lord. Now that you’ve finished your meal, may I show you more of my capabilities?”

“Hmm? Was there more to do around the house?”

“I’m about to enter the Infinite Tower.”

“The Infinite Tower? What’s that?”

That was when Kiriel began explaining the system to me in detail.

From the existence of HunterNet, a community for awakened individuals,

to the Infinite Tower, a challenge content where hunters grow by conquering floors.

“Especially with the Infinite Tower, there are season rewards. If you don’t complete it in time, you might miss out on your rewards.”

…It sounds like a chore.

“You don’t need to do anything. Just open the tower, and I will clear it on my own, my lord.”

“Oh.”

That seemed to be the case; today was the last day of the season.

If she became a top-ranked player, she could earn the rewards, and Kiriel seemed eager to get them, all for the sake of her loyalty to me.

“What should I do?”

“Just open the tower, and I will handle the rest.”

Click.

【Infinite Tower】

“In the Infinite Tower, any deaths or injuries will not affect your real-world status.”

“When re-entering, you will resume from the floor where you last exited in the same condition.”

“If you die even once, you will not be able to re-enter until the next season.”

“Would you like to enter?”

I didn’t need to enter myself. I was told that I could send in summons to run the tower instead.

Of course, if a summon is dismissed, they can’t re-enter either.

“I’ll go, my lord.”

Kiriel entered the Infinite Tower, and I got to browse HunterNet instead.

I never realized how entertaining it would be to watch people live their lives.

As I scrolled through community posts and video platforms, I saw updates like:

“Successfully conquered Floor 10.”

“Achieved the fastest time on Floor 10.”

“’Cheon Ocheon’’s record for the fastest time on Floor 10 has been claimed by Zz.”

“Successfully conquered Floor 20.”

“Achieved the fastest time on Floor 20.”

“’Cheon Ocheon’’s record for the fastest time on Floor 20 has been claimed by Zz.”

“Successfully conquered Floor 30.”

“Achieved the fastest time on Floor 30.”

“’Cheon Ocheon’’s record for the fastest time on Floor 30 has been claimed by Zz.”

“Floor 40…”

“Aah, not again…”

I’d forgotten about the alarm notifications…

The terror of being chased by those monsters came rushing back.

I tried to distract myself by browsing HunterNet but found myself clicking through endless notifications.

“Ugh…

The Infinite Tower.

…I shouldn’t have bothered.”