The group, which didn’t bother to sleep at night, departed for in two teams just before sunrise.

Since there was no route to pass through the gate from the middle, they had to take a boat, so they reunited.

Suzy climbed onto the deck of the ship and thoroughly enjoyed the salty breeze, then belatedly put on her in-ear device as if she had just remembered.

In preparation for any unforeseen situation, it was decided to wear in-ear devices for communication between team members on this .

Although they were already on the same boat, she deliberately spoke to her teammates through the in-ear device.

“Ah, can you hear me?”

– Yes, I can hear you well.

– I can hear you clearly.

– Yessir!

The teammates responded in turn.

Suzy smiled with satisfaction and, holding onto the ship’s railing, muttered.

“Let’s take a good rest once we finish this job.”

– Yes. That would be good.

What an almost reflexive response.

Suzy glanced at Elaine standing right next to her, as the reply came through the in-ear device almost before she finished speaking.

Rather, responding this quickly made it seem like she wasn’t fully agreeing with her words, but mocking them instead…

“Are you saying we’ve rested too much already?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Only after hearing the serious reply did Suzy nod, seemingly satisfied.

“I’m really going to rest, so don’t try to stop me.”

“Understood.”

“But right now, there are so many things intertwined that even if my body is lying down, my mind is too complicated to die. I can’t rest. No, really, how did it come to this… , Ageha, … Anyway, tell everything to find its place, and I really want to rest.”

– Then I want to go on a cruise.

Saint abruptly said through the in-ear device.

An awkward silence fell.

That was understandable, as overseas visits for Hunters were not easy. An S-class Hunter was like a walking weapon that could shake a country, so it was unlikely to be easily permitted.

And from the perspective of countries holding Hunters, they were busy worrying about them emigrating, so they wouldn’t welcome Hunters traveling around either.

How could it be possible to leisurely travel on a cruise for a long time, sightseeing tourist attractions?

Unable to bear the silence, Saint spoke in a sulky voice.

– I know. It’s impossible. But I can just say it, can’t I?

– Isn’t that too much of ‘just saying’?

As Peace teasingly retorted, Suzy, who had been quietly listening, opened her eyes wide and asked.

“You know. I’ve seen some related advertisements in passing, but why do people ride cruises?”

– Pardon?

“I mean, a huge ship would have poor mobility. If a Wave comes, it would take quite a while to escape the secondary evacuation zone…”

Listening to Suzy’s mumbling, Peace nodded with a bitter smile.

– In fact, for that reason, they hardly operate anymore. Above all, it’s an era that prioritizes safety.

“Are there still people who ride them?”

– With the world’s population being what it is, there are still people looking for entertainment. Youth is about encounters, right? In beautiful places, attractive people gathering… Do you understand?

Suzy tilted her head, but there was no way she could understand in the first place.

The concept of travel itself was unfamiliar.

It seemed understandable yet completely incomprehensible. Because she had never experienced it firsthand.

“Well… let’s try it.”

– …Really?

Saint asked with wide eyes in response to Suzy’s answer.

Suzy nodded again and roughly imagined in her mind.

If the essence of a cruise is to leisurely drift on the sea while visiting major tourist attractions, then riding some kind of pet that can float on the sea while conquering one floor of each country’s tower would be somewhat similar, wouldn’t it?

Of course, it would be completely different from what Saint wanted.

– Then I’d like to play a truth game.

Peace suddenly voiced his opinion as if he had just thought of it.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than Saint rebutted.

– Are you crazy? What truth game for an old man? That’s for fresh-faced young people to gather and sweetly dig into each other’s hidden truths!

– Hey, Saint. Are you disparaging old men now? And where can you find such a young and handsome old man?

– If you have two kids, you’re an old man, not a young man, right?

Suzy laughed out loud again, hearing the conversation that was almost painful to her ears.

Despite everything, they worked best together in combat. Their bickering over trivial matters was all the more amusing.

Before the conversation could go on longer, they arrived at .

“Let’s do our best today.”

– Do your best.

“Let’s finish safely.”

– Let’s do well today too, without any injuries!

Hearing the responses mixed with in-ear and live voices, Suzy nodded emphatically.

A remote island near the Philippine Sea.

After the Wave, people came to live more closely together than before, and as a result, many islands were abandoned and became uninhabited. This place was no exception, usually a desolate space, but today was different.

From early morning, helicopters came and went, and not only Hunters but also authorized media drones from various countries were filming the scene.

“The climb is currently in its final countdown. It’s just past 5 PM now! is expected to open at 5:30 PM! Most broadcasting stations have started their coverage 30 minutes ago, and ah! Hunters from various countries are arriving one after another.”

“Not only top-notch Hunters like Priya and Ageha… but there are also countries pushing with sheer numbers!”

“Still, it’s really much less than before. This is all thanks to Team Daphne offering to climb one floor of the tower as a condition, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. But South Korea’s Team Daphne has virtually declared their participation, so why can’t we see them?”

“Ah, they’ve appeared! The proud Team Daphne of South Korea! They’ve just arrived!”

Listening to the boisterous remote commentary through her in-ear device, Suzy pulled it out of her ear and stood in front of .

Many people had already arrived in front of .

The moment Suzy set foot, dozens of Hunters turned to look at her simultaneously.

According to what she heard from Aunt Yeonju, every time opened, anywhere from three hundred to nearly a thousand Hunters had participated.

It was clear that many countries had decided it was better not to come at all if they couldn’t secure compensation, as Team Daphne had promised compensation for non-participation.

Suzy briefly scanned the quite modest number of people.

It was unclear how many Messiah members might be here.

‘Since they’ve joined a cult anyway, if they at least wore matching T-shirts, it would be easy to identify them.’

Suzy looked around once to see if Priya was there, but the woman who would be quite troublesome just by her presence didn’t seem to have come yet.

Instead, there was one person she found unpleasant to encounter.

A man with long hair and a long scar on his face.

“That person, he’s Ageha, right?”

“That’s correct.”

To Suzy’s whispered question, Peace answered concisely in a voice devoid of playfulness.

The man, who was said to have been a minor 20 years ago, now had the face of a proper middle-aged man. Perhaps due to living in prison for a long time, his unusually pale skin that seemed not to have seen light and his long hair made him stand out particularly among others.

He exuded a visibly ominous aura.

Suzy gritted her teeth.

Although he wasn’t someone who had directly harmed her, he was a person who had killed numerous people, including Peace’s friend.

It was a gut-wrenching experience just not being able to prevent people from dying. She couldn’t understand how someone could actively go out and harm people.

Ageha met Suzy’s glaring gaze head-on. He pulled up one corner of his mouth and wiggled two fingers in his direction.

As if daring her to come at him.

“That bastard is provoking people. Son of a bitch.”

Listening to Peace curse as he approached, Suzy kept staring at Ageha.

Though not a word had been exchanged, it was clear there was some kind of unbridgeable air between the two.

The atmosphere suddenly felt like it was turning ugly.

‘At this rate, won’t there be a knife fight before we even enter ?’

She glared at the rose-shaped tower rising from the ground before her eyes.

Even for her who was used to entering and exiting towers, this was her first time seeing .

It felt like watching a single life grow extremely fast, as if in a time-lapse.

A green sprout-like thing grew from the ground, and without any support, countless vines intertwined and climbed towards the sky, relying on each other.

Red flowers with bumpy shapes bloomed in between, and a door-shaped opening formed where it touched the ground, soon quietly opening.

The scene visible through the door gap was astonishing. Something living that resembled carnivorous plants or coral reefs was moving like waves, and in between, bugs the size of humans were crawling around in swarms.

It was grotesque beyond compare.