WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 34: Festival

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I'd forgotten one very important fact.

Because the entire sixth floor was a Labyrinth, the village area's infrastructure was extremely poor.

Naturally, the inn facilities were terrible too, and they barely had any soap for showering or bathing.

Thanks to that, I had to do something insane, like rent every room at the inn and gather up every bar of soap they had.

There was barely any clean water either, so I struggled to wash up while using the milk and potions in my inventory as substitutes.

I changed into completely new clothes and swapped my armor for spare gear from my inventory, doing everything I could to get rid of the smell of blood.

“It really feels like I'm getting ready for a blind date.”

By the time I muttered that, remembering what I'd said a month ago, two hours had already passed since the event opened.

I didn't need to rush in as it opened, and I hadn't made plans with anyone, but somehow it still felt like I was late.

[Would you like to move to Event Server: Sector A?]

“Yes.”

I touched the portal and accepted the message in the notification window.

A sensation slightly different from using a Transfer Gate in a boss room enveloped my body, and soon, another world unfolded before me.

It was a modern European-style plaza with a fountain in the center.

Several more portals stood in the middle of the plaza, leading to other sectors. Those were probably for entering and leaving the event map.

And just as I'd expected, there were a lot of people. An almost disgusting number of people.

“Ugh, fuck...”

I'd spent a long time shut away in my room, then kept playing solo even in the Tower of Trials. This atmosphere felt completely foreign to me.

The packed crowd and all the noisy voices grated on my nerves. Had I developed social anxiety without realizing it?

Still, as uncomfortable as it was, it also felt strangely nice.

After seeing the Shepherd Girl's shocking transformation on the second floor, I'd deliberately kept my distance even from Non-Player Characters that felt human.

Now that I was around real people for the first time in a while, I guess it made me feel like I was alive too.

Anyway, it wasn't a completely bad feeling. This festival atmosphere wasn't half bad either.

Originally, I'd planned to head straight for a mini-dungeon where I could get Event Currency, but I'd changed my mind.

For now, I'd walk around and look at whatever caught my eye.

* * *

I think I understand now why everyone in the community had been so excited about the Festival.

The Festival event really was a festival. Separate from the event system itself, people had created that kind of atmosphere.

“Here you go, one large popcorn and a soda! Whoa, careful!”

The man selling popcorn and drinks over there wasn't a Non-Player Character.

As soon as news of the Festival came out, he had prepared to do business and set up a stall himself. Apparently, he even made that popcorn himself.

He'd used corn obtained from a repeatable quest on the twenty-second floor, then kept experimenting until he figured out the recipe.

It wasn't just that popcorn seller. Every alley near the plaza was filled with stalls set up by Challengers.

The food was probably around the level of a college festival or a food truck in some backstreet neighborhood.

Still, since they were selling food you normally couldn't find in the Tower of Trials, they were incredibly popular.

Over there, one Challenger had even brought several huge pots and was selling Gukbap.

[Server 1450 Specialty, Busan Man's Rich Pork Gukbap!]

[Have a bowl and it'll knock you dead!]

That sign with a caricature of a shiny bald head printed on it had probably been made by hand too.

All kinds of people entered the Tower of Trials, so there were plenty of people with unusual talents like that.

“Ahh... I can't believe I'm eating Gukbap in the Tower of Trials. Isn't this fucking crazy?”

“Didn't they say that guy was born and raised in Seoul? Why's he calling himself a Busan man?”

“Does that matter? The broth has the soul of Busan in it. That's enough.”

Listening to the normal conversation of the Challengers coming out after finishing a bowl of Gukbap made me want some too.

Tch, but I couldn't buy any, could I?

Regular trades were blocked, so I'd probably need Event Currency or credit notes issued by a server guild to pay.

I think I'd just found another reason to work hard at clearing mini-dungeons.

* * *

I took a portal from the central plaza and moved to a dedicated map where mini-dungeons could be entered.

Perhaps because only one party could enter each dungeon, quite a few people were switching maps to find a portal with no one waiting.

I happened to spot one with no line and walked over.

[Secret Golden Temple (Intermediate): Recommended Level 40-50]

The recommended level was forty to fifty, which was perfect for my level range.

I was currently level 52. After level 50, the experience required had increased so absurdly that my level had barely risen.

Of course, my specs greatly surpassed those of ordinary level-50 Challengers, but that recommended level was based on party play.

My actual specs were level 60 or higher, so this should be just right for clearing solo.

[Would you like to enter?]

I placed my hand on the entrance portal and was about to go in.

“Excuse me, wait a moment!”

A high-pitched voice called out from behind me, and three strangers came running over in a hurry.

Out of habit, I put a hand on the dagger at my waist and looked them over.

One long-haired woman holding a wand. One heavily armored male warrior with a huge blunt weapon strapped to his back.

And another lightly armored male warrior carrying a pointed kite shield and two swords.

They looked like a three-person party with a slightly unconventional composition.

I took my hand off the portal, fidgeted with my dagger, and walked toward them.

“Are you about to go in? Um, if your other party members haven't arrived yet, could we go first somehow...”

They seemed to be a party looking for a dungeon in their level range. Too bad, since I was planning to enter alone.

“No, I'm playing solo.”

Talking to people felt awkward, so I deliberately kept my answer short. The long-haired woman looked as if the sky had fallen.

“Oh, I see... I thought we'd finally found an opening, but we were a step too late.”

Her voice dripped with regret and disappointment. That didn't mean I was going to give it up.

She trudged back to the two men who seemed to be her party members, told them today was a bust, then started rambling.

For some reason, it felt like she was doing it so I'd hear. That was probably just my imagination, right?

Ignoring them, I put my hand on the portal and tried to enter again.

“Um, if you're playing solo, what level are you?”

The female Challenger interrupted me again. I lowered my hand and answered casually.

“52.”

“What? Level 52?”

“Yeah. Why?”

The woman jumped in surprise, then continued while trying to suppress the twitching corners of her mouth.

“You can't just enter because it says the recommended level is 40 to 50! That's based on party play!”

Yeah, I knew that too.

* * *

The woman introduced herself as Kim Jina.

Kim Jina passionately explained how difficult this mini-dungeon was, using every gesture she could.

Then she said I could die if I entered alone and suggested finding party members to go in with.

“There just happens to be a well-balanced three-person party right here.”

In other words, she was suggesting that I form a party with them.

She said I wouldn't be able to clear it alone anyway, and the rewards wouldn't decrease much just because there were more party members, so it would be better this way.

As I listened, I had to admit she was pretty good at talking.

The way she spoke noisily while using her whole body reminded me a little of a certain shepherd Non-Player Character.

Of course, that Non-Player Character couldn't even win an argument against a dog, while this one seemed different.

I wasn't particularly obsessed with solo play, so I decided to let it go this time.

“Sure, whatever.”

She said there wasn't much difference in rewards whether I played solo or in a party, so it might be nice to get a taste of party play for once.

“Then I'll send a party invite. I'll make you the party leader instead!”

[Kim Jina and two other Challengers have invited you to a party.]

“I accept.”

[You have been appointed party leader.]

The party leader authority transferred over as soon as I joined. The party UI that appeared in front of me felt incredibly awkward.

“Our party composition is one tank, one DPS, and one ranged DPS. These two are a Holy Knight and a Gladiator, and I'm a Mage.”

The heavily armored warrior with the hammer was the Holy Knight handling tanking and healing, while the lightly armored warrior with the sword and shield was the Gladiator, a melee DPS.

The Holy Knight's name was Kim Minhyeong, and the Gladiator's was Kim Jinseok. All three of them had the surname Kim.

Kim Minhyeong and Kim Jinseok both had Rare Classes, and their levels, along with Kim Jina's, were 44, 45, and 46 respectively, a little lower than mine.

“Your name was Jinhyeok, right? What's your class? You're a Warrior-type, right?”

“Yeah, just a Warrior.”

“Oh, just a Warrior... You're a Normal Class?”

Kim Jina blinked as if she were a little surprised when I revealed my class.

Then Kim Minhyeong, the Holy Knight who had been silently watching from the beginning, suddenly opened his mouth.

“What, you're a Jeonbung-i?”

This bastard's tone was kind of annoying.

Footnotes:

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