WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Climbing the Tower with Time-Stop Ability

Chapter 64

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Floor 5 (2)

"It's Chloe."

"I'm Hyeon."

After exchanging names with the woman, Chloe, I waited and chatted with her on and off.

About thirty or forty people had gathered to hunt the Zone 1 boss.

They carried all kinds of weapons, swords, maces, axes, and most of them also had shields for defense.

I had brought a weapon too, even though I did not really need one. There was no reason to stand out.

A one-handed weapon plus a shield really was the safest setup.

For beginners, it was the best combo.

No matter how much Climbers leveled up and became superhuman, that did not mean they suddenly became good with weapons too.

Still, putting that aside.

If you looked closely, people were split roughly in half, keeping some distance from each other...

The people on the opposite side were probably Climbers from the Chinese camp.

"That side must be the Black Star Society, right?"

Chloe said, looking at them.

"Looks like it."

The side centered around the U.S. and the International Climber Association was the Peacekeeping Corps.

On the other side, the group centered around China was called the Black Star Society.

Simply put, U.S. versus China. That was the Floor 5 power structure.

I already knew the rough flow of these boss expeditions.

The people gathered here were obviously aiming for first-time rewards, same as me.

In other words, low-level Climbers who had never killed this boss before.

At most around level 20? Chloe said she was level 15.

On Floor 5, you could only exit from within the portal range in Zone 0.

It was not like repeated attempts where you could call an emergency retreat out of the Tower just because things got dangerous during a boss fight.

So naturally, boss raids were life-or-death dangerous work, but people still said the Zone 1 boss was not that dangerous.

That was because high-level Climbers from the Peacekeeping Corps and the Black Star Society accompanied the raid and supervised the clear.

Soon, a few people with armbands stepped forward. Peacekeeping Corps.

"...?"

I was surprised when I saw one of them.

It was a face I knew, Manager Shin from the Climber Affairs Office.

...What was she doing here?

Then again, she was a government worker. It made sense she would also handle Peacekeeping Corps duties on Floor 5.

Manager Shin Su-jin spotted me too.

She stared this way for a second, then her eyes widened in surprise.

Damn, did she recognize me?

Ignoring her would have been rude, so I gave a small nod.

Manager Shin Su-jin gave a slight nod back, then turned her gaze away.

One of the Peacekeeping Corps members shouted loudly.

"...Warning in advance! Climbers below level 15, step out! Boss raids are extremely dangerous, and we do not take responsibility for your lives! One person died in the last expedition!

If you're not around level 15 or higher, you will struggle to fill the required reward contribution anyway! Do not come thinking you can just ride along!"

They were warning unqualified Climbers to pull out before things started.

Someone from the Black Star Society side was also shouting a similar warning.

Then about one-fifth of the people gathered there read the mood and left.

Chloe spoke in a slightly tense voice.

"Looks like the Peacekeeping Corps doesn't intervene in boss clears, Hyeon. If someone died before..."

I answered.

"If they intervene, it defeats the point. We're the ones who need to fill contribution score."

"Th-that's true. Still, I thought they'd step in if it got dangerous."

"If it gets truly dangerous, they probably do step in."

Even then, no response could be perfect, so people still died.

"We're moving now!"

After a little more waiting, another shout came from the front.

The expedition left Zone 0 and began entering the forest in Zone 1.

* * *

Between the Peacekeeping Corps and the Black Star Society, Korean Climbers naturally belonged to the Peacekeeping Corps.

So in the shared zone, most of Shin Su-jin's duties as a public official from the Climber Affairs Office were Peacekeeping Corps work.

The Peacekeeping Corps, made up of association-side Climbers, meaning U.S. and Western bloc nations, included people like her handling public duties for their countries, and also volunteers who helped regardless of nationality.

Either way, it was a group that had joined forces to maintain at least minimal order in this place called Floor 5, where there were no laws and no system.

Shin Su-jin was a high-level Climber above level 30, so she was effectively senior staff even within the Peacekeeping Corps.

This time, she had been assigned as a supervisor for the Zone 1 boss expedition.

There were two goals in supervision.

First, protect Climbers.

They did not directly intervene in the boss clear, because that would mean stealing contribution score.

They only stepped in for rescue when someone's life was truly in danger.

Second, keep watch in case Black Star Society Climbers tried anything funny.

Of course, the Black Star Society also had supervisors following for the same reason.

That was how Zone 1 boss expeditions were run, by mutual agreement.

The first-clear rewards were already gone anyway, so there was no reason for pointless clashes.

"...?"

As Shin Su-jin looked over the people gathered for the expedition, her eyes suddenly stopped on one person, and she tilted her head.

Something about him felt familiar... where had she seen him?

Their eyes met.

In a flash, she instinctively realized who he was, and her eyes widened.

'...Person123!'

As if to confirm she was not mistaken, he looked this way and gave a small greeting with his eyes.

Without thinking, Shin Su-jin nodded and turned her gaze away.

'So he entered Floor 5...'

It was her first time seeing his face properly like this.

She instantly understood why Person123 was here.

If it was him, he could kill the Zone 1 boss alone.

But others also needed rewards, so he had probably come out of consideration.

He was likely planning to stay mixed in with the expedition and only build enough contribution score to claim a reward.

As expected, Shin Su-jin thought, he was a very kind person.

She felt he would be uncomfortable if she showed she was aware of him, so she tried not to look his way.

But she could not stop her hearing from focusing in that direction.

Person123 was chatting about small, everyday things with someone next to him who seemed to be a first-time acquaintance...

For some reason, Shin Su-jin felt a little envious.

...I want to talk with him in person too, not just through the Communication Window.

Still, she had at least newly learned that Person123's name was Hyeon.

* * *

The expedition crossed the forest path and moved toward the place where the Zone 1 boss had spawned.

Monsters popped out from time to time on the way.

From goblins to orcs, horned deer, wolf packs, and more...

The regular monsters in Zone 1 were at most around level 10.

The expedition easily dealt with them and kept pushing straight toward the boss area.

"We'll arrive soon. Prepare yourselves."

The name of the Zone 1 boss was Forest Giant.

It was not an official system message, people just started calling it that.

Why Forest Giant?

The moment I saw it myself, I thought the name fit perfectly.

Grrr...

A massive tree-like creature, almost like an inchworm in shape.

The Zone 1 boss, Forest Giant, was moving slowly in the middle of the forest.

'Bigger than I expected?'

Everyone seemed to think the same thing. Their faces tightened with tension.

Manager Shin Su-jin stepped forward and spoke to the group.

"You likely already know this, but I'll explain once more.

Forest Giant's main attack is swinging its arms. It has four arms and can attack all directions, so be careful. For Climbers level 15 and above, the impact is manageable with a shield, so use your shields actively.

...So it will be easier if you divide roles between those focusing on blocking arm attacks and those focusing on offense. Take roles that suit your skills."

The supervisors from the Peacekeeping Corps and Black Star Society stepped back.

The remaining Climbers looked at each other, then cautiously approached the boss.

When they entered a certain range, Forest Giant reacted and came toward them.

Grrr...

At that moment, several Black Star Society Climbers charged at Forest Giant with battle cries.

That signaled everyone else to rush in too.

If they could not fill contribution score, they got no reward. Everyone had to secure their own share.

I followed at a moderate pace and approached Forest Giant too.

"Nngh...!"

"N-now, attack!"

The Climbers actually fought pretty well.

A few blocked incoming arms with shields, while the others struck those arms or got close to the torso and attacked the legs.

Boom!

I took one arm and blocked with my shield.

The impact felt as light as styrofoam.

I kept blocking at a suitable pace so nearby Climbers could keep attacking.

Chloe was also at the legs, swinging her mace hard.

At the same time, some people stayed far back, concentrated for a long time, then fired magic skills.

Wow... seeing it up close like this, magic-type skills really were complete trash.

The battle kept going smoothly.

A Zone boss's trait, according to what I heard, was that compared to its strength, its HP was insanely stubborn.

In other words, huge health pool. Like a real game boss.

Just as they said, even with everyone pounding on it and using skills, Forest Giant refused to go down.

'Should I attack too?'

I had originally planned to focus only on defense.

Blocking attacks counted toward contribution score anyway, so I had not planned to attack.

But I started feeling slightly uneasy that I might miss the required contribution for rewards.

Contribution score was not shown as a live number, after all.

I decided to hit it just a little and moved toward the boss's legs.

This kind of half-measured power control was always the hardest.

If I had to hit at ordinary human strength, no problem, I did that in daily life all the time.

But adjusting force to deal only a suitable amount of damage to a boss around level 20?

Hmm... hard to get the feel for it.

After getting close to the leg, I swung my sword at moderate power.

'This should be fine.'

Crack!

Apparently not.

The moment I hit its leg, the boss's whole body lurched hard.

"Oh! It's collapsing!"

"Focus on the legs!"

The Climbers got excited and swarmed in more aggressively.

I quietly broke into a cold sweat and backed away from the boss instead.

Come on, if it couldn't even take that, what was I supposed to do?

I almost shattered its leg completely.

Anyway, after that, the Climbers gleefully beat down the off-balance boss...

Thud.

And soon it fell.

[Zone 1 boss has been slain.]

A message appeared as the boss collapsed.

[You have obtained the Zone 1 boss kill reward.]

I had filled enough contribution score, so of course I got the reward.

Most of the Climbers looked happy, so they had probably gotten rewards too.

Only a few, with faces like they'd bitten into a bug, seemed to have missed out.

"Wow! Thank god!"

Chloe looked happy too, so she had succeeded in getting a reward.

"Hyeon! What about you?"

"I got it too."

"Congrats! Good thing both of us got one."

Chloe looked as happy as if she had won herself, grabbed my shoulder, and hopped up and down.

I was still bothered by what happened earlier, so I glanced toward the supervisors.

No one seemed to be paying attention to me in particular.

I was not the only one hitting the legs, and it was a chaotic melee, so they probably did not notice.

There were a few injured, but no deaths.

"Ah, what reward did I get?"

"Please, anything but magic-type...!"

With the boss down, the expedition disbanded on the spot.

Like when clearing floors, you could check received rewards in the Reward Room.

And on Floor 5, you could move to the Reward Room from the portal too, so people hurried back to Zone 0.

"Hyeon!"

I was about to head back to Zone 0 too when Chloe stopped me.

"How about we go have a drink together at Drake's Diner after we get back? To celebrate killing the boss!"

Hmm...

I declined in a slightly apologetic tone.

"Sorry. I need to head out right away."

"Ah... really? That's too bad."

Chloe did not push further.

We had only just met, but she seemed like a good person.

Even so, getting close to people on Floor 5 felt wrong.

If that led to swapping Communication Window nicknames and all...

Yeah, no.

On Floor 5, it was better to just focus on what I had to do.

I waved at Chloe as she left first and looked around.

Then my eyes met Manager Shin Su-jin's.

We exchanged another awkward greeting with our eyes, and I moved on too.

Alright... what reward did I get?

At best it would probably be Common+, so I had no real expectations. Still, I had to check.

I returned to Zone 0 and took the portal to the Reward Room.

[Skill: Lesser Freeze Resistance (Common+)]

Grants minor resistance to freezing.

Classification: Physical-Type (Passive)

Willpower Cost: None

Cooldown: None

"Oh."

This was actually not bad at all.

A freeze resistance skill stone popped up, so I learned it right away.

That gave me three lesser resistance skills now, toxic, burn, and freeze.

Small things, but no one knew when those small things would become important.

[Zone 1 (0%)]

[Zone 2 (10.5%)]

[Zone 3 (90.9%)]

I checked the boss gauge.

I had secured the Zone 1 boss reward.

Now all that remained were Zone 2 and Zone 3.

But Zone 2 still had a long way to go... and Zone 3 did not have much left.

That was good. Zone 3 was the main dish anyway.

The Zone 3 boss had never been killed even once, and if it appeared after the gauge filled fully, this would be its first appearance.

And just like floor clears, Floor 5 bosses also had first-clear rewards.

A reward given only to the very first person to kill the boss, or if several people were involved in the kill, only to the one with the highest contribution score.

Naturally, first-clear rewards were far higher grade than each individual's first-time participation reward.

In short, before challenging Floor 6, it was the biggest reward available on Floor 5.

"I'm taking that one."

I had no intention of yielding that to anyone.

* * *

"So the Zone 3 boss is coming up soon too?"

Wang Kai flicked his fingers after hearing the report from a Black Star Society executive.

"Increase hunting speed. Ignore those Peacekeeping Corps bastards."

"Understood."

"I should head in soon too."

A grim smile spread across Wang Kai's lips.

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