WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Chapter 10

──────

Surprisingly, there were several options.

Naturally, the Goblin Merchant recommended the most expensive drum magazine.

"Human. A seventy-five-round drum magazine is best for those bullets."

"How much?"

"One magazine costs 150 gold."

What a crazy price.

I hadn't expected a single magazine to cost so much.

My budget was around 500 gold, so I needed to save where I could.

"Anything cheaper?"

"There's a fifty-round drum magazine. Those are 80 gold each."

The price dropped sharply.

Honestly, drum magazines made me uneasy.

In the Tower Escape game, they had a fairly high chance of failures to feed.

With high firearm durability, malfunctions almost never happened...

But I couldn't say my rifle was in perfect condition.

I'd maintained it diligently, but the parts themselves were old.

You could say I should buy Tower-made equipment instead.

But the things Interfloor Merchants sold were usually secondhand.

Naturally, that raised the chance of breakdowns.

'Still, facing a horde of zombies without an extended magazine is...'

Since I was alone, sustaining firepower was a serious concern.

And the third floor was crawling with zombie hordes, so avoiding combat entirely was impossible.

"What other high-capacity magazines do you have besides drums?"

"A sixty-round casket magazine. 120 gold each."

Maybe because this was an Eastern Bloc 7mm rifle, the options were terrible.

If it used NATO rounds, there would've been plenty of high-quality magazines.

Though that probably would've cost even more.

After thinking it over, I chose four fifty-round drum magazines.

Filling them with ammunition drained nearly all my money.

Combined with the rounds I already had, I had around 250 bullets.

I'd probably die before I used them all.

"You've got some change left. Want to trade it for pistol ammunition and a magazine?"

"Fine."

I spent every last bit of it on one pistol magazine.

'I'm tired...'

I quickly made myself a bed and slept lightly for a little over an hour.

The moment I woke up, I ate the cup noodles I'd been saving, even drinking the broth. Only then did I feel a little strength return.

'It's because of the skill. I kept using Complete Senses on the fourth floor.'

I didn't have time to whine here.

Once I escaped the tower, I'd eat and sleep as much as I wanted, then turn on my stream and complain to my heart's content.

People would let that much slide if it was a Tower Escape veteran's real tower escape story.

"Human! Five minutes left!"

I checked my equipment one last time and reviewed the plan.

I would never descend to the second floor.

No matter what happened, I had to escape completely from the third floor.

The second floor was packed with hunters, and I wouldn't be able to properly use my Stealth skill there.

Fortunately, I already had everything I needed to use the third floor's Direct Exit.

'Head straight for the Toxic Zone.'

A Gas Mask.

And since I had a Tower-made one, there was no reason to hesitate.

"Human! Even after you escape the tower, you have to buy things from me! Got it?"

I almost gave the Goblin Merchant the middle finger, but stopped myself.

Flash!

A little later, I arrived in a small town that smelled of rust.

'Is this... a highway tollgate?'

For once, I'd landed somewhere with a clear landmark for navigation.

I slowly headed toward the city center.

My destination was the abandoned hospital.

It was a high-risk area where the most zombies gathered, and it was also where the Direct Exit was located.

It was one of the best farming locations on the third floor.

No question about it, the ultimate hot spot.

Once I reached the abandoned hospital, though, I probably wouldn't have to worry much about zombies.

There was a good chance other hunters had already cleared them out.

The problem was getting there.

Whooo...

The bleak sound of the wind made me shiver slightly.

I moved with abandoned cars and piles of trash as cover...

Before long, I reached the city.

And, as if it were only natural, there were zombies in the city.

At least ten of them.

My grip tightened around my rifle.

'Should I avoid them for now?'

Bang!

Gunfire echoed from far away.

The zombies reacted and began moving slowly.

Maybe because the sound was still faint, they were sluggish.

It was probably just everyday noise in this place.

Remembering the direction of the gunfire, I hid myself.

Shadow Walking.

The zombies failed to notice me and simply passed by.

'Whew.'

There was still quite a way to go before the abandoned hospital.

I passed a Descent Exit right in front of me and entered a residential neighborhood.

I had to choose between an elementary school and a neighborhood of detached homes...

I chose the latter, which had more obstacles and alleys.

From here on, I couldn't avoid the zombies.

Click.

Zombies were scattered throughout the narrow alleyways.

The moment one of them spotted me, it opened its mouth wide.

The stench was revolting.

"Kieee..."

Before it could make a louder sound, I put a hole through its head.

Pshht!

The zombies rushed toward me.

Pshht, pshht!

I cleared them out quickly and pushed deeper inside.

I calmly took aimed shots, but I didn't use Complete Senses.

If I used the skill even on things like these, I'd collapse first.

Then...

Click, click.

"Huh? Why won't it fire?"

I spotted another zombie and pulled the trigger, but no bullet came out.

I hadn't carefully counted every shot.

It was a fifty-round magazine, so there should've still been more than half left.

"Kieek!"

Pshht!

I drew my pistol and dealt with the charging zombies, then checked the rifle's chamber.

It was empty.

The magazine had suffered a failure to feed.

'Don't do this to me. Seriously.'

I shoved the faulty magazine into the Small Subspace Pouch and pulled out a new drum magazine.

The Small Subspace Pouch had limited capacity, but taking things out and putting them in was practically automatic, so it was incredibly convenient.

I couldn't even remember how I had lived without it.

Click!

I reloaded the pistol too and continued forward.

Fortunately, there were no more malfunctions.

Pshht, pshht!

Just as I'd cleared enough space for one person to pass through, an unfamiliar presence approached from behind.

Step!

The footsteps were fairly hurried.

Around four or five hunters.

I'd know more once they got closer, but I didn't have time to wait.

They seemed to be after me.

'Did the zombies give me away?'

I'd expected this much.

I quickly passed through the residential area and put on my Gas Mask.

The area ahead was the Toxic Zone.

They wouldn't be able to chase me easily.

Even if they had Gas Masks, the toxic fumes would limit their visibility.

"Fuck. We lost him!"

"That bastard looked pretty tasty too... Should we chase him?"

"Forget it. Leave him."

Of course, from their perspective, there wouldn't be many special meals like me.

I traveled alone, yet my equipment was in relatively good shape.

And I had valuable items like Snowfield Troll Hide, a Small Subspace Pouch, and the Ever-Burning Heart.

I even had an Instant-Death Dagger nobody had ever heard of.

'I've worked too hard to get down to the third floor... I won't let scum like them kill me.'

Gritting my teeth inside the Gas Mask, I searched for a temporary shelter.

I spotted the second floor of a construction site, where the toxic fumes were relatively weak.

"Huff, huff..."

After carefully checking my surroundings, I took out the drum magazine that had malfunctioned earlier.

Looking through the opening, it seemed a round had gotten stuck crooked inside.

Banging the magazine against the wall didn't work, so I eventually rewound its spring.

Click!

Only then did the round pop up to the opening.

So it really had been a spring problem.

'That scared the hell out of me.'

[Sleight of Hand skill level has increased to 6.]

This skill had risen quite a lot already.

Could I use it outside the tower too?

I often heard news about hunters causing trouble, so it seemed possible.

Once I climbed to the third floor of the unfinished building, I no longer had to worry about the toxic fumes.

Toxic fumes were heavier than air, so they sank downward.

I wanted to head straight to the abandoned hospital...

But rushing wouldn't accomplish anything.

The abandoned hospital was a hot spot with the best loot and a Direct Exit.

I needed to watch the area and enter at the right time.

Night was beginning to fall, so I decided to spend the night here.

'The third floor should be enough.'

There was nothing nearby except the residential neighborhood, so there was almost no risk of getting sniped on the third floor.

It was an unfinished building, but it had four floors, so it technically had a roof.

I set wire traps on the stairways to the first and second floors.

I saved my grenades, but the traps would at least make noise.

On top of that, I made a fake dummy from trash and cloth in the best spot on the third floor.

Instead, I slept inside a half-rotten box.

'I can get out soon.'

What would I do first once I escaped the tower?

A bath, obviously.

Then food.

I'd been in the tower so long that my primal desires felt overwhelming...

But thinking about it, I hadn't exactly lived elegantly or intelligently before either.

'I've been off my stream for quite a while without saying anything. How many followers did I lose?'

Bang, bang!

As night fell, gunshots became more frequent.

Maybe sounds traveled farther in the dark.

I couldn't endure without thinking about the outside world.

I should've gotten Yuki's number when I met her on the fourth floor.

We'd only spent about ten minutes together, but I missed her so badly it hurt.

I was even starting to miss that goblin Interfloor Merchant.

I forced myself to sleep, only to wake again and again from the noise for several hours.

At last, the sun rose again.

There had been no unwelcome visitors during the night.

After getting ready, I used my scope to inspect the abandoned hospital.

Zombies were swarming around it.

The thinner areas were probably places other hunters had already broken through.

'Should I go that way?'

I didn't have enough ammunition to open a new path.

I'd brought around 250 rounds, but only had about 170 left.

Since I was alone, ammunition disappeared at a shocking rate.

Swish.

After drinking plenty of water, I put on my Gas Mask and pushed through the toxic fumes.

I was about to inspect the hospital from a suitable sniping point nearby when gunfire came from a very dangerous direction.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

'Huh? That's the warehouse district.'

It was a place that produced top-tier loot alongside the abandoned hospital.

Anyone capable of raiding it wasn't average.

Avoiding it was the best option.

Then an explosion sounded from the opposite direction.

Boom!

It was a grenade, which made it even more dangerous.

'Hunters are fighting each other.'

After a brief moment of thought, I chose the abandoned hospital.

There was no time to hesitate.

If hunters had started exchanging fire, the crows would gather soon.

It was dangerous even to stay nearby.

"Haa..."

Pshht! Swish, swish, swish!

I sprayed automatic fire into the packed zombies.

Then I entered through a broken window in the corner of the abandoned hospital's first floor and activated Shadow Walking.

Shhhk.

As my body vanished from sight, the zombies lost their target and wandered around nearby or turned away.

Their senses were nearly dead, so Stealth skills were especially effective against them.

[Shadow Walking skill level has increased to 3.]

Now I only had to enter the passage leading to the underground morgue.

But... I didn't let my guard down.

I extended Complete Senses ahead and checked the filthy passage.

As expected, wire traps had been set there.

There had been people camping at the exits on the sixth and fifth floors. There was no way the third floor would be different.

'Shit, these seem recently installed...'

I was certain.

There had to be hunters hiding in the abandoned hospital basement.

Could I force them out with one grenade and one smoke grenade?

I didn't think so.

The exit was right in front of me, yet things were getting dragged out like this.

I'd go up to the second floor and wait for them to clash with other teams.

Of course, there was no guarantee new arrivals wouldn't camp there too.

Fortunately, the second floor was empty.

I was collecting some decent loot from the wards when footsteps came from the stairs.

I quickly held my breath and cast Shadow Walking.

Flash!

But the voices I heard sounded strangely familiar.

"Damn it! Of all places, a ricochet hit my mask..."

"The captain told you not to stand around like an idiot. Keep your body low when you're shooting..."

"Shut up, lady. How was I supposed to know bullets would bounce around?"

"You fucking moron..."

"... Let's go to the third floor for now. It'll be easier to breathe there."

They didn't seem to get along very well...

But those voices weren't filtered through the tower's automatic translation.

That was definitely Korean.

'To think I'd run into Korean hunters all the way here...'

But there was no guarantee they would be on my side.

Especially considering the value of the loot I carried.

They soon went up to the third floor.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried