WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈
Episode 111
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I walked down the street with Yuki.
A date spent enjoying the smog and noise of a modern-style city.
The factory noise was especially no joke.
Thud, thud, thud... Squeeeak, screech...
The din kept spilling out, loud enough to rival gunfire.
An enormous number of carriages and people passed through the wide-open main gate.
"What kind of factory is that?"
"I think it's a textile factory."
It was a massive factory responsible for producing the city's fabrics.
The grounds were huge, and so many people came and went that security was average at best.
"It's incredibly noisy... Let's see what's nearby."
We took our time looking around as we planned an infiltration route.
Since it was such a large facility, it had several side and back entrances too.
Adults went in and out, but so did children.
"It's almost night. Why are they going inside?"
"They're probably working the night shift."
In this era, it was hard to expect things like children's rights or labor rights.
I wanted to say something about it, but...
Hunters themselves were the definition of a dirty, dangerous, demanding job, so I couldn't really criticize anyone.
I wasn't in a position to worry about others.
After listening in for a bit, it seemed they operated on a two-shift system.
We placed several of Sang Hajun's Glass Beads around the factory, then hurried back before night fully fell.
The streetlights would come on soon.
"Those streetlights immediately chase hunters once they detect them, right?"
"That's right. I think they're telling us not to wander around at night."
Night was the best time to commit crimes.
Either stay quietly holed up in a house, or go all the way out to the Nightmare Zone and hunt.
That seemed to be the intent.
Once night fell completely, the streets became empty.
Even then, the factory continued belching out smoke and deafening noise.
Hissss...
"So that's why the Door Plaques were cheap?"
Security wasn't especially bad in the southern district.
The property prices had probably dropped because of the factory noise.
Still, compared to the gunfire we'd heard on the seventh and fifth floors, it was practically music.
Swish.
We drew the curtains and continued taking turns keeping watch.
Leaning against the wall, Sang Hajun watched the factory through the eyes of his Glass Beads.
Yuki started cooking in the kitchen.
This was our first proper meal here.
Her cooking had long since surpassed camping food, and Kim Yuna and Han Juwon were drooling beside her.
"What are you making today?"
"I'll start with hot sandwiches. We should use up the sliced bread quickly."
We'd learned that the Subspace Pouch had a preservation function, but it wasn't particularly powerful.
She filled toasted bread with grilled ham and plenty of cheese, then cut it up. She also made rice bowls with canned fish.
Somehow, she even made pasta with a single pot.
For dessert, we had biscuits, marshmallows, and cocoa.
We didn't worry about blood sugar.
We'd burn it all off within a day anyway.
No, if anything, I was worried our blood sugar would drop.
"Whew, I'm full..."
"You all get some sleep. I'll switch with Hajun soon."
"If you get tired, wake me up right away. I'll take over."
Sang Hajun came down from upstairs and switched with me.
"Team Leader. About four people went in and out through that side entrance. They looked like factory workers."
Keeping track of the number of people coming and going was basic.
Everyone did it without needing to be told.
"Good work. Get some rest now."
"I come back in four hours, right?"
"No, eight hours. Check again when the night-shift workers change later."
"Hmm? Got it."
There were a few disturbances during the night, but nothing major happened.
A few amateur hunters got caught by Night Watchers. That was all.
A Night Watcher stopped in front of our house and examined the inside closely, then moved on without saying anything.
Cock-a-doodle-doo...!
At last, day broke.
Workers began pouring out of the factory.
Sang Hajun and I hurriedly counted them.
"How many came out through the back entrance?"
"About three hundred."
"Hmm..."
Once we gathered all the numbers, we immediately felt something was off.
"The numbers... don't add up."
"Right?"
The number of people who went in didn't match the number who came out.
Of course, the numbers for the night shift and day shift could be different, but...
"Even so, the gap is too big."
"Is there another entrance we haven't found?"
I made a decision on the spot.
"We should watch for one more day. We haven't fully figured out the interior either."
"But we're out of coins now."
A Door Plaque cost 250 coins per night.
We had 130 coins left, so we needed to get another 120 somewhere.
"Let's check the back alleys around here too."
It wasn't just about earning money.
There could be another factory entrance we hadn't identified.
That would explain the discrepancy in the number of workers.
"Hajun, keep watching. We can use this house until night even without a Door Plaque."
"Got it."
Leaving Sang Hajun and Han Juwon at the house, we entered an alley.
I was looking for criminal residents like last time when we found a place with a surprising number of residents coming and going.
'What is this place? There are way too many people for it to be a criminal organization.'
When I climbed onto a building roof, I saw black tarps blocking out the sky.
The sight of stalls spread out below made me certain.
"It's a Black Market."
"There are hunters here too?"
"Quite a few."
We entered normally and looked through the goods.
There was even something like a pawnshop.
As far as I remembered, City Hall accepted Nightmare Coins, but it didn't pay them out as proceeds from sales.
City Hall was trying to collect Nightmare Coins.
This place was a Black Market, though, so there were both buyers and sellers.
"Do we have anything we can sell?"
"We have the equipment we confiscated from the hunters yesterday."
It was heavy and not good enough for us to use ourselves.
Perfect.
We immediately approached a merchant.
"How much will you give us for this?"
"Lizardman equipment... I'll give you 400 coins if you sell it all at once."
It was still hunter equipment from the thirteenth floor.
That was an absurdly low offer.
I understood why, though.
Some Lizardman equipment had tail holes and things like that, making it difficult to resell.
They'd have to recycle it.
Without arguing, I sold everything and took the coins.
We instantly earned what would have taken us all night to make by hunting.
Robbery really was the best economic activity.
"Equipment is... expensive."
Naturally, most of the equipment for sale was expensive too.
It would be different if hunters traded with each other, but the Black Market sellers had no choice but to accept low offers because wanted criminals could use it too.
There were too many eyes on us, so we quickly left the Black Market.
"Yuna, use these coins to extend the Door Plaque for two more days."
"You're using all 500 coins?"
"Yes. Yuki and I will investigate the factory."
"... Okay."
Yuki and I hid near the factory and began figuring out its layout.
We used every Transcendence skill at our disposal while closely observing the movement of personnel.
"That's the textile area... There are hundreds of machines."
"What about behind it?"
"The warehouse area. But there probably isn't anything valuable there."
We found the factory manager's office too.
Still, I didn't think employee wages would be stored there.
"There's still a lot of empty space..."
Then we received a welcome transmission from Sang Hajun.
[Team Leader. I've got good news.]
"What is it?"
[A cash transport carriage is heading to the factory. It's carrying quite a large amount.]
"!"
Since Sang Hajun reported it personally, it was unlikely that he was mistaken.
We tracked the carriage's route with every nerve on edge.
"Do you think we can raid the transport carriage?"
[No. We don't know when another one will come, and the carriage's escort is too tight.]
That made sense.
Raiding the carriages would mean moving during the day.
As we knew, nearby residents transformed into Night Watchers.
In other words, causing trouble during the day, when residents were everywhere, was far more dangerous.
I didn't know whether Night Watchers appeared during the day too, but...
Considering how other hunters rarely caused trouble in daylight, the day was probably much more dangerous.
When five carriages arrived, factory executives came out to receive them.
The carriages passed the manufacturing and warehouse areas, continuing deeper inside.
[... Isn't that way too much to be employee wages?]
'Exactly.'
Textile workers were being exploited, so their wages would be pocket change at best.
Yet the huge carriages were filled with Nightmare Coins.
I didn't know how often the carriages came, but the amount was excessive.
Had they signed supply contracts with other businesses?
I lit the lantern and easily tracked the coins' movements.
The coins continued deeper inside, then suddenly vanished.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
"I can't see them even with the lantern. It wouldn't be easy to fool this lantern."
Was the entire room under concealment magic?
Even so, I had a rough idea of its location.
I decided to infiltrate that night and investigate in greater detail.
It was a rehearsal, so I wouldn't take unnecessary risks.
"Hajun, find an escape route."
[Sure. The factory basement is connected to a river. What do you think?]
"Let's keep it as an escape route candidate."
The factory robbery plan was moving along smoothly.
We also estimated the guards' response time.
The factory guards who responded to emergencies weren't particularly strong.
The problem was the Night Watchers.
If the guards transformed into Night Watchers, they could arrive on the scene in about a minute.
On top of that, we were in the middle of the southern district. If things dragged on, dozens of Night Watchers would converge on us.
"We can't use a noisy approach. We'll do this entirely with stealth."
Even if we were discovered, we had to delay it as long as possible.
First, we planned an infiltration route.
There were many streetlights around the factory, but they weren't impossible for hunters to overcome.
The grounds were so large that there were gaps here and there.
Besides, this was only a textile factory.
It wasn't a place that warranted bank- or City Hall-level airtight security.
There were so many employees coming and going that security was bound to be lax.
"I'll try this route tonight."
"Won't that be dangerous?"
"I have the Death Priest’s Mask, so even if I'm discovered, I can hide my identity."
"Ah..."
Once the factory workers finished changing shifts and night fell, I immediately set out.
Whoosh!
I easily cleared the factory fence, then climbed a drainpipe onto the roof.
For once, the constant noise and smog felt welcome.
'Did I really need to combine Firmament Veil with Effortless Motion?'
It was still better to be certain.
Now that I was closer, it definitely felt easier.
I took Sang Hajun's Glass Beads from my pocket one by one and placed them in suitable locations.
I could see through most areas with Four Seasons and Loot Expert.
Only one place, the core area where the coins were stored, remained obscured.
'What the hell is blocking it? Hm...?'
I moved around the hidden area and looked at it from several angles, then detected something like an extremely thick iron plate.
Those bastards had built a huge vault where they stored the coins.
'Oh...'
They were storing that much money. It would be stranger if they didn't have something like this.
Still, I wasn't too worried about the vault.
I'd broken through the underground area on the twelfth floor using Reconstruction.
If anything, I was relieved that we'd found the right place.
'Good. The infiltration route is... here.'
I chose a roof vent.
There was an emergency exit and staircase for maintaining the vent, but guards were stationed there.
I could enter somewhere else first, then deal with them.
'That's enough for now. Should I check the basement?'
There was no need to push myself for no reason.
Now I needed to find the underground passage.
It would be better to use separate routes for entering and escaping.
It would be hard to travel over the roof while carrying a mountain of Nightmare Coins.
Night Watchers and guards might swarm the ground too.
An enormous amount of wastewater was pouring from the factory pipes connected to the river.
Just like labor rights, environmental protection didn't seem to matter much to them.
'What do these people even care about?'
I should avoid falling into the water.
Following the smell of chemicals, I easily found the sewer.
There was a lock on the entrance, but it was easy enough to get through without using Reconstruction.
'Where does this lead? Ah, the factory basement.'
More specifically, it seemed to be roughly between the manufacturing area and warehouse.
Could I access it during the escape?
There would be a lot of workers in the manufacturing area, so I didn't want to go too close.
Creeeak...
Ah, I could approach it from the warehouse.
If we could use the river route, escaping would be very easy.
We could just head straight down and use the Descent Exit at the southern river.
We could take the Nightmare Coins out, then return later to exchange them once things quieted down.
If necessary, we could use the Black Market.
"I've finished the preliminary investigation for the most part. I'm heading back."
[I'll make a late-night snack!]
If you were a hunter, you had to aim for a big score like this.
Listening to distant hunter screams and gunfire, I returned home.
Footnotes:
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