Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty - Chapter 28

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Chapter 28

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When I woke up, my whole body ached.

Hellish muscle pain.

Even though I’d taken a bath yesterday and spent nearly an hour in a massage chair, I still felt like this.

Yesterday, my team and I only got to wash up and eat after finishing our discussion with a Hunter Association employee.

Hunter work was hard labor. You carried at least 40 kilograms and spent all day walking and running around.

If you didn’t make sure to eat, the weight came off fast.

This time, I’d brought back a one-pound ribeye steak from a famous steakhouse...

Given the circumstances, I could barely taste it.

Still, I forced myself to finish it.

“Mmm...”

The muscle pain was worse than before.

And this was with Regeneration at level 8.

Was it because I’d dragged a sled around on the sixth floor?

Go Jiho was no lightweight, after all.

Still, because I suffered a little more, Team Leader Go Jiho was resting comfortably in a hospital bed.

Sang Hajun, who was sharing a room with him, had sent me a photo.

Go Jiho had originally needed to be admitted to the intensive care unit...

But after taking a Mana Potion, his condition had improved considerably, so he was sharing a two-person room with Sang Hajun.

‘Maybe I should visit them.’

After washing up and having a simple breakfast, I took a taxi to the hospital.

When I checked my video channel on my smartphone, it was complete chaos.

The official announcement that I was an EX-rank hunter had gone out overnight...

As a result, even my old videos were being dug up again.

[Director Fist Technique: Did he enter the seventh floor, not the fifth?]

[5 Seconds to Escape: You’re right. Looking at it now, the content is a little strange for a fifth-floor clear. Escape Life wouldn’t kill himself over the fifth floor. I thought the escape period was way too long, but it makes sense if it was the seventh floor.]

[Yuki: I thought my benefactor was an EX-rank hunter! The timing was just too perfect!]

[Fog Lake Swim Club: Even so, isn’t that a lie?]

[Mage Judge: Maybe not. He’d have to be at least that strong to pull off that insane fangirl act.]

I checked the online news too.

The Association had apparently gone all out and even released the CCTV footage from Gwanghwamun Tower.

Naturally, people suspected it was fake...

But it seemed the Goblin Merchants had verified it.

Even Choi Ilhyuk, who now belonged to Bravo Team, gave an interview.

[Yes. The EX-rank alert appeared as soon as we escaped together. I wanted to join them as well, but because of the Tower’s personnel limit... we ultimately agreed to move me to another team.]

That bastard had been kicked off the team, yet he sure knew how to spin it.

[Ah, and... I pray for the complete recovery of Alpha Team Leader Go Jiho, who was injured this time.]

Still, I decided to forgive him after hearing that.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As soon as the taxi stopped, I hurried into the hospital.

The other team members had already arrived.

Go Jiho greeted me with a wave.

The TV news in the hospital room was still talking about me... It was strangely embarrassing.

“Kang Hyun, you really revealed everything. You must’ve been frustrated all this time.”

“I was. I couldn’t even brag about it anywhere...”

I returned the joke with a joke as I checked his complexion.

It wasn’t bad.

The Mana Potion in his IV was slowly flowing into his veins.

‘His family is here too.’

His wife was there, along with his daughter.

He’d probably need a caregiver... The Association would cover the costs in full.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better. Before the potion, I felt like I was dying...”

That Goblin Interfloor Merchant had diagnosed him properly.

That guy had seen and heard quite a lot too.

Sang Hajun, lying in the bed across from him, snorted.

“Kang Hyun, worry about me a little too.”

“Are you okay, Hajun?”

“Of course there’s inflammation... but they said I somehow avoided an infection.”

It seemed the Tower’s disinfectant and antibiotics had done their job.

“Are there any other problems?”

“No. Since I have a glass marble in there, the shape of my eye won’t collapse... I barely managed to save my left eye.”

Still, because of the risk of infection and deterioration, he needed to rest for at least two months.

Looking at things this way, the team was nearly destroyed.

We needed to clear the eighth floor to obtain treatment for Team Leader Go Jiho.

At first, I wondered if we should bring in people from another team...

But after thinking it over, I realized blindly increasing our numbers was dangerous too.

There was one issue bothering me.

‘They said the shop would give information about the eighth floor.’

I should ask again when I bought more Mana Potions.

“Um, excuse me... Do you have a moment?”

“Ah. Yes.”

Go Jiho’s wife called me out into the hallway.

She seemed to already know the rough details.

I spoke before she could.

“I’m going to the eighth floor.”

“... What? No, we don’t want you to push yourself...”

“Push myself? I’m the world’s first EX-rank hunter, you know.”

More importantly, why was the Hunter Association taking so long?

I’d asked them for 10,000 gold.

Just as I managed to reassure her, an Association employee arrived.

“Hunter Kang Hyun, we’ve brought the 10,000 gold.”

“Oh, you pulled it off.”

“We’ve also processed the transfer of Alpha Team’s leader position to you.”

It seemed like everything was returning to where it belonged...

“However, there is a condition attached to the 10,000-gold financial support. Otherwise, there may be fairness concerns among the hunters.”

“What condition?”

“Alpha Team plans to challenge the eighth floor on your next entry, correct?”

“That’s right.”

When I immediately confirmed it, the employee nodded.

“Bravo Team will be entering the sixth floor soon. We’d like you to lend them the [Key of Snow] then. One of their members is taking time off, so they plan to bring in a rookie. They intend to create an S-rank hunter.”

They wanted us to lend out an artifact our team had risked our lives to obtain?

According to the information, the eighth floor was an independent floor.

Since every exit was a Direct Exit, we probably wouldn’t have a reason to use the Key of Snow.

There was a carrying-weight limit upon entry anyway, so I hadn’t planned to bring it.

But of all teams, it had to be Bravo Team, where Choi Ilhyuk was.

“I’ll discuss it with Team Leader Go Jiho first.”

“Understood. Shall I wait outside?”

“Please have a cup of coffee downstairs.”

I’d become someone who could say things like that.

Was this what people meant when they said a position changed a person?

When I looked in the mirror, there stood an EX-rank hunter.

When I went back into the hospital room and asked Go Jiho, I got an unexpectedly straightforward answer.

“If it’s Bravo Team, you can trust them with it. Their team leader handles things properly.”

“Ah, really?”

Come to think of it, they had seemed fairly close last time.

“What kind of person is Bravo Team’s leader?”

“They’re a typical yes-man, so the Association and the government love them. They rarely say no.”

“Huh, they didn’t seem like that...”

“Right? But they’re friendly with the other teams too.”

Because they were a yes-man.

Was that why they only said yes to us too?

“Tell them you’ll kill them if they lose it. Even if they have to crawl out alone, make sure they bring it back.”

“I will.”

Thanks to that, we didn’t borrow the 10,000 gold. We received it outright.

It was essentially a rental fee for lending the key.

I decided to lend the key directly to Bravo Team’s leader.

“Thank you very much, Team Leader Kang Hyun. Ah, and... do you have anyone in mind to reinforce the team?”

“No. Not for now.”

“But you’re planning to challenge the eighth floor...”

Well.

Did I really need to go on and on about my strategy here?

Still, an Association employee might understand what I meant.

As I organized my thoughts, I explained it to the employee.

“It seems the higher-ups think we’re definitely going in with all five spots filled, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“In my opinion, five people can’t clear the eighth floor. At least not before an established strategy exists.”

“... Pardon?”

As I took a sip of coffee and gave it more thought, I became more certain.

“The eighth floor has an entry carrying-weight limit.”

Including all clothing worn on the body, it was 10 kilograms per person.

That was the eighth floor’s carrying-weight limit.

A special rule that had forced the American hunter team to retreat last time.

Ten kilograms was an utterly ridiculous limit.

It was enough to throw every bit of Tower-clearing know-how humanity had accumulated into the trash.

How many kilograms would food alone take up?

Even if you stretched it, it would only be around two or three kilograms.

You could solve the drinking-water problem with Water Purification Capsules...

But food was the problem.

“With two kilograms of food, you can last two or three days. That’s if you don’t find extra food inside the Tower.”

“But... there is food and water on the eighth floor, right?”

“Of course there is.”

Otherwise, clearing it would be impossible, so there was no need to consider that possibility.

I explained it as simply as I could.

“Say you find another two kilograms of food on the eighth floor. One person could last another two or three days on it... but for five people, it would barely be a snack.”

“Ah...!”

If you already knew the strategy and could push through quickly, that would be different.

But on a first run with no such information, it would inevitably take longer.

You had to move carefully and figure out everything around you.

That meant consuming more food and more time.

“Five people entering doesn’t mean we get five times the information. Blindly increasing our numbers would be the worst choice. We’ll enter the eighth floor with only the elite.”

The Association employee understood quickly.

“I understand. We’ll classify this information as confidential within the Association.”

“Good.”

I stopped by the shop to buy additional Mana Potions.

The Goblin Merchants welcomed me.

“Welcome.”

“I’d like to hear more about the eighth floor.”

They smiled at me pleasantly.

“Of course. What would you like to know? We cannot tell you very much, but...”

“How many people is the optimal number for clearing the eighth floor?”

“The more, the better.”

I’d expected that much.

It was common sense for clearing the Tower.

I changed my question slightly.

“What if it’s a first run with absolutely no information?”

“Then... we would recommend one or two people.”

Just as I thought.

The merchants had given me additional information with their first answer.

First, there was a decent amount of food and water on the eighth floor.

Otherwise, they couldn’t have said that more people were always better despite the tight 10-kilogram limit.

But it wasn’t completely plentiful.

For a first run, the recommended party size was one or two people.

I could hide one person with Firmament Veil.

I’d like to take Kim Yuna with me...

But if I took Kim Yuna, Han Juwon would want to come too.

Two team members were already in the hospital.

If one of the remaining two got hurt, it would be truly difficult to endure.

In the end, I made my decision.

‘I need to enter the eighth floor alone.’

It wasn’t like I could spam Transcendence skills every time.

And being alone would let me use Stealth to its fullest.

“Does the 10-kilogram weight limit stay the same even with a Subspace Backpack?”

“If you use a Subspace Backpack, you can consider the weight limit increased by that amount.”

“Ah, really?”

Then I could effectively bring around 12 or 13 kilograms.

Of course, even then, I absolutely couldn’t bring a rifle or body armor.

The rifle alone weighed 4.3 kilograms.

With ammunition included, it could take up all 12 kilograms by itself.

Ammunition weighed more than people thought.

Body armor weighed over 10 kilograms on its own, so I couldn’t even consider it.

Naturally, I couldn’t bring a helmet or night-vision goggles either.

Even bringing a pistol, a dagger, and essential food and water would be tight.

“Where on the eighth floor can I find treatment for Team Leader Go Jiho?”

“To find a Mana Heart Treatment, you should search the eighth floor’s Central Zone or the Potion Warehouse. The Central Zone is the largest and most dangerous area.”

“...”

So I couldn’t get lucky right from the start, grab it, and leave through an exit.

I’d abandon all my proper equipment and suffer like hell alone.

“Are there any separate conditions for using the exits?”

“Some exits have them, but you can assume most do not.”

“... What do I need to do for you on the eighth floor?”

The Goblin Merchants’ quest.

When I finally brought it up, they smacked their lips.

“There is a Room of Mirrors on the eighth floor.”

“A Room of Mirrors?”

“It is a room filled with mirrors of all sizes. It is right next to the Central Zone, so it should be easy to find. We would like you to bring back as many Mirror Fragments as possible from there.”

“Why Mirror Fragments?”

“They are very valuable alchemical materials. However, do not enter the mirrors. At least not on your first run.”

Enter them?

Just hearing about it told me they weren’t ordinary mirrors.

“... I’ll do it if I can.”

“Thank you.”

In my view, this was a sort of test quest.

They probably wanted to see whether I could even reach the Room of Mirrors.

For merchants who had been so unusually eager, it made no sense that they only wanted me to gather alchemical materials.

“Ah, and give me 30 more Mana Potions.”

“A bulk purchase! Thank you very much!”

Brrring!

After buying Mana Potions and leaving the shop, my smartphone rang.

I was getting calls from all over today and was about to ignore it, but it was a familiar name.

[HTT]

Hunter Tactical Technology.

The company that had given me my 2011 Nightfall Custom.

When I answered, they greeted me first.

[Friend! How have you been? I didn’t know you were an EX-rank hunter... Can we say our products are favored by an EX-rank hunter in our advertising copy?]

What was this? Was it for an advertising slogan?

After considering it for a moment, I answered.

“If you give me more advertising money.”

[What? That’s harsh! Come on, we’re friends! It’s not like we’d be saying something untrue.]

What was there between us?

Instead of answering, I sent them a photo of Team Leader Go Jiho in the hospital.

Ding!

A reply came immediately.

[How much more do you need?]

“The more, the better. Ah, and... I need further customization.”

I suddenly thought of the Deep Black Iron Ore I’d acquired last time.

It was a rare material that could strengthen equipment.