WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Chapter 38

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The next morning.

My team and I had already arrived in Seoul.

We were there to welcome the Japanese hunters.

The guy who died yesterday hadn't made the news yet.

The others who'd been drinking with him drank a little longer, then left when he didn't come back.

Scammers disappearing was an everyday occurrence.

Something like that wasn't newsworthy.

'Ah... I really shouldn't drink again.'

Had I gone too far in my anger yesterday?

Even if that bastard was a Hunter in name only, drugged a woman, scammed people, beat people up, and insulted my teammate, should I not have killed him?

It was a pretty profound question.

'Should I have just punched him a few times and left it at that...? I don't think it was only the alcohol talking.'

I appraised the dagger again.

[Appraisal skill transcended. Loot Expert skill activated.]

[Death Priest’s Ritual Tool: Returns all life to its rightful place... ???]

Its rightful place.

It meant sending something back where it belonged.

It didn't say it killed them.

I hadn't even checked the body this time...

Maybe he'd arrived somewhere new by now and was living well.

Of course, even if he worked hard, he'd probably just be scamming people and selling drugs.

As I kept running that cheerful fantasy through my mind, one of the team members in the lobby spoke up.

"Kang Hyun, is something wrong?"

"No... We've had a lot of guests from abroad lately. I heard Brown is coming soon too."

As we lounged around the hotel lobby, Kim Yuna answered right away.

"Brown... The person who customized your guns last time?"

"Yes. Brown from HTT."

Hunter Tactical Technology.

Business had been so good lately that they were backed up with a year's worth of orders.

Brown was large and kind.

After hearing that we'd obtained a large number of Enchanted Firearms from the eighth floor, Brown had immediately boarded a flight and was already on the way here to see them.

Ding, ding!

My phone, quiet for once, started spewing notifications again.

Naturally, they were messages from Yuki.

Had the plane already arrived at the airport?

[I'll finally get to see my benefactor again soon!]

Anyone would think we'd been apart for a year.

[I'm glad the delegation was sent without issue.]

[Actually, the Japanese Hunter Association planned to let it slide even if Korea didn't sell them gold.]

[... What do you mean?]

[They need to show the public that they're trying hard to get gold.]

Ah, so that was it.

They obviously couldn't steal gold, so they were putting on a show.

Being a public servant wasn't easy either.

But... if they did all that and we still refused to sell them gold, wouldn't the Japanese people blame us?

The more I thought about it, the more irritating it became.

They were basically taking overseas trips on taxpayer money too.

When I told the team, they looked dumbfounded.

"What kind of people are they?"

"... Just wait. That girl isn't going to start shouting that she'll naturalize the moment she sees you, right?"

Han Juwon said it, and I could clearly picture the scene.

"She probably will."

"Why don't you tell her not to? She's already arrived in Korea, so there's no rush. Tell her to dig up as much information as she can from their side."

"Ah, that's a good idea."

I did plan to sell some gold.

It was a deal between countries, and Japan had an urgent need for it right now, so they were apparently willing to pay above market value.

I intended to keep entering the Tower...

But there was nothing wrong with having money.

I'd nearly fainted when I heard how much it would cost to build the Eighth-Floor Training Ground.

A little later, Alpha Team's assigned staff member arrived with Go Jiho.

He'd already handed the team leader position over to me.

Not long after being discharged from the hospital, he'd become an Association executive.

Non-Hunters couldn't enter shops or use gold, so...

The Association needed employees with Hunter backgrounds.

"You've all been eating good food at the hotel since early morning. Mind if I order something too?"

"Are you feeling better? Shouldn't you rest a little longer?"

"If I rest any longer, all my muscles will waste away."

That man had gotten scolded for doing planks in the hospital too.

It was nice having everyone together like this.

Sang Hajun wasn't here yet.

He liked lounging around at home.

I sent Yuki a message telling her not to naturalize too quickly.

Even while sending an absurd number of emoticons, Yuki eventually said she understood.

A while later, we welcomed the Japanese delegation at the hotel.

An executive from the Japanese Hunter Association grabbed my hand and shook it eagerly.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to sell gold this time. It will be a great help to the people of Japan..."

"You'll pay a good price, right?"

"Ha ha ha! Of course..."

I gave a vague reply and checked Yuki's expression.

She was shifting from foot to foot but trying not to show it.

So far, she was holding back well.

Across from us, Kim Yuna was glaring daggers at her...

But Yuki didn't even look her way.

While they unpacked at the hotel, Alpha Team's assigned staff member took me somewhere.

"Team Leader Kang Hyun, there's somewhere I'd really like you to see. The Association directly manages Hunter-only housing... It's as comfortable as a hotel, and security is thorough!"

"Ah... A house?"

I couldn't stay in a hotel forever.

My belongings were starting to pile up too.

There were too many people constantly coming and going at hotels.

Having my own place would be nice.

The staff member drove me to a building beside Go Jiho's home.

It was the high-rise building I'd envied before.

"Ah, it was here? Team Leader Go lives here too?"

"I used to be a soldier, so I can't resist official housing."

"How much is the monthly rent here?"

"It's free for active Hunters and Association employees."

Once I went inside, the place was enormous.

I wondered if I could even use all of it by myself.

It even had weapon racks and a workshop.

"Oh, this is nice. The furniture's all brand-new too."

"We furnished it with the best. What do you think? If you call the lobby, room service will be sent up as well."

Room service in my house?

I decided to move in without hesitation.

It was closer to the Association building, and moving didn't take long either.

Ding, ding!

Yuki kept sending messages to my phone.

Kim Yuna spoke in a shocked voice.

"She looked completely normal earlier. Why would she do something like that...?"

"They say online trolls always look normal when you catch them."

It was true. Just looking at her, she seemed perfectly sweet and pretty.

Before it was too late, I spoke to the Association employee.

"Do you have any vacant homes? An S-rank Hunter from Japan has agreed to naturalize."

It took a while for the employee to grasp the situation and answer.

"... Excuse me? An S-rank?"

"I'm bringing her into Alpha Team."

"... We'll put her directly below you."

"Isn't there a place next door?"

"There's only one residence on each floor, so there are no next-door units."

Wow. No wonder it was so spacious.

I'd really made it.

Even while grumbling that she wanted to come visit with us, Yuki diligently gave me information.

[The Japanese Hunter Association wants to purchase at least 20,000 gold. They don't seem to be planning to haggle over the price. If possible, they want to establish a regular supply contract...]

Twenty thousand gold.

If they paid well, it wasn't a bad deal.

[And they've been talking about you nonstop since earlier. They told me to try persuading Korean Hunters to come to Japan...]

No wonder that executive hadn't wanted to let go of my hand.

For reference, word had already spread that I had cleared the eighth floor.

Go Jiho's critical condition had been big news.

Any Hunter would have figured it out by now.

The next day, after getting a good night's sleep in my new home, we finally began interacting with the Japanese hunters.

It was a delegation for the purpose of sharing techniques, so we had to talk a little.

Of course, Alpha Team didn't have much to learn from the Japanese hunters.

They had come to buy gold because their operations weren't going well in the first place.

"So, lately you've definitely been using weapons capable of penetrating bulletproof vests..."

Still, they had good attitudes and plenty of questions, so it ended up being more enjoyable than expected.

"How did you handle the eighth floor? There must be monsters with bulletproof defenses there too, right?"

"Ah, yes. That's why we made the Reverse Mozambique Drill..."

It wasn't even a core mechanic.

Yuki had probably already told them about the basic traits of regular monsters.

She had reported that she'd cleared the eighth floor alone too.

"Then is the Alchemy video you uploaded last time also related to the eighth floor?"

"Ah, you're a subscriber? That was..."

"Wow, it's already this late! Shall we head to the joint training session? We've properly built training grounds for the seventh and sixth floors this time."

I nearly said too much because I was so happy to meet a subscriber, but my teammates smoothly cut me off.

The Eighth-Floor Training Ground was naturally off-limits.

One of the Japanese hunters tried to sneak away while pretending to be lost...

But an Association employee stopped them immediately.

"The restroom is that way."

"Ah, yes. Thank you..."

Yuki had finally claimed a spot beside me.

We were close enough that the Japanese hunters might find it strange...

But for Yuki, she was holding back remarkably well.

She leaned over and whispered quietly.

With Complete Senses active at all times, I was the only one who could hear her.

"Be careful of Tanaka. Tanaka is after information on the eighth floor."

So that was why Tanaka had been looking for the Eighth-Floor Training Ground.

Yuki's disguise was so perfect that Han Juwon seriously asked me,

"Is she really that online troll? Aren't you mistaken?"

"I wish I had been."

Aside from occasionally doing crazy things, she really was a good teammate.

She got along well with the other Korean hunters too.

"Yuki, your Korean is so natural. The Tower's automatic translation shouldn't be able to make you sound like that..."

"Ah, I studied it separately!"

"You studied? Did you go to a Korean language academy?"

"I just learned by watching YouTube! There are lots of fun videos. I posted lots of comments too..."

Kim Yuna silently shuddered beside me.

"I heard you escaped the eighth floor too, Yuki?"

"Even so, I never made it into the Core Area! I nearly lost my mind not long after entering the eighth floor!"

Gasp!

Was she copying my catchphrase?

This was driving me crazy.

At this rate, I really would become part of a bomb disposal unit.

A dangerous thought even crossed my mind. Maybe it would be fine if I just defused the bomb carefully...

Once the training ended and we finished dinner...

It was finally time for the transaction.

Naturally, I wasn't personally sitting across from the Japanese Hunter Association employees to make the deal.

We waited for news while holding a house party at Go Jiho's home to celebrate his discharge.

His wife kept bringing out food without end.

"You can still eat more, right? My family made this soy-marinated salmon themselves."

"Wow... You made soy-marinated salmon at home?"

Team Leader Go had really married well.

He showed his wife a picture of Yuki and seriously asked,

"Who do you think would be better for Hyun to get bitten by, her or Yuna?"

"... Is getting bitten a certainty?"

"Yes. It's certain."

"... This Japanese girl looks very gentle."

She didn't have much of an eye for people either.

It was fortunate she'd met a good person like Team Leader Go.

Then breaking news arrived from the Association.

We were selling 20,000 gold to Japan.

The payment comfortably exceeded 10 billion won.

Naturally, it was tax-exempt.

"Wow..."

It felt like only yesterday that I'd given the Association over 4,000 gold and received more than a billion won.

Japan was desperate this time, so they paid a high price.

It was only because the other side was Japan.

If it had been a less developed country, they would have simply taken a month off while claiming they didn't have enough gold.

Except for the capital city where politicians lived, a Monster Welcome Event would have taken place everywhere.

"That's horrible... Wouldn't there be riots if they did that?"

"There were a few in the past, but people learned. Rioting doesn't create gold that wasn't there."

The monsters that appeared if a protective shield wasn't purchased weren't at the level of Goblins or Orcs.

They were monsters that needed cannons or missiles to take down.

And there was no guarantee that only one or two would appear.

If things like that really went on a rampage, 10 billion won would disappear in no time.

"What do you want to do, Team Leader?"

"I'll accept. It's exactly the same as the budget plan Yuki told me about."

It seemed we had secured more than just money, including various Hunter-related interests.

Things like exclusive sales rights for Korean Hunter equipment.

"Now we're all rich!"

My teammates abruptly froze at my words.

"... What? Why are we all rich? Don't tell me you're planning to distribute it to the team?"

"Yes."

"No... That's not right. You need to be clear about money."

"Really?"

My sense of money had already gone numb, so I wasn't sure.

Anyway, I needed to settle the accounts.

The amount I earned this time plus what I already had came to about 250,000 gold.

I gave 50,000 gold to the Korean Association...

Then sold 20,000 gold to the Japanese Hunter Association, leaving me with 180,000 gold.

I could upgrade my equipment significantly with that, right?

I needed to save some for when Brown from HTT came to visit.

But I still had plenty to spare.

"Is there any artifact you've always wanted?"

"Team Leader, you've already gotten a taste for spending money."

Han Juwon snickered, but Go Jiho unexpectedly nodded seriously.

"Hyun needs to learn that."

"Me? Really?"

"You need to spend more money on yourself. That way, work feels more rewarding. You'll work harder too."

Now that I thought about it, that made sense.

After spending the night, I headed to Gwanghwamun early the next morning.

Flash!

It was a day off, so I entered the shop and did some window shopping.

Yuki and the Japanese hunters came in at the same time.

With their urgent business over, they all seemed completely like tourists.

"It really is just like the Tokyo Tower shop!"

"Don't they have local specialties that are only sold here?"

"There are no differences based on location, but there are differences based on the customer."

"... Excuse me?"

The Goblin Merchants gave an unexpected answer and pointed to Yuki and me.

"Hunters. Would you please come this way for a moment?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"You granted our request, so we will offer you additional products."

Ah, I could roughly guess what this was.

In the Tower Escape game, completing certain merchants' quests and raising affinity unlocked additional products.

The Goblin Merchants chose their customers too.

They led Yuki and me into another room.

I'd never been there before.

The moment no one else could see us, Yuki pressed herself right against my side.

"This is..."

"Here is the catalogue of additional products. Please take your time looking through it."

It was a fairly thick booklet.

With a slightly trembling hand, I turned the first page.

[Superhard Alloy Materials Manufacturing Technology - 130,000 gold]

[Infinite Dimensional Energy Reactor Technology - 500,000 gold]

[Magical Medical Technology - 220,000 gold]

[... Warning, sold-out products will not be restocked.]

"... What is this?"

These clearly weren't ordinary products.

Footnotes:

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