WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈
Chapter 54
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Tower Escape was a game synonymous with being unhelpful.
It did tell you basic information, such as how to escape...
But for anything more detailed, you had to experiment and figure it out yourself.
The temple was the ninth floor's key location.
And Soul Crystals were its key loot.
When I approached the altar in the center of the temple, the Soul Crystals reacted.
"So this is where we're supposed to use Soul Crystals?"
I put Kaellis's Soul Crystal away for now.
It was the only Large Soul Crystal I had...
I needed to know what it did before using it.
"Everyone, gather your Soul Crystals."
"Here. How many are there?"
As I started counting them one by one, Yuki immediately answered.
"Thirty-seven Small Soul Crystals and six Medium Soul Crystals."
"... Why do you have them all memorized?"
Kim Yuna asked, but Yuki only smiled and didn't answer.
It was starting to scare me, so I didn't press her further.
After gathering every team member's Soul Crystals, there were exactly thirty-seven Small ones and six Medium ones.
I picked up a Small Soul Crystal.
"Let's test this one."
The moment I placed it on the altar...
Flaaash!
The altar accepted the offering, and new messages appeared.
[Soul with the Patience Attribute extracted from a Small Soul Crystal.]
[Skills can be enchanted with the Patience Attribute.]
"Ooh, it's a Patience Attribute Enchantment."
"Does it work on any skill?"
"... I'll try it. I have something suitable for testing."
Unexpectedly, Han Juwon stepped forward first.
Among Han Juwon's skills, level 2 Forced March was one of the weakest.
Fwoosh!
Han Juwon's eyes widened.
"When Forced March activates, it now has an added pain resistance effect."
"This is... the skill version of equipment enchantments!"
It granted additional traits to skills.
This was insane.
A Small Soul Crystal could do this much?
I immediately offered another one.
[Soul with the Intuition Attribute extracted from a Small Soul Crystal.]
"It seems like every Soul Crystal gives a random attribute."
"Could the attribute be determined by the soul's traits while it was alive...?"
That made this a completely random draw.
Han Juwon stepped forward again.
"Imbuing level 2 Forced March with an attribute!"
He was using the same skill he had just enhanced.
He wanted to see whether it could be overwritten.
Fwoosh!
"Oh, it was overwritten. It says Forced March improves danger detection when activated."
"The Intuition Attribute seems pretty useful."
Since it added an extra effect to an existing skill, it was hard to see how it could ever be bad.
After testing a few more times, we learned several things.
First, there were relatively common attributes.
Destruction, Protection, Intuition, Patience, Escape, and so on.
There were also rare attributes that only appeared occasionally.
"Can we imbue Basic Skills with attributes too?"
"I don't know. Want to test it?"
"Let's start using the Medium ones."
[Soul with the Destruction Attribute extracted from a Medium Soul Crystal.]
Destruction, huh.
It was powerful, but its uses were limited.
Han Juwon stepped forward again.
"Imbuing Ghost Bullets with an attribute!"
Fwoosh!
"Oh, Ghost Bullets got stronger."
"Nice. Let's keep going."
We used all six Medium Soul Crystals.
A new attribute called Precision appeared, so we imbued one of Sang Hajun's Basic Skills with it...
It let him destroy an opponent's weak points more effectively.
I tried enchanting Alchemy with the Intuition Attribute.
[Alchemy Intuition: When alchemy succeeds, the product's quality has a chance to increase.]
"Jackpot."
Even if this was the ninth floor, the rewards were so good that I was starting to worry.
What kind of hell were they going to put us through next to be this generous?
Kaellis was said to be a hero and hunter of the Elf Race who had reached the seventeenth floor...
I couldn't even imagine what the seventeenth floor was like.
Apparently, it was a very high floor even by the standards of other dimensions.
I enchanted Complete Senses with the Escape Attribute, pushing my reaction speed into the realm of precognition.
Yuki had been applying enchantments as well when she pointed at the Large Soul Crystal.
"When are you going to use that?"
Kaellis's Soul Crystal, belonging to a hero and hunter of the Elf Race.
Everyone was urging me to imbue my Transcendence skill with an attribute...
But I was skeptical.
My strength as a hunter was my versatility.
Thanks to Transcendence, I could transcend all kinds of skills and do just about anything.
But if I gave Transcendence an attribute, all my other skills would be affected as well.
Kaellis's soul was surely incredibly powerful...
There could be side effects I hadn't anticipated.
"Yeah, you're right. What attribute will this soul have?"
"Probably something agility-related."
I'd never seen a hunter as fast and precise as Kaellis.
It'd be a problem if it gave a sword-related attribute... though that probably wouldn't happen, right?
[Soul with the Swiftness Attribute extracted from Kaellis's Large Soul Crystal.]
In the end, I didn't choose Transcendence.
"Imbuing Physical Technique with an attribute!"
I considered Complete Senses too...
But Physical Technique suited it better.
Fwoooosh!
The effect was more spectacular than before.
Tremendous power flowed into me.
"Ugh..."
[Accelerated Physical Technique: Greatly increases the agility, output, and precision of the Physical Technique skill for a short time.]
"It worked!"
Maybe it was just my imagination...
But even after strengthening the skill, it felt like a great deal of power remained and settled inside me.
This was perfect.
Having used every Soul Crystal, I suddenly felt that what we had was insufficient.
A portal swirled beside the altar...
Wouldn't it be a waste to enter now?
We didn't know when we'd be able to come back.
As team leader, I made the decision.
"Let's return to camp."
"What? A Soul Giant might appear tonight."
"That's why we're going."
"Ah..."
We had about five days of remaining stay time.
I'd squeeze every last drop out of this place.
As expected, a Soul Giant attacked us that night after we returned to camp.
It was about four meters tall.
A little bigger than the last one.
"Then it'll drop more Soul Crystals too!"
Bang!
We killed the Soul Giant that attacked us throughout the night and got more Medium Soul Crystals.
After daybreak, we headed for areas that had been explored less thoroughly.
"Team Leader, I think we're running a little low on Potion of Spirit Life."
"Let's deploy the sixth team member."
The rabbit ran around looking for Spirit-Nourishing Grass as soon as I let it go.
"Found some."
We killed every monster wandering the swamp and explored the highlands beyond it.
There hadn't been a statue there, so we had deliberately avoided the area.
"The Summoning Horn is here!"
Were we supposed to take our time before leaving?
It was an unexpected bonus.
There were more areas worth exploring than expected, so another three days passed quickly.
On the ninth day of the raid, we finally spent every Soul Crystal to strengthen our skills, looted the temple's treasury, and entered the portal.
We had obtained over a hundred Soul Crystals in total...
But most of them were Small Soul Crystals.
There were also plenty of times when we got attributes that didn't suit our skills, so we couldn't imbue every skill with one.
Still, this was an incredible haul.
Flaaash!
[Escape Complete]
[Transcendence skill level has increased to 7.]
[Shadow Walking skill level has increased to 8...]
Physical Technique, Eye of Disassembly, and Adaptability had increased, of course, but so had Forced March, Night Vision, Smoke Screen, and Alchemy.
There was practically no skill that hadn't gone up.
I'd used nearly every skill on the ninth floor.
The suffering we'd endured since the first day had paid off.
[Achievement Reward: Hero Slayer trait acquired. Skills work somewhat more favorably against stronger opponents...]
It wasn't anything amazing, but I also received one trait each related to construction and weapon crafting.
[You may now enter the 10th floor.]
We even got the right to challenge the tenth floor.
When I checked, it was naturally exclusive to our team.
The ninth floor had been the same.
"Squeee..."
The rabbit in my arms closed its eyes as sunlight hit it.
So it had been transported with us too.
Good.
Nothing good would've come from leaving it there.
"Alpha Team has returned!"
"Let's take a bath first."
Everyone agreed with me.
We had spent nine full days clearing the Tower.
And it had been a tropical climate!
We had changed our underwear, at least...
But there was no way we could be in good condition.
I spoke to the employee managing the Hunter Association bathhouse.
"Could I get some shampoo for the rabbit? Also, can rabbits be washed in hot water?"
"Just boil it once."
In the end, I washed it with lukewarm water.
It sat very quietly in the basin.
We earned less gold than during the eighth-floor clear...
But we still got around 100,000 gold from the temple.
Gold clearly wasn't the ninth floor's main reward.
While we were having a team dinner, I asked Sang Hajun.
"Can I raise this one?"
"I was going to if you didn't, Team Leader... but it'd probably prefer you."
"I heard rabbits die if they get lonely... Try getting a few more so they can live together."
"That's a good idea."
I decided to make a rabbit-only room at home.
I had never planned on keeping a pet...
But it might not be so bad.
It was one more reason to come back alive from the Tower.
While we caught up on the news we'd missed, Yuki prepared a stream on the spot.
She seemed to like drinking streams more than any other kind.
I kept telling her not to drink too much.
Viewers who hadn't seen us in a while welcomed us while sharing news from Korea and abroad.
[MagicLawyer: They're alive.]
[ActualFistLaw: They don't even look like they'll die anymore.]
[LowIntelligenceGoblin: Host, did you see the news about the Russian monster?]
Huh? A Russian monster?
Don't tell me it still hadn't been dealt with.
But it had actually happened.
[FogLakeSwimClub: That monster has an energy absorption ability, so they couldn't kill it. It's crossed into Chinese territory and is now heading toward a nuclear power plant.]
What?
This was a complete disaster.
Of all abilities, it had energy absorption.
[MaybeMaybe: How much farther does it have to go? Doesn't the host need to kill it?]
[5SecondsBeforeEscape: Once hunters leave the Tower, they're just infantry with special abilities. The military should deal with it.]
[BankruptAgainToday: If it absorbs energy, would even a nuclear bomb not work?]
[5SecondsBeforeEscape: Apparently, there's a high chance it wouldn't.]
It still seemed to be some distance away from the nuclear power plant...
But if this kept up, things could get really bad.
'Ah... Do I really have to go?'
It looked like it would die if I just stabbed it with the Instant-Death Dagger.
If that didn't work, I could just run away.
As I hesitated, Yuki started moderating the chat again.
[Yuki: Please keep the chat relevant to the stream's topic!]
[MagicLawyer: What is this stream's topic? Isn't this a hunter stream?]
As we ate and drank together, Yuki, emboldened by the alcohol, asked me something.
"... What is it about me that you like so much, Team Leader?"
So it was confirmed that I liked her?
I needed to answer this carefully.
After thinking it over, I answered before dragging it out too long.
"Um... Your capabilities."
[5SecondsBeforeEscape: Clone Technique really is an absurdly overpowered skill.]
[ActualFistLaw: Look at the host's evasive maneuvers. That's why he's a top-ranked hunter.]
"Ah, of course, I can't leave abilities out either! Come to think of it, do you know how much the Team Leader accomplished this time...?"
The viewers were impressed by the completely unnatural change of subject.
[SixthFloorGhost: Is this another surprise worship session?]
[MagicLawyer: This guy clearly doesn't watch the stream properly. Yuki doesn't worship him by surprise, she does it habitually...]
[ActualFistLaw: Last time, the discussion about hunters from other countries eventually turned into praise for the host. It was an art form.]
"Oh, and this is Alpha Team's sixth member."
When I showed them the rabbit, which was eating chives, its ears perked up.
Those were seasoned... It should be fine, right?
This one wasn't just from the streets. It came from a deserted island.
That meant its vitality and toughness were on another level.
[FogLakeSwimClub: Oh, cute. It's better than the fifth team member.]
[System - FogLakeSwimClub has been blocked.]
[Yuki: Please maintain a clean fan culture and polite chat.]
[MagicLawyer: Yuki doesn't hesitate...]
She wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.
"What should we name it?"
"I don't know. How about Bunny?"
"Yuna, you're surprisingly careless about things like this. Hajun, what do you think?"
"... Bullseye."
"I'm sorry I asked."
By the way, the rabbit's color changed after we washed it.
Its original color had been brighter and fresher.
After eating and chatting for a while, I went home, only for a swarm of contractors to arrive and finish the rabbit room in no time.
Hunter Association employees had watched my stream and prepared everything in advance.
I'd been informed beforehand...
But did they normally go this far?
As I stood there flustered, Yuki spoke as if it were obvious.
"Of course. It's another reason for you to stay in Korea, Team Leader."
"Then why are you here as if it's the most natural thing in the world, Yuki?"
"I came to see whether our Heentteok would settle in well."
It was a name recommended during the stream.
To be honest, it wasn't completely white, but there wasn't a better name.
Soon, other rabbits were released into the rabbit room in a group, and Heentteok froze slightly.
Now that I looked at it, it seemed a little smaller than the pet rabbits.
"Um... Will it be okay?"
When I carefully let it go...
The other rabbits slowly approached.
Heentteok spotted the biggest one among them and immediately hit it with a dropkick.
"Squeee!"
"Oh, it's adapting well."
Despite its small size, it easily crushed the other rabbits, just like a wild animal would.
Then it climbed onto another rabbit and enthusiastically started thrusting its hips.
"Oh, my... It's adapting very quickly."
"... Let's leave."
I barely managed to send Yuki home before calling Go Jiho.
[Oh, Kang Hyun. Good work clearing the ninth floor. Did you unlock the tenth floor?]
"Yes. We've already secured the right to challenge it."
After getting the news late, it seemed that Enchanting technology and dimensional energy reactor technology had already been fully implemented.
I said I'd go see them soon, then got to the point.
"Could I try killing the monster heading toward the Chinese nuclear power plant?"
[What? Why would you go after that thing...?]
After thinking for a moment, I said what I truly felt.
The dagger was trembling.
"Because it's still alive."
[... Is it a mountain or something? Are you going to challenge it just because it's there?]
Go Jiho was completely dumbfounded, but he immediately began making arrangements.
He was the one responsible for dragging me into this world.
He had no right to stop me now.
He knew that better than anyone.
[It'd be best if we could deal with it before it reaches the nuclear power plant. To be honest, we've been worried about it too. Do you have a method?]
"... I do."
[Good. Then I'll find a way for you to infiltrate without anyone noticing. Get some rest for now.]
"Okay."
I staggered back to the rabbit room and fell asleep in the middle of them.
The temperature control was excellent.
Footnotes:
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