WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Chapter 69: Episode 69

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After finishing the prototype for the handmade talisman, I immediately tried mass-producing it.

But the results were far from good.

No, saying they weren't good was far too mild... It was practically a complete failure.

"How did none of them succeed?"

Was the item description right? Had the first success really just been beginner's luck?

If I could mass-produce such an incredibly rare talisman like a factory, it would be an unbelievable jackpot... Yet not a single one succeeded out of ten attempts.

Naturally, I lost more than half the materials too.

Even so, Yuki was all smiles.

She even seemed relieved that they had failed.

"Hehe, a talisman made just for me by my benefactor..."

The item description said it was Yuki's exclusive equipment, so it would probably be impossible to give it to anyone else.

Even if I did, the effect likely wouldn't activate.

After analyzing the cause of the failures, I decided to give up on making talismans for the time being.

That state of extreme focus I had experienced while making the first talisman.

The phenomenon where my wish for Yuki had been imbued into the item never happened again.

"I'll try again after reaching Alchemy level 10."

"You're already almost level 10?"

I was nearly level 10 from experience I had gathered outside the Tower alone.

It showed just how much crafting I had done.

I used Reconstruction on the loot we had gained this time, analyzing it as I raised my proficiency as much as possible.

I'd been living an incredibly busy life ever since becoming a Hunter.

Still, it hadn't been without its rewards.

"Oh, they say my commercial is finished."

"Really?"

It was the Hunter equipment commercial I had filmed with HTT.

I was promoting the new product Brown and Chad had ambitiously released.

For the record, I had written the entire script from beginning to end.

That was why I had agreed to do the commercial so cheaply in the first place.

"It was just uploaded to the channel. I'll watch it now."

"Wait! We should watch it on the big screen."

The largest screen in the Alpha Team's dedicated building was in the operations room.

When the commercial began, Goblins in a forest were targeting a lone Hunter.

The Goblins were trying to ambush the Hunter while in complete Stealth.

Then one of them pointed at the Hunter's gun.

"Wait, look at that! It's HTT's newly released Nightfall Hunter’s Edition!"

Another Goblin replied in surprise.

"What? The Nightfall with an eighteen-round magazine and a suppressor-ready design?"

"It can even use Enhanced Ammunition, so it's reliable! The world-renowned EX-rank Hunter Kang Hyun chose it himself. Forget hunting today and run for it... Aaargh!"

Bang, bang!

The commercial indirectly showed me turning around and quickly taking them out.

There had been all kinds of restrictions when filming a gun commercial, so this was the best we could do.

Apparently, they had been unusually lenient for a weapons advertisement.

"Man... That's awesome."

"The team leader barely gets any screen time, but it's watchable."

Unfortunately, the team members' reactions, other than Yuki's, weren't all that great...

Still, the Nightfall Custom sold like hotcakes.

A few days later, Brown and Chad, whom I met in Korea, were also pleased.

"Is this the new workshop? It's cutting-edge."

"Brother! Even with the additional factory running, we can't keep up with the orders. You're still supplying Ultra-Alloy exclusively to us in America for now, right?"

Since I was making them money, I had become part of the HTT family too.

"Our side doesn't have enough production capacity either, so we can't sell it anywhere else."

At least we were selling plenty to America.

Since it was a basic material, everyone was going crazy over the shortage.

"Good. And about Brother's custom gun..."

After a quick hug, they immediately got to the point.

They were probably impatient too.

Even if it was called a custom gun, it was practically the same as making an entirely new firearm.

They asked for the ammunition first.

That was the first thing to consider when building a gun.

"First, give me one .50 BMG round. I couldn't bring one because I was worried I'd be banned from entering the country."

"Here."

The case alone had a diameter of 20 mm.

The bullet itself was a monstrous 12.7 mm.

It was a pretty old cartridge too... But its sheer size overpowered everything else.

"This is over a hundred years old too, right?"

"That's right. It's a good round, but Brother doesn't need something merely good. He needs the best."

Brown immediately showed me the blueprint.

"Let's change the material of the round a little and increase the power of the gunpowder too."

"You want to make Enhanced Ammunition?"

Alchemy could easily handle that much...

But would it be okay?

The .50 BMG already had tremendous chamber pressure and recoil because of its absurd size.

There had even been accidents where shotguns exploded after being loaded and fired with similarly sized rounds.

The Thompson Center Contender we were using as a base would need reinforcement just to be modified for .50 BMG.

And we were loading it with Enhanced Ammunition on top of that?

"I've already calculated everything. With Ultra-Alloy, it'll be entirely possible."

"Then how will the gun's structure change?"

"First, we'll reinforce the hinge and make the receiver this thick..."

Of course, even after all those modifications, it was a monstrous gun that no one but a Hunter could use properly.

The gun's structure was so simple that it had no mechanism at all to absorb recoil.

Our secret weapon for competing with Hunters from other races was a breech-loading single-shot gun.

This was practically reversing the history of weapon development.

When I made a complicated face, Brown chuckled.

"What's wrong, Brother?"

"No, it's just..."

After I told him what I was thinking, Brown spoke confidently.

"The history of firearms is the history of optimization. It's not about making the strongest gun. It's about making the gun that's needed."

"Ah... Now that you put it that way, I guess you're right."

Times and environments kept changing.

Not the strongest, but the optimal.

It might have been a fitting phrase for Hunters.

We immediately made a test model.

HTT had properly obtained permission to bring in the original Thompson Center Contender.

It was a breech-loading single-shot firearm without even a magazine.

Thanks to that, it had a simple yet sturdy structure.

"But a 60 cm barrel looks kind of ugly."

"It can't be helped. It's a barrel for 12.7 mm rounds, so it's pretty thick too."

"Uncle, the Enhanced Ammunition is finished."

"Good. Since .50-caliber rounds are big, there's plenty we can do with them. Shall we make some armor-piercing discarding sabot rounds?"

After modifying the Thompson Center Contender with Ultra-Alloy, we used equipment to conduct firing tests over and over.

It was a real hassle because we had to reload after every shot.

On top of that, I wasn't even pulling the trigger myself. We had to mount it in the device every single time.

Even so, we got clear results.

"No decrease in firearm durability through 500 rounds. Continue testing to 1,000."

"How's the trajectory?"

"It's stable so far. This Ultra-Alloy barrel is really something."

We also used Dwarf-made metal for the frame, greatly increasing its durability.

It became heavier, but it could unleash the terrifying power of the Enhanced Ammunition in full.

"The 1,000-round test is complete. Whew, that took up an entire day."

"Could we swap the barrel for a shorter one?"

"Well. I know you prefer short barrels, but if we shorten it any further, it'll affect the power. The round needs enough time to accelerate... Sixty centimeters is already quite short."

"Mm, okay."

After all the trial and error, the finished firearm was closer to a portable cannon.

At least in terms of power.

"Wow, this really is going against the times. At this point, we can call it a Hand Cannon."

"I like it. Let's go with that."

Just like that, we had even decided on its name.

All that remained was the long-awaited point calculation...

Single-shot firearms definitely received a huge point discount.

This monstrous gun ended up being slightly cheaper than an MCX.

"Wow, thank goodness."

"Actually, it's not just a single-shot firearm. You have to manually pull out the casing every time..."

"It's finished. If anyone acts up in the Tower, blow their head off with that thing."

This really could blow off even that Lizardman warrior's head in one shot.

As long as I could hit it properly.

Still, I felt like I was becoming more and more of a one-shot fanatic. Could that really be helped?

"Thank you for helping me every time."

When I gripped the handle fitted perfectly to my hand, I naturally felt something like a Hunter's sense of duty.

Humanity's enduring will, passed down since ancient times, to kill enemies from afar with the pull of a trigger.

That gun and I stood at its cutting edge.

Not long afterward, I received more good news.

[Team Leader Kang Hyun. A strange package addressed to you arrived at Association headquarters... It passed the hazardous-material inspection.]

"Ah, then bring it to me right away."

The package was a gift from my senior Death Priest, Bellion.

A very stylish black outfit.

It looked a little like clothing worn by desert people.

"The size is a bit small... Was Senior Bellion a Dwarf? Ah, it has a size adjustment function."

Since I had received it, I should try it on at least once.

First, I used Appraisal.

[Death Priest’s Garb - Death adapts to any environment.]

The third item in the Death Priest series.

I would probably receive the mask soon, so Bellion must have skipped the order and sent this first.

That was fortunate for me.

"Ah, hello. Senior Bellion?"

[Oh, did you receive the gift?]

"Yes. Thank you for the gift. I'm trying it on now... I'll put it to good use."

It was quite thick, but I wasn't hot at all. It was comfortable.

Judging by the item description, it probably had temperature regulation.

It would fit nicely under my tactical vest.

"But if I wear this around, won't everyone know I'm a Death Priest?"

[What do you think the mask is for? Haven't you received it yet?]

"Ah, right."

They complemented each other.

Until now, I hadn't worn it because it felt stuffy.

I had to make sure I carried it.

[It doesn't look like you had much intention of hiding yourself to begin with.]

"Well... It just happened that way."

"What do you mean?"

Yuki asked curiously from beside me, so I immediately explained.

"Mm, let's say Yuki is a Hunter from another race."

"Yes! I'll be a kind Hunter from another race who treats the team leader well."

Was that the first thing she said?

It was little things like this that moved me.

Other than the times she occasionally went out of control, she really was a great team member.

"Uh... Thank you. Anyway, let's say Hunter Yuki from another race wanted to find humanity's Death Priest."

Yuki, who didn't know much about Earth or humanity, would look into various things.

Then who would she suspect of being a Death Priest first?

The world's first EX-rank Hunter.

The leader of the world's best Alpha Team, which had cleared one uncharted Tower floor after another.

Would she suspect me, whose commercials had started coming out recently?

Or would she suspect Choi Ilhyuk, who was at home scratching his belly?

Obviously, it would be the former.

"The problem is that it's the right answer."

"Ah..."

I hadn't known that Death Priests were such notable figures.

That was why I hadn't rejected public attention at all.

I had even enjoyed it a little.

It was probably too late to try hiding now.

So it was only natural for Bellion to say something like that.

Hadn't the Death Priest who sent me the mask found me through a similar process?

At the time, I was the world's first EX-rank Hunter and had successfully cleared the eighth floor.

[I've seen plenty of people go down that road and get themselves killed. Pay at least a little attention to security.]

"I didn't know Death Priests were this famous... Especially in a bad way!"

Come to think of it, it was a little unfair.

I had no idea who Bellion really was.

Yet Bellion knew far too much about me.

"Then tell me a little about yourself too, Senior."

[I just told you to pay attention to security. Do you think I'll tell you?]

"You can at least tell me your race, can't you?"

Bellion fell silent for a moment at my words, then was persuaded without much difficulty.

[Well, the fact that I'm a Dwarf is something most people involved already know.]

"Ah, so you really were a Dwarf. No wonder."

He had recognized it the moment I revived Necrosmith technology.

He had been one of the Dwarves all along.

"Are you perhaps one of the Dwarves' Iron Lords..."

[I won't fall for such a pathetic attempt at fishing.]

"Fine. Did you make these clothes yourself too?"

[Death Priest equipment is basically a collaborative work by priests of several races. My craftsmanship was involved, though.]

"Oh. I'll put it to good use!"

Bellion seemed pleased and offered additional information.

[Come to think of it... Your race's weapons have started being researched recently.]

"What? Already?"

[Yes. It seems quite a few decent samples have found their way in.]

Guns had reached the Dwarves?

The news got me a little heated.

Ha, damn. Who was it?

The foreign First-Tier Teams in contact with us probably hadn't challenged the eleventh floor yet.

Was it those Eastern European Hunters who never listened to anyone?

If they were going to die, they should've destroyed all their equipment before dying.

[Well, there's no need to worry too much. The Dwarf craftsmen are making quite a fuss about it... But the Iron Lords won't approve it anyway.]

"...Why not?"

Bellion answered Yuki's interruption, sounding flustered.

[That's just how dictatorships work. Technology that threatens the existing order isn't welcomed. Superior weapons technology even less so.]

"Mm..."

It still bothered me.

Perhaps because our reaction seemed so uneasy, Bellion spoke.

[If you're that worried, shall I pull a few strings?]

"Uh, how? Are you really a Dwarf Iron Lord?"

[Don't be stupid. This calls for a Death Priest's methods. Just watch what this senior does.]

Bellion spoke confidently, then disappeared from the call.

Yuki and I continued working, anxious despite ourselves.

Footnotes:

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