WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Episode 82

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The Iron Lord's head hung above the Inner Citadel.

The citizens saw it and cheered without end.

Normally, killing someone with a Death Priest’s Dagger turned the corpse into smoke.

It seemed Gillius had deliberately left the body behind.

The hunters who had arrived as reinforcements looked around for anything they could steal...

But with Gillius, the First Priest, glaring at them, they couldn't get away with it.

In any case, with the previous Iron Lord dead, one important problem remained.

"Then who's going to rule this city now?"

"Obviously, the nearest Iron Lord, Lord Honkeal, my lord..."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"Anyone claiming they'll become Iron Lord while the Death Priests are holding their ground must be impressive."

"The citizens won't follow someone who didn't take part in this battle."

Meanwhile, Goloks, the Orc Death Priest Hunter Lord, took us to the Iron Lord's private quarters and angrily confronted Gillius.

"What the hell was that? You recklessly killed a Hunter Lord right in front of everyone!"

"Then what should we have done?"

Another Death Priest asked as if the question were absurd.

"We should've at least held a quick trial before executing him!"

"Hmph. Do you think the other Hunter Lords would look kindly on you then?"

The Death Priests reacted coldly.

This sort of thing was their specialty, after all.

Goloks replied without backing down.

"Now we'll still be treated like a group of butchers. A band of thugs who kill anyone they don't like! We did something heroic, only to ruin it like this..."

"Good. They'll work harder not to defy us from now on."

"The Hunter Lords will be even more wary of us."

When the argument showed no sign of ending, Gillius spoke for the first time.

"I hope they're smart enough to fear us."

"Haha! See? Even Gillius says so."

"..."

Goloks shook his head as if sick of it all, then turned to Bellion.

"So, what are you going to do with this city? Why don't you become the Iron Lord, Bellion? You're strong enough, and the citizens would gladly follow you."

He was pushing the idea surprisingly hard.

Did he want more Iron Lords who were also Death Priests?

Well, as an Orc, he couldn't rule this city himself.

Still, Bellion refused without hesitation.

"My identity is that of a Death Priest, not an Iron Lord. If the time comes when I have to choose between those duties, I won't hesitate."

Bellion's answer only frustrated Goloks further.

"You're going to let someone else sit on that throne? What's the point of killing one dictator if another takes their place?"

"If I became Iron Lord now, I'd be another dictator too. At least the next one might be better than the previous one."

"And if they're worse?"

"Then we'll replace them until someone competent appears."

"You're impossible!"

Goloks eventually stormed off in irritation.

He seemed to have his own thoughts on the matter, but that didn't mean everyone else had to agree.

"Um... we can leave now, right?"

When I asked Bellion, he finally said his goodbyes.

"Leaving already? Thanks for coming to help this time. You were a huge help."

"We've received plenty from you already."

"That still isn't nearly enough..."

Bellion's eyes shifted slightly before he quietly said, "I'll see if I can share that Doll Technology with your side as well."

"Really?"

"Yeah. As long as it doesn't fall into the Reapers' hands... I heard your dimension easily defeated even the Reapers' diversionary force. With weapons that powerful, it should be fine."

Bellion glanced at my gun as he spoke.

I decided to take the opportunity to get a little more out of him.

At this point, his favorability toward me felt nearly maxed out.

"By the way, how do you make Death Priest equipment?"

The Dwarves took pride in their Enchanting techniques.

Death Priest equipment was made using the real thing.

I'd heard it was the joint work of several Death Priests, so it had to be true.

Only then did Bellion show a little caution.

"Why ask that all of a sudden? What exactly are you curious about? It doesn't seem like you're trying to make Death Priests already."

"Death Priest equipment is excluded from the Item Level calculation."

"Oh, that?"

Bellion looked relieved, though he still glanced at Gillius.

Gillius had overheard us but said nothing.

He must have decided it was Bellion's business.

"Um... you'll keep this secret, right? It exploits a loophole in the Tower. If it becomes too widespread, measures will be taken."

"Only my team and I will use it."

"... Fine. Let's move somewhere else."

Bellion said the lord's private workshop should be in the basement and headed down the stairs.

And, naturally, there was a workshop.

Apparently, that was common sense in Dwarf society.

We easily neutralized the dolls guarding it.

Iron Lord Holos didn't seem to have mastered the technology to a particularly high level. They were nothing special.

"Was it the materials? Anyway, I'll teach you about Soul Binding."

"Soul Binding?"

"Yeah. All Death Priest equipment is bound to its user's soul. Can you separate your soul from yourself? No. Your soul is always one with you. That's why it isn't included in the Item Level calculation."

"Oh..."

That meant equipment didn't have to be Death Priest equipment to be excluded from the Item Level calculation. It just needed Soul Binding.

Still, every technique had its drawbacks.

"But there's one thing you need to be careful about."

"What is it?"

"Once you use Soul Binding, the equipment affects you. The more powerful the equipment, the stronger the effect."

"It affects me? How?"

"The Death Priest’s Dagger has an especially strong effect. You might suddenly feel the urge to kill... Or if you frequently use a mask for transformation, you could become confused about your identity."

"Gasp..."

That didn't sound like a good influence.

Come to think of it, I had felt something similar a few times.

Like when I faced the monster summoned to Earth.

"That's why most Death Priests who have been active for a long time have strong wills. Otherwise, they would've been consumed long ago."

Then if I used Soul Binding on the Hand Cannon, would I become the Hand Cannon's heroic spirit?

That sounded cool.

Still, after thinking it over, I decided against it.

Most equipment worth using Soul Binding on would be firearms...

And most of the guns I'd used hadn't met good ends.

The MCX rifle had been split in half by a Lizardman's axe spear...

The M2 Browning Heavy Machine Gun hadn't even been in service long before I ran it nearly to the point of failure, then used Reversion on it.

The relatively intact guns were pushed aside the moment newer guns appeared.

Only the Marlin rifle and Nightfall Custom had lasted a long time.

But neither of those nor the Hand Cannon had very high Item Levels.

I didn't need to devote that many points to them.

'Besides, I'm planning to clear the 12th floor next...'

I'd put it off for now.

It didn't seem like Soul Binding could be undone once it was done, so I needed to be careful.

Bellion nodded beside me.

"Good thinking. Soul Binding itself isn't an easy ritual."

He gathered a few things from the workshop.

"Oh, this gem-setting tool is the latest model. It's pearls before swine for someone like Holos. Take it."

Watching him casually take a share from someone else's workshop, I was reminded that a hunter was still a hunter.

We each took something we liked too.

"Team Leader! This Dwarf armor looks nice, doesn't it?"

"Yuki, you were interested in things like that? You won't be able to wear it anyway..."

"It's for decoration, so it doesn't matter! I've been collecting souvenirs from the places I've gone with you, Team Leader. We came to a Dwarf city, so I should take something Dwarf-like."

"Ah... I think I get it."

I had raised Heentteok too, and stored the things I hadn't sold or processed.

Kim Yuna searched through the storeroom until she found some jewelry.

"Here. You said you needed this for crafting, right?"

"Thanks. My proficiency with gem jewelry crafting is still low..."

"Let's take the rest out. We should give some to the other Death Priests and the reinforcements too."

If we cleaned out the entire storeroom, the Dwarves of the city would be too pitiful.

So we decided to take only enough to cover our travel expenses.

Meanwhile, the other Death Priests and reinforcements collected loot from the Reaper corpses.

"Don't pocket anything. We'll distribute it all together."

"As if that would happen. Just take what you can without being obvious."

"Wait, no matter what, let's give that one to our friend over there."

The loot from the large siege weapon Reaper that had fallen before the Inner Citadel came entirely to us.

For one thing, its Soul Crystal was huge.

It had been shattered by explosives, but even gathering the fragments gave us an absurd amount.

"Good, we'll take this. What else is there..."

"That one's armor plating should be useful."

"Ah, we survived because it barely had any rear armor. Yuki, you somehow managed to throw it inside."

"I just got lucky."

Bellion recommended it, but...

This thing's armor plating was impractical to carry away.

No matter how high the quality, it weighed a lot and had a surprisingly high Item Level.

Taking something like this would cost more gold.

It was definitely durable, but too heavy for us to use.

"You should take this, Senior. Or give it to the citizens of the city..."

"... I'll give it to the citizens too."

The city looked almost half destroyed, so there would be countless places that needed money.

They should at least have this.

"Let's head back soon. Hm?"

Orca tugged at my collar.

"Isn't it nice to breathe mountain air for the first time in a while?"

"No, I've lived in nature for a really long time... I miss city smog. Let's go back already."

"I never thought I'd hear a Druid say something this insane."

Bellion spoke with a look of disgust.

At that moment, Count Kwatum, who had been lingering in the distance, approached us.

Earlier, we'd been in battle, so he hadn't needed to worry about attention...

Now that it was over, he felt too self-conscious under all the attention to approach easily.

"Leaving already? You saved my life. You really don't have any more potions?"

"Even if we did, we wouldn't give them to you for free..."

We had come in a hurry, so we had almost no extras.

Besides, why would we trust this guy with an enhancement potion?

Next time, he might drink it and come at us with a sword.

"Still, the Death Priests are far more reliable than the lords. The Hunter Lords didn't even show their faces. Please deal with our king later too."

He really didn't hide his ambitions at all.

Did he only act like this in front of us?

Watching him leave for the Tower, I said, "It’s amazing he’s still alive after acting like that."

"He's young, but his skill is undeniable. You can't do politics if you kill everyone with ambition. People with a certain amount of drive are useful. As long as they're weaker than me, they aren't a major problem."

Bellion spoke as if he had seen it all.

Looking at him, I became certain.

This man must have been a Hunter Lord or held a similar position in the past.

The way he talked about the people was one thing.

He must have turned down the position of city lord immediately because he'd been a Hunter Lord before.

"Goloks seemed angry. Will that be okay?"

"When he needs us, he'll be the first to show up, rubbing his hands together."

"You're a real politician..."

"Politics isn't something just anyone can do."

We gathered our loot and returned to the Inner Citadel.

The citizens, still trembling with anxiety, watched us.

There was no way telling people used to an absolute monarchy to choose a new king would work now.

In the end, wouldn't a powerful nearby Iron Lord take this place?

"... It would be hard to be worse than the previous one."

"That's right."

I didn't know what would happen to the citizens here from now on.

But no one knew the future.

Today, we had protected these citizens from the Reapers.

From now on, it was up to them.

"Leaving?"

Gillius appeared behind me like a ghost.

I had Complete Senses active, but he was still difficult to detect.

"I have to."

"Here. Doll Technology. Try not to let it leak."

He handed me a thick booklet.

"Huh, is this the original?"

"Yes. The only original. I disposed of the copies long ago. Holos, who had memorized the technology, is already dead. His soul has been completely erased as well."

He was handing over the technology the Reapers had sought so easily.

Wasn't that suspicious?

Gillius was the kind of person willing to kill an Iron Lord to prevent the technology from leaking.

He had probably infiltrated this place as soon as he noticed the Reapers' movements.

After thinking for a moment, I understood what he was after.

"You want the Reapers to target our dimension?"

"... If you fail to manage the technology properly, that will happen."

Right. Our dimension's defensive force was so overwhelmingly strong that there was little to worry about.

I didn't think we would lose even in a full-scale war against the Reapers.

Their so-called full mobilization had only been around three hundred.

And more than a hundred of them had been taken down in this battle.

After hesitating for a moment, I accepted the technology.

I didn't thank him.

It didn't seem like he had handed it over for our benefit.

"Let's go back. We need to prepare to clear the 12th floor."

"You're really going to challenge the 12th floor?"

"If those weaklings cleared it, there's no way we can't."

"... That's true."

We paid a considerable amount of gold and returned to Gwanghwamun Tower.

I couldn't say the trip had no gains, but we couldn’t make this trip often.

"Alpha Team returning!"

The civil servants gave their usual cheer, and the moment they finished, the quartermaster let out a sorrowful wail upon seeing that the Browning Heavy Machine Gun was gone.

Footnotes:

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