WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Episode 84

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Uncharted territory.

This place was brighter and damper, yet somehow more suffocating.

I quickly realized why.

"Fog?"

A thick fog hung heavily in the air, severely limiting our vision.

But on closer inspection, it wasn't ordinary fog.

My Appraisal skill worked on it.

[Mushroom Spores: They don't seem good for the human body.]

It wasn't fog, but spore dust?

Just how dense was it?

Good thing we'd put on our Gas Masks before entering.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Yes. The Gas Masks are working properly."

We had an Infinite Filter as well as spare filters, so we should be fine for now.

I began appraising the mushrooms growing everywhere one by one.

[Luminous Mushroom: A mushroom that emits light on its own. It doesn't seem to have any other special effects.]

They didn't seem particularly dangerous.

When I expanded the range of my Complete Senses skill, everything beyond the spore fog came into view.

It was a fairly wide cave, but there were only a few possible routes.

Sang Hajun searched the area with his Basic Skill.

"That way, that way, and that way. There are three passages in total. Should we drink the antidote?"

"No. Let's save it."

We hadn't been able to bring many antidotes because of the point cost.

Still, since I already knew the recipe, I could make them myself with Alchemy.

Most of the ingredients were probably found on the twelfth floor anyway.

"Of course, drink one right away if anything feels off. I might not notice symptoms as easily as the rest of you."

Thanks to Adaptability and the Death Priest’s Garb, poisoning would progress more slowly for me.

I couldn't use my condition as the standard.

We slowly and quietly entered the passage on the right.

The floor was covered in mushrooms too, and spores puffed up whenever we stepped on them.

"Tch, is there nothing here besides mushrooms and rocks...? This Gas Mask is seriously suffocating."

Even with Gas Mask training, it was probably still uncomfortable.

Then Yuki said something troubling.

"I think the smell is getting through the filter."

"Really?"

Could it penetrate the filter?

I hadn't expected a single Gas Mask to block everything completely.

Still, it would be far better than not wearing one.

'We need to find the antidote ingredients first.'

The others could see no farther than a hundred meters at best.

They were relying on Hajun and me.

Sang Hajun pointed through the fog.

"Let's go that way. There's higher ground where the spores are thinner. It'd make a good temporary base."

"Sounds good."

I had been looking for a temporary base where I could use Alchemy anyway.

As I led the way, I found a promising mushroom.

It looked quite strange and glowed blue.

[Blue Angler Mushroom: A mushroom with a powerful sedative effect. Can be used as an Alchemy ingredient or consumed as food.]

"Are mushrooms the main loot on the twelfth floor?"

It looked valuable, so I picked it up for now.

The more loot we had early on, the better.

I could trade it through the Alchemist's Ammunition Box.

But the moment I harvested the mushroom, a strange wave spread outward from where it had been.

Wooooong!

"Huh?"

"Team Leader, what was that?"

Sang Hajun noticed it too.

"It's spreading out in a circle. Through the walls and other mushrooms..."

"Is there some kind of Mycelial Network?"

"What's that?"

I explained the knowledge I had learned in order to acquire the Elf Race's plant cultivation techniques.

"Mushrooms and fungi like these send signals to each other through underground mycelium."

They exchanged nutrients essential to survival, warned nearby trees of dangers such as pests or drought, and shared defensive substances.

Ordinary plants did that too, so plants in the Tower would be even more extreme.

Sure enough, an unfamiliar presence appeared in the distance not long after.

Thud, thud...

A tree spirit nearly three meters tall slowly approached us.

It looked absurdly sturdy at a glance.

A Treant.

Still, making loud gunfire in this fog didn't seem like a smart choice.

I drew the Nightfall Custom.

"Everyone, fall back."

[Eye of Disassembly skill transcended, Collapse Point skill activated]

Pfft, pfft, pshoo!

9mm Enhanced Ammunition struck the exact same spot, forcibly expanding its weak point.

"Pheee..."

The creature made a strange sound and tried to swing its branches.

In the end, though, it couldn't withstand the growing wound and collapsed.

It seemed to have no special ability besides being tough.

I quickly finished it with my dagger and collected the loot.

Kim Yuna sighed in relief.

"What? That was nothing."

"No. This type becomes a problem when it's paired with other monsters."

"Ah. Right."

It was a vanguard type.

The kind that charged in first.

Fortunately, even after waiting a while, no other monsters appeared.

We had only harvested one mushroom, so it had probably just been nearby and come to check.

"At this rate, we won't be able to collect much..."

"Wait a moment. I'll try something."

"You have a way?"

After thoroughly analyzing the Blue Angler Mushroom I'd already harvested, I used Reconstruction.

Psssh!

The unharvested Blue Angler Mushroom changed shape.

I left the parts connected to the Mycelial Network intact and harvested only the portions containing nutrients.

"Oh, does that mean they won't notice?"

"For now. But it won't last long. The main body of the mushroom is gone, so it'll completely die within ten-odd minutes."

That would be enough time for us to leave the area.

After harvesting every mushroom, I moved to the higher ground I'd noticed earlier.

Swoosh!

A few minutes later, I sensed monsters moving through the spore fog...

But they soon retreated without finding anything.

"Wow, that really worked."

"Harvesting them the proper way is going to be a pain."

"Then I'll start working. Please rest while keeping watch."

I said that as I set up the Ever-Burning Heart and Alchemy Cauldron.

The spores were so thick that I added extra safeguards to prevent fire from spreading through the dust.

Han Juwon looked at the heart and offered an opinion.

"But aren't fungi and spores weak against heat?"

"They are. Mushrooms usually die at around forty-five degrees Celsius."

"Then why don't we just burn the whole place down?"

On the Tower's upper floors, which were rich in magic power, I could use the Ever-Burning Heart almost indefinitely.

But... would that really be the right solution?

The main loot on the twelfth floor seemed to be agricultural products.

If we set the cave on fire, the loot would burn with it.

Besides, if the solution were that easy, someone would've tried it already.

There had to be some kind of countermeasure in place.

So setting fires was out for now.

We'd take the proper route as much as possible.

Fwapapap!

After quickly creating antidotes, I began another task while the potions simmered.

I traded the monster's junk loot for large-caliber ammunition, separated the casings and gunpowder, then made a Homemade Bomb.

The new explosive was more powerful and less sensitive, an improved version developed by the Association's research department.

Since it was far less sensitive than the original, it required a separate primer and triggering device...

Fortunately, I had just the thing.

"Yuki, give me a receiver."

"Here."

It was a Tower Radio developed by the Korean Association.

I intended to use its components as a remote triggering device.

Simply sending and receiving signals was possible even in the Tower's environment.

I inserted a receiver into the completed explosive, then finished the casing with plant resin.

"Whew, done."

"It's a lot safer than before, right?"

"Yes. This won't explode even if you shoot it."

The antidotes were finished by then too.

I appraised one and was slightly taken aback.

"Huh, this..."

[Frenzy Spore Antidote: An antidote containing powerful sedative ingredients. Purifies symptoms caused by Frenzy Spores.]

"What's wrong? Did it fail?"

"No, not exactly."

I had made the antidote using Blue Angler Mushrooms.

Naturally, I'd expected it to produce the Hallucinogenic Spore Antidote I'd obtained beforehand.

Instead, I had made a Frenzy Spore Antidote.

Which meant Frenzy Spores were a separate thing.

"Don't tell me... there are several kinds of poisonous spores and antidotes?"

We had to prepare a different antidote for every type.

What a fucking mess.

I knew it would be rough, but I hadn't expected this much.

The antidotes for other spores would probably be found in different areas.

For now, I mass-produced as many as possible and packed them away.

At least the spore poisoning affected the body.

Since it wasn't the kind that affected the mind, I could use a Heavenly Elixir in an emergency.

Of course, using something that precious in a place like this would be close to a waste.

"Whew, this should be enough. Let's pack up and move."

"Mmm... Wait, I just dozed off for a second."

"What did you say?"

Kim Yuna's confession startled me.

She had dozed off during our crucial first attempt at clearing the twelfth floor.

It couldn't simply be because Kim Yuna had been careless.

Even if someone told me to sleep right then, I wouldn't have been able to.

"It's a symptom of spore poisoning."

Blue Angler Mushrooms had powerful sedative ingredients.

Those ingredients could create an antidote that suppressed a frenzy.

But normally, they could also act as sleeping pills or anesthetics.

The difference between poison and medicine was only a matter of dosage.

"Hajun, find the next area."

"Let's go that way."

We hurried onward before everyone fell asleep.

"We're almost at the next area. Is everyone okay?"

"I'm still fine."

"I'm only a little sleepy, so..."

The new area had steeper terrain and a more ominous shape.

It was a canyon filled with blade-like rocks.

There were plenty of Luminous Mushrooms here too.

"Oh, a mushroom. It's red."

"I'll check it."

[Red Devil Mushroom: A mushroom with a powerful stimulant effect. Can be used as an Alchemy ingredient or consumed as food.]

Its effect was the exact opposite of the earlier mushroom.

Their ingredients seemed to counteract each other and maintain the ecosystem.

Otherwise, one kind of mushroom would've covered the entire cave long ago.

"Then don't we just have to go back and forth between the two places without making antidotes?"

"That alone is a major restriction. Besides... there's no way it's that simple."

I found an area thick with mushrooms.

After harvesting a suitable amount nearby, I planted the bomb I'd made earlier.

I wanted to be able to detonate it at any time and draw monsters in.

I hadn't used it directly on the twelfth floor yet, so I couldn't be certain.

But its range should be around two hundred meters.

"Isn't it wasteful to use it already?"

"We can recover it later."

"Team Leader. There's a Descent Exit up there in the canyon."

"Nice. Let's remember that."

For once, the clear was going smoothly.

The moment we built a temporary base near the exit, though, I sensed other hunters in the distance.

"Gasp. Everyone, stay alert."

Were they... Elves?

There were five of them, as expected.

But one of them had an unusually powerful presence.

They noticed us too and spoke while keeping a reasonable distance.

"We're just passing through, so don't mind us."

"Sure, we won't. Keep walking, then."

I spoke while keeping my gun trained on them.

They had probably sensed it too.

Then one Elf with an especially strong presence accurately saw through our situation.

"You... are you a new race? Since you're here, is this your first time on the twelfth floor?"

"...So what?"

"Good. I'm a Sherpa. If you're interested, I can guide you for a low price."

"W-Wait, Sherpa. You can't just say something like that without asking..."

One of the others protested, but the Sherpa completely ignored them.

Sherpa.

I had heard of them.

Because of the Tower’s Curse, hunters couldn't properly share information about floors twelve and above...

But what if a team had a veteran hunter who had already cleared the upper floors?

Would the Tower’s Curse still take effect?

The answer was yes.

Even if they belonged to the same team, the Tower’s Curse still worked.

They could share information discovered during that expedition, but they couldn't explain every piece of information they already knew in advance.

Then was hiring a veteran hunter useless?

Not quite.

By watching and learning from a veteran hunter's movements, they could learn and infer methods for clearing the upper floors.

That was how Sherpas came to be.

They were like local guides who helped teams climb the upper floors.

They usually accepted gold and demonstrated clearing methods firsthand.

As veteran hunters, their wages were naturally enormous.

But there was still one problem.

'I heard Hunter Lords don't like Sherpas very much.'

The Hunter Lords of other races were the established class holding information and clearing methods for the upper floors.

They couldn't look kindly on Sherpas selling that information.

More hunters could challenge their power and authority because of Sherpas.

Because of that, Sherpas were banned in most dimensions.

As far as I knew, the Elf Race was no exception.

After calmly sorting through my thoughts, I spoke to them.

"I thought being a Sherpa on the twelfth floor was illegal."

"I guess everyone in your dimension is a model citizen?"

"..."

That had been a foolish question.

Hunters weren't known for following laws to the letter.

A Death Priest had no business saying that either.

Still, I politely declined the Sherpa's offer.

Traveling with hunters inclined toward that kind of illegality carried considerable risk.

"It's tempting, but let's work together another time. My team members are shy around strangers. And if ten people travel together, there probably won't be enough to go around."

"...You're a smart one. Fine. We'll meet again. If you have questions, I'll teach you at a special price."

The silhouettes of the Sherpa and all the others disappeared beyond the spore fog.

Footnotes:

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