WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈

Episode 92

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The Association's regular health checkup.

Hunters had checkups often enough to be mildly annoying.

They were necessary, but they were still a hassle.

My Regeneration was level 10.

I usually managed to get out of them by saying I was busy...

This time, I went through with it properly.

I didn't know what effects the spores I'd inhaled on the 12th floor might have on the human body.

Fortunately, the tests showed nothing unusual.

I even had Adaptability, the upper skill of Regeneration. If anything was wrong, it would probably show up in my teammates before it did in me.

Maybe it was because the international conference had brought everyone together.

Hunter officials from various countries still hadn't left. It looked like they had plenty to discuss.

They were impressed by the Korean Hunter Association's facilities.

"The Korean Hunter Association has incredible facilities. Rather than partnering with a large hospital for thorough checkups, you brought the equipment directly into headquarters..."

"It is convenient."

"Oh, Hunter Kang Hyun. Could you spare a moment?"

"Ah, sure."

It was an Association official from another country I'd definitely been introduced to yesterday.

I'd met so many people that I couldn't even remember where they were from.

My memory seemed to get much worse whenever something wasn't related to Hunter work.

They led me to a corner and spoke in a very serious voice.

It felt like we were about to make a drug deal.

"Hunter Kang. Our country has secured thirty boxes of your collaboration cup noodles."

"Oh... Really?"

"Yes. Will that be enough?"

"Hm... Buy about ten more boxes. I liked the curry flavor."

The curry flavor was probably the worst-selling one.

Making a new flavor just because it was a collaboration was too risky after all.

"Ten boxes of curry flavor? Understood."

We shook hands firmly.

Next, Hartman's granddaughter came to see me.

Her name was Olson, wasn't it?

She was beautiful, but she gave off a neat yet strict impression.

"Hello, Hunter Kang Hyun."

"Hello. Did Mr. Queenbell leave already?"

"Chairman Hartman is taking a walk in the backyard."

Was he pushing his own wheelchair?

Surely they hadn't just left him there.

She lowered her voice slightly.

"The chairman is already quite old. We don't know how much longer he'll be able to remain active."

"Ah, well. That's true, I suppose."

It was a somewhat random topic, but still a reasonable thing to bring up.

Old man Queenbell Hartman had a strange stubborn streak and refused to get proper magical treatment.

Olson continued.

"So from now on, would it be alright if I communicate with you on the chairman's behalf?"

Was that why they'd seemed so eager to introduce her yesterday?

Still, something felt off.

I asked just in case.

"You've discussed this properly with Mr. Hartman, right?"

"... Of course."

Just then, Hartman appeared.

Another man was pushing his wheelchair.

"It seems the conversation is going well."

So they had reached an agreement.

Still, I didn't like it.

I was fairly satisfied with my working relationship with Hartman.

But Olson's abilities were a complete unknown.

There was a good chance he was backing her just because she was his granddaughter.

I'd rather Hartman kept handling things himself, but then a good idea came to mind.

I reached into my Subspace Pouch.

Out came a transparent reinforced-glass potion bottle.

"Would you like a drink?"

"... A drink?"

Inside the bottle was the best of the Elixirs of Immortality I'd mass-produced last time.

[Elixir of Immortality (High Grade): Strengthens cellular regeneration to dramatically prevent aging. Expected duration: Approximately four months.]

The medicinal effect had increased dramatically compared to eating the mushrooms directly.

I handed it to Hartman.

"It's good for you."

"...?"

Unlike Olson, who still hadn't figured out what was going on, Hartman seemed to understand right away.

"... Are you telling me to keep working from now on?"

"Of course. You flew all the way to Korea to recruit me yourself."

He had to take responsibility as a businessman.

Olson, who had finally grasped the situation, tried to step in, but it was too late.

"Wait. This is..."

"Drink it. It's expensive, so don't leave any."

Hartman closed his eyes and downed the blue liquid from the glass bottle in one go.

He really polished it off.

I'd tested it myself after making it, and it had tasted pretty awful.

I even gave him a candy to clear his palate.

"Good job."

"... Now will you tell me what I drank?"

Was he only getting anxious after finishing it?

He'd deliberately avoided treatment, after all.

I'd be curious too.

"Think of it as adding about four months to your lifespan."

"... Is something like that really possible?"

"These days, we can even cure incurable diseases."

In the end, Olson left with Hartman, unable to hide her slight dissatisfaction.

What a fiercely devoted granddaughter.

Since I was at it, I called Han Juwon, who had returned from camping, and gave Han Juwon an elixir too.

"Yours lasts two months, Juwon. I boiled it a little too long."

"... Why am I getting the bad one?"

"The effect itself isn't that different. It's just the duration. You can get a refill later."

"Ah, I thought you were trying to use it sparingly because Hunters never know when they'll die."

"Oh, that's a good idea. Let's do that from now on."

Han Juwon immediately began drinking it, afraid someone might take it away.

Go Jiho came in just then, so I gave him a bottle as well.

"It's an Elixir of Immortality."

"Kang Hyun, do you have a lot of these?"

"For now, there's enough."

I had processed all the mushrooms from the last expedition except for a few set aside for experiments.

If I only supplied the entire team, Go Jiho, and Hartman, about seven people total, it would last six months.

Go Jiho said we should take the opportunity to establish clear criteria.

"What criteria?"

"Criteria for distributing the Elixir of Immortality. For starters, I agree that your teammates should take it."

Thanks to Regeneration, Hunters already aged a little more slowly than normal.

With the elixir on top of that, they could maintain their physical prime for as long as possible.

There was no downside to taking it, so it was better to do so.

Only Yuki, who still had room to physically grow, should wait before taking one.

In the first place, my teammates had participated in the expedition.

They had the right to receive a share of the elixir.

That was why I'd handed one over to Kim Yuna without complaint.

The issue came after that.

Go Jiho held his own elixir back out to me.

"Old man Hartman is at an age where it wouldn't be strange if he collapsed at any time, so I understand him... But I'm still perfectly fine. Don't underestimate me."

"... Tell me if you change your mind later."

He wasn't the type to accept it if I forced it on him, so I left it alone for now.

Still, it was a little strange.

Kim Yuna and Han Juwon both became unexpectedly attached to the idea of immortality when it was right in front of them.

I wasn't in any position to criticize the Hunter Lords.

I lightly rolled the glass bottle in my hand.

Should I drink it?

No, I should save it for now.

Honestly, taking this as a Death Priest felt a little questionable.

Should I be glad the elixir only lasted for a limited time?

It wasn't like drinking it once meant I would never age.

"Ah, I should give some of mine to Heentteok."

"You care about your pet more than you let on."

"What do you mean, more than I let on? I openly care about Heentteok. I even switched all of Heentteok's feed to hay this time."

I'd been advised that hay was better for rabbits' health.

After hearing about Heentteok, Go Jiho seriously considered it before changing his mind.

"Could I just take mine after all? Kang Hyun's pet rabbit is drinking it too."

"You're already too late."

Still, I gave him a bottle just in case.

It also normalized the immune system, so it was effective against things like cancer.

Han Juwon seemed to want bottles for their family too...

But the supply wasn't abundant enough for that, so I held back.

"Good, then we've established our policy."

"What happened to the Necromancer who supposedly sought asylum in our country?"

"Ah, that guy? He's working hard to adapt. He's a strange one."

It would be strange if a Necromancer wasn't strange.

I checked the documents Go Jiho handed me.

For now, the Necromancer seemed to be staying at an Association facility and cooperating with research on the undead.

"Those undead aren't useful at all. Low-grade undead have terrible physical durability. Their bones break after about thirty hours of continuous labor."

"Wouldn't a person's bones break too if you made them work for thirty hours...?"

"They need to be better than people."

I decided to meet the Necromancer myself.

He was a skinny young Orc.

He had grown only his bangs pointlessly long, covering his eyes.

"Ah, uh, welcome... Oh! Could you be... a Death Priest?"

"Oh, you recognized me at a glance?"

"I handle souls... Souls instinctively feel fear whenever they get near a powerful Death Priest."

Oh, was he subtly flattering me by calling me powerful?

It didn't feel too bad.

"I'm Millon, a Necromancer. Please don't kill me..."

"You came from the Japanese Tower?"

"Yes. As soon as I crossed over from the Tower, I used a spell to deceive people's eyes and escaped."

"What crime did you commit in your homeland?"

Orca had said that many Hunters who crossed dimensions were fugitives who had committed crimes.

Orca was being pursued too.

Millon spoke as if he had nothing to hide.

"If being a Necromancer is a crime, then that's my crime. I'm too small and weak for an Orc, so I was bullied from childhood... I learned necromancy because it suited my constitution better than anything else."

Millon moistened his lips before making an unexpected request.

"Could you refrain from swinging your sword until I finish telling my story?"

"... As long as you don't chant any strange spells, I'll do that."

"Ah, I absolutely won't. Thank you. I'm actually a disciple of Aratib, the Necromancer Hunter Lord. Of course, I'm not a highly ranked disciple or anything... I was sent here to investigate."

I flinched.

My hand moved on reflex, but I held it back.

The fact that he was so willingly admitting to being a spy meant there had to be something else going on.

Necromancy wasn't the kind of skill you could learn at a neighborhood academy...

Naturally, he would have a master.

It was good that he'd revealed that first.

"Aratib is an extremely powerful Necromancer. They don't pay much attention to low-ranking disciples like me. Anyway... I'd like you to use me as a double agent."

"A double agent?"

"Yes. Aratib sent me here with clear intentions. But I don't want to die for my master... I only became a Necromancer to make a living. I only realized later that it was a pretty terrible profession."

So he wanted us to use him to feed false information to Aratib...

And in return, he would provide information about Aratib.

Yuki asked the obvious question from behind me.

"How can we trust you? You could be a triple agent, not a double agent."

"What are you worried about? You have my true body, after all. A Necromancer's city reeks of rot, but this place is nice. It's clean and smells good. The meals and snacks are good too."

Was this only natural because he was a low-ranking Necromancer?

He didn't look strong at all.

"... Aratib sent you as a spy without any insurance?"

"I told you, I'm low-ranking. I'm not valuable enough for Aratib to put powerful restraints on me, restraints that could affect me across the barrier between dimensions. I might be useful to have around, but I don't matter enough to miss."

"..."

"And before I came here, I had no idea this dimension was such a livable paradise. It seems my luck is finally turning."

I was starting to trust him.

But there was one thing bothering me.

"You said Aratib sent you here with clear intentions. What are they?"

"Ah, it's simple. Intelligent life is an excellent resource for Necromancers. And the number of living beings detected in this dimension is enormous."

Millon raised both hands in surrender as he spoke.

"My master intends to invade this dimension before long. Spreading a plague through the middle of a city or creating a horde of zombies would make it very easy to build power. From what I can see, all of you are in quite a dangerous situation."

"... What?"

I decided to hear more details.

Footnotes:

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