WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Escaping the Tower at Hell Difficulty ◈
Episode 94
──────
Unfortunately, my suggestion to lure Aratib to Gwanghwamun Tower was rejected.
The operation itself was perfect. It was the Association higher-ups' rigid thinking that got in the way.
"I'm telling you, all we'd have to do is stab them the moment they show up..."
"If it fails, Seoul turns into a zombie paradise."
For once, Kim Yuna defended the higher-ups.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course I'm scared. You'd be an idiot if you weren't."
"That's true."
There was only one thing to fear: becoming a warrior who knew no fear.
As I recalled that saying from another country, the Necromancer Millon approached me. He hadn't actively participated in the meeting because he was a prisoner, but he was still one of the experts on this situation.
"Millon, what did you think of my operation?"
"Ah, well... It's a good operation, but wouldn't it be difficult to carry out?"
"Why?"
"Master Aratib is extremely cautious by nature, and they won't believe me."
I see. So they were suspicious.
They didn't even properly trust the spies they'd sent out themselves. A necessary virtue for a villain who wanted to live a long life.
"So even luring them somewhere I want would be difficult..."
"Yes."
"Then where do you think they'll go?"
At the very least, it would be better to set up an ambush.
"First, it has to have a very large population. It also needs to be densely populated."
A Necromancer's resources were intelligent life forms. Non-intelligent creatures could be useful too, but apparently, they were far less valuable than sentient beings.
It was a job that handled spirits, after all. There had to be something that could be called a spirit.
"They won't care much about security near the Tower. They'll send their subordinates in first anyway."
"Well... probably."
No matter how advanced modern weapons were, I wasn't sure they could stop a Hunter Lord who was truly determined to invade.
They could even show up at an abandoned Tower.
"Besides population density, what matters is whether it's easy to expand into the surrounding regions."
"Hm."
It sounded like turning the first city into a zombie nest was already a given.
If they didn't have that much confidence, they wouldn't have crossed over in the first place.
In the end, the meeting concluded that there were two likely targets.
"This is either China or India."
Their populations were so overwhelmingly large that there was no need to consider other candidates.
Which of the two Aratib chose was up to them...
But if it were me, I'd go to India.
"Why India?"
"Central control is probably weaker. There are likely many people who aren't officially registered, too."
If Mumbai alone were properly hit, they could target a population in the tens of millions.
China also had more mountainous terrain than people thought, which would make movement inconvenient.
"Hm, even if they come to one of those places... This is a headache. How would we get there in time?"
"Ah. Getting there from here is easy. You can teleport between Towers. It's cheap too, as long as they're in the same dimension."
When I said that, everyone but Yuki turned to look at me in mild surprise.
"What? How do you know that, Team Leader? Where did you go?"
"I went to Japan with Yuki over the weekend."
"You really do get around..."
"Tell us more about that plague. Is it dangerous to Hunters too?"
"No. Master Aratib's Magical Plague is certainly powerful, but Hunter Mana Resistance blocks most of it. The real danger is non-Hunter civilians."
Millon continued explaining.
He was working hard to prove his usefulness. I could get a sense of how he'd survived under Aratib.
"The Magical Plague instantly transforms its victims into the lowest-grade undead... zombies. The zombies themselves carry the Magical Plague."
"So it's a zombie virus. What's its weakness?"
"It's a disease strengthened by magic, so ordinary methods barely work. It's somewhat weak to high temperatures, and it also needs a continuous supply of the caster's mana."
"I thought once it spread, that was it?"
"Normally, yes. But this dimension's mana density is too low."
"Ah."
There were times when being less developed in Hunter terms worked in our favor.
That meant that even in the worst case, we just had to kill them or drive them out.
"Can civilians transformed into zombies be restored?"
"The plague kills them first, then resurrects them as zombies, so that's difficult."
"Ha... They're a real pain in the ass."
Once the plague began spreading, people would die in droves.
Normally, if a disease had too high a fatality rate, people would die before they could properly spread it, making it less contagious...
But zombies continued spreading it after death, making this a crazy disease that had it both ways.
"Once it starts spreading properly, people will die at an insane rate. Their corpses will become Aratib's army."
"Can we warn China and India?"
"We don't even need to. They've already received the information and are being cautious. They probably think they'll be hit first too."
"Millon. Will you know when they start moving?"
"Of course. They'll gather me and their other subordinates to use us."
Millon spoke confidently.
"You said Aratib isn't that naive. So they'd share their operation with you?"
"Strictly speaking, they wouldn't be sharing the operation. They'd be using us as cannon fodder."
"Ah..."
"Normally, the other spies and I wouldn't have fully cooperated with you either. Master is terrifying. But the humans of this dimension are much stronger than expected, and above all, you have a Death Priest..."
Come to think of it, should I contact the other Death Priests?
It would be better to tell them beforehand, before it was too late. They all had schedules, after all.
"I'll go make some calls."
Bellion was delighted the moment he received my call.
[Aratib is targeting your dimension? The day I repay my debt has come sooner than expected.]
"Um... Could we get help from other Death Priests too?"
[Of course. Necromancers are our eternal enemies. And if it's Aratib, there are quite a few who'll gladly step forward. They've taken down more than a few Death Priests.]
From what I'd seen, Reapers were the Death Priests' greatest enemy, with Necromancers coming next.
There was a reason Hunter Lords ranked so low.
The first and second were so overwhelmingly dangerous that Hunter Lords seemed relatively tolerable by comparison.
At least there was a chance of cooperation with them.
[I'll speak with Gillius and send out a summons. Share the information as soon as you receive it.]
"Thank you."
After requesting support, we prepared equipment for battle and even went to inspect the site.
"We're going to Mumbai Tower."
"You've already worked everything out with the local government, right?"
"Of course."
Flash!
Hot, humid air greeted us.
"Ugh, it's so crowded. Is this place even being properly managed?"
"Mumbai has a large Hunter population."
"All these people are Hunters?"
Apparently, most countries with large populations, low standards of living, and few jobs ended up like this.
Hunters there seemed unable to climb to high levels because they were forced to rush through the Tower.
"Team Leader... I think we're rushing through the Tower too. We go in once a month without fail."
"We really are being chased by the latecomers. Do you want them to catch up?"
"Hey, give up. That argument won't work on the Team Leader."
"But why did Millon come along?"
When Han Juwon glanced at Millon, he quickly answered.
"I was originally supposed to be stationed here. Since Aratib chose this place as a target..."
"Seriously...? Has the attack location been decided?"
"China is still under consideration. They won't tell us the exact timing and location until the end."
"They're cautious."
The Indians were fascinated by us...
But perhaps because we were fully armed, they didn't dare approach us carelessly.
For reference, I was carrying MCX Spear No. 2.
No. 1 had been destroyed, so I made a new one and even applied an Enchantment before coming here.
Sang Hajun asked from beside me.
"Team Leader. Do you like that one?"
"It's the rifle I'm most used to."
The awkwardness that came with changing weapons couldn't be ignored.
After we waited a little longer, someone from the Indian Association came to guide us.
"Welcome. You're the Korean Hunters, correct?"
"That's right."
Since we were operating in another country, we even wore ROK military Taegeukgi patches, which we normally didn't use.
They were black and white, but that would be enough for friend-or-foe identification.
"I'll guide you right away. Please be careful with the local food and water. Many people find that it doesn't agree with them."
I'd filled my canteen to the brim for exactly that reason.
We were led to a building near the Tower.
"We'll establish the defensive line here."
"This is good. It's an appropriate distance from the Tower. We can provide not only sniper support, but serious fire support too."
They had unexpectedly handled things well.
Seeing the Reapers invade last time must have shocked them into action.
There had been many casualties among the military and police then, along with quite a few civilians.
Kim Yuna spoke with her mask pulled over her face.
"It would be best if they don't come at all..."
"They don't seem like the kind of person who'll listen."
"Right?"
Then, suddenly, I felt a fairly distinct gaze.
I'd already grown used to the curious looks from locals.
This felt different.
A gaze carrying faint killing intent.
Flash!
I reflexively activated Four Seasons.
My perceived time stretched out in an instant, and I could accurately sense the opponent's position.
'Second floor of the building behind us?'
Even if Aratib had an especially terrible reputation, not all of their subordinates would have betrayed them.
If so, what would be a jackpot for them?
Killing me.
If the only Death Priest in our dimension disappeared, one obstacle to their invasion plan would be gone.
Even if they failed, they could simply use a Soul Box to resurrect at their leisure.
There would be no Death Priest left anyway.
I moved as naturally as possible to a position that would make sniping difficult.
Then I used hand signals to speak to Yuki.
'Sniper on the second floor of the building behind us. Take them out immediately.'
Nod.
Yuki immediately summoned a Clone and sent it toward the building behind us.
I could have sent Kim Yuna, but the enemy might notice if one of us disappeared.
From here on, it was a race against time.
I revealed myself to the enemy again.
The killing intent at the back of my head grew stronger and stronger.
Sang Hajun's face stiffened as though he had noticed too late.
He was a little slower because he wasn't being directly targeted like I was.
I mouthed for him not to make it obvious.
"Oh, Hunter Kang Hyun. Welcome to Mumbai."
"Ah. Ayan."
Even as the Indian Hunter who had attended the Seoul meeting spoke with my teammates, my attention remained focused on Four Seasons.
Finally, the killing intent peaked as though the enemy had decided to take the shot.
Just as I thought I couldn't ignore it any longer.
Whoosh!
A bone arrow shot toward me at incredible speed.
That wouldn't be good for my health.
Fortunately, I had already seen it through Four Seasons.
Flash!
I lightly spun halfway around and avoided the shot.
The enemy was caught off guard, and Yuki's Clone finally reached them.
Bang!
"Huh?"
"Aah!"
For the brief moment civilians were startled by the gunshot, the Hunters reflexively entered combat stances.
It was the reaction speed unique to people who could shift into battle at any moment.
Watching them made me feel oddly proud too.
"Sniper!"
"It's fine. We've already subdued them."
"What... You knew?"
"I sensed it beforehand."
We hurried to the building where the sniper had been.
Yuki had blown the enemy's skull apart with her shotgun.
"T-That's undead... Are all the people who were originally here... dead?"
"We were attacked, so we need to withdraw immediately..."
"... No. The opposite."
"What?"
A thought suddenly came to me, and I called Millon over.
I'd deliberately sent him elsewhere so he wouldn't be discovered while he was with us.
Millon immediately recognized the skeleton sniper.
"Ah, it's one of Aratib's enthusiastic disciples. It never managed to become a Lich, but..."
"Hey, this bastard contacted Aratib before shooting me, right?"
"... Most likely. Killing a Death Priest would be an enormous achievement, and it could expose the invasion operation if it made a mistake. It must have received permission before acting."
Was that why it took a while before it fired?
This worked out perfectly.
"Contact Aratib and tell them the sniping succeeded. Tell them I'm dead."
"What? W-Why would you..."
I gave him bait that would make Aratib come right away.
The best lies were always based on truth.
"Tell them I requested support from the Death Priests before I died, so they won't be able to invade unless they come quickly."
"Gasp..."
If Aratib got scared of the Death Priests and ran away, that would be a gain too.
And if they didn't, if they rushed in while still unprepared?
We could crush them at the prepared defensive line.
Either way, there was nothing bad about it.
"Hurry. If the report is late, they'll become suspicious."
"A-All right... You're really doing this?"
While Millon made contact, I spoke to the Association officials.
"You need to evacuate the civilians and get as far away as possible."
"... Excuse me?"
"Now!"
When they failed to understand, Yuki fired a few more shotgun rounds into the air.
Bang, bang!
"Aah!!"
Only then did the civilians begin running away in a panic.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
