I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 20

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 20: 020

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Flash!

The bright haze faded.

I slowly looked around.

The first thing that caught my eye was the brilliant sunlight.

Radiant light rose in the east, illuminating the vast land.

I lowered my gaze and took in my surroundings.

It was a barren expanse of rocky mountains. There were hardly any trees, and the only vegetation was scattered clumps of knee-high grass.

It looked like a desolate desert made of stone.

Even so, the sight gave me a strange sense of freedom.

"Finally, I get to fight somewhere bright and open. It was getting way too stifling."

Now that I was out in a bright, open place, I realized once again just how miserable the previous floors had been.

The Tower's Lower Floors had been made up of caves and underground chambers.

Every single one had been narrow, dark, damp, and musty.

I had it easier than most. Fireballs could serve as lighting, and since I mainly fought from a distance, I rarely got splattered with blood.

Other Hunters must have suffered terribly.

They had to keep swinging swords in dark, cramped places while getting covered in blood from head to toe...

There was no way they could avoid the psychological strain.

That was why Hunters on the Lower Floors ended up wasting away from mental illness.

I'd seen enough of the scenery, so I turned around.

"Hyeji. Let's get moving."

"Yes!"

My S-grade porter answered energetically as she pulled her backpack into place.

Her bag was far fuller than usual. She had brought extra equipment for this raid.

"But do we really need four carts?"

"If we're going to clean out the Goblin Village, we'll need that much."

"...Just how much loot is there?"

"They say there are seven hundred weapon drops alone, plus hundreds of kilograms of leather and ingots. The carts might not even be enough. We may need sacks and bags too."

"Goodness... Can we really carry all of that? It sounds hard..."

Hyeji muttered uncertainly.

No matter how much of an S-grade porter she was, she was still just an Easy-rank nobody.

She couldn't be confident about hauling hundreds of kilograms, perhaps even a full ton of loot, across these rugged rocky mountains to the escape point.

But who was I?

An Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.

I had far greater physical strength than some Easy-rank nobody, and I was a magnificent being who wielded the mysteries of magic.

I already had a plan in mind, so as long as we had carts, it looked manageable.

"Let's go for now."

"Okay..."

Na Hyeji's expression darkened at the thought of carrying heavy things all day.

But she didn't need to worry too much.

I would be carrying most of it.

Of course, Hyeji would still have to work hard.

Anyway, we headed toward the summit.

That was where the large Goblin Village was.

* * *

At the summit of the rocky mountain, I gazed intently at the large Goblin Village in the distance.

It was definitely much bigger than the Goblin Village I had seen on Floor 4.

There were over a hundred crude huts, and the watchtowers and fences looked sturdier too.

Still, that was all they were.

'Fireball.'

They were nothing but crude structures that would burst apart from a single Fireball.

Without hesitation, I prepared my magic.

Wooooooong!

I gathered a massive amount of Blue Motes.

I loaded Fireballs.

One by one, Fireballs bloomed above my staff.

At first, there was one.

Then ten, twenty, forty, past seventy...

'Exactly one hundred.'

Fwoooooosh!

A full hundred large Fireballs rose into the air and orbited me with solemn grandeur.

After reaching Tower Floor 7, I had become able to control one hundred large Fireballs.

This wasn't even my full output.

Even after leaving some power in reserve for emergencies, I had raised a hundred Fireballs.

At this point, it was almost frightening.

'Isn't this kind of firepower practically military-grade?'

Come to think of it, it really was military-grade.

A hundred bombs should be enough firepower to take on a company-sized military unit.

Anyway.

"Special delivery."

I fired a loaded Fireball.

Screeeeeech!

The Fireball tore through the air, leaving a long red trail behind it.

Kwoooooong!

The Fireball struck a watchtower, causing a tremendous explosion.

The tall watchtower shattered and collapsed.

It was my replacement for a doorbell.

"Kek?!"

"Keuruk! Keureuk!"

"Keeeeek!"

The panicked clamor of Goblins came from inside the village.

Caught off guard by the sudden explosion, they were in disarray.

I threw a Fireball their way.

Kwoooooong!

The explosion scattered dozens of Goblins into pieces.

Limbs and chunks of flesh sprayed through the air.

I began firing Fireballs continuously at places where Goblins seemed likely to be gathered.

Kwoooooong!

Kwaang!

Kwakwakwakwakwaang!

Fences were smashed apart, and huts burst open.

Fireballs fell wherever Goblins gathered.

Explosions erupted one after another.

Deafening booms and vibrations shook heaven and earth.

A merciless barrage of Fireball explosions swept over the Goblin Village.

After firing around fifty shots...

"That should have cleaned things up a little. Shall I head in now?"

Step. Step.

I slowly walked into the Goblin Village.

In that short time, the village had been completely devastated.

Every crude hut had been destroyed.

Chunks of Goblin flesh and pieces of entrails were scattered everywhere.

Naturally, not every Goblin in the village was dead.

Some had been on the outskirts and luckily escaped the blast radius.

Others had been caught in an explosion but lost only their limbs and still clung to life.

Many Goblins remained alive in the village.

Of course, dealing with them was incredibly easy.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

All I had to do was fire Air Bullets through their heads.

I put one into the backs of the heads of the ones scrambling to flee.

The Goblins collapsed helplessly, holes punched through their skulls.

Shhk!

I made active use of Wind Cutter in the narrow alleys.

A sharp blade of compressed air swept through, cutting more than ten fleeing Goblins in half and sending them tumbling to the ground.

I moved through the Goblin Village, killing every one I came across.

How long had the battle continued?

At some point...

"..."

Silence fell.

The only sounds were hut fragments collapsing with a crash and the cool breeze blowing.

Even when I sharpened my senses, I could no longer detect any living creatures moving.

Ten minutes.

In only ten minutes, I had completely wiped out a large Goblin Village.

But... I hadn't killed every last one.

I clicked my tongue.

"It looks like around fifty escaped. Can't be helped. Unlike a cave, this place is completely open in every direction."

Around fifty Goblins had fled outside the village.

I wasn't too disappointed.

Around six hundred and fifty Goblins would still bring in plenty of profit.

I called out to Hyeji, who had been waiting far away.

"Hyeji! It's safe now! Come collect the loot!"

"..."

Trudge. Trudge.

She came out from behind a rock, muttering as she walked over.

"Goodness... You destroyed an entire Goblin Village by yourself in no time. Isn't magic way too broken?"

"Wizards are supposed to be the most absurdly overpowered class. Hyeji, hurry up and quit being a porter so you can become a wizard."

"I really would if I could..."

Click. Click. Click.

Once Hyeji entered the village, she assembled the carts with practiced hands.

Then she began collecting loot.

"Ugh... Gross..."

Holding sturdy tongs, Na Hyeji walked around the village, picking up loot one piece at a time.

She wasn't wearing a gas mask.

Well, this was such an open area that the smell of blood wasn't very strong.

There was no real need for a gas mask.

I started on my own work as well.

"I need to make a route to transport the loot..."

I glanced north.

We were at the summit of a rocky mountain.

The Escape Portal was to the north, so we had to go down the northern slope.

The route was far too rough.

It was an uneven mountain of rock.

Boulders and stones were everywhere.

There were plenty of places where it was hard to find solid footing.

Going back and forth over such rough terrain while carrying heavy bags would be incredibly exhausting and inconvenient.

Since I wanted to make a gentle path suitable for pulling carts, the solution was simple.

"Earth Manipulation."

Building a road with Earth Manipulation, click.

Since Earth Manipulation used the surrounding terrain, it didn't consume that many Blue Motes.

Making a temporary road over a long distance was entirely possible.

Krrrraaaack!

Using Earth Manipulation, I slowly began walking down the mountain.

I controlled the surrounding land, moving rocks and boulders.

The uneven rocky path became a gentle downhill slope.

This should be enough to pull carts through.

As I worked on the road, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

'...I'm in the Tower, and I'm building roads. This feels a little strange.'

I started to feel like something was wrong.

While everyone else was risking their lives and fighting in the Tower, I was here paving roads.

How should I put it...

It felt less like combat and more like manual labor.

"No, it actually is manual labor!"

At this rate, I wasn't a noble and magnificent Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.

I was just a workhorse soldier a quartermaster would love.

I made up my mind.

'I will earn lots of money and definitely buy a Spatial Bag!'

A Spatial Bag.

An unbelievably expensive artifact that cost at least ten billion won.

If I had one, I would never have to go through this kind of ridiculous hardship again.

Anyway.

Hyeji and I divided up the work and diligently transported the loot.

"There should be ingots and leather in the village too. Find those and load them into the carts."

"Jiho! Please clear these fragments away! They're too heavy to lift!"

"They're damn heavy...!"

I made roads, moved carts, and cleared rubble.

Hyeji gathered loot from all over the village ruins and loaded it onto the carts.

After six whole hours of labor...

[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 7)]

[You have completed Tower Floor 7.]

[You have defeated 371 Goblins (1).]

[You have defeated 183 Goblin Archers (2).]

[You have defeated 94 Goblin Warriors (10).]

[Points are being calculated.]

[Tower Floor 8 has been unlocked.]

[Returning.]

We were finally able to throw ourselves into the Return Portal while pulling four carts.

It had been a brutally exhausting day.

* * *

"Uuuugh..."

Flop.

Na Hyeji collapsed weakly onto the living room floor of my house.

"Haaah..."

Thud.

I dropped down beside her.

Both Na Hyeji and I were on the verge of exhaustion.

This raid had been that hard.

Hyeji had spent hours digging through building debris and collecting loot.

As for me, I had made roads, pulled carts, and gone back and forth through the village several times.

There was no way we wouldn't be tired.

It was a strange feeling.

'Even the body of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter can get tired from this much labor.'

After becoming a Hunter, I had never once felt a lack of stamina or strength.

Yet this brutal labor had finally pushed my body to its limit.

It made sense.

The total weight of the loot we had carried was over 960 kilograms.

We had transported nearly a full ton using nothing but physical labor.

I realized something anew.

'The pyramids really were built by humans...!'

Human potential truly was limitless.

We had somehow carved a path down the mountain and stubbornly brought down this insane amount of loot...

Even after doing it myself, I could hardly believe it.

I looked at Na Hyeji.

"Hyeji. Are you okay?"

"My legs have given out, so I can't get up. Could you help me up?"

"Too much work."

"That's so mean! It was really hard...!"

Na Hyeji whined as she lay sprawled across the living room floor.

Still, I looked at her with satisfaction.

She had worked incredibly hard all day.

Even when she complained like usual, I only felt proud of her.

'She's earned an SS-rank porter rating.'

I promoted her rank to SS in my heart.

She had somehow endured that brutal labor all the way through.

I had picked a truly excellent porter.

And she was unpaid too.

I should buy her something delicious later.

As I sat there blankly, I noticed the pile of loot taking up half of my cramped living room.

Four carts packed to the brim.

Two leather backpacks swollen so full they looked ready to burst.

Even sacks that looked just as heavy...

Thinking of all that as money made me feel proud.

'I should brag... right?'

I was exhausted, but I absolutely couldn't resist bragging about this.

Click!

I took a picture of the loot pile and quickly wrote a post.

[Post Title: Newbie Hunter... Cleared Floor 7 Today]

[Author: Blue Dot]

(Photo of carts, bags, and sacks filled with loot)

Newbie Hunter... went to Floor 7 today

As soon as I started, I rushed up to the village at the summit

Smashed the whole village and killed every Goblin I saw

I heard there were around 700, but about 50 ran away so I couldn't kill every last one T_T

If it had been a cave I would've killed them all, but it was an open map so chasing them was annoying...

So today's loot

371 Goblin daggers, 183 Goblin bows, 94 Goblin Warrior Longswords

Plus 30 ingots and 70 kilograms of leather

Got 1,677 Points too

I did the math and it's around 62 million won after taxes...

Wow, this is actually insane, how did I make this much in one haul?

Cleaning out Goblin Villages really is the best

But the problem was transporting the loot

There was way too much and it was too heavy, but the Escape Portal was at the bottom of the mountain

I cleared the village in ten minutes, but why did transporting it take six hours...

The total weight was almost one ton, I seriously thought I was going to die from how hard it was

My legs are still shaking, I feel like I'm dying for real

Ah, I wish I had a Spatial Bag

I wouldn't have gone through this hell if I had a Spatial Bag

When I make lots of money later, I'm definitely buying one, damn it!!!

I worked way too hard today and don't even have an appetite

I'm just going to sleep without eating...

└This crazy bastard is at it again today.

└The Goblin massacre stuff is your usual bullshit, so I can let that slide, but what's this one-ton haul nonsense? That's new.

└And they didn't even carry it a short distance. They say they hauled it down a rocky mountain to the escape point lol. What are they, an actual Sherpa?

└A Lower Floors scrub talking about buying a Spatial Bag without knowing their place, tch tch. And what? They killed 650 Goblins in ten minutes? It's ridiculous every time I see it...

└No, more than that, I'm amazed at how they get these pictures every time lol. Are they really a High Floor Hunter pretending to be a newbie?

└└As if.

└└High Floor Hunters socialize on HunterNet. They wouldn't bother visiting a dump like Hunter Gallery.

...

└HunterNet: Please check your messages.

└└What, is that real?

└└HunterNet has completely lost its touch. Anyone can see this isn't a Hunter, it's some ordinary person pretending to get attention, and they're sending them an invitation?

└└The country's finished, and HunterNet is finished too!

...

Comments kept pouring in.

Normally, I would have laughed while calling them ignorant fools.

But I didn't even have the strength to read the comments, so I closed the gallery.

I wanted to lie down and sleep immediately.

Glance.

I turned to look at Na Hyeji, who was sprawled on the living room floor.

"...She's sleeping soundly on the floor."

I had wondered why the person who said she couldn't get up had gone quiet.

It looked like she had already fallen fast asleep.

Only the steady sound of her breathing could be heard.