I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 27

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 27: 027

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Morning.

On the way to the Climber Management Branch.

“Hmm hmm hmm.”

My sister hummed happily as she drove.

I snickered and asked, “Are you really that happy about getting a new car?”

“Yeah. I wish three days would pass already. I want to get it as soon as possible.”

She bounced her shoulders with an excited look on her face.

She'd been like this ever since signing the car contract yesterday.

She was so excited for the day the car would arrive that she couldn't stop buzzing.

I awkwardly rubbed under my nose.

‘Didn't think she'd be this happy. Maybe I should've bought it for her sooner.’

The effect of the car gift was pretty overwhelming.

A whole day had already passed, and she was still grinning.

Still, there was one regrettable thing.

‘Ah. I didn't get to play hidden rich guy at the dealership yesterday.’

I'd been looking forward to it on the way there.

You know, that cliché.

The protagonist makes a lot of money in a short time, goes to buy an expensive imported car,

gets looked down on by the sales staff because of shabby clothes and the old car they arrived in,

then rewards the one employee who was kind to them with a big sale...

That classic modern-day novel cliché where the protagonist hides their wealth.

I'd been excited to experience that for myself.

But I didn't get to.

Because every single salesperson at the dealership had been nice.

‘Never thought all the rich people would move abroad and leave the car market dead.’

With only three months left until the Republic of Korea's destruction,

hardly anyone crazy enough to buy a new imported car was visiting those dealerships.

The showroom had been dead empty.

So when my sister and I showed up,

they didn't have time to inspect our clothes or the car we came in.

They rushed over right away and tried desperately to make the sale.

There was another upside, too.

“We got lucky, Jiho. They had a car in stock because someone canceled delivery on it. They said I can get it in three days!”

“Yeah. We really did get lucky.”

The car my sister ordered

would normally take at least three months and as long as half a year.

But the person who originally ordered it had moved abroad, so it ended up sitting in stock at Pyeongtaek Port.

Thanks to that, she could get it in as little as three days.

My sister smiled and said,

“What an idiot. Why would they move abroad? Our Jiho's going to save this country.”

“You're hyping me up way too much all of a sudden, Sis.”

“My little brother is an Extreme Luna... something Hunter! What do you have to be afraid of? Just smash that Tower to pieces!”

Maybe the gift had worked too well.

She was praising me more than usual.

She normally wasn't the type to gush over me like this...

Well, I guess that just meant she was in a really good mood.

“Here. We made it.”

Screech.

I got out of the car and headed to the Climber Management Branch.

Then I placed my hand on the familiar crystal ball and exchanged my Points.

[Please specify the amount of Points to transfer to the ‘Republic of Korea’.]

“All of it.”

[Transferring 4,400 Points to the ‘Republic of Korea’.]

“Hunter Baek Jiho, we have confirmed 4,400 Points. We will deposit 44 million won into your designated account. The Republic of Korea will remember your dedication.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I stepped out of line after getting the usual folding bow from the civil servant.

As expected, I could hear the whispers of the commoners.

“Wow, four thousand Points...”

“As expected of a top Hunter...”

“What floor range must that be...”

Hmm.

Now, even when I received those reverent looks from the commoners, my shoulders didn't so much as twitch.

I must've gotten used to being worshipped.

Actually, that was a lie.

Even now, I was pressing my shoulders down so hard to stop them from soaring skyward that my back was about to cramp.

Anyway, today's exchange ended safely too.

Normally, I would've gone straight back outside, gotten into my sister's car, and headed home.

But today, I went toward the inner counter instead.

‘I need to register as a Middle Floors Hunter.’

I'd finally reached Floor 11.

That meant it was time to renew my Hunter ID.

I went to the Climber Management counter and stated my business.

“I came to renew my Hunter ID.”

“Please show me your status window.”

I pulled it up right away.

[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 11)]

[0 Points]

The staff member checked my status window and spoke with admiration in their eyes.

“You've reached the Middle Floors! Congratulations!”

“It was nothing. Oh, right, how long does the renewal take? I have someone waiting outside.”

“It should only take five minutes. Please wait a moment.”

There wasn't much to the Hunter ID renewal process.

They verified my identity again, recorded my status window, checked the records...

At one point, the civil servant handling the process got a phone call from somewhere and their expression suddenly stiffened.

Still, the renewal went through quickly.

[Republic of Korea Hunter Registration Card]

[Baek Jiho][Middle Floors (11-30)]

And that was how I got my Middle Floors Hunter Registration Card.

It was such a bare-bones card that it almost felt flimsy.

But when I thought about how only two thousand people in the entire country had one,

it hit a little differently.

The civil servant continued in a low voice.

“Your Middle Floors Hunter registration has been completed. Your assigned civil servant will visit your home today. Please continue to do your best for your homeland. The Republic of Korea will remember your dedication.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I left the branch while listening to the farewell from the employee, who seemed oddly tense,

then got into my sister's car.

“Sis. I'm done. Let's go home.”

“You finished registering as a Middle Floors Hunter, right? I guess you won't have much reason to come to the Climber Branch anymore.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

I nodded readily at my sister's words.

Middle Floors Hunters.

There were only two thousand of them in the Republic of Korea.

The nobility of the Hunter world.

They didn't go to the Climber Branch for Point exchanges.

“Because your assigned civil servant comes to your house in person.”

The assigned staff member would bring a crystal ball directly to my home,

so I could exchange Points comfortably from the house.

Which meant the next time I came to the Climber Management Branch,

it would probably be after reaching the High Floors.

Still, an assigned civil servant...

“If possible, I hope my assigned official is a pretty woman.”

“Ugh...”

At my muttering, my sister let out a deep sigh and looked at me like I was hopeless.

Huh?

Had the new-car gift already lost its effect?

Anyway, I'd finished registering as a Middle Floors Hunter.

* * *

After getting back home,

I sprawled on my bed and fiddled with my phone.

“Heh heh heh.”

“Jiho, stop watching Shorts. Keep that up and your brain's going to melt.”

“I know.”

“...Why did you suddenly make your voice all serious?”

Looks like my sister wasn't up to date on memes these days.

So I killed time with my phone.

At a glance, it probably looked like some unemployed bum rolling around on a weekday afternoon with nothing to do.

But I was actually waiting.

For who?

My assigned civil servant!

‘They definitely said they'd come today.’

As a Middle Floors Hunter, there were all sorts of things I needed to coordinate with the state.

How much support I could get for equipment.

How much stipend I'd receive.

How far the tax exemptions went, and so on.

There was a lot to sort out.

I muttered quietly,

“Now that I'm a Middle Floors Hunter, does that mean I'm exempt from compulsory mobilization too? At least I won't get hauled off just because I skip daily check-in, so that'll be more convenient.”

From Middle Floors Hunter and up, forced mobilization under the Hunter General Mobilization Order was exempted.

If they tried to strong-arm high-value personnel like Middle Floors Hunters,

it was obvious they'd just flee overseas.

There was no way the government could push them around carelessly.

On top of that, from the Middle Floors onward, food and water could be obtained inside the Tower, so there was no need to return every day.

The maps were bigger too, and long-term pushes were more common.

So making even Middle Floors Hunters do daily attendance checks would have been wildly inefficient.

That was why, from the Middle Floors onward, Hunters were exempt from attendance checks under the Hunter General Mobilization Order.

Thanks to that, Hyeji seemed relieved.

She no longer had to obsessively hand over Points every single day.

It probably felt like she could finally breathe a little easier.

Anyway.

I killed time until the civil servant arrived.

I spent most of it on HunterNet.

[(Info) How to Clear Tower Floor 11]

[(Info) Floor 11 Map v14.2, Latest Version]

[(Info) Orc Traits and How to Deal with Them]

[(Info) Explanation of Orc Elite Types]

‘Hmm. Looks like I can grind Orcs down easily too.’

I browsed the information board and looked up various things about the Middle Floors.

[(Free) I happened to see a High Floor Hunter today lol]

I also checked a few posts that caught my eye.

I read through the post quickly.

[Post Title: I happened to see a High Floor Hunter today lol]

I went to the Climber Branch today to pay Points.

Then someone came in and paid several thousand Points before leaving.

A High Floor Hunter should have an assigned civil servant, so I'm not sure why they came to the branch to pay Points...

Still, it was my first time seeing a High Floor Hunter in real life, so it was kind of fascinating.

People like that are probably the reason our country has barely managed to hang on this long, right?

If I were a High Floor Hunter, I would've moved to the US or Europe ages ago lol

Seeing someone keep earning Points until the very end is honestly kind of admirable...

...

‘This has to be about me.’

Looks like one of the Hunters who was at the Climber Branch this morning made the post.

I read the comments.

└ A High Floor Hunter is a patriot. Someone who stayed to the end instead of leaving for the US or Europe, where they'd get paid way more.

└ Honestly, if it were me, I'd have taken my family to Europe right away and gotten a noble title or something... Anyway, seriously impressive.

└ This was the branch over in Jungnang-gu, right? I saw that person too lol. They were carrying something that looked like a wooden stick, right?

└└ (Author): Oh yeah, that's right. Guess everyone who knows, knows. Since nobody knows their face, maybe they're a High Floor Hunter who requested identity protection?

└ You should've at least tried talking to them lol

└└ (Author): How could a nobody like me, who hasn't even made it to the Middle Floors, talk to a High Floor Hunter lol. All I can do is admire them from afar.

“Heh heh. The commoners worship me.”

My shoulders rose toward the heavens on their own.

As the saying goes, an awl in a sack will always poke through.

I was still just a rookie Hunter who had only just reached Floor 11,

and yet my fame was spreading both offline and online!

I'd originally planned to just lurk on HunterNet,

but in the end I couldn't resist and left a comment.

└ Baek Jiho (8): I saw that person too. They were absurdly handsome, cool, and gentlemanly, the kind of once-in-a-generation heartthrob who would've become a huge celebrity if they weren't a Hunter.

└└ (Author): Um... I thought they just looked like an average skinny person...?

└└ Baek Jiho (8): Then your eyes are bad.

└└ (Author): ?

How's a skinny guy supposed to live when people talk like that?

Anyway, I spent my time rolling around on the bed.

And finally.

-Ding dong.

“They're here!”

My assigned civil servant had arrived.

* * *

The assigned civil servant for yours truly, a Middle Floors Hunter of the Republic of Korea,

and the Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.

“I'm Administrative Officer Han Seonga from the Climber Management Department. I look forward to working with you, Hunter Baek Jiho.”

“Ah, yes. I look forward to working with you too.”

Ms. Han Seonga.

She was a woman with cool eyes and a somewhat sharp impression.

She gave off the vibe of a cold city woman, a career woman.

Her voice had very little rise or fall, and her manner was extremely businesslike.

She didn't seem like the kind of person who'd be easy to get close to.

She held out several documents and said,

“Congratulations on reaching the Middle Floors, Hunter Baek Jiho. These are the benefits provided by the government of the Republic of Korea. Please look them over.”

“Yes.”

I accepted the documents and read through them slowly.

They were packed with all the changes that came with becoming a Middle Floors Hunter.

Most of it was already familiar.

Tax exemption, exemption from forced mobilization under the Hunter General Mobilization Order, protocol treatment equivalent to Grade 3, pension and medical support, a monthly activity stipend worth 100 million won, equipment and supply support, and so on...

But there was one thing.

One detail in the documents differed from what I knew.

“Excuse me. I think this part is wrong.”

“Which part are you referring to?”

“Here. The equipment provision.”

The support given to Middle Floors Hunters included equipment and supplies.

But even that normally had spending limits depending on Hunter grade, so if you wanted something beyond a certain price, you had to buy it out of your own pocket.

But for some reason, this document said:

“Here... it says ‘unlimited support for requested equipment.’ Doesn't this usually have a spending cap? I think this was written wrong.”

There was no proper amount listed,

just the phrase “unlimited support.”

Had to be an error, right?

At my question,

Ms. Han Seonga answered quietly.

“It is not an error. Our Climber Management Department has decided to provide full support to you, Mr. Baek Jiho.”

“What?”

“Mr. Baek Jiho. You came from the Hard-rank Tutorial, correct?”

“No, I didn't.”

I denied it immediately.

I couldn't stand it.

‘How dare they compare me, someone from Extreme Lunatic Hell, to something as lowly as the Hard-rank Tutorial!’

What an insult!

“You're not from the Hard-rank Tutorial? Then don't tell me it was Normal-rank? But your climbing speed clearly...”

Ms. Han Seonga looked flustered by my sharp denial.

Up until just now, she'd seemed like a cold, businesslike career woman.

So she could get flustered too.

Then it hit me.

‘I'm supposed to hide the fact that I'm a wizard from Extreme Lunatic Hell as much as possible.’

I'd gotten worked up at being compared to the Hard-rank Tutorial and denied it on reflex.

Well.

I was the only one who knew there was a difficulty beyond the Hard-rank Tutorial.

Of course people would assume I came from the Hard-rank Tutorial, the highest difficulty they knew about.

There was no helping it.

Even if it bruised my pride,

I'd have to disguise myself as someone from the Hard-rank Tutorial...!

I quickly corrected what I'd just said.

“Haha. Just kidding. Actually, I came from the Hard-rank Tutorial...!”

When I said “Hard-rank,” I unconsciously ground my teeth.

Humiliating!

I, the noble and magnificent Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter,

had to pretend to be someone from the Hard-rank Tutorial!

Ms. Han Seonga furrowed her brow.

“That wasn't a very funny joke, Mr. Baek Jiho. In any case, returning to the main point... our Climber Management Department intends to support you as much as possible.”

“Because I'm from the Hard-rank Tutorial...!?”

“...Why do you grind your teeth every time you say ‘Hard-rank’?”

Humiliating!

“Anyway. Hunter Baek Jiho, you came from the Hard-rank Tutorial. Not only that, you're someone from the Hard-rank Tutorial with a faster climbing record than any Hunter in history. Your growth potential is limitless. So...”

Ms. Han Seonga's explanation went on for a long time.

It was boring, academic, and political.

If I summed it up roughly, it was this.

1. You're from the Hard-rank Tutorial, right? We looked at your climbing records and Point payment history, and you're the real deal.

2. Just tell us what you want. We'll support you generously. If you grow fast and bring in more Points, it benefits the country.

3. But if it becomes public that you're from the Hard-rank Tutorial, other countries might get involved. So could you keep that part quiet?

After hearing her out,

I slowly nodded.

‘As expected. The country had already noticed my existence.’

Honestly, I'd half expected this.

Lately, there had been a lot of little things that felt off.

Civil servants who got nervous whenever they saw me.

Administrative processing that was strangely fast, plus approval documents signed off at vice-minister level.

Even the faint stares I could feel here and there...

Until now, I'd only been half convinced.

No matter how much my activity records stood out,

I'd only been active in earnest for ten days.

Just ten days.

Far too short a time for a national organization to focus on one individual.

Sometimes I'd think the government was watching me.

Then I'd wonder if I was just being absurdly self-conscious and imagining it all.

But it seemed the Republic of Korea's civil servants were much more capable than I'd expected.

To think they'd recognize my extraordinary nature in only ten days.

As expected, an awl in a sack will always poke through!

No matter how hard I tried to hide it, my greatness simply refused to stay hidden!

Anyway.

“So that means you'll support whatever equipment I want?”

“That's right. Your growth, Mr. Baek Jiho, is directly tied to the national interest of the Republic of Korea.”

Ms. Han Seonga nodded with a serious expression.

“If there's equipment or an artifact that the government already possesses and you want it, we'll provide it immediately. Even if it's something we don't currently have, if you truly need it, we'll negotiate with other countries to lease it...”

“Ah. I don't need anything that extreme.”

Unlimited equipment support.

That was a great deal.

A really great deal.

If I wanted them, they'd even hand over artifacts worth tens of billions at minimum,

and for the expensive ones, hundreds of billions or even trillions.

Those were the kind of conditions only top High Floor Hunters on the fortieth floor range, like Kim Taeseok or Choi Yejin, would probably get.

But unfortunately.

‘I'm not some commoner who goes around swinging swords and spears.’

I use a staff.

High-grade artifacts were probably all weapons like spears, swords, and bows.

Even if I got them, I'd have nowhere to use them.