WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 28: 028
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“Spatial Bag. Understood. I’ll have one prepared right away.”
Han Seonga answered quietly as she wrote in her notepad.
I’d asked for a Spatial Bag worth at least ten billion won, yet her reaction was completely calm.
Then again.
Ten billion won was an enormous amount for an individual.
For a country, it probably wasn’t all that much.
“Is there any other equipment you need?”
“Other equipment... Not really. A Spatial Bag is enough.”
“You don’t need to feel burdened. Mr. Baek Jiho is our country’s sixth Hunter to come from Hard-rank. If we support you too little, our superiors will be the ones worrying. They might wonder if you’ll leave for another country.”
“No, I really don’t need anything else.”
She was even encouraging me to demand more support.
Actually, saying she encouraged me would be inaccurate. It was more like she was forcing it into my hands.
“Mr. Baek Jiho, do you need a weapon, such as a sword or spear?”
“I don’t.”
“...It appears you use a one-handed sword. We’ll provide you with a standard Grade 3 artifact one-handed sword. It only has increased cutting power and reinforced durability, but it should be quite useful in the Middle Floors.”
She said that while glancing at the iron sword casually tossed into one corner of the living room.
That sword wasn’t even mine. It belonged to Na Hyeji.
For a while now, I’d gone to the Tower with nothing but my staff.
“As for armor...”
“I don’t need any.”
“You seem to prefer simple armor that allows for a great deal of mobility. We’ll provide that as a Grade 2 artifact as well.”
“I’m telling you, I really don’t need it.”
“You must be thorough with protective equipment. The Middle Floors are especially dangerous because that is where Orcs appear. They are far stronger than the Goblins you have faced so far. If you approach them with the same mindset you used for Goblins, you could be in danger. We happen to have a Grade 2 artifact armor set in stock, so we will provide it immediately.”
“Excuse me? Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”
Orcs or whatever, they were obviously going to die in one Air Bullet anyway.
What was with all these artifacts?
And Grade 2 artifacts?
Grade 2 referred to artifacts found from Floors 31 through 40, the High Floors.
They were incredibly expensive items, each worth at least ten billion won, like the Spatial Bag.
Yet Han Seonga was trying to put such high-end items in my hands as if they were nothing.
I couldn’t help asking.
“Um... I know this isn’t something I should say as the one receiving them, but you’re giving me way too much. What does the country even get out of this?”
“It gets you, Hunter.”
“What if I take all this and run overseas?”
“Then that would be unfortunate.”
“...”
Anyway.
All sorts of equipment ended up on the list against my will.
Weapons, which I wouldn’t use. Armor, even though I hadn’t been grazed by a blade once while climbing. A Spatial Bag, which was evolution material for Na Hyeji’s EX-grade porter form.
There were also camping supplies and convenience equipment for use inside the Tower, three emergency potions worth one billion won each, and miscellaneous items like a compass, pens, paper, and rope.
I had clearly said I didn’t need any of it.
Han Seonga had asked and answered her own questions, then made the list however she wanted.
Was this what they called stuffing someone’s pockets?
“I’ve reported it to my superiors. It should arrive soon.”
“Arrive? What will?”
“The equipment Hunter Baek Jiho will be using.”
The moment she finished speaking while tapping on her smartphone.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
“Who could it be? Jiho, I’ll get it.”
My sister, who had been listening to the conversation, got up and opened the front door.
Then.
“Excuse us.”
Thump, thump, thump.
Men in black suits poured in, carrying sturdy plastic boxes.
What the hell?
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Plastic boxes were stacked neatly in front of the entrance.
My sister and I stared at the sight in a daze.
Han Seonga slowly rose from her seat.
“With this much equipment, you should be able to clear everything from the Middle Floors to the beginning of the High Floors without issue.”
“...”
“I would like to provide you with a Grade 1 artifact, but we currently have none in stock. If there is any equipment you want in the future, please let me know at any time. We will do our best to obtain it.”
“...”
“I’ll be taking my leave now. If you need anything, please contact this number at any time. Then...”
She handed me a business card, gathered her documents, and quietly left.
Click.
The door closed.
Silence settled over the room, as though the commotion from moments ago had been a lie.
My sister, who had watched it all, spoke quietly.
“Jiho, I don’t really know the prices of expensive items like artifacts... but all of this has to be worth tens of billions of won, right?”
“Probably.”
“Then doesn’t that mean our country’s taxes are being spent on you like crazy right now?”
I nodded.
A Grade 3 artifact one-handed sword, Grade 2 artifact armor, a Spatial Bag, and all the other miscellaneous items.
Wouldn’t it all add up to at least thirty billion won?
The government had just shoved all of it into my hands without warning.
“Wow. Jiho, you really need to work hard. It looks like the country has huge expectations for you.”
That was true.
One well-raised Hunter from Hard-rank could earn millions of Points every month.
They probably wanted to invest heavily in me while I was still low-level, raise me quickly, and put me to work.
Still, I was unhappy.
‘Damn it. I don’t need weapons or armor. If they’re going to force this on me, they should’ve just given me cash.’
...Should I sell it all?
A wicked thought crossed my mind, but I gave up on it.
I wasn’t some Tower gold farmer. Living off taxpayer money felt like crossing a line.
Besides, I had the pride of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.
Skimming taxes would be way too pathetic.
A noble person like me had to earn money honestly by killing monsters.
Anyway.
I had suddenly received equipment worth tens of billions of won.
It all happened in an instant.
* * *
Around noon the next day.
Na Hyeji came to my house.
“Wow! Jiho, what are you wearing?”
“How do I look? Pretty cool, right?”
The moment she arrived, her eyes widened.
I grinned and showed off my new outfit.
Over the course of a day, my appearance had changed completely.
A dark black leather coat covered my upper body.
An expensive-looking one-handed sword hung at my left hip.
Three red potions dangled from the belt around my waist.
I was fully equipped with gear that anyone would assume belonged to a high-ranking Hunter.
Na Hyeji blinked and spoke.
“All of that is Hunter equipment? You spent quite a lot. Did you decide to flex because you’ve become a Middle Floor Hunter?”
“It’s not my money. I did eat up some national taxes, though.”
“?”
“Well, what happened was...”
I briefly explained what had happened the day before.
A talent too great to hide!
The government’s pathetic, obsessive forced handouts!
After hearing everything, Na Hyeji nodded.
“I knew it would turn out like this. Your accomplishments have been that impressive, Jiho. There was no way they wouldn’t notice...”
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
“If someone who isn’t even a High Floor Hunter keeps bringing back thousands of Points every time, of course they’ll catch the country’s attention. Anyway... everything you’re wearing must be worth tens of billions of won combined, right?”
“More or less.”
“Wow...”
Na Hyeji rubbed the sleeve of my coat with fascinated eyes.
A Grade 2 artifact she had only heard about was right in front of her.
I said proudly, “I’ve finally got an outfit worthy of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.”
The equipment Han Seonga had forcibly stuffed into my hands.
At first, I hadn’t liked it.
I didn’t need any of it, and it felt like I had been forced to accept ridiculously expensive items.
It only made me feel burdened.
Once I actually put them on, though, I changed my mind.
Because.
“This coat looks incredibly expensive and luxurious. What does it do? Since it’s an artifact, it should have some effects.”
“Impact reduction. Cut resistance. Magic damage resistance. Temperature and humidity control.”
“...Temperature and humidity control?”
“It keeps the temperature and humidity at the right levels, so I’ll never feel too hot or cold.”
“Wow...”
The design was excellent, and it even had convenience features.
Honestly, my previous equipment had been unbelievably shabby.
Lower Floor Hunter gear that I had bought for just a few million won.
It looked cheap, its functions were cheap, and it felt awful to wear.
The coat I wore now was different.
It was a protective coat said to have been discovered on Tower Floor 36.
Made from dark black leather with a strange sheen, it looked incredibly luxurious.
It was comfortable, too, and came with all sorts of extra functions.
Options such as impact reduction, cut resistance, and magic damage resistance.
Of course, most of its defensive functions would be of no real help to me.
I wasn’t some ordinary fool who would get beaten up by Orcs.
The temperature and humidity control, though, was amazing.
As long as I wore this coat.
Even in places that were freezing or scorching hot, I wouldn’t feel the slightest discomfort.
I would always remain in peak condition!
‘It’s the middle of this blazing summer, and I’m comfortable without an air conditioner. Incredible.’
Thanks to that, I wore it around the house all day.
Na Hyeji muttered enviously.
“I’m jealous. All I got was a promise that they would support the purchase of Grade 4 equipment worth up to three hundred million won.”
“Why does a porter like Hyeji want equipment so badly?”
“It’s nice to have it, isn’t it? It’s the country’s money anyway.”
“Huh.”
Just as expected from a former finance worker with such greed.
She was completely ready to eat up tax money.
Did someone need that level of greed to play with money in Yeouido?
“Well... don’t worry. I set something aside for you. I’ll lend it to you. Just so you know, it’s very expensive.”
“Really?!”
Hyeji’s eyes sparkled at my words.
I nodded and slowly lifted the plastic box at my feet.
“Now then. We will begin the artifact presentation ceremony for Hyeji. Everyone, applause!”
“Wow!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Hyeji clapped like a seal.
I slowly held the box out to her.
“Here. Take it. This is equipment you must carry around and treasure as much as your own life from now on.”
“Ooh...”
“By the way, that thing is worth at least ten billion won, so handle it carefully.”
“Ten billion...!”
I handed the box to Hyeji.
She opened it with eyes full of expectation.
Inside was.
An old sack made of pure white cloth.
Na Hyeji blinked.
“What is this?”
“A Spatial Bag.”
“...Don’t I get anything like the coat Jiho is wearing?”
“Do you think there would be?”
Hyeji looked dejected.
Seeing my coat had raised her expectations sky-high.
The reality was an inventory expansion item for a porter.
How dare she covet my ten-billion-won coat?
This was something only a noble and great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter like me could wear.
A porter’s first priority should be expanding their inventory window.
Why worry about trivial clothing? Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Anyway.
Hyeji had finally evolved into an EX-grade item auto-collection pet.
We could now clean up every last bit of loot perfectly!
I wouldn’t have to lay down those damn temporary roads anymore.
“Now then, shall we go clear Floor 11?”
“...Okay.”
“Hyeji, what’s with that energy? You just received equipment worth ten billion won. Let’s be a little more enthusiastic!”
“No... ten billion won or not, this is just so you can make me work even harder...”
“Enter Tower.”
I lightly ignored Hyeji’s whining and called the Tower entry command.
[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 11)]
[Na Hyeji (Republic of Korea: Floor 11)]
[Please select the floor you wish to enter.]
“Floor 11.”
[Entering Tower Floor 11.]
Flash!
A bright sphere of light enveloped us.
* * *
The light faded.
I slowly looked around.
‘It’s a grassland.’
The first thing I saw was a vast grassland.
Grass reaching up to my knees, a brightly shining sun, and an open view stretching all the way to the horizon.
It was a sight that made my chest feel wide open.
I muttered quietly, “Floors 11 through 20 are the Orc zone, and they’re mostly made up of grasslands, right?”
Orcs.
A race found in the Tower from Floors 11 through 20.
Green monsters with huge, powerful bodies made of muscle.
The beginning of the Middle Floors was made up of Orc floors.
I glanced over at Na Hyeji.
“Wow...”
Maybe she liked the scenery.
She looked around in every direction without pause, her eyes dazed.
She couldn’t help it.
Everything we had seen in the Tower until now had been dark, damp caves and basements.
Even when we went outside, it had only been barren stone deserts and rocky mountains.
Seeing such wide-open grasslands naturally drew admiration.
Besides, we were modern people who lived in dense concrete forests.
To leave the city and find ourselves in such vast wilderness in an instant gave us a strange feeling of freedom.
As Hyeji and I took a moment to look at the scenery.
Suddenly.
Woooooo!
A thunderous roar rang out.
I turned toward the sound.
Then I saw them.
Woo! Woooork!
Woooooo!
Off to one side of the grassland.
More than ten green monsters had spotted us. They raised their axes and shouted.
Orcs.
I looked them over and muttered quietly.
“Those Orc bastards really are as ridiculously muscular as I heard.”
Huge bodies over two meters tall.
Muscles that looked ready to burst all over their bodies.
Their lower jaws jutted forward, and protruding lower fangs covered their upper lips.
Warriors with massive frames, muscles, and overwhelming strength to match.
The Orcs had finally appeared.
Woooooo!
The dozen or so Orcs who spotted us began charging with battle cries.
“Eek!”
Na Hyeji hid behind me in fear.
I slowly gripped my staff.
‘The condition for clearing Floor 11 was destroying a small Orc village.’
Maybe because it was the first floor of the Middle Floors.
The Floor 11 clear condition wasn’t particularly difficult.
All we had to do was find and destroy a small Orc village somewhere in this grassland, and an exit portal would appear.
And the Orcs charging toward us were likely that village’s hunting party.
If we killed them and headed in the direction they had come from.
We should be able to find and destroy the village.
I stood still and waited for them to approach.
Then why?
Thud.
The group of Orcs that had been rushing toward us suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Woohehe. Wooheh.
Wahahahahaha!
Kakakakak!
They suddenly started laughing among themselves.
‘What?’
Why were they cracking up?
Puzzled by their strange behavior, I frowned.
I stood there and watched them.
Their bizarre behavior continued.
One Orc pointed at me, then proudly rubbed its bulging bicep.
Another pointed at me, then flexed and rippled its massive pectorals.
Then they all burst into laughter.
Wahahahahaha!
Kraaah! Kakak!
Their hearty laughter spread across the grassland.
“...”
I wasn’t an Orc, so I couldn’t understand their language...
But judging by their gestures, I could vaguely guess what they meant.
“Jiho, could it be... those Orcs are making fun of you for being skinny?”
“...Those dogs.”
“Pardon?”
“Those, those bastards...!”
Those Orc bastards were!
Calling me!
Skinny!
They were muscle-pig green monsters, yet they dared mock the intelligent, slim-muscular body of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter...!
Unforgivable.
“You balloon-muscled bastards! Die!”
Whoosh!
I quickly fired a Fireball.
Footnotes:
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