I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 31

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 31: 031

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Fireballs began blooming above my staff, one after another.

At first, there was one.

Then ten, then fifty, then more than a hundred...

‘Two hundred fireballs.’

Whoooosh!

Two hundred massive fireballs rose into the air and began circling around me.

Bright yellow flames heated the air.

A scorching blast of heat swept in every direction.

Creating two hundred fireballs heated the air around me too.

What an amazing discovery.

“Ugh! It’s hot!”

Unable to bear the searing heat, Na Hyeji hurriedly ran away from where she had been standing beside me.

I clicked my tongue.

‘She can’t even handle this much heat. How’s she supposed to survive the harsh life of a Hunter? That’s not very EX-grade porter-like.’

Of course, I wasn’t hot at all.

That was thanks to the Grade 2 artifact coat I was wearing.

It was a protective coat with a constant-temperature-and-humidity option, so it kept me comfortable even in this heat.

I’d received the artifact half by force as a bribe...

Still, it had proven pretty useful like this.

Han Seonga had real foresight.

Anyway, the fireballs were ready.

All that remained was the demolition.

I aimed my staff at the Orc Fortress in front of me.

“Safety Magic! Good! Good! Good!”

I shouted the slogan energetically and fired the fireballs.

Swoooosh!

The fireballs shot out one by one in rhythm.

Red trails pierced through the air in a continuous stream.

They struck the Orc Fortress wall with perfect accuracy.

Boooom!

An explosion erupted.

It wasn’t just one explosion.

Boooom!

Bang!

Kaboom!

The continuously fired fireballs slammed into the Orc Fortress walls in sequence, causing intense explosions.

There was no way that old, half-ruined Orc Fortress could withstand that barrage.

Rumble!

The Orc Fortress walls began collapsing.

“Whaaat?!”

“Urrgh! Uwaaargh!”

“Waaaargh!!!”

The Orcs inside the Orc Fortress cried out in confusion.

A sudden roar and tremor had hit them, and their home was falling apart. Of course they were panicking.

One side of the Orc Fortress wall completely collapsed.

The interior was laid bare.

I kept firing fireballs into the Orc Fortress.

“Safety Fireball! Good! Good! Good!”

Swoooosh!

A swarm of fireballs flew into the Orc Fortress.

Kaboom!

Explosions tore through the interior.

Dozens of Orcs were caught in the blasts and ripped apart.

Their limbs shattered and flew through the air.

Chunks of organs, flesh, and Orc Fortress debris scattered everywhere.

I continued firing fireballs.

Boom!

Kaboom!

Explosions continued.

The Orc Fortress was being pulverized in real time.

Orcs died and were ground apart without pause.

Some were caught in explosions, some were buried beneath falling stone, and some were pierced by flying debris.

The green monsters died in droves.

Their blood and body parts splattered everywhere.

Then, finally...

Rumble!

Unable to endure the impact any longer, the Orc Fortress caved in.

Boom. Rumble. Rrrrrumble...!

The small Orc Fortress collapsed entirely, raising a thick cloud of dust.

Glancing around, I counted the fireballs still floating beside me.

“Hmm... I prepared two hundred fireballs, but the Orc Fortress got wrecked after only fifty. Why was it so weak? It was a stone building, so I thought it’d last at least a little longer.”

Since it had been a sturdy stone structure, I’d expected to need at least a hundred fireballs.

Yet the Orc Fortress had been completely destroyed with only fifty.

Maybe it had poor durability because it was old.

Or maybe the construction had been shoddy.

“That’s why every construction company that cuts corners needs to be thrown in jail!”

“It wasn’t shoddy construction... Your magic is just insane, Jiho.”

I heard Hyeji mocking me from far away.

I ignored her.

How dare a nonprofessional challenge the opinion of the Extreme Lunatic Hell Magic Demolition Expert himself?

Stay out of this, amateur!

Anyway, the Orc Fortress had collapsed.

Now it was time to finish off the Orcs still clinging to life beneath the rubble.

Step. Step.

I slowly approached the dust-covered Orc Fortress ruins.

Several surviving Orcs registered in my spiritual senses.

One was holding its breath between collapsed debris.

One had an axe ready beyond the dust cloud, waiting for an opportunity.

One had lost its limbs, yet still glared at me with hostile eyes...

Out of around two hundred fifty Orcs, about thirty had survived and were waiting for a chance to attack me.

‘Oh... They’re not running?’

Honestly, I was impressed.

Even after witnessing such overwhelming firepower, they hadn’t fled and were still waiting for an opening.

They were different from the Goblins, who had run for their lives whenever they saw magic.

Was it because this was their home base? Were they trying to defend it no matter what?

‘Works for me.’

I didn’t need to chase down annoying runners and kill them.

I leisurely made my way through the ruins, executing the hidden Orcs one by one.

Water Jet magic was quite useful here.

Slice.

I fired high-pressure streams of water, cutting through stone.

Then I cut down the Orc hiding behind it at the same time.

Thud. Flop. Splat.

Green hulks split in half at the waist collapsed one after another.

That was how I easily dealt with the Orcs hiding throughout the ruins.

I sliced through stone and everything else, then cut down the Orcs behind it. It was absurdly easy.

Filled with satisfaction, I muttered softly.

“As expected, a Peak Master has to be able to slice through stone with sword aura. Naturally.”

What was sword aura in martial arts novels?

It was the ability to slice through rock and steel alike.

Wasn’t that proof of a Peak Master?

Before, I had only been a half-baked Peak Master.

I could launch flying sword aura, Wind Cutter, but I couldn’t cut through solid stone.

That had left me somewhat lacking as a true Peak Master.

But now that I had obtained Water Jet and could slice even solid stone bricks like tofu...

I had become a true Peak Master!

“Thanks to my master’s final teachings, I have reached the fully matured realm of a Peak Master! As expected, my master’s grace is as vast as the sea!”

A fresh wave of emotion rose within me.

Thanks to the second master I had met on Floor 10 teaching me Water Jet magic, I had been able to reach the realm of a true Peak Master.

Thank you, Master.

This unworthy disciple will surely become the Greatest Under Heaven!

And I will make the Goblin Sect the foremost prestigious sect in the martial world...!

“Please stop talking nonsense... It’s draining all my energy...”

“Silence! Hyeji, as a porter, hurry up and collect the spoils. If you keep slacking off, I’ll cut today’s wages!”

“I’m unpaid. What wages are you talking about?”

“Oh, right.”

Come to think of it, Hyeji was an unpaid porter.

Oops. I had failed to recognize the worth of an EX-grade porter and treated her too harshly.

I should treat her a little better from now on.

Anyway.

The Orc Fortress had been demolished.

Safety-first demolition.

Magic-first demolition.

[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 12)]

[You have completed Tower Floor 12.]

[You have defeated 256 Orcs (10).]

[Points are being calculated.]

[Tower Floor 13 has been unlocked.]

[Returning.]

* * *

Right after returning, I opened my status window out of habit.

[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 13)]

[3,090 Points]

The number 3,090 appeared.

“I originally had 530 Points, so I earned 2,560 Points on this floor...”

It seemed like a so-so amount of Points.

I wasn’t satisfied.

But I wasn’t disappointed either.

Maybe because I was only at the entrance to the Middle Floors, I wasn’t earning as many Points as I had from the insane monster numbers near the end of the Lower Floors.

Well, once I climbed a little higher, the Points would increase a lot.

I wanted to hurry up and climb already.

While I was checking my Points...

“Ughhh...”

I heard a weak groan.

Turning my head, I saw Na Hyeji sprawled on the floor, completely exhausted.

She reached a trembling hand toward me.

“Jiho... Water. Give me some water.”

“Why are you so weak? You only collected a few spoils, and you’re already exhausted.”

“No...! I picked up nearly a ton of spoils. And I had to search through completely wrecked rubble! Do you know how hard that was?”

It did sound exhausting.

One Orc axehead weighed three kilograms after removing the handle, and there were two hundred fifty-six of them.

The axeheads alone weighed 768 kilograms.

On top of that, there were forty kilograms of hides and thirty kilograms of ingots recovered from the rubble...

A ton was an exaggeration.

Still, she had collected a total of 838 kilograms of spoils.

And she had done it while digging through the Orc Fortress ruins.

Even Na Hyeji, an EX-grade porter equipped with a Spatial Bag, had no choice but to get tired.

Still, I had something to say too.

“That’s why I cleared the rubble with Earth Manipulation Magic.”

“There was still smaller debris left behind. Do you know how hard it was to collect spoils while digging through those piles of rocks...?”

“That’s true. Then rest, Hyeji. I’ll organize the spoils.”

“Water...”

“Get it yourself.”

Leaving Hyeji lying on the floor and whining, I began organizing the spoils.

There wasn’t much to it, really.

I only had to empty the Spatial Bag into the ramen boxes piled in one corner of the living room.

Rumble.

Spoils poured into the ramen boxes.

Orc axeheads, hides, ingots, and other items quickly filled them up.

‘I should ask my sister to get more ramen boxes.’

She had brought home plenty of spare ramen boxes from the supermarket.

But I was already running out.

Should I get separate containers for storing spoils instead?

‘Come to think of it, I need more Spatial Bags too.’

The Spatial Bag we currently used had a capacity of one ton.

And we had already collected over eight hundred kilograms of spoils on Floor 12.

The bag’s capacity was becoming a little too close for comfort.

Later, I should ask Han Seonga for a higher-grade Spatial Bag.

She casually gave out artifacts worth hundreds of billions of won.

She would probably give me another Spatial Bag, right?

I was absentmindedly emptying the spoils when...

Clunk!

Something I had never seen before popped out of the Spatial Bag.

It was completely unexpected.

‘A crystal ball?’

It was a crystal ball about the size of my fist.

It was transparent and brilliant, with faint rainbow refractions rippling within it...

A crystal ball with a mysterious, dreamlike air had appeared out of nowhere.

What was this?

“Hyeji. What is this ball?”

I lifted it and asked Hyeji.

She had collected the spoils, so she might know something.

Still gulping down water, she answered.

“What is that? A ball? A crystal ball? It’s pretty.”

“You picked it up, and you don’t know?”

“...I’ve never picked that up. Did it come out of the Spatial Bag?”

It seemed Hyeji didn’t know what it was either.

What was it, really?

Had it been buried in the rubble and somehow ended up in the Spatial Bag by accident?

I examined the crystal ball closely.

‘Hmm... I can’t feel any special energy from it. It doesn’t seem to be an artifact.’

Artifacts had a distinct kind of energy.

It was like they contained a large amount of Blue Motes within the object itself.

You could tell at a glance that they were artifacts.

This crystal ball, on the other hand, gave off no special energy.

I touched it, pushed Blue Motes into it, and probed it with my spiritual senses, but there was no response.

It was simply incredibly transparent and beautiful, with rainbow light shimmering inside.

Nothing changed.

“Is it just an ornament?”

“Jiho, if it’s not an artifact, give it to me. I want to decorate my room with it. It’s so pretty...”

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going with it? I’m putting it in my room. A noble and great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard like me needs at least one ornament like this in his room.”

“Aww...”

Hyeji smacked her lips at my refusal.

She clearly wanted the brilliant crystal ball.

But I wasn’t giving it to her.

Honestly, even I thought it was incredibly beautiful.

Sure, as a guy, keeping a shiny ornament in my room was kind of gay...

But if it was an object this beautiful...

Maybe it was worth displaying.

Anyway, today’s climbing was over.

I casually picked up my smartphone.

“Hunter Gallery again?”

“Of course.”

“Ugh... I’m heading home now.”

“Why don’t you stay for dinner? My sister made spicy stir-fried pork.”

“Spicy stir-fried pork...? Meat, and red...? Urgh...!”

That was a little harsh.

My sister was a good cook.

To start dry heaving as soon as she heard the menu...

She would be upset if she knew.

Leaving the groaning Hyeji behind, I took a photo.

Click!

Then I quickly wrote a post.

[Post Title: Newbie Hunter... Cleared Floor 12 Today]

[Author: Blue Dot]

(Ramen boxes filled with spoils)

Newbie Hunter... Went to Floor 12 today.

Just like I heard, there was an Orc Fortress.

It annoyed me, so I just destroyed it.

Maybe the construction was shoddy, because it came crashing down...

Bad construction seems to be the same problem whether it’s in the Tower or the real world.

So, today’s earnings.

I killed 256 Orcs and earned 2,560 Points.

Got about 40 kilograms of hides and 30 kilograms of ingots too.

Spoil income is completely tax-free, so... Let’s do the math.

Oh my goodness!

Total income: 108.2 million won!!!

Wow, the tax exemption is so sweet.

If I climb a few more floors like this, I can finally move.

Just you wait, people who looked down on me for having yellow vinyl flooring.

I’m moving into a place with shiny marble floors soon. Later.

└You destroyed an Orc Fortress? Bullshit lol. That thing is built with ridiculously thick stone bricks, it’s tough as hell. How are you supposed to destroy it? Say something believable.

└└Blue Dot: I’m a building demolition expert, so wrecking Orc Fortresses is easy.

└└A building demolition expert? Did you work in that field before becoming a Hunter?

└└Blue Dot: Nope, today was my first time destroying a building. You should try it too. It’s more fun than you’d think.

└└?

└Looking at this again, taxes are fucking ridiculous. Does it make sense to take 50% tax from Lower Floor Hunter spoils? Aren’t those bastards just thieves?

└What has the country ever done for us when it takes so much in taxes? Does it make sense for them to take money from Lower Floor Hunters and hand it out to people living well in the Middle and Upper Floors?

└└Blue Dot: They’ve done a lot for me, so the Republic of Korea is the best... Anyway, pay your taxes diligently. That way, this Middle Floor Hunter can enjoy the benefits.

└└You’re just committed to the bit, but your Middle Floor Hunter roleplay is insane. Are you crazy?

└If he’s really a Middle Floor Hunter, the answer is to exchange your money for dollars, not buy real estate that’s crashing in value... They threw a ton of pension funds at defending the exchange rate, and it’s still over 2,300 won per dollar. Housing prices have been cut in half and are still falling. I already sold my house and everything else, then converted all my assets to dollars. I’m immigrating to Great Japan soon.

└└Blue Dot: That means it’s the perfect chance to buy low... I’ll save the Republic of Korea, so it won’t collapse. Buy lots while it’s cheap. Convert those dollars back into won right now too.

└└Ah, you’re just insane. I get it.

└└Blue Dot: I warned you.

...

Closing Hunter Gallery, I muttered to myself.

“Tsk, tsk. I’ll save the Republic of Korea just fine. Yet they’re buying things like dollars because they’re scared. That guy will beat his chest in regret later.”

Those ordinary people, honestly.

The noble and great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter himself had personally given them investment advice.

And they ignored such priceless information!

They had kicked away a golden rope with their own feet.

Anyway, my daily exchange with ordinary people was over.

I pulled out the crystal ball from my pocket.

The rainbow luster inside the clear, transparent crystal was so brilliant that it naturally drew the eye.

‘It’ll look perfect on my desk.’

I placed the crystal ball beside the monitor on my desk.

It kept rolling around like it was about to fall, so I cut up and folded a ramen box to make a temporary stand for it.

The brilliant crystal ball now occupied one corner of my desk.

“Hmm! Now this truly looks like the home of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.”