I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 36

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 36: 036

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[Your rank is too high.]

[Cannot be used.]

* * *

Morning.

My eyes snapped open.

Something felt strange.

“What? Why is this here again?”

Something hard was pressing against my cheek.

I felt around and, sure enough, it was the crystal ball.

‘...The crystal ball rolled over here again? I definitely secured it properly on a stand yesterday.’

Rustle.

I sat up and looked at the desk.

The wooden crystal ball stand on top of it had broken.

A hollow laugh escaped me.

“No way. It’s made of wood, and it broke already?”

Was it because cheap stuff was cheap for a reason?

It had been ridiculously inexpensive, fitting for something bought at Daiso.

Just in case, I checked where the stand had been made.

When I looked inside it, there it was.

The name of that country, stamped there with pride.

[Made in China]

“Damn it! It was Chinese-made after all!”

China had done what China did.

It was a wooden stand, yet its quality was so pathetic that it broke in a single day!

That country never did anything but cause me trouble.

After that, I started the day as usual.

I ate breakfast, sorted through my loot, and looked into my rival.

‘Elon Mengsk. My future rival.’

As an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter who would one day become the richest man in the world, it was only natural for me to learn about someone who would compete with me later.

So I looked into Elon Mengsk’s track record.

First, I checked his social media.

There, I found posts from the world’s richest man.

[Actually, I’m a catgirl, and this is my selfie.]

[I’m sad I can’t go to the Hatsune Miku concert.]

[My son’s name is X Æ A-123.]

[Miku Zuckerberg! Let’s settle this in real life!]

[Bloodimir Putin! Let’s settle this in real life!]

[Jews and Arabs are trying to rule the world!]

[The Egyptian pyramids were obviously built by aliens.]

...

After browsing through his social media, I understood right away.

‘This bastard. He’s one of my kind.’

In other words, an attention seeker.

And one far beyond anything I could imagine.

I thought I was quite the attention seeker myself...

Compared to him, I still had a long way to go.

Ghk!

I felt defeated.

‘For this Extreme Lunatic Hell attention seeker to lose in attention-seeking power...! I admit defeat, Elon Mengsk. You’re impressive for a mere ordinary man.’

Every time I saw his flashy words and actions, my eyes were opened.

I gained all kinds of insights.

Ah!

That was how you baited people!

You posted weeb nonsense.

You gave your son a weird name.

You spread conspiracy theories.

You challenged the CEOs of rival companies and the heads of enemy states to real-life fights!

[270 million followers]

That was how you farmed this much attention!

I had learned something valuable.

“Once I save the Republic of Korea and become a national power-level Hunter... I should challenge the Chinese president to a real-life fight too.”

Elon Mengsk had challenged Putin to a real-life fight.

I would challenge Pingping to one.

That would draw attention, and I could also stick it to the China I hated.

Perfect.

After signing up for social media, I left a short comment on Elon Mengsk’s account.

[Blue Dot: Elon Mengsk. I admire your skill at baiting people. You’re impressive for a mere ordinary man. I have learned something from you.]

He might be no more than an ordinary man whose place as the world’s richest man I would steal in the future.

Still, his attention-seeking power was real.

As one of his kind, it was only right to show respect.

‘Wait for me, Elon. One day, I’ll surpass everything you have. Your wealth and your attention-seeking power!’

Clenching my fist, I made that vow.

I still had a long way to go.

* * *

I prepared to climb.

This time, I was heading to Floor 15.

The floor of the Orc Shaman.

I opened Hunter Gallery and searched for “Floor 15.”

[Orc Shaman sorcery is seriously fucking broken]

[I want a Magic Resistance artifact...]

[Why is the Orc Shaman so strong? I almost died]

[Holy shit;;; Once it activates, you can never dodge it. How are you supposed to kill that thing?]

[I fucking hate lightning]

Posts full of panic poured in.

Click.

I read one that caught my eye.

[Post Title: Why is the Orc Shaman so strong? I almost died]

Seriously, isn’t the Orc Shaman way too broken?

Once its sorcery activates, you can never dodge it.

Its range is fucking huge.

Lightning sorcery is completely fucking broken, holy shit...

One hit stuns you, and two hits kill you. I’m terrified, how am I supposed to clear this...

Was this monster even made to be killed?

└For real lol. The Orc Shaman is insane. One lightning strike completely disables a Hunter.

└At least you could see the Goblin Shaman’s fireball coming and dodge it, but when the Orc Shaman’s lightning flashes, it hits you dead on. Fuck...

└Buy a Magic Resistance artifact.

└└Even a Grade 3 artifact with a Magic Resistance option costs at least several billion. How am I supposed to buy one;;;

└└You make decent money in the Middle Floors. Save hard for about a year and buy one lol. If you have a Magic Resistance option, Floors 15 through 20, where Orc Shamans appear, are easier to clear.

└Can you handle Orc Shamans with a Magic Resistance artifact?

└└Yeah. Even one Grade 3 artifact with a Magic Resistance option lets you endure up to five lightning strikes. If you have money, buy an artifact. If you don’t, tank it with your body.

└└How do you tank it with your body?

└└Have five teammates take turns getting struck. One hit only stuns you briefly, so the others can rush in and kill the Orc Shaman while that happens.

...

Hunters were leaving comments warily discussing the Orc Shaman.

That really whetted my appetite.

Lightning, of all elements.

“It’s time to claim the power of the million-volt rat...!”

What was the lightning element?

Wasn’t it an absurdly overpowered element that always sat near the top tier of combat power in fantasy?

At low levels, you fired lightning from your palm and turned enemies crisp outside and tender inside.

At high levels, you used Chain Lightning and Thunderbolt to fry hundreds or thousands of people at once...

Style and firepower.

Lightning had both!

An opportunity to learn lightning magic had come.

Of course I was excited.

Still.

“They said it would be much easier if I had a Magic Resistance artifact, right?”

Glance.

I looked at the clothes I was wearing.

A deep black coat.

A Grade 2 artifact discovered on Tower Floor 36.

It was tribute the Republic of Korea had offered to this Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter.

As befitted a Grade 2 artifact, my coat was loaded with all kinds of options.

Impact reduction, cut resistance, constant temperature and humidity...

‘And Magic Resistance.’

That was right.

My coat included a Magic Resistance option.

Which meant the Orc Shaman’s lightning posed no threat to me at all.

‘Of course, I’m confident I could win without an artifact...’

Still, there was nothing bad about having defensive equipment.

Anyway.

I waited for Hyeji.

“Enter Tower.”

[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 15)]

[Na Hyeji (Republic of Korea: Floor 15)]

[Please select the floor you wish to enter.]

“Floor 15.”

[Entering Tower Floor 15.]

Flash!

A bright glow covered the area.

The assault on Floor 15 had begun.

* * *

The glow faded.

I slowly looked around.

Before me was a dense forest.

The mountains were steep, the trees thick, and the air fresh.

It looked similar to Floor 14, the floor just before this one.

As I looked around...

“Um... Jiho?”

Na Hyeji spoke cautiously.

I glanced over at her.

Hyeji looked at me with concern as she asked,

“Why do you look so serious?”

“...”

“You seem different than usual. Is this floor dangerous?”

It seemed something about my appearance had struck her as odd.

Well.

I was filled with a sense of duty right now.

Unlike my usual light and frivolous manner, I was giving off an endlessly solemn, sharp atmosphere.

Hyeji seemed uneasy at the sight of this unfamiliar side of me.

I spoke to her quietly.

“Lady Hyeji. Today, I shall engage in a life-or-death duel with the Orc Sect’s leader, the Orc Shaman.”

“...”

“Hoo... I’m nervous. It is the first master I’ve encountered since reaching the Middle Floors... It must have mastered formidable martial arts. But do not worry. I shall surely emerge victorious.”

“...Sigh.”

The worry vanished from Na Hyeji’s face.

Her expression said, Of course.

I looked up at the sky and pictured my masters’ faces.

The kind smiles of my masters and seniors appeared beyond the clouds, then faded away.

I clenched my fist.

‘Masters in heaven. Please watch over this unworthy disciple’s growth!’

The Orc Shaman.

A powerful enemy unlike any I had ever met.

I would definitely kill it and prove this junior’s growth to my seniors in heaven!

“Lady Hyeji. We shall depart soon. Follow me.”

“...Could you stop with that weird martial arts novel act? It’s incredibly embarrassing to watch from beside you.”

“Impudent! To lose martial prowess and chivalry is to embrace death itself...!”

Chatting nonsense with Hyeji, I walked along the mountain path.

As I moved, I recalled the information about Floor 15.

‘The condition for clearing Floor 15 is to kill the Orc Shaman at the altar in the center of the map.’

They said there was an altar in the very center of Floor 15’s map.

Inside a wide basin surrounded by mountain ranges stood a tall stone altar.

The Orc Shaman was supposedly performing some kind of ritual on top of it.

The moment you reached it and killed the Orc Shaman, the altar would collapse and an Escape Portal would appear.

All I had to do was kill one enemy to clear Floor 15.

Of course, it was not as easy as it sounded.

‘There are lots of Orc forces in the surrounding mountains, and Orc Warriors are stationed everywhere.’

If you went in head-on, you would face the overwhelming numbers of Orcs rushing in from all directions.

On top of that, you would be hit by the Orc Shaman’s long-range lightning magic.

For ordinary people, it was a difficult situation from every angle.

That was why the standard strategy for Floor 15 was...

A decapitation operation.

You avoided the Orcs, made a wide detour around the outskirts, and approached the basin as closely as possible.

Then you charged the altar.

Kill the Orc Shaman quickly, then take the Escape Portal.

That was the usual method.

Maybe because of the ritual, most Orcs were stationed in the mountain areas around the basin.

The only guards beside the Shaman were ten Orc Warriors.

They said it was more manageable than expected if you timed it well.

Of course.

I had no intention of following the standard strategy.

“Jiho, you’re not planning to take a detour and infiltrate the altar like the guide says, are you? You’re going to charge straight in like usual, saying wizards don’t cowardly look for side paths, right?”

I nodded at Hyeji’s question.

“Lady Hyeji, it appears you have finally adapted to this one. Correct! A martial artist must be proud wherever they go!”

“Ah... Your way of talking is seriously... Ah...”

“If one ignores a wide-open front gate and goes looking for a back entrance, how could one become a true master!”

Na Hyeji let out a deep sigh and pressed a hand to her brow.

My ridiculous behavior seemed to be giving her a headache.

Anyway, we continued walking forward slowly.

“Wark?”

Before long, we encountered a group of Orcs.

An Orc hunting party of eleven.

One Orc Warrior was among them.

I walked toward them and spoke proudly.