WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 48: 048
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Morning.
I prepared to climb Floor 19.
Which meant I casually browsed Hunter Gallery.
I searched Hunter Gallery for “Floor 19.”
[How to Clear Floor 19.]
[This mountain-climbing floor is pretty brutal...]
[What are the must-have supplies for Floor 19?]
[The cliff side is easier on the mountain-climbing floor. There are too many Orcs elsewhere.]
A few posts came up.
I muttered quietly.
“Now that I'm at Floor 19, there really aren't many posts on Hunter Gallery.”
There were far too few posts about Floor 19 on Hunter Gallery.
Well, that made sense.
It was near the end of the entrance to the Middle Floors.
Not many Hunters had made it this far in the first place.
Around the time Hunters were actively climbing Floor 19, HunterNet had just appeared, and people had begun moving there one by one.
There was no way there could be much information about Floor 19.
I won't be able to get information from Hunter Gallery much longer.
Once I pass Floor 20, I should probably look for information on HunterNet instead.
Anyway...
Click.
I read a Floor 19 guide post.
[Post Title: How to Clear Floor 19]
Floor 19 is a mountain-climbing floor.
There'll be a fucking huge mountain right in front of you.
The Escape Portal is at the summit.
Your goal is to climb the mountain and reach the Escape Portal at the top.
What you need to watch out for are the Orcs stationed throughout the mountain.
There are over a thousand of them in total, and around thirty Orc Shamans scattered around too.
If you make even a little commotion, those Orc bastards will swarm you.
So it's important to avoid fights as much as possible and get to the summit quickly.
I recommend taking the cliff route.
There's a sheer cliff section on the eastern side of the mountain. If you climb up there, you can take the Escape Portal after killing only a few dozen Orcs.
Bring ropes, hooks, and carabiners, then go rock climbing.
There are more handholds and places to hook onto than you'd expect, so it isn't as hard as it sounds.
Still, be careful. If you fall, you die.
Oh.
Hunter Gallery seems noisy these days.
Ignore it and let's keep climbing.
We need to raise our floor numbers fast.
Good luck, everyone.
...
It was a normal guide post.
The comments, though, were anything but normal.
Scroll.
I went down and checked them.
It was a complete mess.
└Why even climb? Do you really need to risk your life climbing the Tower? Just stay parked on Floor 4, make hundreds of millions a year, and relax. Why risk your life over some money, idiot?
└└You paycheck leech, don't come into a guide post and ruin other people's climbing.
└└Am I wrong? Aren't you guys just addicted to dopamine and killing? Why are you risking your lives to climb? LOLLLLL
└└Don't feed the troll.
└Why go into the Tower when it's dangerous... They sell Points cheaply in developing countries anyway.
└We can buy Points overseas for 1,000 won each. Why should we treat our Hunters well by paying them 10,000 won per Point?
└Lower Point prices and let the market economy handle it LOL. There's no reason to buy domestic Points for way more than the international market price.
└Aren't we just stuffing rich Hunters' pockets with tax money? Tell those bastards to sell at international prices too.
└└How long do you think developing countries will keep selling them cheaply?
└└China, India, South America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa all sell Points dirt cheap. You think they'll stop selling?
└└There are tons of countries with a much lower GDP per capita than ours. Plenty of people survive on one or two dollars a day. They're risking their lives to earn Points and sell them cheap, so why should we pay more to get our supply of Points? LOL
└└For real. Stop wasting tax money and just import Points.
└These insane paycheck leeches are acting up even in guide posts now, fuck. Can't you make your own gallery and leave? Why are you causing trouble? Stop fucking around.
└└You guys should leave LOL. Most Hunters are Lower Floors paycheck leeches, you know? You're the ones who don't belong here.
└└This is pissing me off. What is the admin doing? Why aren't they banning these trolls?
└This is creepy. Aren't Hunters just potential murderers? They should be forcibly drafted into the military, fuck. One of the presidential candidates has a pledge to forcibly conscript Hunters. I should vote for that person.
└└No political bait.
└└No, think about it. Doesn't this creep you out? Can people who kill dozens or hundreds of monsters every month really be normal members of society?
└└You know that crazy Hunter recently went on a stabbing spree and killed dozens of civilians, right? We don't know when it could happen again. We need to handle Hunters thoroughly, like China and Russia do. The military should manage them.
└└What military, you fucker? It's been ten years since I got discharged. Why would I go back to that shithole?
└└Lock up all these insane potential murderers.
...
The comments were a mess.
Easy-rank paycheck-leech Hunters, jealous of Normal-rank users, left comments.
Ordinary people complained that the taxes spent on Hunters were wasteful, or that Hunters were dangerous.
Climbing Hunters argued back.
They were all fighting each other.
Looking at it now, it was a scene that made no sense at all.
Paycheck leeches and ordinary people were insulting climbing Hunters, who could be called patriots?
Yet only a few months had passed since the Tower appeared.
No country had fallen yet, and the world was still functioning normally.
People were still adapting to the world after the Tower.
They admired Hunters, feared them, and envied them all at once.
Things this absurd happened back then.
‘They couldn't have imagined it then. That our country would be driven to the brink of destruction.’
Many countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America that had sold Points cheaply had fallen.
China and Russia, countries that were both developing nations and great powers, stopped exporting Points.
Hundreds of Normal-rank Hunters from the Middle Floors, the backbone of climbing Hunters, emigrated overseas.
That led to the present.
The Republic of Korea suffered from a shortage of Points.
The country barely held on by selling off every asset it had.
Then it was pushed to the brink of destruction.
I clicked my tongue.
“This really is what people mean when they say to treat people well while you still have them.”
Well.
Back then, a Korean sergeant's monthly pay had been 400,000 won.
Korea had treated individual sacrifice as a given under the pretense of serving the nation.
How annoying must it have been to see Lower Floors Hunters earning hundreds of millions a year, while Middle Floors Hunters made billions every year?
What?
You become a Hunter just because you got “lucky,” then easily make hundreds of millions of won a year?
The successful ones make several billion a year?
Your physical abilities get much better too?
...Who the hell are you to enjoy such luxury?
Don't treat those bastards well!
Tax them to hell!
They already live comfortably anyway!
Points? Just buy them from developing countries!
Why should we treat those bastards who make good money so well?
That was how public sentiment formed.
A few incidents even occurred, and politicians were considering bills to forcibly conscript Hunters.
Capable Hunters emigrated, while incapable Hunters settled on the Lower Floors.
Later, after realizing the crisis, the political world tried to change things.
It was already far too late.
Countries disappearing one after another.
The urgent reunification with fallen North Korea.
War between China and India.
Russia's invasion of Eastern Europe.
Countless companies going bankrupt.
Problems erupted everywhere at once, both at home and abroad.
There was no time to respond.
The Tower's chaotic era had arrived, and both the government and private sector went through extreme turmoil.
That was how the Republic of Korea was brought to the brink of destruction.
A country that barely survived by selling off what it had one piece at a time, until it finally reached its limit.
Its national strength had declined, its talented people had fled, and its treasury was running dry.
Anyway.
That was enough looking through records of the past.
“I should practice defensive magic this time.”
Recently, I had been creating and testing various spells.
On Floor 17, I tested an area-of-effect attack spell.
On Floor 18, I worked with attack and restraint spells for use against people.
For Floor 19, I planned to test defensive magic.
“I've focused too much on offense so far... It's about time I got a proper defensive spell.”
Until now, Earth Manipulation Magic was the only defensive magic I had.
But Earth Manipulation Magic was closer to a utility skill with versatile applications than a proper defensive spell.
It was about time I got real defensive magic.
A master at the peak should be wearing Protective Aura too!
This Extreme Lunatic Hell master at the peak.
Wouldn't it ruin my image if I went around without a single defensive martial art?
I imagined it.
Countless attacks rushing toward me.
And me, standing there calmly, deflecting every one of them!
Then I would give them a faint, mocking smile...!
“Kh!”
That was the very image of a master at the peak.
The attacks of such insignificant commoners could not even touch a single hair on my body.
“It's time for Protective Aura!”
So I waited for the EX-rank porter and the fairy.
[Entering Tower Floor 19.]
The attempt to clear Floor 19 began.
* * *
Flash!
The bright light faded.
I looked around.
The first thing I saw was a tall mountain directly ahead.
It was truly enormous.
A massive, majestic mountain with permanent snow near the summit, rocky terrain scattered across it, and towering peaks.
I had heard it was as large as Japan's Mount Fuji.
It was certainly magnificent enough to enjoy looking at.
The clear condition for Floor 19 was to reach the Escape Portal at that mountain's summit.
As I examined the mountain...
“Jiho. You're not planning to ride Iing Iing straight to the Escape Portal, are you?”
Hyeji asked as she stroked Iing Iing beside me.
I nodded lightly.
“Of course not. There are a thousand Orcs on this mountain. How could I leave them behind?”
With the fairy Iing Iing's telekinetic flight, clearing the floor would be easy.
We could simply float through the air with telekinesis and head straight for the summit.
But who was I?
An Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter at the peak!
A late-generation disciple of the Goblin Sect and the nightmare of the Orc Sect!
I had no intention of leaving even one Orc alive.
“Okay. Then I'll get ready to fly right away.”
Hyeji immediately tried to prepare for flight at my words.
I shook my head.
“No. I don't plan to fly much on this floor.”
“Why? You're going to walk up that mountain? Isn't that annoying? It'd be much easier to fight while flying around like usual.”
“I'm going to test defensive magic.”
I was going to use Protective Aura.
Even if I could use defensive magic, I would need to get hit to feel its effects properly.
That was why I planned to travel on the ground.
The Orcs couldn't hit me if I flew through the sky.
“Hmm... Okay. Then I'll follow behind you with Iing Iing and collect the loot. You're practicing defensive magic, right?”
“Yes. I hate getting hurt, so I'm going all in on defensive magic!”
“Your head already hurts, Jiho.”
-Iing Iing.
I started walking.
Hyeji and Iing Iing followed behind me.
We began climbing the mountain.
The trail was quite rough.
Steep slopes, countless bushes, and trees.
Visibility was poor, and we had to walk a rugged mountain path instead of a proper hiking trail.
It was a difficult climb.
Still, neither Hyeji nor I had much trouble walking along the mountain path.
“Hyeji. The path isn't too hard, right?”
“No. I guess I've grown a lot too. In the past, I don't think I could have even considered walking along a mountain path this rough...”
“It's all thanks to me carrying you. You should always be grateful, human.”
“Thank you so much...!”
Of course, this was nothing to my Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter self.
Hyeji had also reached Floor 19 and gained considerable physical ability by now.
A climb like this felt no different from walking on flat ground.
We continued along the mountain trail for some time.
-Grrrk! Gwoooaaaar!
-Woooaack!
Then we encountered a group of Orcs.
It consisted of one Orc Warrior and ten ordinary Orcs.
It was a familiar Orc hunting party.
My eyes lit up as I used magic.
“Protective Aura!”
I activated Protective Aura.
In truth, I had only formed a wall of extremely compressed air around my body.
But that was enough.
-Clang! Clatter! Clang!
The barrage of axes from the charging Orcs failed to pierce my wall of air and simply bounced off.
-Woack?!
-Grrk!
The Orcs swung their axes with confused expressions.
But there was no way their pathetic axe swings could pierce my Protective Aura!
And Protective Aura was fundamentally a defensive technique and a counterattack technique.
‘If I spin this wall of compressed air, I can counterattack too.’
I immediately set the air in motion.
The wall of air around me began rotating rapidly.
Without realizing it, I shouted.
“Spin! Tornado!”
“Huh? Isn't that a Shorts sound effect?”
I ignored Hyeji recognizing it and rapidly spun the compressed air.
Then...
-Kagagagagagak!!!
The Orcs pressed against my wall of air were shredded apart.
First, the arms they had extended were torn to pieces, then their torsos were ripped apart as well.
As if they had been thrown into a massive blender.
They broke apart in a spray of bloody mist!
“Eeeeeek!”
Hyeji let out a horrified scream.
It was that disgusting and grotesque.
Even I had not expected such a brutal sight.
They turned into blood in an instant, like tomatoes thrown into a blender and made into tomato juice...
It was an extremely violent scene.
-Flop, splatter.
The eleven Orcs who had approached me were instantly reduced to blood and scattered everywhere.
The attack seemed quite powerful, since even their iron axeheads and armor had suffered some damage.
I used gas, the element with the weakest physical force, yet it had this much attack power...
If I used water instead of air...
I would literally become a human blender.
“Ugh... That's disgusting.”
“You've seen much worse than this. Gather the loot quickly and let's keep moving!”
“Okay. Iing Iing? Please.”
-Iing Iing.
Hyeji had the fairy collect the loot.
We continued walking up the mountain path.
Along the way, we encountered countless groups of Orcs.
-Woooh? Woooaack!
-Wooooaaaaaar!
The Orcs charged at us the moment they saw us.
“Hehe. Come here!”
-Kagagagagagak!
I ground them up with the Air Mixer.
Each time, pools of blood formed and soaked the ground.
Whether I encountered dozens of Orcs or even more, nothing could stand against my Air Mixer.
At times, we encountered Orc Shamans too.
-Woooh! Woooaaar!
“Orc Sect Leader! To think we meet again here. Good to see you!”
-Wooooaar!
Kwarrrrrrum!
The bastard, who had been diligently preparing a spell, fired lightning at me.
But its lightning could not pierce my Protective Aura.
Crackle!
The lightning only turned part of the wall of air into plasma.
It did not touch even a hair on my head!
-Woack?!
“Hehe... Is that all, Sect Leader? Then it's my turn now.”
-Wooooaaaaaar!
I spun the wall of air and walked steadily toward the Orc Shaman.
Kagagagagagak!
The Orc Shaman was instantly torn to shreds and reduced to blood.
It felt strangely moving.
‘The Orc Shaman was once a powerful enemy...!’
Now I did not even need to draw out sword aura.
I could kill it instantly with Protective Aura alone!
Had I reached the late stage of the peak, with the transcendent peak right before me?
My realm rose higher day by day.
I felt proud.
“Ugh... Jiho, please stop grinding them up. It's really disgusting...”
“Grinding up these Orcs reminds me of my time in the military.”
“What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
“I used a brush cutter a ridiculous amount in the military. I don't know why grass grew so much... I would sweat buckets in the summer while running that brush cutter like my life depended on it. This situation reminds me of that.”
“...?”
“Why, the Orcs have green skin. Grinding up green Orcs just feels kind of like... cutting grass with a brush cutter in the military, you know?”
“Insane...”
Hyeji did not seem able to relate to what I said.
It was probably because she had not served in the military as a woman.
Anyone who had served and used a brush cutter like crazy would have completely understood me...!
Anyway.
After that, I used various elements and tested different defensive spells.
-Kwagagagagagak!
“Hmm. Making a tornado with the water element uses too much mana. It would be good against strong enemies, but hard to use casually.”
Defensive magic using water.
It had excellent defense and attack power, but consumed too much mana.
-Kwarrrrrum! Whoooosh!
“Eek! Jiho! Fire! There's a fire!”
“Oops. I'll put it out soon.”
Lightning and fire.
Their attack power was strong, but their defensive ability was relatively poor.
They also often set the surroundings on fire, making them difficult to use comfortably.
-Rumble...
“Ugh. It's so damn slow.”
Earth magic had the best defensive ability.
But it was too slow to manifest quickly.
Each element had its own drawbacks, so most were not suitable for Protective Aura.
For defensive purposes, Protective Aura and the Air Mixer, both made with compressed air, seemed the most efficient.
‘I'll use water-based defensive magic against strong enemies, and wind-based defensive magic normally.’
Water-based defensive magic had poor mana efficiency, but offered extremely strong attack and defense.
Wind-based defensive magic offered both efficiency and performance.
Those two would become the core of my defense.
“I think I've roughly learned defensive magic, so I'll take care of the rest quickly.”
“Okay. Iing Iing? Let's go up.”
-Iing!
After finishing my defensive magic demonstration, we continued slaughtering Orcs as usual.
Which meant spraying Fireballs and Air Bullets from the air.
We traveled throughout the mountain, grinding up every Orc we saw.
After some time...
[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 19)]
[You have completed Tower Floor 19.]
[You have defeated 1,024 Orcs (10).]
[You have defeated 101 Orc Warriors (100).]
[You have defeated 29 Orc Shamans (300).]
[Points are being calculated.]
[Tower Floor 20 has been unlocked.]
[Returning.]
We eliminated every Orc on Floor 19 and took the Escape Portal.
Floor 20 was right ahead.
Footnotes:
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