I'm the Only Wizard Climbing the Tower - Chapter 62

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 62: 062

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“Jiho! What are you saying the first time you meet someone?!”

“I’m sorry. Our Jiho is a little...”

Hyeji and my sister hurriedly tried to clean up after my old lady remark.

Still, I stood my ground.

“They started it first. They called me an ‘attention-seeking aggro-baiting fake fraud lunatic,’ so I had no choice but to unleash my killing intent...!”

“They didn’t say it quite like that, Jiho.”

“That’s how it sounded to me, anyway.”

“Oh, Jiho...”

I was already annoyed that my porter, Na Hyeji, was standing there all dazed because she’d been charmed by Choi Yejin.

Then she called me an attention seeker the moment we met?

This had gone beyond WWE. It could only become UFC.

As we bickered back and forth...

“You called me an old lady? Haha.”

A quiet laugh reached my ears.

The ordinary person, Choi Yejin, was looking this way with a grin.

Why was she laughing?

Did she actually enjoy being called an old lady?

If she wanted, I could call her that more often.

She murmured softly.

“Since becoming a Hunter, you’re the first person to call me old lady, Baek Jiho.”

“...”

Wait.

Was this the cliché where she said, “You’re the first one to do this to me”?

“Don’t fall for me.”

“...?”

“And you’re not my type either, Choi Yejin.”

“This really is a crazy bastard. He’s genuine. He’s way more insane than the others.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“And Hunters tend to be stronger the crazier they are, you know?”

Choi Yejin looked me over.

Her eyes traveled from my head to my toes, as if she were trying to gauge my abilities.

But I probably just looked like a scrawny little shrimp.

Perhaps she realized that, because a puzzled look appeared on her face.

She was probably thinking something like, ‘This scrawny brat is a Hunter? How?’

How rude.

Choi Yejin continued.

“...You saw the Raid Team, so you know why I called you here, right?”

“I heard you have a nasty hobby of calling in innocent ordinary Hunters and beating them to a pulp.”

“It’s sparring and training, not beating... Anyway, it’s fine if you understand. Wait here.”

She set down her whiskey bottle and picked up her phone.

“Secretary Kim. Put 200 billion won in Baek Jiho’s account.”

-Understood.

Ding.

A message arrived.

When I checked it, it said 200 billion won had been deposited.

As expected of Koreans. Nobody moved faster when money was involved.

That transfer had been incredibly fast.

“That should cover your medical expenses, right?”

“That’s more than enough.”

“Let’s go to the sparring arena. I need to see whether you’re useful or just all talk. Follow me.”

She took the lead, while Hyeji and my sister looked at me.

They seemed flustered by the sudden clash of egos.

I spoke quietly.

“Sis, Hyeji. Wait here. I’ll go teach that Hard-rank commoner a lesson!”

“Even if it’s you, Jiho... can you win without using your abilities? She’s a Highest Floors Hunter.”

“I’ll win.”

Would this great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter lose to a mere Hard-rank commoner?

I strode after Choi Yejin.

* * *

The sparring arena was in the mansion’s basement.

It was a vast, open space that seemed to take up a considerable part of the estate. Cracks from training and sparring covered the walls and ceiling.

While I looked around, Choi Yejin asked quietly.

“So, what Floor are you on?”

“Floor 24.”

“Stop lying. If you’re strong enough to wipe out a Chinese special forces unit, you have to be in the late High Floors at least. Floor 39? Floor 40?”

“Floor 24.”

“You’re seriously fucking insane. What kind of Hunter Gallery persona is this that you’re so stubbornly committed to it?”

She wouldn’t believe me even when I told the truth.

Grumbling, Choi Yejin brought over a box of weapons.

There were all kinds of iron weapons, including swords, spears, shields, and arrows. They must have been for training, because none of them had been sharpened.

“Go on. Pick the weapon you want.”

“I don’t need one.”

“Did you bring a weapon of your own?”

“No. A true man speaks with a single fist!”

Snap!

I raised my fist as I declared it.

It was a skinny, scrawny fist, fitting for a shrimp like me.

“This fist is my weapon.”

“...”

Choi Yejin let out a hollow laugh.

I was going to face a Highest Floors Hunter barehanded.

She probably thought it was absurd bravado.

But I meant it.

I would fight with my fists.

‘It’s not like I know how to use a sword in the first place.’

Rather than pick up a sword I couldn’t use and get beaten while swinging it around, I thought it would be better to use my own body.

Choi Yejin frowned.

“Are you showing off? You’ll regret it.”

“The one who regrets this will be you, Choi Yejin. How dare a Hard-rank commoner challenge this great Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter and steal my porter’s heart? I’ll beat you until it hurts and teach you a proper lesson!”

“...What the fuck are you talking about? Whatever.”

Clank.

She picked up a weapon.

It was a short one-handed sword.

I had heard that Choi Yejin normally used a bow.

Had she picked up a sword because this was only a sparring match?

Lightly spinning the one-handed sword, she spoke.

“Warm up, then come at me when you’re ready.”

The sparring match began.

And I...

“I’ll tear you apart and crush you!”

Crack!

I immediately used my Lightness Skill and rushed toward Choi Yejin.

In other words, I ran really fast.

My body had reached Floor 24.

It had already far surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.

By simply running, I could move faster than the eye could track.

But the same was true for my opponent.

“You’re pretty fast.”

Her eyes shifted as they followed my movements perfectly.

Was this what it meant to be a Highest Floors Hunter?

Her physical abilities had reached the realm of a fully developed superhuman.

To think she could track this great body’s movements so precisely.

I threw a punch.

‘I’ll end it in one blow.’

I unleashed a powerful fist imbued with the principle of speed.

In other words, I punched really fast.

Whoosh!

My fist tore through the air.

Swish.

Choi Yejin tilted her head and avoided it.

“...?”

Choi Yejin looked confused.

What was with that expression?

I swung again.

-Papapapapapap!

I got close and threw punch after punch.

The sound of fists cutting through the air echoed continuously.

Choi Yejin avoided my wild punches without much difficulty.

She twisted her body slightly to dodge them, then knocked my wrist aside and redirected my attacks.

My fists wouldn’t land at all.

No, damn it. Why couldn’t I hit her?

Choi Yejin muttered in disbelief.

“What are you? Your physical abilities are incredible... so why are you so bad at using your body?”

“...”

“You move like some insanely strong guy who’s never fought before. But it’s weird. If you made it to Floor 40, you should have plenty of combat experience. Why are you moving like a little kid throwing punches for the first time? Are you messing with me?”

“Shut up, Choi Yejin!”

To think she would look down on my Manager Fist Art...!

I had no choice.

If the Manager Fist Art wouldn’t work, I would have to face her with another martial art.

I picked up the pace and moved even faster.

-Tadat. Tat.

I worked my footwork.

-Hook! Hook! Hook!

Then I threw rapid hooks with my left hand.

I was Muhammad Jiho.

I floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.

With the cool intelligence of a wizard, Muhammad Ali’s boxing skill, and the physical ability of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter, the current me was...

Without question, the strongest boxer on Earth!

I could wipe the floor with a commoner like her in an instant!

I could not.

“Now you’re clumsily copying boxing? If you’re going to copy it, do it properly. What the hell are you even doing? Look at that pathetic footwork.”

“...”

“Stop screwing around. You’re starting to piss me off.”

Choi Yejin skillfully dodged and deflected every fist I threw.

I had no choice but to recognize the situation I was in.

‘Damn it. My body is great, but my fighting sense is garbage, so I can’t land a single hit.’

My physical abilities seemed almost equal to Choi Yejin’s.

I couldn’t feel much difference in speed or strength.

Still, there was one decisive difference between us.

Combat experience.

Whenever I took a stance to throw a punch, Choi Yejin read my posture, predicted its path, and dodged before I could throw it.

I couldn’t read Choi Yejin’s movements at all.

Again and again, I could only pierce her afterimage.

Even if our bodies were equal, there was a difference in the experience and skill needed to use them.

Choi Yejin clicked her tongue.

“Are you going to keep fooling around? Pick up your main weapon already.”

“...”

I wasn’t fooling around.

I was fighting seriously.

Choi Yejin picked up her sword.

“If you’re going to keep fighting like this is a joke... I’m getting angry too. Let me teach you a little lesson.”

Swoosh!

Choi Yejin swung her sword.

The one-handed sword tore through the air as it rushed toward my side.

‘...!’

I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut.

It was a blunt training sword, but it was still a chunk of iron.

It would hurt a lot if it hit me, right?

Then...

-Clang!

“?”

The sword Choi Yejin swung snapped cleanly in half.

The blade that struck my side broke as though someone had split a hard chocolate bar, then fell to the floor with a clatter.

Choi Yejin muttered.

“What? Why did it break?”

“...”

And I didn’t feel any pain at all.

It was practically the same as being hit with an iron club.

Yet my superhuman physical toughness had endured it!

At that moment, the name of a martial art flashed through my mind.

“Is this Iron Shirt...? No, it’s the Indestructible Vajra Body!”

That was right.

As an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter, the successor of the Goblin Sect, and a master who had reached the pinnacle realm...

This great body had somehow mastered the Indestructible Vajra Body!

Until now, I had mainly trained my internal energy and neglected the training of external arts...

Yet I had unknowingly mastered the Indestructible Vajra Body, the ultimate external art.

Ah... This great body’s talent!

My fear disappeared.

“Hehe. Weak. Choi Yejin, is this your ‘best’?”

“Why did this break? I bought this sword not long ago... Was it defective?”

“Come at me! Kwee, kwee!”

I had confirmed my physical abilities.

I was tough enough to be struck by an iron club swung by a Highest Floors Hunter without a scratch!

Unless she brought out an artifact with an enhanced cutting effect, I was invincible.

Which meant...

‘If I can just grab her, I win!’

Tadat!

With both hands outstretched, I charged at her.

Since I couldn’t hit Choi Yejin with my fists, I planned to grab her and overwhelm her with my superior physical durability.

I had switched from striking to grappling.

Of course, Choi Yejin had no intention of letting herself be caught.

“Tsk... Of all times, I get defective equipment.”

Whoosh.

She threw away her sword, stepped back to the weapon box, and took out a new weapon.

This time, she picked up a longsword.

Unlike the one-handed sword that had snapped in half earlier, it was a weapon meant to be swung with both hands.

She swung it at me.

“How long are you going to keep coming at me like this is a joke? Fight properly!”

Swoooosh!

The path of the blade rushed toward me as it cut through the air.

The blade reflected the lights above, scattering blue sword light.

Then...

-Clang!

“What the hell?!”

Choi Yejin cried out in shock.

The sword she swung still failed to inflict any real damage on my body.

Only the poor blade snapped in half and rolled across the floor.

“Are you insane?! Why is your body so hard?!”

“A real man has to be hard!”

“Cut the crap, you crazy piece of trash!”

“?”

She hurriedly pulled out weapons and attacked one after another.

Daggers, short spears, long spears, shields, axes...

All kinds of bladed weapons rushed toward me.

-Clang! Bang! Crack! Clatter!

Every one of them broke.

Crude training weapons couldn’t inflict even the slightest damage on this great body’s Extreme Lunatic Hell physique.

It truly was the Indestructible Vajra Body.

“Insane...! How can someone be this tough?! Are you using an artifact?! No, I’ve never heard of an artifact that reinforces the body itself...”

“Hehehe. Come here!”

“What the hell is this...?!”

Before long, every weapon in the box had been used up.

A chase began.

Choi Yejin was the one running away, and I was the one chasing her.

Choi Yejin could attack me, but my body was so tough that she couldn’t hurt me.

I had overwhelming physical durability, but I couldn’t catch the agile Choi Yejin.

Naturally, the sparring match turned into a game of tag.

The match ended.

The result of the sparring match between Choi Yejin of Floor 41 and me of Floor 24.

0:0.

It was a draw.

* * *

We left the basement sparring arena and returned to the living room.

My sister and Hyeji were waiting there.

“Jiho, how did it go? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Jiho, did you learn a lot from Choi Yejin?”

My sister was genuinely curious about the result.

Hyeji had already assumed I lost.

How rude, Na Hyeji.

To think this great Extreme Lunatic Hell pinnacle master would lose in a martial arts match.

I would repay this grudge later.

I puffed out my chest and spoke proudly.

“This great body won.”

“Wow, really? You beat Choi Yejin? Jiho, that’s amazing...”

“What? That can’t be possible!”

My sister was delighted, while Hyeji refused to believe me.

How rude, Na Hyeji.

To not believe the words of this great body, your employer.

I would repay this grudge later.

While I was bragging about the result...

“Victory, my ass. It was a draw.”

Choi Yejin walked in behind me.

Her face was filled with disbelief.

I spoke quietly to her.

“The loser has arrived.”

“Bullshit. How am I the loser? You didn’t hit me even once.”

“You kept running away like a coward, yet you dare claim victory?”

“Tell me honestly. You used an artifact in secret, didn’t you? That physical toughness makes no sense! You insane fraud, you’re faking things outside Hunter Gallery too?!”

“Don’t raise your voice, don’t raise your voice like that.”

“You crazy bastard!”

“Don’t use such strong words. It makes you look weak.”

Was her pride hurt because she hadn’t been able to injure me at all?

Choi Yejin was seething with frustration.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either.

My body was really this tough...

‘Hmm. As expected of an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard Hunter’s body. Unless I’m hit by an artifact-grade weapon, I probably don’t need to worry about dying.’

It seemed ordinary metal weapons couldn’t hurt my body.

It would be different if I were attacked with a high-grade artifact...

But those weren’t common.

Choi Yejin clicked her tongue.

“If this had been a real fight, you’d have died in an instant, you bastard. If I used my bow, I would’ve put a hole straight through your forehead.”

“If it had been a real fight, I would’ve taken Yejin down in one hit too. You should be grateful I fought you with my fists.”

“So what’s your main weapon?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Argh.”

Choi Yejin scratched at her head and glared at me.

There were complicated emotions in her eyes as she looked at me.

The first things I saw were annoyance and anger.