WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 7: 007
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Right after I returned.
I sorted through the loot.
-Clatter!
I overturned my bag and poured the goblin daggers into an empty ramen box.
Thirty-four goblin daggers filled the box.
"Sis! Sis!"
"Huh? What is it?"
When I called for her at the top of my lungs, my sister opened my door and came in.
I held out the leather bag and made a request.
"Sis, can you wash this bag? It's got blood on it, so I think I need to clean it fast."
"Why do you suddenly need to wash a bag...? Wait. Don't tell me you went to the Tower? In that short time?"
"Yeah. I finished quickly. Took about twenty minutes, I think?"
"I heard even the first floor takes at least half a day..."
"It's me, though."
Like my sister said, clearing the first floor of the Tower usually took about half a day.
Stealth was the standard approach.
There were around thirty goblins on the first floor.
It was dangerous if all thirty rushed you at once.
The standard strategy was to sneak around, ambush enemies, or evade them while repeating one-on-one fights until you found the exit.
But I had gone in like an idiot and pulled the entire mob.
I grabbed their aggro, gathered them all together, then wiped them out in one sweep.
It hadn't been intentional...
Still, I finished quickly because of it.
[Baek Jiho (Republic of Korea: Floor 1)]
[34 Points]
I earned thirty-four points.
And I had thirty-four goblin daggers as loot.
'So how much did I make?'
Each goblin dagger was worth 30,000 won, and I had thirty-four of them, so that came to 1,020,000 won.
But loot sales were taxed at fifty percent, so my actual loot income was 510,000 won.
Add 340,000 won for the thirty-four points...
My total income was 850,000 won.
The number made me laugh in disbelief.
"Wait. I just made 850,000 won in twenty minutes?"
It was an absurd amount of money.
Of course, I had finished at an unreasonable speed because I used magic, unlike ordinary Hunters.
Even taking that into account, it was still a huge profit.
'No wonder there are so many gold-farming Hunters. No wonder they can take fifty percent in taxes.'
Back then, Tower loot sales had not been taxed.
It had been a kind of benefit meant to encourage Hunters to climb.
But as more gold-farming Hunters started appearing, point income fell.
The government kept raising taxes on Tower loot sales until they eventually reached fifty percent.
It was their way of saying, earn points instead of selling loot.
Even then, the number of Hunters climbing the upper floors did not increase.
Gold-farming Hunters endured the fifty percent tax and stubbornly stayed on the lower floors.
That was the current situation.
Still, I felt proud.
"I made 850,000 won from a twenty-minute walk. We're having beef today."
The goblin limb-disassembly show had turned my stomach...
But if it was beef that melted in my mouth, maybe I could manage to eat it.
As I happily stared at the ramen box full of goblin daggers, I suddenly wanted to show off my achievement.
-Click!
I took a picture and wrote a post on Hunter Gallery.
[Post Title: Newbie Hunter Just Cleared the First Floor]
[Author: Blue Dot]
(A picture of goblin daggers inside a ramen box)
Just went to the first floor
There were goblins there
Killed them all and took their daggers
If I sell all this and exchange the points too, I think it'll come out to around 850,000 won
This much profit from the first floor...
So this is why Hunters make good money
Gonna grill some beef today
└What the hell, how many daggers are those? Was that really the first floor?
└└Blue Dot: Exactly 34. Yeah, it was the first floor.
└└Thirty-four? Isn't the standard on the first floor to kill only one or two goblins you run into and escape? Why'd you kill so many? Damn.
└└Blue Dot: I somehow pulled aggro and dozens rushed me, so I killed them all.
└└?
└Looking at his old posts, this guy made a troll post thirty minutes ago.
└└Blue Dot: Yeah, I wrote that post and immediately went to the first floor. Took around twenty minutes, I think.
└└...? Bullshit. You cleared the first floor in twenty minutes? And killed thirty-four goblins while you were at it? Keep your lies believable, asshole. Where'd you steal that photo from to fake this?
└└Blue Dot: Lol.
└└What are you laughing at, fucker? Why does this piss me off so much? He's obviously a lying bastard, but this is weirdly irritating.
└What's with that yellow floor covering? This place reeks of being dirt-poor. Lol.
└└Blue Dot: It's fine. I'm moving to Power Palace soon.
└└Power Palace or whatever, the country's collapsing in three months. What are you even talking about...
└└Blue Dot: Oh, right.
└Don't you feel pathetic making up lies just to bait people?
└└Blue Dot: It's not a lie, though.
└└How the fuck does clearing the first floor in twenty minutes and killing thirty-four goblins make sense? Even a tenth-floor Hunter couldn't do that.
└└Blue Dot: I can.
└└Bullshit.
"Hehehe."
Seeing Hunter Gallery's reaction made a wicked laugh slip out.
Most of the replies denied it, mocked me, and made fun of me.
But it did not bother me at all.
If anything, it made me realize just how far beyond common sense my abilities were.
The goblin limb-disassembly show had put me in a foul mood, but I felt a little better now.
Maybe I could enjoy the meat.
I shot to my feet and shouted.
"Sis! Let's have beef today! I'm paying!"
* * *
A beef restaurant near our house.
-Sizzle!
Beef cooked deliciously on the sizzling grill.
I picked up a perfectly cooked piece with my chopsticks.
I dipped it deep into sesame oil and salt, then swallowed it in one bite.
Ah!
"Beef plate melts in my mouth!"
"That's not beef plate. That's ribeye cap."
"I don't know much about beef. Anyway, it's good."
I spouted nonsense as I happily devoured the beef.
It had been a while since I had eaten meat, so it tasted amazing.
No. Maybe it just tasted good because it was expensive beef.
My sister, sitting across from me, pouted.
"If you're going to the Tower, at least tell me before you go. What if you suddenly disappear? I might start looking for you because I think something happened."
"Sorry, sorry. I'll tell you from now on. By the way, sis, you're really good at grilling meat."
"Back when I worked at the company, I always grilled the meat at every company dinner. The department head there was a total fucking dinosaur who said women had to grill the meat and pour the drinks..."
"That's rough. Must've been hard."
We chatted about this and that while enjoying the meat.
As our meal continued, I glanced at my sister's expression.
'My sister looks so much better. That's a relief.'
Over the last two days, my sister's expression had clearly changed.
The shadow of sadness that used to hang over her face had disappeared, replaced by a carefree smile.
She had escaped the stress and exhaustion that must have tormented her while she worked as a manager.
And after seeing my overwhelming abilities, her worries about the future had vanished too.
No wonder she looked brighter.
I was quietly proud.
I had been a pathetic little brother who only burdened her.
Now I could help her.
It felt like I had finally stopped being dead weight and become a little brother she could truly rely on.
As I continued eating with a contented smile, a bitter feeling suddenly rose within me.
'I wish Mom and Dad were here too.'
My mother, who had loved me no matter what ridiculous things I did.
My father, who had been strict but also kind.
What would it have been like if they were still alive?
If they had lived until now, I was sure I could have been a proper son to them.
But they passed away before I became a Hunter...
I shook my head and pushed the useless thoughts aside.
'Enough. What kind of pathetic mood is this in front of delicious beef? Just eat.'
I was about to reach out with my chopsticks.
-There will be an emergency announcement from the President. Regular programming will be suspended.
The announcer's stiff voice came from the restaurant TV.
My gaze naturally turned toward it.
"An emergency announcement, sis."
"...I think I know what they're going to say, but let's watch."
My sister and I looked at the TV.
No, everyone in the restaurant did.
At a time when destruction was right around the corner, nobody would ignore an emergency government announcement.
On the TV was the Blue House press conference room.
The President stepped up to the podium and stood before the microphone.
-Respected citizens...
The President slowly began to speak.
-The government of the Republic of Korea informs its citizens with a heavy heart.
-All negotiations and requests for foreign aid have failed. It is impossible to obtain points from outside the country...
-Now, only three months remain for our Republic of Korea.
-Accordingly, pursuant to Article 76 of the Constitution, the government hereby declares a Hunter General Mobilization Order across the Republic of Korea, effective at 9 p.m. today.
"Hunter General Mobilization Order!"
What the President had announced was none other than the Hunter General Mobilization Order.
A national emergency order that forcibly sent Hunters who refused to climb into the Tower.
My sister nodded as if she had expected it and muttered.
"As expected. It's the Hunter General Mobilization Order. Well, with only three months left... I guess they couldn't put it off any longer."
"It doesn't have anything to do with me, right?"
"Yeah. You passed the tutorial recently, remember? The only people being dragged in are reserve Hunters who stopped being active. You just need to keep climbing the Tower and paying points every day."
"That's a relief."
The President's speech continued while my sister and I talked.
-This is a decision made to protect our survival and future.
-All reserve Hunters must report for mobilization immediately.
-All Hunter personnel in the nation will transition into a wartime system for survival as of this moment.
-A time of harsh trials is approaching. But our people have never once fallen before countless crises.
-We will certainly delay destruction and greet a peaceful morning once more.
-Citizens. Please trust the government and remain at your posts...
* * *
After we finished eating, I returned home and opened Hunter Gallery.
As expected, it was chaos.
[Breaking) Hunter General Mobilization Order Issued@@@@@@]
[Are those inactive Hunter bastards finally going to work?]
[The Hunter bastard next door just got taken away. Serves him right. Lol.]
[I'm scared of going to the Tower. Do I really have to go?]
[Fuck, I only have one arm. How am I supposed to enter the Tower?]
[Will the Hunter General Mobilization Order extend the country's lifespan?]...
It was on fire with discussions about the Hunter General Mobilization Order that had just been announced.
I read through the posts one by one.
[Post Title: Breaking) Hunter General Mobilization Order Issued@@@@@@]
As of 21:00 today, a Hunter General Mobilization Order has been issued ^oh^
All you inactive Hunters who have been taking up Hunter slots while doing nothing
Go to the Tower and earn points
You, who avoided the Tower because monsters scared you!
You, who never worked as a Hunter because you already had money!
You, who earned plenty, retired, and spent your days living easy!
Get to the Tower right now and earn points!
Put in some effooooort to save this country~~~
└What's a Hunter General Mobilization Order exactly?
└└It means they threaten inactive Hunters with weapons and make them go to the Tower.
└└Oh...
[Post Title: The Hunter Bastard Next Door Just Got Taken Away. Serves Him Right. Lol.]
The Hunter bastard next door
He always bragged that he had already earned enough to live on for the rest of his life
Said he achieved financial freedom, the unemployed prick
Soldiers came and took him away just now. Lol.
When I was working my ass off, that bastard drove imported cars and went clubbing every night, blowing money left and right. It really made me jealous and pissed me off.
Just thinking about him getting dragged off and forced to climb the Tower makes me feel great.
└Still, that guy sounds like he retired with all his limbs intact. He probably won't die even if he gets mobilized.
└Retired Hunters are fucking annoying. Those bastards earned all they needed, then spent their days loafing around while hogging a Hunter slot.
[Post Title: I'm Scared of the Tower. Do I Really Have to Go?]
I passed the tutorial
But I'm too scared to fight, so I never worked as a Hunter
I already made decent money anyway, so I didn't want to risk my life climbing the Tower...
But fuck, a Hunter General Mobilization Order?
Does every single Hunter have to climb the Tower now?
Fuck, do I really have to go? I'm terrified
What happens if I don't?
└You get executed if you don't go to the Tower.
└└(Author)??? They seriously execute you for not going to the Tower? What happened to human rights? This is insane.
└└Human rights don't matter if the country doesn't exist in the first place... The country is about to disappear. Who cares about human rights?
[Post Title: Fuck, I Only Have One Arm. How Am I Supposed to Enter the Tower?]
I'm a disabled person who retired after losing an arm while working as a Hunter
They want me to go to the Tower like this?
Fight even though I only have one arm?
This is fucking ridiculous
If I go in like this, I'll definitely die
└Is your name Shanks, by any chance?
└└(Author)Stop fucking around, you bastard. I'm seriously pissed off.
└└"I left my left hand in the Tower."
└└"Compared to the lives of the people, one arm is cheap."
└└"I came to end this climb."
└└(Author)What the fuck is wrong with you bastards?
[Post Title: Will the Hunter General Mobilization Order Extend the Country's Lifespan?]
Out of 50,000 Hunters in our country, around 10,000 are inactive Hunters
They're threatening all of them with weapons and forcing them to climb the Tower
Then they'll earn that many more points, so the country's lifespan will be extended, right?
Our country isn't going to collapse, right?
└Who knows. Even if they mobilize inactive Hunters, most of them have something wrong with them, so they won't be much help.
└Most of them are either cowards who can't fight, physically disabled, or mentally wrecked from climbing, so they won't be much help.
└They're just struggling to earn even a few more points.
└Still, monthly income will probably increase by several million points. If things go well, it might extend the country's lifespan by a month or two.
"..."
People's reactions varied.
Some were furious about being forcibly dragged into the Tower.
Some held on to faint hope.
Some expressed doubt, saying it would not stop destruction anyway...
I scratched my chin and thought.
'A Hunter General Mobilization Order...'
The Hunter General Mobilization Order.
An emergency national order that forcibly mobilized every Hunter.
It was a final desperate measure to prevent the nation's destruction, even at the cost of restricting Hunters' human rights.
But judging from people's reactions, even such an extreme measure was not enough to prevent the destruction that had been foretold.
[Lol, the country's doomed anyway.]
[We'll be lucky if the mobilization order lets us last even one more month.]
[Ah, I want to immigrate~~~]
[Fuck, I don't want to die a virgin.]
[You fucking Hunters, go earn some points.]
[Should I write a will? Not like anyone will be able to read it.]
Posts overflowing with despair and resignation flooded the board.
As I looked at them, somehow...
I did not like it.
This reality where we could not avoid destruction even after giving up human rights.
The future where my homeland, South Korea, disappeared.
I did not want to see people struggling in despair.
On impulse, I wrote a post.
[Post Title: Don't Worry, Everyone. I'll Save Korea.]
[Author: Blue Dot]
I'll grow stronger fast and save this country, yeah.
I came from Extreme Lunatic Hell difficulty. I can do it.
So stop worrying, wash your feet, and go to bed.
└Bullshit, you lying bastard.
└You still want to pull this crap in a situation like this?
└Don't feed the troll.
My shitpost was quickly swept away and buried beneath the tide of new posts.
I closed the gallery and went to bed.
Tomorrow, I would climb the second floor.
Footnotes:
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