WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Protagonist Doesn't Want to Leave the First Floor ◈

Chapter 52: 052

──────

The snow that had blanketed the ground gradually disappeared. The frozen earth thawed into mud, and rain began to fall from the sky instead of snow.

The users who had endured the bitter cold each began putting their plans into action.

Some had braved the cold to move fields before winter ended, but quite a few had chosen to hold out in one place until spring.

They were either struggling to adapt to the now-higher Field Level, or only now packing their belongings and heading toward Giant Lake.

Large and small incidents followed one after another. The Villains who had kept quiet through winter were no different. Once the cold receded, they began moving again.

“Is this really selling that well?”

Seo Hajin used Brown to restock the marketplace listings. Wolf Meat still was not selling particularly well, but the shake powder made primarily from it was selling out faster than expected.

For one thing, it was cheap.

It also lacked Wolf Meat’s distinctive smell. Instead, it carried the scent of the plants and fruit ground into it.

The taste was slightly chalky, but it left behind a faint sweetness. It had originally been almost flavorless, but after finding a plant similar to stevia, it had at least become edible.

“You just mix it with water and drink it. Still, it’s selling way better than I expected.”

It was not difficult to find out why.

More and more users could no longer hunt properly.

Since they could not get food themselves, they were using affordable shake powder to get the nutrients they needed.

‘How are they making money? Are they just spending what they saved up?’

That question was soon answered as well.

Even if they could not hunt, they could gather or log. There were still ways to earn Points without fighting Mobs directly.

“Ah. More users have gone to the Logging Forest too.”

The great migration was not only heading toward Giant Lake. Apparently, quite a few users had also crossed over to the nearly opposite Logging Forest.

It had already been home to a fair number of users.

There were concerns that the Villains would regroup when spring came, but with the Field Level already greatly increased, many thought even gathering in large numbers aboveground would be difficult.

‘The Logger Clan must be having a hard time too.’

Mobs, including Bears, regularly spawned even within the territory they had secured. They could barely hold out only by organizing a separate combat unit for patrols.

In that sense, it was fortunate they had not spread their territory too far and had stayed concentrated in one place from the beginning.

‘The Villain Clans... rebuilding seems difficult.’

That did not mean Villains had disappeared.

They had merely lost their central figures. As expected, they still roamed in small groups, targeting users.

But ordinary users now traveled in groups too. It seemed even a moderately sized band of Villains could no longer rob people so easily.

“So people earn money by logging or gathering, then buy food from the marketplace. That’s good news for me.”

Seo Hajin began adjusting the shake powder recipe again.

He had originally listed it because there was far too much for him to eat alone, but if he was selling it as a product, he needed to pay more attention to its taste and texture.

‘It needs to dissolve well in water and go down without being too thick. A little more sweetness would be good, but too much will bring out the bitterness, so I need to balance it.’

He also divided the feed into several varieties.

He made separate blends, from sizes and ingredients suitable for small animals like Rabbits to food for Wolves and larger animals.

As they had discussed before, he also added Bird Feed. When he first listed it on the marketplace, many people asked who would even buy something like that.

But that was only the initial response.

Now, more people were saying they understood why Juggernaut had started selling Bird Feed.

One by one, people riding Eagles through the sky had begun to appear.

There were not many of them.

According to posts on the community board, taming an Eagle required risking one’s life from the start.

Perhaps because of that, people said they stored their equipment and important belongings in an Item Box before attempting it.

‘You see them often in Rabbit Field.’

That was the best place to use Eagles for hunting. The original rocky cliff field had difficult terrain, and there were not many Mountain Goats.

Meanwhile, Rabbit Field, whose Field Level had risen considerably, was crawling with Rabbits of every size. No matter where one looked, there was something to hunt.

An Eagle could dive from the sky, snatch up a Rabbit, rise high enough, and simply let it go. The hunt would be over.

The user either waited on the ground to collect the dropped items or rode the Eagle from the start.

‘But staying on the ground could be dangerous? Ah... it could.’

Pets were ultimately connected to the items in the Inventory. What dropped when their owner died was no different from any other item.

In other words, if someone killed an Eagle’s owner, they could steal the Eagle too. It was only natural for Villains to salivate over that.

‘Unless they have Subspace like me and moved the linked item there.’

There also seemed to be a function that protected certain Inventory slots so their contents would not drop on death, but he had never seen it himself.

“Then... I think we can keep the recipe as it is for now.”

“Yes, Master.”

Companion No. 2 gave a light bow and took over the work. At some point, Master had become the fixed way they addressed him.

“Are you short on hands? Do we need a No. 3?”

“Not yet. When space was limited, we had to constantly organize things to make room, but that is no longer the case.”

“But more is coming in now.”

“Yes. But consumption has increased just as much, so it is manageable.”

“That’s a relief.”

The Wolf Meat that had once filled several containers had now decreased considerably.

When he was eating it alone, he had only processed it into powder because it compressed better than storing the meat as is.

Now that the powder kept moving through the marketplace, there was even less reason to lack space.

Of course, the amount of meat coming in was increasing day by day as well. Subspace kept expanding accordingly.

“Other than processed lumber, I don’t expect any sudden issues.”

“That stuff is bulky.”

The byproducts produced by the Beastkin workers while logging were substantial.

The trees themselves were enormous. Even after the trunks were cut, branches, bark, sawdust, and scraps remained in heaps.

‘If those are dried and compressed properly, they can be made into pellets or charcoal.’

Winter was nearly over, but demand for Firewood would not disappear completely. Even in summer, there would be times when people needed fires.

‘It’s fortunate processed plant products don’t disappear when stored outside.’

There had always been clearings where no trees grew in the Northern Forest.

From above, they were round gaps amid the dense trees, like bald patches.

Seo Hajin sent the workers to one of them.

They cut down trees around the clearing and stacked the processed lumber directly inside it.

It functioned as both a logging yard and a drying yard.

There was too much to put into Subspace, but it would not disappear if left outside. As long as it was covered against the rain, storing it would not be a problem.

At first, he had considered enlarging the cave behind the waterfall and using it as a warehouse, but perhaps because it was close to water, the humidity was too high. If he stored lumber there, it might rot instead of drying.

“We’ll keep logging ahead of time, stockpile it, and sell it later.”

He was not too worried about anyone coming to steal it.

It was absurdly heavy, for one thing.

‘And not particularly expensive for its weight.’

If someone made it through the Reinforced Wolf packs and into the Northern Forest just to steal lumber, they might be desperate enough to need it.

‘That said, if they really do come to steal it...’

If someone came politely and explained their circumstances, he was willing to give them some for free.

‘Demand for Firewood is definitely falling, but the amount being listed on the marketplace is similarly low.’

More users had started logging as winter passed. But it was also undeniable that the work had become harder than before.

The Northern Forest was full of Wolves.

And the eastern forest was full of Bears.

People had come up with measures like climbing trees to cut branches from above, but the safer they made things, the slower and more cumbersome the work became.

‘Demand for processed lumber is bound to fall too. There are too many Mobs for people to build housing. It would just get destroyed quickly.’

Treehouses seemed manageable, at least, but building a small dwelling in a tree did not require much lumber.

Even if supply recovered, demand was unlikely to keep pace. That trend would worsen as the Field Level rose.

‘No.’

At least one place was different.

The Giant Lake field.

Aside from the enormous lake in the center, it was nothing but open ground in every direction.

Housing demand should be considerable, especially in the northwest, which did not border any other field.

Yet there was almost no discussion about it on the marketplace or the community board.

When Seo Hajin checked the board out of curiosity, he found several posts saying bloodshed had recently swept through the area.

The newcomers and the old guard.

Conflict had arisen between the existing fishers and the users who had newly crossed over. Even within the same groups, people repeatedly split apart and came together depending on their values and positions.

The reason it had escalated into bloodshed was simple. Compared to the size of the entire field, land suitable for housing was limited.

A struggle to claim the better plots.

...That was probably how to see it.

‘A fight over fishing spots has gotten pretty vicious.’

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Seo Hajin judged that once the situation stabilized, demand for construction lumber could explode.

It would be better to stockpile it rather than sell it now.

‘We could keep listing it on the marketplace, but demand is low right now, so prices have stalled.’

There was no need to remove the listings already up.

He just needed to adjust the amount of new stock depending on the situation.

‘Just hunting was more comfortable.’

He wondered whether it was worth paying attention to all these things just to earn a little more. Maybe he should just sell things off roughly and focus on hunting.

‘Though I am hunting too.’

Seo Hajin lowered his gaze.

Two Avatars were fighting Wolves as large as cattle in the forest.

Judging by size alone, they should have been at a disadvantage. But the actual battle was the opposite. Every time the Wolves were struck by the weapons the Avatars swung, their bodies were pushed sideways or slammed into the ground.

A short distance away, there was another hunting team.

Under the Wolf Rider’s command, a pack of Wolves swept through the forest like a storm, clearing out Mobs.

At first, their hunting results had been lower than those of the two Avatars. Having numbers did not mean they could overwhelmingly defeat strong enemies.

But after one highly intelligent commander was added, things changed dramatically. The Wolves, which had already moved organically through Hive Command, began moving with even greater precision.

The group that drew attention from the front, the group that bit at the flanks, and the group that blocked the fleeing enemy’s path separated naturally.

The number of Wolves had also increased one by one, reaching the planned twenty. Including the Wolf ridden by the Wolf Rider, there were twenty-one.

They were now achieving better hunting results than the two Avatars in the same amount of time.

‘If only I had more Keys, I could make another team.’

There were more Reinforced Wolves.

But for efficiency, he kept each hunting team at twenty Wolves and one Wolf Rider.

‘They don’t tire easily either.’

Pets recovered their stamina quickly when they ate. As long as there was enough food, they rarely became exhausted.

Unless they were seriously injured or developed a problem with their condition, there was no need to rotate them out.

‘For now... let’s get them all to 50.’

Only one remained.

The youngest, Brown.

By now, all four other Avatars had broken through their level 40 locks and reached level 50.

‘At the current rate of Key acquisition, it should take three days... maybe even two if things go well.’

He had hoped a new Avatar slot would be added in the meantime, but the number had remained at five.

‘It was a good decision.’

Strengthening his forces through Pets.

Even if the number of Avatars never rose past five, his forces could continue growing stronger by developing his Pets and Beastkin troops.

“Then... shall we get going?”

Gulp.

Juggernaut’s throat moved.

The tension he felt for the first time in a while actually made him feel good.

Tap tap.

Juggernaut checked the straps connecting the saddle to his body with his hands. They were tightened firmly.

The saddle sat on the Eagle’s back.

Its shape was different from the saddles he used on Wolves or Sangun. The Eagle’s wings were attached where a person’s legs would hang, so sitting normally would interfere with their movement.

‘My legs would get caught on the wings.’

Even pulling the saddle as far forward as possible, almost directly behind its head, had its limits.

‘TrueFinal had moved his farther back instead.’

He seemed to have sat with both legs stretched forward, but from what Seo Hajin remembered, his center of balance had shifted backward, making him look rather precarious.

That was why Seo Hajin thought of a jockey at a racetrack.

Rather than sitting comfortably on a horse’s back, they rested their weight on the stirrups, bent their knees, and leaned their upper body forward.

It looked almost like kneeling, but it did not interfere with the Eagle’s wings.

So he remade the saddle to suit that position.

Afterward, he repeatedly fitted it onto the Eagle, sat in it, and secured his body.

The result was the saddle in use now.

‘There were no major problems during the test flight.’

He had incorporated every improvement discovered during the brief flight. All that remained was a full-scale long-distance flight test.

‘The parachute is still unreliable. It seems more likely to cause an accident... It would be better to open Subspace and go inside.’

He had planned an emergency parachute long ago.

He had even made one himself and tested it.

But the materials were unsuitable.

Since he had made it through trial and error without knowing the parachute’s exact structure, the fabric did not open properly.

‘Developing thin, tough fiber comes first.’

But Seo Hajin had Subspace.

The moment he fell, he could open the entrance and go inside.

There was no need to spend time and materials developing a parachute.

‘It would be different if I needed to carry someone else, but that won’t happen for now.’

Repair No. 1, who had been waiting with its body lowered, remained still while Juggernaut climbed onto its back and tightened the straps.

As TrueFinal had said, Eagles were highly intelligent. In comparison, they were around the same level as a Werewolf like Companion No. 1.

Repair No. 1 had not evolved yet and could not speak, but it clearly understood Seo Hajin’s orders immediately.

It also seemed to be affected by Hive Command.

Because of that, there was no need for reins or a separate control device.

Grrk?

“Yes. We’re going to fly properly now.”

The waterfall, frozen over all winter, had already completely thawed. The swollen water poured down the cliff, drowning out the sounds around it.

Repair No. 1 kicked off from the old cave entrance protruding beside the waterfall.

Its enormous wings swept downward once.

Juggernaut’s body was pushed backward in an instant.

The straps held his waist and thighs in place.

With the second flap, the cliff and waterfall quickly fell away below them.

Repair No. 1 rose higher than Seo Hajin’s aerial viewpoint in an instant. From far higher than before, he could take in a more distant landscape at a glance.

‘The position is a little uncomfortable, but I need to get used to it.’

Once he rose higher, the Cartography function changed as well.

The map of the Northern Forest had been complete for a long time, so there was little difference. But descriptions of the distant regions barely visible at the edge of his vision became a little more accurate than before.

‘I knew it did more than just reveal the surroundings. Should I update the map while I’m at it?’

A support shaped like bicycle handlebars was fixed in front of the saddle. Seo Hajin gripped it, then applied a little force to turn his body.

That was enough.

Repair No. 1 immediately understood his intention and made a wide turn. Once it faced the right direction, the Eagle spread its wings and accelerated.

“Oh. They’re finally starting to appear.”

The Crocodiles that had vanished somewhere over winter.

As the weather warmed, they had appeared again and filled the riverbank.

The Field Level seemed to affect them as well. Even their numbers had become difficult to compare with before.

“Ugh. That’s kind of disgusting.”

It would not have looked this bad from below, but from high above, the Crocodiles tangled along the riverbank looked like hundreds of insects.

They lay almost motionless, but the sight of their tails and backs overlapping made the ground seem to squirm.

“Could Crocodiles be tamed too?”

The thought occurred to him suddenly.

But when he thought it over, they would be difficult to manage, and their combat ability on land seemed questionable. Once they moved away from water, the places where they could be used would decrease sharply.

‘If they evolved... could they undergo Humanization into something like Lizardmen?’

He was not certain about that either.

Their strange appearance was the least of the problems.

He had no idea what abilities they would gain or whether they would be more useful than existing Werewolves. That made the choice even more uncertain when he already had the proven Werewolf line.

‘Later, if I have spare Keys, I can try it.’

There were especially large individuals mixed among the Crocodiles. They were two or three times longer and thicker than ordinary Crocodiles.

They were probably higher-ranked Crocodiles.

“If we charge in expecting Pull Hunting like last year, we could get thoroughly crushed.”

Looking farther from a greater height, he began seeing things that had been invisible before.

But most of them were simply extensions of what he had already been doing. Improving hunting methods, expanding his troops, and processing products more efficiently.

Seo Hajin’s thoughts turned somewhere farther away.

‘What will happen when we go back?’

It was not a distant future.

If things continued as they were, he could fulfill the return conditions without a problem. But what happened after that?

‘Will my body... be okay?’

He had not forgotten.

He was a cancer patient.

Even if he could now control five burly warriors at once, it did not change the fact that his real body was nearing death.

‘I have been stockpiling medicine, though.’

Nanobot Stimpacks.

The ones he had saved in case of emergency had already passed into double digits.

‘These didn’t come from ordinary chests.’

Nanobot Stimpacks only appeared at a certain probability from chests given by bosses. Even then, they appeared occasionally in the early stages, but became harder to find as time went on.

‘I should inject one as soon as I return.’

The fact that it was not medicine made on Earth did not concern him much.

He was going to die anyway.

He intended to try everything he could.

‘What happens to the Avatars?’

That part also bothered him.

Perhaps the moment the test ended, all the Avatars and Pets would disappear.

Similar concerns occasionally appeared on the community board. Still, far more users wanted to return home.

‘Who knows.’

The still-cold air high above brushed past him. Far below, the forest was gradually regaining its green color.

Sprouts rose between the black earth revealed by melting snow, and the frozen river began flowing again.

‘If it were developed properly, this place wouldn’t be so bad to live in either.’

There were no modern conveniences, no internet, nothing like that, but most necessary things could be made directly.

With time and materials, living conditions could improve far beyond what they were now.

‘I was never that social back home anyway.’

His thoughts became complicated.

Perhaps after fulfilling the conditions, it would be better not to return immediately and instead remain a little longer to watch what happened.

‘If other users return first, could they tell us what it’s like over there?’

Would the Awakener system remain after returning?

If it did, perhaps he could obtain information through the community function.

“I don’t know.”

Two things were certain.

Flying through the sky felt incredibly good.

And his calves were about to cramp.

‘At this rate, I need to evolve it as soon as possible... Getting used to this won’t be easy.’

He needed to modify Repair No. 1’s wings and body so he could lower his legs comfortably.

‘Hm?’

That was when it happened.

Something that had looked like a dot in one corner of his vision grew closer. With every flap of wings, its shape became larger and clearer.

It was an Eagle.

Like Juggernaut, it was flying with a person on its back.

‘TrueFinal?’

He had only met one Eagle Rider in person.

But he had heard there were more users, so it could have been someone he had never seen before.

“Oh? Juggernaut!”

It was TrueFinal.

His saddle seemed to have improved from before.

But he still looked precarious.

The ring securing his body to the saddle kept him from seeming about to fall, but he did not look comfortable either.

“Hiya!”

He greeted people like it was a real game.

Thinking that, Seo Hajin raised one of Juggernaut’s hands in reply.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried