Chapter 30 - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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The clear missions for each floor in all Black Towers across the world are identical.

The environment and monster types as well.

The 50th floors of the Black Tower are flying monster sections.

Wyverns of five different attributes appear from the 56th to the 60th floors.

Wyverns.

Inferior versions of Dragons.

The kings of the sky, whose staple diet consists of Ogres.

Earth Wyverns of physical force and defense, Flame Wyverns with fiery breath, Frost Wyverns with freezing breath, Lightning Wyverns discharging electricity from their bodies, and Poison Wyverns filled with venom.

The 57th floor Yoo Chul-min entered from the broadcasting station studio was precisely where Flame Wyverns appear.

[You are entering the 57th floor of the Japanese Black Tower.]

[Your physical abilities have been enhanced according to your level.]

[Traits and combat skills are available for use.]

"It's been quite a while since I was here."

He possessed experience, his level was 66, and he had a diverse array of equipment and numerous skills.

A mission he couldn't fail even if he desired to.

[57th Floor Mission: Exterminate 15 Flame Wyverns.]

[Clear Time Limit: Within 14 Hours.]

[Failure Condition: Death or Mission Abandonment]

The mission appeared.

A rugged mountainous terrain.

A massive flock of Wyverns manifesting densely around towering peaks.

There is a prerequisite condition when clearing flying monsters.

Firstly, since one cannot fight in the sky, they must unconditionally be dragged down to the ground.

Magic traits and long-range traits are advantageous in that regard.

But what about close-range?

What can one do?

They must enter carrying at least a miniature crossbow or a handgun that can receive the personal possession determination.

However, what if their proficiency with long-range weapons is clumsy and 2 of them are aggroed simultaneously?

There's no other way.

One must flee.

Tower clearing is fundamentally solo play, so invariably creating a 1-on-1 situation remains the paramount priority.

Initiating the clear.

After taking out his bow from his inventory and spotting a Wyvern playing alone separately.

Pew-shoot!

"Kyaack!"

A milky, translucent Mana Arrow accurately hitting the Flame Wyvern's belly.

"Good."

Yoo Chul-min remained motionless even as the Wyvern descended, standing in one place and firing Mana Arrows at the monster.

If he was a player with an Archer trait, he would have had to move frantically to widen the distance, but.......

"Because I'm All-Weapon."

Even if the distance closed, he could simply swap to a close-range weapon to slash or stab.

"In short, it's a piece of cake."

Pew-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoot!

He activated a Rapid Fire skill and struck the Wyvern.

Dozens of Mana Arrows concentrated on that single one.

If critical hits trigger successfully, he could potentially kill it before it even descends.

However.

'Hmm.'

How peculiar.

Not a single critical hit triggered.

'At least one should have triggered by now.'

Furthermore.

Ting!

One Mana Arrow bounced off the Wyvern's claw and flew into an absurd location, accurately hitting another Wyvern.

"Hah."

Add.

He drew aggro from another Wyvern.

So the Wyverns descending suddenly became two.

The first one he shot was almost entirely descended.

"Phew."

What could he do?

He had to catch two.

Since he was level 66, 2, or even 3 if he pushed it, was possible.

Weapon swap.

Storing the bow in his inventory.

After taking out his sword and shield.

Blocking, dodging, stabbing, slashing.

He managed to handle the two with difficulty.

'This time.......'

Carefully, carefully, without letting his guard down.

After waiting a long time and selecting a target.

Just as he was about to fire a Mana Arrow.

"...He-eh."

Unexpectedly, his nose tickled.

"He-ee-choo!"

Ultimately, a sneeze burst out.

Driven by the recoil, a Mana Arrow was fired unintentionally.

Pew-shoot!

"Gasp!"

Unfortunately, the location the Mana Arrow flew towards was where Wyverns were gathered in pairs and trios.

"Kyak!"

"Krarak!"

"Kyak-yak!"

Add, another add.

A whopping 3 monsters flew at him simultaneously.

"This is driving me crazy."

3 is tough.......

But he still had to catch them.

Because if he declared Mission Abandonment, he would simply exit the tower.

Where would he exit to?

The broadcasting station studio in the middle of a live broadcast.

Far from showing them anything, he would suffer an utter, humiliating disgrace.

'Absolutely not.'

He used all his ultimate and special skills.

Was the cooldown the problem?

In the midst of all that, critical hits still wouldn't trigger.

'Am I cursed?'

Seriously, why is this happening?

Just in case, he tried swapping weapons, but whether it was normal attacks or skill attacks, the critical hits that used to trigger perfectly fine before didn't trigger even once.

The Flame Breath spewed by the Wyverns.

Since there were 3, it came from 3 directions.

Evasion was also difficult.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoo-roo-roosh!

"Ugh!"

Sizzle, sizzle.

His flesh was cooking.

Despite that.

'Absolutely no Mission Abandonment.'

It was a desperate struggle.

Striking with a close-range weapon, widening the distance to throw arrows or javelins, blocking the breath with his shield, then javelins again; he killed 2 and 1 remained.

But the final remaining Wyvern kicked away the javelin he threw with its claw.

Swaaack!

Clang!

The javelin bounced off to yet another absurd location.

As expected, a place where Wyverns were gathered densely.

"Damn it! What is this!! Why does this keep happening?"

Even possessing bad luck, this was abhorrently atrocious.

Continuous adds.

Trailing like a train.

This time there were 5, no, there were more behind them.

Exactly how many are there?

This is impossible even at level 66.

Smurfing utilizing level differences, civilian slaughter.

In other words, a high-level player playing around catching weak monsters on low floors.

That is only possible against monsters below the 30th floors.

Once one reaches the 40th or 50th floors, where super-massive monsters begin to appear, they must be careful no matter how high their level is.

One wrong move and it's Death inside the tower.

Yoo Chul-min clenched his teeth.

A crossroads of choice.

Do I catch them, or run?

There's no point in agonizing over it.

'A humiliating disgrace is better than dying.'

To hell with face and dignity.

'...Let's run.'

Yoo Chul-min dashed towards the safe zone.

Just because it's a safe zone doesn't mean monsters can't chase him.

It simply means it's a zone where escaping is possible.

"Mission Abandonment!"

[You have declared Mission Abandonment.]

[You have failed the mission.]

[You are exiting the Japanese Black Tower.]

Poof!

Ultimately, Yoo Chul-min appeared in the studio.

It was still a live broadcast.

The worst-case scenario.

"Fuck."

The announcer blabbered on about something, but he was in no mood to answer.

He turned his body precisely as he was and slipped out.

Tower Climb Manager Tomoda, who was waiting outside.

Having been promoted to a Cabinet Government executive, an achievement earned by bringing Yoo Chul-min over, he asked.

"How did it go? Why so early?"

"Can't you see? Why are you asking when you already know, it's annoying?"

Failed?

Truly failed?

After blowing this up to such a grand scale.

"My condition wasn't great. My luck was bad too."

He simply could not believe it.

To think a level 66 player would abandon a 57th-floor mission.

"I'll rest and clear it next time."

"......."

Manager Tomoda couldn't utter a single word.

Only the thought that they were ruined remained.

Exactly how are they supposed to salvage this?

* * *

Japan was turned upside down.

A verified level 66 player.

A player they naturalized even at the expense of national dignity had abandoned the mission and exited on merely the 57th floor.

Could he have been a fake?

Did they get scammed?

Criticism rained down.

The foolish Japanese Government.

The stupid and arrogant Yoo Chul-min.

Approval ratings plummeted to the absolute bottom.

The Kawaguchi Cabinet panicked.

They hastily dispatched experts to analyze the cause of the failure, secured Fire Resistance items, and threw him into the clear.

The 2nd attempt was done quietly.

Without even leaking a word to the press that they were clearing it.

He set out for the reclear without anyone knowing, but.

"Fuck, fuuck, fuuuuuuuuuck!!"

Yoo Chul-min had no choice but to declare Mission Abandonment once again.

No, seriously, why on earth is this happening?

The battle with the Wyverns didn't flow according to the tactics he had established.

Unexpected situations arose every single time.

Was he possessed by a ghost?

How could a critical hit attack not trigger even once?

Is the Japanese Black Tower different from the towers in other nations?

It's enough to drive a person absolutely insane.

What if he can't clear it at this rate?

His impatience only grew.

Furthermore, news of the 2nd clear failure inevitably leaked to the press.

Hearing the news, Koreans flocked to the largest community site in Japan.

Yeah, thanks for taking Chul-min off our hands.

Returns due to a change of heart are impossible, you bastards!

What are you guys going to do? Your tower is located on a fault line.

I may be mocking you, but honestly, I don't want a tower collapse either. So hang in there!

Was it only Koreans?

Japanese people poured out self-deprecating mockery on the bulletin boards as well.

Amidst all that, news heard from South Korea.

Was that all?

The house next door was a festival scene; here, it was a house in mourning.

It was far too different.

Meanwhile, Yoo Chul-min had failed the clear for the 3rd consecutive time.

Ultimately, his mental state crumbled.

The Japanese Government also had no recourse.

The terror of a tower collapse slowly began to encroach upon the entirety of Japan.

* * *

Joo-hyuk also saw the news.

Seeing him continually fail floors far below his level, it seemed the Karma (Karma) had taken effect properly.

'It's not just Yoo Chul-min; Japan is in a difficult position as well.'

Naturalization is an individual's freedom.

However, whether the Korean Black Tower collapses or not, tossing it aside and fleeing in the dead of night isn't normal.

If he judged the 66th floor to be too difficult, he should have at least spat back out all the items he received as support from the Awakening Management Agency.

His achievements are worth acknowledging.

But even that was a give-and-take, a relationship established by a contract.

Then he should have honored the contract to the end.

Does he think he grew that much solely because he's so great?

Why doesn't he realize that there were the sacrifices and both material and emotional support of countless people?

If he doesn't know that, he deserves what he gets.

Even an unmanly man like me knows that.

"Does that last forever?"

When he asked Gyeon Dal-rae, whom he had summoned for the 32nd-floor clear.

"Unfortunately, it does not last eternally. Once the balance of Karma is met, he will return to his original state."

"Is that so?"

Well, he'll figure it out on his own.

Leave the Japanese tower to the Japanese, and let Koreans climb the Korean tower.

He cleared the 31st floor the day before yesterday.

Rested for a day.

Today is the 32nd floor.

[You are entering the 32nd floor of the Korean Black Tower.]

The monster to clear was, once again, the Minotaur.

If there was a peculiarity, it was that the monster type and tower environment were exactly identical.

The difference between the 31st and 32nd floors was only the size of the Minotaur, nothing else.

From the first 31st floor, its size was already larger than Barbarian Gobang.

About 4m perhaps?

The 32nd floor is a whopping 4m 50cm, they say.

Exactly how big is the 35th-floor boss going to be?

"The Minotaur King, you mean, sir? It's probably about 6m, sir. 2 times larger than Gobang, sir."

He's truly the King God, the King God.

That's why they said achieving an S++ clear is difficult.

'This is troubling.'

On the 31st floor, he went around using Shadow Step to smack the back of the Minotaur's head and succeeded in a one-shot kill.

However, they say the Minotaur gets increasingly massive as the floors rise.

If it were a reasonable size, perhaps, but what if it's a terrifyingly massive size where you have to tilt your head back to look up at it?

Hey!

I went through the trouble of seducing Gyeon Dal-rae.

If I say I'm backing out now, she'd mock me, right?

"Ah! I want to eat beef."

"Slurp, I want to eat it too, sir. Tenderloin and ribs are flickering before my eyes, sir. Piping hot ox head soup too, sir."

"They don't hand out 10kg of ribeye as a tower reward or anything, do they?"

"Would they hand it out, sir? Precious beef, sir."

Gyeon Dal-rae too.

"Beef is not something to be bought for just anyone. Please do not bestow too much upon your subordinates. Fearing it might spoil their habits, I believe ...cheesecake or macarons would be appropriate."

Isn't it just that you want to eat them yourself?

It's decided.

Let's pick a day and eat beef.

However, having a beef party in the officetel is difficult.

Beef tastes best when eaten at a BBQ restaurant.

'Taking Cossack out isn't an issue.'

An Assassin class.

Since stealth is possible, and he can even alter his appearance.

He went to Yoo Chul-min's penthouse alone and brought things back last time, too.

The problem is Gobang and Gyeon Dal-rae.

Those two are the concern.

And myself included.

...Shall I just try asking?

"Princess Dal-rae?"

"Please speak."

"By any chance, is there a technique to completely alter a person's appearance?"

"Among talisman arts, there is such a thing. However, it cannot actually alter it. It merely deceives human senses."

"Oh! Is Princess Dal-rae capable of it as well?"

"You need only give the order. I invariably carry Gwehwangji (Yellow Talisman Paper) and Gyeongmyeonjusa (Cinnabar) with me."

That's excellent.

I should try doing it once the clear is over.

'Come to think of it, the house is a bit cramped.'

It was fine with just Cossack and Gobang, but now there's Gyeon Dal-rae, who is of a different gender.

'I do need a bigger house.'

For example, the penthouse Yoo Chul-min used to live in.

"...Ah well."

They say the human heart is different when sitting down and when lying down.

Let's not be greedy.

If you do that, you push yourself, and if you push yourself, you end up causing a huge mess.

[32nd Floor Mission: Exterminate 20 Phase 2 Minotaurs.]

Giant Phase 2 Minotaurs appearing here and there.

However, in front of a 3-person summoned entity party, they were mere trivial cow heads.

Gyeon Dal-rae turned on the speaker.

Boom, ba-boom, boom-boom!

Jingle, jingle, jingle!

Clat-clat-clat-clat-clatter!

The three-part harmony of drum, bells, and blade.

Fwaaaaash!

The mirror emitting a brilliant light.

Gyeon Dal-rae's buffs and debuffs took effect simultaneously.

Power overflows.

On the other hand, the Minotaur pack fell into chaos.

Mooing loudly, wandering this way and that way.

It felt like entering a secret Cow Level in a game.

"Yee-haw!"

Cossack dashed out first.

Gobang ran out belatedly.

'I should too.......'

Is there an appropriate target?

Found one.

A Minotaur spinning in place like a top, as if it had lost its way.

Vwooom!

Energy Shield activated.

Holding his mace and shield.

But it really is big.

Looking at it up close, the anxiety grew even larger.

The weight class difference cannot be ignored.

Even if its axe swings are slow, a single clean hit seemed like it would shatter the Energy Shield in an instant.

Honestly, I'm scared.

The nature of an unmanly man creeping up once again.

'How am I supposed to catch this?'

Suddenly!

When Joo-hyuk joined the battlefield, Gobang, Cossack, and Gyeon Dal-rae stealthily moved to his side.

A distance where they could instantly intervene if he encountered danger.

While he wondered if it was excessive overprotection, his heart was soon reassured.

Someday, I'll truly become strong, right?

Enough to relieve them of their worries.

'Well, even if I get stronger, it'll probably feel exactly the same.'

The fear dissipated.

With the mindset of a fox riding a tiger's back.

Swish! Swish!

Joo-hyuk disappearing as if sinking right in front of the Phase 2 Minotaur.

A massive axe flew in, but it became a meaningless attack that merely struck the afterimage Joo-hyuk had left behind, and.

Before he knew it, Joo-hyuk was behind the Minotaur.

To smash a skull, you have to leap with all your might.

Through the repetitive mission clears so far, the final 3rd Form of the Hunwon Thunderclap Staff (Hunwon Thunderclap Staff) had been unlocked.

'Falling Thunder Flash (Lightning Flash).'

A Form of extreme speed.

Its power was as tremendous as its speed, an ultimate one-hit-one-kill skill that possessed a cooldown.

Swish!

Joo-hyuk leaped.

The mace raised high behind him.

Dropped down exactly like a lightning bolt.

Flash!

Kwajik!

The Minotaur's head vanished without a trace.

"Whoa!"

The thrilling tactile sensation practically delivered by the Falling Thunder Flash Form.

'I think I'm getting addicted to this?'

I'll fill the quota of 3 that I promised.

Thus, Joo-hyuk's South Korean Black Tower 32nd-floor clear.

[Announcement: You have successfully achieved an S++ clear grade on the 32nd floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]

[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge is bestowed.]

Concluded exactly as expected.