Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: The Ordinary Guy's Strategy
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It was a YouTube video of a man presumed to be Chinese sprinting at high speed across Tiananmen Square.
It was so fast you might have missed it if you blinked.
Whoosh! And then he was just a black dot,
You'd have to play it back in slow motion to even make out what it was.
But honestly, it's not that surprising.
Is this the first time something like this has happened?
But there's another side to this.
Unlike the previous videos, the identity of the Tiananmen sprinter has been revealed.
The true nature of the Rune of Liberation necklace.
Liberating a player's abilities in the real world.
It wasn't an unreasonable inference.
Rather, it was a rational hypothesis.
Because it fit perfectly.
Online communities worldwide were in an uproar.
If this was the reaction of ordinary people, what must the governments of various countries around the world be feeling?
The state had no way to stop players from climbing the Tower.
Tower climbing was solely a player's choice.
Anyone who was the first to reach the 71st floor of their respective national tower would obtain the four-piece set.
The only saving grace was that there was a line of defense.
Namely, the mid-to-late 60s floors, the undead section.
In other words, you couldn't recklessly conquer the undead section without a holy sword.
If you couldn't get past the undead section, you couldn't climb to the 71st floor either.
It was the limit, the line of defense for ordinary players.
But what if the undead section was neutralized?
The world would plunge into uncontrollable chaos.
When was it?
A conversation he had with Kosak.
He asked if the monsters on the 71st floor were that strong.
He said they were troublesome,
That he hadn't expected things like this to appear.
That it actually started from the late 60s.
Now the mystery was solved.
From the Death Knight and Lich to the 70th-floor boss, the high-ranking demon Cabalan.
Humanity's first encounter with sentient beings.
That was just a preview.
A preview that the targets of future Tower conquests would be sentient beings—humans.
Were they truly humans from another world? Or were they just monsters wearing human skins?
Also, was it valid to place mercenary group members and Tower monsters on the same level?
"What's the difference between humans and monsters? The Minotaur we killed might have been a family's breadwinner and a father."
What kind of nonsense was he spouting now?
"Imagine he's working hard on the 35th floor of the Tower, and he gets a call from his Minotaur calf daughter saying she's hungry."
How would a Minotaur even use a phone?
Anyway, let's go with that.
"He buys an expensive box of seasoned hay and heads home from work, when suddenly Bardin shouts 'Light!!!' and smashes the father Minotaur's pot! What then?"
Hmm.
Amusingly, the scene painted itself in my mind.
A heartbreaking affair.
"How sad would the Minotaur calf daughter be? She became fatherless because of wicked humans."
"Bardin, you're a very bad person."
"I'm an orphan-making machine, you see."
Bardin looked aggrieved, asking why him.
"Among humans, there are plenty worse than Minotaurs."
That's true.
"For example, imagine you're walking alone on a dark mountain path and you run into someone."
"Hmm, and then?"
"Would you be more scared of a human or a monster?"
"A monster."
"...Huh? Uh, uhm, w-well, that's correct."
"What's your point?"
"Huh?"
Seeing Kosak's bewildered expression, Gyeon Dal-rae let out a deep sigh.
"Haah, please be quiet from now on, Kosak-nim. Don't say weird things."
And then.
"Master, humans are beings who should not be discriminated against."
Right.
That's something you learn even in elementary school.
"However, if you easily kill monsters inside the Tower but don't kill people, wouldn't that also be discrimination?"
"...."
He said reasonable things sometimes, but then came out with weird stuff like this.
"We must kill them fairly, Master. This humble girl believes that is the proper attitude for a player who wishes to realize equality."
Well, the logic was strange, but anyway, the point was that there's no difference between humans and monsters.
"Warrior is fair. One hit for monster, one hit for human."
"Hoe?"
"One hit for beastman too."
"Hoeck!"
Let's go out and assess the situation first.
The mission could always be reset.
"Warrior will lead."
Gobang grabbed the doorknob instead,
Creak, and opened the door to go out.
His soulmate Bardin followed behind.
Then Kosak, Veronica, Razix riding Hyeolrang, Joo-hyuk, and Gyeon Dal-rae in that order.
The sight that greeted them as soon as they stepped out.
It was a small village.
Surrounded by mountains, it seemed to be a mountain village.
But the scent of blood assaulted their nostrils, shouts and screams rung in their ears.
It was a scene of carnage.
"Kill the old ones!"
"Leave only children under ten alive, kill the rest!"
"Spare the women!"
"Catch them!"
What the hell?
Villagers were fleeing.
And mercenaries with swords chased them down.
They were easy to distinguish.
Because name tags floated above their heads, like game characters.
[Pommel Mercenary Member] like that.
'Mercenary members?'
They're not mercenaries.
They're just bandits with swords.
Villagers fell, bleeding.
Children, terrified, scattered in confusion.
Mercenaries with vicious looks chased after them with frenzied expressions.
"...Uh."
It was clearly visible to Joo-hyuk too.
A middle-aged woman hugging children, trying to protect them.
One of the bastard mercenaries raising his sword to kill her.
It was happening right before his eyes.
How could he turn a blind eye to this?
If he did nothing, he wouldn't just fail to be an ordinary guy—he'd be a piece of shit not even fit to be called human.
Joo-hyuk reflexively shouted.
"Kosak! Quickly..."
Before the words even finished, Kosak was already moving,
Whoosh! The sound of wind was heard, and then.
Appearing behind the mercenary about to kill the woman.
Swish! Slice! Thud!
The mercenary, his head gone from his shoulders, fell like a log.
Thump!
The first time was the hardest.
But the first time was already over.
So what about the second time onward?
"Hey, damn it! Conquer them!!!"
The Summoner's declaration of conquest.
One word was enough.
There was no need for detailed instructions.
Gobang, enlarged, stomped forward.
Grabbing a mercenary with a name tag above his head.
"Gasp! M-monster...?"
Crunch!
"Gyaaah!"
He folded him in half.
"Light!!!"
Bardin of Radiance smashed a mercenary's head with his flail.
Wham!
Hyeolrang also went wild.
Razix, riding Hyeolrang, swung his golden pickaxe and let out a booming battle cry.
"Hweeeeeek!"
Crunch!
The necks of Pommel Mercenary members were being torn apart by Hyeolrang's bite.
A scene of mass slaughter had unfolded in an instant.
Pommel Mercenary members dying left and right.
"Uwaaah!"
"W-what are these guys?"
"S-spare me!!!"
"...Damn it!"
It was a bit complicated.
It was definitely different from conquering monsters.
Gyeon Dal-rae quietly approached and tightly held Joo-hyuk's hand.
She knew.
How soft his heart was.
Joo-hyuk also held Gyeon Dal-rae's hand.
Don't worry.
He didn't regret it.
If he had just ignored it and declared mission failure, he would have regretted it even more.
What? Was it difficult?
Yeah, it was difficult.
Who wouldn't be flustered when the mission required killing people?
But all his worries vanished.
Because they were scum who deserved to die.
It was the right thing to do.
He shouldn't feel guilty.
Because inside the Tower, neither real-world laws nor ethics applied.
What if he felt guilty himself?
It would mean the Summoned were doing something bad.
Joo-hyuk absolutely did not avert his eyes.
Even if jumping in directly was still difficult for him, he couldn't look away.
For his own sake.
And for the sake of the Summoned.
Soon,
Mission complete.
No grade evaluation?
But then?
Additional Optional Mission
❓ Description: Defeat Pommel Mercenary Deputy Commander James.
⚠️ Note: Refusing will result in mission success and Tower exit.
The additional optional mission was to defeat Deputy Commander James of the Pommel Mercenaries.
Might as well finish it while we're here.
'Proceed.'
At that moment, a man came out, opening the door of what looked like the largest house in the village.
He carried a large sack over his shoulder, likely plundered goods.
"Gasp! W-what is this?"
The name tag read,
[Pommel Mercenary Deputy Commander James]
But right then!
I can check his info?
Of course I should try.
'Check info.'
It was much simpler than the catalog, but I could check his grade and type.
Seemed a bit more subdivided.
Rare is Rare, but R-, a low-grade Rare.
'Then perhaps?'
Joo-hyuk stared intently at James.
Then.
A background description also appeared.
'Why include a background description?'
Was it to say, since he's a bad bastard anyway, kill him without hesitation?
If that was the intent, it succeeded.
"He's a rapist and a murderer."
"Kill him?"
Should we spare him then?
"I'd feel sorry for the monsters. We've killed countless monsters, so why shouldn't we kill this guy?"
In the midst of this.
"Uwaaah!"
James turned and tried to run. He didn't get far.
Bang! Thud!
Because the back of his head exploded from Veronica's magic bullet.
...The additional mission had a reward too?
The Multi-National Tower Usage Ticket entered his inventory.
They said the reward probability increased dramatically, and it was true.
In that case,
High-Difficulty Optional Mission
❓ Description: Defeat Pommel Mercenary Commander Pommel.
'Proceed.'
The reward was one thing, but the purpose was to realize justice.
Pommel must definitely be a bad bastard too.
Instantly!
Another man came out of the house James had emerged from.
Dragging a half-naked woman by her hair,
"Damn bitch! How dare you resist? Let's see you try... huh?"
I knew it. A bastard worse than a dog.
"Who are you people?"
Who do you think!
The Ordinary Guy who came to realize justice.
'Th-that...'
Rape, murder, and child abduction.
Joo-hyuk pointed at Pommel with his finger and said.
"He's a harmful monster."
Then Kosak said.
"I'll handle it."
"My Lord, the honor of performing the mission."
Why send only one?
"Both of you go."
Whoosh! Swaaaak!
"T-this!"
Pommel was taken aback.
What the hell is this situation?
Were there guys like this in this tiny village?
But he couldn't just take it lying down.
Shhhrrrring, he drew his sword,
Whoooong!
Releasing sword energy, he swung at the guy rushing at him first, but,
Swish!
"...Gasp!"
He felt nothing.
He had only cut through empty air.
Slice! The sound of something being cut.
Thud! His own right arm was falling to the ground.
"Uh..."
Followed by, Swaaaak!
The knight clad in terrifying spiked armor,
Wham! A brutal body slam.
"Gyaaaah!"
Pommel's entire body was pierced by the spiked armor.
Crimson blood flowed from the holes.
"S-spare..."
But the pain didn't last long.
Slice!
"..."
The rewards were really good.
They just gave them upon completion.
It didn't even have a "Tower Exclusive" modifier.
Super High-Difficulty Optional Mission
❓ Description: Continue?
Swift and decisive.
'Proceed.'
That's when it happened.
"Oh my? What's this, I'm going to get scolded by Master again."
This time, it was from the sky.
A woman in a crimson robe floating in the air.
An evil witch.
Monsters were cute in comparison.
"I'm not a fool, do you think I'll fight you all?"
Who said anything about fighting?
"I've memorized all your faces. I'll come back with Master Noma and kill you, I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to the chimera I'm raising. Well then, see you next time. Bye."
Shhhhhrrr!
The Necromancer Kate, using Fly magic, slid away as if flying to escape.
Where do you think you're going.
"Lieutenant V."
"Lieutenant Veronica Caliber."
"Take care of that."
"Victory assured!"
Standing in place, she took a kneeling shooting stance.
"Loading one large-caliber round. Target is the bitch."
Zzzzzzzzing!
The magic gun glowing white hot,
Bazuuuzuuuk!!!
Swoosh!
Veronica's large-caliber round chased after the fleeing Necromancer Kate like a guided missile.
"W-what?"
Whoosh! A barrier formed around Kate's body.
Simultaneously.
"Blink."
Whoosh! Kate teleported instantly.
But Veronica's magic gun was fundamentally equipped with a homing function.
Swaaaak!
The large-caliber round changed direction and persistently pursued Kate.
"B-blink!"
Whoosh! Swaak!
"...What? Why is it still following me!"
Kate was flustered.
"Blink, blink, blink..."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
However.
Zzzzzzzzing! Bazuuuzuuuk!!!
Another large-caliber round was fired.
"Blin..."
Kate's eyes widened.
Because the large-caliber round was right in front of her teleportation point.
Wham! Paaaang!
Kate's body exploded like a firework upon being hit by the large-caliber round,
Pshhhhhh!
Blood and flesh fell like snowflakes.
'Hmm.'
Two rewards at once.
One without the "Tower Exclusive" modifier and one with it...
'Holy Water?'
'Ah!'
🏆Black Tower (Korea) has achieved an S+++ grade conquest of the 71st floor!
A world announcement.
S+++ grade, triple plus.
"...Whoa."
There was a higher tier.
Oh my, two badges at once.
Seems they give two for an S+++ grade.
The total so far was 79, so receiving 2 makes it 81.
'I'll get a special reward then.'
What will it be?
Looking forward to it.
Let's heal the wounded soul of this Ordinary Guy with a special reward.
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