Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Sniper Who Sleeps
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Joo-hyuk talked with Kosak late into the night.
Kosak, who claimed they had conducted mutually satisfactory negotiations.
"Hehehe, I definitely said I was satisfied. I heard it clearly."
What satisfaction?
Listening to it, it was almost at the level of coercion.
Well, for the artist of the red ribbon, Kosak, it might be called a negotiation.
Anyway, the result was good.
Everything was fine, but…
"It's such a waste of an item. We barely got to use it."
"That's exactly my point. The fact that we didn't use it means there was no problem at all."
"..."
"Besides, other attribute items are only good up to the 60th floor anyway. They're useless from the 61st floor onward."
That's true.
From the 61st-floor undead section, it was Holy attribute.
Also, he wasn't a player who fought with item buffs, but a player who fought with the power of his Summoned Beings.
He knew that well enough.
He knew it, but it still felt like a waste.
It was a special item, wasn't it?
"Then what about from the 71st floor? You could use it there."
That section where the Mad Demon said the Towers would collapse everywhere.
"Not a chance. Such a shoddy item would be useless. You'd need at least a Legendary Named-grade item to even have a fighting chance."
Useless?
"Why? What appears there?"
"That's… when you go up to the 71st floor, terrifying things block, block, hmm… monsters… Hmm, huh? What was it again?"
Kosak tilted his head and frowned.
"It's strange. I can't remember."
"Did you even go up there? Or is it amnesia?"
"I went up several times. I heard a lot of stories too. But… hmm, my mind is foggy."
"Try hard to remember."
"Haa, it's like there's an eraser in my head, or someone erased it. It's maddening."
After scratching his head and trying hard, he finally gave up.
"I only remember the feeling… the feeling that it was difficult. Just the feeling."
"Were the monsters incredibly strong?"
"Hmm, to be precise, they were troublesome to deal with. Yes. They were troublesome."
Troublesome to deal with.
What could they be?
"I remember the conversations we had back then. They said they didn't expect such things to appear, and that it actually started from the late 60s."
The late 60s.
It seemed something started to change then.
But which floors?
The 67th floor was already known.
The Undead Phantom Reaper.
Then it's the 68th, 69th, and 70th floors.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing at all. Not even this much."
He suddenly became curious.
Until now, he hadn't even thought about the 71st floor and above.
What appears from that section onward?
Why did the Mad Demon say Towers would collapse left and right from the 70s?
He wanted to know more, but if Kosak couldn't remember, what could he do?
Kosak wouldn't lie.
Well, he'd find out when he went up.
The next day.
Joo-hyuk woke up early.
He went to the bathroom, took a bath, brushed his teeth, trimmed his nails, changed into clean new clothes, and meditated briefly.
After finishing his preparations, Joo-hyuk took out the Trait Enhancement Rune from his inventory.
It was his first attempt with one.
So his heart was slightly nervous.
'Let's do it.'
Using the rune was simple.
It's often described as 'eating it,' which was accurate.
You literally just ate it.
When you bring the small stone fragment inscribed with characters to your mouth, it melts smoothly and slides down your throat on its own.
Thus,
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 5)
'Done.'
Now it's five.
First, let's call Kosak, Gobang, Gyeon Dal-rae, and Razix to inform them about the results of yesterday's negotiation.
"Kya kya kya, who do you think I am? The master of negotiation, John Kosak himself!"
"Excellent work, Assassin."
"I'm a negotiator, you bastard!"
"Hweh? Can I stay here too?"
"You can chew on carrots and play around."
"Master, I am grateful. Sir Kosak must have gone through much hardship as well."
"Ahem! What hardship, hehehehe."
Kosak kept bragging about his exploits to his comrades, repeating himself until their ears bled, but the atmosphere was still warm and friendly.
"Mr. Kosak."
"Yes, sir!"
"The monsters from the 51st floor? You remember those, right?"
"Griffins. Imagine a really big bird."
Razix raised his hand sharply.
"Skin them?"
"They only have feathers. You skin them from the 56th floor Wyvern section onward."
"Hweh, what do I do?"
"Mine ores during repeat conquests."
Now, all that's left is to keep the promise.
The deadline for the UAE Black Tower conquest was 14 days, two weeks away.
He has to climb to the 60th floor at ultra-high speed.
Of course, after summoning one more person.
"Alright, everyone, gather round. Get ready to welcome the new person."
"Yes, sir!"
He hoped a combat-capable Summoned Being would appear.
"Here goes."
But he shouldn't get his hopes up.
Whoever appeared, he'd just accept them happily.
Regardless of grade or class.
"Random Summon!"
Whoooosh! The summoning began.
A halo of light descended from the sky.
Simultaneously, it transformed into a human shape and…
Poof!
Finally, they appeared.
The new Summoned Being.
Quite tall with a slender waist, large… Huh?
"…It's a lady."
"A woman."
"Hweeeeh?"
"She is of the same gender as I."
Then Kosak glanced at Gyeon Dal-rae up and down.
"Same gender, but very different."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"…Pretending not to know when you do, tsk tsk."
"Y-you insolent one!!!"
Her appearance was clearly that of a woman.
Her figure showed it.
Her outfit was a form-fitting, full-body black catsuit, revealing every curve to a degree that would be embarrassing to stare at for too long.
The most impressive part.
Something entered his eyes before her face did.
A very familiar object held in both her hands.
Made of metal, long, thick, and heavy-bodied, with a shoulder stock and a trigger at the bottom.
'A rifle?'
Correct.
It was a firearm.
But it was different from a normal gun in many ways.
First, it was very large.
Bigger and thicker than the standard-issue personal firearms in the military.
To the point where you wonder how she carried it around.
Overall, it looked old-fashioned like an early rifle, but some parts were also sleek.
On the top part, there was a faint bluish glass panel, and unknown characters and symbols floated up and disappeared on it like an LED panel.
To describe it, it felt like a fusion of a steampunk large-caliber antique rifle and a cyberpunk electronic rifle.
After checking the gun, her appearance finally entered his vision.
Black hair, black eyebrows.
In terms of ethnicity, she seemed close to Latino.
Her long hair was tied tightly back, her face shape was slender and small, and her lips were red.
Also, her pupils were so small they were almost invisible…
'…They're not small.'
He thought they were small, but she was actually half-asleep.
Swaying her body back and forth.
'Is she falling asleep?'
No way. Just then—
Drip, drip.
A sticky strand of drool hanging down from the new Summoned Being's lips.
What? She really was asleep?
"Lady is sleeping."
"It seems she may not even be aware she has been summoned."
"Hweh,"
"Dis, disgusting. If that gets sucked back in…"
Slurp!
"Eeek! It got sucked in."
The moment the hanging drool disappeared into her mouth, the new Summoned Being's eyes snapped open.
"Ah! Wh-where is this…"
Finally seeming to grasp the situation, she stared blankly at Joo-hyuk's face, then—
Snap!
She brought her feet together in a straight posture, stretched out her right hand, pressed it tightly to her eyebrow, and shouted.
"Victory! Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Captain, thank you for summoning me."
"…Ah! Yes, yes."
Her name was Veronica Caliber.
She called Joo-hyuk 'Captain.'
The Lone Beauty and Hundred-Hit-Hundred-Kill Mage Gunner of the Magic Empire's Ranger Corps.
- Name: Veronica Caliber - Grade: SR (Super Rare) - Type: Mage Gunner (Human) - Manifestation Duration: 6 hours - Satisfaction Rating: None. - Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after Summon Release)
The lone beauty Mage Gunner of the Magic Empire's Ranger Corps.
But can she use that firearm in the Tower?
Well, she must be able to, since she's carrying it.
"Welcome."
But no answer—
Tilt, sway. What?
"..."
Saluting and then sleeping again?
Zzz, zzz.
This was absurd.
She was even snoring.
"Hweeng."
"Hmm,"
"A most peculiar Summoned Being."
Kosak also made a displeased expression.
"I don't like that woman."
"Why?"
"The salute and the slogan thing."
"Why is that…"
"Character overlap. I did the salute and slogan first. Look! Loyal! That's what I mean."
It wasn't wrong, but.
"She's a soldier, isn't she?"
"…Huh?"
"Magic Empire Ranger Corps, her rank is Sergeant, I believe she said."
"Oh."
"Mr. Kosak, did you serve in the military by any chance?"
Then Kosak rolled his eyes around.
"I, I was exempt… flat feet."
"Ah."
"If not for flat feet, I would have quit being an assassin and joined the military."
Flat feet, of all things.
He was flying around when using Shadow Step.
Anyway, she's a strange person.
To appear summoned while asleep.
Was she just a heavy sleeper originally?
Or did she die in her past life from lack of sleep?
It was true.
She died from lack of sleep.
Of course, the final blow was dealt by a magical beast, but she gladly accepted that death.
Because she could sleep peacefully.
'I should probably not disturb her when she's sleeping.'
Well, the dealer he hoped for had appeared.
The grade was decent too—SR, Super Rare. Class: Mage Gunner.
He wanted to enter the Tower right away to see her skills, but… she was sleeping like that, and he couldn't wake her.
"I'll wake her."
"She seems to be sleeping so soundly, let's leave her be."
"No! If she's out, she must fulfill her duty. I can't stand seeing her sleep."
Kosak approached Veronica, who was dozing off while standing, and poked her side.
Suddenly!
She jumped up.
"Sergeant! Veronica Cali…"
Then, looking at Kosak standing before her,
"Who are you, wanna die?"
"Y-you just said that to me?"
"Who else is here but you? You bastard who looks like a parasitic older brother,"
"…I'm an assassin, you know?"
"So? Bullets don't go into an assassin's gut?"
Click!
Zzzzing!
"Or should I shove something hot up your back hole?"
"..."
Kosak had a flustered expression, not knowing what to do.
Ah, Kosak, why does every woman you meet act like this?
Having no choice, Joo-hyuk stepped forward.
"Ms. Veronica?"
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Reporting as ordered."
"Shall we enter the Tower?"
"Is it an operation?"
"Yes. We plan to catch a few scorpions."
"Scorpion Extermination Operation, I will execute it perfectly. Victory!"
Oh!
Full of force.
And so, Joo-hyuk's party took their new Summoned Being and embarked on the 50th-floor King Scorpion repeat conquest mission.
And they exited 30 minutes later.
Everyone had very satisfied expressions.
Having confirmed Veronica's abilities, it was time to embark on the serious, unconquered upper-floor climb.
The 51st to 55th floors were the section where the flying magical beast Griffins appeared.
Joo-hyuk's party was ready to head to the mission area.
But.
Nodding, swaying,
Veronica was dozing off even while walking.
"Summoner Bong, she's asleep again."
"Hweeng."
"No sense of timing. Is she sick?"
"I suspect it is an illness. This leaves no time to converse and foster camaraderie."
But there was no need to worry.
Once actual combat began, her eyes changed.
Joo-hyuk poked her forearm.
"Huh! Sergeant Veronica Caliber."
"Sergeant, we should start preparing soon, right?"
"Ah! Understood. Victory!"
[51st Floor Mission]
📍 Objective: Defeat 15 Soot-Claw Griffins.
⏰ Time Limit: Within 14 hours.
❌ Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment.
The mission appeared.
The flock of giant birds visible high in the sky.
"I will commence the operation."
During the 50th-floor repeat conquest, he had admired the power of the mage gun.
The large mana bullet that brought a King Scorpion to near-death with one shot, and the small mana bullets that easily pierced the exoskeletons of regular scorpions.
In truth, her physical abilities were insignificant.
Stronger than an average person, but far inferior compared to other Summoned Beings.
Even considering her grade.
Instead, her equipment was extraordinary.
The mage gun went without saying, the reinforced suit (the catsuit), combat boots that allowed rapid movement via mana emission, and mana-defense gloves that protected her hands and fingers.
High-performance combat equipment made by the Magic Empire.
That seemed to be Veronica's ability.
Then, how would she fare in a proper S++ grade, time-attack mission?
Jjang jae jae jang! Du du du dong!
The drum and bell sounds stimulating fighting spirit.
Gyeon Dal-rae's rhythm had changed slightly.
Sensory maximization.
Along with increased muscle strength and speed.
Adrenaline surged.
Since there were more people, Gyeon Dal-rae also focused her mind and shook her bells like mad.
"Excellent. Princess, thanks to you, morale is sky-high."
Veronica moved forward quickly.
Raising the gun muzzle upward, she took a standing firing stance, aimed at one Soot-Claw Griffin, and—
Zzzzing, Pashook!
A milky-white mana bullet struck the Griffin's body.
"Kyaak!"
The Griffin flew toward Veronica at a terrifying speed.
But she didn't run.
She continuously fired small bullets, chipping away at its health.
Pashook! Pashook! Pashook! Pashook! Pashook…
While firing the mage gun, she slowly backpedaled toward Gobang.
"Handing over."
"Taking over."
The Soot-Claw Griffin's leg was caught in Gobang's hand.
A perfect aggro handover.
While Gobang held the Griffin, Kosak rushed in and smashed its head.
Meanwhile, Veronica kept moving.
The moment she handed one over, she pulled another.
Pashook! Pashook! Pashook…
Dealing damage with small bullets and handing it over to Gobang again.
The battle continued without a single moment's pause.
As soon as one was caught, another was delivered.
Delivery, another delivery.
More like a delivery courier than a mage gunner.
Gobang and Kosak had no problems just waiting in one spot.
Their only job was to catch and finish off the already tattered, wounded Griffins.
Not only was the conquest speed fast, it was also extremely stable.
A tank, a melee dealer, a ranged dealer, and Gyeon Dal-rae's buffs.
'I could say the party is complete at this level.'
He felt proud.
He had picked good people.
As a Summoner, he was extremely satisfied.
🏆 Black Tower (Korea) 51st Floor Conquest
🎁 Reward: Platinum Badge bestowed.