Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 005
Chapter Title: Won't It Break? Then Just Keep Hitting Until It Does.
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My innate ability's level is abnormal.
The minimum level for an S-rank hunter's innate ability is 50.
'I'm at level 173.'
If the status window isn't glitching.
The reason is easy to guess.
'It's the level that never rose no matter how much I ate until now.'
But it shot up in an instant.
And the cause? That transcendent calorie count.
Uranium. Eating that thing did this.
'So how has my innate ability changed?'
Now it was time to check.
Crunch! I chewed and swallowed a cracker.
I had the status window open beside me.
'One cracker is 20 calories. Normally, it should go up by 20 here...'
But level 173's power was clearly abnormal.
The number was so massive it barely seemed to budge.
But I'd watched it from start to finish.
I could roughly tell how much the calories had increased.
'3... 30,000?!'
One cracker duplicated the calories.
Nearly 1,500 times over. Overwhelming.
Average daily intake is 2,500 calories.
Rough math puts it at 12 times that.
And that's just one cracker.
Unbelievable efficiency.
Gurgle.
My stomach rumbled.
Was it welcoming food after so long?
More importantly, what was this calorie duplication principle?
'Was my innate ability even scientifically explainable to begin with?'
I gave up trying to analyze it.
The conclusion? Insanely efficient fuel.
Burn through 2 quadrillion calories?
Stuffing myself with high-calorie foods would refill it in no time.
'Benefits of more calories.'
For starters, all the perks I'd gained so far remained.
Near-instant regeneration.
A body free from insatiable hunger.
But there were more advantages.
'Feels like the radiation radius has expanded a bit.'
Radiation forming a domain around me.
It felt slightly larger.
Not a visible difference.
Just a hunch.
30,000 calories felt trivial now.
That's how transcendent it was.
To feel a clear difference, I'd need to eat more.
Munch. Munch.
So I polished off two packs of crackers.
Six per pack. Twelve total.
360,000 calories added.
Now the difference was clear.
'Definitely wider.'
The radius had grown.
The uranium's traits amplified.
Calories equaled my strength.
'Conversely, if I burn all these calories, do I revert to normal?'
Then I could see my family.
But I'd be trapped here forever.
'For now, burning all calories is a last resort.'
Worst case, self-harm.
Regeneration guzzles the most calories.
Plus, now I had a passive skill.
'Radiation Manipulation. Mastering this alone should serve as a safety net.'
Radiation concentrating at my fingertips.
At high levels, hope glimmers.
Store it all inside me.
"Alright. Time to move."
Time was ticking even now.
Hospital bill due date approaching.
'End of the month. So about a week left.'
Dizzying deadline.
Even a day late, no mercy.
An era riddled with dangers.
Patients overflow, hospitals scarce.
Reason to defer bills?
None from the hospital's view.
They'd toss me out in a heartbeat.
"Can't have that."
So, onward.
With this tireless body, keep descending.
A descent passage had appeared before me.
Down those stairs – Floor -2 awaits.
'Please, some external contact method!'
If not, at least cover the hospital bill.
Money left in my account.
That buys another month's grace.
After that is the problem, but extend the lifeline first.
Step. Step.
I entered the passage.
Darkness all around.
Only the stairs glowed faintly.
'Sides are open.'
What happens if I fall here?
Straight to -2?
No need for risky experiments.
The long stairs ended.
A new pristine white space appeared.
No conditions appeared upon entry.
Despair, yet surprisingly courteous.
Silence until I reached the center.
"Wonder what it'll be this time."
Just like Floor -1.
Conditions appeared at the center.
Whoosh!
Mysterious time and conditions.
Then the space expanded.
No longer white.
Boom!
Volcanoes erupting everywhere.
Ground cracking, lava flowing from fissures.
Intense heat blasted in.
"Kuh!"
Never imagined environmental hazards too.
Does the Tower of Trials do this?
Hunter interviews said no.
'Tower of Despair makes it hellish. Insane.'
The difficulty looked mad.
Time ticking down.
Start: 168 hours.
7 days by the clock.
Wait. 7 days?
"Stuck here, I can't pay the hospital bill!"
No way.
Not just enduring this hell.
Other conditions. Right, those Dimensional Crystals.
'Five. Find and destroy five?'
Look around.
Scorching earth.
Flowing lava rivers, active volcanoes.
And monsters.
Blub.
Approaching, spewing lava bubbles from its mouth.
Lava Snail.
Snail spewing lava.
Looks slow, but C-rank.
Tough shell, powerful attacks.
'Dozens of those bastards.'
They crept up from behind.
Then entered my domain.
Sizzle!
Of course, they melted.
No effort needed here.
They marched in like brainwashed.
Comrades dying? Keep advancing.
Death march unending.
'Endless monster spawn point.'
Whoosh!
Sweep blocking corpses with the ring.
Feeding the Ring of Death and Circulation.
I headed toward the spawn.
"There it is."
Found it.
Faintly floating crystal ahead.
Child-sized.
Space warping around it nonstop.
Spitting out Lava Snails endlessly.
Blub.
They spawned and melted instantly.
Easy access to the Dimensional Crystal.
Problem: how to destroy it.
"Radiation only kills living things."
My gear and food? Probably contaminated.
But not destroyed.
Not alive.
This Dimensional Crystal same.
Unfazed by ultra-high radiation.
Had to smash it myself.
Clang!
Tried swinging the machete.
No budge.
Figures. Even S-ranks struggle here.
-1 was tough; -2 worse.
'No wonder it's ridiculously sturdy.'
Keep at it, break my precious blade.
Who knows when I'd need it.
Need another way.
Something disposable, sustainable.
"Me, right?"
No other options.
Want to use Lava Snail lava, but they die on spawn.
No sharper ideas.
"Urk!"
Fearful.
Anticipated pain halting me.
But must do it.
Can't waste a week here.
Family in danger.
Escape before then.
So.
Crack!
"Ack!"
I threw a punch.
Sharp pain briefly stung my brain.
Then regeneration.
Hand good as new.
"Good."
Is this the last such trial?
Countless more ahead.
Grow numb to pain until escape.
Make pain a friend.
Let's go.
Egg against rock?
Then hit till it shatters.
Splat! Crunch! Crack!
Skin tears,
muscles burst,
bones shatter.
In brief agony, I recall.
Family memories, their irreplaceable value.
For them, pain is nothing.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands of times.
Sole will to shatter it.
Even passive responds.
Radiation faintly condensing in fist.
Arm shatters, scatters, repeats.
Shatter!
Finally broke it.
Couldn't withstand the egg barrage.
Dimensional Crystal's defeat.
My victory!
"Uwaaa!"
I raise my bloodied, intact hand.
Euphoria clears my mind.
Something feels different?
Didn't stop eating Lava Snails while smashing.
Gluttonously devoured.
Ring now E-rank.
Passive up a whopping 3 levels.
'Already level 4.'
What was I, grinding to raise my innate ability?
Wrong approach?
Should've tried exotic foods sooner.
Eat the uneatable.
'No. Eating uranium outside would've been catastrophic.'
This situation from intertwined fortunes.
Test the passive.
Not just index finger – whole hand.
Control improved.
Good growth.
Keep pushing like this.
Next.
I turned my gaze.
Corpses piled behind too.
Not just Lava Snails – other monsters.
All hot, strong.
But already dead.
Never reached me.
"Okay, experience points."
Reclaimed with ring.
Then toward next spawn.
Crunch!
How much time passed?
Over countless monster corpses.
Arms and hands shattered endlessly.
At the end.
Last Dimensional Crystal lost its gleam.
Cracked, fell to the floor.
The ordeal of five destructions done.
"Haaa..."
Not tired.
This calorie load erases mental fatigue too.
Just exhale relief.
"Time..."
About 120 hours.
5 days.
Vast space contracting.
Back to pristine white. Welcome sight.
'Can solo hunters clear this?'
My firsthand assessment.
Even S-ranks would struggle.
Enduring alone tough.
I pulled it off thanks to my abilities.
Absurd difficulty.
"So, the reward?"
Anyway, cleared it.
I stared at the scrolling messages.
Hmm. Same as -1.
Enhanced rewards, guild gift.
What this time?
Please contact method. Please!
Rewards appear as if answering prayers.
Chest materializes before me.
"Plain compared to monopoly chests."
Not auto-opening this time.
Manual.
I opened without hesitation.
After passive, now ability.
The tower's intent faintly visible.
'Push limit-breaking hunters further. Seems the goal.'
Did -1 conquerors emerge?
Curious, checked records.
"Oh."
There.
Five names.
Their records listed.
Initials only, like mine.
But records odd.
"Why all over 20 minutes?"
If nations aren't idiots, they'd know.
Tower monopoly requires top dogs.
Those initials? All S-ranks.
Each country's #1 hunter.
'Goblins that tough?'
Possible.
Didn't fight myself, but.
Goblin horde stronger than usual maybe.
"Hmm. Anyway, my spot's solid."
Save ability awakening for later.
Checked guild buff.
Permanent, naturally.
'-1 gave Guardian's Resolve.'
For potential foreign monster impacts.
Chosen out of worry.
If it happened, hope they held.
'Taeguk would've managed.'
New buff now.
Give to Taeguk too?
Or Geon-gon?
Read the buff.
"This is..."
Prophet's Oracle
Soul link to designated guild leader. Once weekly, send message (20 chars max).
Aaah. Instant relief.
I'm saved. Family too.
Finally, external contact!
"Phew, calm down now."
Tuck away surging relief and joy.
Eyes widen at unfamiliar effect.
Unique buff.
Visible only to me.
How does recipient see it?
Extension line blurred out.
"Curious. If just sent, they might ignore."
Intriguing, but invisible no matter what.
Probably only buff recipient sees.
Anyway, great news.
Worth the Floor -2 grind.
Now, who to give it to...
'Taeguk's Kang Gut-geon? Or another friendly guild leader?'
Time buffer still.
So deliberation drags.
Openly demand family treatment?
Potential backlash?
"Alright. Decided."
Hours of careful thought.
Finally settled.
"Geon-gon Guild Leader. Her."
Reason simple.
She's donation angel.
Compared to Kang Gut-geon.
Fits my goal perfectly.
Buff sent.
Now the message.
One shot. 20 chars max.
Miss it, week-long silence.
Family unprotected.
Gulp.
After intense deliberation, I wrote my answer.