Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Never Even Got Cast in Korea (3)
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“This time, the inspection will be conducted directly by the investigation team.”
Before entering the portal, there was a checkpoint procedure where you had to register your items or verify your pass.
Last time, it had been left to the regular guards on duty.
But this time, the investigation team insisted on handling it themselves and began controlling the adventurers.
“…We’re just going to check the situation on the 4th Floor anyway, so why are they being so strict?”
“Keep it down. What if the kingdom’s investigation team overhears you muttering like that?”
“Tch….”
The oppressive atmosphere sparked complaints here and there. You could easily spot adventurers grumbling as they pulled out their passes.
Of course, the dissatisfaction didn’t spread too far.
This was the kingdom’s official investigation team, after all. They weren’t on the level where you could badmouth them casually like those nobles last time.
‘…Get on their bad side here, and you’re really putting your life on the line.’
Besides, getting dragged off wasn’t always just for badmouthing the kingdom.
The investigation team rummaged through one man’s bag and pulled out a small egg.
“What’s this?”
“Oh, that’s a wyvern egg…”
“No wyvern eggs have come out of the Tower in the last month. And yet, an ‘egg’ like this couldn’t possibly last that long?”
At that moment, the man’s voice began to tremble.
“…N-no wyvern eggs have come out of the Tower?”
“That’s proof you used the black market. Take him away!”
“Uwaaaak! W-wait a second! I’ve never used anything like th—”
Two or three people ended up getting dragged off before they could even enter the Tower, at the investigation team’s command.
Of course.
“Cleared!”
For Regin, who had stashed all his black market goods in his inventory, none of this applied.
“Regin Petrichio.”
It happened just as Regin, having silently finished his item check and waited, showed his pass.
A female investigator at the center of the inspection stared fixedly at Regin’s pass.
“I see.”
Her red-dyed hair was styled in loose curls.
With her snow-white skin and cold expression, the woman continued.
“So you’re Regin Petrichio.”
Regin recognized her immediately upon seeing her.
‘Alicia Ellis….’
The kingdom’s chief mage. And a loyal soldier as well.
“When you reach the 4th Floor, stop by our temporary outpost. We might need your testimony.”
She was one of the people you had to be most wary of if you went the black market route.
Regin nodded calmly as he took back his pass.
‘If she deems you a threat to the kingdom, she deals with you without mercy or hesitation.’
Best not to get too deeply involved with her. She could become the most persistent and annoying presence in DAT.
* * *
Even after the inspection ended, the adventurers couldn’t enter the portal.
“…Damn it. How many hours has it been?”
“What can we do? They said we go in after the whole investigation team enters.”
“What the hell are they planning to do inside that they have to go first without us?”
“How should I know? If I had to guess… they’re probably planning to reach the 4th Floor first and lock it down again.”
The investigation team, about twenty strong, began entering the portal first.
No other adventurers could enter until they were all inside.
‘Some people are spot on.’
Forced to wait endlessly outside again, the adventurers were speculating about the reason for this.
Most were way off base, but a few were close to the truth.
‘They’re staggering the entry so the investigation team can seize the 4th Floor first. That way, they can accurately assess what the situation was like there when the portal last opened.’
If everyone entered together, people mixing up, battles breaking out inside, and mana flows getting chaotic…
Even an elite investigation team like this would struggle to gauge the 4th Floor’s state.
“And what if the lycanthrope is still awake? If we go in first instead of them… we’d get wiped out, and no one would bat an eye.”
“…Ahem. No way. The lycanthrope’s still active after all this time?”
“You never know.”
That speculation had merit too.
Regin nodded as he listened to the hairy guys’ conversation.
‘If the lycanthrope’s still lurking on the 4th Floor by some chance, the other adventurers are just baggage. From the investigation team’s perspective, fewer variables make dealing with an active lycanthrope easier.’
In any case, for reasons like that, Regin and the other adventurers had to keep waiting in front of the portal.
On the surface, it was for the adventurers’ safety, so Regin just stood there patiently.
“But are you acquainted with the investigation leader?”
“Hm?”
Then, one of the hairy guys who’d been chattering nearby asked Regin.
The long wait must have gotten to him out of boredom.
“I mean, you’re the first adventurer she’s ever addressed directly.”
“…”
“Heh heh. Truth is, I’ve seen that woman once before. Couldn’t forget that beauty… and she’s just as stunning up close.”
He recalled that Ellis’s appearance in the game had been quite striking.
Earlier, he’d been momentarily distracted thinking of her future, but the real-life version seemed beautiful too.
Above all, she was one of the characters praised as a beauty in the game’s lore.
“What did you do to get her talking to you?”
“Nothing much. She just checked my pass and asked a few questions.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Ellis had shown interest in Regin alone out of all the adventurers, so the hairy guy’s curiosity was understandable.
Regin answered lightly.
Sorry, but he had no interest in chatting about Ellis’s looks or appeal.
‘…Watching her kill people mercilessly without batting an eye, her face doesn’t even register.’
She’d been a rather extreme character, as he remembered.
The biggest problem when you ended up hostile. He’d even gotten game over’d by her once.
So even seeing her beauty now only put him on guard about her future actions.
‘Still, I’ve got time left. As long as I don’t give her an opening, there’s almost no reason to clash with Ellis.’
Regin quickly ran the calculations.
When would be the right time to potentially turn hostile against her?
Her current level was probably right at the end of Stage 3.
…Meaning he needed to reach at least that level before he could move without worrying about Ellis.
“Whew, hope I see her on the 4th Floor too. Gotta prepare a gift for the investigation leader—find out what she likes.”
The hairy guys went back to talking among themselves after that.
It was half-joking, but they were more focused on Ellis’s beauty than the tension of the Tower.
Even skilled folks got tense in the Tower.
‘The dwarf guy from last time would be better.’
He thought of Manannan waiting at the portal.
They’d chatted briefly with another adventurer then too—the dwarf holding a bottle of booze, dispensing advice.
Drunkard or not, at least he hadn’t dropped his guard.
‘Even though he seemed like a Stage 2 or 3 adventurer.’
Regin couldn’t forget that dwarf’s eyes from back then.
Eyes that trusted his own skill but knew variables could arise.
Eyes aware death could come anytime, relying on booze to forget the fear.
Regin was the same.
He’d climbed the Tower countless times, prepared at Stage 2 level this time, but he didn’t relax.
“We’re entering!!”
“Finally.”
Once the investigation team had all entered, the guards shouted to the adventurers in front of the portal, and everyone rushed toward it like they’d been waiting.
As he stepped inside, the scenery before him rippled and changed.
His second Tower climb.
Regin mentally reviewed what he had to do this ascent.
‘Hatch the egg on the 6th Floor, gather materials to raise the Rafflesia on the 8th Floor….’
And ultimately survive to return.
With the most important goal in mind, Regin set off.
* * *
1st Floor, the forest at dawn.
Regin slew the monsters before him without hesitation.
Honestly, there was no need to linger on the 1st Floor anymore.
‘I already saved the Rafflesia. Finding a way to raise this one in my inventory forever is more important.’
You needed to reach the 8th Floor for the method to permanently cultivate Rafflesia, the core ingredient for regeneration scrolls.
―Kieeeek!!
Goblins after so long.
Their screams were starting to feel familiar.
Regin tore basic scrolls to quickly overpower them.
Unlike last time, he didn’t need to worry about running out.
‘I invested all the spoils from the last run into scrolls. Spent a ton on regeneration scrolls, but…’
The rest he’d converted into basic magic scrolls.
No wonder Preton’s lips had curled up when he treated him to a meal.
‘After dumping it all into scrolls, I could barely afford bread with what was left.’
But the result of investing so freely in scrolls was this.
Kwaang—!!
Low-floor monsters were no longer a match for Regin.
He could clear faster solo than any party.
And so, Regin easily traversed the dawn forest.
* * *
Tadak—
It took exactly one day to reach the 2nd Floor.
He could’ve pushed to the 3rd with more speed, but Regin stopped to set up a temporary camp.
Pushing without sleep was too risky, after all.
Staring at the crackling campfire, Regin suddenly thought of Manannan.
“His nonstop chatter at least filled the audio… kinda nice in its way.”
He said that, but Manannan had been more than just company—he’d been helpful.
Traveling with him had driven home how different this was from the game.
No matter how tired or sleepy characters got in-game, it wasn’t a factor for the player until stamina hit zero.
The player didn’t feel that fatigue directly.
‘But now that it’s my reality… pushing without rest doesn’t make sense. Focus drops, sure, but mana efficiency tanks too.’
Mental fortitude has limits. With eyelids drooping, even goblins become a survival threat.
So sleeping efficiently during rest was key, and with Manannan, it was easier to guard against ambushes.
They could take shifts, ensuring each other’s sleep.
‘Wonder if he’s doing okay.’
That’s why the guy kept coming to mind.
Unlike the game, solo play here was brutally hard.
Manannan or anyone—eventually, he’d need people and form a party.
Regin admitted he might need to party up after this climb.
‘If I see more of Bern’s party’s potential, maybe I’ll pitch joining them outright.’
He didn’t think the guy had died already.
He’d survived to the game’s late game, after all.
And with his luck, he was probably managing fine so far.
The next day, Regin resumed his ascent.
Kwaang—!
The 2nd Floor morning forest felt much like the 1st, as he’d sensed last time.
The monsters weren’t much stronger either.
‘With enough scrolls, the 3rd Floor’s no problem.’
The real issue was the 4th, but this climb, even that seemed unlikely to be trouble.
The investigation team would already have an outpost there.
―When you reach the 4th Floor, stop by our outpost.
Ellis’s words as investigation leader flashed through his mind.
He’d have to cooperate a bit with her side, but it wasn’t a bad deal for Regin.
At least no worrying about raiders under their watch.
‘With the investigation team hawk-eyed on the 4th Floor, who’d dare raid?’
In any case, he could pass the 4th worry-free.
With that plan, he broke through the 2nd and 3rd over three days.
Taking the portal from the 3rd Floor upward, a dark forest came into view.
The place where the most chaos had erupted during his climb with Manannan.
‘…Night Forest.’
Amid the gloomy scenery, Regin gripped a scroll and proceeded cautiously.
Soon, the investigation team’s outpost came into sight, their flag planted.
Tents pitched, personnel on alert around it.
‘…But something feels off?’
The lycanthrope seemed gone. They weren’t in combat stance but investigation mode.
Yet the vibe was strange. Serious, almost.
“…I was just here ahead of everyone! I’ve been on the 4th Floor since the portal last opened!”
Then, an indignant man’s voice burst from inside.
‘Someone got nabbed by the investigation team, huh….’
Regin’s ears perked up.
Honestly, he was still half-doubting.
‘…But that voice sounds familiar.’
A gruff tone, laced with booze like he’d had a drink.
Though he hoped not, one man kept popping into his head.
‘…The dwarf we talked to while waiting at the portal with Manannan—why’s he on the 4th Floor?’