Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Please Stop Teasing Me - 2
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【Climber's settlement confirmed.】
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Main Quest for the 51st Floor, 'Walled City Baran', begins. “!”
‘Damn it.’
My fingertips went ice-cold in an instant. It was starting before I could even mentally prepare myself. In that split second, a whirlwind of worries flashed through my mind.
‘If it’s a quest like the “Demon King of Famine,” where those docile Dogkin Tribe folks flee and every Tom, Dick, and Harry Climber above Special Grade ends up in this mess...’
-The grass and food crumbled away in an instant...
-Everything edible vanished—
-We barely scraped by day by day, gnawing on monsters.
Ah...
All the testimonies I’d heard so far.
Just thinking about them made my head spin.
‘The Harvest Festival just started, and people are at their happiest right now...!’
I gritted my teeth, lost in horrific imaginings.
Then, panting heavily, I stared intently at the notification in front of me. The existing text faded line by line, and a new one was about to appear.
... “...”
But.
For some reason, nothing came up.
The notification window remained blank.
... “...?”
‘What the hell.’
It was only a few seconds.
But more than enough to toy with a person’s heart.
‘This is like waiting for civil service exam results.’
Damn, even dragging up PTSD from my past life.
I licked my dry lips over and over,
and by the time cold sweat trickled down my back,
the notification window, after a long pause, finally changed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Main Quest generation failed. “?”
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The floor's fate has drastically changed. Layer Ruler 'Lucius Baran''s 'Archenemy' is already deceased. “...?”
What?
‘Archenemy?’
Before I could unravel that question, the next notification appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Main Quest modified. World Quest prioritized. World Quest for the 51st Floor, 'Walled City Baran', begins. The announcement abruptly shifted.
‘World Quest? Where the hell did the Main Quest go?’
Once again, the notification didn’t answer my question.
It simply relayed the information in cold, emotionless text.
⚙ WORLD QUEST ⚙ 'Repel Monster Invasion' has begun. “!”
Repel Monster Invasion.
The moment I heard those words,
goosebumps prickled up both my arms again.
‘...No way, the Great Catastrophe?’
The disaster from ten years ago.
The tragedy that killed my father from this life—the previous lord, Antonius Baran—along with the city’s notables, knights, mages, priests, and countless residents...
In just one year.
It had consumed nearly half of Walled City Baran’s strength. Was that Great Catastrophe repeating itself?
‘We have reinforcement magic and Climbers now, so we could hold out better than back then.’
Still, I wouldn’t know until I saw the quest details.
So, with a trembling heart, I waited for more announcements.
... “...”
But.
That was it for the notifications.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ May Layer Ruler 'Lucius Baran' find the guidance of light. With those words left behind,
the glowing text dissolved into specks of light and vanished.
“?”
‘What? It doesn’t say when, where, or how the invasion happens?’
For real?
I reached out in frustration, trying to grab the fading specks. But they scattered like dust in the air, soon leaving no trace.
All that remained was the silent office and the lord.
“Argh, seriously!”
I felt utterly toyed with by those glowing letters. They rattled my nerves with a chilling announcement, only to vanish without any crucial info.
-Anyway, it’s started. No idea when.
Something like that.
It pissed me off,
but there was nothing I could do about it now.
“Hoo...”
I calmed my chaotic mind. First, I wiped away the cold sweat that had been trickling down nonstop, then pressed the crystal buttons for the security chiefs on the office desk in sequence.
“...Gotta relay the situation first.”
Click.
Click.
Click.
[Emergency Assembly for Chiefs] A few minutes later.
All three crystal buttons lit up.
[Subjugation Captain Luciana]
[Guard Captain Sir Jayden]
[Scout Captain Sir William]
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
[Emergency Assembly for Chiefs Confirmed] Now all three would head to the lord’s manor.
‘In the meantime, gotta call the Climbers too.’
The representatives, naturally, were the Sword Empress and Sword Ghost.
Both would be at the Hundred Swords Society guild building construction site.
I stood up. Then I knocked on the door of the adjacent ‘Administrative Office.’
Knock knock.
“It’s me, coming in.”
“Ah, yes!”
Entering the administrative office, the first thing I saw was eight desks piled high with papers. Only one had someone seated.
Today’s duty officer was Milla.
She startled mid-task and looked up at me. Misinterpreting my visit as impatience over her not responding, she began apologizing.
“Lord? Did you call for me? I’m sorry. I didn’t hear the call bell—”
“No, no. It’s urgent, so I came myself.”
“Pardon? Urgent matter?”
I explained.
“I’ve issued an emergency assembly for the security chiefs. Suspicious circumstances detected. I’ll explain details later, but please summon the Sword Empress and Sword Ghost to the conference room. They’re at the Hundred Swords Society guild building site. The Climbers need to know about this too.”
“!”
Milla nodded.
“Understood. Lord’s emergency assembly—gathering at the conference room. Summoning Climber representatives Sword Empress and Sword Ghost.”
A crisp report and acknowledgment.
She smoothed her skirt with a quick pat, then glided out gracefully. In situations like this, not asking “What’s going on?” and jumping straight to action was Milla’s greatest strength.
‘Actually, all three disciples of the Sage are like that.’
I considered calling the chiefs of the ‘Great Library’ and ‘Observatory’ too, but decided they weren’t necessary right now.
‘What we need now is sharing info, not grasping the full situation.’
A short while later.
Not long after,
everyone I’d summoned arrived at the conference room in the lord’s manor.
I took the head seat at the rectangular table, with the Sword Empress and Sword Ghost to my left, and Luciana, Sir Jayden, and Sir William to my right.
The last to arrive, having come the farthest,
was Sir William. Once everyone was seated,
I scanned the room and got to the point.
“Straight to business. Moments ago, I received a revelation about a monster invasion. I don’t know the timing or scale. But something has definitely begun.”
“!”
“!”
“!”
“!”
Climbers and NPCs alike.
Everyone wore shocked expressions without exception.
“...”
‘Well, they were dragged here from lax festival duty, so no wonder. Especially when the top authority starts spouting vague nonsense.’
But what could be done?
The notifications were frustratingly unhelpful from the start...
‘Still, the Climbers might get it.’
I turned to the Sword Empress and Sword Ghost.
“We’ll need your help with this. Has anything like this happened before?”
“...”
The Sword Empress pondered my words. Then she asked me.
“First, may I pose one question?”
“Yes, if it’s related to the situation.”
“If that revelation came as glowing text... was it a ‘Main Quest’ or ‘World Quest’ notification?”
I answered.
“World Quest. Content is ‘Repel Monster Invasion’—just learned. Seems it started with the Climbers’ arrival.”
“I see.”
The Sword Empress looked relieved.
“Thank you for informing us right away.”
“For something so minor...”
She shook her head.
“Some layer rulers didn’t trust Climbers at first. They withheld the Main Quest start, dawdled, and let things spiral into crisis.”
“...”
‘There were idiots like that, huh.’
The Sword Empress continued immediately.
“I’ve seen a World Quest like this... in another layer, years ago—before becoming vice leader, as an elite of the Hundred Swords Society.”
“Could you elaborate?”
“It’s just one meager experience, so keep that in mind.”
“Understood.”
Her account followed.
The sub quest she’d seen was also ‘Repel Monster Invasion.’
“It happened on the 42nd floor, in a fortress shrouded in fog. The beastkin shaman acting as layer ruler proxy directed us there. Upon arrival, we saw a large plate painted with a full moon.”
And so the World Quest began.
「Protect the plate holding the moon.」
The instant we accepted,
countless snake-like monsters poured in.
“Our guild alliance elites panicked at first but quickly called for reinforcements. A grueling battle ensued. But no matter how many we killed, the snake monsters kept coming endlessly.”
“Endlessly?”
“Yes, they never stopped, no matter how many we slew.”
The fight dragged on for days.
Some Climbers got injured, others fell.
As exhaustion set in—
“One swordsman in our group sensed something off. The snake monsters flooding the fortress dropped unusually few mana stones.”
“!”
I clenched my fist.
Ah, that sounds...
‘Kinda like what’s happening to us now?’
Her story pressed on.
“So we changed approach. Instead of blindly meeting them inside the fortress, we traced their origin. That swordsman and I took the task.”
The Sword Empress and one swordsman.
They ventured outside the fortress, tracking the monsters’ source against the tide. What they found was...
“Dungeon entrances. Some of the periodic ones around the fortress—usually smashed or ignored—had turned black.”
That was the key.
“Monsters were spilling from there. Ones that should’ve stayed inside the dungeons.”
“...”
“That was the first case where we Climbers identified what we call ‘Dungeon Overflow.’”
“...Dungeon Overflow.”
As I murmured that,
someone flung open the conference room door in urgency.
It was the Observatory’s manager—the Astronomer Albert. He’d rushed over without even pocketing his telescope-shaped artifact.
“Sorry, Lord! Urgent report!”
“Speak.”
Why could I already guess what it was?
Sure enough,
it aligned perfectly with the Sword Empress’s tale.
“Multiple dungeon generation reactions near the walls. Ten in total! They’ve surged massively, as if making up for going undetected until now.”
“...I see.”
I nodded and looked at the Sword Empress and Sword Ghost.
“Will you help?”
They nodded.
“Of course.”
“Leave it to us.”
*
In the forest outside the walls.
The subjugation force led by me and Captain Luciana stood guard atop the 10-meter walls built with reinforcement magic, blocking the path. To prevent any goblins spilling from Dungeon Overflows from breaking through.
‘Though I’m not really feeling the need.’
-Kieeeek—!
-Kyaaak—!
-Gruaak—!
Amid the screams of goblins being massacred nearby,
notifications popped up rapidly before my eyes.
“...”
‘The Hundred Swords Three Ghosts are especially fast. The other parties match the time it takes with me, the subjugation force, and Captain Luciana clearing them.’
⚙ QUEST COMPLETE ⚙ Climber Party 'Vanguard' completed assigned quest. Completed Quest: Black Dungeon (1) Cleared ⚙ QUEST COMPLETE ⚙ Climber Party 'Hundred Swords 1st Squad' completed assigned quest. Completed Quest: Black Dungeon (2) Cleared ⚙ QUEST COMPLETE ⚙ Climber Party 'Hundred Swords 2nd Squad' completed assigned quest. Completed Quest: Black Dungeon (3) Cleared ⚙ QUEST COMPLETE ⚙ Climber Party 'Hundred Swords 3rd Squad' completed assigned quest. Completed Quest: Black Dungeon (4) Cleared ...
...
...
Excluding the all-Heroic Grade Vanguard, the rest were mixed Special and Heroic Grade parties. Yet they cleared at the same speed as the lord’s forces diving in.
‘The difference is they’re tackling simultaneously in real time.’
Dungeons, once seen as periodic chores, being conquered like this simultaneously was truly wondrous. Efficiency-wise, incomparable.
At that sheer cost-effectiveness,
my legs trembled as lord.
‘Climber outsourcing is incredible.’
“Incredible.”
“Incredible...”
“?”
‘What? Did Captain Luciana realize the greatness of outsourcing too?’
I glanced at Captain Luciana, who’d mumbled after me. But contrary to my thought, she stared blankly at the Sword Empress’s battle below the wall.
I nodded.
“Ahh.”
It really was incredible.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 【Ran (34)】 【Hundred Swords Society Vice Leader 'Sword Empress'/Climber】 ✨ [Legendary] Moonlit Sword: Draws moonlight with the sword. 🩸 [Heroic] Blood Intoxication: Grows stronger seeing enemy blood. 💪 [Special] Superhuman Strength: Increases strength. The Sword Empress swung her sword.
Her movements traced the moon with the blade’s tip—poignant, fluid, indifferent. Yet the result was terrifying.
As she drew the moon with her sword,
blood sprayed over the verdant underbrush.
Shaaa—!
Like dozens of blood anemones blooming, dozens of goblins spewed blood and toppled backward. In moments, the surroundings became a field of blood anemones.
-Kieeeek—!
-Kyaaak—!
In that crimson flowerbed,
the Moonlit Sword danced.
Shaaa—!
Dozens more crimson anemones bloomed. Following her blade’s poignant dance under the moonlight, they became flowers yearning for the unseen moon.
A scene that evoked beauty and terror in equal measure.
‘She one-shots even the field bosses: Hobgoblins, Goblin Shamans, Goblin Warriors.’
Finishing her sword dance, the Sword Empress returned.
“All spilled enemies eliminated.”
“...”
Behind her blood-soaked black uniform,
the reddened forest felt eerie.
‘But as allies, no force is more reassuring.’
I said,
“Well done.”
Soon after,
the Hundred Swords Society disciples who’d finished dungeon exploration approached. All with relaxed expressions, hands full of artifacts and mana stones.
-Haha, all junk.
-Eh, useful someday.
-Mana stones to the lord.
“!”
‘Thanks.’
Among them, one female disciple huddled under a blanket, thoroughly dejected. Her bare feet peeked out, unusually sticky.
-Ugh, my clothes melted—worst.
I smiled wryly to myself.
‘She tasted the infamous dungeon special near the walled city.’
No damage,
but melts all fabrics—nasty stuff.
For their efforts, I showered them with over three times the usual EXP. Cheers erupted around.
-Whoa! EXP!
-Super generous.
-Thank you—!
“No need. Everyone did great. Let’s head back.”
But.
“...”
Not yet...
⚙ WORLD QUEST ⚙ In Progress: Repel Monster Invasion.