Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: D-7
D-7
After stamping "There is no bad equipment in the world."
I handed the tamed magic spear to Garam and said,
"If a male climber who calls out my name shows up, please pass this spear to him."
I'd have preferred to hand it over myself, but since the magic spear was classified as equipment, it couldn't be registered as an item.
In the end, carrying it around constantly was a hassle, so I changed my mind and decided Park Hyun-su should come pick it up in person.
There was a way to do a 1:1 trade, but...
Garam had said it'd be more convenient for him to visit in person so she could take his armor measurements anyway.
"Oh, but aren't you busy with guild withdrawal procedures?"
"That's all wrapped up nicely."
"Already?"
"Actually, I'd told them I was quitting from the first day I found out I was pregnant. At first, they tried to hold me back and asked me to think it over one more time, but once I told them about my contract conditions with you, they gave up."
Come to think of it...
Wasn't the basic premise of most guilds that even non-combat jobs had to climb the tower?
"Still, with your skills or Hun-kyu's, they could've at least treated you that well. It's a bit strange."
If it were me, I'd do anything to keep a talented employee from leaving.
Yet Garam's guild had let her go surprisingly easily.
Was there some reason behind it?
"If they gave special treatment too rashly, pressure would come from the outside."
"Not from inside, but outside?"
What was that supposed to mean?
Special treatment causing backlash not from within, but from outside?
"I told you most guilds are run following the four major guilds' lead, right?"
"Yeah. ...Ah, no way?"
"Exactly. All guilds take it as a given that they follow the rules of the four major guilds tied to that tower. If they break them, they face pressure or penalties."
"..."
It made no sense.
This was basically a wartime situation at war with the towers.
Forcing such absurd rules when the country—no, the whole world—could fall if things went wrong.
Were the other climbers just watching this happen?
"Of course I complained. But then they threatened us, using tower floor updates as an excuse."
"They're pulling stunts that low?"
"Korea's survival right now hinges on the four major guilds' climbs, so they're exploiting that."
"No, what the... What if it actually blows up?"
"They just take a bit of flak. Even if they do that, the fact remains they're irreplaceable manpower.
Lately, they've even deliberately detonated towers in remote areas under the pretext of 'raising awareness.'"
What the hell was I hearing?
Deliberately blowing up towers? They actually did something that insane?
"What they said at the time was probably something like, 'If you don't want to end up like China or North Korea next door, please provide more support.'"
...Unbelievable.
I knew it was a mess, but this level?
What kind of country was this Korea I was living in?
"Still, don't worry too much. If they have any sense, they won't blow one up this time either."
"...I hope so."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Once again, I realized.
That Korea was on the verge of exploding at any moment.
"Come to think of it... There's only 7 days left until month's end?"
...This wasn't the time to slack off.
A country guarded by beasts who blow up towers just to flex their power.
How could anyone live without anxiety here?
"If worst comes to worst, I might have to talk to the Doctor and flood the White Tiger Guild with potions..."
I remembered from the news that updating the highest floor in even one of the four towers would delay all tower explosions.
If things got dire, I'd have no choice but to support the White Tiger Guild through the Doctor.
"I didn't want to show my face yet..."
But given the situation.
It was about time for me to steel myself too.
"Let's head up for now."
With that sense of urgency about the current state of affairs.
And the feeling that I couldn't afford to waste time like this, I left the shop and headed straight to the 8th floor.
I decided to check out floors 5 through 7 later.
After hearing that story, leisurely sightseeing felt off.
"You okay, Lavris?"
"Hearing such ear-rotting talk has killed my mood."
"Same here."
We agreed to tour floors 5 through 7 tomorrow.
And followed the suit team leader to the 8th floor.
I wanted to go straight to the 10th, but according to the suit team leader,
"From the 8th floor on, there are no escalators or elevators—you have to use the stairs."
Apparently, from the 8th floor, stairs were the only way up.
Which meant heading to the stairs on the 9th to reach the 10th.
I wondered why they'd build it like that, but that thought vanished the moment we arrived on the 8th floor.
Because...
"...Trees?"
The 8th floor was completely different from anything we'd seen so far.
It was another world, thick with trees and flowers and lush plants.
If I'd arrived with my eyes closed, I might've mistaken it for entering a tower.
And right then.
"Hmnyang...? Daddy-nyang. The mana here's super thick-nyang."
"It's way denser than the 15th floor we climbed."
Lulu and Arin, nestled in my arms, wagged their tails happily.
They said the mana here was incredibly dense.
"Really?"
I tilted my head, unable to feel much difference, and Lavris explained,
"It's because of your fighting spirit, Master. Unless the mana is about as strong as yours, you won't sense it well."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, wasn't fighting spirit the natural enemy of mana?
"You'd probably shrug off a direct magic hit barehanded."
"I'd rather not get hit at all."
Anyway.
Now I knew why only I couldn't feel it.
When I asked the suit team leader what was going on,
"We don't know the details either."
His answer was that even the building managers didn't fully understand.
The only thing known was what the visiting mages said: Something on the 10th floor was influencing it, turning the environment tower-like.
Thanks to that, the mana recovery rate inside the building was abnormally high.
"So what's the purpose of this floor?"
"Floors 8 through 9 are used as short-term recovery rooms."
"Short-term recovery rooms?"
"Yes. The high mana density allows for quick mana recovery in short periods."
Hm... So the denser mana speeds up natural recovery too?
But why short-term?
"The density is so high that staying too long causes status ailments (mana poisoning)."
"...I see."
No wonder there were hardly any climbers around.
This floor was more dangerous than it seemed.
But despite that,
"This feels nice-nyang... Just breathing makes me feel stronger-nyang..."
"Arin feels super good too-yong..."
"Fairies like it too since it's easier to breathe... Hm...? But it feels kinda familiar somehow...?"
My kids seemed totally fine.
Probably because they were born as magic beasts + spirits and fairies.
"Ah, are you okay, Suit Team Leader?"
"I can last about 30 minutes."
Oh man, that didn't sound like much leeway.
This wasn't the time. I needed to hurry the tour and get him down.
"Let's move quickly."
We hurried along, stepping on fresh grass.
We passed flowers the size of a person's torso and miniature trees, climbing the stairs.
The closer we got to the staircase to the 10th floor, the thicker this otherworldly vibe became.
"Here we are."
How long had we walked?
We finally reached the entrance to the staircase leading to the 10th floor.
"We can't go any further because of the magic formation."
It looked like ordinary stairs at a glance, but when the suit team leader reached out,
Thung-!
His hand was repelled by a translucent blue barrier and couldn't proceed.
The same happened to the rest of us.
Thung-!
Nyang-!
"Nyaahang-! Fun-nyang!"
Thung-!
"Whoa-! Rope bounce-! It's a crossline-!"
Thung-!!!
"Grr...! Why can't even a fairy pass? Benefactor! Can I smash this?"
Lulu and Arin were treating the bouncy repulsion like a toy.
The fairy was miffed at not being able to pass.
I absentmindedly reached out too, but stopped at Lavris's advice.
"Master. Don't."
"Huh? Why?"
"With your mana resistance, just touching it might shatter it. No, it will shatter."
"...For real? Then how do we get in?"
"Didn't you say the Doctor gave you a key? Use it to open and pass."
"Right."
I pulled out the master key.
Unlike the name, it looked like an iron key straight out of a fantasy game.
Wondering how to use it, I figured since it was a key, maybe insert and turn? So I held it to the barrier and twisted.
And at that moment.
Click-!
A sound like something unlocking echoed in the empty air where there was no door.
The key vanished like smoke.
And moments later.
Woooong-!
A light suddenly emanated from the back of my hand. Looking closely,
A key-shaped mark had appeared there, glowing.
"...Did it work?"
But contrary to my mutter,
The blue barrier steadfastly guarded the entrance.
Still, my instincts strongly told me I could pass now, so I stepped toward the blue barrier.
Suk-!
I felt like I'd passed through something, and looking around,
I was inside the magic formation, climbing the stairs.
"This... Is it the same barrier the Doctor passed through when he first came?"
The sensation felt just like that time.
Since it was a building he made himself, probably a similar kind of magic.
But that thought didn't last.
"Wait... Why did only I get in?"
Where'd everyone else go?
Why was I the only one climbing the stairs? I went back down.
And there...
Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!
"Daddy-nyang! Where'd you go alone-nyang-!! Don't abandon Lulu-nyang-!!!"
"Dad disappeared because of this magic formation...! I'm gonna smash it-!! Arin gonna go black-!!!"
"...?"
Outside the magic formation,
Arin and Lulu were clawing and pounding at it, tears like chicken droppings streaming down their faces.
...Ah, so.
From outside, they couldn't see inside?