Just Did It and It Worked

[Anyone see the 1st floor rankings update?]

[Was exceeding 10,000 points even possible?]

[15,398 points? Doesn't that make sense? Isn't there something wrong with the tower?]

[Seeking anyone who knows the identity of the climber Kim Hunter]

[Why does it say "Kim Hunter" like hunting Kim?]

[New Hard difficulty climbers, please comment here]

I'd expected a big reaction, but this was way more intense than I'd imagined. Posts were flooding in even faster than before, and they were all about me.

"What's with this posting speed? In my past life, nothing like this ever got this heated..."

Even in my memories from my previous life, floor rankings got updated now and then. But unless it was a pretty high floor, it never caused this much fuss. The score gaps weren't that big on lower floors anyway.

I clicked into the post that had started it all.

"A notification went out?"

Seemed like everyone who'd been tied for 1st got one. No wonder the Climbers' Plaza was burning up this fast. The previous joint 1st placers were all big shots in this world. It wasn't just a 1- or 2-point drop; some new climber had shot up with over 5,000 points. And they'd broken the 10,000-point wall that even all those heroes couldn't touch. They had no choice but to pay attention.

"Good thing I kept my identity hidden."

Smart move picking a careful nickname. This world was full of all kinds of crazies. Especially this Great Tiger King who'd posted—it was infamous for going nuts over fights. If it knew who I was, it'd come charging for a brawl for sure. And there were plenty of other dangerous types who'd get interested too.

Next, I read the comments on Great Tiger King's post.

"Hmm..."

Besides battle-hungry types like Great Tiger King, there were others interested in me for different reasons. Like nations whose towers were nearing collapse. Some countries were approaching their breakdown deadlines right now—which meant they lacked strong climbers to update the top floors. Those nations supported climbers however they could to renew the top layers. They even poached from other countries. They'd seen the horror of the Euroho Federation's tower collapse as a precedent.

Those places might come rushing to recruit me.

"From this world's perspective, yeah, that makes sense."

I'd leaped way past the scores of top dogs like the Hero. They'd probably think I could blast straight to the top floor in no time. But I couldn't be sure I'd clear higher floors easily. Goblins were dumb enough to just tank everything, but there might be cases where pulling the trigger alone wouldn't cut it.

"Gotta keep my identity hidden for now."

Someone might say, why not switch to another nation's tower for support? But switching nations on a whim was risky. I wasn't even sure I could update the top floors yet. Without my gun, I was just a regular guy. And people in this world weren't as squeaky clean as modern folks. If they showered me with support and I failed to deliver? The backlash wouldn't be pretty. Plenty would turn on me.

The Brillroad ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Empire I was with now was especially like that. If another nation snatched me—the guy with 15,398 points—they'd declare war for sure. And if they got really pissed, they might crush me and my whole family for switching sides so freely. Not for nothing was it the empire dominating the continent. They shook hands when it suited, but crushed you thoroughly when it didn't.

Plus, they'd helped our family right before we were done for. No desire to jump ship right now.

"Can't afford to mess around in any direction."

If I ran out of bullets tomorrow, I'd be less than a pushover. Better to stay hidden for a while. Hell, maybe stay anonymous the whole climb. 'Cause if no one knew who I was, I could pull shit like this.

"Heh... hahahahaha!"

A villainous laugh burst out on its own. A chance to teach these isekai folks a lesson in trolling. Couldn't pass up an opportunity like this while messing around in the community.

My post blew up with attention and rocketed to the top of popular posts.

"Kekekeke."

I cackled as I read the comments. Didn't reply to any. Couldn't show more reaction. Trolling was irresistible, but going too far would be trouble. If I trolled too hard anonymously now and got found out later, it'd be a disaster.

At this level, they could write it off as "Wait, he really just did it and it worked?" But if I crossed the line with something like "You guys suck lol," I wouldn't survive the backlash if exposed later.

The climbers right now were scratching that itchy spot between annoyance and rage.

"They're all going nuts wondering who I am."

Just dropping "It was easy tho?" and vanishing had set the Climbers' Plaza ablaze even more. Top climbers in this world usually had known identities. No one acted like me before. Seeing the locals lose their minds made me happy too.

I left the Climbers' Plaza alone and decided to climb the tower. You could only go up once a day. After browsing a bit and taking a short nap, morning had come.

Click-clack—

Click-clack—

I practiced reloading a few times. The gun's lethality had no issues killing goblins. Risks were missing shots or getting attacked mid-reload.

Accuracy was better than expected. The trait description said "Receives correction for all types of firearms." Thanks to that, handling the gun felt natural, like I'd done it a ton. The two misses on 1st floor? I hadn't expected one-shots, so I'd dumped extras into one goblin.

This time, no wasting bullets.

"Reloading's not bad either."

Reloading was key too. The trait bonus made it flow smoothly. But physically slotting bullets took time inevitably. Not too long, though.

Just in case, I practiced a few more times, checked my ammo, and headed out.

"Hard difficulty 2nd floor is three goblin warriors, right?"

There was a post in Climbers' Plaza compiling floor info. No Hell difficulty details, of course. Guessed from Hard ones.

Hard 2nd floor: three goblin warriors. Simple math—three times the 1st floor numbers. Had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to brace for at least three hobgoblins. If thirty regular goblins piled on too... that'd be rough.

If numbers got too high, might need enhanced bullets. Only three, but not sparing them at the cost of my life. They one-shot hobgoblins, so should be fine.

"Time to make some money."

One floor was ten million gel. My parents' faces—apologetic but smiling when I said I'd revive the family—were fresh in mind. My little sister's grin when I said she could go to the academy. With the gun, I was confident.

I hit Y without hesitation, and white light brought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floating sensation. When I opened my eyes again, it was a cave like 1st floor—but bigger, brighter, letting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me see deep in.

"Three..."

And there, as expected: three hobgoblins and dozens of regular goblins. I loaded enhanced bullets without delay.