Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Ramju Thunder's Level Has Risen!
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“Squeak—”
Thunder let out a satisfied belch after eating his fill.
I stared blankly at him for a full ten seconds, dumbfounded by the whole thing.
Snapping out of it, I quickly scooped him up.
“You crazy little bastard, why the hell did you eat that? And how did you even eat it?”
I'd heard that magic stones were incredibly tough and could only be processed with special methods.
Yet this guy chomped it down like an acorn?
I flipped him upside down and shook him hard to make him puke it up, but no magic stone came out.
Thunder's eyes just spun in circles.
“You okay in there?”
“Chit-chit!”
Thunder patted his belly confidently, insisting he was fine.
His color looked normal too.
I'd heard tyrannosaurs swallowed stones to help digestion, but a squirrel munching rocks? First I'd ever heard of it.
Sure, this wasn't a normal squirrel—he was a monster Mountain Squirrel—but still…
I worried if he could even digest it.
Coffee peanuts were at least nuts, something he normally ate.
As if mocking my concerns, Thunder crossed his arms nonchalantly and shook his head.
“Squeak, chit-chit.”
Well, look at you, Mr. Gourmet.
A 50,000 won magic stone rated below 3,000 won coffee peanuts.
This guy's got cheap tastes, no doubt.
Still, relief washed over me seeing him unscathed.
“Eh, whatever. You must've stashed the magic stone somewhere.”
Precious 50,000 won down the gullet of a squirrel...
To earn that much, I'd have to spend four hours in the Trial Tower.
And we couldn't even climb the Challenge Tower yet.
I was stuffing the remaining magic stones into a drawer and locking it when...
“...Changes?”
A weird alert popped up.
I hurriedly opened my status window to check.
You can strengthen your companions.
⟨Defeat monsters to gain experience.⟩ - new!
⟨Absorb magic stones to gain experience or special abilities.⟩ - new!
“Huh...?”
New features had appeared on the Training skill.
The skill level hadn't changed, so how?
I couldn't make sense of it.
Then again, the Trainer class was full of incomprehensible nonsense from the start.
“Wait, gain experience?”
I quickly checked my status window, but no new messages for me.
What about the Guidebook?
Sure enough, unread messages had piled up.
Apparently, changes to companions show up in the Guidebook, not the system.
With trembling hands, I tapped on Ramju Thunder in the companion list.
“...He really leveled up?”
We hadn't even cleared the first floor.
Just one goblin taken down.
And Thunder gained experience and leveled up.
“Meanwhile, me... as expected.”
I checked my own info via the system, but I was still level 1.
No experience notifications for me.
Awakened humans only get experience rewards for fully clearing a floor of the tower.
Even then, repeats don't count—only first clears.
Experience is that precious.
But this guy...
“Gets experience every time he kills a monster...”
“Chit?”
He's different from human Awakeners.
Typically, Hunters stuck on a floor have few ways to grow stronger.
Rune stones, elixirs, artifacts—they're pricey and scarce.
Hoping for a rare skill is up to the heavens.
Most Hunters eventually hit their class and skill limits, stalling their climbs.
But what if you could farm monsters on cleared floors repeatedly to grow stronger?
Even tough floors—even the one right below—hunting them dozens, hundreds of times would build the power to clear above.
With time and effort, no floor unclimbable.
The same applied to the Challenge Tower's first floor that had me stuck.
Today, just one goblin, but hunting it daily to level Thunder would eventually let us take down five.
Or maybe it won't even take that long...
Thunder's stats had surged with the level up.
Nearly doubled from before.
This must be the power of B+ potential.
A little more leveling, and goblins with F+ potential would be easy prey.
Maybe even now at level 2.
Zzz...
Thunder, belly full and sleepy, started dozing off peacefully.
His dumb face smacked its lips now and then.
Yet this napping squirrel had more growth potential than any Hunter.
The next day, I woke early.
More accurately, I hadn't slept.
Like a kid the night before a picnic, excitement kept me tossing and turning.
How much stronger would level 2 Ramju Thunder be...?
I grabbed the bleary-eyed Thunder and bolted to the tower street.
“Enter Challenge Tower, floor 1.”
The otherworldly forest for the third day straight.
A short walk, and sure enough, two goblins greeted us.
One went to fetch backup, the other watched us.
Today, I sent Thunder after the runner.
“Thunder, take out that fleeing one.”
“Chit-chit!”
The difference from yesterday? I ordered him to kill.
Thunder's sprint, boosted by higher agility, closed the gap in seconds.
Wham!
“Kirruk!”
Thunder's Body Slam nailed the goblin's skull.
The goblin face-planted, clutching its head as it staggered up.
“Kirruk...!”
Furious scowl, face twisted.
Not like yesterday's itch-scratching.
Real damage dealt.
“Kirrruk!!”
“Chit!”
Whoosh—
Bam—
Thunder dodged the goblin's flailing dagger with ease.
Mixing in Body Slams and Tail Strikes.
Damage accumulating, the goblin's movements slowed.
“Kiruk, kirruk!”
The watcher sensed trouble and rushed to help.
But that was my cue.
The moment it glanced away, I clotheslined its wrist like yesterday, disarming it, then smashed its head.
Thud!
Thud!
“Kiruk! Kweek...!”
Facing disadvantage, it fled again.
I chased, snatched its dropped dagger, and plunged it into its gut.
It stopped moving, fading transparently away.
And...
Whoosh—bam!
“Kweek—!!”
Over there, the fight ended too.
The goblin crumpled from Thunder's final flying kick, vanishing the same way.
Goblins that were untouchable on day one? Thunder soloed one right after hitting level 2.
Despite a three-level gap.
I checked the Guidebook alerts.
Leveled up again.
Thunder hit level 3.
If level 2 could handle a level 5 goblin, what about 3?
“We could call it tomorrow... but wanna test it? Thunder, up for more?”
“Chit! Chit-chit!”
Thunder shadowboxed the air.
Panting, but spirited.
True to his high self-esteem.
No wounds, but fatigue showed level 2 Thunder matched level 5 goblins.
How many could level 3 handle?
After catching our breath, we ventured deeper.
The remaining eight goblins clustered inside.
Kiruk-kiruk.
Ugly green gremlins huddled creepily.
But what to do?
Taking all eight at once? Nah.
Maybe chuck a rock to split them...
“Chit-chit—!”
...Hey, wait.
While I pondered tactics, Thunder suddenly taunted the goblins from atop my head.
All eyes locked on us.
“Kiruk-kiruk!”
“Chit!”
The goblin horde crept closer.
I debated aborting, but Thunder leaped into action.
Bouncing to a tree branch in one bound.
Boing! Scramble-scramble!
Tree to tree.
Branch to branch.
Darting everywhere.
Goblins panicked at the acrobatics.
And...
Thwack!
Crack!
“Kirrruk—!!”
Suddenly diving from above, Thunder smashed into one goblin like a bullet.
It couldn't react.
Two hits, one down.
“That all?”
I watched, stunned.
Just level 3, and goblins that matched level 2 Thunder were pushovers.
Beyond expectations.
The pattern repeated.
Flitting through trees, sowing chaos, then blitzing one by one.
“Kweek...!”
“Kek—!”
Two more down in a blink.
Five total.
[Defeated 5 Grunt Goblins.]
⏰ Options: Declare 'Mission Complete' to return immediately, or 'Hold Return' to hunt remaining monsters.
“...Cleared it?”
Challenge Tower floor 1, undone for three years.
Actually doing it felt surreal.
Sentiments aside, choose: return or continue?
Mission complete returns instantly, no cooldown.
“Thunder, what do you think?”
“Chit-chit!”
Thunder nodded from the tree, signaling plenty left in the tank.
Yeah.
Five more experience bags—why leave?
These goblins were no match for Thunder now.
“Hold Return.”
“Squeak—!”
The moment I declared, Thunder sprang back into motion.
“Ki, ruk...”
“Kweek—!!”
“Kyaak—!”
One by one.
Goblins falling.
I didn't lift a finger, just spectated.
Thunder mopped up the last five in under two minutes.
All enemies down, he hopped down proudly before me.
Face screaming, “How'd I do?”
“Coffee peanuts when we get home.”
“Squeak!!”
Thunder's eyes sparkled with joy.
As the last foe vanished, the system chimed again.
The tower assigns scores per floor clear, determining rank and rewards.
“F as expected.”
Lowest rank.
No surprise.
Too many retries over three years.
Scoring factors: clear time, attempts, monsters killed, injuries.
Time wasn't bad, but endless retries tanked it.
F-Rank trash rewards.
The 30 experience bumped me to level 2, but S-Rank gives 200.
Over six times more.
So why, after three years, did clearing floor 1 feel frustrating?
First-clear rewards are one-shot only.
Money from repeats, sure.
But growth rewards for me? Gone forever.
The vital experience boosting core power.
“F-Rank Hunters tend to get F on the next too, right?”
The weak stay weak—that's the climber's fate.
Harsher than modern social ladders.
Low rank, low experience.
Low experience, slow levels.
No levels, no strength.
I'd have weakened further with F on floor 1.
If not for switching to Trainer.
I opened the Guidebook for Thunder's info.
Thunder reached level 4.
Stats skyrocketed.
Goblins one-shottable now.
Should handle floor 2 decently.
A-Rank, maybe S with luck.
“But... 'maybe' won't cut it.”
First clears are one chance.
I want guaranteed S-Rank.
How?
Scout floor 2 info?
Gear up?
Other Hunters might, but I had a simpler way.
From the next day, I started daily floor 1 repeats.
To secure S-Rank on floor 2 for sure.
“Oh yeah. Gotta post proof since I climbed.”
Click—
Captured the clear record.
Sentimental 1,000-day first Challenge Tower floor 1 clear.
Posting started as self-motivation, now habit—feels empty without.
Honestly, wanted to brag.
Even if pathetic F-Rank, it was monumental for me.
Minutes after posting, comments flooded in.