Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Tower Lord's Ordeal #5
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"What?! Tanks on Earth move without magic stones?!"
"Wahahahaha! As expected from someone from Earth—your jokes are truly amusing!"
"It's not a joke."
"Wahahahat! As if there's any device that can operate without a magic stone!"
Do-yoon looked at the group of hunters with a wronged expression.
They really, truly didn't believe him with every fiber of their being.
'Is this... a difference in civilization?'
They were probably so accustomed to handling and utilizing mana that it was second nature to them.
"Ahem, uhum!"
Rakia Bells, who had been watching the situation, let out a deliberate cough to escape her precarious position.
The attention of the room shifted to her for a moment, but it quickly refocused intensely on Do-yoon.
"..."
Rakia Bells felt a piercing loneliness in the cold atmosphere.
'These bastards.'
Do-yoon was too distracted to notice, but Rakia Bells could read the greed lurking in their eyes.
It was thanks to the sharp glares she'd endured from her sister.
"So, Do-yoon, what do you say? Join our party."
"No thanks. We can't even enter the boss room together anyway."
"Heh, come on, you know better than that. Think about how these connections here can grow."
"It's more valuable than any treasure!"
"Why...?"
"Because in the tower, information is life, and that information comes from hunters."
Good information comes from healthy hunters.
And high-quality information comes from top-tier hunters.
Do-yoon's potential had been proven.
Through his exploits in the theme stage.
So, they needed to forge this connection with Do-yoon, who had the makings of a top hunter, right here and now, easily and quickly.
"I recommend thinking it over seriously! Connections made here last all the way to the top!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! That's why they say joining the Upper Council is the biggest hurdle after the mid-layers!"
Upper Council.
What the hell was that place even for?
If you're in the tower, just conquer the tower.
How did they end up forming cliques and stirring up trouble among the tower's hunters?
Do-yoon's gaze naturally turned to Rakia Bells.
She came from a family tied to the Upper Council.
"..."
The barbarian woman stared at Do-yoon and the group with a deeply displeased expression.
He was about to say something to her when another hunter cut in, turning his head away.
"Anyway, what brings you here? Looking for something specific?"
"Same as everyone else. Info or gear."
"Then you're in the right place. No better info spot in this sector."
It looked that way at first glance.
Clean interior, hunters who screamed strength just by looking at them.
Do-yoon had sensed it the moment he saw them.
These were among the strongest of the lower-floor hunters.
"We even have intel on the presumed location of the boss room beyond the 10th floor..."
"Oh."
Do-yoon was about to brighten up at the welcome news.
"How ridiculous."
Amid the chatter, a voice that uniquely shattered the flow reached Do-yoon's ears.
"...?"
"Handing over boss room locations for free? Hunters really are impatient. They dive headfirst at anything dangling in front of them."
"Kuhuhu."
A cold sneer followed.
'Is that aimed at me?'
It was phrased indirectly, clearly meant to annoy without committing.
Do-yoon's head snapped toward the source.
There were hunters there too.
But unlike the others who had been friendly, these radiated contempt.
The kind of reactions Do-yoon knew all too well from hunters back home, now blatantly emanating from them.
"..."
As Do-yoon's gaze shifted, so did the others'.
"Ah... those guys? Ignore them. They're so twisted they won't even talk to us."
"But they stick together?"
"Birds of a feather."
"Aha."
Now that he thought about it, yeah, that made sense.
Like lowlifes banding together, these ones huddled up to build their vibe.
"That theme stage exploit—reliable info?"
"What bullshit is that? I got help from Do-yoon myself."
One hunter glared at them incredulously.
"No, I mean, did this Hunter Do-yoon really pull it off with his own power?"
"Hey."
Rakia Bells cut in with a chilling glare.
"If you're not buying anything, get lost. Don't start trouble."
"Oh ho. Rakia Bells taking another hunter's side? The lofty Black Dragon heir?"
"Definitely more subdued than last time. That theme stage humiliation must've hit hard."
-Kekekeke.
'What are they, idiots?'
Do-yoon summed them up neatly.
If you're gonna pick a fight, do it straight up.
They seemed to be baiting him to make the first move.
"Ignore them."
"Why?"
"Those guys have serious backing too. There's a reason they strut around like that."
One hunter spilled some dark side of hunter society.
"Same as outside, huh."
When he'd first entered, he'd thought it was a place decided purely by skill.
A realm where you had to stay humble and focused, never knowing when or where death might strike.
But as the gallery users had said, it seemed just as corrupt as the world he'd known.
'Itching for a beatdown?'
For types who strutted like that, a good thrashing had always been the answer.
"Do-yoon."
Reading his expression, Rakia Bells tugged lightly at his clothes from the side.
Do-yoon shook his head.
He got what she was thinking, but this wasn't the place.
"Too bad."
He'd wanted to make a strong impression here.
And teach them some humility while he was at it.
"Hey."
"What."
"Since it's come to this, why not join our side?"
"Pfft."
As if they hadn't heard their own words moments ago, they made the recruitment pitch at the most absurd timing.
Do-yoon stared at them in disbelief, but they misinterpreted it as interest and flashed confident grins.
To Do-yoon, those smiles looked utterly sleazy and ugly.
"Heard you resonated with an object tied to the tower lord's past and caused a scene? That speeds things up."
"Speeds up what?"
"Hand over info on the object. In return, we'll share intel on the tower—er, the tower lord."
"Kya, bro's the god of deals."
Info on the tower lord?
'Do I need to?'
He could just log into the gallery and see Wine Lord right there.
Why bother talking to these guys?
"Think it over."
The hunter wagged his index finger at Do-yoon.
"Boss room location for the next floor? Sure, important. But now we need to prepare."
"Prepare for what."
"Floor 15."
The second theme stage awaited them.
"First one, we were all green and weak, so no real hostility."
Was that so?
Do-yoon remembered those stares aimed at him all too well.
"...Ah."
Rakia Bells seemed to recall it too, visibly shaken as she glanced at Do-yoon.
'I'm over it now.'
No big deal. He'd gotten rough payback.
"But now we prepare. For that monster on the 15th floor theme stage."
"Object."
"Right. The tower is one being's story and life. Each theme stage holds fragments of memory."
"Hmph."
Aira snorted from where she listened.
If the one on floor 5 was the starting point, floor 15 held an even more powerful and horrific version.
'That's a bit much.'
Honestly, his first meeting with Aira hadn't been pretty either.
A little girl turned into a monster slaughtering fanatics after brutal torture.
And something beyond that?
"...Oof."
"Yeah. Legs shaking just thinking about it? So let's share info. On that monster waiting on floor 15..."
"But how do you even know."
"Simple. First, spill what you know about the object you're carrying."
"Why should I?"
"To speculate on that floor 15 monster's nature and behavior. Don't worry, we're not asking for free."
"How about it. Kehelhel."
The thug-like hunters grinned like they'd seized the upper hand.
The guild's atmosphere began to sour.
"Then..."
"Good choice."
"Get lost."
"Good choice... Huh?"
"This fucker."
Stunned reactions from the hunters, while those around scowled.
"If you're acting on bravado, you'll regret it."
Regret it?
Do-yoon barely held back a laugh before speaking.
"You guys have shit faces."
Phrenology is science.
To Do-yoon, these were the types who'd stab allies in the back at the boss room.
"You'll regret saying that."
-Clunk.
One by one, the hunter group rose from their seats.
"Hey, you trash."
Rakia Bells stepped in front of Do-yoon with a fierce scowl.
"You know what it means to cause a scene in a non-combat zone?"
Those who broke the tower's rules faced fitting divine punishment.
Whether stripped of all mana or left half-crippled.
The price was theirs to pay.
"Fine! Live it up there! Looking forward to floor 15! Don't cry then! You're dead meat anyway!"
"Yeah, yeah."
To Do-yoon, they all looked adorable.
-Hooeeee...!
He recalled some repulsive voice wailing pathetically somewhere.
After all, Do-yoon already held the key to unraveling the tower's ordeals.