I'm Not a Kid!
I managed to clean up the happening that occurred in the gallery somehow.
[Ah, what the, it got patched, f]*
Was trying to troll, what a shame.
L (Reply) Ah, was it a bug?
L (OP) Yeah, but I guess the head admin blocked it.
L Gallery normalization is definitely this, this.
L (Head Moderator) What kind of bug is that?
L (Sub-Moderator) For real, if it wasn't for the quick patch, the gallery would've exploded.
"Phew, cleanup complete!"
After turning off the magic, I wrote a post as if it had been a bug exploit.
It's a relief that the Tower Users are kind enough to believe me.
As a result, I ended up getting banned for a week.
"I was planning on making a fixed nickname account anyway!"
Since I'm banned, I might as well think about what to do with the fixed nickname.
No, wait, let's put that aside for now.
I closed the gallery window and opened the mail window.
I cast magic again.
"Hmm, am I feeling a bit dizzy...?"
Maybe it's because I keep turning the magic on and off, but I feel a bit dizzy.
It's a new magic circuit, so it feels a bit awkward.
'Can't be helped, I'll write it as fast as possible!'
When I cast the magic, my email changed into a combination of strange symbols.
Obviously, reverse tracking would be impossible.
But.
"Where should I send the email?"
If I just send it to the Blue House, it'll probably get marked as spam and won't reach anyone.
Hmm...
After a long time of deep thought, I decided to send it to the largest power plant in the country.
Because there's an email left on their official website.
Oh, right.
"I didn't decide on the most important thing."
What I'm going to get in exchange for giving them 40,000 Magic Stones.
Giving them for free is obviously out of the question.
I'm not a pushover.
Actually, I've already thought of two things.
First, identity.
"It is the thing I need most."
Right now, I don't have South Korean citizenship.
I'm basically an illegal immigrant who snuck into Korea in this world.
I need an identity to live in Korea for a long time, but...
"Rejected."
Using an identity provided by the state means there's a possibility of being reverse-tracked.
Think about it.
We reverse-tracked the identity we provided, and it's some red-haired twintail kid?
Huh? We dug a little deeper and this kid has a lot of money?
Huh? This kid uses magic?
'From that day on, I'm confirmed to be a secret government test subject.'
Of course, if I wanted to, I could burn all the NIS agents coming to kidnap me to a crisp, but...
"It's annoying."
Anyway, rejected.
The second thing I thought of is a staff.
Magic differs greatly depending on whether you have a staff or not.
To use an analogy, earphones.
It's great if you have them, but if you don't, it's just... something's missing.
'Plus, it's good because magic proficiency goes up quickly.'
It will play an important role in me regaining my previous level.
But.
"Does the concept of a staff even exist here?"
There are canes. But not the kind of staff I want; only the kind that old men use to walk.
Well, there are no wizards, so would there be staffs?
"...Ah, I don't know."
I just sent an email saying I'm willing to support them with 40,000 Magic Stones.
I'll just tell them to figure out the compensation themselves.
I leaned back and stretched.
I glanced at the clock and it was still 1 PM.
"So much of the day left."
But I have nothing to do.
Hmm...
"I should go climb the Tower."
I can't live like a True Ancestor Vampire who only goes Tower climbing at dawn forever.
I thought it would be good to get used to it in advance.
I pulled a large hoodie that I used to wear from the closet, pulled it down low, and headed out.
**
At the same time.
A very dark room where even sunlight doesn't enter.
In a room so dark that even a mouse hole would be brighter, a man was bowing his head.
A man who didn't hide his unpleasant feelings while watching that scene.
It was the Big Boss of 'Right Arm', one of the criminal organizations with the greatest influence in South Korea.
Standing over 2 meters tall, his muscular forearms were his pride.
"Alright, let's say it again, brother."
"I, I went to Sector 7 to recover the Magic Stones, and there was no one there... It seems like we were done in by someone."
"The Magic Stones were obviously gone, but did you find the bodies?"
"...It seems they took the bodies too. All that was left at the scene was ash."
"Is that so..."
The Big Boss sighed.
Then he took his phone out of his pocket, and the Big Boss thought about something deeply.
"50,000. 50,000 are gone. The plan was just around the corner."
"I, I'm sorry, Big Boss!"
"Do you just want to die, little brother?"
"N, no!! Please, just have mercy once...!!"
The younger brother desperately slammed his head into the ground.
Kung, kung-kung. Every time he slammed it into the floor, his forehead became redder, and soon blood started to flow out.
The Big Boss watched that scene without a word.
Then.
"Stop!"
"...Big Boss."
"Forget it. Our little brother wants forgiveness that badly, so what can I do."
"Th, thank you—."
"Let's settle for just two arms and two legs."
Immediately after, at the same time a popping sound was heard, the Big Boss leaped right in front of the younger brother.
Without giving the younger brother a chance to react, the Big Boss stomped his foot.
Soon, the younger brother's limbs exploded.
"It's a cheap price for 50,000 Magic Stones flying away. You know that, right, brother?"
Leaving the younger brother who fainted from the shock in his place, the Big Boss returned to his seat.
Then he spoke as if declaring war.
"Brothers! What is our first rule?"
""We pay back what we suffer twofold!!""
"Right, you all know it well."
The Big Boss slowly stood up from his seat.
And pointed at one of the brothers.
"You. You go and contact the other organizations. Especially 'Left Leg', they act quite gloomily, so keep a close eye on them."
"Understood, Big Boss!"
"Now, and the rest of you brothers. We're going to have to work hard to catch the rat that stole a whopping 50,000 Magic Stones."
""Understood, Big Boss!!""
The organization members ran out the door all at once.
As nearly thousands of people ran out in a group, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.
"I'm curious what kind of big shots they are to declare war on our Right Arm."
The Big Boss smacked his lips.
**
"Hiek, there are so many people...!"
It's my first time coming to the Tower at a time that isn't late at night or dawn.
But there are quite a lot more people than I thought...?
'I guess Hunters really do make a lot of money.'
Seeing as there are still many people working as Hunters despite the high mortality rate.
I pulled my hood down further to avoid being seen.
"Looking for people to challenge Normal Difficulty Floor 6!! Ranged attackers preferred!"
"A, anyone willing to carry me through Easy Difficulty Floor 3..."
"Looking for a Hard Difficulty Floor 2 party! Only accepting those with equipment worth over 100 million!"
What should I call the Tower at this time of day...
'It's just a game, isn't it?'
Except it's a death game where dozens of people die every day.
Anyway, everyone climbs in parties.
Well, that's how the survival rate increases.
From what I heard, it seems like they have their own classes just like in an actual game.
Healers who carry various potions, bandages, and other medical supplies.
Swordsmen who stand in the front line with a shield and a sword, archers, etc.
"But if they do that, they have to split all the rewards they get."
Okay, I'm aiming for solo play.
I squeezed through the gaps between them and barely managed to open the Tower door and enter.
[Would you like to challenge the Tower Floor 2?]
"It goes without saying, doesn't it?"
Soon, a white light wrapped around my body, and I naturally squeezed my eyes shut.
How much time had passed?
I opened my eyes slightly at the breeze tickling my cheeks.
"Whoa...!"
The appearance of the 2nd floor was completely different from the 1st floor.
It wasn't a narrow cave, but a wide forest background.
'Come to think of it, there was related content in the Head Moderator's information post.'
The 1st floor feels like a tutorial, so it takes place in a narrow space.
From the next floor on, it feels like the real thing, so the place gets wider.
"They said if I look around, I'll see prey..."
Huh, there's nothing here.
The Head Moderator's notice post definitely said that if you just look around, you can see monsters, so you just have to hunt them.
But I didn't see anything around me.
Only densely packed trees were visible.
"Hmm, is something different in Limited Difficulty?"
If I keep moving forward, I'll see something.
There were no eyes watching here, so I took off my hood and let out my twintails.
"It's really stuffy when I'm wearing a hat."
Shaking my head left and right.
The freed twintails made my heart feel much lighter.
Anyway, just as I was about to walk with both hands in my hoodie pockets.
"...Huh?"
Were tree roots originally supposed to stick out like this?
Tree roots sticking out of the ground in an unnatural way.
But it seems it was too late when I had that doubt.
"Eek!"
The tree root moved as if it were alive, grabbed one of my legs, and lifted me up!
'A monster that looks like a tree? No, wait a minute...'
Does that mean...
"The whole forest is a monster?"
As if to support my words, all the trees began to move at once.
But guys, there's one thing you're overlooking.
"I specialize in fire magic."
I took my hand out of my pocket where I had it deeply tucked, and extended my index finger.
"Bang."
A moment later.
Nothing was left of the forest.
[Tower Floor 2 Cleared!]
[Clear Time: 0 days 0 hours 0 minutes 8 seconds]
[World Record Broken!]
"Simple."
After wiping my forehead, which didn't have a single drop of sweat, with the back of my hand, I exited the Tower.
I received a lot of Magic Stones and rewards, but I'll check them later.
'Because it would be troublesome if my face got discovered right now.'
Someone comes out of the Tower right when the world record is broken?
That's an immediate target for close observation.
So, right after exiting the Tower, just as I was about to grab my sack and run away.
"C, carry me please... Hard Difficulty Floor 1... Please..."
In a corner, a girl looking for a party with a small, delicate voice caught my eye.
Maybe she's introverted, a girl working hard to promote herself in a place where she's not easily noticed.
I don't know why, but that girl caught my eye.
So I approached her.
"W, we don't need a kid..."
"Eh."
I was rejected flat out.