Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Tailor
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"Right. Even if he's not the culprit himself, we've found his accomplice, so we can claim the reward, yeah?"
After slaying the chimera drake.
I handed the spent talisman back to the mayor and posed my question.
Investigating any further would be pointless anyway.
'No clue what to do about the hair sample.'
I'm just a hack at this stuff.
I don't know jack about magical DNA testing.
The mayor fumbled to close his gaping mouth.
"O-Of course. Captain of the guard?"
"Yes, sir! We'll apprehend Walter first!"
Lucky me.
Lodging's covered for a while.
The guard captain started by binding the shop owner.
The shop owner?
He was out cold, crushed under the fallen chimera.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
The mayor—Mayor Marnana—bowed his head.
"But this isn't the best spot for a chat. Please, come with me to somewhere safer."
"Huh? Why?"
"Why? You said the culprit's in the basement of this building."
True enough.
'Tracing the mana on this talisman confirms it.'
The guy who made this talisman is still down there.
I scratched my head.
I hadn't heard much of the backstory.
But I'd pieced together the gist.
"You think he's behind the kidnappings? And the shop owner suddenly unleashing a monster screams shady motives."
"Yes. Chimeras are illegal to research or possess."
At least on the 1st Stratum, anyway.
In other words...
The basement houses a mad scientist.
One who kidnaps people for twisted experiments.
"Okay! Let's go wipe him out!"
"?"
I got it now. The situation, that is.
I pulled Orc No. 1 from the chimera's brow.
To take down the basement culprit.
"Hurry. We gotta nab him before he bolts."
"Wait, no!"
"Huh? Why not?"
He's against it?
Why?
Marnana grabbed me and laid out his arguments point by point.
"I've seen your strength, Jeong-uk. Impressive."
"Thanks. And?"
"But after all this commotion, a sneak attack won't work."
I know.
If he didn't hear that racket, he'd be deaf.
"If he's fled, we form a pursuit team. If he's waiting, he must be confident in his power."
"Ah."
"We can't risk you—the one who can track them—if there are two or more culprits. And before that..."
He beckoned the guards over.
Then shook his head.
"We can't put an innocent bystander in harm's way. Come with us. You need protection, Jeong-uk."
"What? Why are you so nice and competent?"
"?"
He had a point.
The shop owner and his chimera.
If they didn't run from me after I took them down...
'He's strong. Strong enough that fighting's risky.'
Arrogance invites death.
Sure, I've got Bu-seok and [Deficiency]-boosted talents,
but until 1-2 weeks ago, I was a total scrub.
Charging in blind against an unknown foe is suicide.
But here's the thing.
"I didn't exactly stumble into this. Even without you, mayor, I'd have come to sell hides—and gotten targeted by that guy."
"Uh... I'm not the lord, I'm the mayor..."
"Anyway."
My Frost Hunter Radar pinged the second I laid eyes on him.
Probably would've been marked even if I'd sold and split quick.
Thinking it over, the answer clicked.
"Let him slip, and I'm hunted by kidnappers for 24 hours. Better to strike while the iron's hot."
"...You don't trust the city's protection?"
"That protection means no climbing the tower."
"Huh? Obviously."
No way.
Then I'd die from [Popular Post Addiction].
Think chowing down on gallery posts daily is easy?
"We don't even know how strong he is..."
"That applies to every raid boss. Especially uncharted upper strata."
Bam!
By floor 80, it's all unknown territory!
No vanguard teams have cleared ahead.
'High Ends too.'
If unknown mob layouts scare you off, you'd never climb.
I didn't climb for fun.
"Mayor. Let him go."
"Captain!"
"I'll go with him, of course. Basements have escape routes— we'll need manpower."
"Oh, true."
Didn't think of that.
Spot on.
That old guy's escape attempt proved it.
The guard captain drew his sword.
"Passages likely have traps too. Call a trap disarmer first."
"Traps? Hold on."
I touched the fallen chimera drake.
'If only it could move... No dice?'
My sword through its brain?
Or needs specialized know-how?
Anyway, no movement.
'Wanted it for trap clearing. Bummer.'
Webnovels have zombies tank traps.
Baek the Hack lacks the chops, huh?
Tsk. Elites make it look easy.
'Gotta save clones.'
No choice.
"Bro! Lend me your power!"
"?"
I gripped the pendant and dashed inside.
"J-Jeong-uk?!"
"Have you lost your mind?! It's dangerous!"
Nah.
Not dangerous.
I left the chimera as backup.
'Not too bright anyway. What if it trips a trap and croaks?'
It's the escape route he was headed for.
How fancy could the traps be?
Zzzzt. Beep boop.
My talent whispered.
Traps exist, but triggers are separate.
'And the escape path.'
How to tell?
Sensor talent plus pendant radar.
-Click!
Sensor spotted a hidden button.
I placed my hand on it.
"How's it look?"
Trap.
Then this one?
'No reaction. Empty space ahead.'
This is it.
Rumble...!
Pressed it, secret passage opened.
Touching the spent talisman gave no vibes.
Intel locked.
This is the escape route.
"Yup~ Already disarmed~."
Free skill? Thanks, Detection.
Makes sense.
Trap disarming's thief turf, thieves lurk in shadows.
"Climber, sir!"
"Shh."
I signaled the arriving guard captain.
"This is the escape route."
"You have [Trap Disarm]?"
"Yep."
Not a lie.
Just got it.
"Lots of forks inside. Captain, block escapes here and come when I call."
"And you?"
"Gonna head where the culprit is."
"...Call if it's risky. More traps inside?"
"Lemme check."
Can't actually read 'em.
Maybe toss a rock to look pro.
No rocks.
Yanked a handful from the stone wall and hurled it.
Oh?
New skill's pulling its weight.
Solid echo bounced back.
"No voids in walls. Normal passage."
"? You just tore the wall barehanded...?"
"Prep anti-poison just in case."
"R-Right. You two, gear up and ready entry squad. I'll hold here."
Good.
Even if I miss the culprit, captain's got the exit.
Can regroup and fight together if it gets hairy.
'Time to go.'
Off to see the culprit's face.
"Eugh~ Dark humor that hits too close~."
Astromeria chuckled while browsing the Tower Climbing Gallery, waiting for Boy Joy.
The pinned top post was the culprit.
'Usually it'd be Gal Lord's clear cert by now, but just random crap.'
Gal Lord couldn't have failed floor 11.
Not him.
He'd clear the floor 15 raid easy.
But maybe not S+.
Sleepless from those worries,
with stuff to say.
That's why the random drug flex post caught her eye.
'No way it's really 6th Stratum folk~.'
6th Stratum.
The tower's hell incarnate.
Rivals the worst.
Recalling her pass through years back?
Astromeria lost her smile.
Then typed a reply.
"...Captain replies instantly. No real life?"
Astromeria muttered.
Gallery addiction's a problem too, huh.
Jeong-uk would've told her.
See anyone glued to gal 24/7?
You're already too deep.
Two weeks post-gal founding, this mess.
Four gallery addicts.
Pseudo-Dragon Raid Team's current state.
Astromeria closed the gallery.
Staring more would just amp worries.
'Tailors aren't exclusive to 6th.'
Yo-wol's non-aggression pact with 6th overlords.
Limited to 6th.
No incidents so far.
But she knew.
Eternal peace? Nah.
'Recovery teams climb up/down. Tailor infiltrators stay quiet.'
Tower rules.
Same floor = similar level/power.
So lurking tailors couldn't wreak much havoc.
Busy playing normal climber,
or outsider.
Lower strata rich in 'food' for tailors.
Their levels nerfed there.
But ways to break that.
'Levels without climbing exist.'
Safe zone leveling?
Hunt stratum beasts.
Monsters that give EXP.
Jeong-uk with the cave bear too.
But humans? No EXP on kill.
Unless alchemy.
That alchemy defines tailors.
'[Elixir].'
Level-up item from human souls.
Why tailors see people as ingredients.
'Hiding in pop-dense, weak safe zones like 1st Stratum to brew [Elixir]...'
Wild speculation.
But her hunches hit often.
Not [Deficiency], but still.
'No proof, but worth probing.'
Recovery team heading to 1st soon.
She messaged them.
Bounty, huh.
Smart. Tips are key here.
Astromeria tapped her chin.
About 30 million won Earth-side.
'Kinda low?'
Nah, standard lowball.
She typed again.
300 million.
Solid for tips alone.
She nodded.
'Bigger bounty? They'd call us shady for outsourcing the hunt.'
Orders sent, back to gallery.
Perfect timing.
Side-tracked briefly, target appeared.
Astromeria dove in.
"Eh?"
She gawked like an idiot.
Gal Lord.
Boy Joy spouting nonsense again.
Astromeria blinked.
Details fuzzy without more,
but.
"...Upvote for now?"
Dunno why.
Sudden bad vibes? Gone.
From Lumi.