Chapter 9
Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 009
Chapter Title: Poacher
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Clones get [Deficiencies] applied to them too!
This was incredibly encouraging news.
At least for me.
'This could be useful for other climbers too.'
This kind of thing needed to be shared.
And if you want to share info, what do you do?
Gallery posting.
I searched first before writing my own post.
Huh?
'What the hell. There are already similar opinions out there?'
I spotted climbers who'd had the exact same thought as me.
I clicked into one of those posts.
"Huh."
I tilted my head to the side.
So what does that mean?
Does [Deficiency] only apply to low-grade clone arts?
"...So that's how it is?"
Oh ho.
I'm starting to get the picture.
Reading more of the explanation post made it crystal clear.
'Right, equipment.'
Perfect timing, since that was something I was curious about too.
Why, you ask?
Because my clones had no gear and fought with punches.
"Veteran! This time we'll clear it barehanded!"
"Main body, you fucking asshole, learn some fist arts first!!"
I easily ignored the clones' uproar.
Out of curiosity, I searched a bit more.
What I found was a real spectacle.
Indeed.
"Mine's low-grade clone art, huh."
No wonder control was tricky.
It's better than when I first made the gallery, though.
Still, no way it'd be high-grade.
It came from a shit-colored card pack.
'Even direct controlling them, they're way crappier than the main body.'
How crappy, you ask?
While I was thinking, both got sliced in half.
Absolutely not because I got distracted and they died.
"Kwaaaak!"
"Oops."
The orc that took out both clones swung its club.
Why is your gear worse than a goblin's?
'Even so, clones can't handle orcs, huh.'
No choice. Time for the main body to step up.
-Swish!
I dodged the club with a backspin, lowering my stance before thrusting mid-level.
"Ssonni! We'll watch and learn!"
Black Rain Sword, Third Form.
Improved Iron Shower.
-Crunch!
The half-longsword gripped in reverse pierced the orc's heart.
"Guhh..."
The orc with its heart punctured flopped over quick.
Surprisingly weak life force for its size.
Hmm.
"Why can't you do it like me? Lacking talent?"
"Ugh..."
"Gallery Master's identity is... Boy Joy..."
The clones grumbled as they vanished.
No, it wasn't really cheating.
I was worried the [Popular Post Addiction] and [Noble Body, Baseborn Role] combo hadn't hit them.
'Ah, maybe they're this good because the buffs applied?'
Yeah.
If low-grade clone art performs like this, no need to envy high-grade.
Post certification and bam, 3-day ban for cheating.
That must've been its status.
'Other climbers have parties too.'
Assemble a 4-man party of stat-buff [Deficiency] climbers spamming low-grade clone arts? Total cheat.
But reality?
Low-grade clone art is just self-mockery fodder.
"These guys were strong for low-grade because they're my clones."
Actually the opposite.
Low-grade suits me better.
High-grade drops the [Deficiencies].
'My [Deficiencies] synergize perfectly with trash skills, fucking annoying.'
Bottom-tier third-rate skills pair like peanut butter and jelly.
As expected of [Noble Body, Baseborn Role].
Anyway.
The combo of [Outsider] and [Anonymous Clone Art].
After chewing over its cheat potential again.
I shuddered anew, thrilled to my core.
Clone art copies myself.
Bypassing party member inverse-proportional buffs for free wins?
Like registering a butcher shop and fish section separately in a mart under different names to double-dip on youth employment grants with fluid IDs!
And that's not all.
Right now it's 2, but level up the skill to 5-10?
Then my stats don't drop to 1/10th?
No.
'No matter how many clones, the buffs stay the same.'
All-stats double main body for solo play.
Or 110% all-stats clones for party play.
Switch freely between them.
Party members?
No need to recruit any.
Just scale up clones for a 10 physical DPS K-ninja party.
That explained it.
After locking eyes with a clone.
I declared, as if bewitched by a fox spirit.
"I'll... become Ho-Ka-K."
Ten kimchi ninjas bulldozing the Tower!
What a grand, chest-thumping future vision.
After bulldozing the 5th floor and heading home, William asked.
"Saw a bow you weren't using before. Yours?"
"Picked it up on the way. In the Tower."
"You know how to use it?"
"Surprisingly, no. No arrows either."
I'd farmed it, but it was useless.
Throwing it out or selling felt wasteful.
I'm weaponless right now, using a half-broken sword?
Oh, right.
Tower currency piled up—maybe draw a new weapon?
'But pulling starter gear on 6th floor feels off.'
0th layer probably has weapon shops.
Should check one out?
The problem is clearing the Tower doesn't make money.
Unless selling Tower currency, only drops to rely on.
This makes no sense.
Usually you drop mana stones or something, level up a bit and get rich quick, right?
'Or maybe higher floors change that.'
Misreading my contemplation, William offered readily.
"If you want, I can teach you the basics. Better than learning from some half-criminal hunter, anyway."
"Criminal?"
That word stuck out more than anything.
Truth is, I'd thought about it too.
Need to farm an archery master from the gallery.
Perfect timing for gallery posts like this.
Newbie thrilled at new ssonni.
But.
As I was about to accept quick, a thought hit me.
'Archery doesn't seem like a shady skill.'
I went through the trouble of learning Black Rain Sword but no skill acquired.
What if archery's the same?
No skill points, so loss is minimal.
But bigger issue: my guilt and emotional scars.
- Goblin archer, sorry!!
- I couldn't make good use of your memento!!
That kind of trauma.
In my heart, right after skeleton senior.
Slightly higher affinity than bear senior.
So I was agonizing over it when—what?
"Hunters are shady jobs?"
"Can't say they're not. The forest we hunt in isn't unclaimed. Well, isn't anymore? All dead now."
"What? For real?"
It was like lightning struck my brain.
Ah, so that's it.
That's how it was!
'Hunters were like asshole grannies and gramps poaching ginseng from someone's backyard mountain!'
Mind-blowing fact.
But thinking it over, it made sense.
The forest is private property.
Has an owner.
Plus hides and meat are assets themselves.
So what?
Sneaking into the lord's forest, shooting animals dead and stealing them? Shady armed group?
'If this is legit, Robin Hood pays taxes too.'
Robin Hood's a bow-wielding thief, after all.
Nose-ring Im Kkeok-jeong?
Something like that.
In short!
Hunters are 100% shady jobs!
Enlightened, my eyes opened wide.
I grinned refreshingly.
"Poacher's like a thief variant, huh? Similarities, as expected."
"?"
Bow-shooting thief.
Could anything suit a kimchi ninja more?
I thanked William and opened the gallery.
I let go of Master 2!
Bye bye! Master number two!