Charging Forward with Explosions
An officetel in Seoul's Hannam-dong.
Cheon Se-yeon appeared in the empty space.
Her appearance was a mess.
Her armor was damaged in places, and she was covered in monster blood, making a shower urgently necessary.
"Haaah."
Se-yeon lay flat on the floor and let out a deep sigh.
Today, too, she had failed to clear the 83rd floor.
She couldn't even remember how many days it had been.
After lying still for a moment, the smartphone beside her rang.
"Hello."
Hello. This is the Seoul Central Hunter Agency calling for Cheon Se-yeon Hunter. We're phoning for your daily report.
There was a hint of hesitation on the other end of the line.
They could guess the result from Se-yeon's listless voice.
"Failed again today."
You worked hard. We're sorry to keep calling you like this.
An apology was offered.
They'd had these calls dozens of times already.
Neither the caller nor the receiver could feel at ease about it.
"No need to apologize. It's my job."
1 trillion won wasn't free money.
As long as there were no issues with her condition, she would climb the tower without fail every day.
That was the condition the Hunter Agency had imposed on Cheon Se-yeon.
We're still searching high and low for dark attribute equipment. We'll provide it as soon as we acquire any.
From the 81st floor onward, angelic holy-type monsters appeared.
The problem was that Se-yeon's awakened class was a hidden paladin lineage.
Because it had the strongest holy attribute of any class, not only did it fail to deal damage, but it actually boosted the enemies' abilities.
As a result, it was impossible to sweep them away within the 1-hour timeout on the 82nd floor.
To make that possible, she desperately needed equipment that could invert her attributes.
"Thank you."
No problem at all. Then get some rest, Cheon Se-yeon Hunter.
"You've worked hard."
Se-yeon ended the call and closed her eyes.
'Things were fine up to the 80th floor.'
From the 71st to the 80th floor, necromancers and undead monsters appeared.
It was literally a hunting ground made for Cheon Se-yeon.
She had cleared that section faster than anyone else in the world.
Naturally, she held all the records on the Hall of Fame for that stretch.
The entire world had taken notice of her.
Various internet sites, media outlets, and governments from every country had wanted to meet with Se-yeon.
But not anymore.
As if by some cruel joke, she had stalled out at the 82nd floor, and the boiling interest had largely fizzled.
Now, the only "interest" she got was occasional outreach from content-hungry NewTubers.
"Haa!"
She sighed once more.
Right after each repeated tower clear failure.
It was the one moment when Cheon Se-yeon, who lived an enviable life, felt truly downcast.
Se-yeon picked up her smartphone and accessed the tower site.
'The 12th floor still hasn't updated?'
At some point, checking the Hall of Fame had become a habit.
A miraculous record that was updated without fail every single day.
She was deeply curious how long this absurd streak would continue.
And she wasn't the only one waiting for it.
When's it gonna update?Hasn't gone in yet? It usually pops up right after midnight.You think it's not happening today? It's the first escort mission, after all.
On the site, there were plenty of others like her, waiting for the next record.
A complex mix of anticipation and envy, jealousy.
That was probably the common sentiment among those watching the records.
Se-yeon herself had started out closer to envy and jealousy than anticipation.
She hadn't liked how easily her own records had been surpassed.
But not today.
'Yeah. At least you break through.'
She hoped someone would push forward.
In place of herself, stuck dumbly against a wall.
Even so, she couldn't help but doubt it a little.
Unlike before, the 12th floor mission came with a target to protect.
It couldn't possibly be SSS+ with that, right?
[Entering the 12th floor of the Tower of Despair.]
[You must escort the carriage through the jungle.]
[The carriage will depart in 1 minute.]
Unlike previous floors that started with immediate combat, this one was different.
A generous 1-minute preparation time had been provided.
Jin-hyuk looked straight ahead.
In front of him was a single carriage loaded with various goods.
In the driver's seat sat the tanuki... no, the raccoon dog Konu from last time.
"Konu? What are you doing here?"
"I don't know either. They told me to drive, so I'm driving."
Konu's face was full of dissatisfaction.
Not only had his commute gotten longer, but now he'd been saddled with new duties.
If the carriage accumulates damage beyond a certain threshold, or if the resident in the driver's seat suffers a critical injury, the mission will fail.The tower will heal you, but pain is still pain, so please protect well.
Konu pointed toward the jungle with his hand.
"Enemies will come from the front and all sides. Even after the carriage passes, they'll keep chasing from behind without end. The carriage won't move forward unless the enemies in front are cleared."
"Got it."
"If you want, I can go slow or fast. As long as the path is clear."
Jin-hyuk gave a thumbs-up, while Konu tilted his head at the sight.
If he just guarded the carriage, time would drag on, but if he went to clear the path to save time, the carriage's protection would loosen.
He'd expected worry and concern since the method differed from previous floors, so why did they look so calm?
Had they picked up some insane item somewhere?
[The carriage is departing.]
At the system's announcement, Konu drove the carriage forward.
Seira and Jin-hyuk, who had charged out immediately upon entry before, were walking slowly for once today.
And soon after, a new lifeform appeared beside the two.
"Sir! Lieutenant Kancho reporting! Recon mission complete!"
Kancho, emerging from stealth, handed over a single sheet of paper.
It was a map of the jungle structure and the positions of monsters lying in ambush within.
The moment Seira confirmed it, she shot forward like an arrow.
Jin-hyuk and Kancho climbed onto the carriage roof.
"Konu! Full speed on the carriage!"
"Huh? The path is crawling with monsters, the carriage will be smashed to—"
"Hey, raccoon dog! Didn't you hear the captain?! Full speed!! Do I have to smack your skull to make you follow orders?!"
Cold sweat dripped down Konu's back.
He decided not to bother correcting that he was a tanuki, not a raccoon dog.
Instead, he shrugged his shoulders.
'Whatever, screw it.'
Konu wouldn't take any damage anyway.
It was the players who'd suffer from reckless actions.
Crack!
He whipped the horse's back, maxing out the carriage's speed.
Konu turned his head toward the roof as the carriage surged forward rapidly.
Jin-hyuk and Kancho sat there doing nothing.
'This is doomed.'
Konu clicked his tongue.
Thanks to Seira, the front was clear.
But that was it.
Seira, aiming for the fastest clear time again, was skipping jungle cleanup and just punching through the path.
As a result, the inner monsters were still intact and would obviously swarm the moment the carriage entered.
No matter how fast they went, they'd eventually be caught and surrounded.
And just as Konu predicted.
"Kiraaaak!"
The moment the carriage entered the path, a monster's roar echoed.
Jin-hyuk took a deep breath.
The numbers were considerable; the entire thicket seemed to be shaking.
Soon, the first group of monsters revealed themselves.
It was an orc tribe wielding massive axes and hammers.
"Chrirararak!"
One orc warrior stepped forward with a guttural cry.
And then.
Boom!!
It was swallowed by an explosion and vanished cleanly.
Konu's eyes widened; he had been preparing for an early quit.
But that blast was just the beginning.
Explosions erupted throughout the jungle.
Parts of the swarming orcs' bodies flew in every direction.
Jin-hyuk looked at the yordle ranger Kancho sitting beside him.
Skill: Mine Placement.
As soon as the carriage departed, Kancho had entered stealth for the recon mission.
Though called recon, he had scouted the enemies' positions and simultaneously planted mines all over the jungle.
'How fast did he lay those?'
The gap between the carriage's departure and Kancho's return hadn't been long.
Yet he had planted this many mines.
"Krarrak!"
Of course, with so many monsters, some survived the mines.
Pew!
But one hit by a clay pellet from Kancho's flute-like device met its explosive end.
"Chiriririk!!"
He turned his gaze backward.
The surviving orc unit was chasing the carriage down the path at a furious pace.
Having lost so many kin, they looked enraged to their very cores.
Kancho stood and walked to the back of the carriage.
"Foo-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!!"
He pointed at the pissed-off orc horde and laughed mockingly to his heart's content, then opened the picnic basket from last time that had held the clay.
And he began scattering its contents like sowing seeds.
A carpet bombing poured behind the carriage.
Dozens of explosions rising simultaneously lit up the dark jungle in an instant.
Konu's mouth fell open in the driver's seat.
It was the first time.
He'd seen such a mad way of escorting.
'This is easy.'
Jin-hyuk nodded from his perch on the roof.
The mission was progressing while he just sat there.
He couldn't imagine anything easier.
'Real combat practice can wait.'
It was a shame not to use his sword directly, but that wasn't the point.
Ding!
[You have cleared the 12th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[The escorted carriage and tower resident took not even a single scratch!]
[Clear time: 1 minute 7 seconds. An astonishing clear speed. SSS+ rank achieved! Achievement gauge increased!]
The point was the SSS+ rank that let him spin the special reward box.
Nothing took priority over that.
[Player Yoo Jin-hyuk's level has risen to 13! Stats increased!]
[Acquired Orc Warrior's Axe!]
[Acquired Orc Warrior's Bracelet! A magic item that increases strength by a certain amount!]
A smile crept across Jin-hyuk's lips.
Another successful tower climb today.
[Cleared the 13th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[Cleared the 14th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[Cleared the 15th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[Cleared the 16th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[Exiting the Tower of Despair!]
Jin-hyuk stepped out onto the villa rooftop and stretched.
Kancho followed his master's lead, extending his tiny arms.
"Good work, Kancho. Seira."
"Uhehehe! Every single one was a breeze! Like eating cold rice cakes!"
"Isn't it 'like eating cold porridge'?"
"The rice cakes in yordle village are super hot!"
Jin-hyuk fiddled with Kancho's fluffy hair and turned his eyes to the status window.
His level had reached 18 before he knew it.
His stats had risen considerably, making his body feel much lighter than before.
Even the two-handed sword that had felt heavy was now much easier to handle.
'The Blink card isn't coming out.'
Hoping it would appear on the next floor, he opened his inventory.
Unlike before, when it was full of junk, now that the floors were higher, usable equipment items popped up here and there.
"Hmm!"
After roughly appraising them, Jin-hyuk nodded.
It seemed the day had finally arrived.
The day he escaped the basement.
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T/N:
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