Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Cheating Administrator Climbing a Mythic Tower (23)
It was a clearing carved out like a basin.
Open only at the center, with forest walls pressing in from every side.
Kim Mu-saeng moved through it with practiced urgency.
[Floor 006]
[Ruins, a Legacy Forgotten by All]
[Protect the Statue at the heart of the Ruins.]
[Statue Destruction: 0%]
[Time Remaining: 10:32:51]
A floor where four monster Waves assault in succession across twelve hours.
True to its name—a tidal surge of monsters—hundreds upon hundreds swept in at once, bent on obliterating the Statue.
The situation was dire enough in itself, yet the intervals held steady at roughly three hours each, precise as a blade. For awakeners of recent standing, it was classified as party-play recommended—one of the floors they could clear without undue strain.
“Right then, all the traps are set…….”
The same held true for Kim Mu-saeng.
Party-play or not, knowing the monster routes and movement patterns down to the last detail meant no real problem for a Dungeon Sherpa.
[Hmph. Laboring over something so useless…….]
“Useless? Maybe I can’t hobble the Guardian itself, but traps like these are more than enough to harass anything on the tenth floor or below. And if I can just buy a moment of hesitation—?”
Kim Mu-saeng plucked at one of the tripwires rigged near the traps, a sharp twang cutting through the air.
Following that cord lay a vessel fixed among the ruined remains of the ancient site.
The water inside mattered far more than the vessel itself.
“Venom—extracted right from the Slaykren’s fangs. One flick, and whoosh.”
He’d set up seven such chained trap systems the moment he reached Floor Six.
The reason for ninety minutes of relentless activity was abundantly clear.
“Right, I need to check this first.”
He knew well enough that the quest on Floor Six was to defend the Statue.
Dungeon Six didn’t draw many clients, but he’d cleared it nearly thirty times regardless.
He’d briefed requesters on how the Statue they needed to protect was simply a pillar-like form rising to about waist height—yet doubt had gnawed at him.
What kind of deity looks like that? he’d thought, then let it pass.
“Right? Wash?”
[That’s correct.]
The fine etchings and inscriptions carved into the pillar’s flank formed an unmistakable pattern.
And that same pattern, faintly replicated, lay now in Kim Mu-saeng’s hand.
“So…… this ruin itself was connected to Magitech all along.”
The Guardian Core still pulsing with radiance.
Compared to the unmarked stone golem cores, this artifact carried the weight of far greater craftsmanship.
‘No matter how many golem cores I’ve seen, catching on here would’ve been impossible. Mm, mm, that makes sense.’
A Legacy Forgotten by All.
This place was connected to Magitech.
In other words…….
Kim Mu-saeng bolted forward, tearing through the scattered remains.
And roughly an hour later.
[Why does it need eyes, nose, and mouth?]
“Appearance is everything with this kind of thing. Think a scarecrow gets eyes, nose, and mouth for nothing? To spook the sparrows—that’s why. You lead with the form itself. Monsters see it and flinch, hesitate for half a second—that’s already a win.”
He’d managed to fashion something roughly his own size.
The left and right arms, fashioned from sticks of differing lengths.
Left and right legs too—the length was close enough, but the thickness varied.
Any onlooker would swear a middle schooler had thrown it together for a class project…….
[……Primitive is putting it mildly.]
Every element forming this construct had come from materials lying about the site.
In effect, scrap Magitech.
Handling materials he’d never touched in his life, assembling them into something vaguely human-shaped in under an hour—for Kim Mu-saeng, there was no room for anything but satisfaction.
“Heh heh, we’ll see soon enough whether it’s primitive or not. Now then—.”
Appearance was secondary anyway.
Click—!
What mattered was function.
He carved a hollow space into the chest, then placed the Guardian Core within.
“Mage Maia’s Magitech…… activating.”
Then, grinning wickedly, he triggered the Skill.
————————————…….
The Guardian Core began to pulse with even more violent luminescence.
Screech, screech-screech-.
And finally, when the “something” Kim Mu-saeng had created twitched to life.
[Time Remaining: 09:17:49]
A commotion erupted from the forests all around.
The first Wave, occurring roughly three hours from now.
[112 creatures. Imps. Individual level—.]
“Goblins and kobolds, more or less. I know. Usually around 150 show up, but we got a bit fewer this time. Lucky.”
Thanks to Wash’s instant assessment of enemy numbers, there was far less reason to be nervous—.
Screech-. Screech-screech-screech…hisss!
At last, the creation Kim Mu-saeng had built with Magitech let out a sound.
“Unit…created. Kim Mu…command.”
“…Huh?”
A voice that exuded something deeply ominous.
And he’d soon learn that this ominous feeling was no mere intuition.
* * *
“SCREEEEEECH!”
“Screech-yowl, screech-hiss!”
“Screech-grooooan….”
The imps were being shredded every second.
The “something” Kim Mu-saeng had created using the Guardian Core was also moving in ways that defied belief.
[…Is this really what you wanted, Kim Mu-saeng?]
“…I seriously can’t believe this.”
It wasn’t even a matter of thrashing limbs about.
His left arm had already been torn clean off.
With only one right arm dangling and flailing, its lurching gait was something beyond that of a dead drunk.
“SCREEEEEECH—!”
“Guardian! That thing! Attack the imps!”
“Target. Acqu—.”
It couldn’t even speak properly.
The voice was fragmented, yet one thing was unmistakable.
Whoooosh—.
The moment he felt the air around him contract and shrink—
CRASH—————————!
The Guardian that Kim Mu-saeng had created launched at the imps with lightning speed.
[Kekekekek! The leg’s off, the leg!]
“I’m watching too, so you don’t need to narrate every detail, Wash.”
Its supporting leg had already separated from the torso and lay on the ground.
Unable to receive proper momentum, it simply crashed and tumbled before reaching the imps—which was the whole problem.
“Screech?”
“Snip! Snip! Snip!”
Several imps began stabbing and kicking at the Guardian’s literally rag-like body and head as it thrashed about.
“Hey, no! Stop it, you bastards! Even so! I made this thing!”
Kim Mu-saeng immediately snatched up stones from around him and hurled them.
Of course, they were no mere stones.
Rocks thoroughly coated with Slaykren Venom.
A proven weapon from the first floor, devastatingly effective against low-level monsters—he threw several in rapid succession to clean up the situation, and then—.
“Unit. Disabled.”
Kim Mu-saeng retrieved the Guardian, still unable to speak properly.
What came out was an exasperated sigh.
“Haaaaah… yeah, well… I didn’t expect to get it perfect on the first try anyway.”
He hadn’t built it with grand ambitions to begin with.
It was his first time using this skill, so this result could happen—except that wasn’t much comfort.
Kim Mu-saeng knew it better than anyone.
[With that crude intellect of yours, this was always going to be impossible, wasn’t it?]
“That stings a bit to hear, but… yeah, I’d have to agree.”
The skill description made it perfectly clear.
Results vary depending on your “Knowledge” and “Mana” stats.
“Even with Strong Bone padding my numbers, it’s still this bad? Or maybe my original stats apply instead. Damn.”
No matter that he’d used the Guardian Core that Mage Maia had created.
No matter that he’d cobbled it together from Magitech scraps and components.
This was the result.
‘The core’s output—the skeleton can’t accept it. No, that’s not even the main problem. It’s just—everything’s fundamentally broken.’
Kim Mu-saeng sank into thought.
Wash observed him from above.
Hunched before the statue, completely absorbed……?
“Screeeeeee…….”
“Shriek-!”
Around them, cries pierced the air like scenes from hell itself.
Venom—continuous, mist-like sprays—covered every approach to the statue, and imps were dying by the dozens.
Did he not even spare them a glance?
‘Even when he was driving that crude automobile, he ignored me completely. His focus runs incredibly deep.’
With a high-pitched whine, Wash drifted toward the Guardian.
Now only its torso and head remained, barely able to move.
It was pathetic. The result was laughable.
‘And he doesn’t fear trial and error. He doesn’t deliberate—he just attempts first. If something goes wrong, he corrects it afterward….’
He doesn’t wait until everything is perfect.
He tries, identifies the error, corrects it, then tries again.
A mindset of repetition until the desired result is achieved.
The drive to act without fearing failure, embracing trial and error.
Wash, being a tower administrator, recognized this well.
‘It’s like us. No—even among those accursed ones at the very top, none of them practiced trial and error with such diligence.’
This way of thinking, this pattern of action—it was precisely what a tower administrator should embody.
“Wait. Right. Does the manufacturing actually have to be done by me?”
Kim Mu-saeng had discovered something again.
[Huh? What do you mean?]
Wash tilted his head.
He was attempting trial and error.
What was the best approach in this situation?
What direction would yield the highest, most optimal result?
[Mage Maia’s Magitech]
Fragments of magitech left behind by Maia, the last mage.
Enables the creation, operation, maintenance, and disassembly of mana-infused items. (Results vary based on knowledge and mana level)
“If I skip the manufacturing phase and just handle the operation—maybe do basic maintenance, simple repairs as needed?”
The results from direct manufacturing were subpar.
But operating something someone else had made?
Building a car from scratch is absurdly difficult.
Even with all the materials, few people could assemble it from beginning to end.
But driving one?
Handling minor breakdowns and repairs during operation—that’s entirely possible!
[……So who are you planning to ask for the manufacturing?]
Wash immediately identified the flaw in Kim Mu-saeng’s reasoning.
Kim Mu-saeng hadn’t overlooked this either.
“That is the problem. Metal Rhine……I do have a lead.”
A name inscribed on an artifact seized from the Korea One Way Group.
Designed by METAL RHINE.
Currently the world’s most renowned and largest-scale artifact manufacturing corporation.
If they possess the skill to craft the Powered Armor that can be brought into the tower, they might just be capable of building a Guardian.
“Maybe they’d do it if I showed up with something like ten billion won. Or maybe they wouldn’t.”
The only issue was money.
If he sold all the artifacts from Wave 66, could that work?
Kim Mu-saeng deliberated for a moment.
“Ah.”
Then it came back to him.
Ten billion?
[Didn’t someone call out a much larger sum, Kim Mu-saeng?]
An amount Wash remembered too. That exact figure.
Geum Su-a had definitely named fifteen billion won. With certain conditions attached.
But what crossed Kim Mu-saeng’s mind now was different.
“Right. But no—that’s not it.”
[Huh? It’s not?]
“Wash! This Hidden Condition is to clear the level with the Statue damaged 99%, right?”
[Y-yes, that’s true, but why are you—]
“Okay. First things first.”
Kim Mu-saeng approached the Guardian, now reduced to a torso and head, and carefully extracted the Core.
He tucked it safely into the Universal Pouch, then picked up a rod from the rubble and immediately began smashing the Statue with methodical strikes.
[Statue Destruction Rate: 2%]
[Why now!? After I already built it up to 99%, if even one imp touches it—]
“Come on, how long are we supposed to wait for that? If we’re doing this, we do it fast. I’m the one who got it to 99%!”
The hidden condition for the sixth floor was to clear it with the Statue’s destruction rate at exactly 99%.
Logically speaking, the proper approach would be to let some of the imps through on the fourth Wave to raise the destruction rate further, finish them off, and then quickly adjust it to 99% before clearing—
But Kim Mu-saeng had no intention of doing that.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Watching Mu-saeng bludgeon the Statue, Wash shot him a sharp look.
[If you fail at 99%, it’s not just the Hidden Condition that won’t be achieved, Kim Mu-saeng. Failing a Tower quest means death.]
“I know. You’ll probably find it hard to believe, but even if I seem like this—”
[Statue Destruction Rate: 99%]
“—I was called an ace among Dungeon Sherpas. I’ve never failed once.”
Clear the sixth floor as quickly as possible.
For a larger goal. For a firmer purpose.
“I need to move fast enough to kill everything the moment the Wave starts.”
After the first Wave ended, the gap until the next Wave was roughly three hours.
Not just around the Statue, but across the entire sixth-floor complex, and throughout the forest surrounding those Ruins—
[… Relentless. Truly relentless.]
Traps and pitfalls of every conceivable variety had been installed at over three hundred strategic points.
Clearing the sixth floor was, quite literally, merely a matter of time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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