Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 31

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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, Mythic Tower Climbing (31)
Mu Saeng did not miss the pupils of Geum Byeong Chul’s eyes as he removed his sunglasses.
[Hey, beast! Hey!]
Wash was still circling around Geum Byeong Chul’s head, drifting in lazy loops.
He was even taunting him as he played, to the point where Mu Saeng couldn’t help but hope he’d stop.
‘He doesn’t move. His eyes don’t move.’
Yet Geum Byeong Chul’s pale pupils remained utterly still.
The absence of his irises was one thing, but not a single muscle around his eyes twitched—that was the proof.
And yet.
Clink.
“Heh heh, it’s been so long since I’ve brewed coffee by hand—this stuff really is terribly bitter.”
His hand trembled as he set the teacup down.
His expression remained unchanged, awkward and embarrassed though it seemed…….
‘But there is a reaction.’
A man of Geum Byeong Chul’s stature would never set down a teacup with a clinking sound.
And more importantly, this was hardly the moment to complain about bitter coffee.
Not right after directly mentioning the Administrator of the Tower.
‘And he’s deliberately ignoring it…….’
Acting as though he hadn’t heard a thing.
Mu Saeng kept his mouth shut.
Geum Byeong Chul did the same.
For some, such silence would be unbearably awkward.
Had either of them been impatient, or lacked experience in such moments, they might have blurted out anything to break it—but…….
With thirteen years behind him as a Dungeon Sherpa, Mu Saeng held firm.
As for Geum Byeong Chul, there was no question.
The founder of Geum Seong, the guild counted as South Korea’s strongest, would not crumble under such pressure.
Instead, he opened a different topic.
“Looking at you reminds me of old times.”
“Pardon? Of what…….”
“There was a trend once, you know. Expedition Childbirth.”
“Ah.”
It was an abrupt thing to bring up.
Yet for Mu Saeng, it was a subject that made him uncomfortable for no good reason.
“Heh heh, funny business, isn’t it. The rumor that if a child was born in a Dungeon, they’d gain Awakening ability the moment they came into the world……. But there were quite a few families who tried it, weren’t there?”
“Yes, well, I don’t have much memory of it myself, but…….”
Mu Saeng was the world’s first child born in a Dungeon.
On the very day the Tower and Dungeons appeared, at that exact moment, he was born.
He survived thanks to the paramedics.
When he was growing up in the orphanage, there were countless interviews and media attention.
As Awakened Ones began to establish themselves and the Association gained strength, his abilities were also tested.
That happened when Mu Saeng was five years old.
“Because Dungeons were unstable, some people thought they’d give birth in the Tower instead. ‘If you’re born in the Tower, you’re guaranteed at least A-Rank Awakening ability,’ that sort of thing—it was quite the spectacle. Quite the spectacle indeed.”
Four years after Mu Saeng’s birth, a worldwide boom in “Expedition Childbirth in Towers and Dungeons” had occurred.
The idea was to grant one’s children slightly better Awakening abilities.
To have them Awaken and become familiar with their powers from childhood.
Parents believed this was the ultimate gift—money, fame, power, and beyond: breaking through physical limits to achieve longevity and a life free of disease.
“In any case, human greed knows no bounds, does it? No bounds……. Wouldn’t you agree?”
And it was proven roughly five years after that—when Mu Saeng was around ten years old—that Expedition Childbirth and Awakening had absolutely no correlation with high-grade Awakening ability…….
So when Geum Byeong Chul brought up a story from nearly twenty years ago, Mu Saeng answered:
“Yes, well. It’s just a parent’s wish for their child to do well—”
“So that’s how the Administrator came into play?”
He was about to answer.
If Geum Byeong Chul hadn’t suddenly broached the subject of the Administrator.
Before Mu Saeng could even respond, Geum Byeong Chul opened his mouth again.
“The world’s first Dungeon birth……. I can only see that as being connected to the Administrator of the Tower.”
Gulp.
Mu Saeng had to admit it. That Geum Byeong Chul was not merely strong.
His cunning in dominating the conversation and extracting information was equally formidable.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate—
[This beast really is a cunning one, isn’t he? Smart bastard. Yes, it’s connected. So what?]
Wash circled around Geum Byeong Chul, squeaking persistently as she orbited.
It was then that Mu Saeng saw it.
The faint twitch in Geum Byeong Chul’s facial muscles.
Mu Saeng spoke.
“I’m afraid I don’t know much about that either.”
It was a fleeting moment.
Not even a wrinkle formed between Geum Byeong Chul’s brows.
But his eyebrow definitely twitched.
* * *
He lifted his coffee cup, set it down, lifted it again—several times.
Geum Byeong Chul asked.
“Hm…. So you don’t know much about it. Well, even if you did, it’s not as though I could employ the same method now anyway. Right?”
“That would seem to be the case. Even as chairman, you can’t be reborn.”
Mu Saeng shrugged with a playful tone.
At the sight of this, Geum Byeong Chul burst into laughter.
“Trahaha, quite right. The Administrator… What do you think? If such a being actually exists, what could they do? How far could they go?”
Then came the casual question, almost tossed off.
At this point, Mu Saeng could gain one more certainty.
Who Geum Byeong Chul was.
What kind of man the chairman of Geum Seong was.
Where he had learned such information.
He never dismissed anything out of hand with talk like “What nonsense for a mere Dungeon Sherpa.”
That was the telling part.
‘He doesn’t dismiss it as rubbish… that’s what matters.’
What sort of thoughts occupied his mind ordinarily.
Or rather, what level of information he was already piecing together.
These were things one could readily surmise.
“I don’t mean to be presumptuous before the chairman, but during my time as a Dungeon Sherpa, I did some business with an older acquaintance.”
“I know. Su A told me quite a bit about it.”
“Then you’ll understand better than anyone what sort of influence someone in an Administrator position can wield over a company. What they’re capable of effecting.”
Thirty years ago, the Tower rose.
There was no warning whatsoever.
A natural disaster?
A gift from God, or divine punishment?
Aliens? Something from higher dimensions?
No one had a definitive answer.
“…Is that all it amounts to?”
Now, no one except Mu Saeng.
Which was why Geum Byeong Chul’s expression had no choice but to grow grave.
A sigh mixed in with admiration.
The attitude of accepting Mu Saeng’s words as fact.
Mu Saeng let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“Well, that’s what an Administrator would be, isn’t it? Not quite the level of a CEO or a chairman.”
At that playful remark, Geum Byeong Chul too smiled readily.
“Hehe, in reality the board of directors is far more terrifying… but yes, they’d be at the very top of the Tower, wouldn’t they?”
Then came his final question.
Mu Saeng paused for a moment to consider.
Then answered.
“Yes.”
He had not given a wishy-washy reply like “Perhaps so” or “I would imagine.”
Geum Byeong Chul grasped that nuance clearly.
“I see. An Administrator… That Tower has intention behind it. Yes, that’s what it comes down to.”
Geum Byeong Chul rose from his chair.
Then, with measured steps, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed down at Seoul spread out below.
He said nothing even as Mu Saeng finished his water and set down the empty glass.
“When Su A mentioned there was an interesting Dungeon Sherpa, I thought to myself, well now. But you turned out to be Santa Claus, didn’t you?”
Then he opened his mouth again, abruptly.
The corners of Geum Byeong Chul’s mouth were curled upward.
“But once you reach my age, you can’t just accept a gift and be happy about it. You must return the favor. So tell me, what does Santa want? An Artifact? An Elixir? If it’s support for climbing the Tower, I’d like to offer you a position with our company, trahaha.”
The robust, middle-aged man with a playful demeanor spoke brightly.
A gesture of gratitude for the information.
Both in quantity and quality that Geum Seong could reasonably provide.
Mu Saeng considered for a moment before answering.
“Hmm, I appreciate all of it, but……. Well, I’m not sure what would suit me best. Would it be alright to leave it on account for later?”
A half-joking remark about saving it for future use.
At the same time, a polite refusal—he needed nothing like Artifacts, Elixirs, or support for tower climbing.
Geum Byeong Chul could hardly have missed the implication.
The corners of his mouth tightened slightly, yet he was not a man to let his emotions show.
“No, no, that won’t do. Debts accumulate quickly, and they become difficult to settle. I prefer to settle accounts on the spot—same day, always. That’s my principle.”
A first refusal is the polite way of the Korean.
Mu Saeng had never intended to simply leave empty-handed.
“Then, might I ask you just one thing?”
“Anything I can answer, feel free to ask.”
After declining the first proposal.
Lightly, shamelessly, as if it were nothing at all.
“I’m curious—the real reason you’re stronger than Director Yoon, sir. I’d love to get a little tip on that growth method of yours. Would you be willing to share?”
He was asking for the most important secret.
A hint of amusement vanished from Geum Byeong Chul’s face.
Only when he slipped on his Sunglasses again did the corners of his mouth lift once more.
“A tip? What tip is there? Climb higher, buy Elixirs, consume them. That sort of thing……. But you’re not expecting an answer that shallow, are you?”
Forced cheerfulness.
Mu Saeng was certain. There was some method.
Billions of won in Elixirs? Artifacts?
It was clear those were incomparable to whatever he’d discovered.
“You know well enough. You called it a ‘gesture of gratitude’ for the ‘gift I gave you,’ so I’ll trust you won’t lie.”
Geum Byeong Chul’s growth secret.
To fulfill his contract with Wash and to find Ju Ye Rin.
For Mu Saeng, who needed to grow stronger and climb the tower higher, such knowledge would be invaluable beyond measure.
Geum Byeong Chul fell silent for a moment.
“……Ha-ha-ha, you got me. If you’re going to put it that way, I can’t very well lie.”
Then he laughed.
What calculations must have raced through his mind in that brief interval.
In any case, one thing was certain.
Mu Saeng had gotten what he wanted.
“The tower is simple. It’s either Solo Play or Party Play.”
Geum Byeong Chul spoke.
Painfully obvious words.
Yet an answer laden with clear intent.
The moment he heard it, something flashed through Mu Saeng’s mind.
‘That’s it……. Of course. There’s a way to do it! If I start from the lower floors like that, it would definitely—.’
Watching Mu Saeng smile, Geum Byeong Chul laughed heartily.
“Ha-ha-ha, quick on the uptake. A true Dungeon Sherpa. No wonder Su A was so fixated on you. Ah, one last thing—are you really certain you won’t join Geum Seong?”
Now Mu Saeng could clearly sense it.
The deep regret in Geum Byeong Chul’s voice—Mu Saeng answered as apologetically as he could, but with absolute certainty.
“I’m deeply grateful, but I have a prior commitment, so unfortunately……. Though surely we can meet without me being an employee, can’t we? At least the two of us.”
Not a hierarchical relationship.
An equal one instead.
It was a statement that could be read as somewhat presumptuous.
“Ha, that’s true enough. Yes, when something interesting comes up, let’s see each other then.”
Geum Byeong Chul accepted Mu Saeng with nothing but goodwill.
Mu Saeng rose abruptly and grasped Geum Byeong Chul’s hand with both of his.
“Of course.”
“Off you go now.”
Geum Byeong Chul gestured.
Mu Saeng bowed respectfully and left the executive office.
Not until the clear chime of the elevator’s movement sounded.
Did Geum Byeong Chul remain seated.
Then, slowly, he rose again and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
In the lenses of his Sunglasses, the image of Mu Saeng and Geum Su A heading somewhere came into view.
He picked up his smartphone.
“Pyo.”
―Yes, Chairman. Mu Saeng and the deputy division head are―
“No, that’s not it. When you come back, pick up a rubber duck toy for me.”
He said it casually.
―……I’m sorry, sir. I’m not sure I understand.
An order strange enough to rattle even Yoon Pyo, who rarely asked for clarification or required explanation.
But Geum Byeong Chul’s request was unmistakable.
“You know, a yellow rubber duck. Made of rubber or something like that. Bring me one of those.”
He had seen it, after all.
That impossible thing, bobbing and weaving through the air near his own face.
[Hey, you beast! Hey!]
[This one—even for a beast, you’re pretty dull, aren’t you? Yeah, so what. There’s a connection. What’re you gonna do about it?]
The duck that had spouted such absurdities directly into his ear.
Gulp.
Recalling the moment just past, Geum Byeong Chul swallowed hard.
“Mu Saeng.”
He ended the call with Yoon Pyo and dialed someone else.
“Hello. Yeah, it’s me.”
Geum Byeong Chul gazed down at Seoul beyond the window.
“I found the Key.”
He spoke, pursuing the afterimage of Mu Saeng, who had already vanished.
“No. Not the next floor. The top.”
A smile bloomed across his face.

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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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