Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 53

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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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A Mythical Tower Climb as an Administrator with Cheats (53)
One of the Awakeners from the Vietnam One-Way Group furrowed his brow.
“……We’ve left it all to the Chairman since we bear management responsibility as well, but surely it doesn’t have to go that far—.”
“Shut up. You think you can say whatever you like to me just because you’re from the Headquarters?”
*Cough, cough-cough.*
Lee Jeong-gi stared at him as if ready to devour him whole.
Seventy-seven years old, yet his body and bearing were hale enough to pass for someone in his fifties.
An Awakener from the Philippines One-Way Group quickly stepped closer to Lee Jeong-gi and spoke.
“We’ve already notified the home country. The successor to the Korea One-Way Group has been kidnapped in connection with an unfortunate incident, and we’re requesting reinforcements—.”
“Drop the ‘unfortunate.’ Say it again.”
“—In any case, to receive support troops—.”
“I said drop it. Say it again.”
Stubborn. Dismissive of everyone around him.
Yet the Awakeners of the Southeast Asian One-Way Group understood well enough.
What kind of man Lee Jeong-gi was.
To begin with, the Korea One-Way Group was regarded as a mid-tier guild in Korea.
Truth be told, without the One-Way Group License, it could be considered a small-to-mid-sized guild at best.
Yet the reason everyone acknowledged the Korea One-Way Group as mid-tier guild class was one thing.
The reason it had acquired the One-Way Group License despite operating at essentially a small-to-mid-tier level was singular.
“Contact Geum Byeong-chul. Tell him I’ll pay—now get my grandson back. There’s no other way.”
Chairman Lee Jeong-gi.
It was because of his Awakened ability, Oni (SR).
“Regarding Geumseong’s stance……they’ve already notified us that if we don’t comply with the demands, there’s no point in further contact—.”
His Grade was SR.
Yet he was also an Awakener from twenty-nine years ago, when Towers and Dungeons first appeared.
The skill of a veteran who had endured twenty-nine years of experience and actual combat was far beyond that of a typical SR-tier Awakener.
“—Krraaaagh!?”
There was only a flash—and then it was over.
In that instant, one ear of the Awakener holding the phone was torn clean off.
“The company’s gone to hell in the time I stepped away.”
His ear was now clasped in the hand of Lee Jeong-gi, who had barely moved from where he stood.
Even as blood dripped steadily and his brow twisted in agony, the Awakener could not resist.
“Ha—ugh, a-ahhh—. I’ll contact them right now! I’m sorry! I apologize!”
He had no choice but to apologize and call Geumseong at once.
The mad Oni, Lee Jeong-gi, breathed out roughly.
At the same moment, in Geumseong’s executive conference room, Yoon Pyo was steadying his breath.
“The compensation we’ve claimed is payable, however Lee Eun-woo will be released immediately, and measures will be taken to exclude him from criminal prosecution……that’s all.”
“Wh—? What are you saying? What nonsense is this? Wait, who’s making demands of whom? What about responsibility? Either clarify the equity issue or transfer the License authority! If nothing else, at least—pay double damages! There’s a limit to how things should be done!”
The answer was so absurd that Geum Su-ah shot up from her seat just hearing it.
Who was the victim and who was the perpetrator?
Who held the advantage and who was at a disadvantage?
Attempting negotiations in this situation—well, that much was anticipated, but demands through coercion? A unilateral ultimatum?
“Ha-ha, that’s just who Lee Jeong-gi is. Stubborn as they come—. Actually, this is good. Kim Moo-saeng gave me a splendid gift. A very useful opening.”
Geum Byeong-chul laughed.
Rather than agreeing with the fury of all Geumseong’s executives, he seemed to be calming them down.
“Sir? Chairman, what do you mean by—.”
“Let me tell all the employees gathered here something first. It goes for Pyo and Su-ah too.”
But he was not one to merely appease.
Geum Byeong-chul slowly removed his sunglasses.
His eyes—pupils absent, nothing but white sclera—swept across every executive in the room.
Eight Seconds spoke.
“Prepare for war.”
* * *
“So, so, so?”
“So what? There’s nothing more to say. It’s just like that.”
*Vroom-vroom.* As Kim Moo-saeng drove toward the Tower, he spoke.
Park Hyun-gu, sitting in the passenger seat, was practically jumping out of his skin at Moo-saeng’s calm demeanor.
“Hey, you drop the bomb that Geumseong’s preparing to take down One-Way, and then what? How do we proceed? What’s the plan? You’re supposed to explain that stuff!”
The relationship between Lee Eun-woo and his associates and Geumseong versus One-Way.
Moo-saeng had learned the rough outline from Geum Su-ah the previous night.
“Ha, well, how would I know that? Geum Su-ah just told me last night. And she didn’t come just to talk about that—she brought some things for me and happened to mention it in passing.”
But it was only a rough outline of the story.
The real reason she’d sought him out was to settle something related to compensation.
“Geum Su-ah wouldn’t just show up to hand you a few items like some errand runner, would she? Of course she had more to say! How am I supposed to deal with this thick-headed idiot, really?!”
Park Hyun-gu kept bouncing with frustration, insisting there was more to it, and Kim Moo-saeng could only feel exasperated.
“What more is there to say? She kept thanking me while handing over the items, so I finally asked what she was so grateful for. I said the perpetrator would’ve been caught either way, and that’s when she opened up—said that thanks to me, she’s now locked in a war with One-Way.”
War? Then why be grateful? Is she being sarcastic?
There was no need to ask.
The reason for what came after her thanks was something Kim Moo-saeng already understood, and Park Hyun-gu could predict easily enough.
How far does Geumseong plan to go?
“That’s exactly it—you should’ve pressed harder. Is she planning to swallow the Korea One-Way Group whole? What about Southeast Asia—how’s she going to handle that side? Or wait, was it Lee Eun-woo? How’s that bastard going to be used as a negotiating chip? Where will the war take place, what strategy—”
“Come on. Would you really spell all that out like some formal report?”
“That’s why you need to find out for yourself. I’m not doing this for fun, you know. When this war breaks out, the dungeons are going to go haywire—100%. And you, quit acting like you’ve got nothing to do with it just because you quit being a Dungeon Sherpa. We need to know how to handle our own clients, how to predict and respond to control situations at other dungeons—that’s critical information.”
Park Hyun-gu was practically bristling now.
Even though he traveled with Kim Moo-saeng, this was information that could disrupt his livelihood.
Kim Moo-saeng chuckled and spoke.
“That’s what I’m saying, though.”
“What?”
“I’ll contact you when we hit the critical points. For now, the focus is on closing the conference today. She sent a text this morning.”
Not a full dump of information last night.
Rather, a promise of separate contact at each turning point in this fluid, ever-shifting war.
‘Though I probably won’t get directly caught up in it anyway.’
Inter-guild warfare—that’s crucial intelligence, no question.
And not just for Park Hyun-gu’s sake.
By habit, as someone who’d lived his life as an Ace Dungeon Sherpa, Kim Moo-saeng couldn’t ignore this kind of information!
“That’s right—always smart, Moo-saeng. Always!”
“Wait, you were just treating me like a total outcast, and now—”
“When did I? I was just in a hurry, that’s all. Ha, you thirsty? Want me to grab you a drink?”
Park Hyun-gu grinned and fished out an ion drink, handing it over to Kim Moo-saeng.
Thoughtful enough to open the cap and stick in a straw, considering he was driving.
The gesture made Kim Moo-saeng laugh.
“Skip the drink. What about the people?”
The war? Dealing with Lee Eun-woo?
This was exactly why Kim Moo-saeng wasn’t actively stepping forward to fight alongside Geumseong.
“Given the tight timeline, I can’t call it perfect, but… the five new recruits passed the first round of vetting okay. No one looking to betray or stab us in the back.”
Five new members brought in.
Days ago, the party Kim Moo-saeng ran with was five people including Park Hyun-gu.
This time, they’d recruited five brand new members—meaning, aside from Kim Moo-saeng, a full ten people.
Which meant climbing the tower with a party of eleven!
As Kim Moo-saeng’s mouth quirked upward, Park Hyun-gu caught the enthusiasm and kept talking.
“Greased a lot of wheels with Detective Lim to get this lined up—you know?”
“I’m sure you handled it well.”
By simple math, the rewards should be at least 50% more than last time.
Compared to his solo days, easily double or more.
‘More than double. Close to triple. Maybe even beyond that….’
Of course, he couldn’t afford to focus only on the rewards.
Park Hyun-gu, sounding worried, ventured carefully, “But are you really going to be fine on your own? An eleven-person party is Semi-Raid Tier. The difficulty’s insane, right? Floor 14 feels like it’s almost at a 30-floor difficulty level.”
Higher difficulty meant higher rewards.
It would be on a completely different scale than the standard danger level of the 10s.

“Hah hah hah.”
“Huh? You listening?”
Kim Moo-saeng knew this already.
Yet he was smiling.
“I’d be happy if it was 30-floor tier. That’s all I could ask for.”
“Huh? What?”
His own abilities had already exceeded that threshold.
Thirty-floor difficulty was exactly the level he wanted.
‘In reality, it could be higher, but… the basic strategy shouldn’t deviate much from what I’ve got.’
He was well prepared.
Everything is perfectly prepared.
Creak—
Beyond that, the cooperation of the people who would form Kim Moo-saeng’s Contribution Rate was equally satisfactory.
“Good morning, Kim Moo-saeng. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Director Kim! You made it! Here—this is the friend I mentioned—”
“I brought some Potions and a few personal items, since you said emergency supplies and personal belongings were allowed… It’s fine to bring them in, right? As long as we don’t use them.”
“Card payment, perhaps…… Just joking, just joking.”
The moment they parked near the Tower in the appointed Parking Lot, people began streaming toward them.
Nine Awakeners, each offering their own greeting.
And there, Kim Moo-saeng saw it clearly.
Unavoidably, traces of lingering anxiety remained—yet already all of them held eyes bright with anticipation.
Those who had once tasted the thrill already knew how their companions had introduced them, how the atmosphere had been set.
There was no need to worry.
“Get confirmation of your deposit from Park Hyun-gu, then come to me to collect your Artifact. For those of you who’ve done this before, you know the routine—but I should cover the essential points first—”
Trust had already been established.
All that remained was to show them.
To prove it before their eyes.
Kim Moo-saeng and Park Hyun-gu divided the work with practiced efficiency.
Along with a sum that wasn’t enormous, but still respectable pocket money.
“Kim Moo-saeng and ten others request multi-person climbing.”
[Confirming climbing records of the subject.]
[Climbing record: Floor 13]
[Will you challenge Floor 14?]
[Participants: 11 (Kim Moo-saeng, Park Hyun-gu, Shin Hyun-dong, Kim Ji-yoon, Noh Ye-rang, Yoon Jeong-il, Hwang Jun-seo, Lee Ha-eun, Lee Jin-won, Cha Jin-pyo, Kim Woo-min)]
[Withdrawal mid-attempt is not permitted.]
A party of eleven challenged Floor 14.
Multi-person climbing adjustments were applied.
And the Contribution Rate calculation began in earnest.
A quest requiring the pursuit and annihilation of monster hordes within a six-hour time limit.
[Congratulations!]
[Clear condition achieved.]
[Time remaining: 5:20:36]
[Calculating Contribution Rate.]
[Kim Moo-saeng: Contribution Rate 100%]
[Others: Contribution Rate 0%]
It ended in merely thirty-nine minutes and twenty-four seconds.
A clear so swift that even those who had experienced it once before stood slack-jawed.
“What… what is this?”
“Is this real?”
The five Awakeners experiencing it for the first time could not believe what they were seeing—rendered speechless by the impossible.

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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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