Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 7

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

Cheating Administrator Climbing the Mythic Tower (7)
Hyun Gu stood with his mouth hanging open, listening to Moo Saeng’s account.
“You… you actually cleared the 66 Dungeon? How?”
“Got lucky. I thought I was going to die, seriously. Strictly speaking, it’s more accurate to say I died and came back to life.”
There was truth to Lee Eun Woo’s account, at least in part.
Moo Saeng had conveyed only what was verifiable: that he’d been caught up in the 66 Dungeon, faced a crisis there, but made it out alive.
[He actually seems to trust that much? I see—trusting someone really isn’t easy, is it?]
He said nothing about Washu.
Washu had never claimed their identity or existence was secret.
In other words, he could have blabbed about it anytime.
Washu had even prodded Moo Saeng about it, finding the whole thing amusing.
And Moo Saeng had ignored Washu’s bait.
Not because he didn’t trust Hyun Gu. That wasn’t it at all.
“Huh, now that I hear it, I get why you beat him. Though if it were me, I’d have chewed him into bits. But still—it’s One Way! What are you going to do now? How do you just humiliate the official heir of Korea’s One Way Group and walk away?!”
The real concern was the one Hyun Gu had just voiced.
One Way Group wouldn’t let this slide.
The guild holding Korea’s official license for One Way—dominant across Southeast Asia!
They wouldn’t just retaliate against Moo Saeng for laying hands on Eun Woo; they’d tear apart everything connected to him, law or no law.
“That’s why I came to tell the director. Here, eat this first.”
So Hyun Gu needed only the pertinent facts—nothing more.
Too much information would only drag him into danger.
“What is this?”
“Insurance against poisoning. Dropped from the 66 Dungeon boss. Eating this much is enough to grant permanent Resistance increase—I’ve confirmed it already, so don’t worry.”
Moo Saeng handed over a small piece as he spoke.
〈Slayken’s Molt (S)〉
The skin of Slayken. The master of serpents’ shed contains all necessary vitality. Poison Resistance increase. Immediate detoxification.
The very thing he’d consumed while driving toward One Way Group’s grand hall.
The reason he’d remained unharmed even coating his fists with poison sprayed from Slayken’s Fangs.
“Don’t poison me—sounds like you’re saying ‘don’t call me’ as a joke. Dark sense of humor. Though One Way types would probably do exactly that.”
Unless one could use Awakened Abilities outside towers and dungeons, poison was the variable to watch.
Block that single threat, and the rest was manageable.
“Heh, anyway, eat this and either request police protection or close up shop for a while and take a trip overseas.”
As for weapons and other security matters, modern police—themselves Awakened and devoted to justice and order—could handle that without issue.
“But are you sure I can eat this? It’s from the 60s tier, late 60s at that? If it came from the 66 Dungeon, the price alone would be… insane. If just this small piece has an effect, especially…”
“Don’t want to eat it, I’ll take it back—”
“Wait!”
Hyun Gu quickly popped the fragment into his mouth and chewed eagerly, as if afraid it might fall.
His face contorted even as his jaw continued its relentless work.
“What, are you eating ginseng? Just chew and swallow.”
“Mmmhmm, slurp, mmm, precious—”
“Hey! You’re spitting! Spit flying everywhere!”
From that first day they’d met at the Orphanage until now, how much had this light yet warm manner of his steadied Moo Saeng’s nerves.
Only after hearing Moo Saeng’s jab did Hyun Gu finally swallow the piece.
“But the company and I will manage somehow. What about you?”
Then he asked.
What came next.
“I’ll leave too. Somewhere they can’t reach.”
Moo Saeng would have already considered it.
Why he could touch Eun Woo and touch One Way Group?
Was there anywhere in Korea he could do that and remain untouched?
“Where?”
There was.
“The Tower.”
Unless the Tower’s judgment bound you into a party for shared challenge.
Even the same floor wouldn’t overlap.
Complete instance format, and the Tower allowed no repeats besides.
It meant One Way’s employees couldn’t structurally follow after ‘Moo Saeng of the lower floors’ anymore.
Yet Hyun Gu’s eyes remained shadowed with unease.
“Going into the Tower is fine, but don’t push yourself. Think of surviving the 66 Dungeon as heaven’s help. Or rather—think of it as Yerin’s help.”
“Hyung.”
“—Ahem, no, I just meant… don’t I know your abilities? It’s only because I worry——”
Words he could speak precisely because he knew Moo Saeng so well.
Moo Saeng laughed quietly, understanding exactly that.
“Don’t worry. This time will be different.”
To Hyun Gu it looked like Moo Saeng had simply turned his head toward empty air.
But floating unmistakably in the space where Moo Saeng gazed was a yellow rubber duck.
[Hmm, though looking at that crude and useless body of yours, I’ll admit I’m a bit concerned too.]
Washu said.
It wasn’t untrue.
He’d killed the boss of 66 Dungeon.
Acquired an S-rank artifact too. So what?
‘Status Window.’
[Kim Moo Saeng]
―Age: 29
―Awakened Ability: 〈Transmission(O)〉
―Stats
Strength: 6 Agility: 5
Stamina: 6 Mana: 3
Knowledge: 4 Accuracy: 4
Will: 6 Luck: 5
―Skills: None
―Resistance: Poison (S)
―Climbing Record: Maximum Floor 3
·Solo Play—None
·Party Play—Floors 1–3
―Special Notes: High resistance to Mana Pressure.
Moo Saeng’s abilities had improved in no meaningful way.
No Solo Play record.
Party Play record only on Floors 1 through 3.
No skills. That’s all there was.
By raw stats alone, he was an Awakened with nothing to boast of.
[Though I suppose that’s fortunate too. Since you’ve only cleared the Tutorial… once won’t be enough for them to notice.]
Without answering the muttering Washu, Moo Saeng reached for his cup.
What did that mean?
Crackle, crackle-crackle……
Washu’s body trembled for a moment.
[Floor 1 to the very end. You need to extract maximum growth efficiency, Kim Moo Saeng. That’s the only way you’ll be worth a damn.]
Washu spoke.
Moo Saeng grasped what those words meant almost at once.
“Cough, cough—.”
“Hey, you trying to shower me or something?”
“Phew, damn. What the hell is this?”
Whether Hyun Gu raised hell over the spray that erupted or not.
Moo Saeng’s eyes remained fixed on his status window.
None of his other stats had risen or fallen.
But something had changed.
―Climbing Record: None
His climbing record had been reset.
Such a thing was possible? Something he’d never heard of, never seen?
[Why are you so shocked over this? You’re really primitive, aren’t you……]
Even as Washu huffed, the yellow duck felt a quiet pride watching the light in Moo Saeng’s eyes.
Moo Saeng shot to his feet.
“I’m heading in.”
“Yeah, be careful out there! Call me right away if anything happens! You hear me? And don’t worry about the company!”
“You know, hearing you worry is scarier than worrying myself… Anyway, you look after yourself. I’m going!”
He could now climb from Floor 1 in Solo Play.
At the prospect of growth stretching ahead, Moo Saeng felt his heart thrum with anticipation.
* * *
Floor 1 of the Tower had a public lobby.
A freely accessible space encountered before attempting each floor.
A space shared everywhere across the world.
Moreover, it was a place where the Tower’s absolute rule applied: [no one could inflict harm upon another].
‘If I wanted to, I could just camp here indefinitely without issue….’
If this were the old days, I’d have stayed here to avoid being hunted by the One Way Group.
Of course, that would solve nothing.
I wouldn’t be attacked, but I’d still have to leave the Tower eventually to eat, sleep, and manage the basics of living—and the moment I did, I’d be caught and subjected to worse than rough treatment.
So I couldn’t simply stay in the Tower’s lobby.
“I just challenge the floors, right? There’s nothing else to do here?”
I had to grow stronger.
Strong enough that the One Way Group’s threats wouldn’t even register.
Moo Saeng pulled his hat down low and drew his mask up to just below his eyes before asking.
And as he asked,
[Yeah, well—it’s a bit cramped, isn’t it? Did I lower the automatic space-expansion ratio? I had everything configured to match the headcount, but these useless bastards keep touching things they shouldn’t and it gets annoying.]
Washu was simply surveying the surroundings.
The Tower, not a dungeon.
Perhaps she was experiencing some new emotions in her own way, visiting this place for the first time since being Transmitted here.
But it didn’t matter to Moo Saeng.
“Right. There are too many people. We need to move fast.”
[Then go quickly. Do I have to guide you through that too?]
“Ahem! You brat, I’m asking because I thought it through—Moo Saeng Kim. I wish to enter the Tower.”
Moo Saeng murmured quietly.
[Verifying the subject’s climbing record.]
[No climbing record found.]
[Do you wish to attempt Floor 001?]
[Challengers: 1]
[Withdrawal mid-attempt is impossible.]
Floor 001 challenge. A genuinely reset climbing record, not just in the status window.
Moo Saeng’s lips curved upward.
“Challenge.”
─────────────!
As light flashed, the landscape before Moo Saeng transformed entirely.
[Floor 001]
[Goblin Assault, Burning Village]
In a place much like any medieval European town wreathed in flames,
“Kyaaahhhhh—!”
“Run! Run away! Goblins! The goblins are attacking!”
Residents were fleeing in panic.
[Survive the goblin assault.]
[Time remaining: 01:00:00]
Floor 1 of the Tower—which he’d cleared fifteen years ago with no less than twenty-seven people because his Awakened Ability hadn’t been confirmed yet.
‘I remember. The goblins’ movement patterns. The first fifteen minutes are critical, but if I hold out in that collapsing building there, it’s essentially over.’
Even so, he knew the clear method vividly.
The moment Moo Saeng began moving slowly, Washu spoke.
[So when are you going to kill them all?]
“What? Kill them?”
[Aren’t you going for the Hidden Clear? You need to meet the hidden condition.]
Moo Saeng was briefly taken aback.
He knew that meeting hidden conditions yielded greater rewards.
But was that even possible on Floor 1?
In thirteen years as a dungeon sherpa, he’d encountered countless awakened people, yet not a single one had ever done such a thing.
As Moo Saeng fell silent, Washu continued.
[They do respawn, but there’s a total spawn limit of 271. Six of them are hidden at the far ends of the map in all four directions. Ordinary humans can’t reach those places.]
Only then did Moo Saeng understand.
If monsters were hidden away at the four corners of the map, there couldn’t be many awakened people who’d ever achieved Floor 1’s hidden condition.
Besides, the Tower allowed no re-attempts.
After clearing a floor, there was no need or reason to discover what you’d missed.
[Ah, though I suppose with that feeble body of yours, it’s impossible to wipe them all out within the time limit? Once the goblins start getting defensive, they’ll be harder to deal with…. So if you’re giving up, I understand.]
Washu nodded, as if beating a drum and striking a janggu in mock sympathy.
Moo Saeng smiled wickedly.
“No. It’s not impossible.”
He gripped Slayken’s Fangs tightly.
“I’ll finish them before they even raise the alarm.”
[What—? How could you—?]
“I’ve got it all mapped out in my head—the goblins’ patrol routes, their distribution, which ones carry those threatening weapons and exactly where they’re positioned.”
Terrain, landmarks, shortcuts—he’d memorized Floor 001 after running it hundreds of times.
The optimal positions to engage them before they could alert anyone or flee.
Flanking angles, approach vectors, the most effective ambush trajectories.
“The problem is those six hiding somewhere. If you could just point me in the right direction—”
[Hmph. Executing Administrator Authority.]
In that instant, something materialized in Moo Saeng’s field of vision.
A 360-degree compass with six dots plotted at specific bearings.
[There are six. I can’t display the full map without drawing suspicion—that much Authority usage would be noticed.]
Washu spoke in an unusually grave tone.
Moo Saeng let out a dry laugh despite himself.
“This much won’t raise an alarm?”
This alone was already broken.
No—it was absolutely absurd.
[What? This is fine. Besides, we’re in the tutorial.]
If Washu kept doing this for him—!
Moo Saeng trembled, swallowing words that had risen all the way to his throat.
Washu, watching him, muttered something.
[Still, I warned you. With your current abilities, you won’t finish this in an hour.]
“I hear you, Washu.”
Strength, agility, mana, precision—his stats might be low.
But he was a dungeon guide with thirteen years of experience.
“You showed me the conditions. Now I need to prove myself.”
The guide moved along the optimal route, his mind flawless in its recollection of terrain, landmarks, and shortcuts.
‘Hold on, Yerin.’
More precisely: an assassin capable of striking the goblins ravaging the village from their flank or rear,
moving along a perfectly concealed and protected route.
Slayken’s Fangs in hand, he began to move.

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