Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 8

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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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Climbing a Mythical Tower as a Cheating Administrator (8)
“P-please, spare me, I beg you—”
“Kee-kee? Kit-kit-kit!”
The woman fell backward onto her rear, pleading with the goblin, but such words meant nothing to a creature of hunger and instinct.
If anything, the monster’s grotesque expression twisted further, as though savoring her terror.
“Kee-rik?”
The goblin sensed something amiss — but by then, something had already raked across its back.
A searing, burning sensation.
“Kit!? Kee-ik? Kee……ik……”
Something had struck it down.
Rage flooded its mind, and it spun to swing its club — yet its body would not obey.
Full paralysis seized it first.
Then darkness swallowed its vision.
Then death.
“Layer 66 certainly has its standards. But seconds? Really, just seconds?”
Slaicken’s Fang was simply too magnificent a weapon for the goblins that infested the tutorial layer.
No need to drive it deep.
Let the venom seep through the skin, and death followed in three heartbeats.
Mu Saeng marveled aloud, and Wash laughed at the sight.
[Ha, when we meet the one on Layer 70, I’ll pass out cold.]
“So what’s the Layer 70 boss?”
Mu Saeng asked.
And Wash’s eyes — gleaming with pride just moments before — rolled away, furtive.
[Layer 70 is……. Something made of liquid……. Maybe?]
“Hmm?”
[Am I supposed to tell you now? Your thick skull can’t hold unnecessary details — you’ll only get confused! Just focus on what’s in front of you!]
Wash’s voice cracked with sudden fury.
Mu Saeng felt no urge to mock or reproach him, odd as the outburst seemed.
‘So this is what an administrator truly is. A Hidden Clear Condition, no less.’
He had already witnessed Wash’s overwhelming power.
‘The rumors are well-known — that each layer offers clearing methods beyond what the tower publicly announces. But no one has ever revealed them.’
The value of information. And therefore the truths left unspoken.
He had always sensed these things dimly.
Most of all, he could scarcely have imagined such conditions existed even in the tutorial section.
Not just when he had cleared Layer 1 himself.
Over his years as a Dungeon Sherpa, he had met countless newly Awakened souls attempting their first tower ascent.
Many were so terrified of Layer 1 itself that they had begged him to escort them through a dungeon instead.
How many of them had he guided down that safer path?
‘Respawns occur around 260 monsters. The standard estimate was always 265.’
He had confirmed that the spawning was not infinite.
High-level Awakeners curious about mechanics had tested it by slaughtering respawns one after another — and yet even that data had proven mistaken.
‘No one has ever met the condition. Least of all on Layer 1…….’
One need only evade, hide, and flee.
Fighting was unnecessary.
Thrust into combat for the first time, in the chaos and confusion, how could anyone locate and kill ‘the six goblins concealed in the corners of the terrain’s cardinal directions’?
Moreover, once you cleared, you never returned.
The mere fact of knowing this information was astounding — but to see the hidden goblins’ positions laid bare before his eyes…….
‘He said he cannot use a power like 〈Execute with Administrator Authority〉. Well, I.’
This was more than enough.
For Mu Saeng, the ace Dungeon Sherpa.
“Hah.”
Mu Saeng burst forward, his blade making swift work of the goblins.
And even this sight impressed Wash deeply.
‘Hmph. I only showed him the locations of the six hidden ones…….’
He could not display a full map.
Knowing what horrors might unfold should he invoke true Administrator Authority within the tower, Wash had offered only the bare minimum — the positions of his targets.
‘He already knows how to fight. He understands what his weapon can do.’
In other words, the most efficient route.
The optimal way to wield Slaicken’s Fang.
Could it be that he possessed such knowledge all along?
That’s precisely the situation even now.
As he charges forward, he sweeps Slaicken’s Fang across his palm with a smooth motion.
Then he quickly picks up a stone from the ground.
He hurls it. There’s no need to throw it hard.
The moment the soaked stone strikes, four seconds until paralysis, twenty seconds until death.
In the chaos that erupts when an ally falls, he drives in and stabs directly with the fang, killing five more goblins within fifteen seconds.
All the while, he retrieves the stone he’d thrown moments before and flings it at another one…….
‘I thought we’d run out of time.’
This was how Wash had envisioned the battle.
Stabbing each and every goblin to death.
Of course the goblins would grow wary, form formations, attempt encirclement, even flee.
In that case, there’s no way they could clear within an hour.
But this man…….
‘He’s suppressing them all before they can even grow wary. He’s preventing awareness itself, eliminating the small groups that roam together virtually simultaneously. How can someone who’s only made it to Layer 3 be this skilled?’
Movements that flow without interruption, like water finding its course. That momentum.
It means he knows perfectly where to move, how to act, and every step of his plan is mapped out in his mind.
‘Just how much…… how extensively has he studied that dungeon.’
No matter how fine the items you possess.
No matter if it’s Layer 1.
He’s fast.
Fast enough that if Wash let his guard slip for even a moment, he’d find himself gasping in admiration.
Yet in some sense, it was only natural.
Mu Saeng had certainly been an Awakener lacking in raw ability.
But thirteen years of experience accumulated through countless layers of dungeons.
Thirteen years of observing the combat styles, combat prowess, and combat techniques of countless Awakeners.
The seasoned expertise of an ace Dungeon Sherpa who formulated optimal plans to achieve objectives and executed them to reliably complete every mission assigned.
All of this, he possessed.
Screeeech─────…….
“Kiii…….”
Wash heard the final goblin’s breath leave its body, and at last, he understood.
[Remaining Time: 00:19:35]
“Forty-minute clear!”
[……Get your numbers right. Forty-one minutes twenty-five seconds. Slow! Late!]
At Wash’s grumbling remark, Mu Saeng let out a quiet laugh.
[No remaining goblins.]
[All goblins have been eliminated.]
[Congratulations!]
[You have achieved the Clear Condition.]
[Stat Point +5]
[You have achieved the Hidden Clear Condition.]
[Not alone]
[But a heart determined to protect everyone]
[Additional rewards are granted.]
Whatever Wash was babbling on about in front of the system messages before his eyes, it couldn’t have reached his ears anyway.
The system messages bloom before him.
Frustrated by the useless Transfer (X) option, ignored and living as a Dungeon Sherpa for thirteen years.
All that long time, he had only been able to watch others grow.
And finally…….
[All Stat Points +3]
[Additional Attack Power against Small Monsters +20%]
Now it was Mu Saeng’s turn.
And after waiting this long, it was time to receive rewards far more overwhelming than anyone else’s.
‘All stats plus three points? Small monster bonus damage twenty percent?!’
The solo clear reward for Layer 1 yields five distributable Stat Points.
But they’re giving him three points to all six stat categories—eighteen points in total as a bonus?
On top of that, this reward hasn’t even finished yet.
No—it’s only just beginning.
“You’re familiar with Layer 2 as well, aren’t you, Wash?”
[Ha, these barbarians…… unable to bear their anxiety, they insist on confirming the obvious.]
Mu Saeng, about to challenge Layer 2 immediately, paused for a moment.
“…What?”
[What’s this now?]
A guidance message that appeared after the tower’s reward.
[Layer 1 Cleared]
[Ascent Record Created]
Everything up to that point matched what he’d seen before.
But below it, an additional system message had appeared.
[You are the fourth achiever of the Hidden Clear Condition.]
“The Hidden Clear Condition? Three others have already done this?”
[…The sheer persistence of these savages…]
Wash fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
Unlike the casual complaints from before, his voice now carried a subtle note of gravity and weight.
[Will you challenge Layer 2?]
[Withdrawal mid-ascent is impossible.]
Ascending the tower.
The discovery of hidden conditions and the existence of Awakeners who had already conquered them.
“…I thought I understood both the tower and dungeons pretty thoroughly.”
[Quack?]
Mu Saeng heard the rubber duck’s sound and had to compose his expression.
The corners of his mouth trying to climb upward, fingertips trembling slightly.
This was unmistakably excitement.
The hope and anticipation of finding Ye Rin.
Of course that was part of it.
But what made Mu Saeng’s body tremble now was something far more primal and instinctive—a joy and a thrill.
The sensation of growing stronger.
Before a Dungeon Sherpa who had lived his entire life in dungeons.
“Challenge Layer 2!”
A new world he had never known until now unfurled before him.
* * *
[Layer 2]
[Kobold Dwelling Zone, Hilly Terrain]
With few buildings or trees, the open vista felt refreshingly spacious.
But Mu Saeng knew that stopping to admire it would be a grave mistake.
The first thing to do was lower his stance.
In that posture, Mu Saeng moved forward.
[Defeat the Kobolds.]
[Kobolds Defeated: 0/15]
“Last time eight of us came and had to catch two hundred. Solo runs really are a bit nicer.”
In party play, difficulty and rewards scale based on the number of members.
[How many have you taken down?]
“Uh… four?”
But those rewards were automatically distributed based on contribution.
When Mu Saeng had cleared Layer 2 last time, he’d received no Stat Points.
[Pfft. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic.]
“Can’t be helped. If they came at me one at a time, I’d have caught more, but…”
Mu Saeng grumbled as he watched Wash laugh uproariously.
For Awakeners, dealing with small monsters like Kobolds wasn’t difficult.
Especially one-on-one—even a woman could probably handle fifteen of them.
“Yelp yelp… yelp yelp.”
“Yelp, yelp yelp-. Yelp? Yelp? Bark!”
But Kobolds lived in packs.
And given their nature as dog-like humanoids, they were, quite literally, hound-nosed creatures.
Dealing with those that came rushing the instant they caught human scent was no easy feat for someone at Layer 2 level!
“Bark! Bark bark!”
“Bark bark bark, bark!”
After several rounds of barking,
Kobolds began pouring out from holes scattered across the Hilly Terrain.
Mu Saeng abandoned his crouched posture.
“The barking—they’ve spotted us. Damn. So!? What’s the Hidden Clear Condition this time, Wash?”
If they were already discovered, speed was what mattered now.
Wash replied.
[Find the boss. The Cobolt King.]
“…Find? Not kill? The Cobolt King is in one of those holes over there.”
I already knew the Cobolt King existed.
I’ve explored Layer 2 plenty of times.
What actually puzzled me was the method of achievement.
The Cobolt King—not “kill” but “find”?
[Hahaha, you know that and you’re still asking? Yeah, it’s in the cave. Won’t come out. You have to find it.]
Wash scoffed at the insinuation that this seemed too easy.
I turned my head.
Then it hit me.
“Why can’t I…. Ah. Inside the cave.”
Cobolts running hard down the hillside.
There were at least forty of them.
And the cave they’d poured out from.
In other words, to achieve this Hidden Clear Condition….
“Without killing fifteen of them…. I’d have to run up this hill and search through that entire cave.”
There was no time limit.
But the moment I killed fifteen, the normal condition would be met and Layer 2 would be cleared.
[That’s right. And once the normal condition is met and you get the clear message, you won’t get rewards for any Hidden Clear Condition or Additional Condition you’ve already accomplished.]
So in summary?
The forty cobolts already accelerating toward me.
I had to move without killing them.
“Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!”
“Yelp, grrrrrowl—.”
“Grrrrr, yelp! Yelp!”
I took off running.
Thank heavens these cobolts were bipedal beast-men and not actual dogs.
If they’d been real hounds, they’d have caught me by now. I ran and shouted.
“Wash! Like with Slaicken’s Fang before—freeze those things—”
[No method for that. Obviously. I can’t use that power. Even searching for the Cobolt King is beyond my authority.]
“—Right, of course. That’s how it has to be!”
Execute with Administrator Authority was off limits.
I had to clear this purely through my own strength.
“Haah, haah.”
I ran with everything I had.
Trying to shake the cobolts off?
Wash floated at my side and spoke.
[The Additional Condition might actually be easier. If you kill fifteen and then five more before the clear message appears, that’s it.]
Not the Hidden Clear Condition, but the Additional Condition.
And the Additional Condition was relatively well-known.
Better not to push it and lose both the hidden and additional conditions at once.
The suggestion was to gather them all at once instead of separating the monsters.
I answered through ragged breaths.
“Haah, yeah, obviously. Haah, I’ll do that too.”
[That ‘too’? You mean you can do both the Additional Condition and the Hidden Clear Condition, Mu Saeng?]
Wash asked.
I grinned.
I needed to grow more.
I wanted to climb the tower faster.
I was going to get stronger.
“Maybe.”
So I would make it happen.
For Ye Rin. And for myself.

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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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