Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 98

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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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Admin with Cheat Codes Climbing Mythic Tower (98)
Though he’d only just become Adult Rank, the Special Trait he’d acquired from defeating an Adult Rank Blue Dragon—Dragon Slayer—was his to keep.
Even Kim Moo-saeng couldn’t be certain how much practical value it would hold.
After all, those who’d obtained the Dragon Slayer trait had no reason to boast about its merits or capabilities, and Wash didn’t possess complete information on every single Special Trait either.
‘Heh, she’s making a much bigger fuss about this than I expected. Though I suppose it is rather extraordinary.’
As he was being escorted into the Royal Palace, Moo-saeng found himself surprised by the gazes that fell upon him.
The figures who looked unmistakably like civil officials mixed skepticism with their stares, but the knights of the royal guard had eyes that gleamed almost childishly bright.
“Please wait here for a moment, Dragon Slayer.”
Especially notable was Lark, who had personally escorted him from the entrance.
A blond Westerner who spoke with meticulous courtesy and genuine warmth in every word.
“That’s rather grand a title, though. A bit much, really.”
For Moo-saeng, the situation was more than a little burdensome.
Yet Lark shook his head firmly, as if that simply wouldn’t do.
“But you’re wearing a defensive suit made from Blue Dragon scales—I cannot address you casually. Such exquisite craftsmanship must surely be dwarven work.”
And the way he smoothly steered the conversation was rather deft.
Rather than switch to calling him Mister Kim Moo-saeng, which would have felt awkward, Moo-saeng simply nodded.
“Indeed. We have heard reports of an Adult Rank Blue Dragon being subjugated recently, but since no subjugator appeared at the Adventurer’s Guild or in any city, it was treated as mere rumor. However, with such perfect evidence—and especially a product bearing the mark of dwarven craftsmanship—it cannot help but be believed.”
“Yes, I thought we’d need to process the corpse through a dwarf and gather proof before anyone would believe us. So we simply waited quietly.”
And so Hildegard Schmidt had suddenly become a short, bearded folk.
Lark nodded vigorously.
“Ah, such prudence as well…. I am deeply impressed.”
Though somewhat burdensome, Lark’s behavior was actually quite helpful to Moo-saeng.
‘He recognized the Blue Dragon scales at a glance, and even deduced what process would have been necessary to craft them. He’s practically building my alibi for me. How convenient.’
In a sense, he’d completed the evidence in Moo-saeng’s stead.
Because Lark had guided him personally, the other royal guard knights could look upon him with nothing but admiration—he was almost grateful for that.
Of course, gratitude was one thing.
“When might I see His Majesty?”
When could he meet the King of the Rosal Kingdom?
Lark responded with an apologetic expression.
“Normally, a Royal Audience request takes two or three days merely to be reported up the chain, but in such urgent circumstances—especially with the Dragon Slayer himself present—I believe an audience might well be possible before the day is out.”
“Before the day is out?”
It was still morning. Not even lunch time yet.
But before the day is out.
That meant at least several more hours of waiting, minimum.
[Gahahaha, what procedure-bound primitives they are. They haven’t the faintest idea why urgency is urgent!]
Wash scoffed, though Moo-saeng had already grasped the general picture.
Based on the information he’d gathered during his time as a Dungeon Sherpa, official Royal Audiences consumed over a week from the moment correspondence began—that was the baseline.
‘This is exactly the sort of thing you can’t verify in a dungeon. Honestly, just approaching the royal fortress in a dungeon would get you marked a criminal and arrested on the spot.’
This was also why Moo-saeng disliked dungeons involving high-ranking kingdom officials.
Though it resembled a dungeon, its structure was essentially that of a tower.
In the end, you either needed to possess a certain level of fame.
Or you needed very special proof.
Otherwise, you couldn’t even enter the fortress, let alone achieve an audience with the king.
“I, I’m afraid that matter falls outside my purview. I apologize, Dragon Slayer.”
“No, no, a day or so is fine. But then….”
“Yes, please speak.”
In any case, at least he was in the Royal Palace today!
Moo-saeng intended to seize whatever experiences he could.
“Do you provide meals?”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Food, I mean. Royal Palace food. Not necessarily a banquet, but—food.”
“The, the Palace Administration will… I shall inquire.”
Palace meals, not those served at an Awakener’s inn.
Having come somewhere he’d never set foot before, Moo-saeng was determined to extract every benefit he could.
Approximately three hours later, the Royal Palace reception room was obliged to have a dining table and full feast prepared for the first time in living memory.
* * *
“Didn’t you feel it, Headquarters Chief?”
“Feel what?”
A stream of bubbles erupted from Yoon Pyo’s mouth as he exhaled beneath the surface.
In waters as dark as the deep sea, nearly thirty personnel were each deploying their skills in their designated positions.
“There’s something strange about this, Moo-saeng. No matter how I look at it, doesn’t it seem off?”
What they were attempting was a re-conquest of Floor 67 Dungeon.
The Geumsung Conquest Headquarters’ first unit had been divided into Team A and Team B, each completing their own conquest runs.
Team A in particular, which included Yoon Pyo and Geum Su-ah, had become South Korea’s first Floor 67 Dungeon Clear team and had already obtained the credentials to acquire management authority over the dungeon from the World Awaker Association and national recognition.
And finally, before they began the full-scale conquest of Floor 67.
On their fifth conquest run, after entering the dungeon multiple times with the entire headquarters in coordination to synchronize their efforts, they had encountered the boss—and this was their current situation.
“It is certainly strange. Even with the entire headquarters entering together, there’s only one Gomchi. Team B reported the same—just one.”
“We had seven members.”
“And that black manta ray… it hasn’t appeared once since the initial conquest.”
As the conquest progressed far more smoothly than expected, Geum Su-ah couldn’t help but voice her concerns to Yoon Pyo.
On the initial conquest, there had been seven Gomchi.
Because it was a dungeon that had never been cleared before, they appeared in greater numbers?
No, that wasn’t it.
In all the Floor 60-range dungeons they’d conquered, such a thing had never happened even once.
So what about afterwards?
Only a single Gomchi appeared every time.
That massive black manta ray—which had been nearly the natural predator of Geum Su-ah’s Luminous—had never appeared again since the initial run.
“The thing is, the direction was different. In the direction that Moo-saeng led us down… not a single Gomchi ever appeared.”
Over the seven conquest runs that followed.
Not once.
The boss never appeared in the direction Moo-saeng had guided them.
The terrain was such that there was no deep trench in that area at all—enough that one could acknowledge this geological fact.
“However, there’s no denying that the conquest became much smoother thanks to Kim Moo-saeng’s intelligence.”
“That’s precisely what makes it more suspicious. The details diverge at strange points, and yet they align just subtly enough… or rather, Headquarters Chief, have you never noticed anything unusual around Moo-saeng?”
“What do you mean?”
Yoon Pyo asked while rotating an enormous Ice Drill.
Geum Su-ah glanced around once, confirming that no one else was listening, before she spoke.
“… A yellow rubber duck.”
Screech, whiiiiiiiiing———…!
The ferociously spinning Ice Drill faltered for a moment.
Yoon Pyo looked at Geum Su-ah and spoke.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Geum Su-ah couldn’t hide her disappointment at that brief response.
She herself had detected subtle shapes and suspicious sounds.
So Yoon Pyo genuinely didn’t know?
But Yoon Pyo did know.
“Ah… if you, Headquarters Chief—”
“I do know.”
“—Eh? Yes? How? What’s this about—”
“When the Chairman had his private audience with Kim Moo-saeng. He gave instructions to purchase that item. A yellow rubber duck.”
Among the items Yoon Pyo had purchased, that was by far the most incongruous.
Geum Su-ah’s eyes widened.
“Father… I mean, the Chairman… why?”
“The Chairman would hardly explain such matters, Vice Chief.”
“Right, of course. Yes, I understand.”
At Yoon Pyo’s words, Geum Su-ah nodded.
Though her outward bearing suggested she would drop the subject, her thoughts were racing at full speed.
‘The day Father first met Moo-saeng.’
What had happened that day?
No—what had happened after that day?
‘The conference. Eight Seconds.’
An emergency conference convened by Geum Byeong-chul.
And the Eight Seconds members who had come to Korea under the pretense of that agenda.
The meeting between Geum Byeong-chul and Eight Seconds, and Geum Su-ah’s own question about the reason.
Her father’s answer.
‘Eight Seconds’ free contact with Moo-saeng. And…’
The “gift” business that had occurred recently with the Reveille Grand École personnel.
Geum Su-ah exhaled slowly.
In the rising stream of bubbles.
“It’s not Emma Gears. I think I’ve caught on.”
Geum Su-ah stretched both arms wide.
Her ten fingers trembled only briefly.
“What do you mean, Vice-Director?”
Whoooooosh—!
The Photon Point Concentration Cannon, colloquially called the Solar Beam, evaporated the seawater as it lanced outward.
“What!?”
“V-Vice-Director! This—”
“A record-breaking firepower skill…!?”
A beam of overwhelming destructive force that made even the personnel of the Geumsung Conquest Headquarters flinch pierced straight through the Goby’s body.
“When shall we tackle Floor 67, Director? Once we’re done, I’d like to meet with Kim Moo-saeng.”
Geum Su-ah spoke with a face set in determination.
* * *
Kim Moo-saeng knelt on one knee, waiting.
Seated upon the elevated throne was the king of the Rosal Kingdom, Physia II Geoygens Rosal.
Beside the throne stood the prime minister in counsel.
And arrayed before the throne were countless officials both civil and military.
Particularly the Royal Guard Commander in the left front row and the Court Mage in the right front row radiated such dignity that even Kim Moo-saeng could not help but notice.
“I have received a report of monster invasion plans targeting a fortress in the Bottleneck Gorge, and that such plans involved one person from within the palace itself.”
Physia II spoke.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Kim Moo-saeng bowed his head slightly deeper as he answered.
The moment his reply ended, the personnel in both front rows reacted.
“A Monster Alliance itself strains credulity. If such lowly creatures were truly capable of communicating and cooperating in that manner, we would have witnessed such behavior long ago.”
The Court Mage shook his head.
The Royal Guard Commander spoke with measured caution.
“Do you possess evidence to support your claim, Dragon Slayer?”
“If you permit it, I shall present it.”
To move abruptly before the king would itself be sacrilege.
Fortunately, this was knowledge of royal court etiquette that Kim Moo-saeng, who had picked up such things during his time as a Dungeon Sherpa, was equipped to handle.
“Hmm.”
As Physia II nodded, Kim Moo-saeng immediately opened his Bottomless Pouch.
He did so to retrieve what he had previously shown to Lark, the knight of the Royal Guard.
‘Okay, I’ve made it this far.’
After eliminating the Mutated High Orc, Odamara, the leader of the Monster Alliance on Floor 11.
The reason Kim Moo-saeng had been discovered by the High Orcs guarding the tent was simple.
He had not immediately withdrawn.
He had not hastily retreated into the tunnels.
The reason was clear enough.
“This is a Military Map that the creature leading the Monster Alliance kept. It contains detailed information about which monsters were gathering, how they assembled, and precisely how they plan to break through which fortifications within the coming days.”
There had been something to secure from Odamara’s tent.
One was a rolled sheepskin parchment—a Military Map.
“……Ah. I see.”
Physia II responded lightly as he examined the map.
What made this map so peculiar?
Only after confirming that the king’s intellect had not quite grasped the implication did Kim Moo-saeng explain further.
“For a map a monster could acquire, it contains far too much detail. Did they steal it from an adventurer? Loot it during a village raid? Information this comprehensive—the major cities, highways, and garrison strengths of the Rosal Kingdom and neighboring nations all meticulously recorded. Could a mere monster have obtained such a thing?”
A map of extraordinary accuracy.
A military map with terrain and geographical features marked in perfect scale—how could a mere monster have ever acquired it?
Upon hearing those words, Physia II’s brow furrowed.
“Are you now claiming, Dragon Slayer, that someone within the palace—someone with access to such intelligence—gave it to the monsters?”
“Indeed.”
Kim Moo-saeng lifted his head slightly as he replied.
Then he swiftly surveyed left and right.
One person whose expression had failed them caught his eye.
‘Of course their expression faltered.’
[Gahaha! You’ve come this far well, Kim Moo-saeng. So? How will you prove that bastard is a traitor?]
This was the hidden condition Wash had already made clear—the objective to achieve.
Now he simply had to extract a confession.
The real game was beginning.

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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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