Climbing the Tower with Multidimensional Avatars - Chapter 89

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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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Chapter 89. Public Settling of Accounts (4)

Upon entering the forest, we didn’t head straight for the mountain. Instead, I consulted the compass and turned westward.
The compass was something I’d purchased from the Climbers’ Association.
Renting was an option, but since I’d be using it frequently, I decided to buy it.
Goblins roamed the forest in groups of ten, and I dealt with them simply whenever we encountered them.
“You don’t need to collect the ears. Only the 10th Floor District Association accepts ears as part of climber welfare.”
“Is that so?”
I placed the hand axes and magic stones into my inventory.
The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.
Why do Goblins in the lower levels of The Tower carry iron hand axes?
I’m grateful the hand axes are useful, but the question still bothered me.
For now, since we had a destination, I focused on the map.
“Let me see… the mountain is visible over there, so the triangular rock should be around here.”
“Isn’t that it?”
Diana pointed to a large rock visible between the trees.
As we drew closer, I could see a crudely triangular boulder.
“This is said to be the native habitat of this type of grass. Let’s collect all of it that we can see.”
I spoke while opening the guidebook I’d purchased from the 10th Floor District Association.
Lee Su-young and Diana compared each specimen carefully as they collected the grass, but sensing the unique mana emanating from the plants, I spread my mana perception to pinpoint their locations.
“But wouldn’t it be faster and give better merit points to bring water from the lake instead? The forest is less dangerous than the lake, but you don’t need to search for lake water since it’s right there.”
I answered Lee Su-young’s question.
“The thing is, the Association seems to care more about how many diverse requests you’ve completed rather than the quantity collected at once. Apparently, there are certain requests they only show after you’ve completed a minimum number of different tasks. So I need to do several smaller requests now for later opportunities.”
If it weren’t for the Association, they’d only look at merit points, but the Association considers many other factors.
The number of completed requests, attitude toward Guild Staff Members, personal combat ability, party members, and so on.
“That’s tedious.”
“Tell me about it.”
As we continued our conversation, collecting grass for about twenty minutes while repelling bears and Goblins that occasionally appeared, we soon gathered the required amount.
After storing the sack of grass in my inventory at Tower Floor 1, I set my direction northeast.
Recently, there had been a request to exterminate an Owlbear that had settled in the forest.
An Owlbear was a monster with an owl’s head and a bear’s body. A Guard Captain who happened to encounter one had apparently suffered serious injuries.
We were told to hunt it and bring back its brilliant head feathers as proof of extermination.
The head feathers would be purchased separately, and its razor-sharp claws and bear gall bladder sold for high prices.
Diana discovered claw marks on a tree and spoke.
“Judging by how it marks its territory, the Owlbear’s habits seem more bear-like than owl-like.”
We had entered the Owlbear’s territory.
Slightly tense, I spread my mana perception to watch all directions.
Since our goal wasn’t to avoid the Owlbear but to hunt it, we deliberately made noise as we moved to ensure an encounter.
If I’d had more time, I would have set traps and retreated, but since I was handling everything in one go, there was no helping it.
Honestly, it wasn’t even a Quest to climb The Tower, and I couldn’t be bothered to come back again.
As I deliberately made noise moving around, I felt the sharp gaze of a beast nearby.
Looking in the direction of that gaze, I caught the flash of crimson eyes between the shadows of trees.
“Here it comes.”
At my warning, the two of them tensed and looked in the direction I was gazing.
The Owlbear, realizing it had been spotted, stopped moving quietly and instead let out a loud cry as it charged at us.
“Shrieeek!”
Since its head was that of an owl, its cry sounded like a bird of prey’s call.
“Su-young, don’t use fire. I need to take the head feathers.”
At my instruction, Lee Su-young put Mul-poong on standby and aimed with Mul-poong, firing an aqua bullet.
Thanks to hunting so many monsters on the 18th Floor, the aqua bullets Lee Su-young fired were noticeably more powerful than before, and her firing rate was faster too.
However, the Owlbear endured the aqua bullets and charged forward.
As the Owlbear came charging while withstanding the attacks, Lee Su-young hesitated.
“Keep shooting! The damage is adding up!”
At my command, Lee Su-young cast aside her hesitation and continued firing aqua bullets.
Following that, Diana charged at the Owlbear from the front, while I used lightness technique to position myself behind it.
The Owlbear ignored Diana, prioritizing eliminating Lee Su-young who was attacking from range.
So Diana poured all her strength and holy power into her mace, striking the Owlbear’s chest.
Boom!
A sound like a drum bursting echoed out, and the Owlbear coughed up blood.
Enraged, the Owlbear swung its blade-like claws at Diana, and Diana was prepared to take a slash if it meant landing another blow.
Feeling the power of the mace, the Owlbear reassessed its priorities—abandoning concern for Lee Su-young’s ranged attacks and focusing on defending against Diana’s strikes.
With the Owlbear’s full attention on Diana, I leaped from behind and slashed at its neck.
Even though I poured considerable inner force into the strike, my blade was stopped by its solid, muscular body.
“Graaaagh!”
I grabbed the Owlbear’s head and, with all my strength, drove the blade that was half-embedded in its neck through, severing its neck.
If this had been my Reincarnation Clone’s body, I could have cleanly severed the head in one motion, but lacking sufficient physical capability, I had to settle for cutting through the carotid artery.
“Wow, 20 Shop Points. Since we’re in a party of three, that splits evenly—so this is equivalent to a 26th Floor monster.”
Still, with the three of us ganging up on it, we took it down quickly.
“We should probably find more durable clothing.”
Diana’s sleeve was slashed in several places by the Owlbear’s claws.
Diana’s skin was reddened from scratches but bore no open wounds.
Her torso, however, was protected by a leather cuirass, so the clothing remained intact there.
“Should we strip the hide from this thing?”
The hide was incredibly thick and looked perfect for crafting armor.
“It’s fine. We don’t have the skill to make it ourselves anyway, so we’d have to buy it.”
“Fair point.”
We could hire a craftsman through the Guild if we gathered materials, but with a 26th Floor level monster, we could probably gather more.
I harvested the head feathers as proof of subjugation and the Owlbear’s gallbladder, which was one of the collection requests.
Unfortunately, there were no ability stones.
After harvesting all the byproducts, I immediately used a cleansing magical tool to wash away the owl bear’s blood that caked my entire body.
“It looks more convenient than I thought. Should I get a cleansing magical tool too?”
“Right? Maybe I should buy one as well?”
Lee Su-young and Diana showed interest as they watched me rinse away the blood completely.
“It’s definitely convenient once you have one. It only works three times a day, but it’s handy in situations like this when you can’t wash up immediately. For someone like Diana who fights on the front lines, it’s really useful.”
I hadn’t chosen a cleansing magical tool on Floor 16 without reason—everyone else had picked offensive or defensive tools.

* * *

I checked the mountain’s location again and adjusted my direction northeast using the compass and map.
In the middle of the Forest stood a small shrine erected by the Magic Tower, and the shrine was enchanted with magic to repel monsters.
Based on the mana output, it appeared to be constructed to last at least several years, with maintenance visits only when needed.
When I opened the small shrine’s door, there were several recording devices inside.
I copied the records onto the paper provided by the Guild.
Normally the Magic Tower should visit periodically, but since the Forest is dangerous and it’s a hassle, they outsource the task to climbers and just take the records.
I have no idea what these records are for.
From what’s written on the recording devices, it seems to measure mana, but you’d need to have studied magic to really understand it.
After finishing the records, I headed north.
The mountain was starting to look quite large now.
As I walked, comparing the map to the terrain, I spotted bluish soil and touched it.
“This must be it.”
I pulled out the request form to verify.
Like collecting Lake water, this blue soil was also a collection request target.
The soil was worth 30 contribution points per kilogram and 150 credits (about 15,000 won).
I retrieved a bundle of sand pouches from my subspace, each holding about 5 kilograms.
I’d purchased these from the Guild, but unfortunately they only sold them at 1 credit each—they didn’t offer rentals.
Based on the quality alone, they looked like they were washed and reused, which was stingy of them.
Still, the contribution points were better than the Lake water.
Even if the credits were lower.
I pulled out a shovel and dug hard into the solid earth, while Diana and Lee Su-young spread open the sand pouches, scooping the soil I’d excavated with small shovels and tying them up.
Monsters occasionally gathered when they heard our noise, but none of them were dangerous.
Lee Su-young asked while sweating profusely.
“How much longer do we have to do this?”
“I don’t know? We’ve done about 300 pouches so far… maybe 2,700 more?”
At my answer, Lee Su-young moved her hands diligently while her expression grew serious.
“Are you insane?”
“What? The water collection had a thousand leather bottles.”
“But water fills itself when you dip the bottles in the Lake! You have to scoop the soil!”
She was right—collecting Lake water was definitely easier and faster.
“Haha, it’s fine. Consider it exercise,” I said with a laugh.
Lee Su-young let out a deep sigh at my words.
“From now on, I’m not glossing over your plans like this anymore.”
She complained, but her nimble hands never stopped moving for a moment.
“That’s right. You should always read the fine print carefully.”
“Once we’re done, lend me the cleansing magic tool.”
“Got it.”
Still, with my inner strength flowing freely, I excavated the earth quickly.
I’d intended to fill all three thousand sacks I’d purchased, but unfortunately, after exhausting the azure soil, I only had eleven hundred sacks.
“Ugh, this is exhausting. Let me rest a bit.”
If I suggested going a little further where the azure soil appears on the map, wouldn’t I get scolded?
“Looking at the map, the azure soil is over there….”
“Kyaaaack!”
I got scolded.

* * *

Diana and Lee Su-young possessed superior pure physical abilities compared to me.
Due to The Tower’s structure, when you kill a monster, you absorb its mana.
From what I’d observed climbing up, the typical absorption rate was around ten percent, but mine was less than one percent.
Lee Su-young had fifty percent, and Diana had eighty percent, so it was only natural.
Yet despite that, Lee Su-young seemed to find packing the soil into sacks so difficult that she let out groans rather than screams.
I bought Lee Su-young stamina recovery potions and soothed her.
“All you have to do now is climb the mountain.”
“And you still have six requests left from the ones you brought, oppa.”
Lee Su-young glared at me.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t even two o’clock in the afternoon yet.
Even though I’d spent roughly half the time since leaving the City digging and filling sacks, it was still early.
It was a moment that made me truly realize how much I’d grown physically and bodily since entering The Tower.
“I didn’t want to learn about drudgery like this.”
“Come on, chew it up properly and drink some water too.”
Diana coaxed Lee Su-young while eating her sandwich.
When our late meal and rest time ended, I stood up and spoke.
“There won’t be any real drudgery from here on out.”
I won’t be able to use this route again.
Even if I did, I don’t think I could do the digging work again.
“So what’s left to do?”
I’d explained everything before we left the City, but she really let it go in one ear and out the other.
I wasn’t sure whether to thank her for trusting me or scold her for not paying attention.
Well, she got a harsh lesson this time, so she’ll listen better next time.
“One subjugation request, three gathering requests, one errand, and one record verification.”
Lee Su-young was more cautious about the gathering requests than the subjugation.
“The rest is really nothing to worry about.”
I took the lead up the mountain and explained in detail the remaining requests that lay ahead.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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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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