I Conquered the Tower with the EX-Class Character That I Raised - Chapter 28

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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 28
[Hunter Net – Egg Marketplace]
[Selling Rare Herbs]
The post displayed various herbs.
‘I recognize all these names.’
Strangely, the herb names felt familiar.
They were identical to the materials I’d gathered during my early days, running through fields and dungeons.
The ingredients for the Red Elixir were listed there too.
Ten of each.
“Are these common materials?”
[They’re not common at all. Moonlight Cry Grass can only be obtained on Sky Island, Rebirth’s Dew from the World Tree, and Time’s Root exclusively from the Ancient Ruins. All three themes only appear in regions beyond floor 30 at minimum.]
“Floor 30? That’s the level other countries’ clearing teams have locked down right now.”
[Correct. Fundamentally, The Tower operates on a system where you can only freely access floors up to the ones you’ve cleared. Moreover, South Korea stopped clearing The Tower long ago, so the entrance to the higher floors has been sealed entirely. That’s why domestic listings have dried up.]
Chills ran down my spine.
What Whitey was describing was definitely about The Tower that existed in reality.
But.
‘…It’s identical to the game?’
Sky Island, World Tree, Ancient Ruins…
These were all field names that appeared in Lost Honor.
And the locations where materials dropped were exactly the same.
The Tower’s theme changes every five floors.
Lost Honor!
How much did it copy?!
“But how is this showing up on the Korean marketplace?”
[It seems you’re quite fortunate right now, Agent. That hunter is currently dumping rare materials they’ve smuggled in from other countries through the Black Market.]
True to Whitey’s words, the Hunter Net ID ‘Assassin’s Silence’ had registered rare materials in succession.
Scattered throughout were materials I recognized—ones I’d seen in the game—which made it all the more intriguing.
‘Are these really the materials I know?’
I verified everything just to be sure.
Conveniently, photos were attached to all of them.
“Fascinating.”
…They were indeed the materials I knew.
The price was ten thousand Coins per unit.
“Is the price reasonable?”
[It’s suspiciously cheap. These normally trade at fifty thousand Coins. However, after checking the seller’s transaction history, it doesn’t appear to be a fraudulent listing. They seem desperate for Coins and are liquidating various items hastily.]
“Hmm.”
Intriguing.
With these materials, I could craft the Red Elixir.
Then I could cure the illness Lee Ah-woon carries.
Of course, I couldn’t assume its efficacy would be identical to the game.
The Red Elixir was the sole cure for the status abnormality known as Mana Backflow, and simultaneously,
it served as a supreme-grade healing potion that restored vitality—a true elixir of legend.
Yet when I considered the similarities between Lost Honor and reality thus far,
at least the primary efficacy of treating Mana Backflow would function.
This wasn’t mere intuition—it was certainty.
“Hmm…”
But the requirement to use Coins gave me pause.
If I were to purchase, I’d have to buy every single herb that the Assassin’s Silencer had listed.
If I selected only what I needed, the raw materials for the Red Elixir could leak out.
Buying everything would cost a million Coins at most.
That’s merely 0.1% of my total Coins.
‘It’s not much. But…’
Wasn’t there another way?
For instance, if I could only obtain Gold from the Black Market…
[Ah.]
My deliberation was cut short by Whitey’s voice.
[The count has decreased to one.]
“One what?”
[Mana Backflow patient. There were two in South Korea, but now there’s only one.]
“…? Why?”
[They died.]
“…Dead? Just like that?”
[Mana Backflow patients must consume suppressants periodically, or their bodies rupture fatally. Unfortunately, it seems they missed their medication window.]
“You don’t mean…”
[No, the Hunter Lee Ah-woon you’re searching for isn’t dead. It’s another Hunter. However…]
Whitey fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
[Based on behavioral patterns and account activity, eighteen hours remain.]
“Eighteen hours until what?”
[Until Hunter Lee Ah-woon dies.]
Damn it all.
I rapidly calculated in my head.
‘…This is tight.’
There’s no room for delay.
If I’m not careful, I’ll end up buying materials while arranging a funeral.
“Buy it now!”
There’s no time!
* * *
“Cough.”
Lee Ah-woon spat out blood-tinged saliva.
I’d exerted myself a little, and now I was in this state.
The throbbing pain had become so familiar it barely registered anymore.
Lee Ah-woon’s expressionless face betrayed not the slightest hint of suffering.
“Uncle, I’m here.”
“Ah, Blood Clot’s back.”
Blood Clot.
It was the nickname for Ah-woon, who returned each day so battered and bloodied he looked like a walking bruise.
“You look relatively intact today?”
“The outside’s fine, but the inside’s completely shattered.”
He spat.
Ninety percent of what came from Ah-woon’s mouth was blood.
“Give me today’s medicine.”
“You brought the gold, right?”
Instead of answering, Ah-woon scattered the gold he’d been clutching across the counter with a metallic clatter.
“One, two, three, four. Four gold?”
“That’s all I could earn today.”
“Tch, Blood Clot. We’re supposed to be above such petty dealings between us.”
“I know it’s short. But can’t you cut me some slack just this once?”
Cough, cough.
Blood sprayed with each of Ah-woon’s coughs.
“Even half a pill…”
“That won’t work.”
Cough.
“Why, why won’t it?”
“You bastard, you’re about to lose it again. Five gold per pill, that’s the price.”
“Gasp. Gasp.”
“Do you have any idea how hard these are to come by?”
The stubble-faced man dangled a single blue pill, taunting him with it.
“Next time, I’ll bring six gold next time.”
“Hmm. How am I supposed to believe that?”
“Wheeze. Wheeze.”
“Blood Clot, you’re practically on death’s door. Come on, give me a break?”
Ah-woon could hold on no longer and collapsed.
“Ah, fine. I’m not hauling a corpse out of here. Here.”
Whoosh—
The man tossed the pill toward Ah-woon.
It struck his head and clattered to the floor.
With trembling hands, Ah-woon barely managed to pick up the pill.
He swallowed it with the blood pooling in his mouth as his only water.
“Ahhhhh.”
In an instant, the mana settled, growing calm.
It was the effect of the Mana Stabilizer—the only drug capable of suppressing Lee Ah-woon’s backflow mana, even if only temporarily.
“Haaa.”
Seizing that window, I converted mana into healing energy.
The gentle energy enveloped my internal organs, restoring the torn and tattered viscera.
S-rank awakened ability: Circulation.
An ability to absorb mana and convert its properties for use.
True to its S-rank reputation, the healing power was overwhelming.
Potent enough to restore Lee Ah-woon from the brink of death to perfect condition.
And this was merely channeling the absorbed mana into healing alone.
What if I directed that absorbed mana toward destruction instead?
It could unleash tremendous destructive force.
Perhaps even surpassing Han Seol-ah’s Frost Seal.
But for Lee Ah-woon, suffering from mana backflow syndrome, using the healing power only as a last resort before death was the best option.
Any attempt to use it differently would cause the mana pathways extending from the mana core throughout my entire body to rupture and explode with a deafening boom.
However. Someday, when this backflow syndrome heals.
I believed Lee Ah-woon could ascend not as a C-rank, but as a confident S-rank.
“That was way too close. Old man. I’m letting it slide this time, but if you mess with the medicine again next time, you’re dead.”
“Hehehehe. I’m the only one supplying medicine in this district, yeah? You want us both to die?”
“Maybe.”
“Come on now, come on. I’ve got revenge to pursue. Should I die before then?”
“…Old man.”
Lee Ah-woon’s eyes grew cold and sharp.
The mana was still calm. It hadn’t begun to rage.
But rotten as it was, it remained S-rank. As Circulation manifested, a black aura rippled around Lee Ah-woon.
“Don’t cross the line.”
The meaningless smile lingering at the old man’s lips froze solid in an instant.
Despite being a bloodied mess on the verge of death, the killing intent that pricked the skin and the weighty pressure of mana were unmistakably real.
‘Exerting this much pressure in that condition…’
The old man inwardly marveled, then quickly painted on an amiable smile as if nothing had happened.
“Heh heh. My apologies, you brat.”
Whoosh—
The old man tossed a low-grade potion bottle.
Unlike moments ago when I couldn’t catch the medicine, Lee Ah-woon deftly snatched the bottle.
“That’s an apology and a freebie. Anyway, getting medicine these days is becoming harder and harder. Prices might go up.”
“Is something wrong?”
“How many hunters in South Korea do you think are taking Mana Stabilizers?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“As far as I know, just one. You.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. There was one more, but he’s dead.”
“···.”
My mouth tasted bitter.
A life of selling my labor day by day just to avoid death, merely prolonging the inevitable.
Yet destruction remained assured.
Was there truly no way to escape this bottomless abyss?
“Selling to just one person would be too risky in South Korea. The shipping costs would skyrocket. Hell, the peddlers might not even be able to bring it in.”
“Damn it.”
“This time I’ll give you a discount—4 gold. Next time, 6 gold might genuinely be the minimum.”
“Any amount is fine. Just please don’t cut off the supply.”
The old man shook his head firmly.
“I can’t promise that. To be honest, I’m not confident myself.”
“···.”
A heavy sigh.
I stepped out of the tent, my breath weighed down.
Even if life were a runaway locomotive hurtling toward predetermined destruction,
I could not abandon it.
Because the flames of vengeance burned within me.
I walked the path with quiet resolve.
Once, I had harbored a foolish hope—
that someday, someone extraordinary would appear and heal me like a miracle.
But I no longer cling to such hopes.
I had grown weary of waiting for miracles.
‘And yet···.’
If, by some chance, such a miracle were to occur.
If such an opportunity were granted like a miracle···.
To seize that opportunity,
I was prepared to sacrifice everything.
* * *
After Lee Ah-woon’s silhouette had completely vanished,
the man stared down at the coins scattered across the counter.
Four gold coins, blood crusted and dried upon them, reeking of iron.
He swept them into his palm with calloused hands.
“Foolish bastard.”
The Medicine Merchant drew a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
His eyes glistened as he exhaled a long plume of smoke.
‘6 gold might be the minimum’?
What a joke.
He had poured hundreds of millions into the underworld just to obtain this single pill.
Mana Stabilizer was not something that could be valued in mere currency.
Even as a member of the Black Market Numbers, he had barely managed to procure it by exhausting every connection he possessed.
I sold it for a mere 4 gold.
This isn’t commerce.
It’s charity.
But.
“If I gave it for free… you’d refuse out of pride.”
He was too stubborn to accept money earned any other way—the kind who’d reject a gift even with a blade at his throat.
So I played the role of an unscrupulous merchant once more.
“Damn it.”
The Medicine Merchant shoved the blood-stained coins deep into his pocket.
“This has limits. Ah-woon.”
The medicine was running out. No matter how much money I poured in, the supply itself was dwindling.
“Someone… anyone…”
The Medicine Merchant looked up at the sky.
The ashen heavens seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
“Please, anyone at all, save that poor bastard. I’ll give up my entire fortune if I have to… please.”
* * *
“It’s all done.”
…It was instantaneous.
Buying from the Black Market wasn’t difficult.
I calculated half the coins in advance. I designated a location for pickup.
I received the items and verified them. If everything checked out, I paid the remainder and we were done.
In my case, I’d specified one of the Incheon Outskirts Ruins as the meeting place—I appreciated that I didn’t need to see anyone’s face during the transaction.
Trusting my improved physical condition from consistently drinking potions.
I activated synchronization and dashed there and back.
Making the medicine after that was simple enough.
I bought alchemical equipment from the Black Market the same way.
Then I proceeded exactly as I had in the game.
Component extraction. Combination. Mana infusion. Stabilization. Completion.
I’ll skip the other mundane details.
The combination process was quite demanding.
The first mixture combined dried Time Root powder with Dew of Rebirth heated to 80 degrees.
The second mixture required adding Moonlight Cry Herb essence to this compound bit by bit while stirring clockwise.
Each time the mixture turned crimson, I had to stop immediately and hold for exactly three seconds.
‘I recreated the alchemy timing mechanic from the game, but I hope it worked correctly.’
With ten of each ingredient, I’d made twenty bottles total.
I couldn’t yet confirm the efficacy.
However, I made no mistakes during the process.
Judging by the deep crimson shimmer of the potion, it was definitely made correctly.
“How do I appraise this?”
[List it on the Black Market auction. They can handle both appraisal and sales in one place.]
“Efficient. Very good.”
Should I sell another account while I’m at it?
The identity Whitey created for me.
As the proud South Korean hunter Ha Sung-woon, I had no separate Black Market account.
‘I should create a separate Black Market account under Ha Sung-woon’s name.’
This way, I’d have three accounts total.
At some point, I’d acquired one Black Market account under the name ‘Alchemist’.
‘That one’s connected to Lost Honor.’
I wanted to keep that exclusively for Lost Honor going forward.
An official South Korean account issued under ‘Apostle’.
‘The problem is that my transaction history remains transparent.’
Whitey offered to delete the transaction records for me.
But coins are legitimate currency… I still consider it risky.
It’s better not to know how the world works sometimes.
The third one.
A Black Market account under the name ‘Ha Sung-woon’.
The points in this one belong solely to me.
Privacy.
“By the way, where is Lee Ah-woon? Is he at the hospital?”
[No. This actually works out perfectly.]
Whitey pulled up a map.
The blinking red dot overlapped with my intended destination.
[Hunter Lee Ah-woon’s current location is in the Slum District near the Black Market entrance.]
“Oh.”
Then my route was perfect.
Get the item appraised, open a new account, treat the patient on the way out.
“Three birds with one stone.”
I had business at the Black Market anyway, and the patient happens to be there too. The quest route is remarkably efficient—I like it.
“Let’s go now.”

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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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