I Conquered the Tower with the EX-Class Character That I Raised - Chapter 6

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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 6
[ROOOAAARRR—!!!]
A roar that seemed to tear apart the waters off Incheon shook the city to its core.
The street trees caught in the aura of mana—the primal force that all magical beasts emanating from the Gate possessed—split with a sharp crack, and the asphalt beneath fractured in jagged lines.
Crawling forth from the Gate alongside that overwhelming aura was a colossal ogre, easily ten meters tall.
“A mutation? This doesn’t match any ogre I’ve encountered before.”
Likely a case of gigantification. Moreover, if it’s an ogre, it’s boss-class from Tower floor eighty.
Without Han Seol-ah, even if every hunter in South Korea threw themselves at it, annihilation would be inevitable.
Standing before that overwhelming violence was only me, perched casually on the rooftop railing.
I opened my palm toward the ogre with ease.
“Eternal Permafrost.”
In an instant, a sphere of cyan-blue cold condensed above my palm.
Like a storm’s eye forcibly compressed, a ping-pong ball-sized orb tinged with deep blue light—within it, the mana of the ice realm raged in violent spirals.
Fundamentally different from the ‘safe mode’ I’d used in my room.
This was the true Eternal Permafrost.
“Go.”
I flicked my finger.
Poof—
There wasn’t even the sound of air tearing. The blue flash pierced through the ogre’s brow in an instant.
FWOOOOOSH—!!!
The world turned white and receded.
Along the trajectory the flash had carved, the atmosphere froze with successive crackling sounds.
The monster that had been roaring moments before was gone, leaving only a building-sized iceberg in its place.
A sculpture of absolute zero—the ogre’s hide, bones, and every drop of blood in its veins frozen solid.
CRACK!
And in the next moment, the iceberg shattered along with its corpse, scattering into fine powder.
“…I’m strong.”
An instant kill without even a scream—clean and efficient.
* * *
—Beep.
“…Huh?”
An unbelievable announcement came through Kim Jin-chul’s headset.
[Gate Clear]
“…Clear, you say?”
“What did you say?”
“W-wait a moment. They’re saying the Gate has been cleared.”
“…A rank-1 Gate, cleared by that one person alone? That’s impossible! Verify it! Now!”
“Y-yes!!!”
Kim Jin-chul quickly sat down and began typing frantically.
“W-wait, y-yes. The Gate signal has disappeared. It’s been cleared!”
“Who on earth? Weren’t all Incheon Hunters supposed to be mobilized?”
“That’s right. All of them. It’s correct, but… it’s definitely…”
“Run a mana scan. Now!”
“Yes, scan activated!”
Beep. Beep.
[Monsters: 0 entities]
[Survivors: 0]
“…None? Nobody? That can’t be right!”
“No, no error. The mana scan’s reliability remains at 99.9%.”
“What in the world…?”
Then who killed the Ogre Big Boss?
“…Try measuring the concentration. And its properties.”
“Yes!”
Kim Jin-chul immediately switched the mana scan from ‘search mode’ to ‘measurement mode’ and swept across the area near the Gate.
“…F-Frost magic.”
“What? Frost… magic?”
‘Han Seol-ah?’
In that instant, the name of Guardian Han Seol-ah flashed through everyone’s minds.
Frost magic, and a powerhouse capable of handling an Ogre Big Boss?
In all of South Korea, there was only one person like that—Han Seol-ah.
“Y-Yes, it must be Han Seol-ah! She must have learned of the crisis in Incheon and rushed out alone…!”
“We’re saved… Incheon is saved!”
The despondent staff members embraced each other and called out Han Seol-ah’s name at the top of their voices.
“What’s the mana concentration?”
“Unmeasurable… In other words, EX-rank!”
“Wow!!! So Han Seol-ah has become EX-rank!!!”
“Han Seol-ah! Han Seol-ah!”
“We wondered where she’d gone, but it seems she met with Ki-yeon and came back!”
Cheers swept through the conference room.
But.
Min Ji-hee knew better.
‘No. It’s not Seol-ah.’
Han Seol-ah becoming EX-rank would ‘never’ happen.
‘…Then who on earth is it?’
* * *
Since it’s so damn impressive, I’ll say it once more.
One shot.
My Permafrost took down the Ogre in a single blow.
Not an ordinary Ogre either. A colossal one.
Even Han Seol-ah couldn’t finish it in one shot—a disgustingly durable monster.
But I killed it in one shot.
This confirms it.
My Permafrost is stronger than what Han Seol-ah fires.
‘Probably because it consumed 50,000 MP.’
“Terrifying, isn’t it? My power.”
The ogre’s corpse transformed into golden dust particles.
The directionless light scattered in circles through the empty air.
The Gate that had expelled the ogre slowly but steadily contracted.
Once the Gate shrank enough and the light particles slipped inside, it would seal completely, and that would be the end.
Until then, I remained vigilant.
There’s a saying: “Even a closed Gate can open again.”
It meant another monster could burst forth from that Gate.
There was a reason I’d eliminated the ogre in a single strike.
This was real combat. Not practice.
In real combat, you must always cut off variables.
With overwhelming firepower, you eliminate them without giving variables a chance to emerge.
If you don’t?
You create regrets.
I speak from experience.
‘I never wanted to know either.’
I decided to maintain my guard until the synchronization naturally deactivated.
And so.
Leaning against the rooftop railing, I sank into serious contemplation.
‘So what now?’
The fake ice dragon—Frost Dragon—entrenched in Pyongyang and driving South Korea toward ruin would be handled by Han Seol-ah.
I’d strengthened her to EX-rank and, more importantly, equipped her with the Genesis-grade staff, Eternal Winter.
And then, after that…
She had sufficient specs to withstand the successive boss breaks until the Tower was cleared and to protect South Korea from annihilation.
Now I’d avoided the worst outcome—destruction.
“Hmm.”
But then.
If you ask whether that’s enough…
It isn’t.
“It’s merely a situation where we don’t die.”
South Korea’s situation was dire.
Clothing, food, shelter—the three elements deemed essential for human survival were all in shambles.
Clothing.
Even the most vital tanks couldn’t achieve 100% armor supply.
Like some medieval era relic, conscripted low-rank tanks had to procure their own armor at personal expense.
…Given this state of affairs, I won’t even mention the equipment situation of other Hunters.
‘…Impossible. Utterly impossible.’
Starvation.
The vast majority of the surviving population languishes in extreme hunger, subsisting on calorie sticks—nutritionally inferior to insect paste—barely clinging to life.
Desolation.
In South Korea, there are only three regions where humans can survive.
Incheon, Seoul, and Southern Gyeonggi Province. That’s all.
And even these places are barely habitable…
The land is poisoned by erosion, unable to yield even a single crop.
‘…At least we can drink the water. That’s something to be grateful for.’
At this point, we’re merely alive—a patient on life support, liable to expire at any moment.
‘If it weren’t for Jin Cheon-jin, the Hunter Association chairman, and Min Ji-hee, the vice-chairman, with their exceptional abilities, we’d have collapsed already.’
Han Seol-ah repels the external threats.
Two heroes sustain the interior—a precarious balance.
There is no hope that life will improve.
Because we cannot conquer the Tower.
Ultimately.
There is only one answer.
Resolve the cause that created this situation.
“I have to climb the Tower.”
Yes. The Tower is the problem.
Clearing the 94th floor is not enough.
I must conquer the Tower to its very end.
I calculated coldly in my mind.
The experience of sparring with Han Seol-ah within Lost Honor.
The strengths and weaknesses of her unique magic—ice arrows and permafrost.
Combined with the overwhelmingly powerful buff granted by eternal winter.
Considering all of these factors…
What is the probability that Han Seol-ah can clear the Tower to its end?
“Zero.”
The answer is absolute: zero.
I admit it.
Han Seol-ah has grown tremendously strong.
But.
If a single hunter’s strength could conquer the Tower…
South Korea wouldn’t be suffering like this.
However.
“….”
I gazed down at my hands.
The vision of the Hall surfaces in my mind.
A long, endless corridor.
At the apex of that hierarchy sat the absolute sovereign.
Nebula, the Hollow Knight.
My magnum opus, cultivated with everything I possessed.
‘…If it’s Nebula’s power…’
It might be possible.
No—I’m certain of it.
‘It’s possible.’
I plunged my hand deep into my pocket.
A rustling piece of paper brushed against my fingers.
White paper.
A simple design adorned with crudely drawn stars, as if sketched by a child’s hand.
Four characters etched in gold leaf commanded my attention.
[Possession Ticket]
One of the rewards I’d received for completing the Epic Quest to elevate Han Seol-ah to EX-rank.
Beneath the ticket, as if prompting me to fill in a target.
{ }
An elongated blank space awaited.
I stared at that void with unwavering intensity.
The answer lies here.
‘But.’
I tucked the paper away again.
‘…I’ll need to test it once to understand the mechanism.’
Extrapolating from Han Seol-ah’s single case alone…
I possessed far too little information.
‘Take it slow. Deliberate steps.’
There’s no need to rush.
I’ve already waited ten years since becoming an Awakening-Disabled individual.
A slight delay won’t topple South Korea.
But if I stumble in my haste?
…That would be the true trigger for South Korea’s collapse.
‘Besides, I’ve already bought us time to endure.’
I trust you, Han Seol-ah.
Whoosh—
The moment my thoughts crystallized.
The Frost Barrier’s mana dissipated like melting snow.
‘It’s over.’
This too is a problem requiring refinement.
I’ve been allotted ten minutes.
Using mana accelerates the countdown—a constraint I cannot ignore.
Assuming I enter the Tower.
I need to get to Seoul where the Tower is located as quickly as possible.
Then enter the Tower and clear it.
Can I do all this in ten minutes?
‘…No. Absolutely not.’
I’ve barely taken my first step as a Hunter, and already the tasks pile up endlessly.
‘Heh.’
Though I suppose it’s a pleasant problem to have.
Anyway.
‘When does that thing close?’
The Gate remained as it was.
‘…I need to head back to my room first.’
If Synchronization deactivates, I become less than ordinary.
If another beast emerges from the Gate in the meantime, it’ll be catastrophic.
‘I’ll reactivate Synchronization and come back up….’
The moment I turned to leave.
“…!”
A tremendous wave of agony tore through my entire body.
“Guh…ack.”
Pain so severe I could barely scream.
I collapsed onto the floor.
“Heack. Wheeze. Hack. Cough.”
Saliva dripped from my mouth.
Between ragged gasps, blood welled up in my throat.
‘If my airway closes, I’ll suffocate.’
My insides felt like they were tearing apart, so I managed to expel the blood with a tiny cough.
“Damn…bastard.”
Separate from my shattered body, my mind snapped into crystalline clarity.
—This is aftereffect.
The price of wielding mana with this pathetic, primitive human body.
When mana existed within me, it was fine.
But now that the mana is gone, the backlash comes.
‘It was fine during practice!’
Yes, it definitely was.
Why does real combat betray me like this?
Even as my insides twisted in horrific agony, my mind raced frantically, tracing the discrepancy.
The difference between simple mana generation in my room and actual combat where I unleashed mana with lethal intent to kill an enemy.
‘The strain on my body is different. Damn it.’
Understanding came quickly.
“Hack. Cough.”
A trial run, so to speak.
And using mana to its absolute limits to kill a monster.
The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.
‘…Still, at this level, I won’t die.’
I assessed the situation coldly.
I wasn’t particularly worried.
I know my body extremely well.
The injuries weren’t severe enough to be fatal.
Just internal damage that hurt like hell.
And it would continue to hurt like hell until these injuries healed.
‘Haa… haa…’
My vision darkened, and my consciousness grew distant.
Pain, shock, and then unconsciousness were taking hold.
But then.
Beyond my narrowing vision, I could clearly see golden light particles shimmering and undulating.
‘…Why is that?’
The golden particles—what had once been an Ogre—should have vanished beyond the Gate.
Yet they were now flying toward me.
‘No, don’t come.’
Perhaps because I couldn’t muster the strength to shout “Stop!”
The rapidly approaching particles reached me—
Whoosh.
…and seeped directly into my body.
“Gasp!”
I jolted upright in shock, flailing like a carp.
“Huh?”
And then I realized it.
…My body, which had felt like it was dying from pain, was completely fine.
“???”
What in the world was happening?

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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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