I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 10

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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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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 10

“Guild Master!”
“Shut it. I can see for myself.”

Guild Master’s Office of Taesan.
Ahn Jae-jun, an S-rank Hunter and guild master, stood with a furrowed brow.

-Fastest Clear of the 5th Floor: Kang Ha-jin.

This was not good.
A hunting dog cast aside after outliving its usefulness.
I had left him to rot, thinking his injuries were too severe for him to return.
Yet somehow he had scavenged something from somewhere and came back stronger.

‘…And he’ll bare his fangs now, no doubt.’

A guild member spoke to Ahn Jae-jun, who was clutching his throbbing head.

“Um, what should we do? Do you think he’ll come back out of lingering resentment?”
“Nonsense. It’s time to stop thinking about re-recruitment and start thinking about elimination. Though there’s no harm in trying first.”
“True. If another guild poaches him, our unshakeable first-place position could be threatened.”

Ahn Jae-jun let out a dry chuckle at those words.
So that’s what he meant by first place—guild rankings.
Obsessing over being number one in this cramped little territory.
Such trivial ranking games held no interest for him whatsoever.
What truly concerned him was something else.

‘When that day comes.’

When they descend upon this land.
Taesan must be chosen to represent Korea—no, the entire Earth.
And the protagonist of that prophecy had to be none other than Ahn Jae-jun himself.

‘The other guilds in Korea are far too weak to surpass us anyway.’

Now that I had bent the political establishment to prevent foreign guilds from expanding into South Korea.
His existence was a significant variable.

Kuguguguuu—

An enormous aura erupted outward.
The guild member watching him gulped, swallowing hard.
Though it didn’t show on the surface, his fury was unmistakable.

Crack—

The force was so tremendous that a hairline fracture appeared on the orchid pot.

“….”

Ahn Jae-jun stared at the sight quietly.
Then he hurled it roughly onto the office floor.

Clang—!

“Sir, wasn’t that one you treasured?”
“It’s cracked, so it’s garbage now. Throw it away.”

A flash of displeasure crossed Ahn Jae-jun’s face.

“Given the timing, that Kobold meat must be his doing too. Now that he’s got a lump sum, he’ll come to repay his debt soon.”

But then he straightened his tie.
Getting angry wouldn’t change the situation.
There was no way a single Hunter who’d just barely reached level 5 could thwart his grand plans.

“He won’t transfer that large sum directly. When he comes to the guild to settle his debt, execute the plan.”
“The plan, you say….”
“Try to persuade him to rejoin by waiving the penalty fee, and if he refuses….”

Whoosh—

He put on his outer coat and continued speaking as he headed toward the door.

“Kill it.”

Screeeech!

Ding!
【A special stat radiates brilliance.】

The opponent was merely level 5.
There was no need to organize a separate assassination unit.
In that moment, something flashed through Ahn Jae-jun’s mind.
A special dungeon floor on the 10th Floor had been discovered at Taesan.
A raid team composed of ten members, all level 10 or below, was standing by for it.

“Ah, how convenient. The raid team discovered on this 10th Floor’s special dungeon. Let me test them out. After all, there’s no rule that says practical experience must come only from monsters.”

* * *

Bzzzzt—.
Bzzzzt—.

“Geez, seriously.”

I was being tormented by my phone vibrating as if it might burst apart.
Usually it was just spam messages or debt collection notices—something I’d even forgotten could function.
Now it was performing like a vibration alert on overdrive.

-[From: James.]
-[From: Director of Power Management, Osung Guild.]
-[From: Director of Public Relations, Otugi.]

‘Huh.’

An exclamation escaped me unbidden.
They were all big names.
From food companies inquiring about securing additional Kobold meat to renowned Hunters—they were all here.

‘Kobold meat infused with sunlight. Everyone would covet it.’

Both the taste and effects were legendary.
The most prominent message came from James, America’s top Hunter, and I was receiving endless contact from the Osung Guild, China’s number one guild.

‘An incredible barrage of offers. How did they even get my contact information? I should change my phone number.’

I suddenly recalled how foolish it had been to sign my first contract with Taesan.
Of course, I had no intention of immigrating to another country just for money, but still—I had been far too hasty.

‘Well, at least it made me stronger.’

It was a problem I would have faced no matter where I went.
That didn’t mean I was grateful to Taesan.

Crunch—

Whenever I recalled that look in Ahn Jae-jun’s eyes, fury boiled up inside me.

‘I’ll be visiting him soon.’

【Hunternet.】
【Available Withdrawal Balance: 3,321,210,000 won.】

I no longer had to live in degradation.
I’d give Hyeon-jun a congratulatory gift as generous as his gratitude deserved.
And now I’d feed Yahwi, who had become like family, only the finest food.

‘And the family members who will join us in the future.’

Then, as I continued checking messages, my eyes stopped on one particular message.

“Huh?”

Among the countless messages,
there was one that stood out distinctly.

[Sender: Shin Hyeon-jun.]
-Ha-jin, it’s me.

It was Hyeon-jun, just like before.
Up to this point, it was ordinary.

-I just met the Association Chairman.
-I still can’t believe it.
-I’m not sure why, but he was looking for you. Not some meat distributor—Kang Ha-jin, you.
-Looks like he did a full investigation;;.
-I didn’t tell anyone, so I’m sorry.
-Anyway, he wants to see you once. He looked really desperate about it.
-It probably has something to do with the meat situation….
-Or maybe this 5th Floor conquest operation.
-Either way, it doesn’t seem like anything particularly dangerous.
-Let me know.

‘The Association Chairman?’

I never expected this.
Not even when I awakened as SSS-rank.
And not when I hit a wall on the 5th Floor and fell into ruin.
The Association had never made any contact with me.

‘But now, of all times?’

Unlike guilds, which operated almost like private enterprises, the Association had the nature of a public institution. What business could they possibly have with me?
Of course, they had affiliated Hunters as well.
Usually, they handled cases where Hunters were suspects, or when a Tower Break occurred, they remained in the city to fulfill civil defense roles.

‘Could they be trying to recruit me as an Association Hunter?’

No, that made no sense.
With my stock rising as it was, I would never accept such an offer.
I had heard that relations between the Association and the guilds were poor.
If the Association had managed to survive while caught between increasingly powerful guilds, then the wisdom of its chairman must be considerable.
He would never make such a proposal in the first place.

‘Anyway. I should think this over.’

Since I had no intention of joining any organization yet, I needed the Association’s support to maintain my position against guild overreach.

‘That won’t last long either.’

Rumor had it that the Association Chairman had fallen ill due to old age.
If the next chairman was someone from a particular guild or had different inclinations.
A bloodbath might very well ensue.

‘Perhaps that’s why he called me.’

Unfortunately, I had nothing to offer him right now.
But it would be good to establish a connection.
As I hesitated briefly, I alternated my gaze between the 3.3 billion won and the message.

‘Do I really need to ask the Association for help just to repay a debt?’

The answer was simple, really.

‘Only a fool would willingly stick their head into a tiger’s mouth and hope not to get bitten.’

I called Hyeon-jun.

“Hey, it’s me. There’s something I’d like to ask the Chairman about….”

* * *

As the sun set in the afternoon.
I headed toward the Taesan Guild.
Upon entering the building, I saw many people.
They were heavily armed as if preparing to raid The Tower as a group.

‘Or perhaps they’re preparing to raid me.’

The looks they cast in my direction were far from ordinary.
These were people I once considered family.
I straightened my spine and headed toward the elevator.

Ding!

Whoosh—.

The door slid open, revealing three burly figures inside.
I waited, as courtesy dictated that those exiting should go first, but they made no move to leave.
They simply stood there, looking down at me, their fingers hovering over the open button.

“….”

Ah. So that’s how it is.
Despite the blatant provocation, I stepped into the elevator.

Click.

I pressed the button for the top floor.
How could I forget?
The first place I’d visited after signing my contract was the Guild Master’s Office.

[10th Floor.]

Whoosh—

“Well, I’ll be.”

When the doors opened, the sight was even more striking.
Countless Hunters lined both sides of the corridor in perfect formation.
Naturally, this wasn’t a welcoming committee for me.
They surely hadn’t been standing like this for the past twenty-four hours.

‘Intimidation, then.’

Or perhaps a threat.
If I didn’t give them the answer they wanted.
I’d have to face every last one of them.

‘They all look like they mean business.’

Of course, appearance alone doesn’t fully determine combat prowess.
But these musclebound types were all equally intimidating.
I hadn’t been with Taesan long enough to recognize most of them, so nearly everyone was a stranger to me.
As one of South Korea’s top Guilds, Taesan naturally had its share of famous rankers among their ranks.

‘There’s no way those so-called hotshots would be at the guild during weekday hours like this.’

The ambitious ones climb the Tower.
The content ones are probably drunk in penthouses with women hanging off them.
In other words, these bastards eyeing me are small-time at best.
So my first impression was.

‘This might be worth trying.’

Crack.

I rolled my neck side to side, making the sound.
If you’re going to come at me, then come.
I won’t just stand here and take it.
I calmly absorbed the fighting spirit and killing intent pouring down upon me.

“What? You were here too?”

And as I walked a bit further.
A face covered in bruises and twisted in a grimace came into view.
It was a familiar face.

“Park Chul-seong.”

Flinch.
His shoulders trembled at the sound of his name.

Who was he?
An A-rank talent ambitiously recruited by Taesan and my rival during my promising days.

‘Though it was all self-proclaimed.’

I never actually considered him a rival, regardless of what Ahn Jae-jun thought.
Ah, speaking of rivals, something comes to mind.
Before I was expelled, I was told that I had discovered a Special Dungeon Floor.
Only those level 10 and below could enter, so originally I was supposed to be in charge of it.
It was a kind of push for newcomers.

‘I was kicked out before receiving the full details, but that guerrilla team was supposed to have 10 people including me.’

One, two, three….
Coincidence or not, there were exactly ten of them now as well.

“Ah. So that’s how it is?”

Without me, who had been SSS-rank?
Then A-rank would naturally be next in line.
It might be a leap in logic.
But if my prediction was correct, it seemed this fellow was the one leading this team now.

“Don’t laugh. And—”

Park Chul-seong bristled as I let out a scoff at the absurdity.

“Park, Chul-seong…!”
“Mm.”

I felt like applauding him for his effort.
Yet even after taking that beating back then, his neck was still stiff with pride.
Deciding he didn’t care anymore, he spoke in a rough tone with his rigid posture.

“Kang Ha-jin. I don’t know what you’re so confident about, but let’s see how long you can stay so relaxed.
“Thanks for the concern.”

Pat, pat.

Behind me, he was saying something like “It’s not concern!” but I brushed it off lightly.
Yeah, he had a point.
My level was only 5.
Meanwhile, the Hunters here were likely veterans who had climbed well past the 20th Floor at minimum.

‘So what?’

It wasn’t as though I hadn’t made any preparations.

Bzzt—

Right on cue, my phone rang.

[Sender: Association Hunter]
-Hunter Ha-jin, everything is ready.

It was a hunter from the Association whom I’d asked for through Hyeon-jun.
He’d mentioned which team he was on and what position he held, but I’d just saved it haphazardly since I couldn’t be bothered.
What mattered was that my confidence had grounds.

Creak.

I opened the Guild Master’s Office without knocking.
Inside, I saw eyebrows raised in an irritating sneer.

Clench—

Even though I’d come prepared for everything, my fists tightened with rage.
Ahn Jae-jun, seated at the head of the table, grinned wickedly.

“Skip the pleasantries. Let’s get straight to business.”

Ahn Jae-jun lifted his body from where he’d been lounging in his chair.
Then he slid a sheet of paper across the desk.
It was a contract template.

“You don’t have to pay the penalty fee. Instead, come back to our Taesan….”

Ridiculous words spilled from his mouth.

Tap.

I didn’t listen any further.

“You’re full of it. Take the money and go.”

Whoosh—!

The torn contract scattered across the floor.

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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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