I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 49

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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 49

“Oh my…”
“How could they have gone like this…”

I passed by the funeral hall one by one, where sorrowful cries echoed.
After walking a bit further, I spotted a familiar face.
It was a joint funeral for three missing persons.
I offered my condolences and bowed respectfully inside.
Lee Jung-hun was the chief mourner.

“…How profound your sorrow must be.”
“Hunter Kang Ha-jin. Thank you for coming.”

Lee Jung-hun, his face marked with dried tear tracks, bowed his head.
Soon after, he called someone and had them take his place.
After eating, as I tried to rise from my seat, Lee Jung-hun held me back.

“If you have time, would you care to step outside for some fresh air?”
“…Yes. Of course.”

* * *

“Would it be alright if I smoked a cigarette?”

In the smoking area outside the funeral hall.
Lee Jung-hun asked for permission briefly, then pulled out a lighter.

*Click-!*

He exhaled smoke with difficulty.

“Thank you for coming.”
“…Why didn’t you contact me? I left you a message.”
“I was too overwhelmed. Since today was the first time we met in person, I didn’t feel right reaching out. Above all…”

Lee Jung-hun’s hands trembled.

Crackle.

He fell silent for a long moment.
He crumpled the cigarette butt between his two fingers—burned down to nothing, all the satisfaction gone.

“My father, my sister, and my cousin. According to the police who found them, all three had been dead for over a week.”
“…!”

I clenched my teeth in that instant.
Lee Jung-hun continued.

“From the start, I was being manipulated by those bastards. If only I’d known it would come to this…!”

He cradled his head in his hands.
He appeared to be in considerable pain.
I gripped his shoulder.

“Lee Jung-hun. Tell me. What exactly happened? Who are those people?”
“…Those people.”

Lee Jung-hun slowly lifted his head and met my gaze.
His eyes were distant, lost in memories of the past.

“Not long ago, my cousin received a contact. It was a request—if I would just accompany him to an auction being held by the Association, they would pay a substantial sum. It was obviously a scam, so I shouldn’t have gone, but damn it…! The guild was struggling at the time, and my cousin went in my place to help me out.”

All three disappeared after that.
It was only after Lee Jung-hun filed the report that contact came.

If you want them alive, come.

From that moment on, Lee Jung-hun became their puppet, forced to do whatever they demanded to keep the three kidnapped victims alive.

‘…I see.’

Now all the pieces fell into place.
In other words, they needed.

“A false identity backed by the Yeomyeong Guild to bid on a special dungeon floor. That’s what they were after.”
“That seems to be it. They said they would return the missing people once the bid was won. I never thought I’d recover them like this….”

I covered my mouth again and sobbed.
My father, sister, and cousin—all kidnapped—had returned as corpses on the same day, at the same hour.
Who wouldn’t fall apart?
To me, Barkalor, Min-hee, and Yahwi being dead made no difference.

“…Those bastards.”

Then.
Lee Jung-hun wiped away his tears.
He lifted his head, his eyes burning with hatred.

“Your Korean was awkward.”
“…!”
“I cannot bring myself to ask you to kill them. Only this—please, I beg you, make their plan fail…!”
“….”

I stood watching him for a long moment.
Then I took his hand.

“To be honest, I learned of your location through means I cannot be proud of.”

The investigation agency’s inquiry was not illegal.
But that information reaching me, someone without authority, was another matter entirely.

“It’s an excuse, but it was for the safe conquest of the special dungeon floor.”
“…I understand. I’m simply grateful you came.”
“If my suspicion is correct and their target is the failure of our raid team’s special dungeon floor conquest, I will stop them. I will atone through that.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you.”

Behind the sobbing Lee Jung-hun.
Someone came running with small feet.

“Uncle.”

It was a boy who looked to be about elementary school age.

“Oh, oh! Our Han-gyeol is here!”
“Uncle, I’ll grow up well. Don’t cry.”
“Right. Uncle won’t cry. … Oh my, what do I do with our Han-gyeol. Sniff.”

…If you mean uncle.
He appeared to be the son of the late Lee Jung-hun.

‘So Father is already gone.’

It’s common for Hunters to die while climbing the Tower.
Even the Yeomyeong Guild had casualties.
Considering his age and gender, that person was likely Han-gyeol’s father.

‘…At such a young age, he’s lost both parents.’

Still, he would grow up well.
Though I only saw him briefly, Lee Jung-hun is a responsible Guild Master and a good person.
He wouldn’t turn his back on Han-gyeol, left alone.
The remaining Guild members are all family and relatives, so they’ll care for him as they would their own children.

‘That’s… fortunate.’

Society is too cold for a child so young to face alone.
Now it’s time for family.
I’ve gathered information and made my promise, so I should step aside—

“Huh? Hero mister?”

I paused.
Han-gyeol’s innocent voice stopped me as I was about to leave.

“Uncle said so. That you’re a hero. Will you save our country, mister?”

A hero.
That word doesn’t suit me at all.
I have no interest in Korea’s national fortune.
If they’re not my people, I can turn a blind eye to others’ suffering.
My atonement to Lee Jung-hun was merely a fabricated good deed, a simple resolve to stop them if they interfered with conquering the special Dungeon Floor.
It was only to obtain Thanatos’s Mark.

“…Yeah. Trust me, and you just focus on growing up strong.”

But for this little one, I should gladly become that hero.
It will take quite a while before he realizes I’m not a real hero.
Until then, he can endure this harsh world with the belief that heroes exist in it.

“Will Han-gyeol be staying at the guild?”
“Yes. I think that would be best. If everyone helps, we can manage to raise one child, and since he’s visited the guild office often, it won’t feel unfamiliar to him. He’s not too young either.”
“I’ll stop by often. Children need to eat well, so I’ll bring some meat.”
“Oh, there’s no need to do that…”
“I’m just going to see Han-gyeol.”

I lost my parents around that same age too.
And I didn’t have an adult like Lee Jung-hun by my side.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Han-gyeol will repay you by growing up well. You heard that, right? You need to grow up big and strong?”
“Yes!”

I’m glad he looks lively.
Though the tear stains beneath his eyes weren’t quite hidden.

* * *

Time passed.
Normally, I would have immediately gathered the clearing team to prepare for the assault, but the Association said they were quietly investigating the two hunters of unknown identity.
Elder Barkalor halted the Temple operation plan and threw everything into reorganizing the Yahwi-class.
He diligently searched through the records about Thanatos in the office’s archive.
Whenever I visited, he would offer me coffee, explain the progress, and smile sinisterly.

“Kehehehe. I’m very much looking forward to what comes after clearing the special dungeon floor, Master.”
“…I’ll head out first. Yahwi is calling me.”

Yahwi had become somewhat more relaxed since his rank increased through the artifact.
He no longer fretted anxiously or overexerted himself to catch my eye.
Probably he’ll maintain this stable state until I recruit a legendary-class resident.

“You are truly a genius, my lord! Just continue training your swordsmanship like this! Don’t be tempted by strange powers!”

Still, he remained excellent at flattery and cooking, and he trained me diligently.

“Yeah, that’s right. Your swordplay is excellent. Haha.”

The plans I was preparing with Barkalor regarding the reorganization of Yahwi’s faction remained secret from him.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of hammering constantly echoed through Eltos’s smithy.
Though given Eltos’s massive frame, it looked more like he was playing house with a toothpick rather than wielding a hammer.

“Min-hee. I’ve finished the items for your customer’s friend. Could you help with the assembly?”

The results were always excellent.
Jeong Min-hee worked diligently as well.
She always arrived at the Temple earlier than I did, and with her natural affinity, she quickly became close to the residents despite not being one herself.
So much so that even Barkalor, who treated everyone else coldly except me, prepared morning coffee for her before opening the entrance portal.

“Elder Barkalor? He’s quite kind, actually. He reminds me of a security guard.”

…He was neither a security guard nor an old man, but.
I let it slide.
In my previous life, I had guarded the Demon King’s castle from heroes.
In this life, I guard the Temple, so it’s not entirely inaccurate.

‘Though back at the Demon King’s castle, I was literally the Demon King protecting my own home.’

I decided not to mention that Barkalor was a former Demon King.
If the gatekeeper seemed too intimidating, people wouldn’t dare ask him to open the portal.
Since Barkalor didn’t choose to be a Demon King, I should respect his privacy.

I continued my Fourth Form training and exploration of the lower floors.
Two days had passed since the auction.
Now, I.

Ding!
【You have cleared Basement 14.】

I had descended two more floors.

【You have acquired 1 Darkness Stat.】
-Current value: 45.

I’d raised Darkness as well.
I’d also obtained roughly 300 Moonlight Stones.

‘Just one more floor down, and I’ll reach the fourth task.’

Based on my experience clearing the previous tasks, the fourth one would likely be related to Eltos’s past.
I’d been debating whether to attempt it before tackling the special dungeon floor.

[From: Hyeon-jun.]
-11th Floor Raider Kang Ha-jin.
-We have the raiding team training schedule we mentioned today, so we’d appreciate it if you could come to the Association’s training grounds.

The Association had called just as I finished my investigation.

Are you doing the guiding too? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.

When I teased him, Hyeon-jun’s reply came back.

[From: Hyeon-jun.]
-Just come, 11th Floor Raider.

Hyeon-jun was probably emphasizing the number eleven to tease me about being last in the lineup.
But something else caught my attention.

‘That means the 9th and 10th raiders are still being assigned as planned.’

Hadn’t they called me because the investigation was finished?

‘They didn’t find evidence.’

The Association’s intelligence network shouldn’t be that incompetent.
If that wasn’t it, there had to be another reason.
As I was pondering this, a new message came from Hyeon-jun.

[Sender: Hyeon-jun.]
-I know what you’re thinking.
-Don’t worry. The investigation is complete.
-Their real names are….

* * *

The Association’s training grounds had been packed with people not long ago.
But now, save for a few individuals, it stood completely empty.
The announcement of the designated authority targets had concluded, so those who had been training merely to impress the Association President had vanished without a trace.
The greater reason, however, was that ordinary Hunters had been barred from entry for the time being.

‘Conquering the special dungeon floor takes priority.’

In other words, everyone here except me was a member of the special dungeon floor conquest team.

‘Come to think of it, is this my second time coming here?’

The first time I came, I had a match with Park Seong-cheol.
Ah, there he is over there.

“Hey.”

The moment I acknowledged him, Park Seong-cheol turned his head and subtly moved away.
It seemed he had no desire to get beaten again this time.
Actually, now that I think about it, I was the one who sought him out back then.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

So there was no reason not to do the same now, was there?
Smirk.
A wicked smile crossed my face at the absurd thought.
Sensing the chill, Park Seong-cheol spoke first.

“Until we conquer the special dungeon floor, I’d prefer to conserve my strength and focus on training.”
“Huh? What’s that all of a sudden?”

Yang Sang-jin, who belonged to the same guild beside him, looked puzzled.

“There is such a thing.”

Park Seong-cheol pretended not to know and stepped behind Yang Sang-jin.
Of course, there was no way the gaunt Yang Sang-jin could conceal Park Seong-cheol.

‘So that bald man in the suit must be the noble Jinhyeok.’

His appearance matched the rumors exactly.
He alone stood with the dignified posture of a nobleman.

‘And those two….’

The two people who had been silent since earlier.
They were the faces from the photograph Hyeon-jun had sent.
Over their faces, the names from Hyeon-jun’s message overlapped.

Their real names were….

‘Li Wei and Lin Xiao-wei.’

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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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