I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 8

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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 8

“Seriously. A year goes by, and the first time you contact me is because you need something? That’s harsh.”

My friend grumbled as he opened the door.
My home was a basement house near the Black Land.
Setting aside the hole leading to the Temple, it wasn’t exactly the best place to receive guests.

“Come on. I said I was sorry.”

I didn’t hide my joy at seeing him either.
Before, I had nothing to offer him, which only made things awkward.
But that was different now.

“Here. Take this.”
“Huh? What is this?”
“A housewarming gift.”
“You moved in ages ago… Anyway, thanks.”

Hyeon-jun took the shopping bag from my hands.
As he peered inside, it was packed full of meat wrapped in plastic.
Hyeon-jun’s eyes widened as he asked.

“W-what is all this? Don’t tell me… Kobold meat?”
“You recognized it right away.”

Park Seong-cheol, who had burst into my home yesterday, had mainly wanted to humiliate me.
He’d rattled off information about me like he was some kind of fan.
It was possible to connect the meat to the Kobolds on the 3rd Floor.
But most people, even Hunters, would have a hard time recognizing Kobold meat at a glance.

‘The marbling, the color—it’s meat I’ve never seen before.’

Ordinary Kobolds had no flavor, so there was no demand for their meat.
But Hyeon-jun was different.

Click.

I adjusted my glasses with my thick fingers and furrowed my brow.

“Good meat came in? Wait, this isn’t Kobold meat, is it? It seems to have a faint shimmer to it. Something’s different about it.”

The Hunter Association was a public institution.
Everyone who worked there was a civil servant.
Of course, there were Awakened ones among them too.
Not all Awakened climbed The Tower, after all.
And Hyeon-jun was one of them.
A Hunter civil servant who handled unnecessary junk items and spoils of war, registering them under the Association’s name and selling them through Hunternet.

‘He was D-rank, level 7.’

I felt slightly discouraged by the fact that my level was lower than a civil servant who had given up climbing, but I quickly shook it off.

I was now capable of climbing as well.

‘Process the meat. Pay back the debt. I should raise my level a bit before heading back down.’

“Anyway, just try eating some.”
“You want me to eat this?”

Hyeon-jun frowned.
I chuckled at his expression.
I used to be the same way.

“Just give it a taste.”

Sizzle—

After getting permission from Hyeon-jun, the landlord.
I started grilling the meat.
A delicious aroma began to waft through the air.

“Huh, huh? Is this even possible?”
“Looks good, right? Grab some soju. The taste is even better with it.”

Treating a grateful friend I hadn’t seen in a long time to delicious meat.
I suddenly felt the weight of how much my circumstances had changed.

Tsk.

A smile spread across my lips.
When I was below, it was nothing but training, endless training.
Clearing floors, then the next floor.
I’d only repeated that same cycle.
Now that I’d come up, there were mountains of things I wanted to do and could do.
Even Yahwi, whom I’d left alone below and had been worrying about, had already faded from my memory.

‘I’m sorry, Yahwi.’

For now, I needed to enjoy myself a bit, so I’d ask him to handle the automatic hunting.

Glug, glug, glug—

We each filled our glasses and let loose.
Hyeon-jun had apparently even started dating a girlfriend with marriage in mind during all this time.
He still complained that working at the company—the Association, that is—was ridiculous.
He grumbled that he’d rather climb The Tower again.

“Still, back then I felt like I was actually something. Heh. Now I’m just scraping by on a pittance of a salary.”
“Aren’t you level 8? You’d make decent money doing repeated clears.”
“Man, after a clear I come back completely wiped out, so I can’t even spend time with my girlfriend. I only push myself when I desperately need quick cash.”
“Haha, I see.”
“So Ha-jin, how are you doing these days? That is…”

Hyeon-jun watched my expression from behind the glass he brought to his lips.

“Taesan?”
“Yeah, yeah, that place. The public’s going crazy over it. Anyone with some experience in the Association knows about it. That place is pretty intense. You haven’t been hassled or anything?”

Don’t worry.
I’m living well.
Sure, I’m cooped up in a sunless basement with a dark-skinned man.
Everything else is good.

“I’m doing well enough. With my abilities, the 4th Floor is child’s play.”
“Still, be careful. You’re risking your life out there.”
“Hunters aren’t the only ones doing that. Everyone’s in the same boat. Oh, the meat’s ready. Try a piece.”
“Sure.”

Hyeon-jun dipped a piece of meat in salt and popped it into his mouth.

“Wow. This flavor is quite—!”

Hyeon-jun stopped mid-sentence.
His eyes behind his glasses widened dramatically.
He fell silent and began eating like a madman.

Crunch, crunch.
Gulp.

“Wow, wow! What—what is this?! Why is it so delicious?!”
“I told you. It’s quality meat.”
“Is this really Kobold?”
“It is. Just a bit special.”
“Where on earth did you get this?”
“That’s… still classified.”
“Hey! You’re being cold, keeping this all to yourself? Share good intel with me.”
“If you knew, you might end up in danger.”
“…I see. Understood.”

Hyeon-jun looked genuinely disappointed.
But seeing my serious expression, he relaxed and accepted it.

“Ahh.”

We drank deeply, intoxicated by the taste of the meat and the joy of this rare moment together.

‘I should definitely buy some soju on the way down.’

I had a fairly strong tolerance for alcohol, so I could maintain a pleasant buzz.

‘Which meant I could save on drinks.’

There were times when things got so difficult that I wanted to get drunk.
But since I didn’t get intoxicated easily anyway, the cost of alcohol doubled.
So I abstained entirely.

‘It’s nice to drink after such a long time.’

Things would get busy soon, so this was a rare moment of leisure I wouldn’t be able to enjoy.
Still, I made a mental note to have a drink with Yahwi at least once, and glanced at Hyeon-jun.

‘He should be reacting soon.’

“Hyeon-jun. Why did you stop clearing floors?”
“Well, obviously because I was too weak. You need to clear floors to level up, and you need to level up to increase your stats. The 8th Floor was just impossible.”
“Why not just buy items?”
“I did. I scraped together every penny I’d saved. But even with that, I fell just short of clearing it. Damn it.”

Hyeon-jun’s face began to contort in frustration.
But after chewing on the Kobold meat a couple of times, his expression brightened again.
I smiled too.

“Is that so?”

If that’s the case.
Maybe you’ll clear the 8th Floor this time.
I thought so for just a moment.

“Huh? Uh?! Uh!”

Hyeon-jun suddenly let out a strange cry and jumped to his feet.
He saw it.
That message.
I asked nonchalantly.

“What? Did your stats suddenly increase?”
“They did! They went up!”
“Haha.”
“You, you knew about this! Could it be…?”
“That’s right. It’s thanks to the meat.”
“Hey!”

Hyeon-jun suddenly shouted with a serious expression.
Then he swung his palm toward me.
I wasn’t flustered.
It was one of his habits.

Slap!

With a perfectly crisp sound, we high-fived.

“Let’s proceed right away. Give me all the remaining meat. Oh, should we write up a contract first?”

Despite his repeated insistence that I stay and sleep over, I returned to the Basement House.
Strictly speaking, I hadn’t come out just to play.

* * *

Ding!
【An item registered as a proxy on Hunternet Shop has been sold.】
【After deducting commission and transaction fees, 5 million won has been deposited.】
【Current available withdrawal amount: 1 billion won.】

“It sold quite a lot.”

A smile wouldn’t leave my lips.
I’d set 150g as one serving and received 10 million won per portion.
It was an absurd price for meat.
But it was equally absurd how delicious it was, and its value was proven by the fact that stats increased slightly upon first consumption.
I’d brought 100kg when I came up.
So roughly 30kg had been sold by now.

‘1 billion won.’

I’d already gathered half the penalty fee.

‘I’ll pay off the debt soon enough.’

This would end my financial obligations with Taesan.

‘Still, the commission is a bit disappointing.’

I’d listed it for 10 million won, but only 5 million came in.
After the shop’s 20% commission and the Association’s 30% cut for selling on my behalf, that’s what remained.
I felt a pang of regret, but overall I was satisfied.

‘For now, this is the best I can do.’

The hefty commission came with guaranteed anonymity and safety, after all.

[Kobold Meat Buyer]
-What’s this being sold at the Hunternet shop? I bought it half-skeptical, but my stats actually went up lol.

Comments:
-Anonymous 1: More importantly, the taste is insane.
-Anonymous 2: A total rice thief lol.
-Anonymous 3: Where the hell did someone get this from?? Something about sunlight or whatever.

[Pretty sure it’s a Hidden Dungeon.]
-Top Guilds have made statements, but nobody knows what it is lol. The highest anyone’s gone is Taesan Guild Master Ahn Jae-jun at the 53rd Floor. But they said there were no Kobolds like this there.

Comments:
-Anonymous 1: Isn’t this corporate abuse? Who sells meat for 10 million won lol.
-Anonymous 2: But given the effects and taste, isn’t 10 million won a steal?
-Anonymous 3: lol Anonymous 1 shut up. Don’t talk without trying it first.

Look at that.
Hunternet is on fire too.
Not even half a day since I started selling.
A third of the meat was already gone.
Everyone was buzzing about the source and the supplier’s identity.
If I’d sold this meat directly myself.

‘I’d probably be dead or kidnapped by now.’

No matter how I thought about it, my decision was solid.

Zing—

My phone rang.
It was a text from Hyeon-jun.

-Jackpot. The higher-ups at the Association want to see me for a moment?
-I’ve owed you meals for life.
-I thought I’d dreamed it while drunk, but my stats really did increase.
-…Soon, I’m thinking of climbing again myself.
-Thank you.
-I’ll contact you once we set a wedding date.
-No, before that, let me treat you to something big. I want to introduce my girlfriend too.
-Contact me anytime.

“I appreciate it, but it’s all about making money anyway.”

That’s how I replied.
But the fact that I could help a friend who once helped me felt genuinely rewarding.
The higher-ups called for a mere entry-level employee.
It couldn’t be bad news.
Maybe I’ll even get promoted.

‘Just the commissions alone—how much money have I made for the Association.’

Hyeon-jun, who brought such a jackpot item, would certainly receive tremendous recognition.

‘Anyway, he’s really climbing again, isn’t he.’

Well, he said he failed to clear it because of just a hair’s difference.

‘I should start tackling it too soon enough.’

Crunch.
I clenched my fist tightly.
The 5th Floor that had tormented me for so long.
I was finally ready to clear it.
I still wouldn’t be able to completely resist direct sunlight yet.
But with Yahwi’s spear and the new sword, along with my increased stats, it should be entirely possible.

‘I should be able to resist it partially.’

Clearing it shouldn’t be a problem.

‘I’ll have to repay all 2 billion won of the penalty once I’ve earned it.’

I’m in a good mood.
Two billion won paid off in one lump sum.
At the current rate the meat is selling, it won’t take long to reach two billion.
The remaining one billion won is mine to use freely.

‘I told him to let Park Seong-cheol know I’ll repay him soon.’

I’ll still have plenty of breathing room.
I’m curious if he’s caught on to the whole Kobold meat thing.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

A guy who’s been paying back only the monthly stone fees suddenly produces two billion won?
Taesan will definitely notice.
But there’s no physical evidence.

‘I need to find a way to strengthen the security of the Basement House.’

The Wol-yeong-seok Shop sells all sorts of things.
They must have items related to security and concealment.

‘But clearing the upper floors comes first.’

“Tower, enter the 5th Floor!”

Ding!
【Entering the 5th Floor of the Tower.】

Sorry, Yahwi.
I’ll come back down a bit later.
Keep watch over the place.

Whoosh—!

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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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