The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 182

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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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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 182
Chapter

Episode 182: A Famous Figure (1)
Mincheol immediately opened the YouTube app.
He didn’t even need to search for the video. It was already plastered across the main feed as a trending upload.
【Deranged Killer… ‘Butcher’ Real Combat First Revealed!】
“What the hell… who’s calling me a deranged killer!”
Mincheol shouted in frustration.
Every time he encountered other Awakened, he was misunderstood as a murderer, a madman—it was infuriating beyond words!
“No, this isn’t the time for that.”
Mincheol hastily pressed play on the video.
He needed to check whether anything that might expose his identity had been captured.
Fortunately, his figure in the video was so blurry that his form was barely recognizable.
“Phew… thank goodness.”
Mincheol set down his smartphone and exhaled a sigh of relief.
Given his current enmity with the Hope Society.
If his real-world identity were exposed, the consequences would be far worse than mere inconvenience.
“Who on earth filmed me?”
Now that his anxiety had eased, curiosity took its place.
Though he had clashed with Awakened multiple times before, this was the first time footage had been captured.
Recording items were rare, but it was also thanks to the ‘Mask of Concealment’ that he used.
The ‘Mask of Concealment’ was an item crafted by the Empire’s greatest mage-engineer to hide one’s face.
Previously, to verify the item’s effectiveness, Mincheol had purchased and tested a rare-grade recording item.
The result: it didn’t activate at all. Nothing was captured.
“But this time the video was definitely recorded…”
Whoever filmed him must have used a high-grade recording item.
Unique grade? Perhaps even Legendary grade.
“As the floors get higher, these problems arise too.”
Higher floors meant stronger Awakened.
Stronger Awakened possessed higher-grade items.
The probability of the Mask of Concealment being pierced increased accordingly.
That was roughly the situation.
From now on, he couldn’t rely solely on the Mask of Concealment.
“I’ll need to acquire a more powerful item as a precaution.”
At least his identity hadn’t been exposed—that was fortunate.
Mincheol browsed the video’s comments with ease.
The comment section was a chaotic mix of Korean and foreign characters.
@Remaining_u72: This isn’t combat… it’s a hunt…
“This isn’t a battle… it’s a hunt.”
@DealIsGood_e54 : Is this an AI video? How are Middle Layer Awakened getting massacred by Lower Layer hunters?
Mincheol skimmed through the Korean comments. They were all praising him.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Being human, Mincheol couldn’t help but feel good seeing comments that praised him.
“What are the foreigners saying?”
Mincheol used YouTube’s translation feature to browse through the comments.
His expression darkened immediately.
@JM555 : Crazy Fucking Murderer!!
@MyNameJJ : Fuck! This is combat!
@MMyers : Kill them! Kill more! Crazy Fucking Murderer!!
Every single comment was flooded with “Crazy Fucking Murderer.”
“No… nobody even died…”
At this point, protesting felt exhausting.
Mincheol was wondering where he could complain about this.
@TakeOff : Korea bred a monster. The World Game this year is going to be intense, huh?
World Game.
It was an unfamiliar term.
“Bokdol-i, do you know what the World Game is?”
Mincheol asked Bokdol-i, who was in the middle of cooking.
Bokdol-i’s hobby was web surfing.
Since he spent every spare moment digging through the online world, he was more knowledgeable than Mincheol.
“Yeah, I know about it.”
As expected, Bokdol-i didn’t disappoint Mincheol’s expectations.
“It’s one of the Tower’s major events. Awakened from different countries compete against each other. The game format changes every time.”
In other words, it was the World Cup and Olympics of Awakened.
As an Awakened myself, I couldn’t help but become interested.
“The participation requirements are strict too. First, you have to reach Floor 41 or higher, and you also have to compete in your country’s preliminaries.”
“So only Awakened representing their countries can participate?”
“Right. That’s why only famous Awakened participate. Currently, South Korea’s strongest candidates are Baek-ryul and Go Dan-hae.”
Baek-ryul and Go Dan-hae.
Among the rising stars, they were the most famous Awakened.
Mincheol had heard their names so often he was sick of them.
“China has the Returning Archer Zhang Ming-yan, and the United States has the Vegetation Ruler Greg Powell. As for the others…”
Names of Awakened representing each country poured from Bokdol-i’s mouth.
While many were unfamiliar, more were known to me.
They were names that appeared frequently when browsing news pages.
Zhang Ming-yan, who sniped all the event participants and won the championship, Greg Powell, who supposedly stopped an avalanche alone…
‘If I participate in the World Game, does that mean I’d fight against famous people like that?’
The moment I thought that, my heart raced.
Not just a skilled Awakened. An Awakened representing an entire nation.
Just how skilled was he? What abilities did he possess? And how would he approach combat?
I was curious.
A hunger-like yearning welled up within me.
‘So you need to surpass Floor 41 to participate?’
Floor 41.
That number made me pause.
Was surpassing Floor 41 difficult?
No—it was something else entirely.
‘…When am I going to get a job?’
My original reason for climbing the Tower was to build credentials for employment.
Currently, I had reached the 34th Floor.
This was more than enough to secure a position at a Large Guild.
‘I should stop here.’
The Tower was a dangerous place.
Just in this Hidden Stage, hadn’t Middle Layer Awakened suddenly intruded without warning?
It would be wise to stop climbing now and earn money safely and comfortably as a gathering specialist.
Above all, it was the only way to ease my Mother’s worries.
‘But….’
The words “World Game” kept nagging at my mind.
“Hmm….”
I pondered for a moment, then asked Bokdol-i.
“Bokdol-i, what do you think?”
“About what?”
“I was planning to build just enough credentials to join a Large Guild, and then earn money by gathering. But….”
It was a somewhat rambling explanation.
But Bokdol-i, being an excellent artificial intelligence, grasped everything I was trying to say.
“Why not just challenge the World Game and then stop?”
And offered a clean solution.
“Huh?”
“Think about it. You’ve become far too strong anyway. If you’re going to get hired as a gatherer at a Guild, you’d have to hide your true abilities anyway. What does the floor number matter?”
I blinked my eyes repeatedly.
“Now that you mention it… that’s true?”
“Right?”
“How did I not think of something so simple?”
“When you overthink things, the answer often becomes harder to see.”
Bokdol-i said it as naturally as breathing.
‘That’s it—challenge the World Game and then stop. That’s how I’ll honor my Mother!’
Once I’d decided on a course of action, my heart felt lighter.
My face brightened.
* * *
Since I believed this would be my last chance, I wanted to take on a challenge I wouldn’t regret.
‘Then I should boost my stats as much as possible, right?’
Even passing the preliminaries wouldn’t be easy.
My opponents were Baek-ryul and Go Dan-hae, after all.
“Teacher, could you come out for a moment?”
Mincheol first called out to Sihae Yeomhwa.
Through Memory Stones, I could gain not just skills, but knowledge as well.
It meant I could grow stronger in the most efficient way possible!
“I’d like to receive the third Quest.”
“Ah, that might be difficult.”
But contrary to Mincheol’s expectations, Sihae Yeomhwa refused the request.
“Huh… Is my proficiency with Blackheart Technique still insufficient?”
“That’s not it. It’s just…”
Sihae Yeomhwa trailed off.
“The old man… Cardmos Dunwall is sulking.”
“What?”
“We met separately last time. He got really upset when I transmitted the second skill to you. He said he became my teacher first, but by me teaching you a skill, we became equal with two each?”
“Recently I received one more Meteor Spear Technique, so now I have three?”
“So if I transmit another skill to you this time and we become equal with three each, he’s going to throw a fit. I can’t handle that.”
Mincheol’s mouth fell open at the absurd reason.
“I’m sorry, but please clear the old man’s Quest first and come back.”
With those words, Sihae Yeomhwa vanished.
Mincheol stared at her Memory Stone with an exasperated expression.
“No, this old geezer really…”
To receive Sihae Yeomhwa’s skill, I had to accept Cardmos’s Quest.
The problem was that Cardmos’s Quest wasn’t ordinarily difficult.
“How on earth am I supposed to use Meteor Spear Technique for close-range combat…”
The condition to unlock Cardmos Dunwall’s third Quest.
It was to utilize Meteor Spear Technique for close-range combat.
With any other skill, it would have been an impossible task.
But Meteor Spear Technique was originally a spear technique that could be utilized for both long-range and close-range combat, supposedly.
“Does he think I’m a genius like him?”
Whenever I had spare time, I pondered it bit by bit, but I couldn’t grasp it at all.
But what could I do? I was the one in a hurry.
“Is there anyone I can ask for help?”
Mincheol’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Ah!”
* * *
“So you came to ask me about it?”
Dawn Playground.
A beautiful young man whose gender was indistinguishable at first glance opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Yeah, I figured you’d know a way.”
Hae-in.
A mysterious spear user who suddenly appeared at the Playground one day.
I didn’t know their exact identity, but one thing was certain—they were a far superior Awakened compared to me.
Perhaps Hae-in could provide me with an answer.
“Well, I’ve obtained skills that can be utilized in various ways before….”
“Really?”
I looked at Hae-in with brightened interest.
“I just did it and it worked?”
“…Just?”
“Yes, just.”
“Don’t joke around.”
“I’m serious.”
An awkward silence fell between us for a moment.
“You can’t do it, can you?”
Was this the deception of a genius?
I glared at Hae-in with narrowed eyes.
“That’s strange. You should be able to awaken to it.”
“What are you talking about? Do you know who I am?”
“You’re not me. So you should be able to do it even more easily.”
“What are you saying?”
Hae-in’s words implied that as someone even more of a genius than them, I should naturally be able to do it.
However, to my ears, it merely sounded like the deception of a genius.
“Do you still use dual swords?”
“Still use them… or rather, I’ve never gone a day without using them.”
“What about spears? Have you used them in actual combat?”
I searched my memory for a moment.
Using a throwing spear counts as using a spear, doesn’t it?
“I have, yes.”
“…So you don’t use them as your main weapon.”
Suddenly, Hae-in clapped their hands as if they’d figured something out.
“I got it. I know why you can’t utilize your skills.”
“Really? What’s the reason?”
“Because you don’t use them often.”
I felt my spirit deflate.
It was the exact same advice Cardmos had given me before.
“Don’t mess with me.”
“I’m not messing with you.”
“I practice every day.”
“Have you ever fought in actual combat?”
“Well… I suppose I have?”
I do throw spears, after all.
“Look, you haven’t. Do you think practice and real combat are the same thing? The quality of experience is completely different.”
It was a fair point—I couldn’t deny it.
Even I had grown noticeably stronger each time I faced a formidable opponent.
“So what should we do? Should we climb the Tower with a spear right now?”
“There’s a better way.”
“A better way?”
“I know a place where you can gain experience faster and more efficiently.”
Hae-in wore a mysterious smile.
An inexplicable sense of dread washed over me.
* * *
And shortly after.
I found myself trapped behind massive iron bars, wearing a mask.
“…What?”
The space was roughly half the size of a basketball court.
The sand beneath was soaked with blood, mixed with broken teeth.
Scattered patches of torn flesh were visible here and there.
Where am I? Why am I here?
Across from me, a muscular thug raised his fists high and let out a savage roar.
“You bastards! How much did you bring today! Put it all on me! I’ll make sure you win big!”
The thug bellowed at the spectators outside the arena.
“Spine Destroyer! Spine Destroyer!”
“Fold him in half and break him today!”
“I bet my entire fortune! If I lose, I’ll die by your hand!”
The crowd responded with passionate cheers.
The thug was mad, but so was the audience.
[Thank you all for waiting!]
A commentator’s voice echoed from speakers positioned throughout the arena.
[No mercy! No forgiveness! Real fighting where blood flows and bones shatter!]
The commentator’s voice boomed with a volume that rivaled an opera singer.
[We now begin the third match of the Crimson Arena!]

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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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