The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 84
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 84
Episode 84: How Are You Still Alive (1)
Mincheol exchanged final farewells with Nasalga.
“I hope we can meet again someday.”
Unfortunately, it was an impossible wish.
Nasalga was a resident of the Tower, and Mincheol was an outsider.
Once he left, the Hidden Quest would be completed and Nasalga’s existence would disappear.
“Take care of yourself. With your skills you should be fine, but you never know.”
“Please stay healthy too, Nasalga.”
Thinking that he wouldn’t see Nasalga again made him feel a bit bitter.
It seemed he had grown quite attached without realizing it.
But he couldn’t stay here.
Mincheol had too many things he needed to do.
【Returning to Earth.】
With that, Mincheol’s body was enveloped in light as the moment of farewell approached.
* * *
“I’m back alive!”
Upon returning to Earth, Mincheol raised both arms high and cheered.
“Kkwak! Kkwaak!”
Beside him, Kkwaekkwi also flapped its wings joyfully.
“Yeah, you’re happy too, aren’t you?”
As Mincheol was petting Kkwaekkwi’s head,
his smartphone suddenly rang.
“Mother?”
Mincheol immediately answered the call. A beloved voice came through the smartphone.
-Son~ I’m not calling when you’re busy, am I?
“I should always answer Mother’s calls even when I’m busy.”
He meant it sincerely.
From the moment he answered the phone, a smile never left Mincheol’s lips.
-It’s nothing major, I was just worried about my son.
“What do you mean?”
-You sent money again this month.
Ah.
Mincheol had been sending his mother one million won every month.
He actually wanted to send more money, but he only sent a reasonable amount so his mother wouldn’t worry.
There were also practical reasons.
When he deposited income from the Auction House into his bank account, various tax issues arose.
Not only that, but if the amount was too large, it created various troublesome problems.
So Mincheol was only withdrawing amounts that wouldn’t cause issues.
-I was wondering where a kid busy with job hunting got such big money.
Mincheol fell into thought.
He had been thinking his mother would ask about this someday.
It would be strange if she didn’t wonder about her son who could barely earn living expenses from part-time jobs suddenly sending 1 million won consistently.
“Well, the thing is. I actually awakened.”
Mincheol confessed the secret he had been hiding all along.
Then his mother exclaimed in shock.
-A-awakened? Don’t tell me you’re entering the Tower?
“Yeah, that’s right.”
-What are you talking about! The Tower is such a dangerous place! Why would you go there!
As expected, his mother burst into anger.
Mincheol waited for his mother to calm down for a moment.
“The Tower isn’t entirely dangerous. There are safe places too. I’m just gathering herbs in safe areas and selling them.”
-Do you think your mother would believe that?
“You’re my mother, don’t you know what kind of person your son is? Do you think I’d dangerously fight monsters?”
-Well, our son is too cowardly to do that.
When his mother accepted it so easily, Mincheol felt strangely disappointed.
Was I really that much of a coward?
-Do you remember? There was a prize machine in front of the stationery store. You said you didn’t want to go outside because the monster drawn on it was scary.
“Ah, no, I was young back then.”
-Oh my, look at this kid? In middle school, you hid behind me when a Chihuahua barked.
With the continuing testimony, Mincheol could no longer deny it.
Right. I was that much of a coward.
-Anyway, I don’t think it’s good for you to climb the Tower. Is there really a need to earn money so dangerously?
“Really, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m only going to really safe places. Really.”
-….
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
Mincheol rambled on, worried that his mother might oppose him climbing the Tower.
“You know what? I’m really good at gathering. I earn pretty good money too.”
-But still….
“If my skills get even better, I might be able to join a guild. Not just any guild, but a large guild like Seol-aeng or Goseong!”
Mincheol gripped his smartphone and said.
“You must have heard of Goseong or Seol-aeng, Mother. Think about your son joining there. How envious would people around be.”
Silence fell again.
Mincheol waited anxiously for his mother’s words.
-…Our son is an adult now. He’ll handle things well on his own.
“Of course! So there’s no need to worry!”
-But remember this. Mother doesn’t need our son to earn money dangerously.
Then his mother spoke up.
“Come on, how old am I. It’s time I secured my own livelihood.”
-If it comes to it, we could run a tteokbokki business together.
“You think food business is easy? And we don’t have money to open a shop.”
-Well, if mother works harder….
Suddenly, Mincheol recalled his school days.
His mother who left at dawn and returned in the evening.
His mother who cleaned everywhere from commercial districts to apartments.
His mother who was happy about finding a commercial district job that paid as much as 750,000 won.
His mother who suffered every night, massaging her finger joints.
“…I’m really fine. There’s no need to worry.”
-If my son says so, then it must be true.
The call ended.
Mincheol silently looked down at his smartphone for a moment.
His mother was right.
Was there really a need to risk danger to earn money?
After all, Mincheol was already earning quite a lot of income without climbing the Tower.
There was no longer any problem with not climbing the Tower anymore.
“I could just keep mining Black Steel or Moonbell Thorns and sell them to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”
He knew that.
But for some reason, Mincheol didn’t feel like giving up on climbing at all.
-Don’t live like your mother, son.
Words he had heard at some point.
He couldn’t remember when exactly. But the scene from that time remained vividly in his memory.
A small studio apartment.
In that space, his mother would spread newspapers all over the floor, searching for jobs.
A woman without a college degree or any skills didn’t have many job options.
At best, cleaning work.
Day labor with barely any hourly wage.
Even those jobs, she got fired from frequently. Each time, his mother would look for a new job.
-Don’t live like your mother, son.
Was it because her eyes hurt from reading the newspaper? Or was it because she was exhausted by the weight of life?
His mother pressed her eyes gently and said those words to Mincheol.
It might have been something she said in passing, but it still remained vividly in Mincheol’s heart.
What did it mean to not live like his mother?
Mincheol didn’t know exactly. But he thought about it this way.
“…It probably means don’t drift around.”
That was exactly why Mincheol wanted to get a job.
He wanted to get an excellent job, be recognized there, and establish his own position.
He wanted to resolve his mother’s resentment that way.
But he had no intention of entering an ordinary workplace.
He was planning to aim for a large guild that everyone would know and recognize.
“That’s why I need to climb the Tower.”
He had to increase his floor level to qualify for applying to large guilds.
“I can do it. No, I absolutely must succeed.”
Muttering like that, Mincheol clenched his fist.
* * *
“…But what if I die along the way?”
Thinking about the Tower’s dangers made him suddenly afraid.
“Actually, this time was really dangerous too.”
No matter how he thought about it, the Special 14th Floor’s difficulty was excessive.
Not only did soldiers pour out, but he also had to fight consecutive battles against knights and the count.
However, the rewards he gained were just as substantial.
By clearing the quest, he got additional stats, coins, and finally even a legendary-grade blueprint.
“I need to reflect.”
A person of character that Mincheol respected.
It was something King Burger from the Hunter Community had emphasized.
If you experience a dangerous moment, you must look back and supplement it.
No matter how trivial, never just let it pass, he said.
“The attacks were too fast, so I didn’t have time to take items out of my inventory.”
It was a problem that hadn’t been highlighted much until now.
But as the attack speed of Awakened and monsters gradually increased, the problem became apparent.
In urgent combat, there wasn’t enough time to take out throwing weapons.
“Movement skills were also a problem.”
The count moved at a speed that was hard to follow with the eyes.
Judging by the effect of his eyes burning, it was definitely a skill.
“Come to think of it, I think Michael Alzen mentioned something about this.”
Whenever Mincheol had free time, he would look up videos about famous Awakened, including Michael Alzen.
Michael Alzen was evaluated as a top-tier Awakened, just like Malcolm Bernard.
His main field was PVP.
The prevailing assessment was that he even surpassed Malcolm Bernard in one-on-one combat.
So watching Michael Alzen’s videos taught him a lot.
-You keep losing every time you encounter PVP floors? That’s because you suck. You have no talent. Give up early.
Michael Alzen was an Awakened with harsh words to match his fierce appearance.
-But aside from you being an idiot, it might be due to other problems.
-PVP is competition. To win, you need to learn superior equipment and skills for person-to-person combat.
-From a certain floor level, if you don’t learn essential skills, you’ll inevitably lose in PVP.
But he was also strangely kind in his own way.
-That could be a mana engine, or it could be mobility skills. Mobility skills are especially important.
-When a tiger hunts, why does it hide and approach? Because if it can’t chase its prey, it can’t succeed in hunting.
-PVP is similar. If you can’t catch up to your enemy, you can’t win no matter what you do. That’s why you must learn mobility skills.
-Chasing enemies, avoiding attacks, creating advantageous situations. All of this is created through mobility skills.
The problem was the price range of mobility skills.
The skills themselves were high-tier, so very high prices were established.
Moreover, the mobility skills Michael Alzen talked about weren’t common or special grade.
-To produce meaningful results in PVP, you must learn at least rare grade or higher. Lower grades can only perform simple movements.
-You need at least rare grade to create variables in combat.
-Price? It’s fucking expensive! Why are you asking such a stupid question, you idiot!
Even Mincheol thought he would need to learn at least rare-grade skills to face strong enemies like the count.
But to obtain those expensive mobility skills, especially at rare grade, required enormous money.
“Should I at least use low-grade movement skills for now?”
While Mincheol was deep in thought.
“Oh, right. I need to investigate the 16th Floor too.”
Since he had cleared the Special 14th Floor and 15th Floor, it was time to prepare for the 16th Floor.
From the 16th Floor onward, the Tower’s concept would change, so he needed to prepare thoroughly.
Mincheol was about to ask about the 16th Floor on the Hunter Community.
-Anonymous : Fuck, only those large guild bastards will benefit again.
-SugarPowder : Can’t the Tower somehow provide a solution?
-DTD : If you don’t want to get beaten up by large guilds and die, you’ll have to pass on this event too.
But the Hunter Community was actively burning with some kind of hot topic.
Not just burning, but people were even fighting with each other.
-Hae-dal : Who told you not to join a guild? These idiots are blaming the guild for their own incompetence.
└Anonymous : What guild are you from that you’ve been acting up since earlier?
└Sea Otter: A guild that a bastard like you can’t even look at, you bastard lol.
“Why are these guys always fighting?”
Mincheol clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Regardless, unable to contain his curiosity, he skimmed through the posts that were flooded with comments.
-Hae-dal : Isn’t it natural for the strong to take more?
-Hae-dal : The guilds invested time and money to raise those Awakened, didn’t they?
-Hae-dal : If you’re jealous, you should have joined a guild too.
The controversial posts were mostly made by one person.
“Wait, isn’t this that bastard?”
Mincheol’s other identity.
It was a malicious user who had constantly picked fights about Zero-second Swordsman and had earned the proper hatred of other users.
After being thoroughly humiliated last time, he had disappeared for a while, but now suddenly reappeared.
“But what’s really going on?”
The topic that was currently heating up the community was too intriguing to worry about Hae-dal.
Eventually, Mincheol had no choice but to write a question post.
-Top Newbie : Why is everyone fighting? This newbie is scared meow-.
└Anonymous : You still haven’t dropped this act?
└DTD : I’ve never seen anyone pretending to be a newbie online who was actually a real newbie.
Today, only unnecessary comments were piling up.
└King Burger : It’s because of an event that’s opening soon.
But just one person.
As expected, King Burger didn’t disappoint.
-Top Newbie : Shouldn’t events be something to be happy about? Why are people fighting?
└King Burger : It’s an event where only Large Guild Awakened benefit.
└Top Newbie : Don’t Large Guild Awakened always benefit during events?
└King Burger : That’s true. But this time it’s especially worse.
Mincheol was puzzled. This time it’s worse?
└King Burger : In this event, everyone hunts Field Boss monsters that spawn in the Event Stage together.
└Top Newbie : Oh, I think I’ve seen that in games. Do they give different rewards based on damage dealt?
└King Burger : You know well. Just as you said, contribution is given based on damage dealt, and rewards are distributed according to contribution.
Suddenly, an ominous premonition flashed through Mincheol’s mind.
The boss’s health was limited. And it had to be shared among everyone.
In such situations, what powerful factions would do was predetermined.
└Top Newbie : Don’t tell me Large Guilds control the Field Boss?
└King Burger : Right. They thoroughly prevent other Awakened from touching the Field Boss. Even if it means killing them.
└King Burger : Oh, this includes small and medium guilds too. Except for those that made prior alliances with Large Guilds.
Only then did Mincheol realize why all the community Awakened were angry.
Large Guild Awakened were truly powerful individuals of a different caliber.
When they were determined to control the boss, who could stop them?
It was truly an event where only Large Guild Awakened would benefit.
-Top Newbie : But what are the rewards that they go to such lengths to block others?
└King Burger : They say various things come out. Inventory Expansion Vouchers, unique skill enhancement tickets, even skill selection boxes.
Skill selection box?
Hearing about this item for the first time, Mincheol immediately wrote a follow-up question.
-Top Newbie : I know about skill random boxes. What’s a skill selection box?
└King Burger : You select a category and skills randomly appear within that range. If it’s sword-type skills, then sword-type skills; if it’s defense skills, then defense skills.
At King Burger’s explanation, Mincheol’s eyes lit up.
“What? There was something that good?”
If he could select categories, the probability of getting the skills he wanted would increase dramatically.
It was indeed a reward worthy of an event involving hunting Field Boss monsters.
-Top Newbie : Isn’t that incredibly good?
└King Burger : It’s good, so that’s why Large Guilds are directly stepping in to control it.
If even Mincheol was tempted just by hearing about it, how much more so for others?
‘With this, I could cover my weaknesses too.’
Lack of mobility skills and throwing delays.
With just a skill selection box, he could solve one of these problems instantly.
The problem was that Large Guilds were controlling it.
Even Mincheol didn’t have confidence to compete with them.
‘What if I get on their bad side?’
It would be very troublesome if it negatively affected his job application.
Of course, he could hide his identity with the Don’t-Know-Don’t-Know mask, but he didn’t want to take unnecessary risks.
“Can’t I just attack the boss from far away, get the reward, and escape?”
It was when Mincheol muttered absentmindedly.
At that moment, Sacred Light Heaven Strike flashed through his mind.
Sacred Light Heaven Strike was not only powerful but also had long range.
If he sniped the Field Boss from far away with this?
He might be able to steal the reward and run away without Large Guilds being able to interfere.
“But I don’t think the range was that long.”
Mincheol fell into contemplation again.
Then his thoughts turned to Cardmos.
Right after completing the first Quest, Mincheol had glimpsed Cardmos’s memories.
At that time, Cardmos had massacred thousands of Orcs with Sacred Light Heaven Strike alone.
Of course, the Sacred Light Heaven Strike that Cardmos wielded in those memories was incomparably more powerful than Mincheol’s.
And above all, it extended incredibly far.
Almost reaching the horizon.
“Could this be?”
Wouldn’t Cardmos know a way?
He had already secured a promise that after defeating the Count, Cardmos would teach him one more application of Sacred Light Heaven Strike.
Mincheol immediately took out a Memory Stone.
If things went well, it seemed like he could obtain another honey pot.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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