Chapter 77: Starving Beast 2
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The orc tribes appearing on the 20th floor were causing more trouble than expected.
Tens of orcs would certainly be a threat to intermediate-level adventurer parties.
However, an intermediate-level scout could usually detect the noisy orc tribes and avoid them.
The problem was for those who couldn't avoid them.
In particular, this was causing issues for the supply carriages traveling to the higher floors.
Massive expeditions carve out paths through the forest, creating wide and level paths.
Naturally, the ruckus caused by about ten carriages barrelling through the forest was bound to draw attention.
The orcs were guaranteed to pick up on this commotion.
"The situation's bigger than I thought... I honestly didn't think a few extra orcs would cause such a fuss."
"The problem is their numbers. We need to consider efficiency when transporting supplies."
Distributing food and water to the upper levels is a matter of cost.
You can't spend 10 gold's worth of expenses while only supplying 1 gold's worth.
This was the same reason Kaiden had worked as a porter up to the 20th floor.
It wasn't necessary to hire high-level mercenaries to protect food from horned foxes and goblins.
Nor was it necessary to call down a senior adventurer from above the 30th floor to fend off a helmeted deer.
The guild employed adventurers by rank: novice adventurers up to the 10th floor, intermediate adventurers up to the 20th, and senior adventurers beyond the 30th.
Hiring adventurers under the name of the Guild was a sort of welfare benefit while also seeking efficient placement.
But adding orc tribes into this equation created a significant problem.
"If we don't take this seriously, we might be in trouble."
"Trouble, because of the orcs?"
"No, our wallets are in trouble."
Everyone stared at me in surprise, looking confused by my odd comment.
They're accustomed to adventures in the tower, but not yet to the life of an adventurer.
Their reactions are still naive.
Kaiden, who at least has mercenary experience, is the first to catch on.
"Come to think of it, Rebecca was furious and stayed on the 20th floor."
"Right. Considering her temper, she won't go up nicely, will she? Even if she has to overturn the entire 20th floor, she'll go find her liquor."
Unlike Kaiden, who roughly understood what I was saying, Han Se-ah still looks clueless, unable to grasp the situation.
I simplified the story for her.
"Unlike the Full Moon Wolf where we took everything, this time, it could be Rebecca that takes all the rewards."
Sort of like a last hit steal.
Upon my explanation, her eyes widen in realization.
She hadn't even considered the possibility of an NPC stealing the boss's last hit and the rewards in an RPG game.
But this was a virtual reality game that claimed to be realistic.
If the furious Rebecca, a 5 character, strikes the final blow on the Orc boss, the benefits awarded by the Magic Tower and the guild would go to her mercenary group instead of the player, Han Se-ah.
This isn't like an MMORPG game where you're clicking away with a keyboard and mouse.
There isn't a portal opening up and a new field appearing, nor does the path get blocked when you enter a boss fight.
The Full Moon Wolf could've been dealt with in a single blow by any other adventurer, not just me, right?
Wait, seriously? So you're saying that we might end up losing the main quest reward to a 5 character? A 5?"
-Lol, Roland's network backfiring
-This is what happens when you have too many stars around, LOL
-Yeah, start paying your gate fees for the 20th floor~
-Didn't see this speedrun coming
-Can already see the ragequit if the final hit gets stolen
[Rebecca, the thief of the 20th floor quest reward, donated 1,000 won!]
If Rebecca steals the quest reward, it's 30,000 won
Instead of showing sympathy for Han Se-ah, shocked at the prospect of losing the quest reward to Rebecca, her viewers just start speculating about how powerful Rebecca must be, their excitement only growing.
As you'd expect from a 5 character, Rebecca is strong.
To put it in game terms, I'm a pure tank, and Rebecca is a close combat dealer, someone you might call a sword champion.
I've seen her use her teeth when needed, even biting a monster's neck with her teeth.
It's not a monster biting a person, but a person killing a monster by biting its neck.
As if she's some kind of beast.
She uses all sorts of weapons, but primarily her own body, so naturally, she kills monsters quicker than I do.
"Frankly, thanks to the reward from hunting the Full Moon Wolf, our party is fairly well-off. And the other adventurers and mercenaries know this fact too.
If they want a taste of the money, they have to move diligently."
There certainly are a lot of adventurers eyeing us.
Ah, right. There are quite a few adventurers who want to join our party.
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Our party is led by a senior adventurer, and we have the mage who resolved the Full Moon Wolf incident. People see every morning that we dont even pay the gate usage fee.
Today's Han Se-ah seems to be in charge of being surprised.
She listens to Grace's explanation, clearly amazed, forgetting her earlier worry.
Objectively speaking, our party could be considered a 'premium offer'.
Just the fact that we use the gate for free already makes us the top party.
A job where safety is assured, the workload is light, income is increasing, and networking is easy?
A job where one can plan for their retirement, breaking away from the level of living day to day, is almost something indescribable, even by the term 'dream job', for intermediate adventurers.
"Regardless... That's the plan. Today, we'll go down and prepare for a long-term stay in the tower. We'll ask the guild to use the 20th floor as our base, pack Hanna's inventory with ample food ingredients, and start a long-term exploration."
"A long-term exploration... That sounds good. It's an inevitable step if we aim to climb the upper levels of the tower."
The party members nod in response to Kaiden's words.
They've experienced the benefits of the Full Moon Wolf incident firsthand, haven't they? From equipment imbued with magic to a free gate pass.
No wonder there's no resistance to the idea of dealing with orcs.
As a gamer, Han Se-ah, as a saint candidate, Irene, as a noble maiden in disguise, Kaiden.
Looking at the party members, the one with the least reason is Grace, who hails from a rural village, but that part was resolved by the last character quest.
"I wonder if there'll be a huge orc or something?"
"Perhaps an orc chieftain with superior combat skills, clad in armor, might appear, just like the difference between a soldier and a knight."
"Is there a case where a monster other than an orc controls the orcs? I recall a story in the temple records about wandering orcs controlling goblins..."
"That's when wandering orcs can't handle the hunger anymore and form a group. I think the chance of that happening inside the tower is low."
"Ah, I see."
Although Han Se-ah knows the quest is called 'Orc Kingdom', she does not know the identity of the boss monster, so she asks about it to the party members.
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Raei Translations
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After a well-rested night in a cabin full of magical appliances instead of a tent and filling their stomachs with delicious food; they couldn't be in better shape.
Although there are more orcs, perhaps because they were no longer hiding their presence, they avoid the more annoying battles and head straight to the passage.
It appears that the emergence of the orc tribe is confined to the 20th floor, as the 19th-floor forest remains peaceful.
So, passing through the forest, crossing the plains, and finally coming across traces of the gate, they soon come face to face with the outside air.
"Hoo, the sun is the same, but it feels different."
"I agree."
Han Se-ah resumes chatting with her viewers, with Grace stretching her slender arm and yawning in the background.
If nothing happens on the way out of the tower, it's good, but the viewers might find it boring.
The subject of the conversation was naturally the boss monster they would face on the 20th floor.
Just as Grace, Irene, and Kaiden had been speculating and talking, Han Se-ah and the viewers also began to talk eagerly about the identity of the boss monster.
"Still, it's an orc kingdom, so wouldn't the king come out? An Orc King, saying this makes it seem like the boss is too strong."
-But there's nothing much coming out even though it's a kingdom
-There's a possibility that the quest name is a bait
-Anyway, an orc will come out
-Won't whatever come out be eaten by Rebecca? Is this a forced speedrun?
-It would be fun if the boss was taken down while gathering food for the day
"Hey, are you guys secretly hoping I fail? There's no way the boss will be taken down in a day. If that were the case, it wouldn't be a matter of the players not getting rewards, but the game would just be too boring."
I walked up to Han Se-ah, who was focused on the discussion, and lightly tapped her shoulder.
She was so focused on the camera that she didn't notice me approaching.
I chuckled at her surprised expression and continue talking, pretending not to know.
"What's the matter, why are you so surprised?"
"Eh, ahaha! It's nothing, I was just thinking about orcs."
She spouted a peculiar, awkward lie, having been quite startled.
Her chat instantly filled with laughter, and seeing her embarrassedly bite her lower lip was rather endearing.
This made me want to tease her even more.
Wouldn't the mischievous viewers in the chat feel the same way?
I explained to her why I called her out.
"Let's go to the market together. It would be good to fill up your inventory with food. How much more can you carry if you use magic?"
"Uh, maybe... about 20 bundles of food?"
"Good. That should last us comfortably for a month."
"A whole month?!"
It seems the capacity is counted by slots, not weight.
Seeing her eyes widen at the mention of 'a month,' I somewhat reassured her, and we started walking towards the market together.
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