Chapter 257. <The One who didn’t conquer the stage (3) >

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Translator: Seven

3.

The thirty-eighth stage.

Before I regressed, it was a place that Yoo Soo-ha broke through on his own.

At that time, I wasn’t on the [Attack Team]. Let alone the attack team, I was a shitty Hunter that hadn’t even made it into the rankings.

‘How exactly did he attack it?’

I only found out about it a while later after reading an article.

-The 38th Floor? Freaking easy.

The strategy that the Flame Emperor revealed in the interview was simple.

-Just do nothing.

Inaction(無爲).

-The Boss there wasn’t a Boss that was meant to be broken. Uhh, why? Well, if you play games, you know that invincible monsters sometimes appear in tutorials, right? Those bastards can’t be beaten even if you use edits or cheats. You know, bastards like the Devil King on the 13th Floor and the Librarian on the 21st Floor.

For Yoo Soo-ha, Constellations were [Boss monsters he was forced to lose to], and the elves he led were no different from [in-game NPCs].

-The Boss of the 38th Floor is just like those bastards.

Therefore, Yoo Soo-ha’s conclusion was simple.

-There’s no need to do anything.

Spectate.

Ignore.

-That Boss monster… the Energy Dragon that Dwells in the sea or something like that. Anyway, that guy isn’t the type of bastard that gets in the way of clearing the stage. He’s just a filter that filters the kids going from the 38th Floor to the 39th Floor.

This was the way the Flame Emperor, the undisputed No. 1 ranked Hunter, acted.

There was no Hunter that could stop the Flame Emperor.

Looking back now, those were not necessarily the Flame Emperor’s thoughts alone.

I couldn’t say now that the fact that he could come up with such an inhuman idea made him an unrivaled demonic bastard.

-A few NPCs were lost. But what can you do?

To regard the Tower’s inhabitants as ‘NPC’s and the Constellations as ‘Bosses’.

To deny the context of everyone who had lived, were living, or would live, and to define every stage as a tactical space.

To regard the Tower as a ‘Dungeon’.

-What’s important is that we climb the Tower.

It was a basic principle that was shared by not just the Flame Emperor, but also every person that climbed the Tower at that time, no, it also remained with me for a long time after I regressed.

‘And with that basic principle, the next stage… the 39th Floor suffers the worst outcome.’

I shook my head.

After I finished my recollection and returned to reality, I heard the sound of Anastasia’s teeth.

“What is this quest!?”

Anastasia was clearly infuriated.

“Sorting!? Killing those children who don’t understand aura. Isn’t that hurdle too high!?”

“That’s right. Shouldn’t he at least give them room to make some kind of offering?”

The Count couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Hmm! This is a disaster.”

Smiling slightly, Bambolina touched his chin.

“The Crusader said that the Creator wouldn’t destroy the world they created, but the owner of a mansion would decorate the garden to make it look good. And that God has the personality of the owner of a mansion.”

A heavy silence covered the Crusader.

Seeing my companions like this, I laughed bitterly.

‘Not bad. The current situation.’

I was satisfied.

‘Compared to before my regression… no. To be honest, the conditions have improved so much that I feel bad for comparing them.’

No one was thinking [the quest will clear itself if we don’t do anything].

‘Everyone regards the inhabitants of the Tower to be people just like them.’

When you saw people as people, your attitude towards them would naturally match.

If they considered abandoning the kids who couldn’t use aura, then it could no longer be considered the attitude of treating them as the same.

‘Even if this is an attitude that they decided to take after careful consideration, they are taking it from the perspective of a [leader], not a [game player].’

With that thought, the weight of the decisions they made would not be the same.

It couldn’t be.

“…Kim Gong-ja.”

Anastasia made a sound with her teeth.

She looked back at me, as a leader in the Tower.

“Do you have any… ideas?”

A question that contained many meanings that all carried their own weights.

I nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

I looked at the hologram.

There, the seven races, including the goblins, were illuminated, and could be seen heading towards the Fire River Council. The snails climbed walls, the oni strode down the main street, and the vampires flapped their wings and hung from the pillars in the council hall.

“I planted a seed there a long time ago, and left a farmer to take care of it.”

4.

The building of the Fire River Council was not grandiose.

Instead, it was rather sloppy.

The steps were dug in a circular pattern, forming a basin, and in the center of the basin, the Chairman sat on the bare floor. The floor was made of the same hard dirt as the stairs. Props used in fire plays were also scattered here.

It was hard to think of this as [the pinnacle of power ruling the continent].

-I heard a dog barking. Rime.

Laying in the middle of the circular basin was a snail.

-I don’t know if you heard it too. Rimu.

The 629th Chairman, Seimslam.

The hero who had chopped off the head of a dragon in the previous stage.

In the blink of an eye, the warrior had become old. Her shell was shriveled and wrinkled, and her tentacles were no longer firm. The tentacles that had been cut off didn’t regrow, so only the remaining tentacle wriggled.

-It said that those capable of using aura would live, and those incapable of using it would die… I was wondering if some fearless bastard was playing a prank on me. I tried to trace it, but it didn’t work because that bastard is probably at a much higher level than me.

Seimslam scratched her back with her one remaining tentacle.

The backs of the snail race were decorated with gorgeous blue patterns.

Perhaps the goblin custom of painting tattoos on their bodies… the effect of [Primitive Fashionista] that I had taught to them on the first stage must have been passed down. As the years passed, the patterns became more complex, but it was something that hadn’t been eroded by time, and it made me a bit touched.

-What do you guys think?

-Ugo. We also tried to trace it and failed!

-I felt a being that is much stronger, much much stronger than us.

When questioned by the snail Chairman, the goblins answered graciously. A wise move. This was because there were 11 warriors who thought it was ridiculous that the Chairman had one tentacle left so they attacked, and ended up with only one leg left like the Chairman.

-That thing is too powerful to be considered a living being.

-That’s right. Instead, it’s more accurate to call it the will of nature or the violence of the world.

-No, what are you guys talking about? Then are you saying since we don’t know what that bastard is, we should let all the kids who don’t know how to use aura die? Huh?

-This is why I can’t communicate with elves. Everything is led to a conclusion. All I’m saying is that the bastard who made all that noise is a tough monster.

-That’s what you say before you surrender!

-Or it could mean that we want to go a couple rounds.

-We, as the [group dealing with the incident of a voice in our heads] call for a fact-finding committee to thoroughly uncover the possibility of conspiracy in this situation….

There was a heated debate in the Fire River Council.

Seimslam had been the Chairman for the past few decades. In that time, the appearance of the council, where the goblins once occupied the absolute majority, had changed. Becoming multi-racial made it easier for the council to cope with various situations, but it also made it easier for dozens of opinions to collide.

More and more people began to say strange things like the last statement.

It was at that time.

-Everyone be quiet! I just received information!

In the midst of the chaos in the FIre River Council.

Sitting in the middle of it, the representative of the vampire race, who had been asleep, suddenly opened both eyes.

-Everyone, close your eyes and take a nap for an hour! From now on, I will use the [Dream Notice] to send you images!

The members of the Fire River Council looked at each other. It wasn’t long before they all leaned back in their seats and fell asleep.

Sleeping in the council would usually be seen as a dereliction of duty, but in this case, it was an indisputable performance of duty.

In the dream that they were welcomed in, the representative of the vampire race unfolded the [Dream Notice]. This was a power that was obtained by merging with the dream demons. As a result of several restrictions, it was not possible to violate people’s dreams like the dream demons had in the past, but they could still use it to share fragmentary images, which was enough for now.

-What in the world?

-What is that monster?

Thus, the cutting edge information obtained by the vampire race’s intelligence unit by busily flapping their wings was passed on to the members of the Fire River Council.

The Energy Dragon that Dwells in the Deep Sea. In less than a day, the location and identity of the giant turtle was revealed.

-It’s huge!

-Fuck, is that a turtle or a continent? We could probably go live up there.

-No matter how many times I swing my blade, I probably wouldn’t be able to scratch it!

-Is it covered in aura? No, it feels like its entire body is made of aura!

The council members who began to wake up one after the other, began to make a fuss once more.

-Quiet.

Slap!

The current strongest person slapped the ground with her tentacle to stop the uproar.

-Let’s sort things out first.

The commotion gradually calmed down.

Seimslam spoke.

-That unidentified monster, that turtle called itself [The Energy Dragon That Dwells in the Deep Sea]. It is probably a being with a special name like the gods we worship, so we should seek advice from someone who has been in direct contact with the gods.

Seimslam’s words created a stir in the council.

-By gods…

-Chairman Seimslam, are you talking about something like the [Great Puppy]? However, rimu, wasn’t the bloodline of the divine beast cut off….

-Dammit! Not only did we lose the Holy Land, we even lost the descendants of the Great Puppy!

-If it wasn’t for the chocolate from the New World, rime… We, the [group in memory of the Great Puppy] would like to strongly recommend that a fact-finding committee be established to uncover the conspiracy of poisoning the divine beast….

-Silence!

Slap!

Seimslam once again hit the floor with her tentacle.

-There was a time when the [Great Puppy], [White Lion], and [Snake God] walked among us. Rime. And there were people like Gorke who communicated directly with them.

Seimslam looked around at the crowd.

In her eyes, was a kind of wit that transcended the prejudice and distrust of her race.

-And isn’t the second prophet who came after Gorke still alive, sitting alone on the most perilous snowy mountains on the continent, resting his eyes and waiting for the day his Family Head calls him again?

That’s right.

Just like the Venomous Snake decided to stay on the stage and persevere, Uburka also remained in his homeworld.

‘If I go with Daddy and disappear like this, there will be trouble.’

’Moreover, since Daddy is Daddy, he can only watch his children’s independence, but I am Daddy’s eldest son, so I am the older brother of the goblin race. Their big brother. And a big brother can interfere with his younger siblings whenever he wants, whether they like it or not.’

‘So go and come back, Daddy.’

‘I will wait for you just like I did before.’

However, he hoped that they would reunite a little sooner than they did that time.

That was the conversation Uburka and I had before we parted ways.

‘A trustworthy guy.’

While I was thinking that I really had a good son, the Fire River Council ultimately decided to officially invite Uburka. Some protested, saying that they didn’t want the interference of their ancestor, but they were only able to express their will and were unable to come up with a suitable replacement plan.

A will that cannot be proven is nothing more than a thunderclap. Breaking through all of their thunderclaps with her lone tentacle, Seimslam then shouted.

-Summon Uburka, the 212th Chairman of the Fire River Council!

A summoning ceremony was then held.

Uburka seemed to have told his descendants to perform a special ceremony if there ever came a time when they needed him.

Twelve warriors with particularly large amounts of aura gathered all of their aura together and fired it straight into the air with all their might.

Blue, yellow, apricot, a mixture of twelve different colors pierced the clouds. The beams of piercing aura were so clear that they could be seen from the other side of the continent. The aura, which was only shot as a beam of light without any killing power, lasted for only about 6 seconds before it began to fade.

-Huff, huff…

-I’ll never, ugo, do this, again…

Exhausted, the warriors sank to the ground.

-Bu-, but is this really what the ancestor wanted?

-I don’t know. Ugo. This seems to be our first time trying it.

-Even so, I don’t think he’ll be here anytime soon…

Let’s count how much time passed.

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes… Just as exactly 200 seconds were about to pass.

-Ugo?

Just at that moment, a goblin, who had been looking up at the sky, tilted his head to the side.

-Something like a meteor…

That moment.

Something made a loud sound as it landed in the middle of the fire river council.

Booooom!

The Fire River Council was turned upside down.

-Ugyak!

-Rime!

Dust spread in every direction like a wave. Those with antennae swung their antennae to withstand the air pressure, those with horns used their horns, those with wings used their wings, those with gills used their gills.

After a while, the dust settled, and a huge figure could be seen standing in the crater created by the impact

[The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven.]

Uburka.

A literal living legend had appeared.

-Ugo, I had a feeling you’d call soon.

Uburka didn’t ask the council members why they called him.

Indeed, what was currently happening in the world was obvious to everyone.

-Uburka!

Seimslam called out.

-We wish to receive guidance from you, our preceding Chairman! Do you have any advice for us on that turtle bastard’s intimidation?

-Hmm.

Uburka smiled brightly.

-Seeing as you called it turtle bastard, it seems that you already figured out that monster’s identity. Ugo. You guys really work fast.

-I appreciate the compliment, but does that matter?

-Of course it does. My advice to you is very simple.

Uburka crossed his arms.

-Since you’ve already figured out its identity, then you should know that the Energy Dragon is a huge mass of aura. In itself, it can be called a pure crystallization of aura.

Sitting in the lotus position, Uburka, the warrior who had reached the sky, took a deep breath.

It was the basic aura training method.

-And, ugo, If that is the case.

A stream of pure white air was sucked into his nostrils, and swept through his body before exiting.

-Isn’t it enough to breathe it in like this?

The members of the Fire River Council tilted their heads.

-Breathe it in…?

-What do you mean?

Getting to his feet, Uburka grinned.

-You don’t understand.

-What?

-Fools! That mountain sized turtle’s body is made up of [pure aura]. I wish I could accumulate that much aura. Ugo, that huge body is no different from a [miracle elixir] that would put even a thousand year old wild ginseng to shame!

Only then did some of the council members pause.

The council members who understood Uburka’s words widened their eyes, or wriggled their antennae, and soon began to converse with those near them.

Standing among them, Uburka then delivered the final blow.

-Gather the people. Not just those who know how to use aura, get even those who haven’t embarked on the path of aura yet. Gather tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people. Ugor. This is not a crisis. It is an opportunity! This is a golden opportunity that will never come again to let even those who are the lowest of low rise to the top!

-…!

Collective aura training.

No, what Uburka was suggesting could be called the Great Absorption Technique.

-Gather everyone and let them climb onto that turtle’s back to carry out their training!

The mouths of the council members opened wide.

My companions were also looking at the hologram with wide mouths.

And I, on the other hand, was smiling brightly.

‘As expected, I have a good son.’

Yoo Soo-ha attacked the 38th Floor by doing nothing.

My attack strategy, which I had vowed would be different from the Flame Emperor, was a bit similar.

‘Now, even if I leave them alone, they can take care of things on their own. Good job!’

Inaction(無爲).

However, even if Yoo Soo-ha allowed millions of kids to die by doing nothing, I would achieve a very different result by doing nothing.

Within the hologram, my son was detailing the [different result].

With an evil smile on his face.

-Let’s drink that turtle bastard like rice soup and all become peak masters!