A Wimp's Tower Strategy Guide Chapter 18
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Joo-hyuk was in the midst of clearing the 25th floor.
Any player who had overcome the final goblin segment on the 20th floor could clear the 25th floor without significant difficulty.
Because the pattern was similar.
However, the problem was the Orc Warchief.
What truly mattered was the strategic tactic to counter this bastard.
Of course, it was an aspect Joo-hyuk didn't need to concern himself with.
Gobang and Cossack would handle it anyway.
The weakest amongst the orcs was the Forest Orc.
Its build was small, and its attack power was at the Hobgoblin level.
The strongest orc was the Volcanic Orc.
It wasn't an existence to be looked down upon.
Adorned with blood-red skin and a faint aura of flame, it incinerated everything that came into contact with its body.
However, to Barbarian Walker Gobang, it was merely nothing more than a hot pack.
Trudging around, whenever he encountered a Volcanic Orc, he affectionately embraced it in his arms with a Bam!
He snapped its waist with a bear hug.
"...Wouldn't it be hot?"
"Look at Gobang's skin, sir. There isn't even a trace of soot, sir. Even if you scorch him with a gas torch, he'd say, ah! That's refreshing, sir."
He indeed possessed a body that had withstood the breath of the Super Demonic Beast Hydra.
With aggro drawn like this, all the orcs rushed towards Gobang.
It couldn't have been better for Assassin Cossack to operate.
Cossack, the SSR rank.
It was fast enough to be heard tearing through the wind.
Blade Explosion, Shock Break, Despicable Ambush, Poison Dagger constantly erupting.......
The dazzling skills deployed by Cossack.
"Kuhahahaha! This is an SSR, sir."
Barely 5 minutes had passed since the mission commenced, yet the 25th floor battlefield was littered with the corpses of orcs.
Joo-hyuk leisurely began to move as well.
Since he said he'd catch three, he had to fulfill his quota.
Skill proficiency was an added bonus.
'...It'd be better to leave out the Volcanic Orcs, right?'
He might get burned trying to catch one.
The manageable Forest Orcs and Desert Orcs were the best.
Joo-hyuk cast Shadow Step.
John Cossack, guarding his side, dashed over like a flash of lightning.
"Ay! Why are you beside me?"
"Do not worry, sir. I shall remain perfectly still, sir."
He was thorough. Very thorough.
At least there wouldn't be any danger of getting hurt.
"Hunwon Thunderclap Staff Thunder Falling Pursuing Soul."
The energy of lightning suffusing the mace.
A Forest Orc died instantly on the spot.
With its head half-fried by the thunderbolt.
Despite only having used Thunder Falling Pursuing Soul a few times, it was gradually becoming familiar to his hands.
Cossack gave an affirmative nod.
A Desert Orc was also down in one hit.
It wasn't as if there was no danger whatsoever.
An axe thrown by a Cave Orc rapidly flew towards Joo-hyuk, but.
The axe was struck by a dagger and deflected before it could come close.
'I could probably take a hit from that much.'
Because the effectiveness of the Energy Shield also escalated in accordance with his level rising.
"Are you unharmed, sir?"
Was he raising a child?
"It didn't even hit me."
"There might be mental trauma, sir. Post-traumatic stress disorder, sir."
"Oh my, there isn't even a speck of it, sir."
"...Hmm, why are you imitating my manner of speaking, sir?"
"Is that so, sir? Hehehehehe."
He well understood the reason behind Cossack making a fuss.
He'd be a shameless bastard not to recognize it.
It was rather burdensome, though.
He had to grow rapidly.
So that Cossack could feel at ease as well.
Actually, what was the reason Joo-hyuk, the advocate for safety first and self-preservation, could go wild like this?
It was thanks to his reliable and robust comrades.
It would be impossible alone.
He probably wouldn't have attempted climbing the tower itself.
Honestly, he was terrified even now.
It was practically no different from borrowing someone else's authority to act arrogantly.
For instance, a loser middle school student who had older brothers affiliated with the high school judo and boxing teams.
Even if he was at the very bottom of the food chain, the bullies couldn't squeal.
Because his brothers would come running right away if he tattled on them.
It was the same right now.
The Cave Orcs that threw the axe at Joo-hyuk were being sliced apart by Cossack.
'...I unexpectedly feel bad for them.'
Let's catch a few more.
It seemed okay to do so.
Since it was almost over, he should pick up the crumbs.
Joo-hyuk thoroughly played around only at the periphery.
Picking solely isolated orcs.
With the aim of attaining proficiency in Thunder Falling Pursuing Soul rather than the goal of killing orcs.
[The 2nd Form of the Hunwon Thunderclap Staff, 'Copious Falling Thunderstorms', has been unlocked.]
The 2nd out of a total of 3 forms had also been unlocked.
Copious thunderbolts fell.
In other words, they fall clumped together.
Joo-hyuk hoisted his hammer high.
Over yonder, a lone Desert Orc separating itself from the group caught his eye.
"Copious Falling Thunderstorms."
A thunderbolt splitting into five branches.
A sensation as if he had become Thor, the God of Thunder.
'Should I catch more?'
Cossack shook his head firmly from side to side.
"You mustn't become too elated simply because a new skill was unlocked, sir."
Having to walk on eggshells around a summoned entity sworn to absolute obedience.
Just how much longer would this last?
Was he strong from the beginning?
Did he pop out of his mother's womb using Shadow Step?
"Even if I'm a cowardly loser outside, inside the tower, I'm more of a macho man than anyone else."
"Yes, yes, nevertheless, safety first is paramount, so."
"What safety first! Just let the Orc Warchief appear! I'll charge straight at it and crush its skull......."
A big one had arrived.
The massive Orc Warchief barged onto the battlefield, hefting an axe the size of its own body.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Tattoos enveloping its entire body, fangs protruding out of its mouth, biceps thicker than Joo-hyuk's torso.
An overwhelming size.
It was even bigger than Gobang.
No matter how much his guts had grown, taking on something like that was impossible.
"What did you say you would do to the Orc Warchief's skull earlier, sir?"
Cossack asked slyly while reading Joo-hyuk's expression.
"Hmm, did I sprain something overdoing it earlier? My lower back suddenly hurts. ...I should just watch."
"Oh dear! A man's power originates from his lower back, sir. Please rest up, sir."
"If my back didn't hurt, something like a Warchief would be a one-shot skull crush."
"Naturally! As if I wouldn't know that, sir? Just observing something like that is detrimental to mental health, sir."
Cossack was somehow detestable.
Barbarian Gobang, as if having discovered the Orc Warchief, tilted his head skyward and roared thunderously.
The Warchief and Gobang locked eyes.
Without determining who moved first, the two lumbered towards their opponent.
The contest of strength commenced.
However, they were never a match from the very beginning.
Both shoulders of the Orc Warchief shattered.
The finishing move by Cossack, radiant with his SSR rank.
[You have succeeded in the 25th Floor Mission.]
[Your Level has increased.]
[Reward : 2.5kg of Mana Stones]
[Notice : You have achieved the clear rank S++ for the 25th floor of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward : A Platinum Badge is awarded.]
The 25th floor ended with a clean finish as well.
"Hehe, thank you, sir."
Anyway, it was soon time to check the privilege.
The decision on the Elite team contract hinged on what emerged this time.
More privileges, climbing the tower becoming increasingly safer.
"What would you like to eat today?"
"...Would tteokbokki be possible, sir?"
"Would you be able to handle it? You cannot eat spicy food, can you."
"Why are you like this, sir? I am an SSR, sir, SSR! Given that I am an SSR, being a wimp with spicy food is a thing of the past, sir."
"Is that so? Good luck with that."
Joo-hyuk ordered 10 servings of tteokbokki.
Along with refreshing beverages.
"Eat to your heart's content."
"Are you not eating, Summoner Bong, sir?"
"I'll eat a little later."
Gobang shoveled the tteokbokki into his mouth.
"...Is it not spicy?"
"It is not spicy at all. It is only sweet."
Cossack glared at the tteokbokki, then gulp! swallowed his saliva once and glared at it again, then glared at it with a gaze full of resolve, then lifted a single piece of rice cake with his chopsticks and while trembling violently, continued glaring at it.......
'When is he going to eat at that rate?'
He'll eventually eat it while doing that.
Then let's see the privilege.
Upon opening his tower-exclusive inventory and checking his badges.
[A privilege is awarded for accumulating 25 Platinum Badges.]
Let something good come out.
[Privilege : Selecting an Encore Privilege is possible.]
If it's an encore.......
[The selectable Encore Privileges are Trait Enhancement, Skill Copy, Random Item, and Summoned Entity Rank Enhancement.]
So this is what it was.
As if it was some Omakase encore sushi.
Has there ever been such a stroke of luck?
It was an overly simple choice.
He would be an idiot if he selected something else instead of that one here.
[Your Awakening Trait is Enhanced.]
Laughter flowed out naturally.
His safety was guaranteed too.
[Combat Skills] : Shadow Step / Hunwon Thunderclap Staff
[Trait] : Summoning (Simultaneous Summoning : 3)
Simultaneous summon of 3 entities.
If he counted himself partaking in combat, he could climb alongside a total of 4 people.
There was no preferential treatment like this preferential treatment.
Of course, the mechanism applied to all Summoning Trait players.
Team play was possible rather than solo play, and the number of simultaneous summons increased through Trait Enhancements.
However, they had constraints too.
Was controlling summoned beasts easy?
They weren't significantly strong as they were tied to the player's level, lacked free will meaning commands had to be designated individually, and the consequent mental exhaustion was extreme.
Should they accidentally lose control of their summoned beast, there was also a risk of it running amok.
If it ran amok, they had to unsummon it.
Because they could potentially be attacked by their own summoned beast.
Being a Summoning Trait player didn't mean you always got the easy way out.
They possessed clear disadvantages of their own.
On the other hand, Joo-hyuk's summoning targets were entirely different.
Genuine humans equipped with immense strength and abilities seemingly holding no bounds.
One word to Cossack and Gobang, let's start the mission, and it was over.
'How long is the random summon cooldown time...?'
Time would fly by anyway.
'It should be fine to sign the Elite team contract.'
At the very least, he wouldn't disappoint people.
All that remained was discussing it with his family.
However, right at that moment!
"Khgghk! Sniffle! Ssssnnff!"
Cossack crawling on the floor while writhing his entire body.
A reddened long tongue stuck out from his mouth.
"Assassin will die soon."
"Now must throw this one away and summon someone else."
"Sh-Shut up! W-Water......."
Joo-hyuk unscrewed the cap off a beverage bottle and placed it in his hand.
"Tsk, tsk, I knew this would happen."
Does a wimp with spicy food become a master of spicy food just because their rank goes up?
Every time Cossack acts cheeky, how about feeding him spicy food?
He would obey since it doesn't violate Clause 3 either.
'Come on! How could a person do that?'
He wasn't a psychopath either.
Joo-hyuk's parent's house.
The entire family gathered together after a long while.
He specially bought Hanwoo (premium Korean beef) and brought it home.
Since they were a harmonious family despite being poor, they sat together after eating and engaged in a boisterous conversation.
"So, after hiring a lawyer, the company actually contacted me, those bastards who had been feigning ignorance until now."
"What happened to those people? That customer who dared to abuse their power towards you, Mom. The news showed reporters storming in."
"Sigh, don't even mention it. It turned out the husband of that household was a high-ranking public official, and it caused an uproar. He practically harassed me with phone calls apologizing."
"Honey, absolutely do not accept their apology. You must fix their habits to prevent them from abusing their power on others as well."
The first topic was Mom's lawsuit.
The next topic that followed was.
"I decided to get hospitalized tomorrow. And guess what, the hospital room is a VIP suite."
"Gasp! Father, may I sleep there? I'll nurse you. It's conveniently close to my university."
"No. Your mom has to be by my side for me to be comfortable too."
"Wow! If it's a VIP suite, it'll be better than our house."
Min-hyuk's story too.
"Getting a scholarship is great, but it's only for one semester."
"Because of your grades?"
"Hyung! I'm good at studying. Even if I couldn't get a full scholarship, I've always received half scholarships."
"I'm taking a leave of absence next semester to go to the military."
Come to think of it, it was time for him to enlist.
"By the way! How are things with you, Hyung? ...Are you still doing part-time jobs? I wish you'd find a stable job."
"Yeah, Min-hyuk is right. I'm going to look for a job after my rehabilitation is over, so you should use this opportunity to study for employment."
"Our eldest son, you've suffered a lot all this time. Live for yourself now. Once the lawsuit is over and we receive compensation, our family's situation will improve considerably."
Joo-hyuk pondered for a moment.
How should he bring up the story.
It was practically tantamount to a bombshell announcement.
In times like this, a direct approach is best.
"Remember I vaguely brought this up before, right?"
He paused for a moment and then.
"I have awakened. I am currently active as a player."
His family members dramatically widening their eyes as if asking what nonsense he was talking about.
"He makes jokes without even turning on his turn signal."
"Are you talking about a game player?"
"Hyung. Eat some fruit."
He intended to hide his S++ clears.
He trusted his family, but the fewer people who knew, the better.
Joo-hyuk casually pulled out! a lump of Mana Stone from his inventory.
The Adamant metal mace popped out cleanly too!
The alloy round hand shield popped out too!
And he continued his sentence.
"You see this? Mana Stones and the weapons I use; I also made some money while clearing the tower."
They couldn't help but be shocked.
Because things were popping out of thin air.
"The Awakening Management Agency asked me to sign an Elite contract... Sigh, this damn talent, it really tires a person out."
His father dropped his jaw wide open.
Min-hyuk covered his mouth with his hands.
His mom looked at Joo-hyuk with a subtle expression.
"I've become a total macho man. Please refrain from speaking of me as timid, a coward, or whatsoever in front of me from now on."
Joo-hyuk's expression was utterly serious.