Chapter 51: Administrator (3)REAPER SCANS
[ Translator – Bin ]
[ Proofreader – DVN-L ]
After the message about the meeting disappeared...
「 You have entered the Iron-blooded World. 」
My surroundings changed before even giving me time to process the message I had just read.
Like before, my waiting area had suddenly switched into a foreign location.
“...”
I was confused for a moment but I gained my composure and began to look around.
A cave, plain, field, desert, sea...
I’d seen all sorts of stages up to this point, but there was something incongruous about this place.
I stood in a snow-filled yard among white swords thrust haphazardly into the ground.
It looked like a battlefield where a battle had never taken place.
Of course, those weren’t the only things in sight.
There was a log cabin beyond the yard but...
‘Should I go in?’
I was hesitant to go in since there was no guarantee that I would be safe there.
‘But I can’t just sit here and do nothing...’
I was unsure of what to do, but it suddenly hit me that there was one skill that might be useful here.
‘Eye of Truth.’
「 Activating the skill ‘Eye of Truth.’ 」 Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com
The Eye of Truth targets whatever I’m focusing on at the moment.
It’s something I learned from using it a couple of times.
So if my focus is on the entirety of this location...
「 Iron-blooded World 」
「 Grade: ⬛ 」
「 A special area where the administrator, ‘Iron-blooded Monarch,’ resides. 」
「 Can only be entered with her invitation. 」
I can extract information like this as well.
‘Iron-blooded Monarch...’
The skill referred to her as ‘her,’ so they seemed to be gendered.
Of course, the description wasn’t very helpful, so I couldn’t extrapolate anything more.
But I think I had an idea of where I was.
‘The place where the administrator resides...’
As it finally hit me that I might meet an admin face to face—
「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ is displeased by someone’s probing. 」
「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ wants you to stop wasting time and come in already. 」
A message I had never seen before urged me to go inside.
‘Can admins express themselves through messages...?’
She was even able to tell that I activated my skill.
Being able to detect something like that without even being in sight...
It served to show how powerful these administrators were.
‘I’d be dead if she wanted to kill me.’
So I made my way to the cabin.
Step, step...
I walked past the dozens of swords planted in the snowy field and arrived at my destination.
I proceeded to grab the handle on the door and let out a big breath.
“Phew...”
No need to be nervous.
The tower said this was just a meeting.
That meant this wouldn’t be a situation that could endanger me.
I slowed down my heart and finally opened the door.
And...
「 Administrator ‘Iron-blooded Monarch’ stares at you. 」
“It’s about time.”
I was greeted by a cold but beautiful voice...
“Welcome pioneer.”
I looked in the direction of the voice and found myself staring at a silver-haired woman sitting at a wooden table.
“I am the administrator you’ve been selected to meet with’, the Iron-blooded Monarch.”
***
[ Translator – Bin ]
She continued with a light smile.
“And that reason is that once you go to a different world, you can steal that floor’s rewards.”
“What the...”
“Not only that, they can get an even better reward than the one originally promised to you.”
“...”
“Those challengers come from a world where the tower has existed for decades. That also means they’re all knowledgable about the immense rewards that the tower provides.”
“And that’s not all.”
“...?”
“This world’s tower will merge with those of other world’s.”
“...What does that mean?”
“It’s as I said. After the 20th floor, trials will tend towards group challenges, rather than individual, and you will meet with challengers from another world.”
“...”
“And they determined that killing challengers from a primitive dimension like Earth would be beneficial in future trials.”
The only thing I could do after hearing that was sigh.
‘I’ll be competing against other worlds’ challengers after the 20th floor...’
It was definitely an idea easier to wrap my head around since I had already met one on the 5th floor.
“You don’t look too shocked. Doesn’t this come to you as a surprise?”
I swayed my head.
“...No, I’m stunned. I am shocked at the concept of other worlds and I’m dismayed about the fact that I’ll have to face challengers from them later on.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“What am I supposed to do about it? I have to accept it and prepare for it.”
“Hmmm... I guess you can think of it like that. I see.”
She looked at me like an exotic animal, but that’s how I really felt.
It wasn’t like anything else that had happened made sense to me.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“I have one last question.”
Another question I had for a while.
“What exactly is the tower?”
While climbing, I got used to receiving all kinds of rewards from the tower but...
That was one question I couldn’t erase.
“Hmm...”
“And what’s at the end of the tower?”
“That’s something I can’t tell you.”
“...”
‘I thought you were bound to the tower. How can you not know something like that?”
“It’s entirely possible. Seeing that I’m also relatively a newcomer to the tower.”
“Huh?”
“Administrators were all once challengers as well.”
“...”
She continued to explain.
“At one point, I climbed above and beyond the 20th floor but... I still couldn’t reach the top of the tower. No, not just me— all administrators died before reaching the top of the tower. That’s how you become an administrator.”
This was the summary of her explanation.
After reaching the 40th floor, challengers gained the ability to be resurrected as an administrator after death.
“For your information, I reached the 47th floor. And I lost on pure dumb luck. I went against an opponent that countered me in every way.”
She stared at me as if to ask if I finally understood...
And I couldn’t help but nod at her gaze.
“Which is why I can’t answer your question. The only things I’m allowed to talk about are my own experiences from when I was alive. That was the extent to which I could answer your question.”
There wasn’t anything else I was curious about.
I couldn’t believe the true nature of administrators...
“Well, it’s about time we end the consultation.”
It was time to go back to the waiting area.
“But... there’s something I want to offer you.”
“An offer...?”
“Yes, administrators may be bound to the tower, but there are still various things we can do.”
Her crimson eyes gleamed as she spoke.
“Challenger Han Sungyeun, I offer you a discipleship.”
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Translator’s notes – Or ask me for clarification on our channel in discord!
She sure smiles a lot
Also so much has been revealed in this chap hype hype
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