Chapter 172 – Ruler of the Battlefield (1)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
In most countries, dungeons were treated as state property.
Therefore, in order to attack a dungeon, one must first obtain certification from the government of that country.
That was part of the reason why the guild system came into being.
[The Japanese Government confirms their compensation for Isaac Ivanov’s teammate!]
[The Japanese Government has provided Isaac Ivanov and his teammates a free pass to dungeons!]
[The Japanese Government, ‘This is what Isaac Ivanov requested.’]
With that in mind, the Japanese Government’s act of compensating Kim Woo-jin’s attack by terrorists with the freedom to attack dungeons in Japan was considered a privilege.
The public also didn’t deny this fact.
-Isn’t this too much? Aren’t they basically giving Isaac Ivanov the opportunity to attack any dungeon he pleases?
?Does this mean the Japanese government has acknowledged the specialness of Isaac Ivanov’s party?
? Kim Woo-jin is also very smart. Choosing something like this instead of an item.
? Now they are like real heroes.
Furthermore, the public praised Isaac Ivanov for making such a choice and the Japanese government for agreeing to it.
But that didn’t last for long.
[The Japanese Government demands a free pass qualification test for Isaac Ivanov and his party!]
Because the Japanese government requested a qualification test.
…
-The Japanese government has requested a qualification test.
After hearing Oh Se-chan’s voice coming from the speakerphone, Kim Woo-jin, who was checking the seams of a piece of leather armor in his hands, spoke calmly.
“Then we’ll have to accept it.”
Kim Woo-jin’s reaction was quite dull.
“No, what do you mean ‘exam’?”
However, Lee Jin-ah’s reaction was different.
“Those fucking ****** bastards still want to test us?”(TL: I expected better from you Jin-ah…)
Even Lee Jin-ah stopped eating his chocolate to shout loudly in anger.
In fact, Lee Jin-ah’s reaction wasn’t wrong.
“Didn’t we hunt the Hatchling alone?”
Isaac Ivanov’s party had already successfully cleared the 3 Floor dungeon, Hatchling’s Nest.
Even though Isaac Ivanov had been heavily injured in the process and barely survived, didn’t they still clear it?
“This is daylight robbery, isn’t it?”
It was obvious that the Japanese government simply didn’t want to give Isaac Ivanov, who had already completed a ridiculous achievement, what they’d promised by asking for a qualification test.
However, Kim Woo-jin and Oh Se-chan saw it differently.
-That’s how it should be.
“3 Floor and 4 Floor dungeons are different.”
They knew that the Japanese government’s demands were justifiable.
“And in the first place, they have already decided to give out the pass.”
-That’s right. In the end, this is all a show.
In addition, the two of them could clearly read the intentions of the Japanese government.
“A show?”
-It’s a matter of the Japanese guilds, rather than the government. Think about it. They bribe, lobby and pay taxes to obtain dungeons. Yet a free pass is given out easily. How would that make them feel?
“They’d be pissed.”
-That’s why there needs to be a show.
When he heard Oh Se-chan’s words, Lee Jin-ah nodded as if he understood, and took a bit of the chocolate bar in his hand.
Then Kim Woo-jin added some words of his own.
“But the real objective is to gauge our ability.”
-Well, that’s true.
However, once again, Lee Jin-ah didn’t understand.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“They need to know our approximate skill levels so that they can properly trap us.”
“Trap us?”
Kim Woo-jin turned to glance at Lee Jin-ah as he explained.
“The Yamato Federation would never let us go after what we did. Perhaps at the start they will make us look like heroes. Then, at some point, they will make us attack a dungeon that we can’t clear.”
-They will manipulate the information. The difficulty of a dungeon that’s been failed twenty times is different from one that’s only been failed once.
Lee Jin-ah’s expression became stiff when he heard that.
“That means it could get really dangerous, doesn’t it?”
If Kim Woo-jin’s assumptions were correct, it meant that sooner or later, the Japanese government would try to send them to their deaths.
Considering the dangers of dungeons, that was something to be concerned about.
As Oh Se-chan had said, if the Japanese government did a good job of distorting the information about a dungeon, the difficulty could be infinitely higher than what they assumed it was.
“Then, isn’t it better to just leave Japan?”
It was reasonable for Lee Jin-ah to worry about it.
-Why? Are you scared? Are you getting cold feet?”
However, Oh Se-chan mocked Lee Jin-ah.
“Wh-, who’s getting cold feet? I am Lee Jin-ah. Manly Lee Jin-ah, a man who is not afraid of death!”
-Ah, I bet you’re scared. Bastard, all you have is your large size.
“You’re just smart, you don’t have any hair!” (TL: As childish as this is, I laughed so hard)
And like that, their skit began.
-Say what? Hey, what’s this got to do with hair? And I’m not bald, I deliberately shave my head!
“I bet you were born bald.”
-You son of a bitch. Hey! You want a piece of me?
“Ugh, how can I fight someone who has no hair? Let’s just take it as my loss.”
It was Kim Woo-jin who stopped their little play.
“Lee Jin-ah.”
By calling out for Lee Jin-ah.
“See if this fits.”
“Huh?”
Kim Woo-jin gestured with his chin toward the leather armor that he had been inspecting before.
“Wa-, wait. Is that mine?”
Lee Jin-ah, whose head was tilted, was surprised.
He’d never imagined that he would get a real gift from Kim Woo-jin, who was just as cheap as Oh Se-chan, if not more.
“Are you really giving me Hatchling Leather Armor?”
Moreover, the material that Kim Woo-jin used to make the leather armor was none other than the Hatchling’s skin.
“It’s armor that was made from the toughest skin from the Hatchling’s tail. You could say it’s comparable to the best among unique grade items when it comes to defense.”
-There are a lot of other ingredients in it too. Among all the armor that was made from Hatchling leather, it definitely has the best defense.
When he heard that, the eyes that Lee Jin-ah was looking at the armor with began to shine.
“Keuk.”
He was so happy that his eyes became slightly moist.
Lee Jin-ah hurried to put on the armor he’d received as a gift. (TL: he never learns…)
-Jin-ah, what are you doing right now?
“I’m putting the armor on.”
-Really? Are you crying?”
“I might cry if something more touching happens.”
-You must be really moved.
Oh Se-chan and Kim Woo-jin had talked about it.
During that conversation, Oh Se-chan had been given a good laugh.
-You are so evil.
Kim Woo-jin hadn’t disputed his words.
After all, Oh Se-chan was right.
Kim Woo-jin didn’t give Lee Jin-ah the best armor he could just because he felt he deserved it.
‘From 4 Floor onwards, Lee Jin-ah’s performance will become more important.’
From that point forward, the enemies that Lee Jin-ah would have to face would only get stronger, which is why Kim Woo-jin gave him the armor.
‘But it’s not enough, even with Hatchling leather.’
Moreover, Kim Woo-jin still felt that the Hatchling leather was insufficient, considering the enemies that they would face in the future.
‘In order to bring out 100% of Lee Jin-ah’s ability, legendary grade armor is necessary. Sooner or later, Lee Jin-ah’s role will not be something I can fill with my skeletons.’
Oh Se-chan asked Kim Woo-jin.
-What are you going to do about the test?
“If we hide our strength, they will use it as an excuse to disqualify us.”
-But won’t they just put you in a ridiculous dungeon if you reveal your full capabilities?
“Then we’ll have to thank them.”
Oh Se-chan laughed at Kim Woo-jin’s confidence.
-Right, we’d have to thank them for giving you a dungeon that’s hard to find. Of course, you’d have to get a fee for clearing such a difficult dungeon.
Kim Woo-jin also laughed at those words.
“Hahaha! It’s perfect! A perfect fit! You should open a tailor shop later!”
And Lee Jin-ah laughed too.
Then they received the date for the qualification test from the Japanese government.
…
[Destroy the Black Goblin Tribes!]
– Floors: 4
– Difficulty: D
– Maximum number of Entries: 177
– Requirements: Level 109 and below
– Conditions: Annihilate 10 Black Goblin tribes
– Reward: None
The dungeon that the Japanese Government prepared for the free pass qualification test was a 4 Floor D rank dungeon.
‘The difficulty is reasonable.’
The Black Goblin tribes which appeared on the fourth floor were not difficult to hunt as long as one learned the strategy, and the maximum number of entries along with the clear conditions were also reasonable.
It was at a level that was neither excessive nor insufficient.
‘It’s the best place to level up.’
Therefore, it was an extremely attractive dungeon for players aiming to level up.
‘Usually, there would be fierce competition for spots in a dungeon like this one.’
Moreover, it was rare for empty spots to appear in such 4 Floor dungeons.
It was the same for this one.
There had already been 177 players lined up to participate in the Black Goblin dungeon.
And even then the competition had been fierce.
What more explanation was needed other than every player who was active in 4 Floor dungeons in Japan applied?
Naturally, foreigners had no chance of participating.
‘And yet, to be able to attack this kind of dungeon like this…’
Nevertheless, Kim Woo-jin and Lee Jin-ah were going to attack such a dungeon.
It was ridiculous to imagine that they had been given this chance over two Japanese players who had already qualified despite the extremely fierce competition.
Unsurprisingly, the two Japanese players did not easily accept this decision.
They protested and demanded as much compensation as they were able to, and the Japanese government was once again forced to pay a price.
‘It seems they are anxious to test our skills properly.’
In other words, the Japanese government was so desperate to properly gauge Isaac Ivanov’s skill to the extent that, despite having to pay a heavy price, they were willing to allow foreigners to attack it.
‘After all, a level up dungeon is the best way to gauge someone’s strength.’
Most dungeons that were good for leveling up were often able to reveal the strengths of those challenging them with ease.
It was similar to racing.
If you were to slowly increase your speed on a comfortable stretch of road, you would reach 200 km/h in no time. However, it was incredibly difficult to reach 200 km/h if you were feeling pressured.
‘More importantly, there’s almost no chance of failure.’
On the other hand, since many of the best players in Japan who were active in 4 Floor dungeons would participate in the attack, it was very unlikely that Isaac Ivanov would die due to failing to complete the dungeon.
‘But I still didn’t expect them to offer such a good stage.’
In a sense, the dungeon itself could be considered a reward.
This was also one of the aims of the Japanese government.
If they gave him a dungeon like this, then it wouldn’t be considered their fault if there were any incidents in the future.
‘I’m so grateful I could cry.’
From Kim Woo-jin’s perspective, he couldn’t help but feel grateful.
That’s why Kim Woo-jin intended to wholeheartedly repay them for their gift.
‘Since they’re giving me a gift like this, it’s only right that I accept it properly.’
So Kim Woo-jin prepared to attack the dungeon.