How the Regressed Munchkin Chews Up the Tower - H.R.M.C.U.T Chapter 17 (Part 2):

Yujin had two paths. Having earned the qualification by slaying the Earth Dragon, he could ascend to the second floor…

“Or I could hunt here.”

In his first run, he’d have chosen the former without a thought. Climbing the Tower and clearing it was the ultimate goal back then. But now? Things were different.

‘Climbing alone will just lead to the same outcome as last time.’

Slow and steady, building a solid foundation—that was what mattered.

“Hmm.”

To do that, he needed to find capable people like the Sword Empress and turn them into slaves—no, *allies*. The Tower was vast, and players were plenty.

“No rush. One step at a time.”

First, levels. Luckily, the first floor, Terra, had plenty of hunting grounds perfect for newbies to grind levels. The downside? They were far from Terra. But wasn’t that why he’d gotten the horse from Tailon in the first place?

“Alright.”

He’d grind to at least level 20, then go scouting for decent players. Maybe he’d even run into some at the hunting grounds. At this point, anyone out hunting instead of hiding in Terra had potential. Those were the kinds worth recruiting.

Yujin tugged the reins of the massive black horse and headed toward Terra’s southern gate.

* * *

The commotion had ended.

Three men, beaten to a pulp by the boy, lay unconscious, no longer even groaning. Ishia, watching the gruesome scene, studied the boy known as the War Demon.

‘A bit creepy, but…’

Honestly, it was also satisfying. His methods were brutal, but the men had started it. When she thought of it as them paying for their actions, it didn’t feel so bad.

‘If I had that kind of strength, I’d have done the same.’

If anything, her admiration grew for the boy who, despite his physical disadvantages, fought and won.

‘With that kind of grit, he’s not bad at all.’

Sure, he’d turned three men into bloody messes, but his nature didn’t seem evil. If anything, he leaned timid and fragile. Yet his combat prowess was undeniably impressive.

‘Let’s bring him in.’

He’d be a perfect hunting companion. Ishia slowly approached the boy. Onlookers stared at her in surprise, making her a bit nervous, but she didn’t turn back.

“Hey, kid?”

She called out cautiously.

*Flinch-!*

Perhaps haunted by what he’d done, the boy, who’d been staring at the fallen men with a pained expression, jolted and stepped back, putting distance between them.

“No, no, I’m not here to fight.”

She waved both hands to show she meant no harm. But the boy’s eyes brimmed with wariness. Ishia spoke even more carefully.

“Wanna team up with me?”

She cut to the chase, figuring directness would ease his guard. And it seemed to work—his caution softened slightly.

“…Team up?”

“Yeah, together. In a strange place like this, isn’t it safer to stick with someone than go it alone?”

It wasn’t a lie. If the boy had been with other adults, those men wouldn’t have attacked so easily. Still, he didn’t nod right away. To him, teaming up with Ishia didn’t seem like it’d make things safer. If anything, traveling with a beauty like her might attract more trouble.

“I’m better off alone…”

The boy, after a moment’s thought, started to refuse her offer.

“Die, you little brat!”

From the crowd, someone lunged, swinging a vicious axe. A friend of the fallen men? Or just someone eyeing the boy’s gauntlets? Who he was didn’t matter. What did was clear: no matter how quick the boy was, he couldn’t dodge that blade. The attack was too swift, too sudden.

“Ah…”

The boy’s shocked eyes lifted his hand too late. Despair settled in—he knew he couldn’t escape death. The man with the axe grinned triumphantly.

And then—

*Slash-!*

A long, red line etched across the man’s neck.

“Huh?”

The man froze—not by choice, but because his body no longer obeyed his brain. The red line on his neck widened, separating head from torso.

“Who… who did that?”

His head was severed, but he hadn’t seen who, when, or how. Nor had anyone else in the crowd.

Only one person—the boy—stared wide-eyed at the sword in Ishia’s hand.

“This *bastard* swings an axe while people are talking?”

Ishia, now gripping 『Crimson Lotus [E]』, panted and cursed, unaware of what she’d just done. The boy glanced between her and the man collapsing like a rotten stump, then nodded.

“Let’s team up.”

Her swordsmanship was so fast it was invisible. She’d be a huge asset. Plus…

The way she casually beheaded a man and spewed curses terrified him.

*Gulp-.*

The boy swallowed hard, instinctively. And so, the Sword Empress and the War Demon met.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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