How the Regressed Munchkin Chews Up the Tower - H.R.M.C.U.T Chapter 30 (Part 2):

It was ultimately a matter of time.

A week, a month, a year.

The longer they spent in the Tower, the better they’d become.

Because if they didn’t, they’d die.

‘Overall, not bad.’

There were a few rough patches, but this was impressive.

The grueling day yesterday had paid off.

“There, happy?”

Having deliberately spared the last goblin, Ishia approached, shaking the blood off 『Black Wing [C]』.

Her practiced movements made Yujin let out a small chuckle.

“You’re still far off. With that skill, you wouldn’t last a day on the second floor.”

“Can’t you give a compliment for once?” Ishia grumbled, frowning at Yujin’s words.

But what could she do?

It was the truth.

“If you want compliments, get better. Don’t waste time with pointless sympathy.”

“…Sympathy?”

Ishia let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re saying I feel sympathy for *monsters*?”

“You don’t?”

“Of course not! Why would I feel sympathy for things trying to kill me?!”

Ishia shouted, as if wronged.

“Then why’s there hesitation in your sword?”

“That’s—!” Ishia’s face twisted in disbelief.

“What kind of person doesn’t hesitate when taking a life?”

Monsters were enemies.

Hostile creatures out to kill her.

But that didn’t make killing them easy.

Just days ago, she’d been an ordinary college freshman enjoying her life.

She wasn’t a battle-hardened soldier or a lifelong hunter.

The only lives Ishia had ever taken were mosquitoes or flies.

Heck, she couldn’t even bring herself to kill a cockroach.

For someone so ordinary, slicing apart bipedal creatures the size of children with a sword was no simple task.

If it weren’t for the thought that she’d die if she didn’t kill, she wouldn’t even be able to swing her sword.

But—

“What are you talking about? Why hesitate?”

Yujin genuinely didn’t understand.

“Killing them raises your level, and sometimes you get items. So why hesitate?”

To him, monsters were a means.

A means to grow stronger.

A means to obtain items.

And ultimately, a means to conquer the Tower.

It was no different from a farmer harvesting rice to eat.

So he couldn’t comprehend Ishia’s words.

“Ugh, I knew you were a psychopath,” Ishia said, stepping back to put distance between them.

“I knew something was off the moment you drew your sword without a second thought.”

To Ishia, Yujin was a madman.

A lunatic who could kill others without batting an eye for the sake of his goals.

To be caught in the hands of such a person—there was no greater misfortune.

“Cut the crap. Whether you hesitate or kill in one stroke, the result’s the same.”

Well, that was true.

“So why not do it faster and more efficiently? If you’re going to clear the Tower?”

That was true too.

Ishia couldn’t argue.

Emotionally, she wanted to resist, but there wasn’t a single flaw in Yujin’s logic.

“Hey, old man. You were an outcast on the outside, weren’t you?”

Old man?

The age gap wasn’t even that big, so being called that stung Yujin’s pride a little.

But he didn’t show it.

It felt like losing if he did.

“Yeah, I was an outcast. So what?”

It wasn’t the world that shunned him.

He shunned the world.

The Tower or the outside world—it was all the same, filled with idiots, fools, and people who couldn’t even take care of themselves.

At least, that’s how Yujin saw it.

That’s why he never bothered to fit in with them.

“Doesn’t that make you lonely?”

“Lonely? What’s there to be lonely about?”

Being alone was good.

Being alone was comfortable.

Dealing with others was just exhausting.

That’s what Yujin wanted to say.

But he couldn’t.

‘Is that so?’

In his first run, Yujin had cleared the Tower.

But by the end, there was no one left by his side.

Everyone had died.

Not a single person remained to share a conversation with him.

That’s why, in this second chance, he’d planned to gather companions—or rather, pawns.

To keep the world as intact as possible.

‘Hm.’

Maybe being alone wasn’t *always* the best.

“Ugh, enough. Save this talk for later.”

Fortunately, something happened to clear Yujin’s tangled thoughts.

*Dudududududududu—!*

Something was approaching from the distance.

A Red Goblin wave.

The brief respite was over—it was time to grind again.

“If you’ve got time to flap your mouth, kill one more. That’s how you increase your chances of survival, even just a little.”

Ishia’s face darkened.

The thought of reliving yesterday’s experience made her forget all about Yujin’s personality or tendencies.

“Let’s see you fight while hesitating.”

Yujin smirked at her.

It was payback for complicating his thoughts.

‘Guess I’ll help a bit less today.’

What a joke, thinking she could outsmart him.

Guilt over killing, hesitation—it was all self-indulgent nonsense.

Yujin decided that today, he’d strip away all of Ishia’s luxurious emotions.

Of course, that might put her in a bit of danger…

‘Doesn’t matter.’

She’d called him a psychopath, hadn’t she? She’d have to pay the price.

‘Let’s see you struggle.’

Watching Ishia draw her sword toward the Red Goblins, Yujin flashed a wicked grin.

A truly sinister smile.
[Translator’s Aside: Totally not a psychopath, just rocking that supervillain smile XD]

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!

•