The Late Cook Ascends the Tower - The Late Cook Ascends the Tower chapter 30

30 – Episode 30. Your choice

It looks like most of the villagers are gathered in the plaza.

No matter how much I look, I’m the only one with black hair.

The climbers, the store owner, and even the onlookers behind them were all looking at me.

As expected, this is the note sent for me.

Perhaps these corpses and grandfather are part of the note.

He’s like a yakuza.

“The one sent to me must be correct.”

“Then this corpse and the old man are warnings to you. What the hell did you guys do to keep secretly going out like this?”

“I told you earlier. You killed a guy.”

“Really?”

Then a buzz spread through the crowd.

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you say that Ji killed the climber hunter?”

“What are you talking about when there are no surviving witnesses? If they were that weak, they would have died right away.”

“I was even hit with a stone fist, but by what means? And isn’t he a newcomer?”

Then one of the climbers asked me.

“Hey, is that true? Any evidence?”

“There is no such thing.”

“Well, if there is no evidence, we will know if it is a lie or not.”

This is absurd.

After I told them that I had no obligation to tell them, people came to an agreement saying it was a lie and started kicking their tongues.

I didn’t specifically say to trust them, but…

I’m pissed off…

But then, two people’s faces came out through the onlookers.

“Wait a minute! I’ll pass! Oh no!”

One is wearing an apron that doesn’t match the climbers, and the other is too small to be buried in the crowd.

Among them, a small person raised his hand and shouted.

“I am a witness!”

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When did he wake up again?

That was Tilda.

The person who followed is Dana.

Tilda caught the attention of the villagers at once with her big voice that didn’t go well with her small body.

“I was caught by a climber hunter a few days ago. But among them, there was a contract that I was forced to write to a guy named Flick, but I don’t have it now. If this doesn’t mean you’re dead, what does it mean?”

“Flick? Flick was a climber-hunter?”

“Come to think of it… it was a bit strange. Compared to what he was earning, the returnees were too low.”

“Always going alone…Why didn’t I think to doubt…”

“But… Flick is the strongest in town, how can you kill him?”

This time the buzz increased in a different way.

It feels like the way you look at me changes from doubt to wonder…

I don’t know what they’re doing because there are so many useless people.

I wish I could just turn it off.

Is this why the name of the village is the refuge of fugitives?

A bunch of nerds who don’t even care about dying people?

Dana, who arrived late, was the only one who paid attention to the old man.

He must have been seeing the old man for the first time today, but he was so embarrassed that his face was pale and he was sick of it.

“Sister, why isn’t this person getting better?”

“Because of the curse card. I can’t help it.”

“Is there no way at all? Then leave it as it is?”

“Either live as it is, or gamble with a 30% chance. Now you have to decide.”

“What do you mean by that? You mean there’s a 30% chance you’ll die?”

“No. There is a 30% chance of living.”

“No… That’s how to save lives!”

“That is the only way, so what should I do? I have to.”

What the store owner said was a lie.

The real odds range from as little as 5% to as high as 15%, depending on the number of pains in your hand.

I think he called it high because he thought of Dana, but I could feel the store owner’s determination in that lie.

That woman will disregard the odds and tell the old man to turn his hand unconditionally.

That’s the same idea as me.

That way would be a bit harsh on Dana…

She whispered in the shopkeeper’s ear.

“I will save that person, so I send people first.”

“Saving? By what means?”

“I can’t even open the method, and I’ll take responsibility, so please don’t turn the deck.”

“What are the odds?”

“100%.”

The shop owner pouted her lower lip and stared at my face.

Then he suddenly jumped up from his seat and spoke to the people.

“First of all, we must gather information. A little person who is a witness there. Any other information?”

“Ah… I have!”

“Tell me everything. Because the lives of everyone gathered here are at stake.”

“Uh… First there were two hunters, and the one left is a man named Grow. Dark blue hair, very tall…”

“Big?”

“…Strong.”

“How much?”

“I only bumped into him once, but he had about 48 stamina.”

Then, this time, shouts broke out from here and there beyond the murmur.

“Does that make sense!”

“If it’s 48… it’s not enough even if you use a full swing continuously?”

“Whew, what are you doing with a child who doesn’t know anything right now!”

Actually, it was a normal reaction.

An attack that loses 48 HP at once isn’t common even if you scan the entire tower.

It would be more accurate to see it as Tilda’s illusion.

Because of that incongruity, now people are busy talking about their own thoughts.

Some people insist that what Tilda and I say is a lie.

There are also people who despair because their climbing plan has gone awry.

It wasn’t until the shopkeeper opened his mouth again that the commotion subsided.

“Everyone seems to have a lot of thoughts, but each person’s choice is important anyway, and it doesn’t matter who is right here.”

“Hey, sister. So what are we going to do from now on?”

“The first thing to do is not to supply the hunters with a cure for the return disease. Then that too will dry up. Then, what, each challenged them, or hid in the village until it was safe. Or they rushed in and had an execution ceremony. Let’s do it our own way.”

“Then I… Won’t be in the tower for a while. If the old man’s contract disappears, it means it’s safe… Then climb again.”

“Wise? Do it.”

After those words, the people dispersed one by one.

There are people who gather together and have meetings, and there are people who curse and leave.

Obviously, none of them headed for the tower.

The only ones left here are Dana, Tilda, the shop owner, and me.

And it was only my grandfather who was dying soon.

At that time, Dana sighed, “Whew…” And told the store owner.

“Now no one will enter the tower for a while, right?”

“I guess so. If they had even the slightest intention of entering, they would have united more, and they would not have scattered.”

“Thank God… No one gets hurt anymore.”

“Is that a good thing? I don’t know.”

“Thank God! What is more important than life… Maybe everyone will be like this person…”

“He will live.”

“I heard it was a 30% chance…”

“It’s 100% now. They said Dohyun could save him.”

Then Dana’s head jerked! And turned to face me.

His blue eyes shine unbearably.

“Really Dohyeon? Can he be saved? How?”

Of course it can be saved.

It’s also incredibly easy.

I’ve only talked to him once, but he’s someone I know.

I was in trouble because there were too many ingredients left anyway.

More than anything… I’m looking at you with such earnest eyes.

It’s been like that since the first time we met…

For some reason, it’s hard for me to turn down Dana’s request.

The shop owner says that the tower represents the climber’s will, but there are still times when I feel like some huge force is controlling me.

That’s one of them.

These are Dana’s eyes.

**

After moving the old man to the tavern, I started cooking.

The way to save the elderly is simple.

By feeding him food that restores his stamina, he can endure 3 chapters of pain.

Then you just rotate your hand.

I’m the only one on the first floor who can use this method, but it was a great fortune that the old man met me.

No, should I call it bad luck meeting Grow?

Anyway, the ingredients are already there, so if you have time, you can save the old man with a 100% chance.

My goal is… The [Tender baby wild boar] I made last time.

[Grilled tender baby wild boar]

– The belly of a young wild boar that has been seared on fire. It is soft with a lot of oil.

– When used, recovers 2 HP.

The body of the wild boar meat we had was all skewered.

The part where the bones were attached became a cure for returning soldiers, so this time I removed all the bones and baked them.

Thanks to that, I now have 2 chunks of salt crystals left, and I’m almost done with the pepper.

By the time the sun went down, I was able to get 6 [Soft Roast Baby Wild Boar].

If you add the one you already have, you get seven.

Even if you feed only 3, you can recover 6 HP, so the old man can now draw 3 pain cards at once and live.

The question… Is how to feed it.

When he went upstairs with the food, Dana reached out and said,

“Are you finished? Give it to me. I will feed you slowly.”

“That’s not the problem. Let’s think for a moment.”

The feeding method was not a problem.

To feed the food, the food must belong to the old man…

If the old man had something, he would exchange it right away.

What could a person who was sucked up by a climber hunter have?

‘Hmm… Do I have to write a new contract? Then I’ll be bound by the contract until I die…’

While thinking about it for a long time, the old man reached out his hand towards me.

While saying something in a dying voice.

“This, this…”

“What is that?”

“He… He… Cool…!”

Because of the curse of bleeding, blood gushed out of his mouth whenever he spoke.

The old man spoke while enduring the pain for such a long time.

I couldn’t fully understand it, but it seems to me to use that as a material for exchange.

What the old man held out to me was a small card box.

I knew the identity as soon as I saw the shape of the card box.

An artifact that can often be obtained inside a tower.

According to my memory… I think this was the explanation.

[Small Card Box]

– A box for storing cards.

– You can sell it if you put 2 cards in it.

This was an artifact used to erase cards in the game.

As it is an artifact that erases as many as 2 cards, it is like a rain of drought when using a build that requires an extremely thin deck.

In the original game, cards were packed and sold to NPCs, but in this world, it seems that players can exchange them.

It’s not strange that the old man has it because he dropped it with a high probability in the treasure room.

Somehow, I felt a strange sense of heterogeneity.

The basic method of climbers and hunters is to steal items and cards through contracts.

That’s why, it’s enough to intercept that artifact at the moment you get the reward.

Why does it stay in the hands of the old man?

‘Are you a fool who thinks that even a guy named Grow is the strongest if he stuffs a lot of cards into his deck?’

I was lost in thought for a moment, then the shopkeeper pointed to the box of cards and said.

“Oh, that’s great, that’s great. At this point, get a good card from the old man. I’ll give you a reward for saving my life. If you’re like me, you’ve all been brushed away.”

Listening to that… I feel more and more artificial.

But since I’ve decided to save the old man… I guess this is the only way.

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I used the membership card against the card box and three meats.

A voice echoes in my head.

『The [Small Card Box] Can be exchanged for any item.

Be sure to fill the card box before exchanging.

Empty boxes are not eligible for exchange.』

Membership card performance kills…

I was so annoyed at losing money every time I exchanged it, but knowing the result so easily made me feel relieved.

All you have to do now is exchange.

Then the old man can buy my meat, and I can receive the old man’s card with the [Small Card Box].

Even the old man’s job was an A-rank [Restorer of Ancient Magic].

I didn’t see what cards I had earlier because I was focusing on curses, but maybe I have a class perk card or a rare card.

For some reason, it feels like a dying old man looks like a gacha barrel… It’s not.

Since this is just part of the rescue operation, I have no choice but to do it.

‘I see… let’s see what you brought from the tower. Grandpa!’

I grabbed the old man’s dog tags.