HHDT 22

Chapter 22

‘It’s the first time I’ve been able to choose a special reward.’

Up until now, he had always received special rewards without any choice.

But maybe subduing Karana changed that.

This time, a new option appeared.

[100,000 TP]
[Blueprint for “Orc Shaman’s Altar”]

‘It was supposed to be 100,000 TP, but now there’s the altar blueprint too.’

Seeing that it’s called a blueprint…

It’s probably something he can install in Manmajeon, like the goblin’s black market.

‘Money… I already got the down payment, and if I think about the future, the blueprint is better.’

Of course, 100,000 TP wasn’t a small amount.

But to help settle the half-blood elf Karana, it seemed smarter to get the altar blueprint.

When Lee Kanghan chose the blueprint—

[You have acquired the “Blueprint for Orc Shaman’s Altar.”]
[Construction options in Manmajeon have expanded.]

Along with the message that new options were available—

[Opening clear rewards.]
[Your level has increased by 2.]
[You have received 30,000 TP.]

The rest of the clear rewards were also unlocked.

‘Level 19 now.’

To move from Iron rank to Bronze, two conditions had to be met:

Climb to the 10th floor of the Beginner’s Tower,
and reach level 25.

‘I heard most people level up to 25 after reaching the 10th floor… but I might hit it earlier.’

Getting SSS+ like it’s nothing—Lee Kanghan was definitely a rare case.

Most players, at best, only got A rank.

Usually, they averaged a C.

And if they got an average rank like that, they either got no level-up bonus or just 1 level.

So Iron-rank players tried their best to climb to the 10th floor of the Infinite Tower…

and leveled up to 25 by hunting monsters and getting tower clear rewards.

‘If I hit 25 before floor 10, I should just train the Manmajeon guys.’

Thinking that, Lee Kanghan claimed all the rewards.

Then—

[You have received all rewards.]
[Logging out from Iron Tower No.4.]

Flash—!

His body was surrounded by light, and he returned home.

The first thing he did was open Manmajeon.

[Manmajeon 萬魔殿]
The dwelling of all demons who submitted to the Cheonma.

Your class is too low, so Manmajeon’s true functions are limited.

Current capacity: 56 / 10,000

With Karana and four orcs added, the number increased.

Lee Kanghan looked at the screen floating in front of him.

‘Karana and the orcs are in different places?’

Inside the Manmajeon window—

The four orcs and Karana were placed in separate zones.

Karana was all alone, far away.

The goblins and orcs were close—almost like neighbors.

‘Hmm. So the system sees Karana as an elf?’

Besides her “chiik” speech, she had nothing in common with orcs.

But still—

‘I’ve now placed three races into Manmajeon. That’s good.’

He only needed two races to upgrade Cheonma’s trait to D.

But in the future, they might ask for more.

The more races in Manmajeon, the better.

‘First, I need to give them a proper home.’

Unlike goblins, the new races were trapped in the darkness of Manmajeon.

Just like before, Lee Kanghan decided to build their homes.

‘Ah, before that, I should exchange TP with real cash.’

He currently had 30,200 TP.

He would exchange that with Shin Yuri at 120%…

and use cash to buy more TP for upgrading Manmajeon.

‘I have to invest in both races… Let’s start by exchanging 130 million won.’

That would give him 100,000 TP.

He could invest more later if needed.

Lee Kanghan went to TowerTube and exchanged the TP.

[You have received 100,000 TP.]

Money left his bank account and TP was added to his TowerTube account.

It also instantly showed up in his system window.

‘Fascinating.’

He marveled for a moment at the Infinite Tower’s hyper technology.

Then he began his investment.

Click.

First, he tapped on Karana’s location.

[Do you want to build an “Elf Settlement”?]
[It will cost 200,000 TP.]

‘200,000?’

It was only 20,000 for goblins…

Lee Kanghan frowned at the 10x increase.

‘Why is elf land so expensive?’

Also, if he remembered the goblins—

Just building the home wasn’t enough.

He had to pay extra TP for food and basic resources.

It was 20,000 each time.

‘If I’m not careful, I’ll lose all my down payment.’

Feeling uneasy, he checked on the orcs’ status instead.

Compared to Karana, who came on her own,

the orcs were in much worse shape.

When he tapped the orcs—

[Orc Group]
[Status: Confused, Berserk, Time left before death: 2 hours]

Their condition was way worse than the goblins before.

‘They’re not starving, but they’ll die in two hours?’

Their red skin was probably from the “Berserk” status.

And as a side effect, they would die soon.

He had to prioritize them.

[The orcs do not have a settlement.]
[Without a settlement, they cannot be revived after dying in Manmajeon.]
[Do you want to build an “Orc Settlement”?]
[It will cost 50,000 TP.]

The price appeared in front of him.

‘So even the orcs cost 50,000… The goblins were just cheap, huh.’

Thinking back—

It was lucky he started with goblins.

Since they were so weak, TP investment was low.

‘I’ll take care of the orcs first.’

Karana didn’t have a death timer, so she could wait.

He made his decision and spent TP to care for the orcs.

[You have built the “Orc Settlement.”]

As the settlement was built,

the darkness cleared and a wasteland appeared.

[Do you want to add food and base resources to the settlement?]
[It will cost 50,000 TP.]

Once resources were added,

a green area appeared in part of the wasteland.

Large and small herbivores began to appear.

‘Alright. Now the orcs can survive.’

He’d just spent the full 130 million won…

All on saving four orcs.

As he let out a bitter smile—

[“Half-blood Elf Karana” wants to speak with you.]
[Do you want to accept the call?]

Of course, the money-hungry one was calling now.

[Chiik. Cheonma, thank you for accepting my call.]
“You’re mine now. Of course I’ll answer.”

Karana stood firmly in the darkness of Manmajeon.

Thinking back to how scared the goblin chief had been at first,

her mental strength seemed impressive.

[Where are the orcs?]
“Orcs? I was just setting up their home.”
[Really? I couldn’t see them, so I was worried.]
“They’re placed in a different area than you. You’re in the elf zone. Orcs are in the orc zone.”
[Chiik! What?! That’s not right! Why would I be placed in the elf zone?!]

Karana began to get angry when he told her the truth.

The system clearly categorized her as an elf.

But with her delusion and blind belief…

She wasn’t ready to accept that.

‘I’ll just play along.’

No need to convince her she’s an elf.

Lee Kanghan spoke gently.

“Really? Manmajeon isn’t perfect yet. Maybe the classification messed up.”
[Chiik! Exactly! I’m a descendant of the Gerushu Empire… I may look like an elf, but inside I’m a perfect orc!]
“Got it. So, do you want to move to the orc settlement?”
[Chiik! Of course!]

So… no need to build the elf settlement.

Saved 200,000 TP.

‘But… how do I move her there?’

Tap. Tap.

He tried dragging her on the screen.

But only the options [Summon], [Worship], and [Exile] appeared.

No way to move her.

‘Too far to ask her to walk there…’

Was there a way?

As he tapped between the orc and elf zones—

Ding.

When he pressed the orc wasteland, a system message popped up.

[The current orc settlement is not in “Orc Territory” status.]
[You cannot build the “Orc Training Ground.”]

‘It has to become a territory before I can level them up.’

With goblins, he upgraded the land after giving the chief a horn.

But the orcs didn’t have any special events like that.

So he couldn’t build the training ground to level them up.

However—

[You have acquired the “Blueprint for Orc Shaman’s Altar.”]
[You can now build the “Orc Shaman’s Altar.”]

Because he had chosen the blueprint earlier…

Unlike other buildings, this one was available.

[Do you want to build the “Orc Shaman’s Altar”?]
[It will cost 200,000 TP.]

‘200,000… Same as elf land.’

It was expensive, but…

He could still manage it with his remaining funds.

Lee Kanghan read the altar’s description.

[Orc Shaman’s Altar Lv.1]
A special altar used by orc shamans.

Built to revive the orcs of the Gerushu Empire.

Horrific experiments take place to create “Red Orcs.”

Most experiments fail.

But sometimes, they succeed.

If an orc used in the experiment dies, its level drops.

Loyalty and motivation drop drastically.

If the orc reaches level 1 and fails again, it disappears.

If the experiment succeeds, it evolves into a “Gerushu Empire Orc” and obeys the master and shaman of Manmajeon.

Only “Orc Shaman” class can be assigned to the altar.

Assigning an orc to the shaman starts the evolution experiment.

Upgrading the altar increases success chances.

At level 5, the altar becomes “High Shaman’s Laboratory.”

‘So it’s just a lab to turn normal orcs into Red Orcs.’

Not an altar… more like an orc testing facility.

‘If they keep failing, the orcs will eventually disappear. Do I have to keep collecting more?’

As he analyzed the details,

he noticed the line about assigning an “Orc Shaman.”

‘I got this altar as a reward after subduing Karana. If what she said is true—that she’s the disciple of a High Shaman—maybe she can be assigned here?’

Would the system give this reward if it wasn’t connected?

But…

If Karana doesn’t qualify as an Orc Shaman,

he’d lose 200,000 TP.

That’s 260 million won…

More than half his down payment.

Lee Kanghan hesitated briefly.

“Karana.”
[…Cheonma, how do you know my name?]

Right. They never exchanged names.

Karana blinked in surprise.

He answered casually.

“It’s shown in the Manmajeon system window. But more importantly—are you an Orc Shaman?”
[…Chiik. Yes. I am the disciple of a High Shaman, and a descendant of the Gerushu Empire.]
“I’ll trust you.”
[Why ask that?]
“Because I’m about to invest more than half of my total money.”
[More than half…!?]

As Karana blinked her eyes—

‘Let’s do it.’

Lee Kanghan exchanged 200,000 TP through TowerTube.

Click.

He built the Orc Shaman’s Altar.

Right in the middle of the orc settlement,

a strange, red, bone-built structure rose up.

It looked like a place where horrible experiments would happen.

‘Now then…?’

When he clicked on the altar—

[Do you want to assign an Orc Shaman?]
[You can assign “Half-blood Elf Karana.”]

Even if her body was that of an elf…