Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Friendly and Lewd Auntie's [Tower of Lust] Guide
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They said it.
That something precious had been taken from them.
The number one Copper Witch, the number two Sword Princess, and even number three Song Seong-yeon—none of them had escaped it. That was the reason everyone's rankings had climbed.
"We all got caught while climbing the tower."
-The former top rankers?
"Caught by who?"
"It's hard to answer directly who it was, so I'll explain it in a way that's easy to understand. The gimmick on a certain floor of this tower is unique. It's at a level you can't clear with effort alone, so everyone eventually gave up on brute-forcing it and used workarounds to reach the 50th floor. That's where the problem happened."
The Copper Witch spoke on behalf of everyone.
She altered her voice with a skill, perfectly mimicking the speech of whoever it had been back then.
『Lately, there have been so many fearless fools mocking my tower.』
『Listen well, you who climbed the tower with shallow tricks.』
『I hereby bestow upon you eternal punishment. Spend your lives forever regretting your foolishness.』
It was the high-pitched voice of a woman.
The tower's owner.
The goddess who bestowed blessings upon humanity and managed the constellations.
『Hear me, you fools of the surface.』
『From now on, my tower will be under the management of my constellation [Knight of Pure Love]. Such unfortunate incidents will never happen again.』
『Human, if you desire my grace, do so boldly and proudly—entertain me.』
The previous top rankers had received the goddess's curse.
Is that why they vanished?
"They didn't die, did they?"
"No. Thanks to skills, I know they're still alive. But we can't reach that place anymore."
"How come?"
"The tower owner sealed off all the floors we bypassed. The tower, which had been open up to the 50th floor, closed back down to the 10th. It's the worst possible scenario."
The first string was all detained in the tower.
Which left the 1.5 string—like them—on the surface.
『For the next five years.』
『You who mocked my tower and failed to conquer it, prepare yourselves.』
『I'll turn the surface into a wasteland.』
A death sentence with a time limit, in that state.
A prophecy of the surface world's doom.
Did this affect just our country, or would the fallout reach overseas...?
"We haven't even finished proper introductions yet. Sorry about that. But you get it, right? Hearing our situation came first over chit-chat right now."
"Yes."
It made sense.
Unlike me, who knew nothing, everyone here was on edge.
"No other questions?"
"You need to tell me why I'm here."
"Seong-yeon really explained nothing, huh. Sigh, I figured as much. That girl's a total menace. She leaves everyone around her suffering every time."
The 【Copper Witch】 showed the demeanor of Seong-yeon's friendly senior, despite being close like a friend.
Mysterious in interviews, fun on variety shows—but right now, she was a hunter.
"The reason's simple. You know each tower has its own theme, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the details?"
"Seong-yeon conquered the Brass Tower, which was [Forest]. Maan Guild did the Silver Tower, [Magic]. Some country got [Machines], and I vaguely heard there's one like [Fairytale Land]. The latest one in the UK is [Gluttony], or so I've heard..."
"Right. And our Golden Tower is the absolute worst among them."
She mimed slicing her own throat with her palm.
Really hates it, apparently.
"Our tower's theme is love. That word has many meanings here, but this place takes the absolute shittiest one."
How bad could it be for the double number one ranker in Korea to say that?
"Everything related to [male-female relationships] and [lust]."
It was extremely the worst.
I heard their self-introductions.
I heard their circumstances.
The stories were so long that I wouldn't bail right now, but every single one weighed heavy.
'Why the hell did I end up shouldering this heavy shit~~~!!!'
Ugh!
This whole meeting had been prepared just for me, they said.
Today was about seeing my face, and they'd think over our proposal later—short and sweet.
Basically, just getting acquainted and done.
Thinking in this situation...?
-We heard about your skill from Seong-yeon.
-It might seem embarrassing to others, but it's perfect for tower conquests.
-We won't laugh at you.
-Please lend us your strength for the tower.
They bowed their heads.
The people above me bowed.
How did it come to this?
Why?
"Sssip..."
I puffed thick clouds of smoke from the alley near the skyscraper's entrance, slightly shadowed.
The calming agent made from herbs from the Brass Tower worked well, but no amount of it would break this situation.
'I fell for her temptation, joined the guild, slept with the girl she introduced me to, ranked up my skill—that's all it was. Why'd it blow up like this?'
No matter how I thought about it, I was dancing in Seong-yeon's palm.
And she hadn't told me a damn thing, despite being a "friend."
'I can't figure out what Seong-yeon wants at all. They all seemed happy, so I guess I am helpful...'
I downed the herbs over and over, blowing smoke from my nose to sort my mind, but the irritation lingered.
I had no ambition to rise. No drive for success.
I wanted to rank up my skill to become a "more useful person"—that was approval-seeking, not success-seeking.
If someone else were here instead of me, they might've shown some drive.
-The rankers want to team up with me?
-They're pinning hopes on me?
-I could join that league?
-Me, humanity's savior!?
Fuck yeah! ...or something.
But I wasn't a moth to a midnight flame.
If anything, I was a cockroach scavenging the moth that smashed into a bulb and fell.
Perfect fit for a 【Scavenger】 like me, right?
'The Brass Tower solo was brutally tough, and now they want me to pioneer the Golden Tower where all the rankers got wrecked?'
Damn it, I'm not suicidal.
I've seen countless kids die after naively relying on guts, dreams, passion, luck, and skills.
I personally deliver them home.
Cold as corpses, into the arms of their wailing parents.
"—Fuck."
I started to toss the cigarette but held back the heat and jammed it into the ashtray I'd pocketed. One wasn't enough to calm down, so I lit another. And another. Then a woman approached me like this.
"Hey, promising young man. Mind sharing a smoke with Auntie?"
Redheaded ginger, with asymmetrical hair covering one eye, fluttering in the wind.
Same blue eyes as Ceres, but hers were like a warm midsummer stream.
"Weren't you just upstairs...?"
"Self-intro got delayed, huh? 【Master Tool】 Bridgetta. Mechanic Guild Master. Born in Ireland. Just call me Auntie Jita, easy does it."
She crashed in.
Ranking 4.
"Auntie? Aren't you one of the real powers here?"
A massive guild trading gear with hunters in Korea and abroad.
Half the buildings around our country's tower had passed through Mechanic Guild hands.
Considering her influence, most outsiders would grovel.
"Haha, just a regular gal boosted by skills and guild perks. Auntie doesn't care about that stuff, so don't hype me up~."
She cackled.
Like a big sister I'd known for years.
(For the record, I'm an only child.)
'This one's outfit is as killer as number two's.'
My anger vanished in an instant, replaced by arousal.
"Sssip... Pffha~!"
She took the cigarette I offered and exhaled refreshingly.
Up close now, I flinched and scanned her figure.
'Tall, slender, gorgeous, and with that married-woman plumpness and curves...!'
The cute freckles on her nose were sprinkled like salt across her cleavage, drawing the eye. Her jumpsuit zipper was pulled down to her navel, boldly exposed.
No bra, even—the barest edge of breast teasing visibility... A bit more and the areola might peek. I swallowed hard.
"What, no fun staring at a freckled mess like me~? Too dirty for guys to enjoy, right~?"
"Yet you're all cool and unzipped like that."
"It's hot. Working by the forge all day, and the Golden Tower's baseline temp is high. Compared to rainy Ireland, it's a whole different world—hard to adjust~."
Then she raised her right arm and draped it over my shoulder.
What was this distance? Freckled cleavage right under my nose.
Wonder if licking would wipe them off?
"Heehee, relax. As you can see, Auntie's pretty casual. You looked super tense, so I came to cheer you up, all sentimental-like."
"Bridgetta... nim?"
"Told ya not to call me that. Say it: Ji. Ta. A. Jum. Ma."
"Compromise: Bridgetta-noona."
"This country's got weird priorities with manners. But 'noona' feels nice~. Auntie likes kids like you. Fun watching you grow."
Ruff-ruff!
She ruffled my hair a few times, then laughed casually again.
The tension melted. Top hunters were normal people off-duty, like me or Seong-yeon.
"Freaked out by the sudden pressure earlier? Heard that little demon didn't tell you jack?"
"Little demon?"
"Seong-yeon. That brat skips explanations and jumps straight to action again?"
"Yeah. Said it'd be faster to just show me..."
"Even for friends, that's too much. Atmosphere was already interrogation vibes—normies would've pissed themselves~! Hahaha~!"
She was spot on. Aura-blasting right on entry was really fucked.
"Number two's got a mean streak like that. Thinks her title 【Sword Princess】 makes her some beast, screwing around other countries like an idiot."
"Number two was the one who suggested the aura test?"
"Yup. Even with Seong-yeon's rec, she wanted to check skills first. So Auntie fired a bit too~?"
-Mwe♪
Winking one eye cutely in apology.
That cooled my anger.
Never thought I'd taste a shonen-style power test in real life...
"Heh. They're not bad people, though. Auntie's sorry instead, so if you're mad, let this cheer you up."
A kiss on my forehead. Peck.
Such an affectionate noona.
"Can't stay mad at that. Tension's gone, breathing easy now."
"Tough heart. As expected from Seong-yeon's pick—got potential. ...So, what about our tower? You know zilch yet, right?"
I nodded.
"Gotta learn now. Check the street vibes, dig up what I don't know to feel the gravity."
"Good attitude~! Hehe, perfect timing. Come with Auntie, then. We'll tour the streets, I'll explain the unknowns, take questions."
"You sure?"
"Huh~?"
"You're the guild master. Mechanic Guild means piled-up work..."
"We dragged you here by force~! If the others won't look after you, Auntie will~! Work can wait, later~!!"
She tightened her arm around my shoulder, giggling as she led me.
Auntie, huh—what a quirky speech habit.
Separate from leading me so comfortably now, back in the meeting room, she'd declared something like this:
『The future of the 【Mechanic】 Guild, and my precious child who sustained my harsh life.』
A shadowed circumstance beneath that smile...
Thanks to her casual vibe, my steps were light, but my heart grew a bit heavier.