Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: D-Rank Hunter, Tower of Lust 16th Floor Conquest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When I snapped back to reality, we were tearing through the floors like a storm.
We'd called it a date, but all I'd seen so far were succubi tits.
Tits, tits, tits, tits... It should've been a lewd spectacle, but now I was so sick of them I felt numb.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"Didn't we say this was a date?"
"We did."
"You said you wanted to look good in front of me."
"Yes."
"So what the hell is this shit?"
In front of the 13th-floor safe zone.
We crammed triangle kimbap into our mouths in front of a department store that had declared itself a total [No Kids Zone].
Mounds of succubi corpses—or rather, dust—piled up like mountains right before the boundary line.
The floor was littered with all sorts of ridiculous drop items that no man would ever want, and one succubus that had been approaching us even slipped on them and went tumbling head over heels.
"We must've taken down at least a thousand between us. Quite the feat."
Ceres opened her item pouch.
Like a vacuum cleaner, it sucked up every drop item scattered on the ground.
Unlike my cheap knockoffs, hers was some high-end gear.
"Planning to cash in big on that?"
"Cash in big?"
"Those are junk items. Do they even sell?"
"You seem to be under a misunderstanding. These aren't junk. They might look silly, but they're rare items popular all over the world."
...Seriously?
"The supply from this tower got cut off when it closed, so prices outside are hitting all-time highs right now. Judging by the number of drops, we've got about four hundred. Sell 'em all, and you're looking at 8 to 10 billion won easy."
"…………."
I dug the wax out of my ears.
"...How many billion?"
"Eight to ten. I took down sixty percent, so I'll claim that share, but you'll still walk away with at least four billion, Chang-gi."
"What time did we enter the dungeon?"
"We left last night at ten, and it's four in the morning now. Six hours total."
I'd never made this much in my entire hunter career.
Was this just how upper towers worked?
My sense of money was shattering.
"Why the hell are those things worth so much?"
"The kid stuff they drop has special effects. Take this cradle, for example. It's the best. Even a kid who cries nonstop for ten hours a day turns quiet as a lamb inside it. And the effect lingers for hours even after they come out."
One simple explanation, and I totally got why they were a hit worldwide.
"The rattles have a similar effect. This powdered milk? Miracle cure for deformed kids. Even weird cases like tics get fixed with one bottle, they say."
The kind of thing desperate parents would kill for.
"Strollers protect the kid riding in them. Baby bottles boost growth in specific areas—immunity, athletic ability, sensitivity, memory... Not everything, but one trait stands out."
"...Baby bottles are straight-up miracles, aren't they?"
"Exactly. That's why the drop rate's so low—you might need to kill thousands just for one. We got lucky today. This alone's worth over four billion."
Insane.
"You wouldn't happen to be here just to pad my wallet, would you?"
"Prices are at their peak right now. Filling a man's pockets is a woman's virtue—or so I learned."
"From where, exactly?"
"It shows up a lot in male-oriented harem stories."
Of all the things to reference...
"Seong-yeon's room was full of manga, so I referenced some for romance tips."
'You know how it goes—rich girl character showering the protag with gifts.'
Seong-yeon's tastes, man.
Cliché, sure, but it scratched that primal itch.
Too bad it didn't suit Ceres at all.
"How shall I handle it? Wire it straight to your account?"
"Send it to my parents."
"All of it?"
"Leave just a little for me. They're not the type to blow it anyway. They'll put it to better use than I would."
My whole reason for becoming a hunter in the first place was just to scrape by anyway.
With this haul, I wouldn't have to worry about making ends meet anymore.
"Understood. Money goes to your parents, then..."
She trailed off.
"What?"
"Anyway, I was genuinely shocked."
"About what?"
"Your growth rate. I never imagined you'd not only copy my techniques but keep up with my hunting speed too."
"That's because of your help. If it'd been just me, I'd have gotten crushed and been babbling like a newborn by now."
"I'm factoring that in. How are you still D-rank with skills like that? If you'd quit going solo, teamed up, sought out mentors... you'd have made a name for yourself by now. I just can't wrap my head around why you stuck it out alone."
"...Just some circumstances."
"Not just the title, huh."
"Don't ask. I'm not telling."
I grabbed a drink from the NPC inside the department store.
Hydrated, topped up my blood sugar and calories, and let the tension ease out of me.
"So that's our goal for today done, right? Let's head back. I'm beat from all that sprinting."
Four in the morning meant I'd have just enough time to get home, shower, and crash before dawn if I hurried.
Midnight tower climbing—what kind of idiot bullshit was this...
"Ha, what should I eat when I get back? Night snacks before bed always make me feel guilty."
"No need. The date hasn't even started yet."
"...What date?"
"You invited me out on a date today, remember?"
I slapped my forehead.
"Ah~! So this wasn't the date?"
"Who in the world calls beating down succubi a date?"
It was true, but I didn't want to hear it from her.
"Somewhere else, then?"
"Yes. Now we'll head to the 16th floor. There's a certain gimmick there that's perfect for a pair like us. I really wanted to check it out with you, Chang-gi."
16th floor... The one where those Cartographer Guild folks were burning time.
Another gimmick shift, huh.
"We're at 13 now. By the time we get there, it'll be morning."
"That's the idea. We can eat there too, so let's just recover stamina here and push on."
Tight schedule.
What the hell was on the 16th that she'd drag me all the way here?
'Her tone yesterday had that anxious edge. Felt like she'd pull some desperate play to seduce me.'
Handjob, paizuri, fellatio—next up was 100% full sex.
This girl had zero intention of pacing herself over the month.
"What's with the face?"
"Nah, how do we get to the 14th?"
"Subway this time. Take Line 1 to the end, and it'll auto-transfer us."
"Ah, that gimmick? But the subway's crawling with succubi, right?"
"Yes. And that's the tough part. We can't get off, but they keep boarding at every stop to replenish their numbers."
"Defense game, huh."
"One mistake and your life's in the gutter. If you're not confident, you can take the bus to near the end instead."
What a gimmick.
"Whew."
This area looked cleared out—no succubi in sight, so we strolled leisurely.
Without them, it'd be a perfect spot for a breath of fresh air.
"Victims scattered all over a map this huge?"
"Not sure if we should call them victims, but yeah, plenty."
Heading to the subway, she pointed across the street to a zone plastered with bright yellow warning signs.
Succubi visible in the distance.
'This is nuts.'
Succubi decked out in green vests emblazoned with [Mother's Association] on the back.
'Those ones, right? The volunteers doing community service in school and kid-heavy areas...'
Sure enough, the green succubi were controlling traffic—for grown adults.
-Today's 13th-floor field trip ends here!
-They say a dangerous hunter entered the tower—hurry back to school!
-No running too fast. Careful, no accidents!
-Got it? Don't follow unknown hunters!
-Kids who chase after candy get a spanking~!
They blew whistles while herding the adults across the street.
Grown adults—men and women alike—waddled along in diapers, chirping "Yess~!" in obedience.
Talk about a real [Child Protection Zone].
"Once you're like that, it's over."
"Yeah."
One adult even had a lollipop in their mouth, grinning ear to ear.
Brain fully regressed? I caught a snippet of them giggling about what they did with Mama at home today.
One proudly answered, "Mama gave me a handjob with her new onahole!"
Way too terrifying.
"...Unexpected."
"What?"
The real horror? Actual kids mixed in among the adults.
Not a ton, but around ten of them.
Black hair, silver, gold, red... every race under the sun.
Unlike the adults, they wore cute outfits, got treated like treasures, and didn't spout vulgar crap.
"Ah, the orphans."
"Orphans?"
"Back when this floor was wide open, tons of people dumped their kids here. Figured the succubi—with all those protective walls—would raise them right."
"………."
"Annoyingly, they were spot on. The succubi are a necessary evil—surprisingly kind. Even to abandoned kids, they never attacked when couples came to claim them. That's what drew in so many normie parents."
"Different treatment, huh?"
"Succubi don't lay a hand on kids, boy or girl. They treat them more politely than the adults—way more parental."
World-famous orphan hotspot, basically.
"Kids like that everywhere around here?"
"Scattered, yeah. But seeing real kids on the 13th? Pretty rare these days."
"Why's that?"
"They struck a deal back then. 'Keep the 15th as your orphan nursery—no raids, please.' We agreed, worried about hurting the kids. In return, they keep the children pinned to the 15th to protect them."
"Figured it was safe since the floor'd been closed a while?"
"Makes sense. Looks like they're moving the kids up floors now."
Sure enough.
The moment we crossed the crosswalk into the elementary school, all the real kids vanished in a flash of light, ported to the upper floors—adults excluded.
"No wonder the 11th- and 13th-floor succubi freaked out so hard. Protecting the kids."
"Are we the bad guys?"
"Don't be ridiculous. They're the invaders. We're the challengers saving the world. Get that backwards, and we'll end up like them."
The remaining adults shuffled back into the school.
The succubi flashed lewd grins and closed in sexually.
"Adults are usually in spots like that. Priority's kindergartens, then elementary schools, apartment playgrounds, kid pools. No school? Check retreat centers sometimes."
Grown adults losing their minds, romping on the playground—what a sight.
"They at least let them advance grades?"
"Nope. No middle schools here. After kinder graduation, elementary forever. Third grade's the cutoff."
"These succubi bitches got some deep karma."
Retreats abolished everywhere else, but still hanging on here.
Wonder how exactly they wrangled the adults.
"What was your childhood like, Chang-gi?"
"Out of nowhere?"
"We've got time. You wouldn't dig into my past and then clam up on yours, right?"
"No tragic backstory like yours. Just normal—went through elementary, advanced, coasted through high school."
"Friends?"
"Tch. Got contacts, but no one I'd call a real bro."
"Wasn't it smooth?"
"Hero worship till third grade after jumping into a fire to save someone. Then my head grew, freckles kicked in, back to freak status. Kids that age, y'know? They pile on whatever's fun, laugh along, zero empathy."
"Middle school?"
"By then, barely anyone knew the story—more kids picking on me out of curiosity. Got called Freckles way more than my name. Even teachers joined in, so what could I do? Had some friends, but I kept distance. Lost 'em after advancing."
"High school too, I bet."
"Kids mature by then, so less of it. But always one or two stirring shit."
Thinking back, no bullying, but "smooth" school life? Nah.
"Did your stint in the military too."
"Company commander lost his shit—'Why'd the draft board send a freak like this for active duty?'"
Full-body burns and they still call you up. Impressive world.
If Seong-yeon hadn't gotten the unit disbanded, I might've served full term.
"How was military life?"
"Shittier than school. Corporal called me Freckles instead of my name—panted like a dog every time he said it."
"You just let that slide?"
"Horsewhip to the face, transferred to another company like an old uncle. But the unit disbanded days later, everyone discharged. Pointless."
Ran into him on the way home by chance—still leers in my nightmares.
Total asshole.
"Scar doesn't bother you?"
"Aches on rainy days sometimes. Otherwise fine—not as bad as it looks."
"Perfect, then, since the pain lingers."
We'd reached the subway.
Footsteps echoed from inside, but we chatted like we'd warped back to guild HQ.
"Why? You like seeing me hurt?"
"Hardly. The gimmick on the 16th floor we're heading to? Great for old wounds."
"What, some RPG recovery hot spring?"
"Not a hot spring, but something like it."
"Bathhouse?"
"Sauna."
What the fuck.
A sauna on the 16th floor?
Why the hell would a tower have that?
"Heard you hit it up recently. Kinda silly, time sink of a gimmick. But you'd enjoy it, Chang-gi."
Hard not to get hyped after that.
Right on cue, the train pulled in.
The wind brushed my cheeks as the perverts plastered to the windows inside stared us down.
"Let's go. I'll take point."
"Gonna reek of tit sweat in there."
We grimaced our way into the last car.
Smoke billowed immediately—and a flood of drop items poured into my pouch like a warm welcome.