Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: [Tower of Lust 19th Floor] Schrödinger's Gloomy Beauty
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She asked point-blank.
As if she were on guard against an enemy.
Ceres was a Doberman, and her opponent was a fluffy little lapdog, yet she still bared her teeth.
"I heard the Cartographer Guild finished up and headed back. So why is the guild master-elect abandoning her home base to camp out here?"
"Ahaha? Not exactly camping out—just backtracking for a bit~!"
-Backtracking?
"I swung by the 20th floor to check for constellations. Confirmed if the snow women's village had moved and did some extra mapping. Took a little break, then got back to work~. Especially the snow women village—I wanted to have it down pat in case any victims popped up on this floor so I could respond right away~!"
Nihihi~!
She pushed up her round glasses and wiggled her hips.
"Did you meet the constellation?"
"Nah, just observed from afar~. Stuck my head out at the edge of the 20th floor, and there was this knight on a picnic mat atop the hill before the gateway bridge, muttering 'When will they come~? When will they come~?' in this creepy loop. Lucky I didn't get counted~!"
As the 5th-ranked hunter giggled, I immediately pictured who that constellation was.
True to expectations, the Knight of Pure Love was guarding the 20th floor.
"And one more. There was this knight glowing super white, sitting demurely in front of him and sipping tea."
"Hm. Just the two of them?"
"Yup~! One's your classic knight straight out of the Middle Ages. The other's cranked RGB to 255.255.255 and sparkling like he was carved from marble~!"
I had no clue about one of them.
One was definitely the Knight of Pure Love, but two constellations? No way.
"That's you on that side, right, Chang-gi hyung~? You've been summoned~!"
She casually dropped that premium intel and sauntered right up without a care.
Her long, unkempt hair looked downright grimy at first glance, but her base beauty elevated it to quirky charm.
Calling me "hyung" was part of her character build... right?
"Should I call you Ms. Suni?"
"Just call me Sun~! Looks can be deceiving—I'm actually younger~!"
Yeah, no kidding.
If she was older than me, the world would be broken.
"Yay~! As you can see, fresh-faced 24! My selling point's these sturdy thighs built from hiking~! Hobby's hiking too! Love tower exploring and map-making! Hate the Tower Lord! 'Suni' is the nickname my guild seniors slapped on me when I first joined~!"
-Cute like a puppy.
-Obedient.
-Sweet.
-Approachable.
"So go ahead and call me Suni~! Feels a tad like dog-treating, but I'm cool with it now~! Orientation's straight for the moment, so rest easy!"
'That "for the moment" hits you with the tower's curse.'
She was high-energy by default, with strong opinions.
Approachable vibe, actively trying to bond.
Seemed like a good person at a glance, but Ceres was on edge.
"Why are you bristling like that?"
"This girl's got a habit of trash-talking Chomok behind their backs."
"Huh?"
For real?
I glanced down, and her hollowed eyes stabbed right at me.
"Misunderstanding~! I butt heads with Seong-yeon sis a lot, but it's just clashing views, not personal~!"
"Doesn't feel that way when you're nipping at every little thing."
"Everything's feedback for the guild and the tower—no hard feelings~!"
She giggled and danced around the words.
The warm atmosphere had definitely chilled. No way it was just my imagination.
I started leaning into the tension, half-worried they'd actually throw down.
"So, are you two an item~?"
"Kuh!"
Ceres recoiled.
It was the most natural question ever.
We'd asked her "Why are you here?" so she could flip it right back.
"Why would you think that...?"
"Anyone would notice a flashy ranker with a legendary past cozying up arm-in-arm with a guy on a floor like this. Common sense, right?"
"...Kuh."
Straight facts.
Ceres defeated.
If she'd kept her distance, she could've played it off, but our butler pressed even tighter against my side.
"Oho. Even if Ceres sis is hiding her embarrassment... with a guy? Will the tower crumble tomorrow or what?"
Pat pat pat.
She skipped nimbly around us in tight little circles.
Like a kid teasing a friend.
"You two are dating, right? Whoa, I figured it'd be Seong-yeon sis or some other girl—total curveball~."
"Don't tease. We're not like that."
"For real?"
"Yes... Lord Chang-gi has someone he's seeing..."
"Huh? Whaaat???"
Suni circled endlessly, refusing to process it.
Especially behind our backs.
"Sis's nape and cleavage have guy marks... Hyung's neck has claw scratches..."
Yeah, it showed.
Pointless trying to hide it like this.
"W-Well, maybe injuries from climbing?"
"Eek. First time seeing flustered Ceres sis~! Oh right, girlfriend? So you two are having an affair? Sneaking into the tower for secret fun~??"
"That's not..."
If she kept yapping, the misunderstanding would snowball, so I cut it off here.
"-Got permission from the girlfriend to make her a sex friend."
"Lord Chang-gi!?"
Better to hammer it straight and avoid twists.
My Euro little sis was flustered, but Suni bought it.
"Ah~! Those tower relationships happen sometimes! Plenty of polygamous guys inside, so no shame in it~!!"
"...Is that how it is?"
"The Ceres sis part's iffy, though. Makes you wonder if you got brainwashed~?"
Reasonable take—anger flashed across Ceres's face again.
Earlier it was a slow room-domination vibe; now it was full hunt-mode intensity.
"You think I've been brainwashed into something as pathetic as a sex friend?"
"Nooo~nonsense! For real! I just mean with a sis like you in this tower, it's worth suspecting a bit~!"
"........."
The room's air thawed.
Suni's point was valid.
Her as a guy's sex friend? Anyone knowing her history would suspect mind control.
"Chang-gi hyung's taking care of sis~? Ooh, spicy~! For real!?"
"Who'd be dumb enough to teach curses to a chatty parrot like you?"
"Aw, girl talk between us ladies~! Love sto~ry time~!"
"Creepy—back off."
Suni clung to my feet, so I shoved her away.
5th rank meant nothing as she rolled across the sauna floor like a scrub.
"You can talk to the guild master like that?"
"She's basically the boss over there. After the old guild master 【Don Quixote】 vanished, she grabbed the reins."
"I'm trying my best here~!?"
"Dunno about that. Been hearing a lot of noise lately—worried your guild might collapse."
"Hey, that's too harsh just for interrupting a date~!"
"Kuhhh~!!"
Everything bounced right back at Ceres.
Poor thing.
Apparently couldn't take more humiliation—she fled my side. Suni and I pitied her in unison.
"What the heck happened... For Ceres to act like that... Seriously..."
It wasn't me who said it.
Her voice dropped low, genuinely awed.
...Her unfiltered tone was gloomier than expected.
Charitably serious; uncharitably, it matched her scruffy look perfectly.
"Ahem. Hyung came to stamp the 19th floor checkpoint, right~?"
"This floor's special, so it unlocks even without tackling 20."
"Yup. Grab buffs, then you warp right up from here~."
Suni headed to her spot and sat; I followed.
A fresh map sprawled across her portable desk.
Even map-illiterate me could tell this wasn't solo work.
"Distributing this starting tomorrow~! Whaddya think~!?"
"Damn, it's insane. Can't even compare to the guild's cheapo maps."
"Those are minis—this is for me and the execs~!"
The massive 11th floor was charted in obsessive detail.
Buildings in each sector, shop inventories, hidden passages, interior layouts. Lower floors were naked before this map—stripped bare.
"Saw 11 through 18 hadn't changed, so I looped back for finer measurements~!"
She beamed with pride.
I praised her, marveled some more, then asked.
"18th's good—did 20 change up?"
"Yessire~! Entrance shifted a tad? But no one's rushing here or challenging the gate, so no harm done~!"
Makes sense—rest floor.
Everyone chills on 16; no reason to hit 19.
Unless checkpoint-hunting.
No point warping to 20 after stamping...
"Tricking gate-rushers?"
"Reeks of shady intent, right~! Oh, just in case—here's the 19th floor map! Pass it to Ceres sis~!"
"What? This ain't pricey? You can just hand these out?"
"Planning to distribute to all six major guilds anyway~! Giving to Ceres sis means it'll hit Seong-yeon sis too—saves me work~!"
I promised to deliver and took the map.
Broad and hefty.
"Guess work's wrapped—time to head out~!"
"Why? We're here already—stick around?"
"This place is mixed bathing by default. Crashing a couple's vibe is awkward..."
Fair point.
As she packed her maps, I felt bad for interrupting.
"Oh yeah, you're pushing forward, huh?"
"Huh?"
"20th floor."
"Not really here to conquer. Just resting."
"Ho hm. Really~?"
She had a knowing look.
"Nah, if hyung says no, it's no~! Anyway, I'm out. Catch ya in the skyscraper later~!"
I rolled the map into my travel bag and she charged the wall.
Thud!
Slammed right into it and toppled backward.
○Reporter impression?
"Ow ow ow~! That hurts!"
"What're you doing?"
"Ugh. One sec. Skill trigger condition..."
-Ping!
Vanished the instant she finished.
"What the."
Left behind on the floor: orange sauna clothes and a key.
The 5th rank we'd bumped into had poofed after smashing the wall.