Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: [Tower of Lust, Floor 19] Schrödinger's Gloomy Lolita
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Not long after Soon-i vanished, our bashful little scout came slinking back, glancing around cautiously.
Her body radiated a fresh, toasty warmth, like she'd just finished a quick workout.
"-It's probably Lady Soon-i's skill."
The moment she returned, she brushed off her embarrassment and gave a straightforward answer to my question about the scene I'd just witnessed.
"She slammed right into the wall out of nowhere, though?"
"It's the ultimate, most vicious teleport skill—one that flings the user away regardless of their will whenever they're attacked, startled, or sense danger."
Most vicious.
Her grim tone caught me off guard, so she laid out the full story.
"If you're doing it on purpose, you can pick the destination. But if it triggers unintentionally, it sends you somewhere random... and I've heard people suffer from it their whole lives."
Their whole lives.
...Getting yeeted by your own skill from the get-go?
"Say someone pranks Lady Soon-i just to scare her. She'd get hurled to who-knows-where in the world—distance and conditions be damned, some place she's never even heard of. What seems like harmless fun to the prankster could turn into a life-or-death crisis for her."
She picked up the sauna clothes Soon-i had dropped and folded them neatly.
"One time, she jolted awake from a nightmare and found herself hovering over a lava field—"
Even her own dreams fell under the skill's domain.
Escape the nightmare, only to wake up in real life above molten rock.
"-She said she cried because she couldn't tell where the nightmare ended and reality began."
I took it seriously and pictured it.
No way to downplay it—this was the worst skill imaginable.
"When did it start?"
"Back in elementary school. During a group aptitude test at school to check for hunter potential."
-That's when the skill descended on her.
"She looked totally hollowed out even then, right?"
Yeah.
Messy hair, sunken eyes... but a bright kid all the same.
A weird contrast between her looks and her upbeat vibe.
"She's stable now, but before she got used to the skill, she suffered so much it left her looking like that. It triggers on mere surprise, and even something as basic as sleeping peacefully isn't allowed. The miracle is that she grew up so cheerful—her mental fortitude is worthy of respect; she didn't lose her mind."
I chugged some sikhye to settle my stomach.
It came back to me.
♪ To reclaim my life from the tower alongside my awesome friends who loved cartography work~ ♪
What I hate? The Tower Lord!
That glimpse of her true feelings, slipped between her skyscraper oath and self-intro.
She had a past as shitty as a septic tank, too.
A wound big enough to overshadow my burn scars.
It hurt.
"How the hell has she survived this long?"
"Who knows. I don't have the full details—just that she became a hunter because of it."
I asked.
"As a kid, some punk classmate's prank triggered a teleport. She came to in some random tower overseas. She never dreamed it crossed national borders into another realm's tower, so she was bracing for death... that's when she met them."
"Who?"
"The roots of the current Cartographer Guild. The former guild master 【Don Quixote】 and the early executives. She joined under their influence, became a hunter, and honed her guts and skills."
"It was a classmate's prank that teleported her, so—"
"She got swept up in some upper-floor gimmick and spent years stuck in that overseas tower before finally making it back home. The punk who started it all? Got off scot-free without a single reprimand."
"What the actual fuck? That little shit deserved to be buried. And she just forgave him?"
"No. The culprit clammed up, so no one knew exactly when Soon-i got teleported. By the time she returned to Korea, the kid had moved far away, and the whole incident just faded into obscurity..."
That was all Ceres knew, but I could vividly feel how fucked Soon-i's life had been.
"And her hobbies are hiking and map-making? Talk about a black joke—rein it in a bit."
"Yeah. That's why we keep our guard up but can't hate her. She's dead serious about conquering the tower."
"With that constitution, making maps... inside the tower, no less?"
"That's exactly why her skill guarantees survival. It auto-teleports her out of danger, so she's turned it into a tool on her own terms."
At the cost of random destinations.
Self-harm in the landing spot might send her back, but the conditions were nasty.
"Why'd her clothes come off? Don't tell me—"
"The ones rented here come off automatically."
It wasn't like some pervy debuff stripping her naked mid-teleport.
Thank god for small mercies.
"Did she say anything else?"
"She started prepping to leave the second you went after her. Handed over this map, too."
"Path to the 20th floor, huh."
"Said this section's changed a bit. Asked if we're pushing for 20."
"Hm."
Ceres's face grew deadly serious as she took the map.
She'd reeked of feminine allure when we first entered, but now she was full vice-guild-master mode.
"The teleport coordinates to the upper floors have shifted."
"To where?"
"To the exact opposite side of where they used to be. Sending the Cartographer Guild ahead was the right call."
Now we could climb without casualties, she said, pocketing the map.
Soon-i's story had calmed the mood considerably.
Seizing the moment, I made my pitch again.
"No mood for sex today anyway. Let's grab the buffs and head out. It'll be 1 or 2 a.m. when we get back. Seong-yeon's probably still up, so we can meet, explain the situation, squash the bet, and wrap it up clean."
"………."
Ceres gave me a quick glance, then bowed her head.
"You against it?"
"You won't hate me after it's over, right?"
"Same as always."
"How?"
"Blame me for fucking you and stealing your beloved woman. You probably acted on your own whims getting here anyway—keep playing the bratty maknae to the end."
"You addicted to me calling you oppa?"
I awkwardly chugged my sikhye.
As if I'd answer that.
I didn't reply, so she scooted right up beside me, wiggling her toes.
"Either way, you need to face Seong-yeon once. She won't let it slide, so steel yourself."
"I'll cover for you."
"It's not about that."
She leaned into me as she sat by my side.
"Before the bet, Seong-yeon warned me. Said I'd end up enchanted by you in reverse, begging you to make me your girlfriend, groveling at your feet."
"She said that to you?"
"I get it now."
I had no clue.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
"Even as a friend, she overestimates me way too much. If she was just trying to scare you, don't take it so seriously."
"Maybe. But right now... it's not impossible at all."
She showed her fondness without a hint of pretense.
Whether she felt more than love or not, her attitude fit perfectly for this weird fuck-buddies dynamic.
"You're embarrassing me. Let's drop it."
This wraps up sauna time. Come back if my wounds act up later.
I tried to nudge her aside and shift positions.
"Wait. I agree on heading back, but... I have one more favor to ask."
"About the bet? Or some girl drama? You're not saying we squeeze in another quickie before we go, right?"
"Neither. It's about what Lady Soon-i mentioned—I have something to say about it too."
What Soon-i said...
"The 20th floor?"
"Yes."
Suddenly?
"We've hit 19, and lucked into a fresh map. Might as well swing by."
What the hell was she on about?
"You nuts? The 10th-floor gate stumped folks who knew the strat— and now you're saying we punch through 20? Just 'cause we're already on 19?"
"Exactly."
Whoa, check out this bold chick.
What kind of bullshit was this? I sat back down.
Ceres wasn't one for empty talk—my expectations shot up.
"The 20th floor gimmick is tricky, but not like the 10th. Without intel, it's a nightmare, but if you know... you can handle it."
"Not bypassing—we go straight through?"
"Yes. And right now's the perfect timing. With me, it'll be a breeze."
"Huh? Timing? Does it have some time-trial gimmick?"
"Close enough."
She leaned in close.
Like some scheming villain plotting evil.
"What's the 20th floor concept that makes it so easy?"
"First off, solo's impossible. Needs a partner—with conditions."
She placed her palm on her chest and flashed a lewd grin.
"It'll definitely help. Use my feelings to clear the 20th."
She was appealing hard.
Pouring out her joy unreservedly—unlike her cafe recruitment pitch, this was pure sincerity, begging me to use her.
"I'll decide after I hear it. If it's risky for you, I'm out—got it?"
"That's fine. First, your ear..."
"-Mm."
She whispered.
Spilling secrets like there was zero risk, all bubbly and fun.
I heard the gate conditions, the clear method, mulled over her gimmick explanation... then slapped my knee.
"Ah~. So screw up, and it drags your parents in?"
"Devilish, right?"
"Are they fucking insane? How do you even come up with that shit?"
"What do you think happens to idiots who poke their heads in blind?"
"Don't wanna imagine."
Chills ran down my spine.
How is this even a gimmick? It's demonic—ruining people's relationships.
"That's why you and I can do it. Even as we talk, my feelings are settling. We gotta go before they fade."
"You're a goddamn genius."
I was in awe.
This was a timing gift from the gods.
"But will the gimmick still be the same? Entrance shifted—maybe the content changed too?"
"We'll ask directly. The constellation at the entrance knows you, right?"
True—a weirdo, but friendly.
Not bypassing; just inquiring about the test? He'd greenlight it no problem.
I'd changed my mind.
"Grab buffs and let's roll. If the test is different, we bail."
"By clear time, it'll be dawn—everyone's jumping out of bed."
Tower conquest alerts were obnoxiously loud.
If we actually cleared, every sleeping hunter gets a forced wakeup.
"Heh heh heh."
Vile laughter bubbled up at the thought.
"If we succeed, can I ask for one favor?"
"I'm dying to praise you already—just hold on. I'll throw my whole body into covering for Seong-yeon's freakout, so relax."
"I'll handle that. Promise me something else."
"Like what?"
"As a 20th-floor clear commemoration, let me watch you two have sex. I lost the bet, so no joining in. Just let me masturbate in the corner."
"How do you say something so pathetic?"
"Pathetic, but it suits me."
I pictured it: me and my milk-cow girlfriend fucking while Ceres jerks off nearby.
...Cuckquean?
Bit different since she's a girl?
"Watching the two people I want mate right beside me? That'd be happiness in itself."
"Your sex drive's all twisted."
"Oppa made me this way."
Couldn't argue with that.
We bantered about that nonsense until the buffs kicked in, then geared up and headed for the gate.