Desperate Choice: Climbing the Tower with Mom

I called out to my mom, Oh Mijin, and laid out the words I'd prepared. She listened quietly, then let out a sigh before responding.

"Haa... If that's really true... won't it still be dangerous?"

"I've heard it's different for everyone, but if we're careful, it should be fine. We don't have any other options right now, so isn't this worth a shot? It's our only chance, at least."

"Haa... How did we end up like this?"

"I never thought Dad would just run off like that."

My father, Kang Seongho, had racked up massive debts pretending to run a business, then vanished one day. Mom and I had taken out a ton of loans to help him, leaving us in the worst possible spot.

"The Tower, right?"

"Yeah."

"You got an Invitation Ticket?"

"Yeah."

The Tower. A mysterious space that had appeared not long ago. It wasn't located somewhere on Earth; instead, Invitation Tickets were sent out individually. The rewards you got from climbing it varied from person to person, and so did the interior of the Tower itself. One thing was clear: those who entered and came back had received money and gold as rewards.

An Invitation Ticket had appeared for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me out of nowhere, floating in the air—text that only I could see. It was real, no doubt. Since it required mixed-gender entry, I'd agonized over who to bring and settled on Mom.

'No other options.'

Debt collectors were hounding us at home. If I vanished into the Tower alone, who knew what would happen to Mom during that time? I was actually relieved it was mixed entry.

"..."

Mom was still hesitating. For a housewife like her, the Tower was a massive leap, so it was natural she couldn't decide easily. I gazed at her, the woman I'd chosen as my entry partner.

Oh Mijin, 42 years old. She'd married young compared to her friends and now had a 21-year-old son. That's right—that son is me, Kang Minseong. Things with Dad's business had been fine until recently, letting us live pretty comfortably. Mom, a full-time housewife, had been great at supporting him, always taking care of herself with elegant beauty. But that's all in the past now.

'Even if I die, I have to go into that Tower.'

I couldn't fully trust what people posted online, but it didn't seem impossibly hard or deadly. I was willing to risk some danger and wanted to seize this chance.

"Mom, we can't keep living like this forever."

Dad had even pressured me to take out loans before he fled. Now the collectors were coming after me too. Mom and I had been working part-time gigs, but the interest alone was crushing us. Along the way, Mom had gotten some filthy offers. Her beauty drew those flies right to her. I didn't want her going anywhere near those scum. Better the Tower than that.

That was my final call.

"Son. Let's do it!"

Mom made her decision. Let's do it.

"Good call. This is our only way out."

The moment I heard her, I reached out into the air and touched it.

"Ah, son. I got a message saying I'm entering the Tower too."

"When it asks for consent, just say yes, Mom."

"Okay, got it."

Mom must have hit yes. With the entry notice, everything lit up bright, and in an instant, we were somewhere else.

"Son, is this the Tower?"

Mom looked around and asked.

"They say the entry point is different for everyone. Looks like we got a cave."

This was a cave. But it wasn't dark inside. I scanned the surroundings and spotted some engraved text, heading that way.

"Mom, let's go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over there."

"Mom."

"Yeah?"

"You read the writing?"

"Yeah. Says we gotta strip naked?"

"Y-yeah."

I panicked. Never thought it'd make us go nude, especially with Mom here.

"What's there to think about, son? We have to. It says there'll be penalties otherwise."

"R-right?"

"Obviously. You face that way and strip. I'll turn the other way."

"...Yeah, okay."

I stripped facing the direction Mom pointed, going all the way down to nothing, even my underwear. As a guy, I could do it quick, but I still heard her clothes coming off.

'You crazy bastard! Why the hell are you getting hard!'

My dick was erect. Just the thought of Mom undressing. Mine's huge—nicknamed the Prince Dong or monster cock—so when it got hard, it was impossible to ignore. I covered it with my hand, pressing the head and shaft against my palm. No way to hide it fully.

"All done?"

The undressing sounds stopped, so I asked.

"Yeah, Mom's naked. You too, son?"

"Let's stand in these circles."

Right in front of the engraving were two circles etched in the ground. I figured that's where we stood. As Mom and I each stepped into one, the ground rumbled.

Rumble. Rumble.

Something rose from the earth. It was... clothes.

'What the hell!'

What came up in front of me was panties. Leather triangle panties. Just this one thing. Glancing sideways, Mom had a leather bra and panties.

"Son, the writing on the wall changed!"

I looked at the wall as she said.

"Mom, let's put 'em on. Then we can wear our regular clothes over."

"Yeah."

I quickly decided this was just swapping underwear. I grabbed the leather panties and slipped them on. They hugged tight, outlining my cock perfectly. If it stayed hard, the head might poke out.

'Whatever. I'll just layer my own clothes over.'

The clingy fit was precarious, but I ignored it. After donning the Warrior's Clothes leather panties, I reached for my regular outfit. That's when it happened.

Text appeared in the air. I paused to read it.

"Son, it explained Warrior Mode. Mom has no idea what any of it means."

She must have put on her panties and bra. She was asking me because the guide confused her.

"Think of it like a game, Mom."

"A game?"

"Yeah. In games, if your HP hits zero, you die."

"Oh, got it. Better not take these off then."

"Right. Now let's get dressed."

I figured more explanation might be needed, but she didn't seem too curious, so I let it go. I picked up my clothes. Then—

"Son, seems like we can't wear other clothes?"

"Yeah. What do we do?"

"What do you mean? Pretend we're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the pool."

"R-right, the pool. Good way to put it."

Mom was cool about it. I felt relieved she was taking this so casually.

"We're dressed now—what next?"

I looked around at her question.

Rumble. Rumble.

"Over there, Mom. Part of the wall's collapsing—must be the exit."

"Yeah, looks like it."

One side of the cave was crumbling away, revealing the outside. Had to be the way out. I headed there ahead of Mom. Above the new entrance was more text.

Hand shapes were etched on left and right.

"Mom, guess I'm the warrior?"

"Makes sense. I'm no warrior."

She seemed to know what a healer was. I thought about explaining but didn't.

"Let's put our hands up."

"Okay."

I placed my palm on the left outline. Mom matched hers on the right.

Zzt.

A tiny jolt ran through. Not painful, just startling.

'That's it?'

Just as I thought it ended too quick, new text engraved on the wall.

I felt it the moment it said power was granted.

'Like a whole new body.'

Energy surged inside me, like I could do anything. I felt stronger.

As the new Savage Warrior, I flexed and glanced at Mom's wall. New text there too.

"Feel the power, Mom?"

"No. Just a little sting at first, then nothing. No changes."

"No idea what healer's about. But I feel power bursting out."

"I see. Knowing you're stronger makes Mom feel secure."

"Yeah. Just trust me."

Here in the Tower, I was the only one to protect her. Same in the real world, really. Dad had run away.