The First Floor Finally Ends
The exit to the 1st floor was now close enough to see with the naked eye.
Mom was exhausted and worn out, but with the end in sight, she silently pulled me along without a word.
"Mom."
I decided to bring up what I needed to say before the 1st floor ended.
"What?"
"When the trial came up... why'd you do that?"
"What do you mean? Mom has no idea what you're talking about."
"You told me to choose 100 billion over you. Why?"
"Oh, that? You didn't do anything wrong, son— you're just suffering because you're our kid, me and your dad's. Mom feels so sorry for you. With 100 billion, unlike 10 billion, you could live like a king your whole life, right? If I could give you that money, Mom wouldn't care what happened to her."
"I was really pissed off back then."
"I see. Can I ask why you were mad?"
"You're the most precious person to me, Mom... but our reality makes us feel like we're not even worth 100 billion. That situation made me so furious."
"Does it really feel that way?"
"Of course. If you had to put a price on me, Mom, how much would I be worth?"
"How could Mom ever put a price on her son? No amount of money would make me do it."
"Same here. That's how it should be! So let's stop letting money control us from now on. It makes me so sad thinking we're worth less than 100 billion."
"I'm sorry. Hearing you say that, I realize I was wrong. I won't ever undervalue myself like that again."
"Promise?"
"Yeah! I promise!"
"Then stop for a sec and pinky swear with me."
"Okay, son."
Mom stopped pulling and came over to me. Since I couldn't move, she had to hook our pinkies herself for the promise ritual.
"There, happy now?"
"Yeah. We're worth way more than money. We'll never let go of that feeling, Mom."
"We won't, son."
Mom squeezed our hooked fingers to show her resolve.
"Finally feels like a weight's off my chest. Let's finish the 1st floor, Mom. I'm going crazy wanting to move."
"Let's do it!"
Mom started pulling the shield-plank again. We pressed on and reached the end of the 1st floor, as shown on the minimap.
Congratulations.
The moment the guide appeared, my body became movable again. I'd finally escaped the movement restriction.
I jumped up immediately, stretched out, and read the notifications popping up even as I did.
You have cleared the final mission of the 1st floor.
10,000,000 won has been awarded to each of you.
It is now time to select your 1st floor clear reward.
Rewards? Hope it's money.
There must be rewards for clearing the 1st floor. I hoped for a generous amount.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Three large cards materialized in the air, backs facing us so we couldn't see the fronts.
The rewards are: money, truth, future.
Please select one of the three cards.
You must select within 1 minute.
[60]
[59]
[58]
...
"You pick, son."
Mom handed the decision to me.
I had to decide quickly as the timer in the air ticked down.
"I'll go with the middle one."
No special reason—just, with only the two of us, I picked the second one, in the middle.
Once selected, the side cards vanished, leaving only the middle one.
Mom, tense about what it might be, came over and took my hand.
I don't know which of those three is best, so I don't even know what to hope for.
Just that something good would come out. That was Mom's and my shared wish, and with our mother-son hope riding on it, the card flipped to reveal its front.
[Truth]
Congratulations. You have drawn the Truth card.
If both players share the intent to use the power of truth, the Truth Serum will appear.
The Truth Serum is a mystical item that forces the drinker to speak only the truth for 30 minutes, even if they don't realize it.
This item can be used outside the Tower as well.
It can only be used once.
Did I pick wrong?
Money is probably just straight cash. Future might let you know things that turn into money. But truth? Not really. It could be worth more than money in some situations, but for our struggling mother-son duo right now, with no direct link to cash, it felt disappointing.
Tap. Tap.
Mom silently patted my shoulder and rested her hand there. She'd sensed I was bummed about drawing truth.
"You picked something good, son. Mom thinks truth is the best. With that, no one would dare lie anymore."
"Yeah, you're right."
Her words comforted me.
It is now time to choose.
Will you proceed to the 2nd floor of the Tower?
You must decide within 30 days.
If you do not proceed to the 2nd floor, your Tower entry tickets will be destroyed.
Mom and I couldn't choose right away. We looked at each other, lost in thought.
The 1st floor will now be destroyed, and you will return to reality.
The word "return" appeared, and white light spread everywhere. At the same time, Mom and I were transported back to the living room sofa.
This Tower is such a dick.
We'd returned in the exact outfits we'd been wearing.
Warrior Mode has been deactivated.
The clothes you are wearing are Tower-exclusive items usable only inside the Tower, so please store them carefully.
It told us to store the leather panties and bra carefully. Ridiculous, but fine, we'd do it.
Back home, Mom and I stared at each other for a moment. Then, without a word, we both pulled out our phones and checked the bank.
Balance: 40,013,007 won
"Son, money came in for me. You?"
I was about to speak first, but Mom beat me to it.
"Me too!"
We'd trusted the Tower would pay out, but seeing it with our own eyes mattered. After all that hardship just to earn it, confirming the money in our accounts filled Mom and me with immense joy.
**
Melts faster than ice cream.
The money we'd earned in the Tower vanished like smoke after just one day.
Mom and I paid off the interest and principal on the most urgent non-bank loans first. Since we hadn't borrowed much there, we could cover it with what we had.
Now all that was left were the bank loans, which we'd fully paid for this month.
We're total debtors, alright.
We'd brought back eight million between us, and it was gone. Just pocket change remained.
Next month, more payments loomed—ones we couldn't even dream of covering.
We promised, Mom. Think positive. Positive!
The situation hadn't improved much, but we'd cleared the dangerous debts. Banks don't harass like loan sharks, so it was something—meaningful enough.
We hadn't even written down our debts, but deciding to think positively was best, so we promised to ignore the bad and focus on the good.
"Son, I'm heading out to look for jobs."
"...Yeah. Do that."
"Rice is set on the table—make sure you eat."
Mom wanted to skip entering the 2nd floor. With the loan sharks paid, she suggested letting the house go to auction and filing for bankruptcy or rehabilitation.
I said we had time, so let's think it over slowly, putting off the decision.
Sitting at the table, I ate the miso stew and rolled omelet Mom had prepared. After only eating those apple-like fruits in the Tower, my appetite was back in full force.
I enjoyed the meal, then checked part-time jobs on my phone.
Not easy.
After firing off resumes everywhere via mobile, I went to my room and flopped onto the bed.
You idiot.
The curse slipped out the moment I lay down. The target? Myself.
Why keep fantasizing like that!
Mom in her Warrior's Clothes popped into my head, along with the moments she'd jerked me off.
I told myself not to, but the time she'd sucked me off replayed automatically.
- Young guys like you aren't satisfied with once.
- Can't help it if you wanna cum quick, son. Don't think it's weird that Mom's using her mouth, okay?
For the second round, Mom had gone straight for my dick with her mouth from the start. She'd learned from experience that making me cum by hand wasn't easy.
Right from the beginning, I'd savored the thrill of her lips sucking in my glans.
Her tongue toyed with my cock, flicking this way and that to build the stimulation.
Barely holding out after cumming once before, I hadn't lasted long under the squeeze of her lips and tongue before spurting again.
Ah—want it again.
I considered looking up mother-son incest porn videos, novels, or comics, but nothing appealed.
My lust was surging, but I didn't want to relieve it with masturbation.
If I do this, does that make Mom's words come true?
She thinks I don't masturbate. After tasting her mouth, solo jerking felt wrong. Masturbation was off the table for now.
If the urges get too strong, I'll probably jerk off anyway.
I was lost in memories of Mom, diving into all sorts of fantasies, when—
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang at the front door.
Who is it?
Ever since the debt collectors, anyone at the door put me on edge automatically.
Even with no overdue payments now, a twinge of tension rose as I quietly approached the entrance.
"Who is it?"
The intercom screen was busted, so I couldn't see. I asked through the door.
