Level 8 - Tilted Playground (10)
"Take it easy, you punk."
"Hehe...."
I let out a sigh as I felt Death Bang healing my body. I'm seriously gonna die because of you and Body Bang.... Though honestly, it feels like Body Bang is more at fault than you. But you know the one who lands the finishing blow is always the most hated, right?
"Ah, honey, you worked hard."
"You too."
We tidied up the wrecked room and finalized the guidelines for how to run this place from now on. For the time being, no more kids get brought in. If we absolutely have to take in someone suspicious, they only get one dose of the awakening drug. Any kids who don't awaken after that go straight to Hope Orphanage.
And....
We scrap the old education that drilled into them they had to live for their master. The most important thing is that they're not dolls existing for some master—they're hunters who protect humanity. We also teach them that masters are the bad guys who kidnap and exploit people. But to prepare for inspections, they have to pretend to adore their master in front of others.
We make sure they get full sex education and everything else that was deliberately omitted from the original curriculum. But to pull that off, the three of us—Stomach Bang, Body Bang, and Death Bang—nearly burst our heads teaching them in advance.
I'd originally planned to divide the subjects among the three and have them teach each other later. But their personalities are so strong that they interpreted even the same info differently. In the end, we had to teach all three ourselves and make them discuss it until they reached the same conclusions to minimize errors.
"As for me, just treat me like a grateful benefactor. I'm your teacher, but to those kids, you're the teachers, right?"
"Th-then can I do naughty stuff with the kids like you do, Teacher...?"
"You know that's not allowed, right? Are you saying you'd do naughty things with someone else while ignoring me?"
"Ah! Th-that's not what I meant!"
"Anything beyond essential common sense is forbidden."
Now that they've discovered sexual pleasure, their obsession seems even worse. But if I block everything like this, they'd be in big trouble without me. Might as well allow a little.
"You three are all my spoils of war anyway. Feel free to help each other out."
"Is that really okay?"
"But you have to film everything and report it to me. If I see anything crossing the line, it's banned."
I didn't think we'd trained them that thoroughly for them to hook up with each other. But you never know with people, so better manage it perfectly. Bonus: my porn collection grows.
"Whoa, that's kinda intense.... Total hypocrite move."
"So you hate it?"
"I love it."
Then what the hell do you want from me?
Anyway, this place is sorted. Next up: picking up our kids.
"So, you're staying here?"
The unawakened kids naturally go back. The issue is the ones who awakened after just one dose last time....
"Eunseo. Think it over carefully. Sure, staying here is great for building your awakening power, but it'll be super stifling."
"...I'm staying."
She insisted on staying till the end to get revenge on the Women's Rights Committee. Probably because she remembers the director getting beaten down. When did these kids grow up so fast? They were just little ones.
I sighed at the kids who wouldn't listen no matter how much I persuaded them. They'll come out later if it gets too tough.
"Fine. I'll tell the three teachers here, so call me right away if you miss me or it gets hard."
"Okay!"
In the end, I had to respect their choice. The place isn't especially dangerous, and what they want is training. This is the best spot for that. Setting up something like this outside would cost a fortune the director couldn't afford.
In the end, they'd have to join the state or get adopted.... Might as well stay here.
This place churns out S-rank hunters regularly. Honestly, the quality's way higher than most academies.
"So that's the decision?"
"Yeah. No choice, right?"
"So like you."
What kind of decision is that? I have no idea what "like me" even means anymore since I waver so much. I really wanted to say no way this time too. But seeing their sincere resolve, the words wouldn't come out.
"Alright, let's go. One last thing to handle."
"Yeah, the ringleader's still out there."
Mad Dog Kang Ari. The one behind kidnapping our kids this time—and Korea's infamous S-rank melee hunter. Rumor has it she raises young boys as sex toys for fun. Even as an S-rank, Korea wouldn't tolerate that hobby. So she must've been sneaking it under the radar.
The boys from Hope Orphanage are probably trembling in her clutches. Even knowing it's unavoidable and they're probably safe for now, guilt throbbed in my chest for leaving them behind.
"Where is she? Spill it already."
"Here. It was easy to find info since it was such a famous case."
"Did I hand this bitch over to the cops?"
"Yep."
Right. Back then, I didn't know about the Women's Rights Committee properly. No reason to think blowing up a famous case like that was bad. I probably learned about the group fully after raiding the production facility—after dealing with Kang Ari originally. This time I hit the facility first, but canon me started with her.
"This way."
"...She's in a place like this?"
We'd just trashed an abandoned island, and now we were heading to Seoul's bustling heart—beyond ordinary, right in the thick of it. Where the hell does she even have space here?
"...Even here?"
"Infant Hotel. You know it?"
"That insanely expensive luxury hotel. She set up base in a dump like this?"
"Told you—they sell off the rejects."
"...I'm losing it."
I thought it was just a normal top-tier hotel. Turns out it's a child sex exploitation and trafficking den. Too famous for that to even cross my mind.
"Regular rooms are fine, of course. But meet special conditions, and you get basement access."
"Basement rooms?"
"They don't open every time, either. Only for events like this when fresh 'merchandise' arrives. Basically an auction."
To the participants, this is entertainment. If I catch them, I'll turn 'em all into sex slaves and sell 'em off. Same as Kang Ari, just different scale.
"What's that?"
"Reservation for the basement room."
"How'd you even snag that...."
"I've got this scene locked down already?"
True—she turned a sex slave I gave her into cash super easily. No surprise she grabbed a ticket like this.
"Super simple to use. Swipe the card you got in the elevator."
Hotel requires a room key card for guest floors. Same system sends you underground. Sloppier than I thought.
"They've got full A-rank defenses anyway. That's what they're banking on."
"One S-rank shows up, it's game over."
"That's why it works—S-ranks as backup. They're still cheat keys in this world."
Fair. After seeing S-ranks mass-produced at the Women's Rights Committee facility, yeah. Korea has maybe a handful, and we're a hunter powerhouse with high population density. Even the US, called the strongest, barely cracks double digits. Worldwide? Around 100 tops. Weird if they aren't cheats.
"Lately, that 'common sense' keeps getting wrecked."
"Fair—I'm an S-rank right next to you, honey."
"That's the problem."
Too many S-ranks around lately; I'm getting used to it.
*Beep!*
Gongju swiped the card, elevator doors shut, and we descended with that familiar drop.
"Whoa, this room's insane."
"All basement suites are like this."
Exact layout as the suite I'd skimmed online. Difference: massive screen where the window should be.
No way that's for....
"Honey, don't charge in angry. They might threaten the kids."
"I know."
Per the briefing on the way: We check in, monitor the kids' status, create a chance for me to meet Kang Ari alone. Once solo, I hit her with Tilted Playground to subdue. Then shut the whole event down.
Simple plan. Big issue: I gotta hold back the whole time.
"We timed it for the start, so the kids should all be fine."
Participants want kids to fail. They pay to set traps for that. Failures go to the trap owner.
"...So popular kids get trap-spammed by the masses."
"You can pay to block traps too."
Popular ones get rivals blocking to claim them. Repeats until chapter 3, where buying traps becomes impossible. So popular kids survive. Unpopular ones get filtered cheap since no one blocks.
"What the actual fuck are they doing to kids...."
"Silver lining: it's a real pedo den."
"How's that a silver lining?"
"They like kid-like behavior."
Chapter 1 emphasizes cuteness. Chapter 2 gets sexual and gross. But chapter 1 should be bearable even for us.
"I'm losing it...."
Time hit; screen lit up. Hope Orphanage kids in animal pajamas appeared. Seem normal now, but later they get abused into fetishes?
Killing intent surged; Gongju calmed me max. At least they're unharmed—no bruises I could spot.
"Event started, so now we've got one way to get solo time with Kang Ari."
"Yeah?"
"Chapter 1: Buy traps with 10-million-won tickets. More tickets, better traps?"
"You studied hard."
"You figured this out originally, honey."
Oh right. Canon me soloed this. And 10 million per ticket? 10 high-end ones is a billion....
"First, 100 for Taewoong."
"Hey!?"
Gongju tapped the screen and coolly paid 10 billion.