I Didn't Want to Reunite Like This

I didn't want to reunite like this.

It was noon. In the blazing sunlight on a remote mountain rarely visited by people, we'd shared a scorching bout of passion. Isana lay over me like a soft blanket, but she gave a little push at the sweat pooling between our skin, the sticky mess. Still panting on my chest in the afterglow of her climax... half-asleep, she hummed and pressed even closer. Her four nipples hardened, her lower lips twitching erect. Maybe feeling the pressure building in her womb again, Isana finally shook off her drowsiness. As she propped up her upper body, a thick, milky gel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠oozed out from between her pussy lips.

My cum pooling on my lower belly felt gross. I let out an uncomfortable "ugh," and Isana, reading my mind, buried her face in my crotch.

"Hah... slurp, smack... mmmph♡"

The pleasure revived my half-dead cock. I felt a surge of love for Isana as she licked clean from my navel down. She greedily lapped up every inch of my lower half—the cum I'd shot and her own pussy juices soaking it all—like a bitch in heat.

Evelyn eats it out of necessity.

This girl was definitely a broodmare. Without thinking, I reached out and stroked her head. She hesitated at the unfamiliar touch, glanced up at me, then went back to tormenting my glans.

"Slurrrp... haah, mmph... it's so big..."

"Feels like you've grown a lot in just a few days. Thought it was someone else."

"Thanks to meeting your master...? Smack♡"

"Your hard work helped too."

"Thinking about you blasting through five floors in no time... I got scared you'd ditch me if I fell behind."

"That won't happen."

"Who knows. I can't imagine this cock only ever fucking me."

"When you're in front of me, it'll only fuck you."

"Well, duh?"

She started sucking my glans lovingly again. God knows where she learned it, but she sandwiched my shaft between her massive tits, rubbing it while her tongue tormented just the tip where all the pleasure nerves clustered—smack smack. The enveloping softness of her ample breasts had me on the edge in no time.

-Splurt! Splurt splurt!

Cum erupted like a fountain. She'd blocked the glans with her tongue, but the force pried her mouth open, splattering her nose bridge, eyes, even her hair. She'd never seen a cumshot up close before—her face went blank.

"When you cum... it's so dynamic."

She wiped her face with her hand and kept cleaning my dick.

"Why so aggressive today?"

"Hah... mmph, huff... ngh... You even showed up in my dreams."

"All we have between us is dick feelings, and it was that deep?"

"...Dick feelings are still feelings."

My crotch was spotless now. It reeked of saliva, but a wash would fix it. I moved to clean Isana next, but she pulled on her pants with that milky fluid still trickling down her thighs. Realizing my seed was packed tight in her honey pot inside those black training pants made me uneasy for no reason. Pregnancy was unlikely, but possible.

"In my dream, I saw you stabbing me."

"That's... yeah."

She'd seen the real future.

"...You stabbed me today too?"

"Not like that—with a blade right through my chest. You were smiling the whole time. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠puzzled over what kind of dream it was, and it hit me: if I become a burden to you, maybe that's the future that comes. That's what I thought."

"So you trained harder?"

Isana nodded. She wrapped her cum-glossy nipples in her sports bra. The stiff peaks poked through the fabric, making their presence known. I finally put my forcibly stripped clothes back on and chose my words carefully.

"Dreams... are just the brain piecing together and sorting the day's info. So don't worry about it. That won't happen."

"...I'm not that worried. It's just a fact that I'm holding you back."

"I brought something to help with that."

I handed her the gift I'd planned to give while visiting her face.

"What's this? Some powder?"

"Like protein... thought it might help."

"Thanks, I'll eat it well... but isn't gifting protein to a girl kinda weird?"

"I've already given you plenty of other gifts here."

I reached for her lower belly, but she stepped back.

"Not giving this one back."

@

After parting with Isana, I returned to the tower.

I've recovered my alchemy to a decent level. Time to prepare for the future.

Nine years left until that distant memory, but after? Retackling floor 99 solo without companions. Even fully prepped, it was grim.

What I can do is remake the Elixir.

Fixating on the Elixir was best as an alchemist. Philosopher's Stone, Hermes' Tablet, Elixir of Life—the three great treasures of alchemy. The most feasible was the Elixir of Life. It had failed before, but I believed remaking it would yield a flawless body elixir.

And its ingredients only come from the tower...

Materials for the Elixir naturally came from the tower. To climb it, I'd remake my old "creations" and gather my old companions.

Unlike them, I hadn't developed physical or mental prowess—instead focusing on "creations"—because that's what I did best.

Doing what I'm best at is the optimal, shortest path.

Thanks to my master, things sped up. I figured she'd restart my mana circles from 1, but nope—straight to 6-circle.

Plus I got the Last Wish.

A hand cannon revolver the size of a man's forearm.

Come to think of it... never asked why she named this gun Last Wish.

Plenty of time still. Evelyn's sudden tower dive and disappearance were years away.

The workshop too—gotta mod it and stock up on magic bullets first.

Ammo first. In the Tower World, the cheapest metal—lead—and gunpowder as mains.

Gotta grow the workshop, so start with basics to grind XP.

I'd gotten coins from helping Evelyn's orders, buying lead ore and gunpowder herbs. No need for Heavenly Tower; general stores had 'em.

First, draw the transmutation circle...

A table suddenly appeared in the empty space of the cabin, rising from the ground like the transmutation circle table itself.

Better than nothing.

As I kept using alchemy, the workshop leveled up—tools except the table hit low-grade, boosting effects. Couldn't manipulate souls or "light" yet, but grinding XP would grow them without cash.

Gunpowder's easy, but...

I used the Low-Grade Mortar and Pestle. Gunpowder herb was literally plant-based gunpowder. Filter out the plant bits, and done. Pounding by hand was a pain.

Straight-up manual labor.

I missed artificial spirits. With workers, I could make herb fields and automate the workshop.

When I first got the Safe House, I had the capacity for them—now, no dice.

Wonder when I can toy with souls and use the soul imprinter.

Gunpowder ready, mix with lead. Shaping lead into bullets via circle was easy but crude. No matter.

The Last Wish didn't fire for physical damage—it launched inscribed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic.

Time to inscribe circles. Been ages since manual work.

Elemental magic: Wind. Shapes wind into arrows.

Elemental magic: Fire. Pure flames.

Based on those, I drew the circle. Wind fueling fire makes it fiercer—natural. Thus, the 2-circle spell Fire Arrow from fire-wind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fusion inscribed on the tiny bullet.

Attack power effective up to floor 18. Useless from 19.

Make plenty. 12 per cylinder.

As a 6-circle mage, I could fuse elements six times. But I don't—for a reason.

Genius mages fuse six in a blink. Me? Total hack on magic... so I stuck to alchemy. Prep ahead, flick a finger—done.

Call it a day.

Manual inscription ate time. Tiny bullets cramped my fingers.

Sudden flood of alerts filled my vision...

More options, but nothing immediately useful. I was on floor 5, 95 left, with bottom-tier materials.

Bullets loaded... time to climb again.

The Safe House was inside the tower—a waiting room of sorts. I approached the new black door in the expanded workshop corner.

The familiar scenery unfolded... Floor 6: hunt every monster hiding in a 500-pyeong mansion—hide-and-seek trial. No exit till all found.

Last time, I sniffed 'em out near starvation. No need now.

Closest monster is...

Glancing around, I spotted the anomaly. Medieval mansion, rain and lightning frozen mid-fall beyond the windows—like time stopped.

I knew why.

Tower Blade...

Tower floors were personal or party-exclusive. But contract with the 'Tower' for forced invasion: Tower Blade contract. Boost difficulty, invade weaker climbers, steal their power, blessings, skills, perks—as a raider.

Many wanted to strip me bare after five floors—25 weakened or stolen blessings. One using Tower Blade on me? Inevitable.

And the first... a familiar face.

In the frozen world, I spotted the plummeting black iron pillar. Amid the world-shaking roar and shockwave emerged the red-haired half-dragon, eyes locking with mine.

Karia Redheart. Companion who drank the flawed Elixir, bled from every pore, joints shattering in death.

Guilt surged; I averted my eyes. But her bone-chilling killing intent hit... I aimed the barrel.

"You're Han Do-yoon! ...You bastard! I'll rip your limbs off and feed you to the dogs!"

Her voice boomed with malice as the frozen rain evaporated. Under the pitch-black sky, a swirling fire pillar rushed me—I had no choice but to pull the trigger.

I didn't want to reunite like this.

-BOOM!