Chapter 42: "S-Stop! Please Stop It!"
… Suddenly, I felt like feeding her an aphrodisiac.
I hadn't even thought of adding more. While watching the fight, the blue dragon Lumine couldn't stand seeing Karia get beaten and jumped in.
I put away my shotgun.
"This should be enough to prove Karia's useful, right?"
And not just that—the rumors about my skills, which had only been whispers without any real proof, were now out in the open for everyone. It proved I wasn't just some guy hyped up for breaking records.
I pulled a potion from my inventory and chugged it down, splashing the rest over my body. The robe had blocked the burns pretty well, but the exposed parts were scorched almost to the point of melting.
… This hurts like hell.
If it weren't my special homemade potion, I'd probably have been rolling on the ground in agony while new skin grew. Once I confirmed my body was healing, I splashed some on Karia too.
"Kehk…."
Karia had taken a 12-gauge shotgun blast to her lower belly, which was bulging out from her womb. She was drooling and passed out, unable to regain her senses… but as soon as the potion hit her, she jolted awake.
"W-Wait… Did I lose?"
"It's over, Karia. Accept the results like a good sport."
"No way… I lost head-on…."
She clenched her fists, her body trembling. I'd worried she'd lose her fire after one defeat, but luckily, that wasn't the case.
"… One more round! I'll win next time!"
"Nah. I don't fight scrubs."
"What!? Hey! Get over here right now!"
"Get ready for floor 20… Your sister said she acknowledges you."
Remembering the fight's goal was floor 20, Karia huffed like an angry orc, then suppressed her rage with a grin.
"… After this is done, one more round."
@ After discussing with Lumine, we decided to rest a day before heading out. I'd just modified Last Wish recently, and we didn't have enough magic bullets enchanted with 4-circle spells over 29 attack power… I even used Nugulman and Sylph to mass-produce them.
"We're heading out."
Our floor 20 party had grown unexpectedly. Me, Karia, Lumine and her two companions, plus two more who'd been hesitating after hearing the rumors. Seven in total.
Seven should be enough.
⊳ Party: Karia + 6 others
I closed my eyes and opened them to the familiar sight. Familiar to me, anyway—the other six were stunned.
"This is floor 20?"
"Another forest… Smells like sea salt on the wind. Feels like an island? Uninhabited."
"Nice vibe… Hey, check this out. Looks like an altar?"
Unlike the excited explorers, I kept my mood in check. Unlike floor 10, I couldn't guarantee everyone's survival on 20. Everyone had their roles, and screwing up meant death. Getting too close would just make things depressing later. Best to keep a professional distance.
Collect souls using the lamps and offer them at the altar.
I approached the altar behind me, and the familiar text appeared. There were three lamps on it.
Last time there were five. Depends on party size, maybe.
I grabbed the lamps first and said, "The trial wants us to use the lamps, so let's collect them. Soul collection… We need to figure out how it works, and how to offer them at the altar."
No one objected to the party leader's words; they all nodded.
Figures out the objective right away? No wonder he breaks records. I was too busy scouting.
… If this were past me, I'd have been dumb enough to hammer the altar and see if it breaks.
In front of everyone, I casually took down a monster that appeared—a muscular elk with sharp horns and red eyes, like a carnivore. It was strong enough to lift the boulder right in front of it with its horns, so I headshot it with Last Wish before it got close. The elk rolled on the ground, and a white orb—its soul—floated up and absorbed into one of the lamps.
"… Soul collection is automatic."
I led everyone back to the altar. When I placed the lamp down, the presumed elk soul moved to the scale beside it.
"The scale moved just a tiny bit… Looks like we need to balance it."
I continued, "Three lamps, seven people… Pair up and collect souls."
The quiet Karia spoke up. "What about the leftover one?"
"Stay at the altar, rotate in if someone signals for backup or needs a break… Everyone agree?"
With a competent leader, people just nod. The locals, who'd experienced it from floor 2 to 20, accepted without fuss. Combat roles, scouting, strategy… Everyone stuck to their strengths.
"No better ideas… I agree."
"How many do we need?"
Pairs formed naturally… Leaving Lumine Blueheart, Karia's sister, solo.
"… I'm great at healing. Best if I stay at the altar."
Can't have that.
On floor 20, monsters swarm the altar as souls pile up on the scale. Without a guard, they'd steal them back and waste our time. The strongest had to stay.
And here, that was….
"Karia, you stay. I'll pair with Lumine."
"Eh…?"
"What!? Why me!? You still don't trust me!?"
Lumine was surprised at being picked, Karia at being left behind. Leaving Lumine would spell disaster. I knew that, but without spoiling floor 20, it just seemed weird.
"No, I trust you. I got burned because of you—hurt like hell yesterday."
"Then why ditch me!?"
I didn't want to reveal I knew floor 20 well, so I bullshitted. "Not ditching—this is strategy. The one who can rescue anyone in a pinch stays at base camp. Strongest guards the healer… Seems logical."
"Bullshit! You think I don't know!? You, you…!"
Karia thought she had me figured out. To her, my sudden move meant…!
"You're trying to induce Lumine's ovulation this time!"
"Eh?"
"W-Wait… What do you mean!?"
Rarely, I panicked and stammered.
"N-No… What are you thinking!? How long have I even known your sister!? Stop with the crazy talk!"
"Then me! You fucked me like a dog the first day and made me ovulate!"
"That was…!"
At a loss, I scanned the party. Every gaze dripped with disgust, like I was a rapist freak.
"… There's a story behind it."
"Come to think of it… I heard some bad rumors about you, Han Do-yoon."
"Wait… Tower Blade wasn't the issue—there's something more dangerous."
"I'll pretend I heard nothing… It's Han Do-yoon, after all. Skills are solid, no matter the tastes."
"Dragons are all you care about, right?"
I gave up explaining and looked at Lumine. Biting her lip, she backed away at my gaze.
"I-It’s… for… breaking… floor 20… opti… optimal… ju-judgment… Hic…."
"Don't cry!"
Instantly felt like human trash. I glared at Karia with resentment, grinding my teeth.
@ Say what you will, I was party leader with skills and convincing arguments. Karia stayed grudgingly; Lumine followed timidly, scared.
"… Come closer. I won't do anything."
"Scary."
"I swear on my honor… Though you probably think I have none. I'm not the type to touch just anyone."
"Do you know why I'm scared?"
"… Why?"
"You didn't deny it."
I shut up… What happened with Karia was indefensible.
Didn't expect her to out me so boldly.
Fact was, the dragon bitch got hooked by an alchemist, raped, and turned into a forced egg-laying star.
"There's… a story."
"So… Sister Karia was right…? And the rumors?"
Sighing deeply, I said, "Yes. I made her go into heat like a bitch, shot my seed into her womb, and turned her into a chicken laying eggs. Your sister's rough state for a while? All my fault… Happy now? Focus on hunting."
"Oh my god…."
Lumine shut up, no outburst. I hunted silently.
Only half full?
Heading back to the altar with a full lamp as rain started falling.
Rain makes trials harder for humans… But with a blue dragon, maybe okay.
The mood was awkward after her anger. Not wanting tension, I spoke first.
"… Blue dragons move better in rain, right?"
Lumine wasn't helpless despite healing focus—half-dragon. Like Karia with fire, she handled water. Blood from elk bodies, forest dew as projectiles… From my view, trickier than Karia. Since I was conserving ammo on vitals, she'd actually killed more elks.
"Rain doesn't help… Pure combat's easier. Making water where there's none is harder."
She shook her wet sky-blue hair, collecting souls in the lamp.
-Shwaaaaa.
Heavy downpour.
Rain drowned even Last Wish's shots. Unpaved island paths turned to mud, sucking at our feet.
This is bad for me.
Time for a break. Turning to Lumine, her face was content unlike my discomfort—rain made her smile like flowers blooming.
She's a beauty.
… Suddenly, I felt like feeding her an aphrodisiac. No, that's a crime—gotta hold back. Dosing some unrelated woman for the 99th floor party? Crosses the line.