Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Toy
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At that moment, she snapped back to reality.
"Ah...! Watch duty...!"
Realizing it was her turn for guard duty, she hurriedly started changing her clothes. I watched her with interest before getting up to follow.
We returned to the campfire, but no one was there.
"Huh? Where are Cheol-su and Young-su...?"
Im Ji-hye anxiously scanned the surroundings. At that moment, a faint metallic tang lingered in the air.
'Yeah, about time the smell started. I didn't exactly clean up properly.'
Im Ji-hye seemed to catch the scent too, drawn toward it like she was mesmerized.
And then, she discovered Young-su's body sprawled in the bushes.
"Kyaaack!"
Im Ji-hye screamed and collapsed to the ground. Trembling in terror, she whipped around—and our eyes met.
Thud.
The food in her hands tumbled to the dirt.
I kindly picked it up and placed it back in her hands.
"Eat it, or I'll take it back."
At my words, Im Ji-hye frantically shoved the food into her mouth. Even amid the fear and shock, her survival instincts and hunger hadn't faded.
When she started choking, I pulled a chilled cola can from my inventory, cracked it open, and handed it over.
"Puha-!"
As the cold carbonation slid down her throat, Im Ji-hye let out a relieved breath, savoring the refreshment for a fleeting moment.
Once she'd calmed down a bit, I got to the point.
"Ji-hye. I need you to help me out with something."
"......"
Im Ji-hye stared at me silently. Her eyes held less wariness or fear now—more like resignation.
"If... I refuse, do I end up like that too?"
She jerked her chin toward Young-su's corpse.
"Nah. Nothing happens."
I shrugged.
"Then... what do you want?"
"To rack up a ton of points. That's my goal."
It wasn't wrong. To survive this tower, I needed to climb the ranks. And to return to the original world with more loot, points were key.
To me, Im Ji-hye was just a useful tool for that goal—nothing more, nothing less.
If she'd been a guy, I'd have killed her without a second thought. But I was lenient with women. Especially ones I hadn't properly sampled yet.
Im Ji-hye's body had plenty of potential for enjoyment left. She wasn't rail-thin like an idol or voluptuous like a glamour model, but her proportions were perfectly balanced overall. Especially that line from her slim waist to her hips—it was more than enough to stir a man's possessiveness.
I planned to turn her into my personal slave and plaything. Hey, I'd come all the way into this tower—might as well snag something fun, right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With all the drama settled, the tension drained from Im Ji-hye. After finishing her meal, she passed out right there.
The events of the past couple days must have pushed her mental limits to the brink.
Having filled my quota, I no longer needed to hunt fresh prey. I settled down beside her and dozed off.
"Mm...."
I woke to the chill of predawn air. Day 2's morning was breaking.
And with it, a system message appeared before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Day 2 begins.] ['Mission System' activated.] [From now on, receive personal missions via tablet and earn rewards upon completion.] Im Ji-hye stirred awake and looked at me, her voice trembling.
"Um... what should I do now?"
It was the gaze of a fully tamed dog—fear and resignation hopelessly intertwined.
I opened my tablet to check the new 'Missions' tab.
"Go off on your own and find another group of survivors."
"Pardon?"
"Join them. Earn their trust."
Im Ji-hye's face twisted in confusion at my orders.
"But... I can't even kill a single monster properly. How am I supposed to gain their trust?"
I snorted like she'd said something stupid.
"People or monsters, they're all the same. Stab the vitals, and they die. That's the rule for any living thing. If you can't kill, you get killed."
With that, I stripped off the gear I was wearing and handed it to her: tough leather vest, protectors, and steel dagger.
"Here, put it on."
Im Ji-hye hesitated for a moment but obeyed, taking the equipment. It was a bit loose on her frame, but it fit well enough. Still, she looked awkward wearing it.
"Now... what?"
"Time to start with some light combat training."
I led her into the forest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I guided her deeper into the woods. Luck was on our side—we soon spotted a lone goblin wandering around.
"Alright, show me what you've got."
I grabbed a nearby rock and chucked it at the goblin's head. Bullseye.
"Kieeeek!"
The pissed-off goblin spotted us and charged with its claws raised. I gave Im Ji-hye a light shove in the back, thrusting her forward.
Sure enough, she squeezed her eyes shut at the goblin's ferocious charge. Her dagger slipped limply from her hand to the dirt.
'Sigh, what a useless bitch.'
Thwack!
As expected, Im Ji-hye got tackled and rolled across the ground. She flailed her limbs desperately, struggling to shake off the monster. What a pathetic sight.
I hung back at a distance, checking out the new missions tab instead.
"Help, please help!"
Im Ji-hye cried out pitifully, but I ignored her.
"Herb gathering for 10 points? Give me a break. Scout goblin nest for 50? Too low for the risk. Find missing summoner? What the hell is this...?"
Not a single worthwhile mission. Better to just kill another person than bother with this crap.
Bored with the missions, I glanced at Im Ji-hye.
She was still flat on the ground, failing against a single goblin.
Thankfully, the leather armor was doing its job—she wasn't taking any fatal scratches from the claws. Her exposed face and limbs had minor scrapes, though.
Getting bored now. As time dragged on, I decided to give her one last chance.
"Hey. Want me to finish it for you?"
"Yes! Please...!"
Im Ji-hye screamed with desperate hope in her eyes. But then she caught something in my gaze.
Boredom and irritation. She realized I wasn't even looking at her—my eyes were on empty space.
'A toy's gotta act like a toy. If she's this worthless, better toss her and get a new one.'
Did she sense my intent?
Her face went deathly pale. Im Ji-hye mustered her last reserves of strength and kicked the goblin away. As it stumbled, she snatched the dagger from the ground with shaking hands.
Eyes shut, screaming, she plunged it toward the goblin's heart.
Squelch!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Party member has killed a goblin for the first time.] [Mission: First hunt completed.] [Reward: Acquired 100pt.] System messages popped up.
Only then did I flash a satisfied smile. Maybe she was starting to shape up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Watching Im Ji-hye take down the goblin solo made me shelve the idea of converting her straight to points.
This tower was kill or be killed anyway. If she outlived her usefulness, I could always dispose of her later. No need to lug around dead weight. But just now, she'd proven her worth on her own.
I fiddled with my tablet.
"Good job. As a reward, I'll add you as a friend."
[Sent friend request to Summoner 'Im Ji-hye'. (Cost: 100pt)] A brand-new feature from the update. Friends could whisper, and share locations with permission. Perfect for remote commands.
I laid out her future tasks.
"Your job's simple. Infiltrate a small survivor group, win their favor. Then lure them to me."
Hunting around daily to meet kill quotas was inefficient. Much better if the prey came to me. Genius idea, if I do say so myself.
I sweetened the deal for her.
"Do well, and I'll reward you with food."
Friends could send items via points, apparently.
"Of course, you'll have to come drain me personally every now and then."
I grinned as I issued her final order.
"Oh, and separately—report any targets with special abilities, anyone who looks unusually strong, and... any hot, busty babes you spot. Right away."