Chapter 22
Chapter 22
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Tower's Blessing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So far, there didn't seem to be any obstacles that could derail my plans.
I felt immense satisfaction at that thought as I quietly looked down at Im Ji-hye, who was wolfing down the sausage bread that had fallen at my feet.
'This is fun.'
Just a short while ago, she was a business major college girl strolling across campus, laughing merrily. But she couldn't overcome her fear of death, betrayed her comrades, and drove them to their graves.
And now, casually devouring food right next to their corpses, she looked every bit the obedient bitch.
I placed my hand on top of her head.
"Eek!"
Her startled reaction made her shoulders jump. I chuckled softly and gently stroked her hair. It still smelled of sweat and dirt instead of shampoo. But even that stirred a strange excitement in me.
"Good job, Ji-hye. Keep being this obedient from now on."
At my low murmur of praise, her body trembled even finer. Was it humiliation? Or relief at surviving? Either way, it didn't matter.
What was important was that she could no longer escape my grasp.
I pulled the seated girl to her feet and sat her down beside me. As I embraced her body, still warm, the soft texture of her skin transmitted vividly through her clothes.
"J-Joo-hyuk... this is..."
"Shh. Stay still. This is your reward."
I whispered in her ear and resumed the playful tease I'd left unfinished in the forest last time. My hand slipped unabashedly under her thin T-shirt. When my cold fingers touched her bare skin, her body twitched and stiffened.
But she didn't resist. No, she couldn't. She'd already learned.
That resistance only led to greater humiliation and pain. While obedience, however shameful, brought survival and sweet rewards.
I gently cupped her small breast. It was just barely a handful, but its firmness was top-notch. I softly rubbed her perked-up nipple with my thumb. A suppressed moan escaped her lips.
"Hngh... mmph..."
"Ji-hye."
I nibbled on her earlobe and murmured softly.
"I've got a question."
My hand didn't stop. If anything, it grew bolder. I pinched her nipple between my fingers and twisted it gently. Her body arched like a shrimp and burrowed deeper into my embrace.
"Y-Yes... a-ask anything..."
"Those guys I killed. Min-su, Dae-kyung, and the rest. They were only levels 3 or 4, but their stats were ridiculously high. Especially their Strength. I took a good chunk from them myself. Is that normal for their levels?"
This was a question I'd been harboring since returning to the Tower. When I killed Cheol-su and Young-su, their total stats were over 10 higher than mine, but I'd chalked it up to whatever.
My stats back then—Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Luck—added up to a measly 4.
But just now with Dae-kyung, who was apparently only level 4 according to Im Ji-hye. Even if he'd dumped all his remaining stats into abilities, that's +9 at most.
I hadn't seen any special gear boosting his stats.
For a mere level 4 to have over 20 more total stats than me defied my common sense.
I could buy it if it was some athlete with superior innate genes or training. But Dae-kyung was just an average chubby adult male.
The chances they had far superior talent to me were slim. Which meant there was some secret I didn't know about.
Im Ji-hye hesitated at my question. But when I twisted her nipple harder, she hurriedly spoke up. Her voice quivered with pleasure and pain.
"Ahk! Th-That's... because of the 'Tower's Blessing.' Some of us summoned to the Tower—those with high potential, the 'select summoners'—get this kind of perk."
"Tower's Blessing, huh. Interesting. Tell me more."
Im Ji-hye shuddered with a soft "ahng" and continued slowly.
"According to the angel... normally, it gives bonus stats to the one area of your greatest potential... hngh! So summoners with this perk have abnormally high stats in that one area, even if the rest are low..."
Fascinating info. So some summoners had stats specialized in one field, granted not by innate or trained talent, but by an external factor.
"Then why hide it?"
"...Nngh. Th-The angel told us... if we reveal we have the Tower's Blessing, we could get hunted instead... so never trust anyone..."
"I see. So what's yours?"
Her body tensed at the question. It was probably her deepest secret, tied to her potential.
"What, don't wanna say?"
I moved my hand to her other breast, rolling both nipples at once. Her body shivered, and I felt a faint wetness between her legs.
"Th-That's..."
"What, don't you trust me?"
I pressed firmly on her erect nipples, and Im Ji-hye exhaled roughly.
"Haak...! I-I'll tell you, just go easier...! M-My blessing is... Luck..."
I looked at Im Ji-hye with pity. Luck was one of the most useless stats in combat, basically worthless.
That explained why she couldn't kill a single monster and clung to guys instead.
"How high is it?"
"...15."
"Not that impressive."
"N-No... it's not that my Luck stat is 15... hngh! The blessing adds 15 to it... ah!"
"...?"
I stopped kneading her breast, momentarily speechless.
So it wasn't her base stat plus blessing equaling 15. The blessing straight-up added a flat 15 to Luck?
'Holy shit?'
Considering my own Luck was a pathetic 1, she was a walking four-leaf clover.
My real-world Luck was decent too, but most of that came as a side effect of awakening 【Warp SSS】.
'Luck doesn't go up through normal means.'
Of course, it's not impossible.
Just impractical in real life.
Surprisingly, raising Luck was simple.
Get lucky. Literally.
The classic brush with death.
Lightning striking right next to you or a stray bullet grazing your cheek at a shooting range supposedly bumps it by 1 or 2.
Survivors of horrific disasters who miraculously live often say it jumps 3 or 4.
In that sense, raising Luck in real life is never a good omen. It means something's gone wrong or disaster's likely nearby.
Accounting for that, 15 was insanely high.
'And this is the Tower.'
Maybe Im Ji-hye was unparalleled at getting rare drops from monsters or finding hidden treasures.
'Thought she was useless, but she's a golden goose?'
I changed how I saw her. Not just bait or a toy. She might be my most valuable 'asset.'
But first.
I needed to verify her words. Staring at her, I thought.
'Tower's Blessing—no, show me Im Ji-hye's status window.'
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 5 💨 Agility: 4 ✨ Intelligence: 7 🍀 Luck: 36 (21 + 15) Tower's Blessing: Goddess of Luck (A) Effect: You possess outstanding potential in luck. The Tower bestows its blessing upon your path. Remaining Stats: 0 Points: 1,200pt Im Ji-hye was telling the truth.
"I'll keep asking questions then."
I slipped my hand into her pants and caressed her gently. Not to torment, but purely to make her feel good.
"Ah, aaht, th-there..."
But she seemed to enjoy it plenty, soon burying her face in my arm and panting softly.
"You can cum whenever. Just answer my questions properly while I play with your pussy."
"P-Pussy play..."
I could feel her embarrassment at the blunt words.
We were already at the pussy-touching stage, and she was blushing over this?
Anyway, I pressed on with questions.
"Quests then? Besides murder quests from demons like Fellios, are there other types?"
"Y-Yes...! You can get quests from Ariel the angel too...! Ahk! They're usually... purifying monsters or helping other survivors... good quests. Rewards are... items and... experience points...!"
"Experience points?"
My eyes lit up with interest. Come to think of it, Fellios's quest rewards didn't include EXP.
'Angel quests give EXP, demon quests give tons of points. Another racial trait, huh.'
I licked her earlobe and whispered.
"Rewards? Are angel quests better?"
"D-Don't know...! But everyone prefers angel quests...! EXP ties directly to level-ups...! But angels don't give quests to just anyone...! Only to those who've done lots of good deeds or have high contribution... ah, aaang!"
My touches grew bolder. I hiked up her T-shirt and took her nipple in my mouth. The unfamiliar stimulation made her body convulse.
"Kyaaah! N-No... stop...!"
Her resistance was feeble, soaked in pleasure. I kept teasing her other nipple with my fingers, gently rubbing her clit too, driving her to the edge. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her body grinding against me more fiercely.
"Hngh, ah, no...! I'm... gonna cum...!"
Moments later, Im Ji-hye's pussy clenched and spasmed, soaking my hand with her juices. Strength drained from her body; she leaned fully against me, breathing raggedly.
Her thighs were drenched. I stopped there.
I grabbed her chin and lifted her face. Her eyes were glazed, misty from the afterglow.
"Last question. Answer well, and I'll give you the best reward."
I stared straight into her wet eyes.
"Do you like me?"
It was less a question and more confirmation.
Im Ji-hye hesitated. But between the orgasm's afterglow, anticipation of greater pleasure, and my irreplaceable power, she soon nodded.
"...Yes. I like you... I like you so much, Joo-hyuk..."
"Good girl."
I smiled in satisfaction. Im Ji-hye gazed at me fiercely, expectant of the pleasure to come.
But instead of granting her wish, I pulled a premium chocolate bar from my inventory and popped it into her mouth.
"...?"
"This is tonight's reward. Enjoy."
She looked puzzled for a moment, then shivered again as the sweetness melted on her tongue.
I held Im Ji-hye close and gazed at the night sky.
'Sex can wait. If I satisfy her too easily, it'll get boring.'
I smirked quietly, planning how to milk maximum profit from her Luck stat.
Now that I knew her uses, I had no intention of letting her go.
Even if she tried to leave?
'I'd send her tearfully back to her college buddies.'