Grow Strong, My Darlings – Tower Plains Assault
Grow strong, my darlings.What the fuck, the reward itself is almost double. Shit.
“You’re back, boss?”
“Any good quests?”
I nodded as I stroked Plang, who wordlessly hooked her arm through mine.
“Yeah, something like this. Don’t tell anyone else, though. Could stir up trouble.”
I gave a rough estimate of the reward with a quick hand gesture, and Tier’s and Daphne’s eyes widened like saucers. They must’ve realized the job I’d sweet-talked out of the receptionist far exceeded their expectations—and now they were awkwardly glancing around, worried someone might overhear. I let out a soft chuckle at the sight.
This world’s got that cute, cozy charm. It’s healing.
“Anyway, we’ve got the quest, so let’s head out.”
“Yeah!”
“Yes!”
“Plang hungry.”
I pulled jerky from my Inventory and handed it to Tier and Plang. With that, our party moved past the beginner zone toward the tower’s plains terrain to hunt orcs.
+++
A faint flash and a familiar prickling of gazes on my skin. I opened my eyes to the sensation I’d grown used to from climbing the tower: a massive wooden palisade smack in the middle of vast plains. Our party came to in the center altar-like area.
As we scanned our surroundings, soaking in the info, passing adventurers gave us familiar looks—the veterans’ fondness for noobs mixed with that primal male greed sparked by the sight of beautiful women.
“Pretty wild... Floor 11’s like this?”
Normally, those lust-filled stares would mean these girls had to watch every little thing from here on out. But they’d already witnessed my abilities firsthand, so the way they innocently gripped the hem of my clothes from left, right, and behind showed zero worry.
“Wow... So from Floor 11 on, it’s set up like this?”
Unlike Plang, who was peeking everywhere, and Tier, sniffing around, the more demure Daphne met my eyes at my words.
“Yeah. Judging by all the glances, we gotta be careful from here.”
I nodded toward Plang at Daphne, who got the hint and nodded back.
“Got it. Leave it to me. Hehe.”
Tier claimed the main wife spot, but her classic loner vibe meant Plang had eaten her up ages ago. I’d seen it plenty back at the estate—Tier turning into a giddy mess whenever Plang played the big sis card, dragging her around. Better to leave this to straight-shooting Daphne.
A tank’s important, but the healer’s crucial too... Daphne as vice-leader would be perfect.
Tier’s whiny image floated in my mind, but toning down her main-wife fanaticism might be good. Once I bedded Daphne, it’d likely turn into daily foursomes with Tier and Plang too. Couldn’t leave fodder for bad blood between them forever, right?
I nodded at Plang and Tier, who were back by my side, eyeing Daphne’s flushed cheeks from my touch with envy.
Whatever, wrap up today’s work, bang Daphne, then explain it all smooth.
I gave them each some affection too, flashing a wry smile, then headed for the outpost-like general store inside the palisade.
If they’d fortified entire floors like mini-cities, the guilds must have terrain intel locked down. With my chick-like ladies trailing me, I pushed open the door to the store near the summon portal.
*Ding.*
As expected, no shopkeep—instead, a burly guy in guild uniform. His aura screamed first-rate strength, same as the security squad that handled that villain Zeke.
Like tower security, huh?
First-rate could handle orcs no sweat. Made sense. As I sized him up mentally, gathering info, the guild staffer spotted our party and lit up.
“Oh? New faces?”
“Haha, yeah. Fresh adventurers just hit Floor 11.”
I handed over the quest slip from the receptionist, subtly flexing my aura so he’d feel it.
I’d already tipped off the receptionist I wasn’t a pushover—time to drop the power play bullshit.
And these field agents are hypersensitive to power games. No reason to hide.
Sure enough, the guy—who’d opened his mouth to mess with some noobs—started sweating bullets.
“What’re you waiting for? Check it.”
“Y-yes, sir...”
The guilder, deflated like a shriveled balloon, took the slip with shaky hands and examined it seriously.
“Ah...! Warrior-grade quest slip.”
“Yeah. Like I said, got it from the receptionist...”
I shot him a look implying hurry the fuck up, and the quick-on-the-uptake guy nodded and stood.
“Hold on. Warrior-grade quests come with guild support gear.”
He bolted to the warehouse, spouting excuses. First-rate or not, seeing me boss around his equal had the girls’ eyes sparkling.
Fuck yeah... this is the life.
In the real world, this cocky shit would get me jumped and beaten. But medieval times? It’s straight charm. Loved it.
As I shrugged under their admiring gazes, the stiff-backed guilder hustled back with a support crate on his shoulder.
“Here you go. Maps for Floors 11 to 15 plains terrain, and potions.”
“Ah...”
“S-something wrong?”
The maps were a nice surprise, but potions as the other support? Total buzzkill.
Fucking inventory dump bullshit.
Most parties had a healer, and he knew it—still trying to upsell. Tasted sour.
“Nah, thanks for the support.”
“Yes, sir!”
He saluted sharply. Disappointing, but potions recycled fine in the wuxia world or reality. Not bad.
I clapped his shoulder, led the crew out.
“Potions go to Daphne since she’s our healer. I’ll hold ’em. Got the map too—let’s roll.”
“Yes!”
“Yeah.”
Daphne and Tier replied. Plang was too busy tracking a butterfly to answer.
She got pissy and ditzy sometimes, but her princess vibe turned it into airhead charm that stirred male urges.
Such a teasing little would-be assassin...
I scratched her horns, then stepped off.
“Kyaa!”
Who could resist grinning back at that beaming beauty? Tier and Daphne smiled too, used to it. Giggling like sisters, our party finally marched toward the orc habitat.
+++
“Boss, look over there.”
“Hm?”
Tier, who’d taken point, scampered back waving me over. I boosted my eyesight with mana and spotted an orc settlement palisade.
Checked the guild map—our spot was marked with a red X.
“Thought it was a cleared marker, but it’s the settlement?”
“Or they cleared it and it respawned?”
Daphne chimed in with her take.
“Hm... Fair point. Let’s scout the marked spots first.”
This world mirrored reality, so respawns made sense. Gates back home respawned same spot, same mobs.
“Tier, you, Daphne, and Plang wanna give it a shot?”
“Huh? For real?”
Loosening Tier’s leash from my orders, her face lit up, shoulders bouncing.
“Yeah. But don’t go deep—stay in my sight. Cool?”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
I scratched her chin gently, then headed to a nearby rock.
Orcs were overkill for us now—we’d steamroll ’em. Me joining would stunt their growth. Protecting my treasures like glass? Nah.
Got my own test too...
As Tier, Daphne, and Plang chattered off to handle orcs, I fiddled with the Spirit Stone in my Inventory, pulling it in and out.
The tower grants skills based on adventurer actions, right?
Sex gets sex skills. Nonstop cooking? Cooking skill. Basic mechanic.
So what if I messed with Inventory? How would the tower read it? And the Spirit Stone popping in and out—how’d it interpret that?
Heh. Fucking curious.