Chapter 12

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: Good Kitty Lulu

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After browsing the gallery a bit.

I initiated a 1:1 chat with the PhD to fulfill my original goal.

"Hmm... I really want to give him something..."

The PhD had helped me out so much.

Not just the various info posts on the tower.

If not for yesterday's advice, I might've struggled forever and given up on hatching that egg.

"Purrr~ nyang..."

"Would I even have met Lulu then...?"

Yes...! A person really needs to have some pride.

Around here, it's only right to give something in return.

"If there's nothing he needs, maybe I should just gift him something decent-looking?"

I was pondering what would make a good gift.

And debating which recipe to whip up—when suddenly.

"Vitality Tonic?"

Hmm... Yeah, that tracks. Looking at the PhD's gallery activity, he's practically glued there 20 hours a day.

That's basically no different from galler-ing nonstop without sleep.

No matter how superior a climber's physical abilities are to a regular person's.

Overworking like that is bound to wreck your health.

Man, this is seriously pitiful.

How long do I have to put up with being treated like 'that crazy bastard impersonating myself'?!

"...We'll see what kind of reaction you have when the truth comes out, PhD."

So for now, I just had to endure until that moment arrived.

I steadied my mentality by stroking Lulu even faster.

"Having Lulu really is a blessing..."

Without her, my mental fragility might've exploded, leading to who knows what stupid stunt again.

I had no idea just how much strength a single emotional anchor could provide.

"Daddy will hang in there...!"

For a brief moment, I felt the weight of being head of the household for the first time in my life.

Then I refocused on the PhD's chat.

Ah... I get the gist of the situation now.

Something bordering on impossible actually went down.

And turns out it happened right in my bedroom—that's why the gallery's in flames?

Ah, solo clearing floors 1 through 5...

...Huh? Hold up.

You need to solo floors 1 through 5 just to scrape by as E-rank?

Uh... so if what the PhD's saying is true...

"Purrr~ nyang... Purrr purrr nyang..."

This adorable kitty Lulu snoozing on my lap right now.

She could solo smash at least up to floor 25 by herself?

After the PhD bailed from the 1:1 chat room.

I was still too immobile to move, so I kept browsing the gallery—when.

"Nya nya nya nyang...! Slept well nyang...!"

Not long after, Lulu stretched with a big yawn and woke up.

Grrrrowl~!

"...Lulu. You hungry...?"

"...Lulu hungry nyang..."

Sigh... I knew kids had big appetites.

But to think she'd already digested all that meat.

And have the stomach growling loud enough to set off the clock? Never saw that coming.

"Lulu really is... such a healthy kitty...?"

"Right nyang! Lulu's a healthy kitty nyang!"

Yeah. As long as Lulu's healthy, that's what matters.

Meat? Just buy more and feed her.

'Money... gotta grind hard for it...'

Can't let Lulu go hungry.

Maybe I should head to Bug Hater soon and sell some recipes...? I was seriously mulling it over when.

Lulu spoke up to me.

"So anyway, Daddy nyang! Lulu wants to go hunting nyang!"

"...Hunting?"

"Gonna enter the tower and hunt myself nyang!"

"...The tower?"

How the heck does Lulu even know about the tower?

"Uh... Lulu? Are you saying that because you know what the tower is?"

"Of course I know nyang! The tower's a hunting ground packed with prey for Lulu nyang! Catch the prey and yummy stones come out nyang!"

Yummy stones from prey...? She means mana stones, right?

How does she even know about this stuff?

Does she know other tower secrets too? I urgently pressed her on it.

"How do you know that? Who told you?"

"Nya nya nyang...? Th-that nyang......"

"That...?"

"...Dunno nyang. Feels like I just knew it from the moment I was born nyang... ...Sorry I can't tell you, Daddy nyang..."

Unable to answer my question.

Lulu folded her ears halfway and gazed up at me with eyes that looked ready to burst into tears any second.

'No! What the hell am I doing?!'

Got too excited thinking I might uncover tower secrets through Lulu and pushed her way too hard.

'You stupid idiot Benefactor!'

Even if Lulu knows tower secrets, how much could she possibly know to grill her like that?

Forget that—what was I even gonna do with it?

Was it really worth more than Lulu's tears?

'Absolutely not...!'

No trivial little secret could ever compare to Lulu's cuteness.

"Sorry, Lulu... Daddy messed up."

"Lulu... not a bad kitty nyang...?"

"Of course not! Nobody knows everything right from the start. You just learn the stuff you don't know."

"Then pet me nyang..."

I spent a good while petting the dejected Lulu extra thoroughly.

"...Decided nyang! Someday Lulu will tell you all about the tower nyang!"

"How can there be such a good kitty in the world!"

"So Daddy nyang! We gotta enter the tower right now nyang! Lulu's a hunting genius nyang! Daddy just follow Lulu nyang!"

Re-energized, Lulu declared she'd tell me the tower's secrets someday.

And tugged fiercely at my pant leg, insisting we head to the tower immediately.

"Alright, alright. Daddy'll trust only you, Lulu. But you sure you're okay? They say the 2nd floor has strong monsters."

"Nya nyang? Tower 2nd floor's no match for Lulu nyang! I'll show you, Daddy nyang! Lulu's strength!"

Hmm... It's not that I don't trust Lulu, but a bare minimum of prep is in order.

Packed about... 100 potion pills, for starters.

Scraped together every coin I had and bought armor suitable for Lulu and me to wear.

"Lulu. Gotta be extra, extra careful, okay?"

"Got it nyang!"

With those final words reminding her one more time not to get hurt in the tower.

"[Tower Entry]"

"Entering nyang!"

With that short notification as the finale.

Lulu and I stepped into the tower's 2nd floor.