Curses and Dolls

The towers appeared worldwide 15 years ago.

15 years had passed since the towers emerged across the globe.

Awakened individuals were popping up everywhere. The world had become the era of the Great Hunter.

Climbing the towers to earn money.

Earning money to buy equipment.

Climbing the towers again with that equipment.

An endless cycle of the money-making loop.

Chop chop, chop chop — pure infinite rice-eating!

“Ah, damn it.”

I clicked my tongue while typing on the keyboard in the corner of the room.

Two monitors in front of me were bustling with my characters moving around busily.

Chop chop.

Yeah, I was chop-chopping too.

While outsiders awakened and became hunters climbing the towers for rice, I was chop-chopping games inside the house.

Ta-da-da-da. Click, click.

I muttered to myself with a hehehe laugh.

“Hunters… why do they do that? They have to risk their lives every day to earn a lot of money.”

Air conditioner blasting, just typing on the keyboard at home — such a sweet job.

And as a side job, a security guard who stays home?

Whoa, this is complete cheat code, isn't it?

…Thinking that, I let out a sigh.

Until when was I going to rationalize it?

…Actually, saying it out loud is a bit embarrassing.

Even I think I'm a bit gloomy.

“…I should sleep.”

Well, no matter what, as long as I live, right?

So, for today, chop-chop ends!

Business closed!

In the afternoon when the sun was high in the sky.

I was sprawled out sleeping, tossing and turning, groaning.

“Umm…”

Even though sunlight poured through the window, my time hadn't come yet.

After waking up, washing up, and turning on the game on the computer.

Ah, how many characters should I rotate today?

Should I do some settlement?

In a dazed state, thinking various things, I barely managed to sit up.

“Aaaah, my head…”

While muttering like usual and rubbing my eyes.

“…Eh?”

Suddenly the voice sounded a bit higher.

And the hand rubbing my eyes was snow-white.

Well, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I don't go ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out much, so it's white, but it was too white to be a man's hand. Flawlessly white.

It even seemed to have a nice smell.

“Eh, eh, eh?”

Startled, my eyes shot open.

And I reflexively turned my head.

Direction: the full-body mirror placed in a corner of the room.

My appearance reflected in the full-body mirror.

“Eh, eh-eh-eh-eh-eh?!”

Startled, I let out a sound without realizing.

First, the biggest change: the chest.

Somehow it said the center was shifting forward, and there was a huge lump running towards me.

Why?!

Next, second.

The bangs were grown long enough to slightly cover the vision. The back hair was also very long.

The eyes were slightly droopy, eyelashes long, and the beauty peeking through the tangled hair was quite good.

Of course, a bit of gloominess was felt.

Because I had played games a lot, the dark circles were thick.

But in the end, it's not me.

A beautiful girl. The beautiful girl from manga.

I became a beautiful girl!

“W-what? Crazy. What the hell…”

Stuttering in disbelief at the reality.

How could a person's gender change overnight?

Not even transgender?

“Did I go to Thailand yesterday without realizing…?”

While unnecessary imagination was unfolding.

Suddenly, something brushed my mind.

“…Awakening?”

Thinking about it, there was 'that'.

Awakening. The essential procedure for hunters climbing the towers.

However, awakening rarely changes the awakened's body.

Into the optimal form suited to their class and traits.

“T-then am I the optimal form as a woman?”

I didn't fully accept it, but what did it matter.

Actually, I was quite satisfied with this body.

From a Korean man1 who was just lying around on the street, I became a busty beautiful girl from manga.

This was none other than social status elevation.

In other words, a jackpot.

“Even if I awakened?”

The thoughts from yesterday, becoming a hunter climbing the towers becomes reality.

Opportunities for instant millions come like eating rice.

The hunter who becomes an upper rank, it's not even a big deal to earn hundreds of millions a month.

gulp.

Saliva went down.

At the same time.

“S, s, status window…?”

In that moment when it came to mind.

“Cursed Puppeteer?”

I read the status window with a dumbfounded face.

What kind of scary class is there.

But that reaction was momentary.

“But it's EX-rank, right?”

EX-rank.

An unprecedented rank that was always debated in the community whether it existed or not.

Since S-rank was the highest on Earth until now, people had concluded that EX-rank, which appeared in web novels, didn't exist.

But now, right in front of my eyes, it was there.

The EX-rank that was like urban legend.

“Wow, it's complete cheat code, isn't it?”

I didn't know what was what yet, but anyway, it's EX-rank.

Even S-rank gives you the strength to annihilate a city like an ant-like monster.

It's EX-rank!

“He, hehehe. Heheh.”

Then, without realizing, a laugh came out.

Somehow it felt a bit gloomy.

“Did I originally laugh like this?”

Eh, whatever.

What did it matter.

In the end, the fact that I awakened was important, right?

“Then, I can happily give up the dick!”

Hehehe. Uhuhuh.

Eventually, the unique laugh began to echo throughout the house.

But.

“Eh, eh? T-this suddenly?!”

With the suddenly appearing system window, my body became light and disappeared.

《 Hell Joseon Tower Climbing Gallery 》

(Comments)

“1, 1st floor from the start. Climb from the 1st floor!!”

I shouted while scrolling through the Hell Joseon Tower Climbing Gallery on my smartphone.

Normally, when first entering the tower, it's the 1st floor.

And the tower is entered and exited by the awakened person themselves when they want.

“Why can't I exit?!”

I shouted in desperation.

But what echoed was only empty reverberation.

A giant throne.

Black gems stuck in it, purple flames burning from candlesticks on both sides — this suspicious place bound me.

The reason was the quest window that appeared in front of me.

There's a lot and grand.

In summary, it all boils down to one thing.

“Hunters… do it?”

No, no, no!!

No matter what, that's not it.

Dragging me here suddenly and immediately giving quests! Where was that!

And 'death'.

Isn't death, death, such things usually?!

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upon arriving at this castle, my appearance changed a bit more.

The inside of the hair was overlaid with blue two-tone, and suddenly I was wearing dolphin pants.

“…Did the system's preference reflect?”

No, probably.

Somehow suspicious, I touched the soft flesh and broke out in cold sweat.

“B-but it's not bad that the quest appeared.”

With the quest, clear goals appeared.

First, the part about using traits that came up in the Heltapgal. I could apply that right away.

“There was a trait for creating cursed dolls…”

While muttering to myself, I cupped my hands in a circle.

Eventually, recalling the cursed doll in my mind, I tried to manifest the trait.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

“Uwoaaak?!”

With purple flames burning, a cursed doll appeared in my hand.

[Cursed Doll (Lv.1)]

[Target: Unknown]

…W-what now?