Infinite Pleasure Climax Research Institute - (1)

"Ugh..."

A strong light shone down on my face.

A light so brilliant it was hard to keep my eyes open.

I tried to raise my hand to block the light, but I failed.

Clink.

As I lifted my arm just a little, a cold sensation bit into my wrist.

I tilted my head slightly to glance at my wrist and saw handcuffs digging into it.

The cuffs were connected by chains to the apparatus I was sitting on.

"Handcuffs...?"

'What the hell is this?'

It was confusing.

Just moments ago, I had been in the middle of a boss raid on a battlefield where desert sand swirled.

And now, what kind of situation was this?

I closed my eyes and opened them, and the battlefield had vanished, leaving me bound in some unknown place.

'First, stay calm. I've been through plenty of situations more bewildering than this.'

I thought it over carefully.

After the regression, I had killed the 17th-floor boss, the T-Rex.

So far, no issues there.

Then, I needed to consider what variable might have occurred.

'The salaryman?'

Right. The salaryman.

He definitely introduced himself as Do-yoon Kang, didn't he?

The image of that man, who had grinned with an unsettlingly bright smile despite being drenched in blood, came to mind.

'Even for a veteran awakener, being covered in blood should feel gross.'

He'd walked up with that beaming smile.

The way he approached me after killing the boss in a single strike.

'Wait. One strike?'

I found the cause.

'A hidden gimmick I don't know about?'

Hidden gimmick.

The moment the keyword surfaced, my countless regression experiences assisted my thinking.

The Tower imposes trials on those who kill bosses in abnormal ways.

Every floor's bosses have a gimmick. When you kill the boss without overcoming that gimmick, a hidden gimmick occurs.

'That's it. That must have been triggered.'

Right after regression, my body was at best around S-class average level.

Since I had never killed the 17th-floor boss while ignoring its gimmick before, this situation now made sense.

And I was caught up because I had been close to the person who triggered the hidden gimmick.

I looked at the handcuffs binding my wrists.

'Then is this place like a prison? I need to gather information first.'

The theme of the 17th floor was a super-advanced scientific civilization.

But it was a theme that had been destroyed by a rampaging artificial T-Rex.

'If the reward for this floor's hidden gimmick is good, I should consider it for the next regression.'

That was when I was formulating future plans.

Sarak.

A ticklish sensation suddenly surged in from near my left armpit.

A feeling that made every fine hair on my body stand on end.

My waist arched slightly, and my whole body trembled.

"Hieeyah?!"

I hurriedly turned my head toward where the sensation came from and saw someone looking down at me.

Their face was hidden by shadows from the intense ceiling light, so I couldn't make out who it was...

But I could definitely see a white lab coat.

As our eyes met, they walked over with resounding steps, moving from my side to directly in front of me.

Tak.

Immediately, the someone stood before me.

They bent down to meet my gaze.

"Pleased to meet you, unidentified Solver-nim."

Now that they were close, I could see them more clearly.

A white lab coat and dress shoes.

A keycard hanging around their neck.

A voice tinged with crackling static.

'A researcher?'

An NPC for the hidden gimmick?

'This gimmick might be about escaping a research lab.'

Squinting against the dazzling light, I scrutinized the suspicious figure before me.

The researcher introduced themselves amidst the noise.

"I am Research Director Ruind. It's a pleasure to meet you."

'So he's the research director. The top administrator appears right from the start, huh.'

I couldn't trust that yet, but the figure before me claimed to be the director.

He'll likely be the key focus for any escape.

'Since I might not be able to overcome the gimmick in this regression.'

I need to gather as much information as possible.

I kept darting my eyes to scan Ruind's whole body.

That was when.

"Goodness, Solver-nim. Such stares are rather ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uncomfortable."

Ruind's words halted my actions.

'He's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sensitive to being observed.'

Was he the type to be wary of every little action?

I'd gotten a rough idea of his appearance, so I decided to back off for now.

To avoid provoking him, I lowered my gaze.

But something was strange.

'Where's my Magical Girl outfit gone?'

Pristine white skin.

And a smoothly curving chest line.

Two adorably protruding breasts, with pale pink nipples peeking out from the top.

Following down from there, I could see a small belly button.

And further down, a hidden place was revealed.

Two plump mounds of flesh.

Upon closer inspection, fine white hairs stood upright, and the two mounds faced each other.

And at the starting point where the two mounds formed a straight line, a pinkish pearl hid itself shyly.

'Why... is what I'd only see when I shower laid out right before my eyes?'

My brain momentarily short-circuited.

And the instant I fully grasped the situation.

"Kyaaaah!"

Bound and completely naked, I panicked and screamed.

Only then did I realize—my clothes were gone!

'I must be insane! I haven't even had a relationship yet!'

A hundred thousand regressions.

My precious body that I'd never shown to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyone.

And now that precious body was being exposed to the research director before me.

I frantically tried to cover my important parts, but the handcuffs prevented me.

I had no choice but to push my hips back and squeeze my thighs together as much as possible.

Then I glared at Ruind.

"Are you crazy?! Give me my clothes right now!"

But whether ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I screamed or not, Ruind continued speaking as if he couldn't care less.

"However, it's fine. It would be discourteous to treat the Solver who solved our headache so harshly."

He bowed deeply.

"There had been a great commotion, so I went outside to check, and lo and behold, the troublesome T-Rex had been dealt with."

Outside. T-Rex.

'So it really was the hidden gimmick.'

I felt a little relieved that my prediction seemed correct.

That aside—Solver, huh.

'For now, am I considered a benefactor?'

Even though being bound made the idea of being a benefactor rather dubious...

Still, it might be okay to try speaking, as long as I didn't cause a big fuss.

"Um..."

"First, let me express my gratitude."

I carefully started to speak, but I was ignored.

And seeing his subtly off-kilter reaction left me with an uneasy feeling.

'... He doesn't seem quite right in the head.'

"And, there's something I must ask of you, Solver-nim."

Rrrrk.

Ruind, who had briefly vanished, returned with a cart.

The cart was loaded with something, but because of the angle, I couldn't see what.

He was now standing right in front of me, pulling something like latex gloves onto both hands.

"Did you know? The bodily fluids of a female ability user contain concentrated mana."

"Really...?"

Why was he uneasily bringing up bodily fluids?

'Bodily fluids...'

A chilling thought struck me.

'Blood?'

The image of horseshoe crabs I'd once seen in a documentary.

Horseshoe crabs restrained in factory restraints, constantly having their blood drawn so they wouldn't die.

Was it just my mood that made the scene of endlessly draining blood without dying overlap with my current situation?

Plus, from what Ruind had said, the specific detail was that the bodily fluids of a female ability user contained concentrated mana.

And in this room, I was the only female ability user.

"That's not 'Really?' I am telling you what you must do from now on, Solver-nim. Listen carefully."

Moreover, words that lent credibility to my thoughts streamed out one after another.

"Now that the T-Rex is gone, we need a lot of energy for reconstruction."

Ruind pulled something out from the cart he had brought.

"Solver-nim. Since you're helping us, would you mind helping just a bit more?"

Every single word was ominous.

"You will have to serve as our energy source."

The moment I heard his next words, I used my ability.

'Magical Girl Transformation!'

But the transformation didn't work.

'Why... why...?'

Instead, a window that popped up before my eyes answered my question.

'M-Mana Freeze? Nobody except Eun-ji was ever a user of Mana Freeze??'

The status window showed a shocking situation.

My mind grew tangled because of it.

But Ruind didn't wait for me.

"Our Perpetual Power Source has been destroyed. If you cooperate with us until we can rebuild it, I will provide compensation and set you free."

"W-wait..."

Ruind slowly approached me, casting a deepening shadow.

He spoke in a soft voice, as if soothing a child.

"Now... it won't hurt. Just relax and let me take care of your body. Solver-nim."

"No! Don't come near me!"

Now that even my Magical Girl Transformation was blocked.

There was nothing I could do right at this moment.

At most, I could scream.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Restrained like this, I couldn't even trigger a regression through suicide.

I really hate this, but now was the time to endure.

I briefly imagined what would follow.

'Will having my blood drawn hurt a lot?'

I recalled the experience of donating blood at a blood donation center in the past.

'A creeping chill, and a sense of emptiness as if my soul was being extracted.'

I hadn't done it again after that one time.

Would I just keep having my blood sucked while constantly feeling that emptiness?

That was when all sorts of stray thoughts were flooding my mind.

"Now. Don't be startled."

He brought out a black blindfold.

'A blindfold?'

What on earth was he planning to do?

"I'll put this blindfold on you for a moment. It's better for both of us that way."

Sarak sarak.

The blindfold was placed over my eyes.

Being unable to see made my whole body feel hypersensitive.

"Solver-nim. From now on, please try to follow my instructions carefully."

The voice of the solver had shifted to a strangely alluring tone.

The bothersome crackling noise disappeared, and a sweet, melodious voice reached my ears.

"Relax your body. Take a deep breath in, and then breathe out."

Sssuuu.

As if entranced, I began to follow the instructions blankly.

I slowly breathed in and out as the solver instructed.

When I inhaled, my belly puffed out roundly.

"That's it... you're doing well. Take a big breath just like that..."

As I inhaled to my limit, my belly swelled up.

Ruind gently stroked that belly.

"Good job. Now, follow my touch and breathe out, fuu."

Fuu.

I exhaled, feeling a strangely cool sensation from his palm.

My belly deflated as I breathed out.

Once I had exhaled completely, he lightly patted my head and praised me.

"Good girl. Now, we'll repeat this."

Following his touch, I repeated breathing in and out.

As I did, my whole body grew warm, and a drowsy feeling set in.

'What is this... my body feels kind of... fluffy.'

"Well done."

Now, his voice felt like it was licking the edge of my ear.

A voice I should have been wary of now seemed as sweet as honey.

I shouldn't be feeling this way...

'But maybe... it feels good...'

My mind began to haze over.

Had breathing always felt this pleasant?

Before I knew it, all the tension had drained from my body.

That was when.

Something brushed against my forearm, and an unfamiliar voice burst from my throat.

"Hng-heek!"

So flustered, I tried to cover my mouth. Naturally, I couldn't, thanks to the handcuffs.

'What the heck was that just now?'

A chilling sensation that zapped down my spine.

A feeling I had never once experienced before.

It was foreign and scary. A sensation I was encountering for the first time in my life.

And...

'So embarrassing...'

Maybe my reaction looked ridiculous.

A sweet laugh reached my ears.

"It seems I can move on to the next step now."