Ep.5 - The Twins on the Tower (1)
Ep.5 - The Twins on the Tower (1)
"Huh? Oh, no... I was only joking. Don't cry. What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"Philmark-uuuuh! What are you doing to Seobang-nim! You filthy bandit!"
"Everyone calm down! Ugh, stop splashing mud!"
The women's words didn't reach me.
Was it because the status window floating before my eyes so completely filled my head that I couldn't bear the misery?
"Heuk... hikgeuk..."
After enduring so much humiliation and pushing through all this time,
to think I'd only now be facing the system called a status window.
It felt as if I'd fought my way to the mid-boss with a beginner's item, only to realize at the very end that the weapon I'd staked my life on was nothing but a worthless piece of trash.
I was dizzy. I could barely breathe. The moment I saw the [Chakjeong(x37)] marker listed beside the status ailments, tears came pouring out. And just then, a new status ailment—[Sorrow]—appeared right next to it.
"Euhuk... kkeuk..."
When I brought a trembling hand to the word Chakjeong, a detailed explanation appeared.
[Semen is violently extracted, making the body sensitive and the mind dull. After a certain period, it recovers. Penalty increases with the number of stacks.]
Fucking heeeeell...
"Kkeup... kkeuheup..."
"I told you not to cry...! Fine, I'm sorry. Is that enough? I said I'm sorry!"
Although Philmark couldn't truly grasp the reason for my tears, she pulled me to her chest and patted my back, tap-tap.
"E-hyu, are all men like this? Enough, stop crying."
I could feel a strange kindness in the hands of the thief as she soothed and comforted me. But that kindness only stirred up my sense of injustice, making me grind my teeth in frustration.
"Step aside! How terrifying must the embrace of a savage like you be, for Seobang-nim to shed tears like this!"
But caught in the hopelessly tangled web of these women's relationships, I didn't even have the composure to collect myself. They bickered fiercely, each trying to grab hold of me and soothe my tears, tempers blazing.
"Both of you stop it! Delin, come to noona. It's because they're so stubborn and don't spare a thought for Delin's feelings at all that he's crying!"
"Chichi, what greed are you showing with those scrawny tits of yours!? You couldn't even properly embrace an ant!"
"What do you mean by that!!"
"All of you, get lost...! Don't bother me!"
Amidst the quarrel, my body was jostled this way and that, but my face remained buried steady inside the bronze-tinted cleavage.
Amid the deep, seductive scent of Riko filling the valley between her breasts, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to stop crying, but my body, which had only grown weaker since arriving in this other world, couldn't easily rein in its emotions.
And so, for a long, long while...
A very long while I spent in the arms of thief, witch, and wolf, and only then did my tears subside.
"..."
From the moment my intense emotions calmed, I began to carefully look through the status window floating before my eyes.
———————————————
[Status Window]
Name - ___(Delin)
Gender - Male
Age - 20
Special Effects - Chakjeong(x37), Fatigue, Forgotten God's Blessing
Save Point - Outskirts of Dikenen Forest, near a campfire (7 hours 16 minutes ago)
[Quests] [Companions] [Skills]
———————————————
In the neatly arranged status window, three words were laid out side by side that I couldn't resist pressing,
and the first one I pressed, naturally, was [Quests].
"..."
After switching to the quest window, all that appeared was a single short, bold sentence and several blurred sentences with lines struck through them.
[Main Quest]
:Reach God's Garden.
Judging by the words 'Main Quest,' it probably meant there were other sub-quests as well.
What puzzled me, though, was that only the quest's objective hung there all alone, with no [Reward] or anything else written at all.
The blurred ones with lines through them were the same. I could tell at a glance they were [Quests cleared so far], but no matter how much I rifled through the records, there was absolutely nothing about rewards in the contents.
It was like a diary. Normally, if this were the kind of isekai where you get a status window, you'd strengthen yourself by clearing quests or leveling up. But if there were no rewards, why would there even be a separate quest feature?
"...!"
On a whim, I went back and this time examined [Skills]. Even if the quest window didn't show rewards, maybe skill points or something had been accumulating one by one!
"Ah, shit... hoo..."
But I ended up facing a skill window completely different from anything I'd imagined. There were no typical skills like Fireball or Magic Shield; only truly bizarre ones were listed!
Seeing skills that clearly wouldn't help with combat or growth at all, I couldn't help but sigh. Of course. As if they'd make it easy for me.
I'd heard words like 'hero' several times recently and had a sliver of hope, but an overwhelmingly powerful skill that sweeps away enemies, summoning the Holy Sword... none of that was even prepared.
[Save&Load]
[Stubborn Spirit]
[Charm Emission]
[Bond]
Fuck.
Except for Save&Load, every single one I pressed was absolute shit.
[Stubborn Spirit]
:With the determination to see through your desires, you become able to endure to the end without giving up.
'Isn't this just something that keeps you from even properly passing out when you're being raped?'
[Charm Emission]
:Earns the opponent's favor. Receives a bonus based on the possessor's appearance.
'And this is just something that makes it easy to get fucked by passing bastards...'
[Bond]
:When the Affinity stat reaches 90 or higher, the target becomes affected by the Save and Load skills together. If certain conditions are met, the bond with the target is strengthened.
'This is what made things so fucked up... And that Soul Bond or whatever must be because of those specific conditions.'
My head hurt. Skills I didn't like, every single one...
...No. It depends on how I use them. Just complaining won't help at all.
Getting through with what I've been given is what matters. Yeah. I can do this. Don't give up.
Besides, seeing how many empty slots there are, there's still the possibility of acquiring additional skills...
"D-do you think Seobang-nim is possessed by a ghost...? Quickly, exorcise it! Follow the chief's orders!"
"They said there's no ghost! Stop worrying about that and keep watch on the surroundings!"
Ah. When I heard Kaede and Chichi arguing, I came to my senses. To others, I must look like I'm muttering while poking at the air.
"Helen-yang! Didn't you say you're an archbishop! Quickly, take a look at Seobang-nim. It seems like he's been possessed by a ghost and is acting strange..."
"That's true. Several dozen vengeful spirits of those who died here have latched onto him, cursing him to die soon."
"F-for real!? Kkiing... Please save our Seobang-nim quickly..."
"You believe that? Why the hell are all you beastman bastards like that?"
With Riko's sharp verbal abuse, the brief quarrel ended again. She held me in her arms and simply walked on in silence. It seemed that making me cry earlier was weighing on her mind.
Unlike her appearance, which looked like a hard-partying noona or a thug, she sometimes took care of me like this.
We'd had an odd relationship since our first meeting, but whenever I saw this side of her, I'd unconsciously think she was a pretty decent woman...?
'Wait, what am I thinking?'
What the...! I'm not some woman who gets attracted to a bad-boy thug type! What the hell is this situation!
Ever since I crossed over, it felt like I kept turning weird. I'm clearly being tainted by this crazy world where genders are reversed.
I have to return to my original world as soon as possible. If this keeps up...
"Wait. I see something ahead."
Neva said to everyone.
At that, everyone, myself included, looked ahead,
and just as she said, we could dimly make out something long jutting upward in the distance.
"Looks like we've arrived. That's the tower."
Helen turned around and looked at us with a subtle smile. Her short, ambiguous smile wasn't particularly benevolent, but her bountifully swelling chest seemed as if it could rival God Himself.
———————————————
In the end, not knowing what lurked within, we headed toward the tower.
Even the women who had been bickering nonstop were all quite tense, preparing for whatever might happen,
and amidst them all, I swallowed dryly and clung tightly to whatever I could grab of Riko's collar with my hands.
The tower was dark, and more than dark, it was deeply unpleasant.
As if death had swept through once, the tower was covered with a thick, foul stench and a sticky liquid.
It seemed to embody the very word 'ominous'...
"...Two bitches."
Riko whispered to everyone quietly.
"Right above our heads, there are two bitches. There's no killing intent."
At that, Chichi added briefly.
"...They're waiting for us."
"Kking... kkiing... Alright, Neva, you take the lead..."
"...Haa."
Neva took the lead, Chichi followed, then the archbishop walked demurely, and behind them, Riko carrying me and Kaede with Eva on her back followed cautiously.
"..."
And so, over the women's shoulders, I saw the two beings guarding the top of the tower.
"...Sister. The guests have come. The guests."
"..."
The two beings in the shape of women were leaning against something like a staff and sitting there as if fading away. Or rather, since neither had a lower half, should I say they were standing while clutching the staff?
One had both eyes sewn shut, the other had her mouth sewn shut,
and the four bells attached to their staff shivered faintly, as if welcoming us.
"The guests, I said. The guests..."