Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Manners Make the Man #4
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Object.
A false life-form created by replaying a fragment of the Tower Lord's memory, taking root in the theme stage.
However, inside the Object's mind was a real life.
Vivid memories all the way up to becoming a horrific monster.
"Is the origin of the test subject confirmed?"
"It's confirmed."
Leaning over the child with fading consciousness, the zealots muttering as they sought to create a god.
"We've brought the offspring of the bloodline with the highest mana aptitude. There won't be anything better than this."
"Perfect."
The zealots gazed at the test subject with a faint feverish glow.
On her pallid, bloodless skin, blood-red patterns protruded like tattoos.
"Ah, pa..."
"Pain. A trial that must be endured willingly for true consciousness."
Trial?
The child tried to comprehend the zealots' words with her broken mind.
Her already shattered neural circuits no longer functioned normally.
They merely twitched like a corpse jolted by electricity, reacting only to external stimuli and pain.
"Status?"
"Optimal. We've maintained peak physical and mental condition up to this point."
"Good."
The child was nothing more than merchandise.
A lump of flesh designed solely to perfectly fulfill their aspirations.
There was no need for trifles like love, hope, or memories that a created being might harbor.
Only the power backed by life force mattered.
The child was the zealots' dream and hope.
They longed for her to grow into a lantern that would one day shine light upon them.
And to become the sun rising over the world—
They continued the experiments.
Overloading the mana circuits drawn on the skin's surface, fusing them with her flesh.
Those embedded mana circuits would surely become her greatest source of power.
The mind whitening in the process was of no concern to the zealots.
'It hurts.'
The experiments continued.
Until the child's pure heart was stained with blood, filled with vicious energy.
'Why am I the only one suffering? Why do I have to hurt? I hate them all. I'll make them all just like me.'
The invading malice grew rampantly, clinging to the child's lifeline, yearning only for the day of release.
"...Hee."
That had now become a sweet hope, bestowing a smile upon the child buried in agony.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Object" activated. "Wh-what? Why is it reacting like this?"
"...Something's wrong. The overload is happening way faster than usual."
"D-dangerous. We need to take measures now..."
"Stop! You trying to make all our rituals up to now go to waste?!"
"Then what do we do! If 'that thing' breaks free right here, we're all dead...!"
-Crunch.
The chains burrowed deep into her skin writhed.
As if infused with life, they began pulsing and squirming.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Trial begins. Leaving behind the status window that these mere story appendages couldn't even perceive properly.
"Hee hee. This'll be fun."
The child—the young Tower Lord—flashed a tearing smile as she welcomed her liberation.
"T-too late—"
The chains, now part of her, surged forth.
Piercing through the magic circle that separated the girl from the zealots.
Straight into the sacrificial lamb's crown, directly draining his blood.
"Uh."
The zealot who watched his comrade lose his life in an instant let out a foolish sound.
Without even giving him time to flee, the child bestowed the same fate upon him.
"Hmph~"
The child gladly became their hell.
Gathering the zealots' mutilated corpses like precious toys, she smiled and directed cheerful emotions toward the other prey.
And this altar had plenty of usable blood for her.
"Where next~ Where are they hiding~?"
Theme stage, Tower's 5th floor.
The young Tower Lord's story was just beginning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Boss Mob Gallery Title: Hooee ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Newbie-jang, that's me begging you not to see my embarrassing side ㅠㅠㅠ Nickname: Aged Wine is... — Aged Wine is... She's so mean...! Using my embarrassing side as an excuse to make me do embarrassing things!! Sob sob, me-jang. I'm already married off ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ — Anonymous Crazy bitch, crazy bitch... — Anonymous At this point, she's already thinking about kids with the newbie, right? — Anonymous It is prime time, though... — Anonymous What prime time, you crazy bastard lololol — Anonymous Fact: At Wine Lord's level, she's not just aged—she's evaporated—(Account blocked.) — Anonymous What? I didn't just post that comment, right? — Anonymous Don't ever try to find out — Anonymous lolololol 📰 Boss Mob Gallery Title: Keep talking bullshit and I'll take a ton of Object pics and post them in the gallery, fuck off (My post) — Anonymous Doesn't sound like a joke lololol Camera ready ON — Anonymous O — Anonymous Alright~ Let's go~ Alright~ Let's go~ Alright~ Let's go~ Alright~ Let's go~ — Aged Wine is... ...Don't do it — Anonymous lololololololol — My post If you don't want that, hurry up and give me some useful info In response to Do-yoon's brutal threat(?), Wine Lord went silent for a long while.
📰 Boss Mob Gallery Title: ...Can you brief me on the situation there ;; Nickname: Aged Wine is... — Aged Wine is... There are so many stairs, I don't even know where I was or what I was doing So just give me a rough rundown of the situation... "Oh."
Do-yoon spotted the post and immediately scouted for info.
And right beside him, wasn't there a perfect bundle of info standing there terrified?
"Hey."
"Y-yes?"
Not the fox beastkin Hunter, the one next to her.
He called out to the Hunter sweating buckets.
"That Object you saw. Tell me its features."
"Wh-what..."
"Just tell me everything you saw, everything that happened to you."
A monster in the form of a cute girl giggling.
Zealots, hide-and-seek, and one Hunter forcibly dragged away.
He fed the gathered info straight to Wine Lord.
📰 Boss Mob Gallery Title: Then the answer is simple...! Nickname: Aged Wine is... — Aged Wine is... As an Object, I couldn't influence other Hunters, so she wouldn't have killed the one they took away...! "...What?"
"Y-yes?"
"The Object can't kill Hunters?"
"Oh... Oh! Right."
"You bastard."
So this guy had just spewed nonsense out of pure fear by himself?
Then at least the other Hunter's life wasn't in immediate danger, but being kidnapped and restrained would cause its own problems.
"Still gotta rescue him. We need him to take down the boss mob together."
"R-right. But..."
"Shh, that's enough."
Do-yoon silenced the Hunter trying to suggest retreating again and kept scanning the gallery skill window.
— Aged Wine is... For now! As mini-me wanted, we have to hunt the zealots together...! — My post Zealots? — Aged Wine is... Yes! Back then, my hatred for the zealots was at its peak, so siding with me lets me vent that grudge...! — Anonymous National power-level tantrum lol — Anonymous Like a sulky little cousin lol calm her down lololol — Anonymous That's why she calls it her dark history — My post So hunting zealots calms the Object's tantrum? And that unlocks the next floor? — Aged Wine is... Exactly! — Short-Eared Goblin Hmm~ Glad I didn't show my embarrassing side to the newbie~ — Anonymous Goblin Lord's been around since baby days too? — Anonymous Nah nah, Goblin Lord's theme starts from adulthood AFAIK — Anonymous Age standards are different for real—(Account blocked.) — Anonymous Boookkkiii!!! — Anonymous A person... a person died!! "Hm."
So first, they had to find and beat down the zealots.
But how were they supposed to know where they were?
"Do-yoon, did you figure anything out?"
"Yeah."
"..."
The fox beastkin found Do-yoon's suddenly curt speech grating, but recalling the prowess he'd shown so far, she let it slide.
"We need to find the zealots."
"Zealots..."
"The bastards who tormented the Object. Killing them will calm her down a bit."
"...Is that info really reliable?"
"What?"
"Do-yoon, you might not know, but normally you protect the zealots to clear the theme stage. That's how you suppress the Object and get the key to the next floor."
"..."
Do-yoon pondered for a moment.
Which was right?
No time to build trust with a Hunter he'd just met, who was busy being suspicious?
Or the gallery user who'd helped him all along, safely up to the 5th floor—the Tower Lord's own info?
"I think I'm right."
Do-yoon decided.
"Wh-what?"
"If you can't trust it, split off here."
"Wander the forbidden zone full of monsters alone? No way! And if we kill the zealots, the stage...!"
"H-hey, quiet down a bit... If the Object finds us..."
Ignoring the cowardly Hunter relapsing into PTSD, the beastkin Hunter could only panic.
Was there any reason to betray established meta info and ruin the stage unless he was insane?
Thinking back, something had been off from the start.
Having that level of power despite being from Earth, and that gear.
The bizarre equipment backing his strength had been nagging at her nerves.
"You, what the hell are you—"
Just as she was about to unleash her pent-up suspicion and frustration—
"Hee."
In the corner of the beastkin Hunter's vision, something slithering closer came into view.
'Ah.'
"Hee, heeek...!"
A form like the Grim Reaper incarnate approached them.
The Object.
The young Tower Lord, stained with malice and beginning her zealot hunt—
Had arrived right in front of Do-yoon and the Hunters.
"W-we're dead. We're all gonna die...! Hieeek, ugh...!"
"Shut up."
Do-yoon smacked the panicking Hunter on the head with a crack!
"Hide-and-seek... wanna play...?"
He peered into the innocently asking young Tower Lord's face.
'She does look similar.'
There were parts identical to the photo of Wine Lord saved in the gallery.
It was definitely her childhood form manifested.
Wine Lord's younger self.
Chubby-cheeked, plump little Wine Lord—
Had appeared before him.
"Hello."
"Hee hee hee."