Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: 9th Floor. Rudeness Beyond Words!
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BOOOOM!!!
A sudden deafening roar hit my ears, followed by the bizarre sensation of my body floating up into the air.
"Wha—huh?!"
CRACK! The sound of splintering wood.
At the same time, a massive force flung my body away, sending me soaring through the air in spectacular fashion.
SPLAT!
I hit the ground face-first in what would have scored perfect tens in artistic impression at the Olympics, emerging from the natural mud bath with a sharp pop as I yanked my head free.
"Gaaah!!! Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo! Urgh—!"
Mud rained down in clumps.
I spat out the globs that had filled my mouth and nose, wiping the rest from my face until I could finally open my eyes. Shattered wood chunks bobbed around me on the water's surface, and an unnatural darkness hung in the air.
It felt just like standing inside a shadow.
I'd clearly fallen asleep safe inside that wooden shelter!
The Nepenthes still clamped firmly around my dick proved this wasn't a dream.
"Fuck, what the hell... Oh."
I looked up. There it was—a gigantic flower.
Pink petals large enough to fit two or three of me inside. Countless green vines writhing like snakes. And atop that massive plant, gazing down at me like some Buddha riding a lotus from a temple painting, stood a humanoid figure.
But unmistakably not human: skin a vivid green like fresh vegetation, head adorned with small white and pink blossoms like a crown of flowers.
A mystical fusion of elements mimicking a woman's form—breasts dripping with translucent, honey-like glow, a slender waist, a deep navel, and a seductive smile that made me swallow hard.
She was beautiful, sure. But I knew exactly what she was.
"Holy shit."
⚔ MONSTER STATUS ⚔ 『Alraune』 Level: 15☆ Health: 276/276 ■■■■■■■■■■ The king of plants born from the bizarrely dense mana permeating this jungle. It normally doesn't move much from where its roots are planted. The 9th floor's sub-boss, Alraune.
An enemy I absolutely shouldn't be facing in my current state.
"Dodge!"
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The sounds of me kicking through water and mud for all I was worth.
RUMBLECRASH!
And the noise of her smashing straight through every tree in her path without a care.
Unfortunately, I was the one being chased.
Stark naked, without even a scrap of armor.
"Fuuuuck!!! At least let me gear up?!"
"Hee hee hee."
"Don't laugh! Get serious!!!"
I screamed as Alraune pursued me relentlessly, pulling off moves that would land her on every dungeon maze's blacklist without hesitation.
Running naked through this godforsaken place was humiliating enough, but who cared!
I had zero shame about my body! Feast your eyes, everyone!
Whip—BOOM!!!
"Kieeeek!!!"
I twisted my neck nearly to the breaking point to dodge a vine swung playfully my way.
Missing its mark, the vine slammed into a tree trunk, exploding like gunpowder and shattering it into splinters.
The real problem? I had nothing—no means—to fight back against attacks like that.
Slime, Severa, Kali? Left them all back there.
The stuffed consumables in my backpack and the goblin's? Left back there too.
All I had right now were my two balls and my bare body. How the hell was I supposed to take on that monster with this?!
Wait. No. I did have something.
A way to fight her right now!
I skidded to a halt and turned to face Alraune.
She stopped too, vines writhing as if ready to counter, eyeing me warily like something was up.
"Ha... You know, I didn't even need to run! Come forth, my strongest minion!"
Ultimate Predatory Vine!
The onahole that had been dangling faithfully from my dick vanished, replaced by the three swaying sacks of the Ultimate Predatory Vine as it menaced Alraune.
Its thick stem was tough enough to give even Alraune trouble!
Alraune peered down at the Predatory Vine with what looked like intrigued curiosity.
Smack.
The Predatory Vine went down after one hit from Alraune.
"Hmm..."
"...?"
Looked like Predatory Vine and Alraune were totally outclassed—one a clear superior. No choice left now.
"Dodge!!!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Obeying orders, the headless beast and the figure draped head to toe in thick cloth waited patiently for explorers to arrive.
Dubbed the Suspicious Merchant, he was peacefully sorting goods to sell to any guests who reached this floor.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"KyaAAAAH!!!"
Noise and a tearing scream echoed from afar.
It sounded like a guest he'd heard before, so the Merchant turned his masked face that way.
The massive owner's dark, ominous mana. And the faint but sparkling mana of the fleeing guest being chased.
'The floor boss here must be the Alraune. Guest, you're giving it your all.'
This guest had a vibe unlike other explorers—something heterogeneous.
He liked him enough to have given forbidden gifts before. This was the one who'd subjugated every floor boss he'd met so far.
All of them, few or many, influenced by the owner's mana.
Somehow even severing direct links to the owner and conscripting some into his service.
'Even guests called heroes had their exceptional traits, but this one's even more unique.'
Maybe he could reach the end?
The Merchant considered slashing prices on goods for him, excitement bubbling up. But sadly, the guest arrived sooner than expected.
A joyful reunion.
Except the guest looked... different from usual.
No clothes whatsoever, dick flopping wildly, sweat pouring as he barreled straight toward them.
And erect.
The Suspicious Merchant's gaze dipped involuntarily to that intimidating motion, but thankfully he didn't forget to greet him.
"...Guest, that was a quick reunion. You look rushed. Need one of my children?"
"Huff... huff... Yeah... anything, quick! I'm in a hurry!"
Squish.
The tip of his cockhead pressing into the Merchant's lower belly.
The guest seemed oblivious in his aroused state, but even through thick robes, the steel-hard erection bulging and pressing into soft flesh left the Merchant flustered despite himself.
"Guest, merchants don't run. You should calm down a bit."
Having to crane his neck up due to the height difference, the Merchant gave a light push to soothe the frantic guest—but his shoulder was grabbed roughly instead.
"Calm down?! No time for that! Flame potion, wand, whatever—gimme something! I nearly died just putting this much distance between us!"
"...Guest, it's touching me. Let me move if you want introductions."
The push did nothing; the distance closed again, the massive cockhead now poking past his belly into his navel.
A wave of masculine scent washed over him, and the Merchant felt his eyes narrow behind the mask.
'The guest has no idea how dangerous what he's doing is. But I'll endure. I have high hopes for him.'
The reason the Merchant hid his identity obsessively was racial.
Dream demon. Succubus, in other words.
These thick clothes and cloak were precautions against exposing the body scent and fluids innate to succubi—too harsh for mere humans to withstand.
Any casual attire would mesmerize explorers into lifelong shut-ins or make their brains explode.
And the cock the guest was grinding against him? Pure temptation for a succubus Merchant.
She could ignore it with effort, but like salivating at the thought of lemon, her body reflexively prepared to accept it.
"Guest, do you know how specially I'm treating you? Patience isn't infinite."
"No!!! It's coming!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
A colossal mass of vegetation burst through the narrow wooden passage.
Alraune, ruler of all flowers, wafted seductive scents to lure her prey, flashing a bewitching smile as she dragged her enormous body forward.
"It's heeeere!!! You bitch, I said hurry!!!"
"No, that's not—"
Flash.
No time for excuses. The Merchant felt her body hoisted up like luggage, coming to under the guest's armpit.
"Kidnapping's bad, Guest. Surrender now, and maybe I'll let it slide?"
"Shut up! This isn't some low-class crime like kidnapping—it's a rescue op for a swimmer about to get chomped by a shark! Try filing charges, and I'll make it a real kidnapping?!"
"No kid named Lawsuit in my pack, Guest."
And so, Guest and Merchant fled the rampaging Alraune.
How far did they run? No more massive pursuit noises from behind, but the Guest heaved like he'd collapse from exhaustion.
His parched throat rasped like metal, and his fragile, unclothed human skin was covered in scratches.
"Hic... fuck... I almost died..."
"By the way, Guest, you had way more goodies last time. Now you're broke. Gambling's bad."
She knew no casino existed for a human in this jungle, but she couldn't resist a little spite toward the one who'd cost her her stall.
"Fuck... If I'd lost it all gambling, at least I wouldn't feel so robbed. That psycho plant ambushed me while I was asleep!!"
"I don't always get what you say, Guest."
"Filter it, dude. Some things just are."
Luckily, he still had his backpack, so she could fulfill her role. But the Guest tore at his hair in despair.
"Aaaah... Without them, what can I even do? No weapons—what's a guy good for? Why are humans useless without tools?!"
Now calmed, the Guest's once monstrously rigid cock had softened to a floppy state.
As an inevitable dream demon, the Merchant couldn't stop her gaze drifting there—but with the mask, he wouldn't notice.
Saliva dripped at the scent from that masculine fruit; she wiped her mouth with her sleeve on reflex, though the mask blocked it anyway.
'Guest, the real thing you should fear right now isn't some Alraune.'
Even after the transcendent Owner appeared and dimmed her kind's light, demons remained superior beings beyond human ken.
For a guest whose heroic potential hadn't fully bloomed, coupling with a dream demon could cost his life.
So the Merchant held back. She'd always had unusually strong self-control for her kind.
"The stuff you need is still in this pack... Want any?"
"...Seriously considering it. We shook the Alraune, but we're too far from where I left my bags now."
"Same for me, thanks to you. Headless gets lonely."
"That headless cow-thing's name is Headless?"
"It's not a headless cow. It's a purebred Nightmare Horse, full pedigree."
The Merchant wanted to lecture the Guest on all 108 virtues of her purebred Nightmare Horse, Headless—but someone spotted them first.
"Humans? And human. What are you doing here!"
Greenish-brown tough scales, vertical slit pupils, a massively swollen long tail, spear gripped in sharp-clawed rough hands.
It was a lizard.
A Lizardman, native to the 9th floor.
The bipedal lizard leveled his spear at the Guest and Merchant.