Chapter 10. Labyrinth City (3)
In a gender-reversed world, asking what a succubus was like would stump anyone. Sure, succubi survived by feeding on someone's essence just like incubi did, but since they mainly preyed on men's vital energy, they were perpetually starving in this world where men's libidos were lower than in my original one. As a result, their population had been steadily declining since ancient times.
And there was one figure who couldn't stand to watch this: the Succubus Queen. Seeing her kind fade away, the queen who ruled over all succubi made a bold decision—to evolve them. More precisely, she granted physical bodies to the dream-feeding incubi like herself, allowing them to finally eat properly. But knowing a body alone wasn't enough to survive, the Succubus Queen bestowed unique abilities on her newly embodied subjects.
The catch? Those powers played off succubi's inherent traits. Take adventurer succubi as an easy example: thieves got more agile the less fabric they wore, warriors gained greater strength with less clothing, and tanks became tougher the more exposed they were. Beyond that, succubus mages saw their intelligence rise as they stripped down, and archers hit more accurately the skimpier their outfits.
That's right—the Succubus Queen had gifted her kind powers that scaled with how much they bared themselves! To be exact, going fully nude didn't count, so they had to wear something. She granted a few other abilities too, but this exposure-scaling one was the hallmark.
Because of this, Succubus Armor was not just normal for succubus adventurers—it was standard issue. The problem? What was obvious to them wasn't accepted in Labyrinth City. This was a gender-reversed world, after all. You might think women strutted around half-naked everywhere, but that was just a minority; most dressed like in my old world. So succubi fashion came off as radical, even scandalous—people muttered things like, "Ugh, slut stench," as they passed by.
If succubi were more numerous, none of this would matter, but as a rare race, it was a tragic reality they couldn't escape.
Why bring all this up? Simple.
"So... you're saying that skimpy outfit boosts your defense?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Hmm..."
No way that made sense. I'd been in this world long enough that nothing surprised me much anymore, but defense increasing the less armor you wore?
What a fucking retarded power.
Separate from how bullshit it was, it was hot as hell in practice, but practically speaking? Eh, not so much.
Anyway, as I sat there deep in thought, Lilia hurriedly pitched her skills.
"M-My body is tougher than it looks! I can probably block most attacks up to the 5th floor!"
"Up to the 5th floor?"
I was genuinely shocked by her claim. After all, the Labyrinth had only been officially cleared to the 10th floor so far. In other words, Lilia could tank hits from near the mid-layers by this world's standards. Sure, compared to the "real" Labyrinth's 20 floors, it wasn't much—but that was only if I could reach the depths someday. Right now, it was a godsend. Not many adventurers could even get that far anyway.
The Labyrinth's true floor count wasn't even revealed until the protagonist showed up.
Once they did, what had been stuck at 10 for a century broke through to 15 in just five years.
And unofficially, they hit almost 19.
The protagonist's party suddenly seemed even more impressive.
As I mulled this over, Lilia spoke with brimming confidence.
"Yes! I can definitely handle anything up to the 5th floor!"
Her bold assurance prompted me to ask,
"Hmm... Mind if we test it?"
"T-Test?"
"Yeah, just to confirm you can really tank."
"O-Okay... sure..."
With her permission, I reached out to her soft-looking belly and grabbed a handful.
Molchang~
"Eek♥!"
Her belly fat was impossibly squishy. I was puzzled.
What? It's not tough at all—it's all jiggly.
I'd expected hardness, but it was like mochi. Maybe I grabbed the wrong spot? I tried elsewhere, but no difference.
"Hah♥ Hnng...♥ Hah...♥"
As I kneaded away, her breathing got ragged, but probably just my imagination. After a solid minute, I pulled back, baffled by the squishiness, and asked,
"It's not tough at all."
If anything, it reminded me of the fat pig-dog I raised back home (not a national treasure—just a chonky pup).
"Hah...♥ Hah...♥ N-Normally it's not hard, but... hah...♥ when you hit my belly, it hardens up♥♥"
"Ah, gotcha?"
So it toughens on impact?
"Can I punch it, then?"
"Y-Yes, please! I'd love if you hit me!"
For a split second, I wondered if a woman should say that, but hey—gender-reversed world. Shrugging it off, I balled my fist and swung at her side.
Clang!
"Kyak!"
It felt like striking steel—pain shot up my arm. I'd aimed for bare skin, but nope. Grabbing her hand, I shook out my throbbing fist. It hurt like hell.
Lilia rushed over, apologetic.
"Rike! A-Are you okay?!"
"J-Just need a minute..."
"I'm so sorry! This has never happened before!"
She'd probably never let anyone test her like this. As I accepted her apology and nursed my arm, I voiced another curiosity.
"B-But how do you block blades?"
If it only hardened on blunt impact, what about slashes? She explained that even minimal contact with slashing materials toughened her up. Blunt weapons? Perfectly nullified without a scratch if above a certain force. Slashes? No damage unless swung below a threshold speed.
Huh, neat.
Listening in awe, I reassessed her.
Even without knowing her full kit, she's at least A-rank material for me right now.
Lilia was borderline A-rank just existing. Closer to S, really, but the short time we'd known each other meant I couldn't judge her personality yet—that kept her at A. Give it time, and she might hit S, or even EX.
B-rank would be a steal right now, but an A-grade catch like this?
I have to party with her.
This was a golden opportunity. Sure, she was clinging now, but parties could sour...
"H-Hueh...?"
This airheaded cutie backstabbing me? Nah, couldn't picture it. Maybe lewd-wise, but otherwise? Fine.
Thinking that, I told her,
"Lilia, I'm positive about forming a party with you."
"Th-Then let's do it now!"
"Hear me out first."
I reined in her eagerness.
"Labyrinth loot splits 6-4 by default—you get 6, I get 4. Monster drops go to whoever needs them; if neither does, sell at auction and split the gold. If you have to touch me unavoidably in the Labyrinth, I'll allow it as much as possible. Also..."
"Heeeek...!"
As I rattled off terms, her eyes spun like her brain was short-circuiting.
Yeah, gotta simplify for later.
Judging she couldn't handle details, I summed up,
"...So, party under those terms—thoughts?"
She bowed deeply.
"P-Please take care of me from now on!"
And just like that, I'd recruited my first companion for Labyrinth dives.