Tower Date with a Dragon (2)

I barely managed to soothe Cardia as she radiated murderous intent, and let out a quiet sigh inside.

Park Sungchul, who had no idea what was going through my head, only grew more delighted when I stayed silent. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠started snickering again.

"Ah, but what are we gonna do about this? We already cleaned out the first floor completely, so the mobs won't respawn until tomorrow."

A few of the lower-ranked hunters nearby snickered along with him.

His intent was obvious. He wanted to see me lose my temper.

But too bad for him. I had zero intention of playing along with his childish provocation. More importantly, I had Cardia now.

I answered with perfect calm.

"Ah, is that so?"

Park Sungchul's eyebrows twitched.

"Wh-what?"

"That's actually perfect."

"……?"

"I was getting sick of running the first floor over and over anyway."

I shrugged and added,

"Then I'll just go clear a higher floor."

For a moment Park Sungchul's face went blank.

"Wh-what?"

The hunters around us stared at me with wide eyes.

"That E-class?"

"A higher floor?"

"Alone?"

Whispers rippled through them.

Park Sungchul shouted,

"Hey, hey! Are you insane?"

"Why?"

"An E-class going to the second floor alone?"

"Yeah."

"You got a death wish or something?"

He meant every word. Even on Easy difficulty, the second floor and above were on a completely different level from the first.

The first floor felt like a normal field crawling with goblins, slimes, and mana wolves. From the second floor onward, proper dungeon structure kicked in—normal, elite, and boss monsters all had their own categories.

That was exactly why Park Sungchul's party stuck to the first floor and made a living off it. A stable income source was right in front of them; there was no reason to risk their lives climbing higher.

I no longer felt any need to keep talking. I walked past him toward the tower entrance.

He yelled after me again.

"Hey! Baek Jiwoo! If you die alone in there, don't come crying to me!"

I didn't look back. His muttering reached my ears from behind.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"This crazy bastard……!"

The moment I reached the tower entrance, a blue system panel floated up in front of me.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then glanced sideways at the national record displayed next to it.

Hard Floor 43. The highest point reached by Korea's absolute elite. The raid team that S-class hunter Yoo Harin was supposedly joining still hadn't crossed the threshold of Floor 44.

The next moment I unconsciously drew a slow breath.

My hands are shaking just going to Easy Floor 2.

But it was fine. My goal this time was purely to earn living expenses, not some reckless challenge.

I entered the information for entry.

I pressed the button without hesitation.

"YES."

Fwaaaash!

Light erupted from every direction and swallowed my vision.

When I opened my eyes, a dark mining zone stretched out before me. Damp air, old wooden support beams, and blue ore veins embedded here and there in the walls filled my vision.

From deeper in the cave came a sound like metal scraping.

Kiiiiiik!

A system window appeared.

I thought to myself,

A mine on Easy Floor 2, huh……

A mine-type field recommended for low-rank hunters. The first monster that came to mind was obvious.

Goblins.

The next moment, as if proving my thought, a status window popped up.

Kiiiiiiiiik!

A sharp screech echoed from deeper in the cave. Moments later, green monsters holding torches and crude swords and pickaxes appeared.

"Kieeeeeeek!"

The moment they spotted me, they all charged at once.

I sucked in a breath.

……They're coming!

The first monster pack I had ever faced since entering the tower as a mere porter. My heart started pounding. It would be a lie to say I wasn't scared.

That was when the subspace pocket at my waist grew hot, and Cardia's voice reached me.

[Master.]

After a brief hesitation, I decided to summon her.

Cardia's dazzling form appeared once more. The instant she did, every mine goblin froze in place.

"Kiik……?!"

Clear terror rose on their faces. It was pure instinct—the absolute fear a lower lifeform feels when facing an apex predator.

Cardia completely ignored them and asked me,

"Did you summon this maiden?"

I pointed at the goblin pack.

"Cardia. Can I…… handle them as I am now?"

Her eyes curved into soft crescents.

"Having shared this maiden's power, Master can easily handle every last one of them and more."

There was not the slightest hesitation in her confident tone. As if my victory was simply a matter of course.

I drew a slow breath and thought,

……Yeah. I didn't come this far just to back down!

If Cardia believed in me, then I had to believe in myself too.

I stepped forward toward the goblin pack one step at a time. At the same time, the goblins started moving again.

"Kieeeek!"

Monsters filling the narrow cave. Individually their combat power was weak, but the moment they formed a pack the story changed completely.

Cardia whispered quietly,

"Master, do not fear. Believe in yourself."

Her warm fingertips touched my back. Immediately, tremendous heat flowed into my body.

Fwoooooosh!

Crimson flames bloomed from my fingertips.

"……!"

I stared at my hand in shock. Cardia—the power of the Red Lotus Dragon—had condensed at my fingertips.

She whispered,

"Swing it lightly, if it please you."

The moment the goblin pack rushed right up to me, I swung my hand from where I stood.

Whoosh—!

Crimson flames exploded outward, and the entire space in front of me was instantly engulfed in fire.

The next moment, nothing remained before my eyes.

"……Huh?"

I stared blankly ahead. The spot where the goblins had been just a second ago was blackened and scorched. Not even ashes of the monsters remained, let alone corpses.

A moment later.

Ding!

Status windows began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠popping up endlessly. I stared at the sight with a blank face.

"Wait, is this even right?"

That was when a message that nearly made me fall over appeared.

Ding!

"……?"

I hadn't even seen a single hair of the boss monster yet. And it was already cleared?

"Cardia."

"Yes."

"Why is it already over?"

Cardia answered as if it were nothing.

"The range of the power reached all the way to the end of the cave."

"……."

"Every monster inside the cave has been annihilated."

That was when I finally realized. A thrilling shiver ran down my spine in that instant.

This power…… is insanely terrifying, isn't it?!

Ding!

A new status window appeared.

"……What?"

W-wait a second! Three seconds?

Another message floated up.

I froze for a moment. A world record. If I made my name public? Even if it was only Easy difficulty, a record this absurd would turn not just all of Korea but the entire world upside down.

An unknown porter, E-class hunter Baek Jiwoo, setting a world record? Getting grabbed by the Association would be the least of it—Cardia's identity being exposed would only be a matter of time.

I chose without hesitation.

Having gained complete confidence in climbing the tower, I eventually even started feeling a kind of exhilaration.

"Haha……."

Once my lips had curled up, they refused to come back down. How could they not? Just a day ago I had been nothing more than an ordinary porter, and now I was blasting through the upper floors of Easy difficulty at a ridiculous speed. Overwhelming speed, at that.

"Master."

Cardia beside me wore a pleased smile.

"Master's expression looks happy."

"……Does it?"

"Indeed it does."

She softened her crimson eyes further and added,

"This maiden finds Master's current appearance most pleasing."

With those words Cardia stepped closer, pulled up the clothes and bra she was wearing, and revealed her enormous breasts.

"How about enjoying a brief moment with this maiden before we proceed to the next floor?"

Honestly, if I refused this, could I even call myself a man?

I lunged at her like a wild beast right then and there, breathing hard as I buried ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my face between her magnificent breasts. Even though awareness that we were inside the tower kept things from escalating into full sex, this alone was thrilling enough for now.

Slurp! Slurp! Smack!

Haa, haaaaah!

Only the vigorous sucking sounds from my mouth and Cardia's moans filled the quiet interior of the tower.

After that short but intense moment passed, she gave a light, unnecessary cough, fixed her clothes, and we walked together into the portal leading to the next floor.

The moment we entered, a pack of monsters burst out from the water's edge.

Kieeeek!!

"……Weak."

Monsters that would have been objects of terror not long ago now looked like nothing more than powerless creatures about to be erased from existence.

Cardia smiled beside me.

"Master."

"Yeah?"

"A single wave of the hand will suffice."

I nodded and lightly swung my hand.

Fwaaaash!!

Crimson lotus flames blanketed the entire waterway. The next moment, not even a trace of the lizardmen remained.

"……."

I was realizing it all over again—this ability was truly insane.