1층(3). The Masked Rapist’s Trap
The 1st Floor… how the hell am I supposed to handle this?
I overheard Yoo Dahui saying she wanted to “eat” you. Even with everything I know from the novel, I figured Baek Seon-woo was already eyeing her, but hearing it straight from her mouth like that… damn, it stings more than I expected.
Come to think of it, the moment I met this bastard, I slapped superpowers on Yoo Dahui, right? So right now… right after that loud noise earlier… no way.
I tried shaking the thought out of my head. The novel’s narration is fuzzy, but I remember the author saying it was no big deal. It probably just meant I could stomach it somehow. Maybe Yoo Dahui had a private inner monologue about it. Since things had turned out like this anyway… it wasn’t the worst outcome.
I’ve already planned exactly how to use Baek Seon-woo. I pulled the White Mask (1★) from my inventory after a long time. I hadn’t had a chance to wear it because I was glued to Dahui’s side every single day.
If I wear this and then rape someone… will I actually get away with it this time? The thought hit me out of nowhere. I should’ve thought of it from the very beginning.
Ever since I learned about regression, my brain must’ve been wiped clean or something, because I just dove in headfirst. That’s why everything escalated. My own plans ballooned, too.
Yoo Dahui has a past where she was dead-set on chasing the Masked Man thinking he was me. I let it slide once after seeing the scar, but I bet she’s still suspicious. From her perspective, who the hell else could she even suspect? If it wasn’t me, who?
On the 0th Floor it was still possible to act like a regular human. There were plenty of others around. But on the 1st Floor, that kind of acting is impossible. Why? Because there are way too few humans. Everyone who looked like me had already died. The second the Masked Man showed up, he’d be one of the five in the 1005th generation, and not a single one of them looked like me.
“Then… perfect.”
I finished my thought process. I already knew exactly how Baek Seon-woo’s crew would try to lure Yoo Dahui and set up the ambush. So instead of playing it straight, I decided to make the platonic relationship between Yoo Dahui and Kim Jinwoo even deeper and more intimate this round.
The author’s doing it without a second thought, but what can I do? The moment I put on the mask and started raping… the truck was already broken beyond repair.
I put on the mask, walked straight up to Baek Seon-woo like I owned the place, and announced myself.
Baek Seon-woo, with that rotten expression, scanned me from head to toe.
“You… who the hell are you?”
“I have business with Mr. Baek Seon-woo.”
“What the hell are you muttering about? Are you trying to scare me? You wear a mask and think no one will recognize you? Do you seriously think I can’t tell?”
Oh, shit… of course he recognized me right away. In his shoes, it was the only smart move. All day there hadn’t been a single masked person here. Suddenly one pops up at the exact right moment and it’s instantly one of the five in the 1005th generation. Easy deduction.
“You’re the tall one from the 1005th generation.”
“Actually, my identity isn’t that important. I overheard something weird earlier, though.”
“What?! What?!”
The thief stole the thief’s thunder. Baek Seon-woo got mad at me instead.
Don’t worry. I’m on your side.
“Mr. Baek Seon-woo, I’d like to join you.”
“The fuck are you talking about?!”
“I want to eat Yoo Dahui. The author called it non-consensual… but it sounds beautiful. I’ve never done it before, but I bet it’ll be amazing.”
“What?!”
Baek Seon-woo’s face went stone-cold. Of course. I was saying the word rape right in front of him. In the Tower of Struggle, rape and murder were strictly forbidden. Ironically, murder happened way more often under the excuse of self-defense, but… anyway, you can’t do it here.
Since I almost got caught, I had no choice but to play it scared. I had to calm this guy down and get him to accept me into the crew. Only then would the mental bond between Dahui and me deepen even further.
“You don’t trust me, do you?”
“If I were you, would I trust the first person I met today? And I’ve never said any such dangerous—”
I checked the coins in my inventory. I had around 30,000 right now. Whoa, seriously? Where did all that come from? I pulled out 20,000 and dropped two silver coins worth 10,000 each into his palm.
Baek Seon-woo’s eyes widened.
“Silver coin…?”
“Whatever I said, I’m going to eat her today, right? Before she adapts to the 1st Floor, I have to claim her first. I already know you have a super power called ‘Ardor,’ Mr. Baek Seon-woo. That’s exactly what I plan to use to get her into heat and break her in.”
“How the fuck did you know abo—”
I heard every last word. Technically I didn’t catch them all, but I knew everything. No, come on, they were openly flirting in the hallway and I couldn’t hear it? That’s the kind of problem you get when the author tosses in a third-rate villain.
These guys are doing things even I couldn’t imagine.
“This silver coin is a pledge. I’m offering it as proof that I want to join you with Mr. Baek Seon-woo.”
I grabbed Baek Seon-woo’s hand, turned it over, and placed one silver coin on his palm. The weight and feel were shockingly real. Ten thousand coins. Even if it was a lot for an unclaimed item, it was still an absurdly high price for something that hadn’t even happened yet.
“After I finish, I’ll give you another one. As a thank-you for using your super power well.”
I jingled one silver coin right in front of his face.
Baek Seon-woo’s eyes were glued to it. The Academy had no way to earn coins. There was no supply, only endless consumption. He probably spent every single one he had on gear just to look good in front of smaller guilds.
Before rape, survival. Since he wanted to belong somewhere this badly, that coin must have been worth its weight in desperation.
“How can I trust you after—”
“Why not? The second I offered the silver coin, I also handed you my own weakness. That’s how trust turns into something thicker than iron. Between us.”
It was tied together with a tighter string than trust itself. Since we both held each other’s weaknesses, betrayal was impossible. One moment and we’d both be wiped out.
Baek Seon-woo fell into deep thought. The silver coin I gave him looked tempting, the one I was holding looked tempting, and I’d also given him a weakness. Adding more people would make him even safer. There was no reason to refuse.
Some unease lingered, but the fact that he was thinking about it that much meant he wouldn’t have challenged the senior generation to begin with.
That’s why third-rate villains are…
After a long pause, Baek Seon-woo finally muttered, “…”
“Eating that bitch first is my right.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I want to fill up her clean womb. Go wild in hell, though.
“After training ends, it’ll be just past six. Then that whore will go lure Yoo Dahui… and the three of us will ambush and gang-rape her together.”
I sketched out the rough plan with Baek Seon-woo. It was the exact same plan I already knew. He’d bring out the fully-trained Isu-yeon, lure Yoo Dahui, and the whole crew would jump her and double-team the fuck out of her.
I could already feel the anticipation building.
After signing the contract to join Baek Seon-woo’s crew, I wandered around the Academy.
There were several shops inside for players. The example of a parasitic shop that bled newbies dry for consumables came to mind first.
Then there was the giant store the size of a hypermarket, called A-mart. Weak or strong, newbies loved to buy potions here to pump themselves up. The moment the weakest goblin tried it, dwarves, elves, and others would counter with their own boosts and pull even further ahead. Before you knew it, orcs, trolls, lizardmen… all the usual suspects were popping potions too.
Basically they were sucking up the blood of the newbies.
Of course, if you showed excellent results, guilds would offer contracts, and once you joined, you could gather far more coins. It could be seen as an investment… but for the weakest humans, it was basically meaningless struggling.
“Where is it…?”
I bought everything I needed for today’s test.
First, a Small Recovery Potion. Only 100 coins, but the volume was ridiculously small. The effect was reliable—quickly heals any cut or injury. Even if you die in the test, you had to buy it.
Second, Strength Enhancement Potion. 500 coins. Raises strength by two levels for thirty minutes.
Third, Agility Enhancement Potion. Same price, same duration, raises agility by two levels for thirty minutes.
Total cost: 3,000 coins. Just one test and I spent a comfortable amount. If newbies were expected to dose themselves reasonably for four weeks straight, they’d be broke in no time.
That was why gathering as many coins as possible on the 0th Floor was the right move, but since I knew I’d regress once, I’d casually climbed up. Today was the regression, so I’d just roll with it.
“And finally…”
Three White Masks. I picked the ones that looked almost identical to the one I was wearing. From a distance, you couldn’t tell them apart.
I left A-mart and explored the rest of the Academy. Reading the descriptions and actually seeing the places were two completely different experiences. It was surprisingly fun.
“Whoa.”
Various races living in the Tower of Struggle, each showing off their own culture. The less developed the civilization, the more they wandered around naked. The view was entertaining.
“Woah, brother, calm down.”
At my current level, if I tried anything, we’d both end up dead.
I barely managed to calm the guy down and headed back to the dorm.
The clock read 13:40. Twenty minutes until roll call.
“Get inside and rest. Roll call at the lobby at 14:00.”
“Yes, sir!”
In the dorm lobby stood six clumps of dirt. When the human tutor barked an order, they gave a loud reply in unison and then scattered like leaves.
They were 1-star players. Once you hit 1-star, real suffering began. If you couldn’t reach 2-star no matter how much you yelled, you’d be treated like trash in reality.
The way to reach 2-star was to head to the stone altar in the southwest corner of the 1st Floor and do…
“Kim Jin-woo.”
“Huh? Yoo Dahui. You said you were tired, right? Get some good rest?”
“Rest? I rested plenty. After a full night’s sleep, I feel completely refreshed!”
“…”
Why the exaggerated stretching?
Yoo Dahui was doing movements that anyone would find suspicious.
“Kih! Anyway! All day I wasn’t even in the room. Where did you go alone?”
“I went sightseeing around the Academy. You said you’d come with me but you didn’t, remember? You were too tired.”
“Ah, that’s… unavoidable circumstances…”
While Yoo Dahui grumbled under her breath and we chatted, time flew by.
Then six clumps of dirt came thundering down from above. Kang Hana, the cyborg, and finally Baek Seon-woo arrived exactly on time, almost right alongside Choi Byeong-hun.
“One… two… three… eleven. Everyone’s here. Let’s head to the training hall.”