Chapter 122: The 2nd Floor
Chapter 122: The 2nd Floor
After helping set up the prefabricated building, Guwon left the Mana Pool habitat behind.
Apparently, just assembling the building wasn’t the end of it; there were still a few other things that needed to be done, but there was nothing more Guwon could do to help.
So, what now?
It would take Diana a few days to install the teleportation magic circle, which meant I had nothing to do in the meantime.
The most I could do was hunt here, but Sara and I had both leveled up so much that raising our job levels on the 1st floor was no longer efficient.
But going to the 2nd floor and leaving Diana behind… wait, would that be a problem?
Come to think of it, Diana didn’t need to raise her job level in the first place.
She was only following us to observe my skills.
In that case, should we give it a shot?
I wanted to avoid the route through the Orc habitat we had cleared out if at all possible.
The Layer Boss on that side probably hadn’t respawned yet, but considering the Orcs’ reproductive rate, their settlements were surely full again.
It wouldn’t be impossible for the three of us to break through now, but it would be a time-consuming and tedious task.
Was there any reason to go through all that trouble? Not when the Werewolf route was a much simpler way to get there.
Of course, the Layer Boss we had yet to face was still there.
But so what?
The Guwon of today didn't think for a second that he would lose to a creature of that level.
This wasn’t about trusting in the newly powerful Sara. It was about trusting in myself.
He may have been taken down pathetically by me, but that hip-hopper was high-ranking enough to have been sent to escort Diana. There was no way a guy like that had a low level.
And yet, he had knelt so helplessly before my Saint’s Touch.
So, how could a mere 1st-floor monster, even if it was a Layer Boss, possibly withstand my now-strengthened Saint’s Touch?
There was no way it could.
I was confident I could make it wither away before it even had a chance to use its skill to summon the surrounding Werewolves.
For now, I should probably go and consult Diana.
I had to pass by her secret base to get there from here anyway.
“I’m going to talk to Diana for a minute.”
Guwon left Sara and Leia and approached Diana.
He needed to talk about the Saint’s Wave, and he couldn’t let Leia overhear.
But if he only left Leia behind, it would look suspicious.
No, worse—my kind angel might feel left out, unable to express it, and just suffer in silence. I couldn’t let that happen.
“Hmm. The three of you are going to take on the Werewolf’s Layer Boss?”
“Yeah. I’ve raised my Charm by a huge amount. I figure I can hit it with Saint’s Wave from a distance to disorient it, then close in and spam Saint’s Touch to finish it in an instant.”
“You could certainly defeat it, but as I’ve said before, the creature has a skill that summons nearby Werewolves. If, by some chance, it manages to use that skill, wouldn’t it become quite dangerous? You and Miss Sara might be fine, but Miss Leia would have a hard time getting out unscathed.”
So that was the problem. If only I had an area-of-effect taunt skill like other tanks, this would be fine.
“Just stay put and wander around the vicinity. Help Miss Leia level up until she can learn Protect.”
“Hmm. I guess we have no choice.”
And here I thought it was possible.
Still, I couldn’t gamble with my angel’s safety. I should just do as Diana says.
Guwon finished his conversation with Diana and walked back to Sara and Leia.
“Leia, about how many more levels do you think you need to learn Protect?”
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to tell you. I’ve already learned Protect.”
“…Huh? What do you mean? How?”
“Well, while I was resting at the temple, I used my divine power to continuously heal the sick people who came to visit. My level went up a little over the past few days.”
Come to think of it, Priests could raise their job levels relatively easily even in town.
I remembered Chris and those paladins saying they barely ever went into the dungeon.
Wait a minute. Does that mean our last dungeon run just for Leia’s level was a complete waste of time?
No, the dungeon must be more efficient, so it wasn’t a complete waste. It couldn’t have been. Let’s just believe that.
“In that case, while Diana is working, the three of us are going to try and take down the Layer Boss.”
“Sounds good,” Sara immediately agreed.
It seemed her confidence was overflowing now that her skills had improved so dramatically.
“Will it be okay?”
Leia looked a little anxious, but Guwon was confident.
He had already gotten a thorough rundown of the creature’s patterns from Diana.
“Yeah. We probably won’t get hurt much, so Leia, just be on alert for when it uses its skill to summon its allies. As long as you cast Protect properly then, there shouldn’t be much danger.”
The Layer Boss was still in the same spot, guarding the entrance to the next floor as if to block the way.
Its massive frame was clearly visible even from a distance.
The first time I saw it, I felt a pressure so intense it made me tremble, but now, perhaps because my level was so much higher, it didn’t seem nearly as strong.
What’s more, the creature was currently sprawled out, fast asleep.
This was an even better opportunity.
“Sara. I’ll approach and attack first. As soon as it wakes up, join in.”
I could just hit it with Saint’s Wave right away, but it was best to avoid doing anything that would make Leia suspicious.
For now, I’d just approach it normally. If it woke up, it wouldn’t be too late to use Saint’s Wave then.
Guwon used the basic Assassin skill—and currently the only one he knew—to erase his presence and approached quietly.
“Grrrk?”
But as expected, a level 1 Assassin’s presence-erasing skill had its limits.
When he was about ten meters away, the creature slowly opened its eyes.
But this was close enough. Guwon immediately fired off a Saint’s Wave and charged at it.
“Kuraaagh!”
Struck by the Saint’s Wave, the creature’s body twitched violently where it lay.
Before it could even think to dodge, Guwon’s fist slammed squarely into its snout.
Nice. From Leia’s perspective, it probably just looked like it flinched from my punch, right?
Of course, it went without saying that his fist was wreathed in the aura of Saint’s Touch.
Hit by the Saint’s Touch combo immediately after the Saint’s Wave, the creature couldn’t regain its senses, stumbling as it barely managed to get to its feet.
Tch. Since it was hit by the Saint’s Wave while lying down, I was hoping it would smash its face into the ground for some extra damage. I guess it didn’t go that far.
Oh well. It didn’t look like it was in any condition to fight, so that was good enough.
Guwon cast Climax Restraint on the creature and yelled.
“From now on! I won’t stop hitting you until you cum!”
Then, as if pounding a punching bag, he relentlessly struck the creature’s defenseless torso.
What did I mean by hitting it until it cums when I’d put it under Climax Restraint? Obviously, I meant I’d keep hitting it until it died and the restraint was released.
With every one of Guwon’s punches that landed, the creature flinched, its legs curling inward.
It tried desperately to block Guwon’s fists, but it was a completely useless effort.
No matter where it tried to block, the moment it touched Guwon’s fist, it was overcome with pleasure.
In fact, trying to block Guwon’s fists only left it completely unable to defend against Sara’s arrows.
Each of Sara’s arrows flew with deadly intent, but the creature, lost in extreme pleasure, couldn’t feel the pain and only charged at Guwon.
It was a desperate struggle, one that showed its determination to grab Guwon and find release, no matter what.
Those eyes are as creepy as ever.
No matter how horny it was, how could a creature with some intelligence not tell the difference between a man and a woman?
Of course, since I was the one who made it this way, I had no room to talk.
The battle continued like that for quite some time.
“Kraaaaaah!”
When it couldn’t catch Guwon no matter how much it flailed its limbs, the creature seemed to completely lose its mind, clawing at its own head in agony.
Hmm. So this is what happens when you use Climax Restraint and continuously attack with Saint’s Touch. They go insane.
It was an experiment I would never dare try on a human, and other monsters usually died before reaching this state, so this was a result I’d never seen before.
Diana would probably find this quite interesting. A shame she’s not here. Maybe I’ll tell her about it later.
In any case, it seemed the hunt was reaching its final stage.
The creature was covered in blood from Sara’s arrows, and it had given up on trying to catch Guwon, instead just tearing at its own head.
In the end, Leia never even had to use Protect.
Just as Guwon was about to let his guard down for a moment, the creature suddenly lifted its mouth toward the ceiling.
It was a familiar posture, one Guwon had seen before. The posture for summoning its allies.
I’ve been screwed over by those wolfdogs enough times. I’m not falling for the same trick again.
In that split second, Guwon had a flash of brilliance.
He immediately released the Climax Restraint.
“Awooo-glug!”
The creature, which had been about to let out a long howl, instead fell to its knees and began to ejaculate spectacularly.
Of course, Guwon had already moved behind it, so he was in no danger of getting hit.
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
What’s more, even as it came, the creature began to rub its own genitals with its hands.
It was as if it knew that if it didn’t take this chance, it would be cast into a hell where it could never cum again.
Damn… it must have really wanted to cum.
Guwon felt a little pity for the creature.
But regardless of its plight, Sara’s arrows continued to fly, coldly targeting its head and heart.
And then, the arm that had been so diligently stroking itself slowly stopped moving.
Guwon carefully stepped around the white liquid splattered on the ground and walked back to the front of the creature.
“Th-this thing… died while jacking off!”
It was true. The creature’s breathing had stopped. It died in the very posture of masturbation.
But its lips were curled into a happy smile, as if it were satisfied to have fulfilled its dream in its final moments.
Is it happier than the ones who cum after they die when the Climax Restraint breaks?
For a monster, it was a sight that prompted strangely philosophical thoughts.
“Guwon? What are you doing?”
Sara approached, her face as composed as ever.
I always feel this, but when it comes to an opponent she needs to be cold toward, she really becomes merciless.
…Well, it’s not like I, the one who made her this way, have any right to talk.
“Nothing. Time to get the magic stone.”
In your next life, may you cum to your heart’s content.
Guwon offered a brief prayer for the dead before carving the magic stone from the creature’s body.
“In the end, I didn’t even have to use Protect,” Leia said with a smile, finally looking relieved.
“I know, right? Just how much stronger did your skill get?”
“I almost fainted after he used it on me just once. And after that, he didn’t even use the skill, but it was still…”
Leia’s face turned bright red as she recalled the events of last night, her tail wagging back and forth as she spoke.
Mmm. A truly adorable reaction.
“Hmph…”
Watching this, Sara’s expression soured slightly.
“Well, it got seriously stronger. To the point where I probably shouldn’t use skills at night for a while.”
“What do you mean? You just said you used it on Leia.”
“No, there were some special circumstances then…”
“Hmph. ‘Circumstances,’ right.”
“What’s wrong? You want to experience it, too?”
“Who said that? I don’t care if you use your skills on Leia or not. It has nothing to do with my level, anyway.”
Even Guwon could tell by now that Sara was genuinely jealous.
Does she really like me? I have no idea why, though.
She was like this with the guild staff, too. She’s so calm and collected in other situations, but her mask slips so easily around me. This has to be real.
Guwon realized he could no longer look away or brush it off.
Sara definitely likes me.
Once he was certain of that, all of Sara’s prickly behavior started to look incredibly cute.
She’s just jealous of Leia right now, isn’t she?
“You’re so cute, you know that?”
“Wh-what are you talking about right now?”
“What do you think?”
“U-um, so what are we going to do now?”
Leia stepped between Guwon and Sara, cutting off their conversation.
Did she think they were arguing and was trying to stop them? As expected, an angel is an angel in any and every situation.
“Right. Let’s head back to the secret base for now. It’s getting dark anyway.”
If Diana still has to work tomorrow, maybe we can mess around on the 2nd floor?
With that thought, Guwon and the others returned to the secret base.
“You mean you took care of the Layer Boss by yourselves?”
“Yeah. Leia said she learned Protect, so we gave it a shot. We managed to take it down before it could even use its skill.”
“Hmm. Was it that powerful? I suppose it makes sense…”
Diana shuddered, as if recalling the memory of being hit directly by the Saint’s Wave.
“But when I put it under Climax Restraint and kept attacking with Saint’s Touch, it eventually went crazy and started tearing at its own head. You would have loved to see it.”
“Me? Why on earth would I?”
“Wouldn’t it be helpful for your skill research?”
“Certainly, observing the flow of mana from your skill and seeing how it affects a monster from the inside is quite interesting, but I suspect that was less a function of mana and more a simple case of extreme pleasure becoming painful. If you restrain its climax and continue to torment it with that much power, of course it would be painful.”
Diana spoke with a look of disgust at the skill’s power rather than interest in the research.
“So that’s why it was suddenly tearing at its head.”
What the. You saw everything perfectly.
And you still rained arrows on it like that?
You really are merciless when it comes to monsters.
“Wait. So you used a skill like that on Leia?”
“No, I’m telling you, there were circumstances…”
“What? Are you out of your mind? You used your Touch on Miss Leia, who has the lowest level? Were you trying to kill her with pleasure?”
“E-everyone… please calm down. It wasn’t like that. I’m fine.”
“See? It was completely unavoidable.”
“Hmph. I’m glad Miss Leia is fine. But you. You are forbidden from using your skills on us for the time being.”
“On you, too?”
“Is that even a question? Of course!”
“Wait a minute. Then you can’t do your skill research, can you?” Sara interjected from the side.
That was exactly what Guwon wanted to say.
Does this mean I can assume she wants to do it with me even without the excuse of skill research?
“W-well, that can’t be helped.”
“No. Guwon has gotten better at controlling his skills lately. If he just uses a little bit of mana, he can properly reduce the power. Right?”
“Huh? Well, I guess I can if I concentrate, but in the middle of sex…”
“You don’t need to go all the way to do skill research, do you?”
Now that he was sure of Sara’s feelings, Guwon could see her intentions.
Is she trying to keep the women around me in check?
Is it possible she’s been doing this subtly all along, and I just never noticed?
So this was Sara’s personality.
If she was already like this, if I confessed and we started dating, she would absolutely forbid me from being with Diana or Leia.
I was happy about Sara’s feelings, but I really wanted to maintain the current situation for a little longer.
“Wh-what nonsense is this? The Saint’s Touch is particularly noticeable, but most of this man’s skills are used during the act itself!” Diana exclaimed as if Sara was speaking gibberish.
A good rebuttal. Nice. Maybe I’ll help out a bit.
“Right. And if we don’t go all the way, our levels won’t go up. It’s better to focus on leveling up first and then resume the skill research later.”
Guwon deliberately brought up levels.
Even if Sara liked him, her dedication to her mission as a Hero would still be a priority.
She couldn’t possibly argue against raising Diana’s level, which would make her our strongest asset.
“…Hmph.”
As expected, Sara couldn’t say anything more. She just turned her head away with a slightly pouting face.
Phew. Is that settled for now?
It was this complicated with just one girl liking me. What would happen if Diana and Leia started to like me, too?
Would a bloody battle, a so-called cat fight, break out?
And what would I be supposed to do then?
Guwon’s head began to ache slightly.