episode_0070

She might have every skill in the current world without exaggeration.

She boasted about her knowledge.

“I don’t know!”

It was a truly clear assertion.

I’ve never seen anyone confidently say they don’t know like this before.

“I’m seeing everything from the R grade to the content for the first time. Even confidently asserting things like hiding conditions from the owner and having an invincible mode.”

“You don’t even know Mana, who is ranked 1st?”

“Nope.”

“For someone who boasts, you’re quite ignorant.”

“Actually, I actively collect skills. If I don’t know, then no one does.”

“…What?”

“How many skills do you think there are that can trade and collect other people’s skills? At least in Korea, it’s just me and Madame.”

That makes sense.

The fact that the person with the most skills, both in quantity and variety, doesn’t know is surprising.

“So, are you saying that skill must be really good?”

“To that extent?”

“Even said to be favored by the Holy See? Then it must be certain. They must want you to conquer the Tower, so you won’t make any mistakes. They might have attached this to protect your life.”

It’s reassuring to think that way.

A kind of one-time use.

Surely, there’s a trick up their sleeve.

“Drink more. There’s a lot to talk about.”

“It’s not as much as you think.”

“It’s okay. Once you finish your story, we’ll have plenty to share too. Be a good listener on the side.”

“This is supposed to be a celebration, but it feels more like a women’s gathering?”

“What? Don’t you want to join in with us?”

“No, I’m welcome.”

I’m just squeezing in between these beauties.

As I sip on my beer, I share memories and stories from the Tower.

Listening to the stories of the three women…

The drinking session, though short but subjectively long, flows by, and the intoxication begins to rise.

*

When I come to my senses, it’s become an ordinary drinking session.

I only drank beer and didn’t get too drunk, and Madame was strong with alcohol, so she was lively enough to clean up herself.

On the other hand, Ian…

“I hate my mom… Every man I set my eyes on ends up falling for my mom… Even though she’s so old, she’s lost her aging… But to my mom…”

Unconsciously pushing Madame away, Jita nun stuck to my side.

“Is she the one I saw in Sares’s memories?”

A person overflowing with maternal love and the epitome of beauty.

A mother-daughter hunter combination, both beautiful and memorable.

“Do you think she’s too much!? She’s someone’s mom~? Even if she doesn’t age because of the Tower’s grace! She has a grown daughter! But everyone except me is falling for my mom!!”

I asked without knowing.

“Is she really that pretty?”

“Uh… She is. If you like someone who’s a bit mature and kind, you’d definitely fall for her. If you search her name on the internet, you’ll find her in swimsuit model magazines and more!”

It’s intriguing, but I don’t really want to dig into it.

It’s obvious what kind of pictures and vulgar remarks would come up.

“Who is she?”

“Don’t you find my mom interesting!?”

“I don’t even know her face, so what’s interesting? I’m just asking because you seem frustrated. Why? What happened with your mom?”

“Ugh… Changgi…!”

She pressed closer.

Even though she looks like this, she seems to have a strong dependency, so I unknowingly hugged her back.

It feels a bit like cheating.

“I just said! Every man who tries to get close to me ends up going to my mom! I want to date too! So I dyed my hair and tried to relax a bit like an adult~! Ugh… But nothing works! There was a guy who approached me one day, and I thought, ‘I must be somewhat popular!’ But his goal was my mom from the beginning!!”

“Oh, that’s terrible. Are there really guys like that?”

“Right!? What a jerk! Not only did he mess with a woman’s heart, but now he’s aiming for a stepfather position, what a lunatic!”

He complained about getting a bruise because of that.

Seriously, how would it feel if your own mother stole all the men from you?

It may seem funny on the surface, but…

“So, if we switch it around, it’s like bringing a girl home and then your dad steals all your girlfriends, right?”

“Yeah!”

“And… he’s talking about becoming my stepmom to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!! Is that really a thing!?”

Oh…

Just imagining it is a nightmare.

“Ugh. Just by making that analogy, I suddenly feel like crap. And to top it off, there are even women trying to approach me to get to my dad? What kind of slut is she?”

“She knows a thing or two! It’s really true! Even though I say that, there are so few people who understand how much I’ve been hurt! There are really only a few…! Ugh~!”

With tears streaming down her face, she slapped my thigh.

No matter how drunk you are, you shouldn’t be slapping a man’s thigh.

Continuing to curse while writhing her legs.

“My mom is so stupid… when those kind of people come around, at first they feel awkward, but if they really come at you with sincerity, you can’t push them away….”

“Did you really fall for that?”

“No… but still, you have to keep your guard up… I’m also here watching closely… but the problem is that I’m too forgiving because I like people too much….”

She repeated the insults.

-Idiot.

-Stupid.

-A woman who steals other people’s men.

-When people come, be suspicious.

-I’m not a mom-exclusive security buzzer.

-Be suspicious.

Overall, it was more advice than insults.

“Silly mom… that’s why you fall for people like that and become a hunter….”

“……?”

“Because you miss people… you end up creating things like guilds….”

Her voice grew softer.

“Mom… I’m sorry….”

Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, tears welled up in her eyes.

Currently, she is Ian’s mother and the former number one ranker, trapped in the tower.

“I couldn’t save you quickly… I’m sorry….”

Being confined in such a tower, who knows what could happen.

Judging by their conversation, their relationship seems closer than the average mother and daughter, so it might be even sadder.

“It’s okay, Inma. You’re going to gather people and break through to the 29th floor. After the moon passes, the 30th floor will open too. I’ll push open the gate, so let’s go save her together.”

“Do you trust me…?”

“You called me for that reason, so why ask again.”

Scratching her platinum blonde hair, which revealed the less dyed black underneath, Ian waited for her to recover.

She buried her face in my thigh and didn’t move.

I could hear her breathing unevenly, and she fell asleep shortly after trying to get up.

“I’ll bring a blanket.”

Madam left, and the woman sitting next to me came closer.

She leaned in, exposing her chest and exhaling heat as she patted my shoulder.

“I thought you were aiming for the old lady, but it seems like you enjoy teasing people your age more?”

“I’m just listening to stories. It’s easier to get close by listening to other people’s stories than telling my own.”

“Do you have a crush on her?”

“Isn’t it just part of social life?”

“There are so many people who can’t even do that simple thing and end up being outcasts in society.”

Even the seemingly composed Bridgette was quite drunk.

She couldn’t contain herself and drank more, her body swaying as she gulped down the alcohol.

“Aren’t you drinking too much, too?”

“Let it be. You have to drink on days like this when you’re feeling good.”

Gulp gulp~!

“Phew! I thought we were just going to break through the 10th floor and have a celebration, but we went straight to the 20th floor. How can you not drink and enjoy this?”

Bridgette chuckled.

Even though she was laughing, she seemed precarious.

“Bridgette.”

“What?”

“Do you have anything to talk about?”

“What’s with you, trying to tease even an old lady this time?”

“What are you trying to twist? Just trying to listen to the story.”

“That’s twisting it, Jasha. Look at Ian. Continuously listening to such a gloomy story will only make you feel worse. Who’s going to be happy listening to it?”

“You never know. There might be a pervert who enjoys listening to other people’s stories and empathizing with them.”

“You’re quite unique too.”

Gulp, gulp.

With a fiery determination, she downed her drink and then rested her head again.

Her signature red hair and freckles touched my neck.

“Listening to other people’s stories won’t make me feel better, except for wanting to see my daughter who was taken away instead.”

“Who is she?”

“Look at me. I’m a striking ginger with this red hair. Unlike me, she doesn’t have any freckles and is very delicate. At first glance, you wouldn’t even know who she is.”

“Do you have a picture?”

“No.”

“Huh? What about your phone?”

“It’s the same. I deleted all the pictures on there too.”

She replied weakly as I looked at her strangely.

“Looking at the pictures makes me feel depressed. I already have a lot of contact with people and I’m always busy with my phone, so it keeps bothering me.”

“Why do you belittle your own situation when you’re going through so much mentally?”

“Complain to a younger guy. You’re someone I rely on a lot, but that’s just an expectation. I need to prepare my heart so it doesn’t collapse if you fail.”

“Have you relied on a lot of people who failed?”

“You’ve seen it yourself. Not just one or two. So I tried not to rely on you too much, but… well…”

She sighed.

Leaning on my shoulder.

“What am I doing right now….”

Among all those people, I’m the one who succeeded.

Moreover, I’m a stable case with no sense of impending failure.

“You’re also human. Sometimes you need to relax and take a break to stay mentally healthy.”

“And if I fail, it will only hurt my heart. I don’t even want to imagine how much my mental state will be shaken.”

“Why do you have such negative thoughts? You used to be so innocent and pure.”

“…I’m sorry for being so dark inside♪”

Even though she tried to act cute with strength, it was pitiful.

I couldn’t touch her body recklessly, so my hand awkwardly reached for the fruit.

“Please tell me about the child.”

“Here, she’s 12 years old. Currently in 6th grade elementary school and her birthday is a month away.”

It’s the first time I’ve heard her age, but I remember her birthday from last time.

“Her name is Lea. As I mentioned earlier, her appearance is as I described, but her personality is stubborn and assertive for her age. I suspect she might be somewhere on the 15th floor, so I’m planning to hire someone to search for her.”

“Is that the floor where the nanny is?”

“At least within the 50th floor, there’s nowhere else a child could be. But it’s so vast that it’s difficult to find her. Will we be able to find her or not….”

“If I quickly scan the map over there, how big is the area?”

“I don’t know much about the Korean side… Uh, if you compare it to provinces?”

“Provinces?”

“Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do…? Especially the 15th floor, which is a real mess, is incredibly vast.”

‘This is crazy.’

I roughly understand.

It’s an unbelievable size.

With a population in the millions, the 15th floor occupies a vast amount of land.

“So are you worried about searching?”

“That’s one reason, and also because those kids actively hide people. It’s already difficult to find them, but if they hide everywhere, I’ll really lose my mind.”

She lit a cigarette without drinking.

The smoke rose black as if burning inside her.

“She’s 12 years old… Uh, how old are you?”

“34 this year.”

“So around 22 years old?”

“What?”

“If the child is 12 years old, then you gave birth to her around that time, right?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“?”

“She’s my daughter, but not my biological daughter. She’s my deceased sister’s daughter.”

“…Huh?”

“Did I not say anything?”

It was a completely unfamiliar sound.