episode_0105

The sound of the prison collapsing and the debt collectors’ transportation operation kept everyone busy, running around frantically.

Some expressed gratitude to the hunters, while others caused a ruckus, demanding to be sent back to their dreams.

The commotion was not limited to the outside; it was also happening here.

“How many times do we have to go because of you! I said I don’t like it!”

“You keep whining. Thanks to you, we were able to rescue many kids.”

The gray-haired lion ignored his words while digging his ears. The boy tried to bite her like a Chihuahua.

Again, the boy was the leader, and the lioness was the subordinate.

Feeling puzzled by the situation, a girl approached me, urging me to drink tea as I sat blankly at the desk.

“Here you go~!”

“Ah, thank you.”

It was burdock tea.

I wondered who prepared my favorite tea as I looked at her face.

“Hello, Mr. Changgi~! I’m Yeongyi, the vice-leader of the 【Judiciary】 guild! Nice to meet you~!”

Black ponytail. On the back of her black robe was a symbol of the Judiciary guild.

She was similar in height and appearance to Suni, but their characters were different.

The figure… was not visible because of the black robe.

Unlike Suni, who forced a bright demeanor, she had a calm smile, making the atmosphere lively.

“Are you Suni’s subordinate?”

“Yes! The guild master always causes trouble~!”

Nod.

Despite saying that, I rarely faced Suni.

It seemed like a formal greeting, and I passed it off indifferently, casting my gaze at the two still arguing.

“If you’re from the Judiciary guild, did you come here for work today?”

“Yes. I’m here working on behalf of the guild master~!”

“I heard you were making a map for the prison side?”

“They said the facilities have changed compared to a few years ago! So, this time, the guild members, including me, went out in large numbers to explore and help with the invasion route to the Blue Chamber~!”

Yay~!

Her lively laughter was cute, but the atmosphere did not follow us.

While I enjoyed the tea and Yeongyi giggled, the fight between the two escalated.

“Why am I the only one suffering because of you! You’re the guild master! Send me back home, you damn terrorist!”

“I can’t even go back home! You didn’t even give me money and honor! What’s your problem, you brat!”

“I don’t care about that! I want my life back! Who willingly becomes an international terrorist! And even a meat shield for life!”

“So what~! If you’re going to be a big guild master, where will you end up if you keep whining like this!?”

“Do you think I don’t know you’re trying to dump all the work on me!?”

Crash!

They clashed like water and oil.

Natalia’s personality made it seem like she would throw a punch, but surprisingly, she backed off.

“Kii~! That’s enough! Stop fighting! You’re making a fuss even though you can’t escape anyway! Hey, Pillar Guardian! I’ll be moving kids outside, so call me if you need me later!”

“Oh, okay.”

Flutter!

She dashed out of the barracks, leaving three people behind.

The atmosphere was awkward.

I wondered what to do, but the leader of the 【Bronze Shield】, the boy, finally looked at me and awkwardly greeted me with a bow.

“Uh, hello. You’re Hong Changgi, right? I’m Nami, the leader of the Bronze Shield. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. Judging by your name, are you by any chance from Japan-?”

“Yes. I’m from there. I’m 24 years old this year, and I’m a man now.”

‘…A man now?’

The boy, Nayami, did not reveal his full name.

He was much shorter than me, about 155 cm tall, just as small as Yeonyoung next to me.

He was wearing a robe with a bronze shield engraved on it.

With a cute appearance that seemed weaker than most women, he had sad eyes.

His short hair was slightly long, reaching down to his neck, making him look somewhat like a girl at first glance.

That’s why it was strange. I hardly knew anything about this boy.

“By any chance, about the rankings…?”

“I’m ranked D, with no combat experience, and not even in the top ranks, so you probably don’t remember me.”

Upon hearing that, I involuntarily understood with an “Ah.”

While other rankers had heard of each other’s names, Nayami was truly a first for me.

“You can relax and speak freely since you’re younger. Especially since Changgi is the backbone of our 6th guild. I regret not meeting you sooner and having this conversation.”

“Well, it’s comfortable and nice to be Nayami, but is that a pseudonym too?”

“Yes. I don’t want my real name to be exposed for other reasons.”

He made a juicing sound.

Yeonyoung, sitting next to me, seemed to know the situation and chuckled.

“I’m sorry for what you just saw earlier. As you can see, Natalia is someone who can’t be controlled, so I struggle with her too.”

“It’s not just about being controllable or not. Is that how you usually bicker with each other?”

“Yes. Originally, I was the one who was kidnapped, so I wasn’t in a position to speak like this, but recently, I’ve become more confident-”

Whether it was funny to say it himself or not, he chuckled while stuttering.

Kidnapped… by the guild master?

“Nayami is the one Natalia kidnapped~! She claims to be my lifelong partner, but she’s actually the pitiful victim who was dragged by international terrorists~! Ahaha!”

“This is not a laughing matter! When will I be able to clear my wanted status and go back home?”

Yeonyoung laughed heartily, Nayami squeezed out tears, and I couldn’t keep up with their conversation.

As I was about to ponder for a moment, he immediately explained.

“No need to worry about that. Did you hear my name just now?”

“I just said you’re a linker.”

“That’s because it’s based on my skill.”

He opened his small palm.

“[Skill Card Revealed].”

Light shimmered, and a golden card greeted me.

[Polyamory Link (A)]

[A skill that endures the wounds, fatigue, or anything else of the designated opposite sex. It also takes curses and status abnormalities on behalf. If the damage is too much to bear alone, both parties share it.]

[※This skill targets the opposite sex, so it cannot be used on the same sex.]

[※Currently sharing pleasure with ‘Natalia Ambrosio Fernandez.’]

“Ah.”

At first, I wondered what the relationship between the two was, but after seeing the skill, I understood.

‘Oh, it’s a meat shield.’

Ah, so that’s why he was holding onto his partner!

No wonder she said it was okay even when she got hit and water was dripping from her mouth!

“Hehe… Hehehe… Heuk…! That damn cat, I told her not to get hit like that! She’s giving all the pleasure back to me because she finds head-on battles fun~!!”

“Hahaha! You’re a coward!”

“Don’t laugh! It’s not funny at all!! I’m really at the brink of something breaking as a human being!!!”

Yeonyoung laughed, Nayami looked on the verge of tears, and a faint smell of urine wafted in the air.

Could it be…

“Ugh!”

“Changgi!”

When I briefly opened the entrance to ventilate the room, Nayami burst into tears even louder.

I may have a skill related to sleep, but this person was quite formidable as well.

“Wow, I thought there were a lot of crazy people in this tower, but even the 2nd ranker is no joke!?”

Terrorist.

Perhaps the meaning of that was taken lightly.

I never thought they would go as far as using human beings as meat shields, and even making pants out of them.

Judging by their personality, they seem to enjoy battles but dislike the pleasure attacks that come with it.

It’s unbelievable.

“Huhuhuhu! So you were fighting inside, huh? Feeling what Natalia should be feeling on her behalf~?”

“This is no laughing matter! Ugh!”

With those small feet, she kicked my butt.

I still laughed and continued to fake laughter for a while.

What a pitiful life this is.

“It is indeed pitiful. Kidnapped by the 2nd ranked person in the world, and even in a cooperative relationship with the 1st ranked person. The guild master who controls Natalia is missing. With so many misdeeds, could you be considered a pitiful child with a bounty on your head from the Japanese government~?”

“Hehe. It’s been quite a journey.”

“…Yes, I’m glad you understand. Thank you very much.”

I laughed and my emotions got the best of me, so I turned back inside with a sigh.

She said it smelled like vinegar, but it wasn’t that bad.

I went back inside, poured myself a glass, and once the atmosphere calmed down, I apologized again.

“Ahem. I’m sorry. I only meant to greet you, but somehow I ended up explaining everything…”

“It happens. I was rude too.”

“Calling a guest to a messy place like this was also wrong on Nayami’s part~!”

“Can you please stop talking!? It’s not my fault in the first place, Natalia brought her here!”

“Oh! Is that so~!”

The kidnapped victim raised her finger towards Nayami, who was laughing with a ponytail.

Despite her appearance, she was a tough girl, unlike what she seemed.

After her initial bravado, the conversation finally progressed.

“Phew. Changgi, what brings you here? If it’s a prison raid, tomorrow is the last day. It seems a bit late for you to participate.”

“I don’t plan to participate actively. I’m here to clear the 30th floor, so I thought I’d spend some time here.”

“Already? Oh, no, if it’s a 30th-floor gimmick, that makes sense…”

Before the conversation veered off track again, I took out the map I received from the knight of mercy.

Upon seeing it, Yeonyoung’s eyes lit up.

“What’s this? This isn’t our guild’s map~!”

“Where do you think it came from?”

“Huh? Could it be a fake? Ah, Changgi. This won’t do. You can’t buy such defective maps, it’s a disgrace to our guild’s reputation~!”

She tried to take back the map abruptly, but I stopped her.

“Why are you stopping me?”

“It’s not a fake. I got it from a reliable source, so don’t worry.”

“Who’s the source?”

“I can’t say. But more importantly, there’s a top ranker trapped here.”

“…Huh?”

“Wait. Is that true? Have you really found another survivor?”

“That’s right. That’s why I brought Natalia here to show it to the boss. Even though I was kidnapped, you’re the one in charge here. I didn’t expect the guild master to see it, but it worked out well.”

I asked Yeonyoung.

“What do you think, can they trust this map when they see it?”

“Let me check for a moment~?”

She stopped laughing and checked it seriously.

I may be a failure in this aspect, but she is a professional. She quickly compared her map with mine and came to a conclusion.

“…It’s similar to the map we use. There are no internal changes. The only problem is the newly expanded underground prison and the strange red point here~?”

“And the top ranker is supposedly trapped at that red point?”

“It’s called special surveillance. If they say there’s a top ranker here, I think it’s plausible. The guild master and others probably think the same way, right?”

The vice guild master of the judicial guild asserted.

Name was a name I had never heard before, and it wasn’t even in the highest tower, but the fact that it existed here made me believe that the title was not fake.

“What are you going to do?”

“I will inform Natalia. What about you, Changgi?”

“I’m going too. I brought the map, so if anything happens, I should take responsibility.”

“You don’t need to do that-”

I reassured her that I was fine, and Nayami exchanged glances with Yeonyeong before nodding her head.

“Yeonyeong.”

“Yes~! Changgi, I’ll guide you to the empty mansion. Rest for a day and let’s go together tomorrow!”

Two enthusiastic individuals.

Even though one of them was expected to face a brutal battle, they were even more eager because of it.

“Don’t worry. If I can prevent Natalia from meeting you, then feedback won’t go over there, right?”

“Let’s just ignore it and not mention it!”

Gyahhh!

Leaving Nayami, who was shouting loudly, behind, I headed towards the mansion.

Hunters running around outside and debtors being rescued one by one.

Even after defeating the incubus, the struggle did not cease. The chaos continued until they all transitioned to the surface.