Chapter 38
[Six Major Guilds' Apology]
『To the citizens,
The Six Major Guild Alliance feels a deep sense of responsibility and bows its head in apology for causing concern to so many people through the series of incidents that recently occurred.
This matter went beyond a mere case of personal misconduct and was a serious incident that betrayed the trust of Awakeners and the public. We do not take that responsibility lightly.
But please do not worry.
The Six Major Guilds have thoroughly reflected on this incident and promise to take the following measures to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.
- Unilateral termination of preliminary contracts with Awakeners will no longer occur.
- We are swiftly preparing a compensation plan for civilian victims, and the specific details will be revealed later.
- We will thoroughly track down the perpetrators of various past incidents and hold them accountable.
- We promise fair contribution distribution to the Awakeners who remain with us.
Through this incident, the Six Major Guilds have once again painfully realized that the reason for a guild's existence is not 'authority,' but 'responsibility.'
From now on, through more transparent and responsible management, we will become organizations that Awakeners and citizens can trust. Furthermore, we will fulfill our duty as the shield and bulwark protecting South Korea.
Once again, we deeply apologize to everyone disappointed by this incident.
September 2, 2028
The Six Major Guild Alliance 』
Amazingly,
the Six Major Guilds openly admit their wrongdoing in this incident and take a step back.
In particular, regarding the preliminary contract issue demanded by the public, they admitted their fault and appeared to be making every effort to prevent a recurrence.
In the political world as well, the bill banning unjust termination of preliminary contracts is quickly passed.
- ??? This actually happened?
- Nice.
- Freedom will triumph!!!
- This is democracy!! This is the Republic of Korea!!!
Of course, it was not a result that satisfied everyone.
- They're the perpetrators, so why are they hunting down the perpetrators?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is fucking hilarious.
- Looks like they're going to save the executives and cut off the tail, fuck.
- So there's no compensation for the Awakeners who already didn't receive their contributions. If they change their tune a year from now, won't that be the end of it?
- The people who already left were forcibly terminated, though? How are they supposed to compensate them? That's not something money can solve.
- They left out the part about not charging penalties to the people who left, fuckㅋㅋㅋ
- What about the ones who already died as meat shields.....
There were still many unsatisfactory points, but most citizens were reassured.
'Ah, so they do listen when we rise up after all...'
The blaze that had burned through everything began to die down a little.
***
After the official statement was released, in the secret alliance meeting room of the six major guilds.
Six people sit around a round table in a dark cave, their faces hidden beneath robes.
The cave is lit by classic candles. Two heavily built men, two ordinary-looking men, and two women sit around the round table.
"The timing was bad. Still, it worked out. Let's use this opportunity to transform our image. They'll all be slaves by next year anyway, right? It might be nice to cultivate a good image while we're at it. Voluntary slaves. Isn't that wonderful?"
The man who appears to be the leader.
A man with a hint of white curly hair sticking out speaks calmly.
"But from now on, we'll need to work a little more discreetly. I never imagined there would be a fearless bitch who would dare oppose us..."
A man with a deep voice picks up where he left off.
"So how should we deal with that bitch?"
"Lee Do-hee... was it?"
"We should kill her!!"
- Bang!!
Someone clenches his fist and rises after striking the table.
"That bitch ruined our great undertaking!!! We spent years preparing for this!! My money...!! Aaargh!!! Even tearing her limb from limb wouldn't be enough for that bitch!!"
The big man screams and rampages like a madman.
"Calm down and sit. If we kill her now, we'll only fuel the public's anger after we've worked so hard to calm it down. Let's do what we usually do."
"What we usually do...?"
"Eat away at her reputation and make the stupid masses throw stones at her. Watching a promising young woman once revered around the world plummet to rock bottom will become a wonderful national sport. It will also divert attention."
"Oh...?"
The white-haired man grins maniacally as he spits out his sinister plan.
"Hehehe... She was quite a beautiful woman, wasn't she? We might as well turn her into a filthy whore. Make her a prostitute who only cares about sex, using male prostitutes and aphrodisiacs, then throw her to the public. She says she streams, right? It would be nice to leave the broadcast running and use her as a communal sex toilet. The entrance to the Tower or the village on Floor 10 should be just right. Then, once she's completely lost her mind and public interest begins to fade..."
"Then...?"
"We'll chop off all four limbs! And leave her barely alive."
"Oh..."
"Hehehe... We'll turn her into an onahole that can never fully die and let the Awakeners under preliminary contracts use her. They'll satisfy their sexual urges while also teaching them a lesson. To show them what happens in the end when they mess with us."
The white-haired man pours out his horrifying plan as if it were nothing.
"Of course, we have to keep her conscious and fully aware. We'll force-feed her filthy food mixed with semen, and once the Awakeners under preliminary contracts get tired of her, we'll use her for breeding experiments between humans and monsters. Hehehe..."
Words that sounded like they belonged on some sinister anonymous forum were coming from the leader of Korea's major guilds.
".......Sounds good."
"Hehe, but before that, I ought to have a taste myself."
"My, my, men are all the same... I can use her first too, can't I?"
"I'll handle cutting off her limbs myself. She looks like a bitch whose screams will sound wonderful."
"Leave the behind-the-scenes work to me."
The other guild masters join in on this insane plan and appear to be enjoying themselves.
"How beautiful will it be!! How delicious and sweet will her desperate feelings be as she writhes like a worm with only her torso left, sobbing and begging for her life!!!"
The white-haired man's mouth stretches toward his ears as drool runs down it. His eyes turn completely white, his hands tremble, and his face fills with rapture.
"Crazy bastard... He's having another episode. Stop it and make the plan."
When the middle-aged man restrains him, his eyes finally return to normal.
"Ahem... Of course, doing it now would be difficult, but that timing should be perfect. When we raid Floor 18, we'll infiltrate through random matching. The Black Veil Guild can prepare criminals with no identities. Is that possible?"
"Of course."
"Then what floor is that bitch on now? I think I heard she's on Floor 10."
"Probably somewhere between Floors 11 and 13. Those are quite difficult floors."
"Oh, come on, uncles~ You can find all that just by looking it up online. Let's see... huh?"
The youngest woman picks up her phone and searches.
But immediately after searching, her eyes widen as if she has seen something shocking.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah... It says she already broke through Floor 20?"
"Huh???"
"What?????"
For a moment, silence passes.
"Wait, she passed through all those infamous sections in just one week...? Read it again!!!"
This was an unbelievable record.
'That place took all of us more than two months to get through...?'
"It... it says that's right?"
Her trembling eyes meet the eyes of the guild masters around the table.
"Ah....."
"Ahem."
"Huh."
"Fuck."
"Uh... what do we do now?"
Their faces begin to lose all composure and contort.
***
About a week earlier.
After making my bombshell declaration, I started my broadcast at 9 a.m.
[Lee Do-hee has started a broadcast: I Will Prove It.]
I had declared it so confidently yesterday and even written today's stream title like this, but
'What do I do...?'
Could I really make it to Floor 79 within ten months?
Considering the time needed to enter and clear it, I actually had only nine months, since I had to enter at least a month beforehand.
'I'm fucked...'
If I was unlucky, a single floor could take more than a month.
The Tower's trials weren't all about using force to kill monsters.
There were escort missions, making money, traveling, and collecting relics, along with complex, time-consuming trials such as destroying or protecting an entire country.
'Ah... whatever. I'll just go for it!!'
But if I showed myself cowering here, the people who had barely risen up would turn away from me again and return to where they had been.
I had to give confidence to the people who had risen up believing in me.
- Do-hee, are you serious?
- You're really going to clear Floor 79?
- It's time to prove yourself, Lee Do-hee!!
- Our direction depends on you.
- Are you really that talented?
- How did Korea's hope end up being a woman like you?
[Current viewers: 65,724]
Look at this.
There are already enough people in the chat to fill a truck, saying they are going to sit back with their arms crossed and watch me.
'There is nowhere left to retreat.'
"Yes!! I'll do it!!"
- I don't believe you, fuck.
- No matter how I look at it, you're perfect as an AV actress.
- Upvote if you think the Awakeners are fuckedㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Am I the only one seeing a bad ending where she becomes the giant guilds' sex toilet?
- You're guaranteed to be a giant guild sex slave for life, buddy.
- They say there's a secret in the last stall of the giant guild's bathroom!
'Fuck... I can't let that happen!'
If the protesters' flames went out here, I would be finished. I could be kidnapped in some secluded alley or disappear while sleeping at home.
And I would probably experience every humiliation a real woman could possibly suffer.
As I grew desperate, I blurted something out without thinking.
"No!! I'll show you. One week to Floor 20. I'll break through it in just one week!!!"
- ???
- Fuck, she's just throwing out any empty promise now.
- Do-hee, do you think people will believe that...?
- Upvote if Yoon Seong-hwan looks fuckedㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Public sentiment was bad.
This wouldn't do.
'A good way......'
"If I can't climb in one week..... um...."
'Think, brain of mine... There has to be a way...!!'
- Um?
- Uhhh?
- What is it?
"A punishment roulette! I'll do that....."
A punishment roulette was when viewers wrote down punishments they wanted to see and the streamer spun a roulette wheel to randomly select one to carry out.
No matter how much I thought about it, I had nothing to stake as a guarantee.
While studying internet broadcasting in the past, I suddenly remembered the punishment roulettes that streamers used when they made mistakes or took on some kind of challenge, so I said this at least.
'Is this a bad idea? Ugh... I'm fucked.... Huh?'
But the result was completely opposite to what I expected.
- Now that's what I'm talking aboutㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- For real, right? If you lie, we'll protest at your house immediately.
- That's it~!
- Great Do-hee
- Heaven
- Fan meeting, let's go!!!!!!
- Heaven
- Paradise
- Now~ you can go out to protest with a smile~
- This is good whether she succeeds or fails.
- Do you think she'll succeed?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Paradise
- A fan meeting at last!
- Ugh, Korean men, die!
- Why do I kind of want her to fail?
- What a fucking stealㅋㅋㅋ
"Huh...?"
'What? Why did public sentiment suddenly improve?'
I didn't know why, but it had to be a good thing, right?
In case assassins from the major guilds or their minions were waiting for me in the Tower after watching the broadcast, I skipped training today and ran straight to the Tower.
***
The entrance to the Tower was a magnificent sight.
"Ms. Lee Do-hee! Go on through!"
"Let's go, Lee Do-hee!!!"
"You're our hope!!"
"Lee Do-hee, fighting~~!!"
'That person is the one who touched my breasts and ran away back then...?'
In any case, countless Awakeners had come out and were making a path for me.
Reporters who appeared to be minions of the major guilds tried to push their way in, but they failed to break through the wall of Awakeners.
They had come out to greet me personally and protect me.
"Thank you, everyone. I will definitely repay you!!!"
After exchanging heartwarming words, I headed toward the neutral village on Floor 10.
***
The neutral village.
It was a village where people lived in the neutral zones found every ten floors. Most of them were Awakeners, and there was one person playing the role of what people commonly called an NPC.
The NPC's role differed from village to village on floors that were multiples of ten.
The Floor 10 NPC's only purpose was to facilitate a Constellation contract.
"Since we've come all this way, I should at least show you the scenery."
I emerged from the portal in the center of the village's central plaza.
Looking around, I saw a village where medieval and modern architecture were intricately tangled together.
The buildings looked like medieval brick houses, but there were utility poles and neon signs, and inside the homes, they were furnished with modern appliances.
"Ohhh... Lee Do-hee?"
"Go, Do-hee!!"
I gave a casual wave to the nearby spectators who were watching and cheering enthusiastically, then climbed to the top of the central cathedral.
Passing a small village where the houses floated freely in the air, I saw an enormous plain stretching all the way to the distant horizon.
The plain was divided into colorful square sections of green and yellow grass.
And beyond the horizon, looking upward, I could see black mist encircling the entire area in the distance.
Floor 10 was not merely a neutral village.
Every tenth floor also had its own special theme.
The theme of Floor 10 was the Land of Abundance.
'What's the point of climbing the Tower?'
'Why do countries get stronger the higher their Tower floors are?'
'Why do people care about the Tower rankings by country?'
All the answers to those questions lay here.
On Floor 10 of the Tower, you could actually farm.
It was land with the ideal climate and soil for farming.
That was what Floor 10 of the Tower was.
And the higher you climbed the Tower, the more the black mist at the edge of Floor 10 gradually cleared, increasing the amount of land available for farming.
It was not merely land where you could grow crops.
'The crops grow incredibly quickly... and they're top quality, too.'
For example, if a potato took 100 days to grow in ordinary soil, it took 20 days here.
The average growing time was shortened fivefold, and you could plant immediately without worrying about exhausting the soil.
Thanks to this Tower, Korea had long since become a food-exporting country, amazingly enough.
Fertilizer and pesticides were not necessary either.
Researchers theorized that the Tower's mana, along with the water, soil, and air infused with that mana, greatly benefited the growth of plants here.
And this was where the people who had given up on the Tower lived in the greatest numbers. They were commonly known as Tower dropouts.
It was more comfortable and had more room than the other floors, so by farming while casually watching my broadcast, they could earn an average of six to seven million won a month.
There was a reason the Tower dropouts had so much money.
"Shall we stop here? I have a lot to do. I need to make a Constellation contract and get a weapon usable from Floor 10 onward. Hmm... I have way too much to do...?"
- That's the composure of someone who has a lot to do?
- This bitch really seems to have given up halfwayㅋㅋㅋ
- Works for us.
"Guys, at least let's start the timer from when I begin Floor 11, okay?"
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Sure, you can't clear it anyway.
- Yeah, sure, go ahead.
- Take all the time you want, Do-hee^^
'Fuck...'
"I'll go meet that NPC for now."
- NPC?
- Did you just call our Terry noona an NPC?
- Wanna get canceled?
- Hey, hey, Do-hee, you're talking about someone purer than you right now...
"Ah... all right. I'll go meet Sister Terry."
I descended from the cathedral and entered through the main gate.
- Creakkkkk....
Along with the sound of an old wooden door opening, I saw a woman praying in the very front row beneath the distant altar.
Her name was Terry.
Light shone down from the sky through the transparent windows, evoking the image of someone receiving a divine revelation.
'She still looks holy, even after all this time...'
Long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Slightly drooping eyes and flawless features.
She was so attractive that it was a shame she was a one-use Tower NPC.
"You've come, Awakener."
The woman's voice was low and composed.
Even though she wore a nun's habit that covered her entire body, the faint outline of her figure made her body stand out all the more.
The conduit for Floor 10's Constellation contract, and a nun with absolute defense.
She was a crazy bitch who had blocked my attacks with a smile even when I had gathered all my strength to attack her in the past.
- Creak... creak...
The sound of rusty wood could be heard every time she moved.
Eventually, I stood straight before her and spoke.
"I've come to make a Constellation contract."
"Sit beside me and hold my hand."
I pressed my butt right up against hers, took her white, soft hand, and interlaced our fingers.
A warm hand. And a butt.
'Her butt really is huge...'
Her plump, soft butt, nearly the same size as mine, felt pleasantly pressed against mine through the thin fabric of our clothes.
- Wow... She doesn't say anything when a woman sits next to her.
- ?? Does she usually say something?
- If a man does that, she tells him to move away a little as if he's a bug. If he doesn't, she just pushes him awayㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Fuckㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- But men can't interlace fingers with her!!
- That bitch is more expensive than Do-hee.
- For the record, someone died after sexually harassing that bitch, so you guys be careful too.
"I will summon the Constellations..."
Sister Terry's blue eyes shone brightly.
A powerful light burst forth and was woven across the altar.
Like a projection of outer space, beautiful lights of various colors emerged from her eyes and moved back and forth through the air.
'It feels like I'm watching a hologram.'
And now, any moment...
"....?"
'The Constellation's voice should be heard around now...?'
- ?
- What?
- Why is it so quiet?
- The Constellations must also be impressed by this bitch's achievements?
- Not impressed. Maybe they're jerking off before they come?
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Why isn't there any reaction?
"Excuse me...?"
10 seconds.
20 seconds.
30 seconds.
No matter how long I waited, there was no reaction.
And then a cold voice came from beside me.
"Awakener. You deceived me."
"Yes...?"
The nun's gaze returned to that of an ordinary person.
"You have already made a contract with a Constellation."
"Huh...?"
Something had gone wrong.