Monster Harem In The Tower

"…And?" Nathan prompted, leaning forward slightly.

Livia's lips pressed together. Her eyes didn't meet his.

"And nothing," she said curtly. "It doesn't matter anymore."

The silence between them thickened, filled only by the distant drip of water somewhere deeper in the tunnel. Nathan studied her face, catching the smallest flicker in her expression — the kind you only saw when someone was trying very hard not to remember.

Livia stood still for a moment, feeling the air in the tunnel.

"…It's gone," she murmured, referring to the scraping sound they'd heard earlier.

She turned to Nathan. She took one step forward, then suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed, her lips curling slightly—not into a smile, but into a clear expression of disgust.

"Oh, for god's sake…" she hissed. "You're still like that."

Nathan frowned. "Like… what do you mean?"

Livia's gaze swept him from head to toe, piercing and sharp.

"Look at yourself… even in a situation like this, you're still hard."

Her tone was cold, with just a thin layer of mockery beneath it.

Nathan froze, his mouth half-open. "What—"

"Don't play dumb." Livia cut him off, stepping closer. "You don't even remember keeping Ruby's flower… in your pants pocket. Wasn't that enough to kill your lust even a little?"

Silence hung between them. Nathan swallowed, eyes shifting away.

"Yeah… I… I have trouble when it comes to this."

Livia let out a short, sharp scoff, then turned her head away. "Disgusting."

She started walking forward again without looking back, while Nathan could only stand there, swallowing the mix of shame and confusion twisting inside him.

Nathan let out a quiet sigh before finally following Livia's steps. The air in the tunnel grew sharper, cutting to the bone, and their breaths turned into faint wisps of mist. The sound of their shoes striking the icy floor echoed long and low, as if the corridor was swallowing each reverberation whole.

A few minutes later, the passage opened into a wide chamber. Its walls were sheathed in transparent ice, reflecting the pale blue glow of crystals sprouting in the corners. At the center of the room, a pool of frozen water pulsed faintly—and above it… something moved.

The transparent mass trembled, catching the blue light. Inside, the shadow of tiny bones drifted—remnants of prey that had been trapped there for who knew how long.

Nathan raised an eyebrow at it. "Seriously… a Slime fight?" His tone was half disbelief.

Livia only scoffed, her gaze fixed on the creature. "Seriously." She glanced at him briefly, her eyes narrowing. "And this time… I'm not helping."

Nathan swallowed. The ice beneath his feet felt even slicker, and the mass began to ooze toward them, leaving a trail of thin cracks on the frozen surface.

As the Slime drew closer, Nathan didn't wait. He took a deep breath, then let out a low, rumbling roar—

[Sonic Dread]

A heavy sound, laced with an unnatural resonance, burst from his throat, striking the chamber like an invisible shockwave. The ice crystals on the walls shuddered, and the transparent mass immediately froze in place, its body quivering violently like water whipped by a fierce wind.

Nathan didn't waste the moment. He surged forward, body low, both hands gripping his twin axes tight. A thick, dark red aura enveloped him, and a system icon flashed in the corner of his vision.

[Juggerboar Strike]

With full momentum, Nathan shot forward like a bullet. The edge of his axe slammed dead-center into the Slime's body, shattering the thin ice layer on the floor and sending shards of frigid liquid spraying into the air.

The Slime was knocked backward, its body splitting apart for a brief moment before reforming—though it wavered, its blue hue fading.

From behind, Livia stood with her arms crossed, raising one brow. "Huh. I was better than that when I was a teenager."

Nathan steadied his breathing, eyes locked on the Slime as it began to quiver faster. "Tch… arrogant rabbit…"

The mass suddenly flared with blue light from within, and the room's temperature plunged. Sheets of ice began creeping outward from the frozen pool toward Nathan's feet.

The Slime convulsed violently, then its body split into dozens of smaller blobs. Each one shot forward across the ice with a chilling shhhk shhhk sound that made the hair on the back of the neck stand up.

Nathan scoffed. "Seriously? Tiny fragments? Easy."

With confidence, he began weaving between them. His feet leapt lightly, twisting his body as he used one axe as a pivot like something out of an action movie—soaring through the air and slicing several small Slimes into bursts of frigid liquid.

He landed, spun his axe again, ready for the next wave.

Ding!

A strange noise rang out—not from his weapon or the ice. Nathan froze for a moment, brows furrowing.

Then he realized.

One of the smaller Slimes… somehow… had slipped right beneath his belt, ramming into the part of his body that was still standing proud ever since Livia's earlier comment.

"—GHHHHH!?" Nathan grunted sharply, his body hunching instinctively. Pain mixed with shock shot through him, his grip on the axe loosening slightly.

From behind, Livia raised an eyebrow, her gaze flat but her lips curling faintly. "…Disgusting and careless. A deadly combination."

Nathan growled, shaking his axe in an attempt to fling the damn blob off him. "Not the time, you—!"

The other Slimes began circling them, exploiting the opening. The air grew colder still, and the ice beneath Nathan's feet felt even more treacherous now that his focus was shattered.

Nathan was still writhing, trying to shake off the tiny Slime that had rammed into his most forbidden spot. The sharp sting was only made worse by the freezing air that sent shivers through his entire body.

Instead of stepping in to help, Livia lightly hopped backward, landing on a taller block of ice. In one smooth motion, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Come on, finish it, naughty boy," she said in a flat tone that stabbed at the ears. "Don't be so weak."

Nathan looked up at her, eyes wide. "Seriously… you're just leaving me like this!?"

Livia merely raised a brow, her faint smile etched with ridicule. "Do you want to be a Hard working warrior or the punchline of a joke? Prove it."

It felt like a slap to the face. Nathan almost let out a bitter laugh if not for the heat burning in his eyes from holding back tears. Between the humiliation, the aching pain in his groin, and the cold air stabbing at his lungs with every breath, he felt utterly bullied.

"This… this is so unfair…" he muttered, voice trembling. He bowed his head for a moment, grinding his teeth, trying to ignore the throbbing sting now mixing with a deep, biting cold in his most sensitive place.

The small Slime on the floor quivered, then launched itself again, forcing Nathan to raise his axe and move despite the stiffness in his body. Livia just stood there, watching, as if the whole scene was nothing more than her evening entertainment.

----

LILITH'S DOMAIN

In a room bathed in soft violet light, floating panels hovered in the air, displaying the sights of Nathan and Livia. Quick movements, muffled shouts, and sharp, mocking glances flickered across the screens in turn.

Lilith lounged in her chair, legs crossed. Her lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Look at them… like children just learning how to stab each other—whether with words or with weapons."

Her eyes softened, though her smile kept its edge. "This kind of closeness… beautiful. Shame, pain, a touch of hatred… all the sweet poisons that make their bond grow deeper."

Suddenly, the light of the main panel flickered, and lines of system text slid through the air like thin blades.

[Warning]

Do not waste time, Lilith. There are still many Hunter candidates to be summoned to the Tower.

Lilith's smile faded slightly, replaced by a lazy stare. "Tsk… you really never know how to enjoy a view."

[Primary Priority: Prepare the next batch. Target time: immediate.]

Lilith tilted her head, glancing back at the screen that showed Nathan fending off the smaller Slimes, his face full of frustration. A soft laugh slipped from her lips.

"I'll handle it… but not now," she whispered. "This little family drama is far too precious to miss."

[Ding!]

Broadcast terminated!

Clip…

The panels vanished.

[Attention!]

[Please return focus to the growth of humanity power.]

Lilith ground her teeth. "Yeah, yeah…"

----

Nathan was already leaping from one block of ice to another, his axes swinging without pause.

Crasshh!

A small Slime was sent flying, bursting into a spray of frozen liquid… but only for a moment. Within seconds, the blob reformed as if it had never been struck at all.

"Damn it… doesn't die!" Nathan growled, cold sweat mixing with frost on his forehead. "Shit… if only I knew its weak point!"

His step slipped slightly on the slick surface, but he kept fighting. And yet, in the middle of all the adrenaline, his mind drifted—somehow—back to an old memory.

Velmora.

Their first kiss. Not one filled with love, but with teasing. Velmora had been shy back then, cheeks flushed, both hands kneading Nathan's cock like she was shaping clay. Yet there was that cute, piercing gaze—one that broke through Nathan's defenses deeper than any attack could.

He remembered how, back then, that soft gaze alone had made him want to blow his load.

Why… Nathan thought as he slammed his axe into another Slime, why the hell are almost all my skills unlocked because of some woman's bodily fluids?