Chapter 6 : Fox juice.

“Everyone?”

When I asked them to help me choose a monster to live with me on the top floor, no one responded.

“……”

Do we have to choose?

“……”

Ah, no.

If we chat here, aren’t we the enemies of humanity…?

If we don’t pick, it feels like we’ll be killed immediately.

L-Look at those murderous eyes.

I wanted to seem like a kind boss who values their opinions and wants to bond with them, but things didn’t go as I had hoped.

“Why… why is everyone so scared?”

Not scared.

Please spare us.

Please.

🥹🥹

It seems like people are afraid of monsters.

Was I this scary when I was human?

It’s been so long since I last saw a monster in the Tower that I can’t really tell.

The last ones I saw were just a few goblins.

The rest, I only know from the compendium or from watching people’s broadcasts.

Maybe that’s why, even in my past life, these monsters didn’t seem scary to me.

If anything, goblins are scarier.

Drooling, mindless creatures that charge without reason.

Disgusting.

So disgusting.

But look at the ones in front of me.

How harmless they are.

‘Gah?!’

‘P-Please spare us!’

‘I-I beg you…’

Something about this feels off, but at least we can communicate.

And they even look kind of human?

They were trembling so much that I felt a little bad for them, but honestly, they looked kind of cute.

If they had attacked me outright, maybe I would’ve been a little scared…But there was no way I could imagine losing to them.

‘Wow, I feel so confident right now…!’

The thrill of being an SSS-rank boss.

Not bad at all.

With my confidence at full charge, I walked toward the ones who would become my subordinates, excitement filling my expression.

The chat wasn’t saying anything or helping me pick, but whatever.

If they won’t choose, I’ll just do it myself.

If I pay them, they’ll probably work here.

I should give extra to whoever assists me directly.

They’ll have more responsibilities, after all.

“…I think a Sword Ghost would be a good choice.”

😊☺️

SSS-rank Tower boss picks SSS-rank, the one right below is S-rank, holy shit LOL.

Wow~ Our lives are officially ruined.

“Gah~”

It was nice knowing you all.

Fuck.

Haah… shit, my hands are sweating, and I’m shaking all over.

I ignored the chat’s overreactions.

I crouched down in front of the three monsters still conscious—though trembling violently.

I wanted to show them that they didn’t need to fear me.

Even though I looked like this now, I had no intention of hurting them.

“You… would you be willing to work here?”

“If you don’t want to, you can say no.”

“I think you can go back? Probably?”

“But… I do need you.”

As I spoke sincerely.

“Khrrrk!!”

“Aaah…!!”

“P-Please, have mercy!!”

Instead of calming down, they completely lost it.

LOL.

Regardless of how fucked we are, this is kinda funny.

Hahaha.

Fuck it, let’s just enjoy the show.

When else do you get to see S-rank monsters shaking in fear like this?

LOL.

This is a rare sight, holy shit.

Haah.

“U-Um, guys? What do I do?”

“T-They won’t calm down…”

Gee, I wonder why.

You really don’t know?

A terrifying monster is asking them to work for it like it’s a death sentence—who wouldn’t be scared?

Honestly, though, Nine-Tailed Fox doesn’t look that scary.

Yeah, actually, now that I think about it, kinda pretty?

Shut the fuck up.

Don’t be fooled.

That thing’s a monster inside.

Don’t let the looks deceive you, idiots.

You’re the same dumbasses who’d run straight into a succubus’ arms.

The chat instantly descended into chaos.

This wasn’t what I wanted at all, but now they were flinging insults at each other nonstop.

And in the middle of it, I was getting roasted too.

“Why would you believe anything that monster says?”

“How do we know it won’t just kill us all?”

“Just get lost, you don’t even know how to run a stream properly.”

“It’s just plain terrifying.”

“…Being born like this isn’t a crime…….”

Honestly, I felt a bit wronged.

I died and was reborn like this—what was I supposed to do about it?

“I didn’t want to be born like this either!”

“…You guys are being too harsh.”

I feel like I’m about to go dark.

Huh?

Oh, shit.

Hey, hey!

It’s going dark mode!

Who the hell pissed them off?!

Come on… haah… why did you guys have to push them?!

For some reason, I felt much more emotional than usual.

I wasn’t like this before.

“…I’ll just pick on my own.”

“Sorry for putting pressure on you guys.”

After giving a small bow, I walked toward the Sword Ghost.

Their outfit was a maid uniform—so they must be good at housework, right?

“…Sword Ghost.”

“Y-Y-Yes?!”

“…Sniff… let’s live together…….”

“???”

The Sword Ghost looked completely bewildered.

I was surprised too—I had instinctively pulled them into a hug.

“U-Uh, excuse me?!”

“Does it hurt…?”

“Uh, n-not really… but it’s scary…….”

“Sniff I’m sad.”

I felt miserable.

I just wanted to get along with people, but it wasn’t easy.

At this rate, I’d be hunted down in no time.

That scared me.

Even though it had only been two days since I met these people,even though they still didn’t know me well,it hurt that all they did was doubt me.

I was trying so hard, but no one appreciated it.

“Uh… um… I-I mean…”

“You have to live here now. I’ll pay you.”

Saying that, I handed Sword Ghost 1,000 Tower Coins.

“H-Huh?”

“…Help out with housework, okay?”

“Uh… um…?”

They were visibly flustered.

“…If you don’t want to, you can say no. Just think about it.”

“W-Well…”

Leaving Sword Ghost behind, I turned to Hwarang and Death Knight.

“…Misters.”

“”Y-Yes?!””

They both responded at the same time.

“…Can you be mid-bosses for me…?”

“…What?”

Hwarang looked completely dumbfounded.

“Hwarang Mister.”

“You can recruit Hwarang Warriors, right?”

“Fill the Tower with them.”

“I’ll pay you.”

I said this as I handed him some coins.

“…Death Knight Mister, you too… please be a mid-boss.”

I handed Death Knight some Tower Coins as well.

These coins looked like gold but were actually condensed magic.

That’s why monsters sought them out.

By absorbing them, they could grow even stronger.

“…Please…!”

I bowed my head nervously toward the three of them.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

They didn’t respond.

Were they rejecting me?

“…I-I’m fine with it…….”

Just when I was about to give up, Sword Ghost’s voice reached my ears.

“…Really?!”

“Y-Y-Yes…….”

“Wow! Thank you!”

“…I’ll give it a try as well.”

“Really?”

“My lord.”

“M-My lord?!”

Both Hwarang and Death Knight agreed to my request.

In that moment, I felt a wave of emotion surge through me.

“Th-Thank you!”

“Where should I be stationed…?”

“Uh… Hwarang Mister, please take the floor right below mine.”

I assigned the floor directly beneath me to Hwarang.

“And make sure the Hwarang Warriors fill up the second floor.”

“Ah, understood.”

When I gave Hwarang my instructions, he nodded as if he had no objections.

He flinched when I approached, but he’d get used to me eventually.

After I finished speaking to Hwarang, Death Knight, who had been kneeling beside him, silently waited for my command.

“…Skeleton Mister, you take the first floor.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The reason I assigned Death Knight to the first floor was simple.

Soon, hunters would arrive for scouting.

Since bosses in the tower don’t permanently die, normal mobs respawn after about a day.

The B-rank skeletons that Death Knight could summon would be just enough to keep A-rank hunters occupied.

“…If I manage the numbers properly, I might be able to prevent a Tower Break.”

It felt odd—me, a monster, trying to prevent a Break.

By making it seem like there were already enough monsters while allowing hunters to regulate the numbers,I could create a balance.

Not a bad idea.

After finishing my orders, I turned my gaze to the three unconscious S-rank monsters.

“…What should I do with them?”

At this rate, even if they woke up and saw me, they’d probably just pass out again.

I decided to ask the viewers one last time.

“What should I do, guys?”

With a slight pout, I posed the question.

This time, the responses came instantly.

Kill them!

Just finish them off?

Can you kill them?

“…If I do, will you trust me?”

The words slipped out without thinking.

I was once human, so I didn’t feel guilty about killing monsters.

That had been my job, after all—though I had ended up turning into a wreck of a person later on.

Either way, I craved the humans’ trust.

Yeah.

We’ll trust you… for today, at least?

Do you really think that’ll work?

“……”

Maybe a little?

Okay, I’ll trust you!

“…….”

Without another word, I approached the unconscious monsters.

“…I’m sorry.”

With that, the three S-rank monsters before me were engulfed in blue foxfire,burning into gray ashes.

***

“Wait… is it crying?”

Hanseong, who was watching the stream, turned to the four others watching with him,his expression filled with disbelief.

A monster crying?

That was unheard of.

“…Master, maybe it’s just an act?”

“…Y-Yeah, probably.”

For a brief moment, Hanseong felt like he had almost believed it.

He slapped his own cheek.

“Am I going crazy?”

“Master, I get that this is messing with your head, but you should just turn off the stream and rest.”

Chanseok patted Hanseong’s shoulder twice.

“…Yeah, I should.”

One day remained until the raid.

He needed to be in peak condition to prepare.