Chapter 65: When Women Gather Together, Even Iron Melts

After clearing the 20th floor,

I spent a week focusing on strengthening our foundation.

The content released at the launch of Last Calyx only went up to the 20th floor. 

In other words, the point I had just cleared marked the end of version 1.0.

This was the section with the most players due to the initial hype, but it also had its fair share of flaws that made it hard to call it a proper game.

One of the most glaring issues was the chronic shortage of growth resources.

There was no diversity in character development. 

If you invested resources into the wrong character, you were essentially doomed. 

(RumiRumi is the best, RumiRumi is the best!)

There were plenty of other problems too.

But then came the 2.0 update.

Floors 21 to 25 were introduced, which alleviated some of the issues.

However, the gap between 1.0 and 2.0 was almost a month in real time.

Naturally, the players who had rushed through the initial content were left wondering, “So, what now?” and were crying out like the Rabbit Princess, calling it a dead game.

The difficulty from the 21st floor onward was adjusted to match the progress of the Rabbit Princesses.

So, for our party of heroes who had just cleared the 20th floor and had their rank and level restrictions lifted, this wasn’t a place we could easily waltz into.

Thankfully, I was the shopkeeper.

If I had started as a regular player?

I’d probably still be struggling to clear the 20th floor.

“Hey, Ark? Do you have any snacks left?”

While I was lost in thought, staring blankly into space, the Saintess approached me with a light step.

She was now wandering around in comfortable sleepwear without a care, which was nice to look at.

But as a man, it kind of hurt my pride a little.

“Yes, Saintess the Snack Thief. That’ll be 10 gold per piece.”

“Ugh, seriously?!”

Thud.

A Saintess Punch landed squarely on my arm.

“Ouch, I think my arm’s broken—”

“Heal.”

“—or not, haha, it’s fine, haha…”

With a pout, Johanna snatched the bag of snacks and confidently returned to the table.

Watching the Saintess distribute the snacks to the other heroes like she was dividing spoils of war, I felt like a newbie in a female-dominated workplace.

There’s an old saying that when ten women gather, even iron melts.

It’s not about some intense heat that would scare a polar bear.

It’s about how lively, noisy, and cheerful they become.

And this was just the beginning.

Back when there were only three or four of them, it was manageable.

“Master! Nepupu wants to eat meat today!”

“Hey, don’t call me Nepupu.”

“Yes…..”

The heroes kept multiplying every time I looked away.

The demon graduate students multiplied every five floors.

Just listing them by seniority:

Johanna, Ari, Rumi, Saha, Elena, Tel.

Tina, Ellis, Arachne, Neb.

Oh, right.

Including our master blacksmith, Harong, that makes ten.

A gender ratio of 1:10.

Truly, ten women melting iron (me).

If this were a workplace, I would’ve quit on the spot.

The only saving grace was that the members were all exceptionally good-looking.

And the fact that I was the boss of this company…

“Master! Something to drink!”

“This humble servant desires some black tea.”

“Yes…..”

If this were some mindless harem fantasy, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

But the genre isn’t that.

If it were an adult game, I would’ve just thanked the heavens for this situation and enjoyed it fully.

Unlike Johanna, who was just handed a tutorial guidebook, I knew the grim and brutal setting of this game.

If we don’t conquer the tower, the world will be destroyed…!

“Rene… hungry…”

“Where did you learn that? Third-person speech is banned. It’s still a while until mealtime, so wait a bit longer.”

Lately, looking at the demon graduate students, I’ve started to wonder if the world is really doomed. 

Are the demons just a bunch of pushovers? 

But still, my lifelong goal is to keep our heroes as safe and happy as possible.

So, I dared not intrude on the ladies’ social gathering, nor eavesdrop.

I simply pondered the future of our hero party with a heavy heart.

Where else would you find someone as kind as me being treated like this?

It’s enough to make me cry…

***

“Dead game~”

“Hee hee hee!”

After successfully hosting a chaotic meat party filled with blood and fat, I returned to my room.

Lying on the spare bed for on-duty personnel, I listened to Rumi patting Tina’s head as ASMR and began organizing my thoughts on paper.

The biggest change in the 2.0 major update.

And what we urgently needed to prepare for starting from the 21st floor was a second party.

Up to the 20th floor, we only needed one party, following the linear structure of the original game, mindlessly clicking “next, next, next.”

But from the 21st floor onward, we had to manage two parties simultaneously.

The encounters of each party would affect the progress of the other, adding a layer of “strategy.”

Of course, this attempt wasn’t well-received by those who preferred idle games.

The criticism was harsh.

“What strategy are you talking about in this crappy game?” But the PD’s will was strong.

Thus, we also needed to form a second party.

Unlike the original game, where you could just throw together characters with good synergy, we now had to carefully coordinate the members.

Unless I could clone myself, I could only accompany one party, while the other would have to operate on auto-pilot.

“Hmm…”

Judging from past experiences,

If we let the heroes run on auto-pilot, they’d turn into marauders within 10 minutes, destroying and looting everything in sight.

Just looking at how they plunder my personal belongings is proof enough.

The future of this world was bleak.

But I am the Seeker.

The only sane person with modern moral values in this isekai world.

It’s my duty to guide the heroes on the right path.

It’s not like I’m thinking this because I’d be the one suffering the losses if they mess up.

“Let’s see.”

“Huh?”

“Just talking to myself.”

I patted Rumi, who perked up her ears, and unfolded the blueprint.

First, the demon graduate student party.

Tank/Sub-DPS: Arachne.

Magic DPS/Sub-DPS: Tina.

Magic DPS/Sub-DPS: Ellis.

Healer/Sub-DPS: Neb.

Why did I add “Sub-DPS” to their roles?

That’s the fate of free characters.

Unless the developers go insane, free characters are never given outstanding performance.

Compared to limited gacha characters, their skill sets and stats are average.

They’re good for filling gaps, but you can’t expect much more.

The biggest issue with this setup is the lack of a physical DPS and a character who can act as a main tank in emergencies.

“Rumi, do you like Tina or Saha?”

“Mmm… Tina is good! Saha feels like she’d go ‘kyaooh!’”

“Tina loves Rumi!”

What’s with the “kyaooh”?

“Then you two are on the same team.”

“Woof!”

“Meow!”

Considering the synergy and the fact that Rumi is the most reliable and would never betray me, I placed her in the demon party to balance the power.

They seemed satisfied with it, so that’s that.

Naturally, Party 1 would be Saha, Renatel, Johanna, and Ari.

Now that the magic DPS is gone from this party, we need to find a magic DPS to fill the spot.

Someone as rational, as sensible, and as coldly logical as possible.

Until we find someone, we’ll have to make do with a four-member team for better teamwork.

It’s not like I’m embarrassed to show them off anywhere.

There’s also a reserve member slot, but it’s mostly just for show, with some SD characters flying around.

***

If all else fails, we’ll just grab some 3-star performance characters and make do.

After spending a week’s worth of saved resources in one go to finish the preparations, the heroes gathered at the tower’s entrance, exuding a sense of solemnity.

Full sets of rank 6 equipment. Level 70.

We were ready with specs that wouldn’t lose to anyone.

The party I would accompany was

the demon graduate student group.

Since Rene and Nepupu—no, Neb—were new to tower climbing, it was the only choice.

Originally, I thought about joining the slightly understaffed four-member party, but

If Master doesn’t come with us, Rumi will throw a tantrum!

Our golden retriever’s separation anxiety played a small part in this decision.

“Johanna? Please take good care of leading the party.”

“Of course. In the name of the goddess.”

Honestly, I’m more worried about the kids than the demon friends.

They’re the type to cause trouble just by breathing…

But since they swore in the name of the goddess,

they probably won’t cause any trouble.

It’s not like we’re in an area with fluffy-tailed beastfolk or a place with advanced culinary culture.

They’ll probably handle it well.

Probably…

“Alright, let’s go. Once you clear the area, come back immediately. Don’t push yourselves too hard.”

“Of course.”

I gave them one last warning, just to be safe.

We moved to the newly appeared gate for the 21st floor, next to the existing gate for floors 1 to 20.

As the Seeker’s power resonated with the tower, the gate slid open like an automatic door.

“Rumi! Keep an eye on Ark so he doesn’t cause any trouble!”

“Take care of Ark.”

“Woof!”

With farewells that made it unclear who was worrying about whom, we took a step forward.

[The Tower of Wishes, 21st Floor – Borderlands of the Great Hwan Empire, Zone 1 (A-SIDE)]

[★☆☆ Find a way to enter the Great Hwan Empire.] 

[★★☆ Complete the mission without anyone falling.]

[★★★: Enter the Great Hwan Empire within 1 hour.]

In an instant, the scenery changed.

The acrid smell of smoke stung my nose.

Scattered metal fragments everywhere.

In the distance, large and small iron ships flying through the sky.

Beyond the desolate wasteland before us, a massive wall towering like Wall Maria.

And a round drone slowly flying towards us from afar.

On its surface, an LED panel displayed the words “?_?”.

《Welcome to the borders of the Great Hwan Empire, strangers. I am Dujoo Unit 38, the enlightened immigration management machine tasked with protecting the empire’s citizens. Please present proof of your identity.》

“Boom?!”

As the mechanical voice echoed through the air, Rumi flinched and raised her tail in alarm.

Seeing it in person, it was truly a bizarre, cyberpunk-Joseon, strange and eerie, and somewhat ominous sight.