Chapter 66: No Breathing (1)

[…Let the game begin.]

As the pierrot struck an exaggerated pose, fireworks exploded all around.

Bang—! Pop-pop-bang—! Bang!

One by one, the chandeliers on the ceiling lit up, brilliantly illuminating the banquet hall.

People looked around with tense expressions.

The pierrot, enjoying their reactions, opened his huge mouth wide and spoke.

[You are currently in the first tier of the tower, the “Physiological Needs Tier”! The first tier is divided into five sections. Each section has a manager like me! All you climbers need to do is pass the test presented by the manager and proceed to the next tier! Toward the fifth tier, where Lord Maslow awaits!]

The pierrot continued with a clownish grin.

[Amazing rewards are waiting~! And the first five climbers to arrive will even get the special privilege of a private audience with Tower Lord Maslow! How’s that? Doesn’t it just fire you up? Don’t you feel like giving it your all!? Any questions? None? Really none? There should be some! There definitely should be a lot! That’s weird!?]

At that moment, a young woman in a swimsuit timidly raised her hand.

“Th-the test… what exactly is it…?”

Her voice trembled like an aspen leaf from sheer terror.

The pierrot clapped enthusiastically and cackled.

[Excellent! A truly essential question! Of course you’d be curious about the test content! Very well, what you all have to do from now on is…]

The pierrot raised his index finger dramatically.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM~!

Thunderous drumbeats echoed from every direction.

Then, with a grave voice, the pierrot declared:

[Nothing at all!]

“…Huh?”

As the young woman blinked in confusion, the pierrot grinned wider.

[Exactly what I said! You don’t have to do anything! I don’t know about the other managers, but I’m a pierrot who loooves peace. Love and peace!]

He continued while doing a handstand.

[In thirty minutes, the doors on the ceiling will open and ropes will come down. Just grab the ropes and climb up—that’s it! Easy, right?]

Everyone’s gaze turned to the ceiling.

Ten doors were installed there.

After the young woman, no one else asked the pierrot any more questions.

I, too, quietly fell into thought.

…The clear condition is really that simple?

Of course I didn’t believe it.

Inside a dungeon, trusting a monster’s words is about as stupid as it gets.

I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

A-rank No. 11, Sonic Fist, clenched his fists and stepped forward.

“Everyone, do not be deceived! The only way to escape this place is to defeat the monster! I will definitely save all of you!”

Then a muscular man with a buzz cut pushed through the crowd.

With his rugged muscles and menacing face, he looked like a gangster.

“Damn it! My first vacation in forever, and this bullshit happens. Count me in!”

“B-rank No. 2, Gladiator of Dufangga!”

“Heh! You know me? Pretty sure this is our first meeting.”

“I’ve memorized the faces and names of almost every hunter affiliated with the Association! Pleasure to work with you!”

Natural-born hero.

Sonic Fist was the stereotypical hero incarnate.

Soon, Sonic Fist spoke.

“I’ll create an opening at the front! Please follow up!”

“Got it! Since we’re already here, let’s end this quick!”

At the same moment—

SW-dish!

Sonic Fist kicked off the ground and charged.

His movements were so fast they left afterimages.

Soon, Sonic Fist’s punch rocketed toward the pierrot.

But in that instant—

BOOM—!

The pierrot punted the giant ball he had been standing on.

Then—

CRUNCH—!

A horrifying tearing sound rang through the hall.

The massive ball the pierrot had kicked flew at terrifying speed and slammed into the wall.

KWABOOOM! Crack-crack—

With a deafening roar, cracks spider-webbed across the wall where the ball struck.

The “ball” the pierrot had been standing on was no ordinary balloon.

It was steel.

Compressed steel, packed to the absolute limit.

At that moment—

Thud!

Sonic Fist collapsed limply to his knees in front of the pierrot.

But the problem was…

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!”

Sonic Fist’s upper body had vanished without a trace.

Only his lower half remained below the perfectly round hole the ball had punched through.

SPLURT! Gush-gush-gush-gush-gush!

A fountain of blood sprayed out, staining the carpet an even deeper crimson.

“H-he’s dead!”

“Urrp— BLEEEERGHHH!”

“P-please save me… please!”

“W-why is this happening…”

At Sonic Fist’s absurd death, the people in the hall fell into complete panic.

Even the B-rank No. 2 Gladiator of Dufangga lost his will to fight and lowered his weapon.

Seeing this, the young woman screamed.

“What the hell are you doing?! You’re hunters! You’re supposed to save us!”

“Shut your trap! You saw an A-rank get obliterated without landing a single hit! And you expect me to do what exactly?! If you wanna die, go suicide by yourself!”

At the B-rank hunter’s snarl, the young woman hurriedly averted her gaze.

Then the pierrot raised his voice.

[Goodness gracious! What is all this commotion? I said love and peace! Why must you keep poking this sleeping pierrot’s nose hairs?! I can get angry too, you know!]

The pierrot folded his arms and pretended to be upset.

But only for a moment.

He flashed a wide grin and shouted.

[Congratulations! One competitor has been eliminated! Aren’t you happy? You must be happy, right? You should be! Hahahahahahaha!]

The pierrot burst into manic laughter.

The people could only stare at him, frozen in place.

[Let’s not fight, okay? Look, now everyone’s hurt and the mood is all awkward. Right? As I said before, you don’t have to do anything. Let’s see…]

He pulled a large pocket watch from his clothes.

[Twenty-five minutes left! How about enjoying the banquet I prepared for you in the meantime?]

With a snap of his fingers, all sorts of food and drinks materialized on the tables.

A chocolate fountain pouring down in cascades.

A five-tier cream cake decorated with strawberries and cherries.

Whole roast pigs and turkeys golden-brown from the oven.

Dozens of champagnes, wines, and cocktails in glasses.

Every kind of delicacy filled the tables.

[Good is good, right? Eat heartily, quench your thirst, have some pleasant conversation! As I mentioned, the other managers aren’t as kind as me~ Truly, where else in the world would you find such a kind pierrot? Come on, don’t be shy, everyone dig in!]

Yet no one reached for the food on the tables.

They only glanced at each other nervously.

Who in their right mind would trust food and drink prepared by a monster?

Then the pierrot began staring intently at the crowd.

[You attack out of nowhere, and now you won’t even touch the banquet I prepared. You really are rude to the very end. Is this how you repay me for setting up this feast for you…?]

Intense killing intent poured from his pitch-black eyes.

Only then did people hesitantly begin putting food in their mouths.

“Huh? It’s… delicious…”

“Why is it so good? Was turkey always this tasty?”

“Shh. Just eat while you can. If we don’t, he’ll definitely kill us.”

Every dish and drink the pierrot had prepared was fresh and exquisite.

Comparable to a Michelin-star restaurant.

People began stuffing food and drink into their mouths.

Meanwhile, I chewed slowly and thought.

…No poison, at least.

There had been no reaction so far.

Soon, Featherback’s journal flipped open and a page appeared.

Flutter—

<Stomach Beggar>

– Storage Number: MRG-58142 

– Storage Grade: Safe

A tiny tribe that parasitizes inside the human body and steals food.

To keep the host healthy, it devours and eliminates all harmful substances.

Normally it sleeps in the stomach, but it becomes active when food is ingested.

Its only job: to eat a portion of whatever enters the stomach.

But the Stomach Beggar’s true value lies elsewhere.

It detects anything bad for the body with uncanny accuracy and removes it completely.

Thanks to it, one never gets drunk and never gets food poisoning even from expired food.

Whenever it eats, the Stomach Beggar leaves a telepathic review.

[Delicious…… Delicious…… Delicious…… More…… More…… More…… More……]

That settled it—no poison.

Meanwhile, some people were secretly packing food and water into containers or bottles.

Others took forks and knives that could serve as weapons, while those in swimsuits draped thick tablecloths over themselves for cover.

Then the pierrot’s playful voice rang out again.

[Now~! Quiiiiiz time~!]

All attention turned to the pierrot.

He continued with a mischievous grin.

[There’s exactly one thing missing from this joyful banquet hall! What could it be~?]