Chapter 62: Leveling Up Through Tattling

The subordinate she designated as the new queen is dead.

That means there’s no one left to protect the remaining succubi, no way to shield them.

By letting the strongest of the succubi clan die beyond the other world, the clan, run like a territory by a leader with tens or hundreds of thousands of levels, is doomed to collapse.

My death would be just punishment. But why is it a crime?

Even with the level gap, they started the riot first.

The rule against killing for levels is only a few years old.

After humans, fairies, and spirits were wiped out, clans began devouring each other, so the highest-level demon king, claiming godhood with overwhelming power, made that law.

There’s no law punishing a subordinate instead of the troublemaker, is there?

Yet, those laws are enforced at their whim.

By that logic, her subordinates shouldn’t be killed by them.

They didn’t know I’d realize she died when her levels returned. They killed my children and plan to eliminate me too.

Unless you can freely cross the gate, communication with the other world is cut off.

They thought the Nightmare Queen wouldn’t know and killed innocent succubi.

She planned to atone by bringing the giant’s head for forgiveness, but if the clan falls, it’s meaningless.

Even if she survives by announcing she killed the giant, the guilt and rage of living with those who punished innocent succubi instead of her would consume her.

Of course, there’s no guarantee they’d let her live.

That’s why she collapsed.

Now I have no choice but to stay here.

Sitting, she looks up at the giant.

Born after humanity’s fall, she never experienced loving humans as her race does, but now she feels it.

He’s huge and robust—in every way.

Yet her charm doesn’t work.

I thought he’d fall madly in love. With this Charm gap, he should. Even if he’s into men, his body reacted.

From the moment she crossed into this world, she had no intention of killing him.

Unlike other monsters, she doesn’t need to behead the giant for conquest.

Succubi can have multiple human lovers, and as long as they don’t fight and cause trouble, they achieve their goals without killing.

They gain vitality, add to stats, and convert it to levels.

The giant?

No need for multiple lovers—one’s enough to draw endless vitality.

His size means abundant vitality, so she genuinely wanted to make him hers.

She confessed her love, but he doesn’t believe her.

I’m charming him, but I’m not lying…

She heard this world’s giant is the strongest.

If he became her husband, she’d gain a powerful ally and strength.

She even planned to transfer levels to him if he loved her.

With her abnormal 70,000 Charm stat, her raw combat power is lacking.

She’d gain love and vitality, and he’d gain levels.

But he’s a steel wall.

Do I look that small and unattractive?

Due to succubi traits, men with lower Charm can’t kill them directly without special methods like gallows, guillotines, or superior magic.

His beheading attempt would likely blur and fail.

But she’s seen him grow stronger while fighting her.

Eventually, he’ll kill her.

She hoped he’d at least feel reluctant, like the castrated warriors or demon-slaying zealots of her world, showing mercy instead of swinging a mace ruthlessly.

“Oh, you’re not killing me. Thank goodness, truly.”

When he hesitates, she sheds tears of relief.

There’s hope.

***

Dreaming of loving a woman I beheaded—isn’t that a nightmare?

“Hey, why do you love me?”

At this point, I wonder if her goal isn’t just seduction.

“You’re the first living human male I’ve seen since I was born. Your huge body means tons of vitality. I can love you without killing you, so I can’t help but love you.”

“You sent monsters to kill me.”

“I did, but seeing you, I changed my mind. Humans don’t destroy overflowing gold mines, do they?”

So… I’m an all-you-can-eat vitality buffet?

“Do you love all human males?”

“The more vitality and strength, the truer our love. Like other races instinctively hunt, your vitality excites me.”

Okay, it’s a racial trait.

Got it.

Feels like she’s emphasizing she’s not dangerous… Is this another charm tactic?

No level-up notification, so maybe it’s not.

Didn’t expect to use level-ups like a lie detector.

Still, for safety, I’ll try getting her to shrink.

“Your charm raises my level every time. Pretty useful.”

“Is it?”

“If you return to a smaller form, I might let you live.”

Right now, I want to pounce and pin her.

She’d probably nod at everything with that pure, innocent look.

If she shrinks, I won’t fall for her charm, right?

Shrink, please.

“Legend says human men dislike having vitality taken in dreams. You don’t want it directly?”

“You absorb levels, right? How can I trust you? I want hundreds of thousands or millions of levels.”

“That’s… a valid concern, and I can’t fully convince you. I heard reaching peak ecstasy while taking vitality might accidentally do that.”

“So you won’t unless it’s accidental?”

“Not for levels. Compared to mine, yours are negligible.”

Damn, I really want to try it with her.

“Falling for succubi charm can lead to brainwashing-level control. Be careful.”

Sage wraith…

You were all in earlier, now you give proper advice?

“What exactly is this vitality concept?”

“It’s the love in your heart. And what comes from a man’s reproductive organs when—”

“Okay, stop. I get it.”

Knew it, but thanks for the sex ed.

“Why give up fighting suddenly?”

“I lost the reason to fight.”

“Why? Don’t say love.”

“That’s part, but…”

“Other reasons first.”

“High-level beings like me have no reason to come here.”

Heard it was to pioneer food for succubi.

“Demons using humans as resources crave power. You’re the same.”

“Ultimately, yes, but our insatiable desire makes us more proactive. Seeing you, I can’t help it…”

She stares at me without looking away.

Room 204’s noise blocks her charm, but she keeps hitting me with affection.

“Hey, charming again?”

“I’m going crazy. This tingling hurts more than my personal issues.”

“Keep it up, and I won’t listen.”

“…”

I started at LV 450, now I’m 512.

Resisting her charm keeps leveling me up.

Her charm is her core, her attack, and enduring it boosts experience massively.

Blocking her 50,000+ Charm with my measly 500-ish Intelligence, Magic, and Charm stats is impressive, so maybe that’s why I get experience.

“What’s this personal issue?”

“My sister… was just executed.”

“What?”

“Will you listen? I need to tell someone and cry…”

Crying’s a charm tactic too, right?

No level-up notification.

It’s real.

I nod warily, playing a video for safety.

She explains the situation with the white powder.

“A strange white powder appeared—sweet, energizing, makes you happy. Everyone’s restless without it…”

That’s sugar, sugar.

She calls it an unknown white powder, like it’s opium or something.

Wondered why sugar and alcohol calmed the gate. They’re all addicted. Snacks and alcohol addiction are scary…

Since the sugar appeared, the monsters’ world burned with invasion ambition, but only mid-tier ones came, just fodder for my level-ups.

She tried to stop them, but a riot broke out, and she caused casualties suppressing it.

The punishment fell on her sister, chosen as the new queen, executed by a demon god with billions of levels.

Her returned levels, absorbed and transferred, prove it.

“That level spike I saw?”

“You noticed? Yes, I’m back to my original strength… and can invest in Strength.”

She can reassign stats?

“Invest in Strength” is a warning?

Murder or not, should I hit her now?

“But I won’t.”

“Why?”

“If you kill me, so be it, but I want to defect.”

“Defect? Why?”

“I wanted to pioneer this place for my low-level children, but that meaning’s gone.”

With her sister executed, the succubi have no future.

Their standing was weak, so others likely killed or enslaved them for levels.

Their territory’s probably taken.

“Are you married?”

“I didn’t birth them, but they’re my people, my children. A queen without people or land isn’t a queen.”

“That’s a good mindset.”

We think alike.

Is this her trying to find any excuse to make me spare her?

It’s not bad.

Even kids who memorize and recite lessons show study passion, which I like.

If I avoid her charm, she’s a level-up vending machine.

If she defects, I won’t kill her.

Hitting her levels me up anyway.

“How long does attacking a high-level like you give experience?”

“No idea. Normally, they don’t let you attack.”

“Hm.”

“But if it continued, the idea of killing for levels wouldn’t have started.”

Makes sense.

The level gap is so huge, every punch probably levels me up.

Levels are tempting.

Gotta rethink this.

If I convince her to shrink, I can control her and spare her.

If she stays big, I’ll sacrifice my humanity, kill her, and study corpse disposal for days.

A 40,000 level would boost some skill or stat.

Blow up the body with that power, clean well—perfect crime…

That’s brutal. Losing too much humanity.

There’s a reason gruesome executions stopped.

“But sadly… and I don’t understand it myself…”

“Hm?”

“As long as you resist my charm, you’ll keep growing. My charm overwhelms even 100,000-level powerhouses. Those I killed who resisted by luck saw huge level spikes.”

“So you’ll keep charming me?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“You’re likely the strongest man in this world. Why wouldn’t I want the strongest, most vital giant as mine?”

Well… yeah?

I didn’t choose this strength, but it doesn’t feel bad.

“Is this charm too?”

“Everything I do toward you is charm.”

“Can you only charm when I want?”

“I can’t bear not charming…”

“Why? Vitality?”

Her mouth slightly open, she looks up, cheeks flushing as tear tracks magically dry.

Then she looks away.

Damn it.

Phew.

Stay sharp, take the charm for levels, but don’t act on it.

Just don’t.

The moment I resolve this, resolve alone levels me up?

This level system keeps rewarding me for resisting charm.

Hard to kill her. Like shutting off a faucet gushing oil because it’s dangerous.

I get her mindset—wanting to charm, not kill, for endless vitality.

Refills are normal, right?

She means a lot of it.

Oil’s black, but she’s pretty.

Gotta think…

Is killing right?

It might help level up, but falling to her charm is a problem.

Not killing but leveling means enduring constant charm.

Is there a way to control this?

There is, now that I think about it.

Like CatMan or the necromancer’s surrender, I can take her as a pet.

Can’t remove her passive charm, but maybe stop her growth skill.

“Submit as my subordinate, and I’ll accept you.”

“You want… that?”

“Yeah, that’s what I—wait, what do you mean?”

“No reason to fight you, so I’ll obey anything. Do as you wish.”

“You’ll be an ally?”

“That, and I want to be loved.”

Level up again.

But… she might be as helpful as the Fairy Princess.

CatMan, quiet in the corner, making white roses from tissue—thought he was up to something.

Seeing him and the flipped RiceCookerMan, it’s not a bad idea.

But she needs to shrink for control and to resist her charm.

Her size increase sent signals.

What signals?

Don’t ask.

“But as you see, the dungeon’s small. Can you return to your original size?”

“There’s room for us to lie together.”

“That’s nice… No way.”

Level 540 now.

***

[Levels inherited across worlds—her skill at handling levels is impressive.]

The human-friendly Nightmare Queen clan’s otherworld conquest failed as their leader fled.

Expected to be driven by needing human vitality, the giant was too strong, and her compatibility issues meant her ambition didn’t lead to a successful gate conquest.

“Did we kill the wrong one? That was the Nightmare Queen.”

[I said to execute her, but she’s the queen? She’ll understand.]

A 100,000-level Black Dragon seizes the Nightmare Queen’s palace near the empty gate.

Once a dungeon dragon, it now rules a maritime clan.

The maritime clan has the lowest levels among demon clans, but that fuels the invasion ambition of hundreds and thousands-level mid-bosses.

Other clans’ mid-bosses are thousands-level at least, with tens of thousands like the Nightmare Queen not uncommon.

Her direct succubi are rarely below 1,000, and their charm ability made suppression tough, requiring the leader’s intervention.

“But what if she beheaded the giant for merit?”

[Then kill her and take it.]

The maritime clan, hunting succubi as targets, saw rapid level spikes, brimming with confidence and ambition.

“Ugh, what’s that!?”

***

The hole next door is blocked by the flapping Sultan Boys’ bromide, making spying impossible.

Boom-boom-boom.

Instead, the noise continues.

When the boom-boom-boom hits, glimpses show a gentle female voice, Room 203 shouting “Die,” and a kitchen knife in hand.

Plus, Japanese girl moans keep playing.

Japanese woman?

Room 202 can’t make sense of it even with an ear to the wall.

The woman keeps confessing love softly, they were rolling half-naked moments ago, yelling about killing, and the Japanese moans persist.

“Wall noise, and that hole…”

Room 202 wants to poke the wallpaper gap but the bromide blocks it.

Tries chopsticks—useless.

Needs wire, but fails with a broken umbrella spoke from a typhoon.

“Can’t spy through this hole!?”

Says that but tries hard.

Ties chopsticks with a hairband to poke again, fails, and fumes.

Weirdly dressed woman. And that Japanese concept… What crazy woman does that in a Japanese concept and isn’t creeped out?

Even if not, the only conclusion is Room 203’s playing porn while with a woman.

“Wall noise is killing me! Dog barks and women! Love should be quiet! Not that I’m curious!”

Furious, Room 202 tried spying, but seeing the warped wallpaper deflates her.

Sorry… for making that hole. Room 203, really sorry.

Thinking her gay guy friend is realizing he’s into women, she feels her crush is kinda cute and gets smug.

Then, at the bathroom door, she stops.

A thought hits.

Zzaek-zzaek-zzaek.

“Uh, Room 203 oppa. Sorry, but… the bathroom…”