"What? That makes no sense! Why would entry fee alone be five hundred bucks? What would you then charge for currency exchange? Why don't you guys just take my damn money and hang me out to dry!"
The grin on the black-haired gateman's face widened like a crack in ice. He rose with a sinister expression.
"You know what, young man, that's a great idea. We can just take all your money. Since you clearly have no good use for it. You're going to pleasure land for what? You too want to taste how sweet a cookie jar is? A scrawny bastard like you?"
Theo's face darkened as he stepped back slowly. The man's partner also stood up, grinning like a predator that had cornered its prey.
'These bastards. No one warned me they're a bunch of good-for-nothing bullies!'
Typically, Gatemen weren't bullies, but there existed unethical ones who exploited heroes and pocketed more money than necessary.
Besides, Theo shouldn't be entering the Tower at this hour, so there was no one he could report to... no one would listen if he somehow gathered enough courage to tell the authorities he was headed to Pleasure Land so late at night.
His needs were so urgent he couldn't wait until the next day? Which was just a couple of hours away!
He was trapped in a pathetic situation, all because of his powerlessness.
He ground his teeth silently, eyes blazing with defiance.
The black-haired gateman stepped forward with a scowl and spat:
"What's that look you're giving me, you damn F rank?"
He halted in front of Theo and launched a powerful punch to his face. The impact sent the young man staggering sideways before crashing to the ground.
Theo winced as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He spat crimson onto the stone floor and struggled to rise, wobbling but eventually finding his footing.
Of course they knew his rank. He had to submit his Hero license to enter the Tower, so their knowledge came as no surprise. This was just another humiliation in the endless parade of indignities he suffered.
It was also why he detested entering the Tower. Sometimes it wasn't even the gatemen—everyone seemed to have their own way of discriminating against and despising a lowly F rank.
The man extended his hand with a cocky grin distorting his face. He beckoned with his fingers.
"Bring it. Everything on you."
Theo remained motionless and silent for a moment. But disobeying them would only invite more trouble. All he could blame was his own misfortune and powerlessness.
He exhaled deeply and retrieved the three hundred dollars he carried, placing the bills reluctantly in the man's outstretched palm.
The gateman regarded the money with undisguised contempt, holding the three notes gingerly as if they were soiled thongs.
"What? This is all you have? Galanar, check the bastard."
The brown-haired gateman stepped forward and began roughly patting Theo down, his hands invasive and deliberate. After thoroughly searching the young man, he retreated with a shrug.
"I think that's all he's got."
The black-haired gateman curled his lip in disgust.
"Of course that's all he has. What was I expecting from a lowlife F rank?"
He clutched the money tightly and flashed a cruel smile at Theo.
"Thanks for the change, yo. I'll spend this nicely and visit Pleasure Land on your behalf. I'll make sure to fuck some dwarven aunties with your measly money. But from the benevolence of my heart, I'll at least grant you entry to floor five."
The man lunged forward and struck Theo behind his head, sending him stumbling forward. He shoved him roughly toward the center of one pillar. Ahead, a massive stone door creaked open with such force that the entire hall trembled.
Beyond the door shone a brilliant white light, and beyond that radiance lay floor five.
"Fool. Let's see what you can do with no money on you."
The man slapped Theo's back and thrust him through the doorway. Theo vanished instantly into the light, his vision fading momentarily.
Barely a second later, his sight returned. Opening his eyes, he beheld a dark, star-strewn sky and felt the soft verdant grass that stretched endlessly around him.
A bleak frown clouded his face.
'But... this is not the point I was supposed to...'
The thought trailed off as realization dawned. Those contemptible gatemen had sent him to some random location on floor five.
Somewhere potentially dangerous, from the looks of it—a forest, it seemed.
Theo stepped forward cautiously, scanning his surroundings. Broken pillars lay scattered across the ground like discarded toys. Ahead stood a decrepit building, its facade almost completely consumed by climbing vines.
Despite its ruined state and overgrown environment, Theo recognized it immediately.
"A ruin."
But not just any ruin—this was the Ruin of the Eleven Tails of Lechery!
A demonic creature sealed within these crumbling walls since the Tower's inception. No one had dared venture inside. Of the few who summoned enough courage to enter, none had ever returned.
Theo's throat tightened as he swallowed hard.
There was a Demonic Fox in that ruin!
"Hell no, no way I'm going there."
The moment he turned away to leave, a glowing panel materialized before his face.