Monster Harem In The Tower-Chapter 267: Not a test

"Lily! Over here!" one of the red-haired SSS-rank female Hunters barked with a huff. "The scratch on my shoulder hasn’t fully healed yet. Hurry up!"

Validia—using the alias Lily—approached with heavy steps. Her face was as flat as pavement, but her eyes flickered with a faint, murderous intent. In her hands, she pretended to chant a low-level healing spell, though she was merely manipulating a tiny bit of energy to close the wound.

’These human pieces of trash...’ Validia thought. ’If it weren’t for Nathan, I would have snapped her neck the moment she used that commanding tone with me.’

David, who had joined the fray, could only sigh, while Fiona took notes with a professional demeanor—though her eyes kept darting back to Nathan. He was standing at the very back, carrying a logistics bag like some lowly intern.

Nathan himself was perfectly relaxed. He was self-aware; he knew he was a "loser" who just happened to get lucky with reality-defying powers. But watching these SSS-rank Hunters bicker felt like watching toddlers fight over toys. They were so proud of clearing the 30th-floor monsters, yet Nathan knew this was merely the "tutorial" for the upcoming Dimensional War.

Floor 40.

The moment the doors to the 40th floor creaked open, the atmosphere shifted entirely. In the middle of a vast field, pitch-black figures without fixed forms emerged. Mindless Monsters.

"What on earth are those? Liquid?" one of the male Hunters asked.

As soon as they attacked, the monsters shifted their forms, mimicking the Hunters’ weapons and stances. Every strike was repelled. The SSS-rank Hunters began to panic as their flashy attacks were reflected right back at them.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. ’Wait... that pitch-black form looks familiar...’

His memories drifted back to the past. ’Ah, right. These are the types of monsters I used to pee on.’

Seeing the situation grow dire, the leader of the SSS team solemnly pulled out a small bottle filled with a shimmering silver liquid.

"Damn it, we have no choice but to use this," he declared heroically. "Draw your Metallumcum!"

Simultaneously, the five Hunters pulled out identical bottles.

"Listen up, you supports!" the silver-haired leader shouted toward Nathan and the others. "Watch closely. This is a legendary potion from WhitNull!"

They began dripping the liquid onto their respective blades.

Nathan, who had been mid-sip of his water, suddenly choked. "PFFTT—COUGH!"

He recognized that potion. He recognized it all too well.

"Nathan, what’s wrong?" Fiona asked, bewildered as she watched Nathan cover his face with his hands, his body trembling.

"Nothing... it’s just..." Nathan struggled to hold back his laughter until his stomach ached. "I just think... those SSS Hunters are amazing. Dripping that potion with such serious faces... that’s some true dedication."

Validia, who knew the secret behind that scent, shot Nathan a look that said, ’You are truly disturbed.’ Meanwhile, the SSS Hunters charged forward proudly, feeling as though their swords had been blessed by divine power.

In reality, to Nathan, they were just going to war with swords smeared in his urine.

As soon as the "legendary" liquid soaked into their blades, a silver aura glowed brilliantly amidst the dim light of the forest. The weapons hummed, radiating an unnatural sharpness.

SLASH! SLASH!

"Take this, you foul creatures!" the red-haired woman screamed. The pitch-black bodies of the Mindless Monsters were sliced apart as easily as tofu. The effects of Nathan’s "potion" disintegrated their structure before they even had a chance to mimic their opponents’ forms.

However, in between swings of his dagger, David’s brow furrowed. He leaped backward, landing on a massive tree root to catch his breath. His eyes swept across the forest, which was now swarming with hundreds of black shadows crawling out from every crevice in the tree trunks.

"Wait a second..." David muttered. "Something’s not right."

"What is it, David?" Sophia asked while releasing a silver arrow that detonated three monsters at once.

"According to Sir Ulrich’s reports, Floor 40 shouldn’t have any Mindless Monsters," David shouted over the chaos. "Why the hell is it crawling with this many of them?"

Hearing David’s words, Nathan straightened his posture.

’He’s right...’ Nathan thought. His gaze sharpened, piercing through the dense thicket of trees that now looked increasingly dark and unnatural. He looked upward, as if his vision could penetrate the ceiling of the tower all the way to the control center.

’Did Lilith do this on purpose?’ Nathan’s brow twitched slightly. ’Is she trying to fast-track the development of human strength?’

Suddenly, from the darkness of the forest ahead, a black figure scurried rapidly across a branch directly above him. The monster lunged downward, shifting its form into a sharp spike aimed right at the back of the distracted David’s neck.

"David, look out!"

SHING!

Sophia moved with fluid grace, leaping between the branches and slicing the monster mid-air just before it reached David. "Hey, old man! Save the thinking for later! Focus, or you’re going to end up as fertilizer for this forest!"

David snapped out of it, retaking his combat stance. "Sorry! But I’m serious, this is beyond weird!"

Back in the rear, Nathan returned to his relaxed mode, though his mind continued to race. He watched the SSS-rank Hunters beginning to gasp for air, their stamina draining fast from maneuvering through the difficult forest terrain.

’If I step in now, they won’t get any EXP. Their levels will just stagnate,’ he mused. ’Besides, it would be a shame to ruin their heroic moment while they’re using my "piss." Let them feel like heroes for a little longer.’

----

Nathan’s relaxed demeanor began to crack. He watched as the Mindless Monsters, seemingly infinite in number, continued to pour out from every shadow and root system, turning the forest floor into a chaotic, writhing mass of black goo. The SSS-rank Hunters were clearly struggling, their movements slowing, their faces etched with exhaustion.

’Okay, this is getting ridiculous,’ Nathan thought, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. ’Lilith, you’re pushing it. This isn’t a "test"; it’s just tedious.’