Cohabitation
Following a brief introduction, Sis, sporting narrowed eyes and an ethereal smile as she floated gracefully above the group, explained, "As this is only the First Floor, the methods to ascend are fairly straightforward. You can either prove your power by defeating a D-Rank Floor Guardian or acquire a 2nd Floor Admission Ticket from the Tower Shop for 50,000 TP, allowing you to teleport there directly."
Preempting the question at the forefront of many Ascendees' minds, Sis went on to dutifully explain, "As for the plots of land you see around you, they represent your prospective lodgings. The Tower is a place where the powerful, ambitious, and resourceful are permitted the opportunity to rise above, while those who lack or lose their ambition are fated to struggle or rely on others for creature comforts and safety. From this moment on, the food you eat, the beds you sleep in, and the roofs over your head must be acquired using Tower Points."
Hearing Sis's words, those who had spent their Tower Points recklessly couldn't help grousing to or amongst themselves. Meanwhile, those who had anticipated such a development or simply believed in having reserve funds felt vindication and relief...
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"What the hell? These are way too expensive..." remarked Nami, frowning at the display that materialized as she, Vahn, and many others from the stay-behind group approached one of the lots closest to where everyone had arrived on the 1st Floor. The plot wasn't particularly large, only eight by eleven meters, but the starting price was 490,000 TP for just the land. If you wanted to have a house or something like an Inn assembled for you by the System, the most economical option was 713,000 TP for a cottage.
"It's because this is one of the closest points to the Dungeon Terminal and where new Ascendees will arrive when first arriving, making it prime real estate," explained Vahn, appending, "If you purchase a plot closer to the safe zone's periphery, the cost drops considerably."
"So, what's the plan?" asked Nami, crossing her arms, shifting her weight onto her right foot, and staring at Vahn as she asserted, "There's no way you don't have one."
Gesturing with his chin to a series of white cliffs, Vahn revealed, "I plan to open up a Consultation and Help Agency along those cliffs. It's a little out of the way, but I don't want to be inundated with clients."
Blinking in surprise, Nami tilted her head and repeated, "A Consultation and Help Agency...?"
Nodding affirmingly, Vahn explained, "It's only a matter of time before external factions set up shop here and in other safe zones to recruit and profit off future Ascendees and long-term citizens. I'm going to create an agency with interconnected branches on each Floor to fulfill requests and address various concerns and complaints."
"Does that mean you won't be entering Dungeons any longer?" asked Yoruichi, similarly standing with her arms crossed in a skin-tight black bodysuit, a bright orange top with metal shoulder plating, and a beige scarf, sash, arm wraps, and legs warmers.
"There's no way that's true...!" exclaimed Riko, balling her tiny hands into fists with a slightly teary-eyed expression marring her face. She was used to forming Parties with others, but ever since their special training session on the 0th Floor, she became determined to reach the Tower's zenith with Vahn, Roxanne, and Fran.
Taking advantage of Riko's proximity, Vahn extended his hand to caress her head, his expression and tone gentle as he assured her, "No need to get upset. While I may not enter the Dungeons as frequently as before, I plan to clear each at least once or twice."
"Good...because I would be really sad if we couldn't Party together any longer..." muttered Riko, lowering her head and blushing to the tips of her ears, her hands clenching the front of her dress in embarrassment.
"Nn..." appended Fran, as taciturn as usual but looking decidedly happier and healthier despite spending the past month living in a forest, fighting beasts to survive with a Capsule House as her dwelling.
"Then I'm guessing we're not pooling our Tower Points to purchase a large plot...?" asked Tanya, a proud member of the cross-armed group in her white tanktop, which left her upper back and shoulders exposed, dark green cargo pants, and black leather combat boots.
"I believe that's the wisest course of action..." confirmed Himmel, wearing his usual smile as he nodded affirmingly and reasoned, "It would likely be easier and more cost-efficient to acquire the materials to construct an Inn than it would be to purchase individual plots to build on."
Shifting his gaze to Vahn, Himmel appended, "On the other hand, do you have any more of those Capsule Houses? I would be more than willing to part with a portion of my earnings over these four months in exchange for one of those miraculous and exceedingly convenient portable dwellings."
"I prepared enough for everyone..." revealed Vahn, adopting a faint, business-like smile as he stated, "And to sweeten the deal, once you pay them off, you'll even be to take them with you when you leave the Tower. But I would be careful about trying to reverse-engineer them. You've seen how they explode when thrown. Tinker with them carelessly, and you'll be lucky to lose just the Dyno-Cap."
"I am well acquainted with the need for discretion..." reassured Himmel, nodding sagely. Then, as their group of Ascendees gradually expanded to encompass nearly three-quarters of those present, everyone pitched in to finance the installation of a Tavern and Trading House, as access to food and the Tower Shop were considered fairly essential to all...
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While most Ascendees had little choice but to share Capsule Houses with their semi-permanent Party members, Vahn found himself on the second story of a conspicuously tall and thin black building with a slightly slanted roof with two skylights, a one-way window, and an entrance that took up most of the building's front-facing real estate with two large double doors and a tall transom window that extended into the second floor. It was an unorthodox-looking building, to say the least, but as odd as the building's outward appearance was, its interior was magnificent.
Though the building only took up 3x5 meters from the outside, the inside was nearly fifty-by-eighty meters, creating a parallax effect when viewing the interior from the outside. Once you stepped inside, it felt like entering a high-class hotel, complete with a reception area, a spacious lobby, and an elevator that led up to the only other floor, a sizeable suite with a large master bedroom, seven guest rooms, a luxurious kitchen, a dining room, a private study, and a living area with a large, U-shaped, red-leather sofa around a square, black marble table with veins of gold coursing through it.
As he had developed a habit of pensively staring out over the living spaces of others, which, according to Venelana, was common among people in positions of great power and authority, Vahn had a metal bar installed in front of the room's window, providing Yoruichi, Roxanne, and Nami something to hold onto as he fucked the former from behind while fingering the other two mature and voluptuous women.
"Haaaa...haaaa...haaaa...why does it feel like...I'm always the one on the receiving end at times like this...?" asked Yoruichi, panting with her mouth open, periodically resulting in threads of glistening drool leaking from her lips as Vahn rhythmically and forcefully gouged her pussy.
"Because we both know you're eventually going to disappear to do your own thing or scale the Tower ahead of us, just like the mischievous kitten you are..." hummed Vahn, speaking truthfully but leaving out that it simply felt better to fuck her than Nami and Roxanne.
"Mmn...fair enough..." conceded Yoruichi, closing her eyes, licking her lips free of drool, and bracing herself before purposefully tensing the muscles in her abdomen and pussy. She could tell Vahn was about to fill her to the brim with his hot and stimulating semen, and while she would never admit it, she had been looking forward to him doing so for the past month.
"Hooooooo? Tightening up, are we? Then let's see if you can get through without spilling a single drop..." hummed Vahn, his expression smoldering and his voice deep as he extracted his fingers from Nami's and Roxanne's pussies to grab Yoruichi's waist, allowing him to drill her with even greater force before drawing her flush against him and pouring his semen directly into her eagerly awaiting womb.
Though she managed to avoid crying out, a deep, nasally moan rose from Yoruichi's throat as she bit her bottom lip and did her best not to tremble too noticeably as several waves of pleasure, stemming from her quivering pussy, spread through her body and congregated in locations such as her brain and breasts, particularly her nipples.
"Well, would you look at that..." muttered Vahn, waiting until the intensity of Yoruichi's orgasm started to settle before tentatively moving his hips, her interior walls clinging to him greedily as he remarked, "You didn't let a single drop escape...what a greedy little kitten..."
Tearing his focus away from Yoruichi, Roxanne, ostensibly feeling jealous, spread her leaky pussy with the fingers of her right hand before asserting, "Everyone knows dogs are better and more loyal than cats..."
"Mmm...that does appear to be a commonly held belief in many worlds..." hummed Vahn, unhurriedly extricating his cock from Yoruichi's moist and adhesive cavern before giving her butt a light smack, stating, "Go wait for us on the bed..."
Though she didn't appreciate being told what to do, the frown that marred Yoruichi's face didn't persist as she rose to her full, fairly diminutive height of 156cm, glanced up at Vahn with her yellow, cat-like eyes, and stepped around him with slow, graceful, cat-like movements that all but mandated that he follow her with his gaze. Nami viewed this as her own opportunity to escape having to remain standing, bent over with her breasts dangling, so while Vahn was distracted, she got up and slipped around him from his non-existent blind spot.
"And thus, the second cat slinks away..." hummed Vahn, meeting Nami's gaze as she returned a wry smile before scampering over to join Yoruichi on the bed. She wasn't trying to escape having sex with him, but since he commonly left her an insensible mess, she wasn't in a hurry to be his next victim.
"As I said...dogs are best..." panted Roxanne, staring back at Vahn with an unabashedly desirous expression as she spread her pussy as wide as her slick and plentiful fluids would allow. Fortunately for her, Vahn was more than willing to oblige, even if he knew she would be feeling it much more than him. He considered himself more of a prolific than a selfish lover, so with Roxanne appealing to him in such an earnest manner, he didn't mind rewarding her aplenty...
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With Yoruichi disappearing to Sis-knows-where and Nami and Roxanne sleeping in his bed, Vahn exited the master bedroom to find quite a few people sitting, chatting, and eating snacks in his living room. He was too soft for his own good, so instead of forcing Riko, Fran, and others in their age group to purchase and live in individual or shared Capsule Houses, he permitted them to share the seven guest rooms for 300 TP per room.
"What's going on here...?" asked Vahn, approaching the group, consisting of Riko, Fran, Tanya, Mikoto, Wendy, and a young-looking but sixteen-year-old girl with delicate features, sunny-blonde hair that extended to the small of her back and large, aqua-blue eyes, giving her an appearance comparable to an Angel. Her name was Colette Brunel, and while she might seem like she couldn't hurt a fly at a glance, she was the most powerful of the girls present, much to Mikoto's chagrin.
"We were just talking about what we all did this past month. Want to join us...?" asked Riko, tilting her head back to stare up at Vahn as he loomed over her from behind the sofa.
"No. You girls have fun," said Vahn, offering a considerate smile before heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Shortly after, the entire group of pajama-clad girls made their way over, offering to lend a hand despite his assurances that he could handle things himself...
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