Gacha Addict in a Matriarchal World

The next morning, on the way to the Labyrinth to defeat the Floor Guardian of the 3rd Floor as planned.

Suddenly, yesterday’s incident came to mind, and I glared at Lydia.

“Miss Lydia, is there something wrong with your nose?”

“Suddenly?”

“How could you say I smelled of sweat?! I only have a good scent! Right, Benny?”

“Huh? Uh, uh? I-I don’t know….”

Benny, flustered, shook her head. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her towards me.

Poof.

Without resistance, Benny was drawn in and her head rested near my collarbone.

“How is it? Does it smell all sweaty and stuff?”

“No….”

“Instead, it smells so good you want to keep smelling it, right?”

“Yeah….”

Benny, repeating soulless answers like a zombie. Seeing her clothes gradually getting damp, it seems she’s drooling.

Having turned Benny into a yes-woman in an instant, I looked at Lydia with a smile, but…

“I said it smells like sweat, not that it smells bad.”

“…What!”

Lydia, nodding calmly. I asked cautiously, just in case.

“Could it be that you like the smell of my sweat, Miss Lydia?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. Then there’s nothing I can do.”

With a slightly improved mood, I nodded and placed my hand on the stone leading to the Labyrinth.

“Then, let’s swiftly take it down in one go so Benny can come along next time!”

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Hey. It’s okay, Lydia. It’s a summoning type, so if we fail, we can just summon again.”

Lydia feigns a stern expression while Benny lets out a chuckle. As they both hold my hand, the view changes instantly.

A world of steel and steam unfolds before my eyes.

The god buried on the 3rd Floor is the God of Machinery.

Born amidst the technology advancing through war, this god showcased unmatched technological prowess.

Based on this, he sought to see the end of the tiresome War of the Fallen Gods.

He failed, however.

His technology was undoubtedly remarkable, and the average combat strength of his followers was among the top even among mortals…

Yet, his strength as a god was somewhat lacking. Given that he possessed the power of production, it was perhaps expected.

But to put it differently, it means the God of Machinery survived to the very end with the strength of various devices, despite his lacking divine power.

When all the gods, except for the Goddess of Love, decided to willingly be buried in the Labyrinth.

The other gods left behind divine relics and last wills, comforting the believers who would be left alone.

In contrast, the God of Machinery retrieved all his divine relics and commanded that his teachings be forgotten.

It made sense, as the God of Machinery was born amidst war, and his technology was ultimately knowledge of weapons meant to kill people and diminish gods.

He judged that if such things remained, war would never cease even after the gods were buried.

However, as Pangrave became a labyrinth, some of the technology from that time was released. This greatly aided the development of civilization in the new world.

…In other words, the 3rd Floor is a layer comprised of the relatively low-priority technologies hidden by the God of Machinery.

The techniques visible on the 3rd Floor are all developed around the single theme of ‘prosthetics’.

Alloy refining technology for durable, long-lasting metals without rejection.

Delicate magic engineering knowledge to connect the brain and nerves, artificial muscles designed to support metals heavier than bone, synchronization functions to perfectly replicate the skills engraved in one’s original body.

And even the prototype prosthetic hand hidden in the secret underground lab.

The 3rd Floor is not a place where technology for killing is buried. Rather, it’s where technology for saving is buried.

In reality, the monsters here are mostly retired soldiers, remnants, and a few knights guarding half-collapsed castles.

They have become stronger through mechanization, but their average force is not comparable to the recorded strength of the average follower.

Therefore, it must be why it settled on the relatively shallow 3rd Floor rather than deeper levels.

However, whether it’s a residential area or a hospital, one cannot escape the sparks of war.

Thus, the God of Machinery placed a special guardian to protect the surrounding area.

The Clock Tower at the center of the 3rd Floor. The massive fortress built around it, known as the Clock Castle, is such.

And so is the faithful disciple, the Lord of the Clock Castle, who does not forget its mission despite being swept by madness.

“That is the Floor Guardian of the 3rd Floor.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Which document was that written in? The official history recognized by the Temple describes him as a genius magitech engineer who led the mechanization experiments.”

Lydia nods absent-mindedly, while Benny tilts her head in curiosity.

With a chuckle at the contrasting reactions, I thrust the greatsword through the gap in the Human Golem blocking my way.

Crack!

A body much stronger than before. And perhaps thanks to my more skilled swordsmanship, I stabbed more precisely and swiftly.

In an instant, the Minotauros Greatsword slightly tore the protective metal sheet inside the Human Golem. As I channeled aura to stir its brain, the once sturdy Human Golem collapsed powerlessly.

Though difficult to target, it was convenient since it’s weak point was clear.

Lydia stiffened at my suddenly different swordplay, but since it was hard to explain, I subtly brushed off her anxious gaze and continued speaking.

“The fact that the Lord of the Clock Castle led the prosthetic experiments on the 3rd Floor, that it is an outstanding magi-engineer, and that it used this to modify its own body to the extreme is all true. What I’m saying is, ‘why’ did the Lord of the Clock Castle do such things?”

“…I see. So your perspective is different from that of the Temple? If you insist, Jonah, you’re closer to the viewpoint of a god.”

“You could say that. Because I didn’t read about this in a book, I heard it directly.”

I grinned and shrugged.

Actually, it wasn’t something I heard from the Goddess of Love, but something I had set up myself…

Come to think of it, it is closer to the viewpoint of a god than a human.

“Well, that’s not what’s important right now. It’s the story about the summoning of the Lord of the Clock Castle.”

“What about the summoning? The method is already known.”

That’s right. The 3rd Floor hasn’t been 100% fully conquered, but a significant portion has been completed.

The summoning condition for the summoning-type guardian, the Lord of the Clock Castle, is also widely known.

“You’re talking about defeating the Cogwheel Knights of the Clock Castle, extracting the core parts from their hearts, and using them as keys to open the audience chamber, right?”

“Yeah. Everyone already knows that story, so I was wondering why you brought it up suddenly.”

“Hehe. You see, Benny.”

Standing in front of a puzzled Benny, I puffed out my chest and stood on tiptoe.

I started to boast with a height just about half a hand taller than Benny.

“Because there’s a secret about summoning the Lord of the Clock Castle that no one knows about!”

“Really?!”

Benny acted surprised and jumped up. But if you look closely, Shadow was under her foot, raising her eye level above mine.

Should I call this cute or cunning…

I let out a small laugh in disbelief and lowered my heels. Then, I hurled myself towards the bottom of the moat.

A sudden rush of a thick stench of decay. Sticky mud clinging.

With the thought that this dreadful bottom was the last, I smiled brightly and drove the greatsword into the head of the creaking Cogwheel Remnant spewing fumes.

Of course, it was so sturdy that one hit couldn’t do much.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

As I kept swinging the greatsword, the thing couldn’t properly counter and just took the hits.

Its brain was already dead, leaving only its mechanized frame to annihilate the enemy. But perhaps because it mimicked human movements.

Its combat power was strong, but its skeleton, range of motion, and fighting style inevitably resembled a strong and sturdy human.

And the Yuren-style swordsmanship I acquired this time is for dueling.

It’s said to be particularly effective against this type of monster.

When it tried to wield a weapon, I shattered its wrist, and when it tried to punch, I crushed its ankle, toppling it over. When it attempted to spew vapor and corrosive acid, I used divine power to prevent it from touching me.

Bang! Boom! Crunch!

The thing was instantly shattered by me, having not only its patterns deciphered but also facing a more effective swordsmanship.

Benny’s eyes widened at the sight of the monster, which had given her such trouble, being taken down.

“What, what?! How did you take it down so quickly?!”

“Um. Well, you see.”

How should I explain it? Maybe I could brush it off as an epiphany.

While I pondered for a moment, Lydia grabbed Benny’s shoulder with a serious expression.

“Benny.”

“Hmm?”

“Jonah’s secret isn’t just a day or two old. Don’t pry too much.”

“Huh? Uh…”

Benny nodded, but kept tilting her head as if she couldn’t understand.

Lydia, who had silenced Benny, sent me an awkward wink.

Wink.

“…?”

I wasn’t sure what it was about, but since I had received help, I smiled back awkwardly.

Then Lydia stood beside me with a proud expression, though something seemed to be on her mind.

With them, we managed to pass through a path we had once broken through, much more easily this time, and entered the underground of the Clock Castle.

“Help me, Benny-emon!”¹

“Wha! Didn’t you say you could handle it alone because you were confident?”

“I thought it was going to be one-on-one!”

I didn’t expect them to come out in a crowd like this.

1. TL/N: A Doraemon reference ️