"He's trying so hard…"

Those words escaped my lips as I watched Tony glaring at me from across the campsite. His eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with dark circles, and filled with enough killing intent to suffocate a goblin.

I had been teasing him all day—stealing kills, dodging traps he set for me, and generally existing as a stain on his pride—so he was thoroughly provoked.

'In that case…'

I checked my internal clock.

It was time to proceed to the next stage.

Considering we were a B-Rank survey team, we had traversed the outer perimeter of the Prismatic Plains quickly. But we were still only at the entrance of the real dungeon.

The real start was up here.

There was an 'Event' that had to proceed. And there was a 'Guest' I had to meet.

"…"

I turned my head slightly, observing the other members of the Iron Fangs packing up their tents. They looked tired, anxious, but greedy. They smelled the loot waiting in the Boss Room.

'Probably,' I mused, watching a mage polish his staff. 'They will surely be used effectively inside.'

So, well. Let's just suffer a little more, everyone. For the sake of my experience points.

"…Master."

Alicia's whisper cut through my thoughts.

"Your expression is getting scary again."

"Oops."

I smoothed my features into a mask of innocent nobility. I shouldn't let the villainy show too early.

*****

"Captain. We've arrived."

With those words, the entire survey team swallowed dryly.

Standing before us was the key point of Floor 18—the location where the Conquest Token was kept.

It was a massive, spiraling structure made of obsidian and diamond, jutting out of the prismatic ground like a spear aimed at the artificial sky. It was so tall you had to crane your neck back to the limit just to see the spire's tip disappearing into the clouds.

The mana density here was thick enough to taste.

"Good," Tony grunted, hefting his greatsword. "We will enter immediately."

He turned to me and Alicia.

His crumpled face was deeply stained with undisguised unpleasantness. He pointed a gauntleted finger at the ground.

"You two stay behind."

"Excuse me?" Alicia stepped forward, her brow furrowing.

"We're going in to clear the Spire," Tony sneered. "It's tight quarters inside. We don't have space for useless baggage. You two stay here and guard the luggage."

"…"

Alicia's face crumpled in pure, unadulterated rage.

She was angered not just as a hunter, but on my behalf. A mere mercenary was daring to order a Noble of the Empire—and a genius cadet—to sit outside like a dog? If I wasn't holding her back, she would have blasted him with a fire tornado hours ago.

She knew exactly what this was.

It was a trick to exclude us from the distribution of loot. If they found the Conquest Token or rare artifacts inside, they could pocket them and claim they found nothing.

Furthermore, guarding the luggage outside wasn't safe. The high mana density of the Spire attracted stray Demonic Beasts. He was hoping a wandering pack of Crystal Wolves would finish the job he started.

"Really," Alicia muttered, her hand trembling over her rapier. "To the very end, you choose to be trash…"

"What was that, girl?" Tony barked.

"Nothing," I interjected smoothly, stepping in front of her. "We understand, Captain. We'll guard the bags with our lives."

Tony snorted, looking satisfied with my submission.

"Good. Don't wander off. If the supplies are missing when we get back, I'm docking your pay."

He turned to his team.

"Iron Fangs! Move out!"

They marched into the dark, swirling portal at the base of the Spire, disappearing one by one.

*****

The silence returned to the plains as soon as the last hunter vanished.

I didn't look angry. I didn't look worried. I checked my watch.

'Perfect timing.'

Alicia immediately turned to me, her eyes blazing.

"…Why are you being so still for once, Boss?"

"What about it?" I asked, kicking a pebble.

"With your usual personality, you should be following them in to rip their souls out," she accused. "Or at least throwing a flashbang into the portal as a parting gift."

"…"

Did she think I was some kind of petty villain? (Okay, fair point).

"Well, I have something else to do," I said simply.

"Something to do?"

"There is."

If anything, I was grateful that those guys had dropped us. If they hadn't, I would have had to devise a complicated way to separate from the survey team without raising suspicion.

There was a clear pattern to this floor. Until Tony and his minions went up there and officially triggered the 'Boss Battle', the hidden mechanism I needed wouldn't unlock.

In other words, from the moment I sent those guys up as bait, the clock started ticking.

"Where are you going?" Alicia asked as I started walking away from the Spire, heading toward a seemingly empty cliff face.

"To do what I need to do."

I adjusted my gloves, my eyes fixed on a specific cluster of rocks in the distance.

"To be precise… there is someone I have to meet."

Alicia followed my gaze. She scanned the desolate, glittering landscape. There was nothing there but rocks and light.

She looked back at the massive Spire Tony had entered.

****

"A building within a building… The Tower is a really strange place," Alicia sighed, falling into step beside me as we navigated the rocky path around the Spire's base.

"Indeed."

The Tower boasted a terrifying size from the outside, but the sense of space once inside was truly bizarre. It felt as if each floor was its own independent dimension, stitched together by a mad god who didn't care about geometry.

"That's why there are quite a few people who worship this place as a miracle," I noted.

Humanity's relationship with the Tower was complicated.

Most viewed it as a divine training ground—a gift from God to prepare us for the Demon Realm.

But there was also a vocal minority who treated it as a forbidden temple.

They believed that climbing the Tower was a sin. They preached that waking the guardians of the upper floors would bring about a 'Great Disaster' upon mankind. Their 'Prophet' claimed that the Tower wasn't a training ground, but a prison, and breaking the locks would doom us all.

"That's a funny story," Alicia scoffed, kicking a loose crystal. "What on earth is this 'disaster'? If you're going to scam people, at least come up with a better plot."

I just shrugged my shoulders.

"…You seem to be taking it more seriously than I thought?" she asked, eyeing my thoughtful expression.

"Who knows."

I answered vaguely and turned my head slightly toward a secluded clearing ahead.

"Besides, isn't it rude to say that right in front of the people involved?"

"What?"

Alicia blinked, flustered, and followed my gaze.

In the clearing we had just arrived at, tucked away in the shadow of the Spire, was a scene of misery.

Dozens of people were lying on the ground, groaning in pain. They wore coarse grey robes, now tattered and stained with dirt. Scattered around them were broken picket signs with slogans written in bright red paint:

'HALT THE CLIMB!' 'DOOM AWAITS THE ARROGANT!'

Anyone could see they were members of the Order of Silence—likely a protest group that had gotten beaten up by aggressive Hunters or monsters.

"…"

While the speechless Alicia kept her mouth shut, I diligently scanned the group.

'She should be around here somewhere…'

"…A scam. I suppose that's how we're treated."

Speak of the devil.

A gloomy, monotone voice drifted from behind a large rock.

A girl stepped out. Unlike the others in drab grey, she wore a uniform with gold embroidery—a high-ranking cleric of the Order.

But even the gold thread couldn't erase the aura of decadence that hung over her. She had dark circles under her eyes, messy hair, and a posture that screamed 'I haven't slept in a week'. She looked less like a holy woman and more like a worn-out pessimist who had seen the end of the world and found it boring.

Darien. The Prophet's Disciple.

"Ah, no. I mean…" Alicia stammered, caught red-handed.

"It's fine."

"…Th-that is. I wasn't particularly trying to speak ill…"

"It's fine. We know our level. We're just crazy cultists to you."

"…"

Alicia looked at me with eyes pleading for support. It was a look that screamed, 'Master, please save me from this awkward social interaction.'

Alright. Let's be a benevolent boss.

"I'm sorry," I said smoothly, stepping forward. "My companion here has zero social skills and is generally clueless. I ask for your generous understanding."

"…"

Alicia's jaw dropped. She looked ready to stab me.

Darien sighed, ignoring the banter, and took a step back.

"Well, it doesn't matter… but you'd better not get too close to me. Please maintain about three steps of distance."

"Pardon?"

"We're treated as a scammer group, but I'm not really like that. I'm just a bit… strange."

"I don't really know what you mean…" Alicia muttered, tilting her head.

"…You look like you think a crazy woman is talking crazy," Darien said flatly. "I'll show you just once."

Seeing Alicia's dubious look, Darien sighed and strode toward us.

She stopped exactly three steps away.

"Nothing's happening," Alicia said, looking around.

Well, on the outside, it seemed so.

"Hello, Ms. Alicia."

Alicia's eyes widened.

Naturally, they had not introduced themselves.

"Full name: Alicia Valemont," Darien recited in a monotone voice, staring into Alicia's eyes. "Last survivor of the Valemont Royal Family. Escaped the Kingdom at age eight. Currently working as a servant for Lucien Ashborne. Loves strawberry tarts. Has a secret crush on—"

"W-WAIT! WAIT A MINUTE!"

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