Chapter 387: The Tower

“We should be fine here.”

Amid the dense jungle of intertwined, distorted flesh and blood, Muen carefully scanned the surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was following did he finally exhale in relief.

He gently set down Liya, whom he had been carrying around his waist, then casually tossed Ailag—whom he’d been dragging by the back of his collar—onto the ground. Regulating his breath, he began quickly restoring stamina.

Since he couldn’t be sure whether Freya had more tricks up her sleeve, he’d run a long way nonstop. Even for him, that was no small strain—especially while hauling two living people.

“Hiss—ow, ow, ow...”

Still injured, Ailag sat up with a grimace, gritting his teeth and glaring.

“Couldn’t you be gentler?”

“I should be the one saying that. You’re the heavy one.”

Muen rubbed his wrist. “Weighed a ton.”

“Eh? Heavy?”

Liya tilted her head, her clear, watery eyes blinking up at him.

“Am I heavy?”

“No, Liya’s not heavy at all. I was talking about this ungrateful guy.”

Muen said it with total sincerity.

“A beautiful girl’s weight is infinitely close to zero. No matter how long I hold you, I’ll never get tired.”

“Really?”

Liya patted her abundant chest with relief. “Thank goodness. I thought I’d gotten fatter again.”

“How could that be? Liya’s figure is just right.” Muen smiled.

“...Tch.”

Disgusting pair.

Ailag clicked his tongue sourly and staggered to his feet. Perhaps due to his injuries, he stumbled and nearly fell, coughing up a mouthful of thick black blood.

“You all right?”

Muen frowned, wiping away the splattered blood with his handkerchief.

He’d gone through all that trouble to drag this tool along—if Ailag dropped dead before being useful, that’d be a real loss.

“Want Liya to heal you?”

“N-no need.”

Ailag waved his hands quickly. “I can use healing magic too. After some emergency treatment earlier, this blood is just the remaining clots clearing up. No need to waste Miss Liya’s energy. In our current situation, her role’s far more important than mine.”

“...True.”

Muen readily agreed. Indeed, no matter what, Liya was much more valuable—in terms of utility, of course.

“So could you maybe not be so stingy about it?” Ailag’s cheek twitched at how casually Muen dismissed him.

Still, seeing that Ailag was alert enough to complain, Muen knew he’d live.

“Didn’t expect you to survive this long. Not bad.”

“Heh. Illusion Magic isn’t good for much, but when it comes to misleading others, it’s unmatched.”

“So Freya didn’t give you a flower?”

“Of course she did, but...”

Ailag pressed a hand to his chest, expression melting into bliss. “My heart already belongs to a goddess. Naturally, I can endure temptation. Forget a mere flower—even if Freya threw herself into my arms, I wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“......”

Great. Another simp.

Once he was sure Ailag was fine, Muen turned his focus back to the environment.

The twisted forest of flesh had grown thicker, filled with a deeper haze of blood-mist. Visibility was poor—but perhaps because of the moonlight spilling down from the pale disc above, Muen could still clearly see the tall, ancient black tower rising in the distance.

“That’s... the tower?”

Ailag stared in surprise.

“You’re coming to such an obvious spot? Aren’t you afraid Freya will catch up?”

“No problem. If she does, we’ll just keep running. When it comes to running, I’ve never feared anyone. What bothers me more is—”

Mid-sentence, Muen’s eyes hardened. He turned sharply to the side.

“Who’s there? Come out!”

“What?”

Ailag and Liya both tensed instantly. As Muen barked the order, the fleshy undergrowth nearby rustled violently—and within the blood mist, a figure approached.

“Don’t be afraid—it’s me.”

The figure emerged slowly. It was... a snake!

A massive white serpent thrust its barrel-sized head out from the jungle, hissing as its cold eyes reflected their stunned faces.

“A monster! And it can talk!”

Ailag instantly ducked behind Muen. “I’m no good with this kind of freak—she’s all yours!”

Liya pressed close to Muen too—not out of tactics, but simply because pretty girls hate snakes.

“There’s still a proper monster in a place like this?”

Muen frowned and drew his twin blades.

“Fine. Looks like dinner’s sorted.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I said it’s me! Don’t you recognize my cute, lovely voice?”

The white snake suddenly opened its jaws. Out slid a dripping, slime-covered figure whose wet clothes clung to her skin, revealing a sensual silhouette.

The serpent dissolved into mist. The woman’s body twisted gracefully on the ground before she pushed herself up with effort, brushed her hair aside—and revealed a rather beautiful face.

“Miss Phil! You actually escaped?”

Seeing her face, Liya gasped in shock.

“Hehe. Sure, I was the first one targeted—but as the Origin Tower’s most exceptional young talent, a dual Saintess candidate and magical genius, how could I possibly fall to that little bitch Freya?”

“But...”

Phil turned to Muen, gratitude on her face.

“I still have to thank Mr. Muen for that incredible Illumination just now. As expected of that great person’s disciple—Mr. Muen could wield even a simple lighting spell with world-shaking brilliance! Truly awe-inspiring!”

Muen: “......”

As reasonable as the compliment was, why did it make him feel oddly guilty?

“That was nothing. You all right?”

Muen extended a hand toward her—having a powerful mage like Phil join them was honestly a relief.

“I’m fine, I’m fi—blech—”

“......”

Muen silently retracted his hand, wiping the blood off his sleeve.

What, is spitting blood some kind of trend with you people?

“Miss Phil!”

Liya cried out and rushed to her side, casting Holy Light to purify and heal her wounds.

The gaping hole through her abdomen visibly closed. A bit of color returned to Phil’s face—but she quickly stopped Liya.

“No need to heal the rest. That’s not an injury—it’s backlash from overusing my magic. It can’t be healed.”

“Eh? Then what now?”

Though her external wounds were gone, Liya could clearly sense the chaotic state inside Phil—her mana and vitality tangled in disorder.

“It’s fine.”

Phil waved it off lightly. “Small ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) problem. I just need some rest.”

“I see.”

Since Phil looked so nonchalant, everyone else relaxed a little too.

“But...”

Phil’s tone suddenly shifted. “While I rest, things might get a little... you know.”

“You know?”

“So...”

Phil bashfully turned to Muen, her voice soft and syrupy.

“As the disciple of that great person, Mr. Muen must be an upright, noble man who wouldn’t abandon a weak girl with no knight to protect her, right?”

“Huh?”

Muen blinked—and before he could react, Phil’s head lolled to the side and she fainted dead away.

Liya: “......”

Ailag: “......”

Muen: “......”

So after all that struggle to escape, you came just to be extra baggage?

A vein pulsed faintly on Muen’s forehead. If Phil weren’t obviously badly hurt, he’d have thought Freya sent her as a spy.

Still...

He couldn’t actually abandon her, could he?

Muen sighed and reached out to lift her up—but halfway through the motion, he froze.

“Ailag, you carry her.”

“Eh? Me?”

Ailag pointed at himself. “I’m injured—and I’m a mage—and you want me to carry her?”

“Of course.”

Muen nodded gravely. “I’m the only reliable fighter here. I need to stay ready at all times. Naturally, I’ll leave the minor chores to you.”

“...Son of a—”

Muen watched in satisfaction as Ailag—whose heart belonged wholly to his “goddess”—reluctantly hoisted Phil onto his back.

Yes, he was just using his tools properly. It definitely wasn’t because, the moment he’d started to lift Phil himself, he’d felt a chilling gaze on him.

...

After a brief rest, the group moved on, soon arriving beneath the giant tower.

Passing through the blood mist, they finally saw it clearly—and realized it was even grander than imagined.

Its body soared skyward, seemingly piercing the clouds, and even its base alone was a colossal mound at least a hundred meters tall. Only a narrow staircase, wide enough for two or three people abreast, led upward toward the tower’s entrance.

Before that massive, pitch-black monolith, they were as small as ants.