Although the tower offered them rooms, the tent was more comfortable for so reason. Arthur felt as if his room was being monitored all the ti, probably by the immortal sage. Inside the tent, he was alone. Well, not entirely alone. The woman remained in place after he finished his shower. Arthur decided that he had to understand what she wanted. After putting on his clothes, he ca out of the bathroom and sat in front of her. The two locked eyes for a few seconds.
"If there is nothing else, then please leave," said Arthur with a frown. The woman looked at him for a few seconds before rising from her seat and leaving the tent. Arthur sighed, feeling guilty for treating her like this.
Since the Huntsn Clan would find his friend for him, Arthur had enough free ti to look at his other rewards for defeating the Night Panther. The three basic rewards were a second floor entry, doubled reward points, and a skill.
The last of the three was sothing that Arthur had waited for a long ti. After opening the list, he found countless skills under two categories. The first ones were the ones that already belonged to him outside the tower, and the others were new ones he could keep even after leaving the tower.
[Dismantle.]
[Extract]
[Attract]
[Vanish]
These were all skills that the tower had to offer. However, Arthur realized that not all of them were available. The powerful ones were locked with different numbers beside them. After so pondering, Arthur realized that he needed to obtain more than one skill to unlock the powerful ones.
It made sense, but left him dejected that he would not be growing stronger at the current ti. However, as he went through the list of skills, Arthur was shocked speechless by how powerful so of them were.
[Clairvoyance]
[teors]
[Monster Creation]
[Interdinsional Travel]
This skill would change a person's fate once he obtained them. The list went on, making Arthur dizzy from scrolling endlessly. However, after a while, he reached the final skill. It was sothing that Arthur expected, but was still surprised to see.
[Red Tower]
The price for this was not written, as it was left blank. Arthur expected that he would only be able to buy this skill after he clears the final floor and passes the trial. It made him sigh before closing it. The skills would have to wait for now.
After he finished eating and taking a shower, Arthur rose from the table and went outside. It was still dayti, and he could not laze around waiting for the clansn to find the others. As soon as he left the tent, his eyes saw sothing in the distance.
On the far end of the camp and behind the Chief's tent, Arthur saw him talking to the woman from earlier. A regular person would never be able to see sothing so far, but Arthur had the perception of a monster at the mont. Thus, he could see and even hear them if he focused.
"Have you managed to gain his favor?" asked the Chief with his hands behind his back. The woman remained silent but shook her head. "I figured he would not fall for this… but your Seduction skill should be powerful enough to make him fancy you. That was the only reason I made you choose it, but you are wasting its potential."
Arthur furrowed his brows at the scene. He could tell that the Chief thought no one could hear or see them since they were so far from everyone. Thus, he could say such disgusting things without a care.
"Have you taken off the mask when you went into the tent?" asked the Chief again, this ti turning toward the woman. "The skill would not activate if they can't see your face. I cannot have the clansn lusting over my daughter, but… this man is too powerful to leave us. Your mission is to make sure he stays."
Again, the woman did not respond. Arthur saw the Chief turn toward her with disappointed eyes before throwing a final threat. "If you also fail this mission, then you must leave the clan."
After that, the two separated. The woman remained rooted in place while Arthur felt sympathy for her. He was right about the mindset within this tower. Strength was everything, and that made morals fade. Although she was the Chief's daughter, she was being used for her looks.
"Are you refreshed, Seika?" asked Elinor, who ca over with her husband. "We wanted to give you a tour of the place as thanks."
"Thanks for what?" asked Arthur with confusion. "For beating Wanji?"
"Haha," laughed Haldor with nervousness as he shook his head. "Although he can be too hotheaded, Wanji is not a bad person. After witnessing your strength, we realized that you must have been the person who saved from the ogre. You destroyed its weapon, right?"
Although he had no plans to reveal it, the couple seed to be intuitive enough to realize it. Thus, he nodded, making their eyes widen in surprise. Then, the two bowed down to him.
"We thought that we saved you when we were the ones who needed saving," said Haldor with gratitude. "I apologize for being wary of you earlier. I will do my best to repay the debt I owe."
"If that is the case," said Arthur with a frown, "Tell who the masked woman is. She ca to my room earlier, but I had to turn her away."
"Masked woman?" muttered Elinor with confusion. "You must an Evelina, the Chief's daughter, right? What brought her to your room?"
"I wanted to ask the sa question. You seem oblivious to the situation, but your husband looks like he knows sothing," said Arthur as he squinted his eyes. "I am not an unreasonable man, but I hate being manipulated, Haldor."
"…I already said that I would return the debt," said Haldor with a determined face. "I overheard the chief command her to seduce you. It is his way of making you stay here and make use of your strength."
"…the Chief did such a thing?" Elinor seed appalled and disgusted. "How could he use his own daughter in such a manner?"
"Would it have been less disgusting to use soone unrelated to him?" asked Arthur with ridicule. Elinor was caught off guard by the reality before her eyes, and she could not help but fall silent. "I understand that this is the world you live in, but don't try to make a part of it."
"Chief has his own ways that we cannot interfere with," said Haldor with an apologetic face. "He is not a bad person, but the responsibility of five hundred survivors lies on his shoulders. Xeloria has already issued bounties over our heads."
"Principles are not about choosing the easy way, but the right way," said Arthur with a sigh before shaking his head. "I will not interfere with this. Have you sent n to find my friends?"
"We have already received a report about an incident in the northern valley. It seems soone has made their way into the dragon's nest, and we suspect it to be soone from your group," said Haldor. "We ca here to report that."
"The dragon's nest?" muttered Arthur before a smile ford over his face. "The culprit is likely to be my friend. How can I get there?"
"We will guide you," said Elinor with a determined face. "Let us do this much to repay you. If sothing happened to Haldor, my entire world would collapse. I also have a debt to repay."
"Elinor…"
"You are making too big of a deal from a minor help," said Arthur. "Although I don't like this clan, you two might be the only exception. Guide there, and I will owe you one in the future. I know this must be dangerous, so don't refuse."
The two nodded, and the three headed toward the gates. Even after they left the camp, Arthur could feel soone's gaze on his back. He turned around to see if it was the Chief, but the gaze disappeared. After a few monts, Elinor called for him.
The northern valley was a few hours away from the camp. Elinor and her husband led Arthur through the secret routes created by the clansn. So of them were tunnels that went underground for miles, while others were bridges created between the trees.
As the sun started heading west, casting long shadows behind the trees, the three reached the northern valley. As the two had reported, monsters rushed out of the valley as it shook every now and then. Arthur could hear the distant screams of warriors trying to overtake a great monster.
"There are more than just one person in this valley," said Arthur with a frown. "As I recall, the dragon was attacking the city walls when I arrived. Is it possible that Xeloria has retaliated?"
"It could be, but there was no such report earlier," said Elinor with a frown. "Whoever attacked the dragon's nest is an outsider. Everyone knows better than digging their own grave."
"We have one way to find out," said Arthur before he jumped down from the trees. As soon as he landed on a branch below, he bolted forward with great speed. The branch broke beneath his feet while he turned into an arrow heading toward the valley.
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