The Tower Master did not answer Ian’s friendly greeting. It wasn't just that the sudden ambush had left him speechless.

Swoosh—

Before Ian had even finished speaking, a whirlwind carrying dust and shards of ice surged up around the old man. The Whirling Barrier, a protective spell he had cast beforehand, had activated.

Ian’s Willful Grasp shattered against it, but it pushed back the wind, tearing open a large gap in the spinning barrier for a moment.

Whoosh!

More than enough space for Ian, wrapped in the Whirlwind, to charge through.

Without taking his eyes off the Tower Master, Ian flicked his left hand forward.

The Tower Master’s eyes widened further at the bright blue trajectory shooting from Ian’s hand.

Almost simultaneously, magic spread through the hooded cloak draped over him, and an orange barrier bloomed before his face.

The barrier spell protecting him wasn’t just one layer.

Of course, this too had been within Ian’s expectations.

Crack!

The incoming trajectory slammed into the very center of the barrier. The dagger containing blue magic laced with lightning finally became clearly visible.

At the same time, a quest window appeared before Ian’s eyes.

[Twisted Devourer, Pilgrim.]

That was likely the Tower Master’s name.

Zip, zap!

By the time Ian closed the window, arcs of lightning bursting from the dagger had already spread across the barrier like a spiderweb.

It could not break the barrier, but it was more than enough to destabilize it.

Raising his bent left arm to shield his face, Ian plunged straight into the wavering barrier.

Crash—

The lightning-filled barrier shattered like glass. Passing through the fragments that scattered away like evaporating blue sparks, Ian swung the magic staff in his right hand with force.

Still got another barrier?

He glared at Pilgrim’s raised purple eyes beyond the barrier. Of course, he did not need to hear the answer.

Crackle—

The claw-like metal ornament gripping the essence bead at the wand’s tip slammed directly into Pilgrim’s face.

Wind burst along the wand, whipping the Tower Master’s hood off. Long white hair scattered through the air, and his face caved inward under the impact.

Boom!

As the essence bead unleashed the spell it held, the amplified Vacuum Explosion, Pilgrim’s head exploded without leaving even a trace.

Thud—

At nearly the same moment, Ian’s knee drove into Pilgrim’s chest beneath the cloak.

The headless body crumpled under the impact. Dark blood burst violently from the torn neck and shoulders, as if squeezed from the ruined corpse.

Skrrr...

Ian slid to a stop, his knee still crushing Pilgrim’s torso beneath him.

Moments later, the blood splattering everywhere evaporated into purple mist.

Swoosh—

The same thing happened to the body pinned beneath Ian. The already skeletal frame shriveled further as it released thick purple vapor like fog.

Watching the transformation, Ian planted his foot firmly on the ground and raised the magic wand again.

So it’s not dead yet.

Ian had sensed immediately that this wasn’t something that happened because Pilgrim had died. The old man had already cast off the mortal shell. His human form had only been a husk.

The quest completion window hadn’t appeared either.

Of course, Ian had no intention of politely waiting for the creature to reveal its true form.

Whoosh...

Gray magic swirled in Ian’s eyes as violet light sharpened at their center. The essence bead at the tip of the wand he held trembled, filled with chaos and magic power.

At the same time, his Willful Grasp pulled the Pale Lightning Dagger lying on the ground into his left hand.

Crunch!

Ian slammed the wand down into the center of Pilgrim’s caved-in chest.

The essence bead released its stored power instantly.

Boom!

Pilgrim’s entire upper body exploded. Arms and legs scattered wildly, and the chaos mixed into the Vacuum Explosion burned the spreading purple mist with dazzling brilliance.

Sparks filled the air around Ian.

Swoosh—

The purple smoke that had been dispersing gathered together some distance ahead. At its center, it began to form the shape of an enlarged brain.

It pulsed like a heart, slicing through the air as it fled farther away.

Thump— thump—

It was clearly the core of chaos Pilgrim carried—the source of his existence.

Even as it fled, a central nervous system began to grow downward from it, and ominous symbols of unknown meaning were slowly carving themselves across the brain’s surface.

Where do you think you’re going?

Ian clenched his teeth as he forcibly halted the staff that had been recoiling from the strike.

Beyond the purple brain, which was speeding away through the surging mist, massive ice crystals spread outward.

Crack, crack, crack—

As Ian launched himself forward, his head instinctively turned up to the right.

"Why? Thought I was just going to watch?" Thesaya stood on the rooftop, blue light gleaming in her eyes. Blood streamed from both nostrils, yet she wore a wide grin.

The slowness of her voice was likely due to his Concentration reaching an extreme state.

Honestly, I kind of expected you to.

Ian’s lips curled slightly upward.

His gaze shifted forward again.

The purple brain, racing away while covered in a membrane, had just slammed straight into the Crystal Barrier

Crash, boom!

Cracks spread across the surface of the Crystal Barrier, and the lump of membrane that had been lodged deep inside it bounced back out. The nervous system sprouting beneath it dangled like tentacles, making it resemble a grotesque, enormous purple jellyfish.

Swoosh!

Cutting through the violently swirling purple mist of chaos, Ian closed in on its center. He thrust the dagger clutched in his left hand forward.

The blade was already glowing violet.

Whoosh—

At almost the same moment, purple patterns erupted across the membrane’s surface like a seizure. However, the dagger’s blade, carving a violet arc as it drove in, was faster than the completion of that unknown spell of the void.

Crunch...

The resistance that surged up the blade felt like stabbing into solid stone.

Of course, he did not let go of the hilt.

Instead, Ian clenched it harder and pushed his left hand forward to its very limit, even driving his Willful Grasp along the dagger’s handle.

Crackle!

The moment the blade sank deeper, a purple light flashed behind the membrane. The surface, covered in writhing patterns, convulsed violently.

Zip, zap!

Immediately afterward, violet lightning burst from the blade, flooding the interior with blinding light. The symbols etched across the membrane flickered and twisted in distortion.

Splash—

The membrane surrounding the massive brain slammed into the Crystal Barrier once more. Ian, still gripping the dagger, was driven into the membrane along with it.

Damn it.

The sensation was sticky, soft, and utterly revolting.

Instead, he forced a Chain Lightning spell, infused with both magic and chaos power, through the dagger.

By then, the arm holding the dagger had already pierced the membrane and plunged deep inside.

Boom! Zap!

A moment later, the space beyond the membrane was engulfed in blinding violet light. Soon after, an incomprehensible psychic wave erupted from the membrane with thunderous force.

Ian realized then that it was Pilgrim’s final death cry.

Boom!

Before the lightning had even faded, the interior of the flickering membrane burst apart in a surge of purple.

The substance inside oozed thickly for a brief moment. Then the purple mist that had been drawn in burst out, the entire membrane exploding like a water balloon.

Drenched in sticky, cold slime, Ian was flung away.

This is fucking disgusting!

Even as dizziness and revulsion washed over him, Ian gritted his teeth and raised both arms to shield his face.

A moment later, he slammed into the ground at an angle.

Clash—

Ian bounced heavily and rolled across the ground. With no armor, he had to absorb the entire impact with his body.

He curled instinctively and soon steadied himself, coming to a stop.

Swoosh...

Kneeling on one knee, Ian pressed his dagger hand against the ground.

Purple smoke slowly seeped from him. The slime covering him was evaporating as if turning to vapor.

Thump... thump...

Of course, some of it seeped into him, following the resonant pulse emitted by the essence bead of chaos.

Ignoring it completely, Ian opened his eyes and lifted his head.

Swoosh—

The purple waves of chaos were dispersing faintly in all directions. Beyond them, the Crystal Barrier was melting away as if evaporating.

The lump of membrane and Pilgrim’s enlarged brain had already vanished without leaving a trace.

Right then, the quest completion window appeared clearly before Ian’s eyes.

"Phew..."

Closing the window, Ian finally let out the breath he had been holding.

Soon after, his brow furrowed slightly at the foul stench. The slime that had covered him had already evaporated, but the smell had not disappeared.

He cursed inwardly once more and rose to his feet.

"Are you alright, Ian? Your clothes are in tatters," said Thesaya.

With a teasing smile on her lips, she looked down at him from above, her silver hair swaying in the wind.

"I’m not okay at all," Ian replied flatly, slinging the staff over his shoulder.

He glanced at her briefly, then jerked his chin toward the opposite side. "Wipe your nose and follow me. It’s not over yet."

From the direction of their companions, the clash of metal and booming impacts were still erupting one after another.

"Well, it doesn’t look like they need help," said Thesaya, turning her head without losing the smile on her lips.

Ian turned as well, one eyebrow twitching slightly.

The first thing he saw was Moro, proudly lifting its head.

Snort—

The armored slave that had been impaled on the creature’s blade-like horn was flung upward. It was the one clutching a crossbow in one hand.

At the same time, Moro raised its foreleg and slammed the creature down with its armored head.

Crunch— Crunch—

Beside it, Nasser repeatedly smashed his shield down on another armored slave’s helmet. He had pinned the creature’s breastplate under one foot and driven his sword into its left arm so it could not lift the shield.

It looked like he had struck precisely into the narrow gap between pieces of armor.

Crack!

Each time Nasser brought the edge of his shield down, the helmet embedded in the stone slabs became more and more crushed.

Across from him, Mev was in much the same situation, standing with the fallen armored giant at her back.

Fwoosh—

She had one armored slave pinned beneath her foot and was thrusting Burning Judgment into the narrow gap between its armor and helmet.

The blade, glowing as though it held blue flames, sank deeper and deeper. Beside her, another armored slave, likely already dealt with by her, lay sprawled motionless.

"Yeah. No point butting in now," muttering, Ian let his arms hang loosely and looked past his companions.

The street, bathed in red light, was now littered with chunks of flesh and entrails. Only a few masked slaves remained, collapsed and unmoving as if their lives had already ended.

The only one still moving was Miguel, leaning awkwardly against a wall some distance away while watching the battle.

The rest of the masked slaves had likely fled up to the middle levels.

Grr...

Hearing the faint rumble echoing along the ceiling, Ian finally turned, sliding the dagger in his left hand back to his waist.

With his pocket dimension now somewhat emptier, he pushed the magic wand inside as well, calmly surveying the surroundings.

Pilgrim’s limbs, blown apart by the explosion, were still scattered across the ground. They had dried completely, drained of blood like shriveled husks.

There it is.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he walked toward the severed right arm lying some distance away.

Even after being cut off from the shoulder and reduced to a mummy-like husk, the hand was still gripping a gray staff studded with magic stones.

However, the object Ian wanted wasn’t the staff.

Crunch—

Ian’s Willful Grasp snapped the withered middle finger gripping the staff.

The thick metal ring worn on that finger flew toward him.

Ian caught it lightly with his right hand and immediately checked the information window.

Just as I thought.

A crooked smile tugged at one corner of his mouth as he looked down at the ring engraved with the emblem of the Gray Magic Tower.

"Don’t tell me that’s something like the Tower Master’s token?" said Thesaya. She had hopped down from the roadside and was walking over to him.

"Something like that."

Closing the information window, Ian shrugged.

"It means the Gray Magic Tower belongs to me now."