As Ian expected, the ring was the key that controlled every incantation and spell circuit of the magic tower.

Swoosh—

Even now, Ian could clearly see the pure white Mantra circuits carved inside the ring slowly losing their light, which was precisely why he had taken notice of it from the beginning.

"I figured it had some role like that," said Thesaya, wiping the blood from her nose with the back of her hand.

Then she glanced upward. "But why are the spell circuits still like that?"

Ian turned to her as she finally approached. "I haven’t put it on yet."

"Ah, right," Thesaya stopped where she stood.

She gave him a slight smile. "Well, since you’ve already taken the most valuable thing... would you mind if I kept that staff?"

So that was what she was getting at.

Ian snorted softly and glanced at the staff lying on the ground beside them. "Go ahead."

"Really?" Thesaya’s eyes widened as she smiled.

Without hesitation, she tossed the staff she had been holding aside and turned toward it. "Honestly, I didn’t expect you to agree that quickly! Well, I did pull my weight."

She kicked the severed arm that was gripping the staff out of the way and bent down with a small exclamation. "Good grief. How many magic stones are embedded in this thing? This is the most absurdly overbuilt staff I’ve ever seen—"

"Just don’t get greedy about anything else," Ian said, his gaze dropping to the ring resting in his palm.

It was enough to make Thesaya pause mid-motion as she picked up the staff.

"Anything else? So there are even better treasures on the top floor... right. Hmm. Maybe I should’ve thought about this more carefully."

Straightening up again, Thesaya clicked her tongue.

Ian simply shrugged instead of answering.

Then, just as he was about to slide the thick ring onto his hand, Nasser’s voice called out from the other side. "Have you dealt with the Tower Master completely, my lord?"

His breathing was somewhat heavy, but his tone was much the same as usual.

"Yeah. I killed it." Ian paused and turned his head as he answered, closing his right hand around the ring again.

The first thing that caught his eye was Mev, holding the divine sword reverently before her; judging by the slight tilt of her helmet, she seemed to be offering a prayer.

"Thanks to all of you, it went smoothly," Ian added as he slowly swept his gaze around.

The armored slaves lying around them were completely motionless. Moro was pressing down on the helmet of one with its forepaw, crushing it bit by bit.

Miguel scratched the back of his head as he approached from beyond the fallen armored giant.

"I still didn’t expect you to finish faster than we did. I heard the masters of magic towers are archmages who have reached the realm of transcendence," said Nasser. He slid his sword back into its sheath and took a moment to catch his breath.

Scratches and cuts covered his exposed muscular forearms. None of the wounds seemed deep, though both arms were soaked with sweat and blood.

"And that one had even become a corrupted being who had shed the mortal coil," Thesaya added while examining the long staff, nearly as tall as herself.

It seemed she had already given up any lingering interest in the other spoils, a satisfied smile lingering at the corner of her lips.

"Well... no matter how powerful a spell is, it means nothing if you can’t cast it," Ian said as he exchanged a glance with Thesaya before turning toward the others. "Like I said, things were a lot easier thanks to everyone doing their part."

"I’m glad we were of help," Mev replied calmly.

It seemed she had finished her prayer, as she slid Blazing Judgment, its blade now restored to its pure white sheen, back into its scabbard.

Their eyes met briefly, and Ian gave her a faint smile as he began walking.

"Our side wasn’t difficult to fight either," Nasser said, slinging his shield across his back. "Of course, that’s thanks to the two of you dealing with the archmage. Still, it’s a bit disappointing if these are supposed to be the Gray Magic Tower’s elite."

"Your bragging gets worse by the day, Half-Ear. Your arms are covered in blood." Thesaya snorted as she followed behind, resting the whirlwind-shaped staff across her shoulder.

Nasser glanced down at his arms and shrugged. "I suppose it might look that way. But it’s an honest assessment. The missions I carried out during my time with the Purification Squad were far more dangerous. Most of them didn’t end this easily."

"You really don’t know when to stop talking, do you?" Thesaya scoffed again.

From behind them came a low cough.

"Well... everyone really did a great job..." Miguel was now standing beside Moro, awkwardly holding its reins.

Scratching the bridge of his nose with his prosthetic arm, he muttered, "This is pretty embarrassing, just standing around watching..."

"You’re doing great. Keep it up," said Ian.

He was looking at the fallen armored giant ahead. Through the shattered visor, the charred face inside was faintly visible. Large tusks jutted upward from its mouth.

It really was an orc mutated through experimentation.

"You really mean I should keep doing nothing?" Miguel asked, frowning as Ian stopped in front of him.

Ian opened the fist holding the ring of the Gray Magic Tower and nodded. "Yeah. Probably."

He needed to take control of the tower before heading to the middle levels. Doing that would make everything else much easier.

As Ian picked up the ring with his left hand, Thesaya, who had stopped beside him, said, "Well, it makes sense. That golden fist of yours should be saved for the top level, Prosthetic."

"The top level?" Miguel looked at her in confusion.

She tilted the staff resting against the back of her neck as if showing it off. "You know—the place where they keep the successful test subjects."

"Wait... you’re saying I’m supposed to fight those things?" Miguel asked, his brow twisting in disbelief.

Nasser, wearing his usual smile, nodded as if in agreement. "Well, if our secret weapon is going to step in, the opponents should be worthy of it."

"Come on now, don’t tease me like that... with that secret weapon nonsense." Miguel sighed, looking uncomfortable.

"I’m not teasing you. I mean it."

At Nasser’s immediate reply, Miguel let out an uneasy sigh.

Mev, who had stepped closer, nodded as if in agreement.

"The reason I told you to stay back is that the thing carved into your prosthetic arm is a Mantra circuit," Ian said, slowly sliding the ring onto the middle finger of his right hand. "Another dragon’s magic can break dragon magic. Once I gain control of the tower, there’ll be no reason to take that risk—" Ian paused mid-sentence, his brow tightening.

It wasn’t only because the moment the ring slid onto his finger, the Mantra circuit within it began trembling as it drew in his magic.

A quest window had appeared before his eyes.

The others’ gazes immediately turned toward him.

"Is that okay, Ian?" Thesaya asked, narrowing her eyes. She had likely sensed the unstable waves coming from the ring.

"No. It’s not okay," Ian finally said while staring at the quest window, his brow furrowed. "Just putting this on doesn’t transfer ownership. There’s a succession procedure."

"A succession procedure?" Thesaya repeated.

Ian nodded and closed the quest window. "If it isn’t completed in time, the tower will collapse."

"What?"

"What did you say!?"

The eyes of the entire group widened at once.

Rumble...

A low vibration began spreading throughout the entire area. The red glow of the spell circuits covering the ceiling flickered ominously like a rippling wave.

So it was another trap...

The name of the quest passed through Ian’s mind again.

[Collapse or Seizure.]

Of course, he had no time to dwell on its details.

Ian turned his gaze and said, "Miguel, you’re coming with me to the top level."

"Uh, with you? A-Alright!" Miguel nodded blankly.

"The rest of you go to the middle level," said Ian, looking back at the group.

"Once there, should we kill the remaining mages along with the slaves?" Nasser asked, seeming to have recovered from the shock. Mev nodded beside him.

Ian immediately nodded in return. "Yeah. But if it looks like the tower is about to collapse, don’t hesitate. Head down to the lower levels. You’ll have to get out."

"Wait, then what about you, Ian?" Thesaya’s eyes widened.

Ian gestured for Miguel to come over and turned as he answered, "The gate connected to the center should be on the top levels. If things go wrong, I’ll use that. If that happens, we’ll meet again in Drenorov."

"Come back before that, if possible, Ian," Mev added.

Ian looked back at her and nodded without the slightest hesitation. That was what he wanted most as well. After all, he intended to make use of the magic tower.

"Is this the time to exchange looks? Move, Redhead! Get on Moro already!" Thesaya shouted as she sprinted forward.

Nasser and Mev immediately turned toward Moro’s saddle, and Ian also dashed toward the elevator leading to the top levels.

"Whoa!"

At the same time, he seized Miguel with his will and yanked him forward. Miguel’s body bent backward at the waist before shooting forward like a cannonball.

Ian, running, didn’t even spare him a glance.

Rumble...

Ian’s gaze swept along both sides of the street. The doors hidden throughout the wall-like surfaces were opening one after another on their own.

It was likely a protocol allowing the remaining mages to escape before the tower collapsed.

Why is everything built underground designed to bury everyone alive?

Ian clicked his tongue. The situation had become thoroughly tiresome.

Then again, spellcasters were exactly the sort who would rather destroy the tower than let anyone else claim it.

Tap, tap, tap!

Ian slid to a stop, and Miguel rolled across the floor right after him as they both tumbled into the elevator.

The spell circuits inside the elevator were flickering as well, but Ian paid them no mind.

Thud—

The moment he touched the point where magic was gathered with his Willful Grasp, the elevator doors immediately began closing.

Beyond them, the others could be seen sprinting across the upper level toward the opposite elevator. Just like Ian, none of them looked back.

His glance toward them lasted only a moment.

Rumble...

The doors shut completely, and the elevator began to move.

The doors had closed much faster than before, probably because the tower was now in emergency mode. Red light flickered ominously as Miguel sat on the floor, breathing heavily.

Fuck...

Ian pulled his magic staff from his pocket dimension and cursed. With the vibration of the elevator added in, the rumbling felt even more pronounced.

He naturally thought things might not have been this sudden or chaotic in the game. Normally, they would not have reached this point while leaving so many enemies behind, nor would the Tower Master have left the top level so easily.

He could have simply abandoned the tower and escaped, or completed the succession procedure on the top level.

"Lu Entre... damn it all..." Miguel muttered weakly as he pushed himself to his feet, one hand braced against the wall. His voice was filled with fear.

Ian glanced at him briefly. "I know you’re scared, but save the spell in that prosthetic."

"A-Alright... I got it. But..." Miguel swallowed and looked at Ian. "Why did you drag me along anyway? I’m not going to be much help."

"That’s exactly why I brought you. If you stayed with them right now, you’d only slow them down."

"I see..." Miguel smacked his lips lightly in response.

Ian shrugged. "And we need to prepare for the worst."

"Huh?"

"You’re the secret weapon, aren’t you?"

Miguel frowned as if he had no idea what Ian meant.

Ian merely curled one corner of his mouth into a faint smirk and looked away without explaining further.

It wasn’t only because he was too lazy to elaborate.

Thud, thud, thud...

The vibrations gradually weakened, and the closed doors opened.

Beyond them, the view of the top level appeared, bathed in flickering red light. Unlike the levels below, it looked less like a city and more like the interior of a castle.