Tower of Paradise

I walked down the corridor without hesitation. The scenery around me sped by. At first glance, the building seemed to have a complex structure, but it turned out to be quite simple if you distinguished between accessible and inaccessible rooms.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the second and third floors would be like the first, so these assumptions only applied to the first-floor passages.

As we advanced, my attention focused on every detail of the surroundings. Distant sounds, variations in light, the texture of the walls… everything could provide valuable information.

—Oh? Alice, look —I said after a while, when I found the first area of interest. The room we saw to the south looked like an infirmary, but this one had an entirely different atmosphere—. That door looks really suspicious.

—It’s covered in blood —she replied, her voice tense.

A firmly shut iron door and walls still bearing faint black marks that looked like bloodstains loomed before us. And inside… the blood of something alive seemed to flow. What the hell? Something that had been living and breathing there for a long time.

—Alice, this room seems pretty dangerous. Are you going to investigate it too? —I asked, gauging her reaction while maintaining my own composure.

—Yes —she replied without hesitation.

—But there’s a chance it’s a trap.

—Got a problem with that?

—No. Do what you want…

After saying that, I shut my mouth. Here we go again.

—We need to investigate every room to find the Evolutionary Container, don’t you know that, child? —Alice clicked her tongue, looking at me with annoyance—. And most importantly, the enemy in that room should already know we’re here.

I perfectly understood what Alice meant: it was too late to back out, so we’d have to fight head-on. I genuinely believed it would be better to just open the door and fight. A nervous smile spread across my face as I mentally prepared for whatever was about to happen. Seeing me ready, Alice approached the door.

She moved her hand and placed it on the doorknob. Originally, it was a massive iron door that couldn’t be opened by one person alone, but that was nothing compared to spells that could enhance strength. The door had been shut for a long time, so when Alice moved it, a chilling screech echoed as it was forced open. The air around the room felt heavy.

—Ugh! What’s that stench?! —I exclaimed, feeling the putrid odor invade my nostrils.

With a bit more force, Alice opened the door at that moment, and a wave of foul smell engulfed us, while a massive fist hurtled toward her body with shocking speed. But she didn’t stand still; just as it seemed she would be crushed, a translucent sphere formed by dozens of hexagons began to materialize around her body. The barrier glowed with a faint bluish shimmer, a physical manifestation of her defensive power.

—Kya-ah! —The monster roared deafeningly. The arm, which paused for a moment, twisted with force and then shattered the barrier into fragments, lunging toward her again.

It broke Alice’s barrier that easily? Is it that strong? I was stunned.

Unlike the minions we had faced earlier, this creature was clearly more humanoid, more developed, and seemed far more formidable. With a stature similar to an adult’s, its figure was much more muscular and defined, with a sculpted body that seemed carved from darkness itself. It appeared to be the second evolution of the minions. Its skin, devoid of fur, was a light brown, adorned with sharp, blood-red claws that looked ready to tear through flesh at any moment.

Its head had four black stripes like hair, which seemed to be the only distinguishing marks on its face, connected by a ceramic plate that fell backward, forming a ponytail. Two vertical eyes, which appeared to look in opposite directions, were positioned on the two central stripes, giving the impression that the creature had four eyes staring unsettlingly in all directions. A sinister smile, seemingly carved into its face, revealed its large teeth, and the absence of a nose gave it a terrifying appearance that sent shivers down my spine for a moment.

Then I saw the monster’s right hand crash to the ground with an explosive impact as Alice leaped to the side to dodge the attack. Without wasting a second, I focused my energy on a new spell. I visualized intense heat, perfect combustion, absolute control over the element that best responded to my will.

[Level 2 Spell: Crimson Ring]

A ring of fire formed around the creature under my command. The minion that fell backward screamed in pain, a chilling sound that echoed throughout the room. The flames rose rapidly, forming a blazing column that slowly consumed its sturdy body, though I knew it wouldn’t be enough to finish it off.

—My turn.

At that precise moment, she completed her spell, giving the minion no time to even stand and counterattack. A high-level containment spell, designed to trap anything trying to escape the target area. I watched in fascination as a crystalline structure rose from the ground, encasing the burning minion in a hexagonal cage of translucent but impenetrable walls. The creature screeched and threw itself against the walls of its prison, but its efforts were futile.

It was impressive that Alice could handle a spell of such complexity with apparent ease, a reminder of the gap in our experience and power levels. But she wasn’t done yet. Perhaps angered that the minion had broken her barrier, she was preparing a far more powerful spell. From the expression on her face, it seemed the spell she had chosen was at the edge of her current capabilities. Normally, she wouldn’t have attempted something so advanced in a real combat situation, but the circumstances demanded it.

I felt the mana flow through Alice’s body, concentrating in her hands until it formed a sphere of golden light and intense heat. The dense beam shot through the air like a miniature comet, striking the minion directly in the chest. A loud explosion followed, making me stagger and bringing a wave of heat and dust, which, fortunately, was blocked by Alice’s defensive barrier.

Defensive spells were highly potent but consumed vast amounts of mana, leaving a mage drained of stellar energy in seconds if deployed over a wide range.

When I regained my balance, I looked toward the area where the minion had been caged and couldn’t help but take a deep breath. All I could see was that where the lightning bolt had struck, there was now a three-meter-long and wide, two-meter-deep crater of additional thunder. As for the minion, it had been reduced to charred ash, leaving only cinders where it once stood.

—Reinhardt, well done —Alice said, her voice carrying genuine recognition. It was the first time she had called me by my name, which pleasantly surprised me.

I looked at Alice with burning eyes. Her slender frame was small and seemed insignificant, yet she could attack with such force. Was this the strength of a mage?

—Phew, that’s a relief! —I let out the breath I had been holding for what felt like an eternity.

We surveyed the room in silence. Alice was breathing heavily, tilting her head back; she looked exhausted but not so much that she couldn’t move.

—Now let’s search this room and take what we can salvage —she ordered, resuming her usual practical demeanor.

—Alright.

I had noticed that Alice seemed like a grumpy pirate hunting for treasure, always on the lookout for any valuable or useful item we could find along the way. After saying that, she walked toward the shadows where the light flickered faintly. There were still five rooms left to explore in that sector.