CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: THE PRICE OF GREED [1]

Everything was so peaceful.

The only noises were the hoots of owls, and the rustling of leaves against each other, creating a pleasant rustling sound.

Kael took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool air that the night had bestowed.

’The night isn’t that bad.’

He wished this peaceful moment would last forever.

It was just him and Evelyn sitting under the moonlight, watching it, not having to worry about anything.

’If only there was some food to nibble on now, that would be even better.’

But unfortunately, peace didn’t last long.

Especially for Kael, because it was as if he was hated by peace.

Rumble!

Just like last night, the ground began to shake.

And from afar, both he and Evelyn could hear the sound of hurried footsteps, and the deafening roars.

The Tower Creatures were approaching.

The same scenario as yesterday was repeating itself.

"...How long has this been going on, Evelyn?"

"Those monsters have been attacking me at night for about a week now."

"No wonder your face always looks tired and sleep deprived."

Evelyn and Kael stood up, preparing to fight.

It was like playing a tower defense game, but on the easiest level.

"Have you tried reporting to the academy?"

"No."

"Why?" His eyes widened, his mouth hanging open involuntarily.

A fly flew in, then quickly came back out.

"I just told you, the day I get revenge on those who bully me is coming."

"...You mean this is that bitch Sarah’s work?"

"Of course. Who else could it be?"

The first Tower Creature charged at Kael, but since it had a rather small body, he easily defeated it with a stab to the heart.

Blood splattered, staining his clothes and hands.

"Do you think the culprit used some kind of Artifact?"

Kael asked, even though he already knew the answer.

With his extensive knowledge of Tower of Glory, in this game, there was indeed an Artifact that could control Tower Creatures in the area around the user.

’It seems to be called [Absolute Imperative].’

"Definitely." The villainess replied.

At the same time, she caught a spark towards the forest, causing a flame to rise, burning everything, and continuously spreading.

But she had no intention of destroying this forest.

Therefore...

Snap!

With just a snap of her fingers, the flame was extinguished, dragging several other Tower Creatures down with it.

[Authority of Gluttony.]

Another two Tower Creatures were devoured by Kael’s darkness. Not even a single atom remained.

"But the one who used that Artifact was definitely not Sarah. She was just the mastermind."

Evelyn nodded.

"Anyway, the moment she used an Artifact to bully me, she already lost."

On the 21st floor , Artifacts were considered evil, extremely dangerous, and using them was considered a crime.

If one had to compare, then the punishment for the person using it would be no different from that for a traitor.

Death for that person would be certain.

Or if it were lighter, then that person would probably still be alive, but in return, his family and future would no longer exist.

"There shall be no dawn, no voice, no hope. Only the hunger of the end."

From within the darkness, a hand woven from the darkness of death appeared.

It immediately locked onto its target - the last Tower Creature, then rushed towards it at a speed that could not be followed by the naked eye.

That hand did not need to use too much effort to successfully imprison that Tower Creature.

Then, no matter how much it rebelled, that shadow hand just calmly dragged it into the pitch-black darkness.

Tearing it apart.

Eating it.

Imprisoning it forever.

In just under 2 minutes, more than 20 Tower Creatures were defeated, by just 2 people.

And the craziest thing was that they didn’t even have a single wound on their bodies.

"I wonder who the owner of that Artifact is?" Kael rubbed his chin.

Just like a shrunken detective did when deducing.

In order to activate [Absolute Imperative], the culprit had to be near this area.

But surely after activating it, that person had quickly escaped.

"I know who it is." Evelyn replied.

"Huh? You know? Who is it then?" He blinked a few times.

This villainess was truly the person he admired the most.

She was beautiful, cold, and had the mind of a genius.

"A student in our class."

"How can you be so sure? What if that person was a student from another class?"

"Sarah isn’t the type of person who would do something so troublesome. As for her, as long as the person is usable, that’s enough."

Kael seemed to understand a little.

"Those monsters always attack my house in the middle of the night, usually very late. My house is also quite far from the dormitory."

"..."

"And that culprit also has to run around to attract a large number of monsters. So the owner of that Artifact must spend a lot of time traveling."

"That means the time he spends sleeping will be greatly reduced. So when he goes to class, he will always be in a state of sleep deprivation?"

Kael interrupted.

"You are smart."

He took her compliment.

"And from what I observed, in the past week, there were only two people who were constantly sleep deprived."

"Only two?"

That number was much smaller than he thought.

"Yes. One was one of Sarah’s servants, and the other was a commoner."

Kael frowned slightly, pushing his brain to its maximum capacity.

"So the culprit is one of Sarah’s followers?"

"..."

The villainess fell silent, her sharp eyes fixed on his face.

It showed a bit of... disappointment?

Kael averted his eyes in embarrassment.

"Were you not listening?"

"...Am I wrong?"

"Sarah knew that if she used the Artifact, it would be a capital offense. And so would her loyal dogs."

"..."

"They would never do anything so risky, so they needed a sacrificial pawn."

"You mean... the one using the Artifact was that commoner you mentioned? Why would he do that?"

Evelyn’s tone changed, becoming more sarcastic.

"Of course it’s for money and power. Human greed is bottomless."

She was right.

If it was Kael, he wouldn’t do that, but if it was someone with weak mental defenses...

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I want that Artifact."

Kael was taken aback by the villainess’s sudden and direct response.

But a second later, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

"My pleasure."