Agema materialized behind i without a sound.
The instant she beca visible, i froze.
Her body tensed instantly, and before she could even think—
She spun around and took a defensive stance, her grip on her staff tightening.
But—
The next mont, i's staff was no longer in her hands.
She blinked.
Then, her eyes widened in shock.
Agema twirled the staff between her fingers, examining it casually.
"You don't need to be so aggressive."
Her honey-colored eyes flickered toward i.
"I won't attack you. I just don't want to complicate things with you attacking ."
i stiffened further but didn't move.
She wasn't foolish.
Whoever this woman was, she had taken her staff without her even noticing.
If she had wanted to kill her, she would've done it already.
Still—
i's voice was tense.
"Who are you?"
Agema smiled.
"Soone who knows Arlon."
She tilted her head, her tone lighthearted.
"What do you need him for?"
i's face hardened at Agema's question.
She looked hesitant—clearly unwilling to share too much.
"I just ca to return sothing he lent to Vulwin, and—"
She stopped herself.
Her lips pressed together as if she had almost said sothing she shouldn't have.
Agema smirked.
She wasn't blind—this girl had another reason for being here.
"And?" Agema prompted, tilting her head slightly.
i hesitated again, her expression uncertain.
But after a long pause, she finally admitted:
"…And he promised sothing. I'm here for that."
The mont those words left her mouth, Agema laughed.
It was a quiet chuckle at first, but it quickly grew into a full, amused laugh.
i furrowed her brows. "What's so funny?"
Agema waved a hand, clearly entertained.
"Oh, nothing. It's just—" She placed a hand on her hip, her honey-colored eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Now, that is two-timing."
i stiffened.
Her face turned slightly red. "I-It's not like that!"
Agema let out another light chuckle.
"Well, whatever it is, you won't be able to see him for the next three months."
i's expression dropped.
"What?"
"I an exactly what I said." Agema twirled i's staff in her hand before lazily tossing it back to her. i caught it, still visibly confused.
"For the next three months, he'll be completely inaccessible."
i's grip on her staff tightened again.
She wasn't just confused now—she was frustrated.
"Why?"
"I can't tell you," Agema replied smoothly.
i's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"
"That's also sothing I can't tell you."
i exhaled sharply. "Then when will he be back?"
"Three months."
Silence fell between them.
i clearly wasn't satisfied with the answer.
But no matter how much she pressed, Agema wouldn't say more.
i finally let out a deep breath, calming herself.
"Then… What about this?"
She reached into her inventory and summoned a small, ornate box.
"This is what he requested back," she said. "I was planning to give it to him personally. Why did he request it if he wouldn't be able to take it?"
Agema raised an eyebrow. "He didn't know he would be inaccessible for this long. Oh? Maybe I can take it for him."
i shook her head.
"No need. I'll return it directly to Lord Zephyrion since he would do the sa."
Agema observed her for a mont before nodding. She probably still didn't trust Agema, which was the right thing to do.
She was just soone claiming she knew Arlon.
"Well, that makes sense."
She wasn't surprised.
Even if she had offered to deliver it, i clearly wanted to handle it herself.
There was sothing more personal about this errand.
Agema tilted her head slightly, watching as i turned away.
"I guess that ans you'll see him in three months," Agema mused.
i paused for a second—then nodded.
"…Yeah."
And with that, she left.
---
Arlon moved through the ninth floor like a shadow, his blade cutting through the air with precise, effortless movents.
The monsters that filled the room—levels 70 to 80—were nothing more than fodder in his path.
Aetherion's Edge glead in his grip, coated in mana, striking down enemies before they even had a chance to react.
One step. One swing. Another wave gone.
He wasn't even breaking a sweat.
It had been thirty minutes since he entered the Tower, but in that ti, he had already cleared every level of every floor up to the ninth.
And each one had been a joke.
Not a single monster had lasted more than five seconds.
Arlon's movents were flawless, efficient, and rciless.
His body was so fast that most enemies didn't even have ti to register they had been attacked.
The mont they noticed him—they were already dead.
Despite the sheer ease of these battles, Arlon never rushed.
Instead of imdiately advancing, he took his ti on each floor.
Even though he finished every fight in seconds, he always spent an extra minute or two checking his surroundings.
It was a habit—one he had developed over countless hours of exploration in his past life.
I know the Tower forces into an empty room for each challenge…
But if there's even a 1% chance that sothing is hidden—
He would find it.
Every floor was grand, the architecture similar to ancient temples, with high ceilings and endless stone walls.
Each ti he cleared a floor, he made sure to check for hidden switches, markings, or anything unusual.
But so far—nothing.
It was exactly as the Tower designed it: a pure battle challenge.
Of course, that alone wouldn't cover the 30 minutes he spent.
On the second floor, he had spent ti analyzing the Tower's chanics.
He had been particularly interested in how it interacted with the system.
That's when he made a discovery.
He could check the ti outside.
Through the system, he had confird that while thirty minutes had passed for him inside the Tower—only fifteen minutes had passed outside.
A 2:1 ti ratio.
So, for every two minutes inside, one minute passes outside.
That ant, theoretically, he could spend six months inside the Tower before three months passed outside.
Arlon smirked.
That was a lot of extra training ti.
But he knew better than to assu it would stay this way.
Agema had warned them—ti would flow differently depending on how high they climbed.
For now, though, this ratio was good enough.
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