Day and night couldn’t be distinguished in Prestige, but the flow of time could still be felt even without a clock because of the moon-like mass in the sky.

This moon-like mass sprinkled fragments of light on Prestige during the daytime. However, these white particles only lasted half the day. Currently, the particles faintly shone beneath the western horizon, so that signified dawn.

“Haaa.”

Chae Nayun hadn’t slept a wink since yesterday, so the dawn felt rather long. She lay in bed in Essence of the Strait’s Hideout with a room full of other guild members. She kept thinking about what she had heard the day before in Splendor.

— Hajin actually came to see Chae Nayun?

— Ah, quiet! Keep your voice down. It’s still a secret.

— When?

— A while ago when the banshee cursed her.

She clenched her teeth.

I shouldn’t have trusted anyone.

The ashes deep inside her heart lit up again, but Chae Nayun realized this wasn’t a big deal for them.

— Ah, no surprises there. Hajin isn’t the type to stay still after hearing about that. So? What happened?

— Well, I shouldn’t say anymore. Anyways, that’s why I’m wondering… is it true they used to date?

Yi Jiyoon wanted to lure something out of Kim Suho.

— I don’t know exactly. You should ask them directly.

— Come on. Then what was the point of me telling you all that?

Chae Nayun didn’t have the guts to call Yi Jiyoon out. She remained hidden in the shadows and listened in on them. Plus, she felt it would be strange to get angry while eavesdropping.

Chae Nayun joined them a while later and pretended not to have heard anything. She tried to act normal and returned to their hideout after a day of training. Then she handed her loot to Kim Youngjin. Her contract stated that she had to yield everything in the tower to them. Yoo Yeonha said Chae Nayun didn’t need to, but she did so anyways.

Contrary to Chae Nayun’s expectations, Kim Youngjin took a liking to the [Lv.3 Infinitely Multiplying Origami Letter]. He praised her in front of the other guild members now that they could communicate when the messenger didn’t work.

It seemed like a good item when he put it that way. She blamed herself for not coming up with such a use. As a reward, he let her keep the remaining items.

Chae Nayun couldn’t fall asleep for 6 hours. According to Yi Jiyoon, Kim Hajin had visited her when she fell unconscious and hovered between life and death.

She tried not to think about it because the image of him looking down at her in pity filled her with disgust and anger. Instead, she turned her train of thought to Extra7, an old acquaintance since her Cube days and the one who gave her the antidote. She found something suspicious about Yi Jiyoon’s words. Then Yi Jiyoon must’ve met Kim Hajin and Extra7 around the same time. Of course, Kim Hajin and Extra7 should be separate individuals, but…

Wait.

Chae Nayun’s eyes turned cold.

Maybe that’s not necessarily the case.

Her gut feeling told her they had some sort of relationship. It didn’t feel logical, but her sixth sense tingled.

— Cough.

A noise came from the next room. Kim Youngjin, the most diligent and punctual member, had already woken up. Chae Nayun, sick and tired of thinking, also got up.

Zzz…

Yi Jiyoon slept in the adjacent bed. Chae Nayun silently stood and stared at her drooling.

I couldn’t sleep at all because of you. What is it that you know?

Chae Nayun coldly stared at Yi Jiyoon. Then her hand rushed towards Yi Jiyoon’s cheek.

SLAP!

“ARGH!”

The sharp pain woke Yi Jiyoon up. Her consciousness still felt blurry, but her eyes filled with tears as she grabbed her cheek and looked at Chae Nayun.

“W-W-W-What…”

“A mosquito. A huge mosquito. You okay?”

Chae Nayun showed her hands. Indeed, she had crushed a mosquito to death.

“S-Still, i-it hurt a-a-a lot…”

“It hurt? Sorry.”

Chae Nayun hit her as weakly as possible, but Yi Jiyoon still whimpered. Tears almost flowed from her eyes.

“Alright, get up. Let’s go train.”

However, Chae Nayun grabbed her wrist and forcefully pulled her up.

“Wait, Nayun. I wanted to go home during the rest day. O-OWW—”

“You can’t. Why do you think I taught you how to reach the 6th floor? Today, we’ll train until death. Let’s grow stronger together. Kim Suho is waiting for us.”

“Wait, wait, it hurts! My wrist! Wrist! It’s gonna break! AAK!”

***

[It has been more than 100 days since you first entered the tower. You may now acquire one skill outside the tower semi-permanently.] [Special skill — Lv.4 Algorithm] [Be careful, for death will rob you of your skill.]

System messages appeared beneath my eyelids. I opened my eyes after reading them and found myself in the Chameleon Troupe’s hideout on Earth. Only Jain and I returned. The huge lobby contained goblins busily cleaning.

“Oh, so it’s true you can bring a skill outside. By the way, you have a mission, Hajin.”

“A mission?” I almost went to call Khalifa, but stopped and tilted my head.

“Yeah. Boss told me to give you one. I’m gonna go back to Jeronimo and fetch it, so get ready.”

Jain handed me a jewel box.

“And this.”

“What’s this?”

“Effective goods. They’re valuable jewels. Can you turn them into rings or necklaces? Something like that?”

I looked inside. These jewels would be quite valuable even with current technological advancements like blood diamonds and black opals. Only jewels like icelight stones and firesilver stones could be found inside the tower.

“When did you get these?”

“Hehe, I call myself the Phantom Thief for a reason. So, can you do it?”

“I can, but what about the cost?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m pretty expensive.”

Young Dwarf's Dexterity combined with aether had become one with me. My hands had a machine’s precision and a human’s delicate touch that surpassed modern craftsmanship.

“… 5, 5%?” Jain said with a trembling voice.

“There’s about 20 of them, so I’ll take 4.”

“AH!”

She grabbed my wrist with a cry.

“But you, you, you’re rich.”

“I can’t buy things like these with money. How about just 3, then?”

Effective goods could only be obtained through monsters and quests. Jain seemed to have stolen them here and there.

“Fine. Three.” Jain nodded reluctantly. “But you have to do a good job.”

“Don’t worry.”

I said goodbye to Jain and hurried home. However, no one welcomed me like usual. It’s evening, so she’s probably with her friends from the next block. I headed to Yun Seung-Ah’s house.

Tiriring— The speaker turned on when I rang the doorbell.

— Who is it?

“It’s me.”

— Oh, Hajin?

— Eh, who? Hajin? Hajin!

As expected, Evandel’s loud voice came from behind the door. I smiled and waited for Yun Seung-Ah to open the door.

“Welcome.”

“Hajin!”

Evandel ran to me as the door opened. Tatatata. Her loud footsteps rang out and she hugged me right away. I picked her up as she clung to me like a cicada.

“Hajiiiiin!”

“Long time no see.”

I stepped inside with Evandel. Haeyeon’s parents always seemed busy whenever I visited, but Yun Seung-Ah and another one of Evandel’s friends kept them company.

“Good timing. We were just getting ready for dinner.”

I glanced at the kitchen and smiled. Luckily, Yun Seung-Ah hadn’t started cooking yet.

“Hajin, were you in the tower?” Evandel asked as she rubbed her cheeks against my arms.

“Yeah. You know about the tower now?”

“I learned about it on TV and YouTube.”

“Aha.”

Two kids and Hayang approached as I held Evandel. If I recalled, the taller one was Haeyeon and the shorter one was Jiyeon.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

I lightly patted their heads and placed Evandel down. Then I headed to the kitchen. Today’s menu looked like tomahawk steak.

“Can you wait a bit? I’ll start cooking—”

“I’ll do it.”

I picked up the knife with a smile and sent Yun Seung-Ah back.

Two hours later, Yun Seung-Ah called my cooking skills fantastic. The kids also seemed satisfied and sprawled around the sofa. However, Evandel widened her eyes at the TV as her friends fell half-asleep from the meal. I also looked and saw the festival in England during Christmas.

“Evandel says she wants to visit England.”

“Huh? England?”

“Yeah. I took her with me when I went to Paris for work. It looks like she’s taken an interest in traveling abroad since then.”

Evandel kneeled in front of the TV and watched with sparkling eyes.

“Hmm…”

England. I guess she recognizes her home instinctively, but I’m not sure home is the right word. BEEP. I checked my smartwatch. Jain had sent a message from Jeronimo.

[Hajin. Your mission as Fenrir is in England this time. You like England, so there should be no problems, right?]

I smiled as I read it. Perfect timing.

“Well then, we’ll just have to go.”

***

Fenrir fired his gun for the first time in nearly half a year in mid-December. He practically carpet bombed England’s Merseyside county. The power of each bullet exceeded a cannonball, yet the wolf’s aim seemed precise as ever. He easily destroyed the sea monsters and their habitats. As usual, no civilian casualties or property loss occurred. Other experts in the field clicked their tongues at his meticulous skill. He neatly removed the monsters like a scalpel. Fenrir announced to the world that he had returned from the tower stronger than ever.

“Thank you for taking on the mission.”

Rachel called him as England’s princess and the English Royal Court guild’s representative.

“A subjugation mission had been planned, but they delayed it to minimize damage to the nearby city.”

Sea monsters could cause tsunamis when enraged and that would destroy homes. However, Fenrir didn’t give them the chance with his precise shooting. It only took him 15 minutes to destroy their habitats. He even broke his old record and set a new one. Like Rachel, Kim Hajin had grown stronger from the Tower of Wish.

— That’s what partners are for. You should be careful though. England isn’t as safe as the tower.

“Don’t worry. I learned a good skill.”

Rachel looked out of her limousine as she headed to the English Royal Court guild. What a coincidence. She spotted the person talking on the phone. He wore sunglasses, but she recognized his silhouette. She almost rolled down the window when she spotted someone else and froze. Kim Hajin held hands with a child with blonde hair neatly tied in a ponytail.

“…?”

The limousine passed and her face shocked Rachel. The girl smiled next to Kim Hajin and happily skipped with an ice cream in her other hand. She also wore a cute bunny hat. Rachel had undoubtedly seen her 4 years ago in what she called her future premonition. The limousine turned the corner and the two disappeared from view.

“W-Wait. Stop!” Rachel quickly shouted to the driver. Kiiik. The limousine skidded to a stop.

— Huh? Stop?

Kim Hajin’s voice rang out from her watch as Rachel got off the car. She definitely just saw something strange and hurried back around the corner.

“…”

“Stop what? Rachel?”

— Stop what? Rachel?

Rachel found Kim Hajin in an alley. He still wore the sunglasses and she didn’t have to check because his voice matched what came out of her smartwatch. Next to him wasn’t a girl, but…

“Arf arf!”

A cute pomeranian. The puppy ran towards Rachel, her golden fur fluttering in the air. Kim Hajin turned around to follow her.

“Hey, where are you go… Huh? Rachel?”

“…”

Kim Hajin’s eyes widened and Rachel nodded at him.

“I passed by in a car, so I came running.”

That’s all Rachel could say.

“I see… It’s nice to see you. What a coincidence.”

Kim Hajin reacted quite dull. He didn’t seem too surprised as if he knew she would be here. Rachel suspiciously asked, “Excuse me, Hajin, but weren’t you with someone just now?”

“With who?”

“A child. A girl about this tall.”

“A child?” Kim Hajin tilted his head.

“Um…”

Was it all in my head? Or did I mistake him for someone else?

Poke, poke. The puppy pressed against Rachel’s legs amidst her confusion.

“…”

“Don’t just watch. You can hold her.”

“Huh? Oh… Okay.”

Grr, grr. The cute puppy snuggled in her arms and its smile resembled a human. Rachel patted its head and continued.

“I thought you left right after the mission.”

“I stayed to watch the festival.”

People began to gather around the alley. Rachel’s popularity couldn’t be matched in England, so she couldn’t hang around the streets.

“I should go now.” Rachel tried to put the puppy down.

Arf, arf.

However, it didn’t want to let go of her. Kim Hajin had to separate them himself. He patted the whimpering puppy after taking it away.

“Your puppy… acts a lot like a human.”

“Is that so?”

A limousine approached the alley as Kim Hajin smiled.

“You should get going. It’ll be harder if more people gather.”

“…”

“I’ll see you later.”

Rachel nodded as the alley grew more crowded. She smiled at the puppy in Kim Hajin’s arms and left.

“Princess! Oh, my princess…”

She smiled reluctantly at the cheering people and got in the limousine. Then she looked at Kim Hajin from the window.

— Say goodbye.

Kim Hajin grabbed the puppy’s hand and waved with it. It looked cute, but Rachel felt distraught. She couldn’t have imagined it, but nothing else could explain what she saw.

“Then, I’ll start the car.”

The limousine drove away as Rachel pondered.

***

[Tower of Wish]

At 3 p.m. today, a huge explosion erupted on the 5th floor’s northeast gateway no.5. The Guild Alliance controlled the gateway since countless casualties would occur if ordinary people tried to capture it. No one had challenged the Guild Alliance’s rule until now.

The gateway disappeared without a trace today. It crumbled into nothingness after the explosion. The Guild Alliance hurried to the scene to find the perpetrator.

“Um… We think… Black Lotus destroyed it.”

— What? Seriously?

However, their burden became lighter since they couldn’t possibly retaliate against the opposing party.

“Yes, no doubt about it. I’m looking at his symbol on the ground right now.”

— Haa. Withdraw then.

How could they stop a ranker from capturing the gateway when he possessed power equal to a single guild? The Guild Alliance members sighed and turned back.

“Yes sir. We’ll return.”

— Yeah.

They turned around and left.

“Hm. That’s done.”

Black Lotus hadn’t attacked, but his superior did. Boss impersonated her subordinate for his sake.

No one could imitate Fenrir because he used a gun. No one else could display such terrifying power with bullets. However, Black Lotus could be imitated with some effort. Boss decided to erase a suspicion that could become Kim Hajin’s fatal weakness.

The media should be covering Fenrir’s mission on Earth. Even if someone discovered Kim Hajin’s identity as Extra7, he would be Fenrir and not Black Lotus.

“…”

Boss waited until the Guild Alliance members reported the explosion as Black Lotus’ doing and returned to Crevon on the 8th floor. She felt tired after imitating those arrows, but still had to finish the homework from that cocky underling.

Boss entered the Ironblood Duchess’ study. The soldiers guarding the study stepped aside like docile puppies in front of her VIP ID. She picked out only the skill books, but the sheer amount still made it hard for her to choose. Boss even banged her fist against a bookshelf. She finally managed to pick out 2 skill books after some great perseverance.

[Basic Skill Acquisition Book — Lv.0 Magic Power Circulation] [Basic Skill Acquisition Book — Lv.1 Magic Circuit Remodeling]

Both passive skills involved magic power. These should be enough. Boss turned around.

“…?”

Someone stood right in front of her.

“Hello.”

The woman had been behind her all this time without a presence. Some words sat above her head.

[Lv.??? Ironblood Duchess]