"They never mingle with the tower's inhabitants. They have their own city," the werewolf said, his voice low and heavy.
Edward turned slightly, listening with full attention.
"Yes," Silly added, hugging the files to her chest. "When they first arrive, they're gathered in designated zones. Trained like soldiers… before they're allowed to hunt. After they Awaken, only then can they climb the tower. Whatever happens here, they won't interfere."
The werewolf's brow furrowed, his tone growing rough.
"That's why some of them run away. They can't stand being trained like dogs. Some choose their own path and become free explorers."
Edward drew a long breath. "If that's the case… where is Eva now?"
The werewolf and Silly exchanged a glance before Silly opened one of the files.
"According to the records," Silly said softly, "the last time Eva took a job was in the city of Abelian. That was five months ago. After that… no further reports."
Edward straightened, unsatisfied.
"What about other places?"
"There's nowhere else?"
Edward's voice tightened with worry. "Then… how am I supposed to find her?"
"To know her whereabouts, you'll need to go to that city."
Silly closed the file slowly, as if worried about how Edward would react.
"Perhaps the adventurer company there has more information. For now… this is all we have."
Edward rubbed his forehead, eyes dropping to the tower's marble floor as his thoughts tangled together.
"So… she only disappeared five months ago?"
"That's right," Silly replied. "Just five months."
Edward clenched his fists tightly.
"Why would she stay in this tower for nine years? Never once going home…"
His words made Silly glance at the werewolf, as if something strange had just clicked in his mind.
"Did any woman there tell you about the flow of time inside the tower?" Silly suddenly asked.
"Time?" Edward frowned. "No… no, there isn't."
Silly drew in a slow breath, as though carefully choosing the right words.
"Time here… doesn't work the same as outside. Some travelers from the outer world told us that if they spend a month inside the tower… an entire year passes out there. And within the tower itself, a year has thirteen months. Each month… lasts fifty days."
Edward froze. His gaze went hollow for a moment as his mind tried to process something that felt impossible.
"What Silly means is… your sister has only been inside the tower for nine months. But outside… nine years have already gone by."
"What?"
The word burst out of Edward in a sharp, startled cry, drawing several nearby wanderers to glance over.
"So… my sister is still nineteen… but I—I'm already thirty?"
Silly and the werewolf nodded at the same time, sympathy softening their expressions.
Edward felt his whole body turn weightless—or maybe hollow.
Nine years he had lost his sister…
But for that girl, only nine months had passed.
A ridiculous difference in time. Unfair. Unreal.
Yet it explained everything.
About Eva.
About why she never came home.
"Where can I buy a teleportation item?" Edward asked.
"It's sold here," Silly replied.
"Good. Give me two."
But Silly didn't move. He simply stood there, looking troubled. Edward frowned.
"So? Do you have it or not?"
"We do," Silly answered quietly. "But… those items can only be used by tower residents. Outsiders… can't."
"Why? What's the difference?"
The werewolf beside Edward let out a tired breath, then lifted his hand. With a short knife, he made a small cut across his palm. A drop of gray blood fell.
"The blood of tower residents is all gray," he explained. "Every potion sold in this city is made to heal us. But for outsiders… it works like poison. The teleportation items are the same."
Fay suddenly spoke up, offering a suggestion. "Master can transform into Sun Wukong to travel there. Fay knows the location of that city."
Edward inhaled deeply. "In that case… I'll go on my own."
"You know the way?" Silly asked.
"Yes, I do." Edward turned around just as the werewolf stepped aside—revealing several wanderers standing behind him, blocking the path.
"I can escort him safely," declared a Dark Elf girl, her tone firm.
Edward blinked, momentarily thrown by her boldness.
"Free or paid?" the werewolf asked with a challenging tone.
"We can offer a discounted trip," the Dark Elf replied. "You only need to pay a hundred silver coins."
The werewolf, Silly, and almost everyone in the hall burst into laughter. Edward caught the moment the Dark Elf's expression collapsed—her confidence crumbling instantly. Her small party behind her lowered their heads in embarrassment.
"You couldn't even clear a goblin nest," another wanderer mocked. "And you think you can escort this man there?"
"W-we're just escorting him… what's the problem?" the Dark Elf stammered, trying to defend herself.
"The problem?" the man stepped closer, voice dripping with scorn. "The problem is you're not qualified. All of you… are weak."
Edward froze as the atmosphere shifted sharply. In an instant, several adventurer groups began circling the Dark Elf girl's small party—like predators surrounding prey.
"For a hundred silver coins," said a man in a Viking-like helmet, "he'd be better off choosing us."
"We can do it too! We're way stronger!" another group shouted.
One after another stepped forward to offer themselves, until the hall grew loud and chaotic.
The Dark Elf girl and her group slowly backed away, disappointment—and fear—written across their faces.
"Enough."
Edward raised his hand.
The hall fell silent instantly.
"I've already made my choice," he said calmly, walking toward the exit. "I'm choosing them."
He gently patted the Dark Elf girl's shoulder before heading out.
Her expression shifted—shock, disbelief—then her entire group exchanged looks, eyes shining with sudden hope. They even shot smug glances at the other wanderer groups who could only stare back.
"Goodbye!"
They waved before rushing after him.
Behind the counter, Silly let out a small laugh.
The large, muscular werewolf smiled as well—
he was Darmock, the branch manager of that wanderer company.
"Silly, don't forget to prepare the report."
"Yes, sir."
**
Outside the building…
The small adventurer party came running after Edward, cheerful and slightly out of breath.
"Sir! Sir!"
Edward stopped and turned around.
"Thank you for choosing us!" the Dark Elf girl said with a slight bow. "I'm Niva."
"I'm Elita," said the wizard girl with the tall hat, staff in hand.
"I'm Jacker," added the teenage boy carrying a longsword on his back.
"I'm Krok!" the dwarf declared proudly, stomping once with excitement.
"I'm Alita," chimed a soft, catlike voice from the demi-human girl beside them.
"I'm Edward. Just call me Ed."
"Sir Ed, please wait here. Let us go fetch the carriage," Niva said politely.
"You have a carriage?" Edward raised a brow.
They all nodded—perfectly in sync, like a group of excited children.
"That's a relief…" Ed let out a breath—then blinked in surprise as the entire group suddenly sprinted away.
"But why are all of you leaving? Not even one person is staying with me?" he muttered under his breath.
"Master, why did you choose them? Wouldn't it be faster if you transformed into Sun Wukong and flew there directly?" Fay asked, her confusion obvious.
Ed exhaled slowly, gaze drifting into the distance.
"It's been a long time since I've gone on a journey with a party, Fay. And… I couldn't stand seeing their faces when they were being belittled."
"They're all below level fifty," Fay replied, uncertain. "Like brand-new adventurers."
"That's even better," Ed said with a faint smile, a small spark of excitement in his eyes. "Maybe I can teach them how to become real adventurers."
"If Master is happy, then Fay is happy too," she said softly.
"Thank you, Fay."
Not long after Edward and Fay continued their conversation, a roofless horse-drawn carriage screeched to a stop right in front of them.
"Ed! Hurry, get on!" Niva called from the back, her body swaying slightly from the sudden halt.
Edward smiled at the sight and stepped toward the carriage. Krok and Niva quickly reached out and pulled him aboard.
"All right, Jacker! Let's move!" Niva shouted enthusiastically.
"Hyah!!"
The carriage began to roll forward… though nowhere near as fast as Niva's earlier confidence suggested.
Up on the carriage, the whole group kept sneaking glances at Edward — as if they were seeing someone from the outside world for the very first time.
"How about the payment? Should I pay now?" Edward asked.
"No! No!" they answered in unison, almost panicking.
"Ed can pay later once we arrive," Niva said, trying to compose herself.
"Don't worry, Ed. We'll protect you," Krok added in his deep, confident voice.
"You all… look pretty young," Edward remarked.
"Y-yes… that's true," Niva admitted, sounding a little embarrassed. "But Ed can trust us."
"Edward looked at her — the dark-skinned Dark Elf whose beauty was no less striking than that of a White Elf."
"You're the leader?" he asked.
"Yes. I am. Our party's name is… Gleaming Light."
"That's a strong name," Edward praised.
"Ed is too skinny. Are you sick?" Krok blurted out. Edward chuckled.
"I just didn't eat much out there. I was addicted to playing games."
"Games?"
The group exchanged puzzled glances.
"It's a kind of entertainment from the outside world. For humans… it's like dying."
"A dangerous kind of entertainment…" they murmured, still confused.
"This place is even more dangerous," Edward replied quietly. "You all have to fight goblins, orcs, trolls, ogres…"
"Ed knows all that!?" Niva suddenly brightened with excitement.
Edward nodded. "I've fought all of them before."
"Really?!"
"Yes. I'm not lying. I've killed them so many times… I've grown tired of it."
Edward's answer—born from his time in the world of Valdora—left the entire group silent. They exchanged whispers, as if his words carried far more weight to them than he realized.
"Actually, Ed…" Niva began softly, her index fingers fidgeting against each other. "The payment we asked for… it's not for us."
"Then what is it for?" Edward asked.
"Recently, we made a mistake. A mistake caused by our own pride. Even though we know… we're all still new," Niva said, her voice shrinking. "Normally, we take small quests—easy ones. But over time… we got tired of being looked down on. They kept mocking us as the weakest party. So… we secretly took an A-rank quest. A quest to destroy a goblin nest."
"And all of you failed," Edward guessed.
Niva and her companions nodded together like children admitting to a scolding.
"We went to the village that posted the quest," Niva continued. "We confidently told the villagers we would save them. We promised we'd destroy the goblin nest in a single day." Her voice faltered, her head lowering.
"We were crushed, Ed," Krok added heavily. "We didn't expect… when we got there, it wasn't a nest. It was a goblin stronghold. And their leader… was a Hobgoblin."
"No wonder you lost," Edward said, nodding in understanding. "If their leader was a Hobgoblin, then every goblin there was one of his soldiers."
"Yes, exactly!" they answered together again.
"After we lost, we told the villagers we were going to look for help outside. They thought we ran away… but we really did go to find help. The problem was, no one wanted to assist us. And the few who were willing… demanded a price far too high."
"The Adventurer's Company?" Edward asked.
"We went to them. But they were angry because we stole the quest. They said we had to take responsibility. Since then… we've been trying to earn money so we can hire a more experienced party."
Edward let out a slow breath, leaning back while folding his arms across his chest.
"If Master wishes to help them… Fay will not stop you," Fay whispered softly, a voice only Edward could hear.
"How long will it take to reach the place?" Edward asked.
"Only four hours!" Niva replied, her spirit returning. "Don't worry, Ed—once everything is settled, we'll take you to that city."
"How long will it take to reach the city?"
"Just three hours."
Edward nodded slowly, taking a moment—longer than usual—to think through his decision.
Niva and the others watched him anxiously, as if their entire future depended on his answer.
And finally…
"All right. Let's go destroy that goblin nest."
Edward's words made the members of Gleaming Light erupt in pure excitement, jumping with renewed fire in their eyes.