Chapter 37: The Tower

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Tower

"That’s what I’ve been saying! That chick from the Third Peak only knows how to slut herself out whenever she sees a strong dude."

"Well, she is a beauty, so I won’t blame her. After all, we men do have a soft spot for beautiful women."

"Enough about beauties. What about that new rift that appeared? You going to test it out?"

The sounds of gossip from several tables buzzed throughout the entire ground floor of the tavern.

Mugs clacked against wooden tables. Chairs scraped across the floor. A burly spearman near the hearth slammed his cup down and roared that the last rift run had paid enough to buy his entire village back in his home dome a new well.

Across from him, a lean elf mage with soot-stained sleeves argued that the real money was in salvage rights, not clearances.

At a corner table, three women in light armor debated whether the new Babylon-class rift that had opened that morning was worth the risk or just another death trap.

Michael, who was still a few steps away from the ground floor, heard the gossip drifting through the tavern but paid it barely any attention.

After putting on the clothes Kael had left for him in the room, he had decided it would be best to leave, or at least make the necessary preparations for his mission before the end of the day.

With that in mind, he headed down to the ground floor of the tavern with Raven at his side.

Raven, who had been leaning a little too close to him from behind, suddenly paused before slipping her arm through his, causing his hand to hook backward slightly.

Michael froze mid-stride and turned his head, one brow raised.

Raven only smiled, bright and completely unrepentant. Gradually, she leaned in until her soft breasts pressed against his side, her lips nearly brushing his ear.

"Michael, you might not know this, but an awful lot of these adventurers have been staring and flirting with me for months." She raised her gaze to meet his, a mischievous glint flashing in her golden eyes. "So... I felt it was only appropriate that I show them I’m taken."

She slipped her arm more firmly around his, deliberately making sure anyone watching could see exactly where she stood. "Besides, would husband really be fine with other men staring at his woman like that?"

Raven nuzzled the side of his arm, her smile widening. "Because I definitely wouldn’t be."

Michael held her gaze for a long second, before a quiet sigh escaped him. "Do whatever you want."

"Yeah~"

Without another word, they both stepped into the main hall together.

The moment they did, every conversation stuttered. Heads turned. Mugs froze halfway to lips. Raven immediately noticed the attention, and a mischievous smile slowly spread across her face.

Instead of pulling away, she deliberately tightened her grip around Michael’s arm and leaned even closer, pressing herself against his side as she glanced around the room. She made no attempt to hide what she was doing; if anything, she seemed determined to make sure every man in the tavern got a good look at her clinging to Michael.

Only after she was certain they had seen enough did she finally release his arm and stride forward as though nothing had happened.

Michael stared at her profile, watching the soft, affectionate expression she had worn just moments ago disappear. In its place settled her usual cold, irritated scowl, as though the little display had never happened.

After taking several steps into the room, Raven swept her gaze across the staring men with a flat glare. "What are you gawking at? Never seen a woman before?"

The men and women who had been openly staring immediately dropped their gazes. A few who carried particularly formidable auras lingered on Michael’s blank face for a moment longer, only to jerk their eyes away the instant his gaze shifted in their direction.

However, Michael wasn’t glaring at them or even deliberately staring. Honestly, he had barely noticed them watching him in the first place. He simply glanced around the room before following Raven toward the long wooden counter, where Kael stood polishing a mug with a faded rag.

Kael looked up, his golden eyes flicking between the two of them. His gaze lingered on Raven’s arm, then slowly traveled to Michael’s face before a knowing grin spread across his lips.

"Oh~ Have you two finally finished your fun?"

Raven dropped onto a bar stool with an irritated huff. "Kael. Mind your tongue."

The blond man immediately raised both hands in surrender, though the amused sparkle in his eyes made it obvious he wasn’t remotely sorry. "Sorry, sorry. My mouth got a little loose for a moment there."

Michael pulled out the stool beside Raven and sat down.

Kael’s attention immediately snapped toward him, and that mischievous grin returned with renewed interest. He leaned across the counter until only a handspan of space remained between them, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I never got your name, big bro..." His eyes flicked toward Raven, then back to Michael. "...but I can call you big bro, right?"

Michael slowly turned his head and gave him a flat sideways look, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

Kael didn’t mind the look. He simply clenched a fist against his chest, his shoulders trembling as actual moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Big bro, you don’t know what you’ve done for me today. I’ve known the boss for years, and never once have I seen her around a man after she became obsessed with Her Highness. Never did I expect some guy who barely even knows her to be the one to conquer her and make her produce those kinds of sounds."

His grin stretched from ear to ear. "You’re like a living legend."

Michael coughed lightly, clearing his throat as a faint heat crept across his cheeks. "It’s nothing."

He suddenly paused.

Then he turned toward Kael, narrowing his eyes. "Wait. You could hear... everything?"

Kael nodded without a hint of shame. "Hehehe... Lucky for you two, I found someone who could keep the noise from leaking out of the room. Otherwise, half the tavern would’ve been standing in the hallway."

"Someone?"

Kael’s gaze flicked casually around the room before he jerked his chin toward the far corner.

Michael followed the gesture and spotted the auburn-haired healer from the earlier fight—the same woman whose nipples he had struck. She sat alone with a half-empty cup, her massive assets difficult to miss even in the dim evening light.

"By the way, she’s the one who treated you," Kael added. "You should probably go thank her later."

Michael nodded once. "I’ll definitely do that. Just not right now."

Kael’s brows rose. "Why? Don’t tell me the great conqueror is scared of big bosoms."

Michael’s gaze drifted across the room. More than a few adventurers were still watching him from the corners of their eyes, their conversations noticeably quieter than before.

"Well..." He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression turning awkward. "The mood isn’t exactly one that makes me want to walk around."

Kael stared at him for a moment.

Then his eyes wandered across the tavern.

He took in the stiff shoulders, lowered gazes, and suspicious glances following Michael wherever he looked.

Then he burst out laughing.

The laughter went on for several seconds before Kael finally wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Are you serious, big bro?"

He broke into another fit of soft laughter before managing to continue. "Haha, I can bet you’re the one making them uncomfortable, not the other way around."

Michael sighed and shook his head.

Before he could answer, Raven’s palm slammed against the counter hard enough to rattle the nearby glasses.

"Why are you two whispering like a bunch of market women? It’s not like I’m a stranger here."

Kael shifted his attention to the beautiful beastwoman and scratched his cheek with an awkward chuckle. "Big sis, this is talk between brothers. I doubt you’d find it that interesting."

Raven’s golden eyes narrowed. "Big sis?"

Kael’s awkward expression vanished in an instant. His eyes lit up with the kind of mischief that made Michael wonder if this was even the same strict mercenary he had met a few days ago.

"Of course!" Kael answered enthusiastically. "If the big boss is my big brother now, that makes you my big sister too, right?"

Color rushed across Raven’s cheeks.

She stared at Kael with wide eyes for a moment before pointing a trembling, clawed finger at him.

"That is not how it works." She huffed. "If that’s how it works, then by your logic, should you start calling Her Highness ’big sis’ too?"

Kael’s face went blank.

His gaze slowly slid toward Michael, who calmly sipped the drink Kael had served him.

Then, very slowly, Kael raised a trembling finger and pointed at Michael. "No way..."

His gaze shifted toward Raven. "You’re... Her Highness is..."

His mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

Nothing came out.

Kael finally exhaled through his nose and rubbed his temples.

"Big boss is too great," he muttered. "This lowly one cannot begin to comprehend your ways."

A long silence settled over them before Kael finally spoke again. This time, there was none of the usual playfulness in his voice. Whatever teasing mood he had been enjoying earlier seemed to have finally run its course.

"Big boss."

The change in tone immediately drew Michael’s and Raven’s attention.

"I don’t think you came down here just for some idle chatter. Does that mean you’re here for that?"

Michael set his cup down and met Kael’s eyes directly. "Correct. I want to assemble a squad and take a mission as soon as possible."

Kael slowly nodded, resting a hand beneath his chin. "Your timing is perfect. Just this afternoon, a new mission came in that I think might interest you."

He tapped one finger against the counter. "It is said that a new rift has opened in the domain. But the weird thing is, it didn’t open in just one domain. It appeared across all of them, even inside different domes."

Kael crouched beneath the counter before straightening with a worn parchment sheet in hand. "According to the report, it’s listed as Babylon-class, but the energy readings are several times higher than normal."

Michael took the paper and scanned the dense writing, a faint crease forming between his brows. "You think it’s a misreading?"

Kael shook his head. "Unlikely. If only one force had checked it, then there might be a chance. However, multiple independent forces reportedly measured the same output."

He tapped one finger against the counter, his expression turning thoughtful. "Furthermore, no other information has been provided since... no one who entered has come back out."

Kael paused for a moment before continuing. "Though... if I had to guess, it isn’t a regular rift at all."

His finger stopped tapping. "It’s a tower."

Michael’s fingers stilled against the paper.

Slowly, he looked up. "What did you just say?" His eyes widened. "A tower?"