Vinny’s cold gaze held a trace of confusion and incomprehension as he watched this spectacle of comrades tearing each other apart, unable to understand why the two of them had suddenly turned on each other.

“Just like Priest said—some unknown, wet-behind-the-ears Sorcerer brat blundered in here and became the last bit of nourishment for the offering.” The Interpreter leader tilted his eyes up and looked down at Vinny from above, plainly not taking seriously a Vinny who didn’t even reach his chest in height.

As soon as he finished speaking, Vinny saw the corpses and pooled blood of the Interpreters he’d killed earlier slowly melt into the ground, as if the earth here wasn’t solid at all. At the same time, waves of indistinct rustle-rustle sounds spread out, and under the pitch-black, hazy night it looked especially spine-chilling.

“The nourishment we’ve offered up before is pretty much enough already. And now with these subordinates of mine, plus a Sorcerer kid—ha! The wealth and power the Tyrelis Ancient Empire left behind is finally mine alone!” The Interpreter leader threw his head back and laughed wildly.

“The wealth and power the Tyrelis Ancient Empire left behind?” Vinny’s brow lifted slightly.

“I should thank you. You saved me a lot of effort—helped me deal with these idiot subordinates who did nothing and still wanted to split the spoils. Hah, whatever. Even if you hadn’t done it, I would’ve. It was all in my plan.” The Interpreter leader rolled his arms, joints cracking with a series of CRACK-CRACK sounds, then bared a feral grin at Vinny.

“Come here. I promise I’ll give you a good death.”

“What, that posture—are you still thinking of resisting? Think it through. I’m not like the trash you just killed. I’m a low-tier Sorcerer.”

“Looks like you still don’t understand. If I were the one killing them, it would’ve been even easier than it was for you. I can crush your skull without effort. Fine—today you’re dying. You probably don’t even know how you’re going to die. Since you chose the most troublesome way, I’ll break your bones, one by one—”

Before the Interpreter leader could finish, that ice spear—too fast to track—was already within arm’s reach of his face.

The Interpreter leader hurriedly raised his saber to block. The force packed into the strike made his arm go numb with soreness.

Something was off.

After only a brief exchange, the Interpreter leader realized this kid’s strength didn’t match what he’d imagined.

This scrawny-looking brat had a hell of a lot of power. And his speed was so fast the Interpreter leader could barely react at all.

Was that not even the kid’s top speed when he butchered those idiot subordinates earlier?

That didn’t match what Priest said.

Wasn’t he supposed to be just a small Sorcerer around an Intermediate Apprentice realm?

Was the intelligence wrong?

No. It should be... because the kid still hadn’t gone all out. Once he used magic, the situation would flip.

In front of magic, the human body was unbelievably fragile.

And he had a two-star Soulcaster.

After barely blocking the spear’s edge, the Interpreter leader drove mana through his body. A bolt of current burst from his palm, instantly wrapping around his weapon—then racing down the metal and spreading toward Vinny’s weapon.

[Lesser Lightning-Glow Slash]

Let’s see you get fried crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, you brat!

But the instant that current climbed onto Frostfang, it was snuffed out.

Before he could even be shocked at how his magic had been dispelled, the Interpreter leader felt the temperature around him dropping lower and lower—like a frog being boiled in warm water. By the time he reacted, it was already too late.

Yet it had clearly happened in only an instant.

His spell was shattered in the blink of an eye—by magic far stronger than his.

Vinny didn’t say a word. He drew back the spear and walked past the ice statue with its eyes bulging wide, still unable to process what had happened. The moment Vinny completely passed it—

CRACK.

The ice statue shattered across the ground in a spray of fragments, perfectly in sync with the sound of Vinny’s footstep landing.

The Interpreters inside Gaflei Fort’s main fort should be completely dealt with now. At this point, there was probably only one person left.

Vinny carried the cold-glinting Frostfang up the steps toward the battlements ahead where lamplight still burned.

His expression was flat. Behind him, the steps were soaked in blood.

Then the dark stains gradually vanished, as if the black, dead outline covering the ancient fortress had wiped them away.

That priest... might still be inside.

Huh?

Vinny stopped. Light, quick footsteps came from behind him—someone rushing this way.

“You came back?” Vinny turned around, looking at the golden-haired elf not far behind him.

“When I went down the mountain, I ran into an elf patrol.” Milian explained, “I already handed those clansmen over to them. The patrol will safely escort them home.”

“I wasn’t asking that.” Vinny’s voice was even. “I’m asking—why did you come back?”

“What? I’m not allowed to come back?” Milian folded her arms and shot him a look. “You really that unwilling to welcome this princess?”

“I’m not out here on a picnic.”

“Of course I know you’re not on a picnic.”

“My princess, don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that question.” Vinny stared at Milian for a long moment, then couldn’t help laughing. “I already said it last time—if you keep this up, I’m going to assume you’re secretly in love with me and trying to pursue me, so you keep deliberately getting close to me.”

“Tch. Get over yourself.” Milian huffed. “I came back to see if there were any other clansmen still imprisoned. Is that not allowed? And the one truly responsible—I still haven’t found him. He actually dared target our elves. I’m going to make him pay!”

“The one responsible... is he inside there?” Milian looked toward the battlements ahead.

“Who knows.” Vinny spread his hands. “Someone’s voice is just too loud. No telling if he already ran.”

“There you go again! I always talk very quietly, okay?” Milian snapped back.

Vinny sank into thought.

From what that Interpreter leader said, they really were following that priest’s words—offering living people as sacrifices. But what did that have to do with the wealth and power the Tyrelis Ancient Empire left behind?

And why did those bandits treat the priest’s words like gospel—following him so obediently?

There were too many strange pieces here.

As for why that Interpreter leader killed his own subordinate, and calmly watched his subordinates get slaughtered while saying it was all part of the plan...

Vinny figured that strange red-eyeball priest had told him something privately—something that made him feel that if one more “partner” survived, his own share of the reward would be reduced.

Which brought him back to the same question.

Why were these bandits all so convinced by that priest?

It was too weird.

Could there have been something in the priest’s words—something like a mental suggestion—that made these bandits instinctively believe him without question?

That was possible. After all, those bandits were nothing but a pack of vicious ordinary people with no moral bottom line. A small portion were low-level Sorcerers whose realms only hovered between Beginner and Apprentice—there probably wasn’t a single true Sorcerer realm among them.

People like that only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong. Their intelligence was low. They were extremely easy to incite—sometimes even easier to influence with mental-type spells than ordinary people.

It wasn’t impossible.

But if that priest was capable to that extent, why bother controlling a band of bandits to help him at all?

What did he actually want to do?

What secret was Gaflei Fort really hiding?

“Hey, hey. Are you listening?” Milian saw Vinny suddenly stop responding, that absent look surfacing in his eyes again. She waved a hand in front of him. “The Mother of Earth is calling you again—did you hear it?”

“Stop waving your hand around, Milian.” Vinny shot her a glance. “You’re like a kid. Fine—if you insist on following along, I can’t stop you. But don’t cause trouble. Stay quiet. And like I told you before, this place is twisted. It’s not nearly as simple as it looks. If you keep staying here, I can’t guarantee your life.”

“If it’s as dangerous as you say, why are you so calm?” Milian put her hands on her hips.

“Because this is my practical assessment task. I’m stuck with it.” Vinny replied. “Turn around and look. The bandits I killed here earlier—are they still there?”

“Ah—yeah, I wanted to say that earlier too.” Milian frowned. “Why are the poachers I blew into chunks gone?”

“Don’t look at me. It has nothing to do with me. I don’t have time to help a bunch of scum with their funerals.”

“Then... they can’t just disappear out of thin air, can they?” Milian’s eyes widened.

“Congratulations. You got it right.” Vinny said. “But don’t ask me how they disappeared. I don’t know either.”

“...” Milian went quiet for a moment. “What star rating is your practical assessment marked as?”

“One and a half.”

“Then what do you think the real difficulty is?”

“The real difficulty?” Vinny sounded casual. “Right now... probably four stars or higher.”

“That ridiculous?” Milian’s eyes went wide. “Three stars and up is supposed to be second-year practical assessment difficulty.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all, Milian.”

“Then why do you look like you’re not panicking at all?”

“Does panicking help, Milian?” Vinny lifted his chin. “And besides—why panic? It’s not like this is the first time I’ve run a high-difficulty dungeon.”

Bronze Blood, a Demon Pillar invasion, running into a future Demon King, the Secret Realm (Marsmo)—which one of those hadn’t been a hundred times more dangerous than what was in front of him?

Milian watched him say all of that in such a calm tone. She could tell from his eyes there was no pretense at all—he truly believed it.

That blue-haired human.

She’d always thought he was an ignorant, useless playboy. She’d changed her view during the Shicodale incident, but she still felt he was frivolous.

If she hadn’t mistakenly drunk that potion called Love at First Sight—brewed by Christine—she never would’ve gotten tangled up with him at all.

“If you’re scared, then leave.” Vinny stopped talking and started up the steps. “Save me from having to take care of you later.”

“Hey, hey—wait!” Milian hurried after him. “How can you walk away when we’re not done talking?”

“You sure you want to follow?” Vinny spoke without turning his head.

“Of course.” Milian stayed behind him. “I’m already here. I can’t go back without doing anything.”

“Fine.” Vinny kept walking toward the castle gate. “I can’t talk you out of it, you stubborn little mule. Just take care of yourself.”

“You’re the mule.”

The two of them reached the castle gate. It wasn’t locked—just left slightly ajar.

Vinny kicked it open. Inside, the fortress was brightly lit. The fireplace in the hall was still burning, flames crackling. Most of the chandeliers overhead were still working, though quite a few had already gone dark.

How many years had it been? Who knew whether those bandits had repaired it—or whether it was Tyrelis Ancient Empire black technology.

At this point, if there really were secret passages in the fortress, then that priest had very likely already escaped.

He told these bandits and their leader not to worry about the explosion earlier—just some incompetent Sorcerer brat barging in, and his arrival was also part of the plan. The nourishment for the offering happened to still be missing that final portion—him.

That way, he could use the bandits to buy time while he opened some mechanism inside the fortress and ran.

But—

Vinny’s intuition told him it wouldn’t be that simple.

There were traces that someone lived here, but the thick spiderwebs and dust in many corners also proved no one had maintained this place for a long time.

The fireplace in the hall crackled and popped. The lord’s throne in the center sat empty, and a sword leaned crookedly beside it—apparently left behind by the bandits.

The entire hall was deserted. Vinny looked to both sides and saw corridors leading deeper into the fortress, as well as stairs leading up to the battlements.

Had that priest really fled after catching the wind?

Vinny paced to the center of the hall, eyes searching everything in the fortress’s main chamber.

There were plenty of frames lining the corridors, but the paintings were gone—either stolen or destroyed.

The walls bore clear scorch marks. It looked like a major fire really had swept through here at some point, but since the structure was almost entirely stone, the damage was limited.

Honestly, this ancient fortress really was solid as a rock—still preserved so intact after being invaded by the demon race.

Vinny walked toward the right side first, with Milian following, not knowing what he was looking for.

After a bit, Vinny found the path completely blocked.

The right corridor had been sealed off by massive boulders and collapsed roofing. There was no way through—no way anyone could have escaped from inside that direction.

So Vinny switched sides and went to the left corridor, only to find the same thing. Halfway down, the path was crushed and sealed by fallen roof stone. No telling how deep the rubble went.

Vinny and Milian returned to the hall. Vinny wanted to check the battlements, but the metal plate leading up looked like it had been pinned down by something enormous. No matter how they shoved from this side, it wouldn’t budge.

“That’s strange.” Vinny frowned. “If none of the three routes work, then this fortress only has the main hall left. It’s a dead end. How did that priest run?”

“I think he’s up on the battlements.” Milian raised her chin. “He probably used something to pin the metal plate down. Let me handle it.”

As she spoke, she drew her bow, preparing to fire a magic explosive arrow—

Vinny stopped her immediately.

“Are you crazy?” Vinny clamped a hand down on her in time.

“What?” Milian didn’t understand.

“This is an abandoned fortress that’s been through war. Half of it has collapsed. Do you even know what’s pinning that plate down?” Vinny stared at her. “What if it’s an entire pile of stone?”

“If this whole fortress is one big deathtrap, and you blow that plate apart, the roof will come down.” Vinny shot Milian a look.

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