Vur let out a massive yawn before his body shrank, his scales sinking back into his skin. He looked around, but there was no seat available, so the brown runes on his left forearm shone, and a couch made of dirt rose out of the ground. Before his polymorph back into a human finished, he took a seat and sank back into the couch despite the tough material it was constructed from. When he finished his transformation, Vur turned his head towards Kim Hajun. “Do you need my help?” Vur asked.

Kim Hajun paused. He glanced at the severed hand exchanging punches with the Martial Lord. The hand didn’t have a brain, so it made sense for it to only target one person instead of trying to find who was healing said person. However, even if it was brainless, it was strong. “Yes,” Kim Hajun said. “It’s very likely we’ll need your help to defeat it.”

“How much?” Vur asked.

“How much … help?” Kim Hajun asked, his voice hopeful.

Vur shook his head. “How much were you going to pay Auntie, and how much are you going to pay me?” He nodded. “You heard her. If you want my help, you have to pay.”

“You can’t do it for free, not even if it’s for the good of the tower?” Kim Hajun asked.

Vur shook his head. “Auntie says you have to pay me, so you have to pay me.” He squinted at Kim Hajun. “How much?”

The well-dressed man tugged at the collar of his shirt and glanced to the side. He made eye contact with Tafel, but the demon simply pointed at Vur. “Answer him,” she said. “The faster you get this over with, the sooner we can help.”

“I was going to pay her with portions of my soul,” Kim Hajun said. “Depending on how much help I asked for, the more portions I’d need to offer as compensation.” A tiny wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “Please, don’t tell me you’re interested in my soul as well.”

“We’re not,” Tafel said before Vur could respond. She looked up at Vur. “What do you think? What does he have that you want?”

Vur tilted his head to the side. “We can take his soul and give it to Auntie.”

A faint smile appeared on Tafel’s lips as she saw Kim Hajun’s expression cracking, his eye twitching as he pressed his lips together. “That’s pretty thoughtful of you,” the demon said. “I think it’s perfect. He was already willing to pay with his soul, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“N-no,” Kim Hajun said and cleared his throat. “Can I pay with a different currency? How about with information?” He flashed Vur a smile, showing his white teeth. “You know how I’ve already climbed the tower once in my dream. I know the locations of plenty of hidden pieces and unique pieces. I’ll offer you some of them.”

“Why don’t you offer all of them?” Tafel asked before Vur could say anything. “You only needed them to defeat the Oebu Sin, right? There’s no difference in using them yourself to beating the Oebu Sin and using them to hire Vur to defeat the Oebu Sin for you. Sure, you might not keep them for yourself, but aren’t you glad the responsibility of saving the tower has been lifted off your shoulders? You’re free now.”

Kim Hajun furrowed his brow. His soul, or his future as a powerhouse? Although he could grow strong without the tower’s hidden pieces helping him thanks to his experience and knowledge, but he wouldn’t stand as high as he wanted to; at least, not in a reasonable timeframe of say three years. However, Tafel’s words did ring true. He was tired of fighting, of always having to be on top of his game. If he relaxed for a single moment, he’d be letting down the companions who sacrificed themselves to let him return to the past.

Before Kim Hajun could reply, Vur cleared up his dilemma. “No,” Vur said. “I can ask the tower to give me everything you can.”

Kim Hajun furrowed his brow. “Are you certain?”

Vur glanced down at his root bracelet. “Give me a unique hidden piece,” he said. The bracelet flashed amber, and a bell appeared in his hand. Vur tilted his head. “What’s this?”

Kim Hajun’s eyes widened upon seeing the bell. Although it was small and looked like it belonged on a receptionist’s desk, the bell was known as the Bell of Triumph. Ringing it would increase the strength of everyone who heard it by a massive amount. At the same time, it’d recover injuries and relieve fatigue.

Vur rang the bell, and a chiming sound echoed through the fiftieth floor. Ouyang Feng’s dull eyes brightened, and he let out a shout as he punched forward, “Bring it on! I can do this all day!”

The severed hand made contact with Ouyang Feng’s fist, and his whole arm exploded as he was blown backwards by several meters. Evidently, even without ears, the severed hand had heard the Bell of Triumph as well.

Vur blinked before passing the bell to Tafel. He stepped towards the severed hand and narrowed his eyes. It flew towards him, and he pointed at it. “Polymorph.”

The hand froze and vibrated. It balled up into a fist as its veins and flesh wriggled underneath its skin. A second later, it transformed into a red mushroom. Vur looked at Tafel, and Tafel blinked back at Vur. She pointed at herself. “Did you need me to do something?”

Vur nodded with a slight frown on his face. “It’s resisting the polymorph,” he said. “Hurry and cook it.”

“What?” Tafel asked. “It’s a human hand. You want me to cook it?”

Vur pointed at the Oebu Sin. “It’s a mushroom now.”

“You have a point, but I’m not sure it’s valid,” Tafel said but pointed her palm at the wriggling mushroom. An imprint appeared on her forehead as blood-red flames flew out of her hands and struck the mushroom with a continuous stream of flames. The demon’s brow furrowed as the mushroom wiggled and hopped around. She almost felt bad for it.