With a creak, the wooden door closed on its own.

Nidhogg suddenly felt a chill down his spine and quickly turned around, but saw nothing. The door remained as decrepit and dilapidated as before, seemingly ready to fall apart if handled too roughly. Nidhogg was tense but kept telling himself, "None of this is real; it's all in my head..."

Gradually, his breathing steadied.

"Hm? I can't use sorcery?" Nidhogg was surprised to find he couldn't ignite a fire element for illumination. Preventing a sorcerer apprentice from casting spells required absolute control over natural energy. Even a Level Three Grand Sorcerer could suppress their magic circle's leverage power to the limit but couldn't stop someone from casting spells.

Exhaling...

"Since I can't use sorcery, I’ll manage without it. Despite its fame, there's never been a death reported here." Determined, Nidhogg looked around the water tower's interior in the darkness.

The floor was covered with dry grass, and numerous footprints suggested frequent visitors. Inside the cylindrical water tower, a spiraling wooden staircase ascended about 50 meters, yet only the bottom 20 meters were visible; above that was pitch darkness.

Climbing to the top to see? Perhaps that gigantic eye...

Filled with a sorcerer's spirit of exploring the unknown and pursuing new knowledge, Nidhogg, with resolute eyes, began ascending the staircase. His left hand gripped the deteriorating banister, and his right foot stepped onto the creaky stairs.

A mysterious breeze seemed to blow past, but Nidhogg was undeterred, climbing steadily upwards. The creaking of the stairs was constant, yet after several steps, Nidhogg noticed something was off.

"Hm? That's odd! How are there two sets of footsteps? Is someone behind me?" Nidhogg abruptly turned, only to find himself standing at the first step, as if he hadn't moved at all.

Nidhogg was stunned.

"I didn't move? But I remember it clearly—an illusion? Impossible, the parasitic creature is fine. Was I transported back here by spatial folding powers? Or... time reversal? Both seem unlikely." Reassuring himself, Nidhogg began his ascent again, swearing to reach the top of the tower no matter what happened.

Determined, Nidhogg ascended again. After only six or seven steps, focusing intently, he heard the accompanying footsteps behind him once more.

Creak!

The instant Nidhogg stopped, both sets of footsteps ceased. Taking a deep breath, he discerned the air for scents and used his mask’s ultrasonic sorcery to sense his surroundings. Everything indicated there was no one behind him.

Exhaling deeply for what felt like the umpteenth time, Nidhogg, resolved and undeterred, continued his climb. The footsteps behind him matched his pace and seemed to draw nearer.

Now roughly ten meters up the tower, the footsteps echoed just two or three steps behind. Nidhogg halted again suddenly.

Creak! Creak!

Chills shot through Nidhogg’s body, his instincts on high alert—he hadn't imagined it. The footsteps behind him had taken an extra step!

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Shivering, Nidhogg’s fear began to creep in. Though masked and cloaked, hiding his trembling and panic, he couldn’t fool himself. Fear was spreading through his mind; he wanted to turn around and see what was behind him.

"No!"

In a moment of self-induced madness, Nidhogg pressed on, forehead veins bulging, eyes red but steadfast.

Gradually, the footsteps stopped about half a meter behind him, climbing the staircase at the same pace. The creaking echoed loudly within the water tower.

Suddenly, Nidhogg felt breath on the back of his neck—a sound, a warmth, a sensation of moisture condensing into droplets.

A cold sweat trickled from his forehead under the mask, down onto his pale face, and then his neck.

Gritting his teeth, Nidhogg moved his unsteady legs forward with resolve, determined not to turn back, even if something on the stairs might kill him.

After climbing another twenty meters, the presence behind him vanished as if it had never been there, and Nidhogg felt an exhilarating sense of triumph over his fears, a confidence swelling within him.

"Hmph, the Ruined Tower is nothing at all!"

With newfound confidence, Nidhogg took a few more steps, suddenly realizing something was wrong. Ahead lay complete darkness and silence, as if another dimension cut the tower in two: one side familiar and decayed, the other an enigmatic void consuming all light and sound.

"Trying to make me turn back, huh? Hmph..."

Emboldened by his recent triumph, Nidhogg stepped into the unknown, fearless and invincible.

...

In this void, light, sound, and even smell were absent, the mask’s ultrasonic sorcery detecting only an empty black mist. Yet Nidhogg could feel the physical staircase beneath his feet and hand, continuing his ascent.

"How long have I been in this space, three days, four, five? How many stairs, thirty thousand, thirty-five thousand, forty thousand?"

Yet, despite the tower's modest height of just 50 meters, why hadn't he reached the top?

"I should report to Peranos; Nina’s likely furious not hearing from me. Turn back... no! I can’t turn back! I refuse to believe there's no end! Besides, I’m not hungry or thirsty; this must all be an illusion! It has to be!" Nidhogg pushed himself to the brink of sanity, continuing onward.

Then, Nidhogg felt a shift as if he’d passed through a thin membrane, and suddenly, light filled his vision.

"Ah, light! I did it!" Overjoyed, Nidhogg looked around, then froze, realizing he was back on the first step.

"Hey, you've been there for ten minutes since I entered; are you done?" An impatient voice from behind startled Nidhogg so much he collapsed onto the ground with an ungainly scream, scrambling backward. A blurred figure emerged—Nidhogg asked breathlessly, "Are you... human?"

The figure was a female sorcerer apprentice, corpulent to the point of near-roundness. Her massive bosom strained even sorcerer robes nearly to bursting. One wondered if a sudden movement would ruin her attire.

She was even more shocking than the portly man on Blacksaw Tower’s first floor. An initial estimate put her weight over 400 pounds!

"Of course, I'm human—what else would I be? Look at you, scared stiff. Did you hear the footsteps too, coward?" she mocked, ignoring Nidhogg's apprehensiveness, barking, "Hurry up; there’s nothing strange when two people are here."

Wishing to avoid further conflict, Nidhogg left the tower quickly, the ordeal imprinted in his mind. The steadfast resolve to brave anything lingered.

Back outside, the night still cloaked the sky. From the courtyard, the Ruined Tower appeared normal, without any abnormalities—a typical ruin.

Nidhogg suddenly thought of something and took out his crystal ball.

Moments later, eyes wide with disbelief, Nidhogg exclaimed, "No way! This can't be true! My mental power increased by five points to 29! This Ruined Tower is a miracle!"

This discovery warranted further study, perhaps even prior to researching the genetic secrets of life.

Perhaps consulting the great sorcerer Peranos would provide insights. Being a Level Three Grand Sorcerer and one of the three deans of Blacksaw Tower Sorcerer Academy, Peranos might possess deeper knowledge of the Ruined Tower’s secrets.

With this thought, Nidhogg proceeded to the mission hall, posting a bounty request for a hundred Gourmet Shells. A bulk order like this lowered the per-item cost compared to smaller requests, offering a commission of four thousand magic stones.

Before leaving, Nidhogg confirmed the time with a mission hall attendant, verifying he’d spent less than an hourglass in the Ruined Tower, leaving him shocked for quite some time.

Completing his business, Nidhogg didn't return home but instead went to Nina's residence, spending a night enveloped in love.