When she first stepped into this tower, Luna hadn’t expected that she would even reach this far. In this dungeon, a term she was used to because she was a huge fan of fantasy had become a reality. Were more dungeons going to appear? Was this just the beginning of this new kind of madness?

  She sighed and faced Storm Rider. “So this is what this entire dungeon is, a passion project for the dead gods?”

  Storm Rider gave Luna a confused look. “ I don't know about Passion Project. But it was indeed created with the blood of a god.” Storm Rider explained. She had a British accent like in those movies Luna used to watch as a child.

  This woman was from the old world.

  “It wasn’t solely created for this. But when I was brought here, the first floor already existed.”

  Luna pretended to understand what the woman was talking about. “Oh, I see. You said you were a guardian, where is your prisoner?” she asked nervously. She still hadn’t developed any trust for the woman despite learning that she was a human, a very powerful human.

  “I killed her in a battle a few decades ago,” Storm Rider answered calmly.

  “What?”

  “She had a very terrifying Domain which allowed her to twist this reality and affect my own abilities. There was no more of her left so I had to kill her before she could kill me.”

  ‘Domain? Is that another way of saying Aura?’

  Seeing that Luna was still frozen, Storm Rider continued to explain the details of what she needed Luna to learn from this conversation. “This endless snowstorm just happens as a byproduct of our battle. You wouldn’t believe it…but I almost lost. It was either me or her.”

  ‘The snowstorm is her fault!’ Luna was still frozen as she heard Storm Rider explain all of this. If her power left a mark on the world, then doesn’t that make her on the same level as a sorcerer or higher?’

  Meanwhile, Storm Rider continued to speak. They were both staring at the majestic tree in front of them. Its red leaves almost looked beautiful if you overlooked the fact that it could drink blood. “Are you terrified of me? Is that why you’re suddenly quiet? This shouldn’t surprise you considering the condition of your world is in.”

  ‘My world? Aren’t you from the same world too?’ Luna scoffed from within.

  “I am not scared. All of this…sounds so bizarre. A few weeks ago, I didn’t know that our world was in this much danger. I thought…I thought that I would return to a normal life after all of this. But I guess I don’t have that pleasure anymore, do I?”

  Storm Rider smiled with her lips. “I don’t have the answers to that, unfortunately. You don’t seek life advice from someone who has been hunting cursed creatures and studying the secrets of our realms for the past five hundredish years…”

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  “FIVE HUNDRED!” Luna jumped. “How old are you, exactly?”

  “I stopped counting when I was thrown into this tower in….” She thought for a moment. “I don’t remember exactly when. It's been so long since then. So long since I saw the mortal realm.”

  ‘So she’s indeed from the old world.’

  “After I killed the corrupted deity of this floor, I hunted down every powerful cursed creature as I developed my understanding of life essence.”

  “Wasn’t the Kraken powerful enough for you?” she asked in an unhurried tone.

  Storm Rider returned a pleasant smile and said, feeling slightly embarrassed. “ Hehe…I attained a curse from the Sea God. I can’t swim and my powers can’t work under water. You could say that the little guy is strategically located….

  ‘Little?’ Luna frowned at Storm Rider’s statement. That thing was the size of a two submarine and its tentacles were big enough to crush this building if it wasn’t for the special barrier.

  “Ah. All this talking is making me hungry. I should go make us something.” With that, Storm Rider hurriedly left off to patch up something to eat. Their conversation had lasted longer than she had expected.

  Soon, the air was filled with the delicious aroma of spices as Storm Rider started cooking up something.

  Luna stayed silent, staring at the mysterious tree with a suspicious look. From Storm Rider’s explanation, something similar to this tree was what acted as the heart of the entire dungeon on the next floor. The original tree was a product of a certain god that she refused to disclose. This meant that these trees shared a connection with the divine realm.

  Even though it was harmless as long as she didn’t touch it, Luna could not pass off the fact that it made her skin crawl. What type of twisted powers did the fire keeper tap into exactly to something this powerful?

  And to make it worse, this was just a copy of the real thing.

  Luna didn’t want to trust the Fire Keeper at all. In all her life, she had never met someone with a presence this intense and powerful. She was stronger than the strongest humans in the mortal realm, that’s for sure. In fact, Luna had come to believe that the fire keeper had ascended and surpassed the rank of Sorcerer because ascension through qi was different from that of zenshi in general.

  Luna suspected that this new version of cultivation offered more than what humans were used to. How else could a person who claimed her Aura to be Fire create spaces like this one?

  On top of that, Storm Rider was an immortal.

  “How come she’s not a god yet?” Luna asked herself as she started pilling one thought after another.

  “Lunaris!” She lost her train of thought for a moment once she heard her name.

  Turning over, she saw Storm Rider carrying two steaming bowls of hot soup with cursed monster meat inside. The room had no tables or chairs for them to act civilized so they just settled on the floor cross-legged and began feasting.

  “I grow wheat in the less snowy parts of this place. The bread is not good, but I think it checks all the boxes.”

  The blond-haired woman said as she returned with a chest box. She opened and revealed a baguette—at least something that looked like it.

  Luna almost drolled as she received her portion of the bread, which she started eating immediately.

  It was tasteless. Absolutely tasteless and somehow stale. Its texture was rough and hard to chew without dipping it in the soup. Nevertheless, Luna was too hungry to think of such things. At least the soup was filled with a rich blend of flavors thanks to the variety of spices the Fire Keeper had used.

  Luna didn’t say a word until the last drop of soup was finished from her bowl. She chewed the meat no matter how tough it was and washed it down with some clean water that Storm Rider happened to have.

  She covered her mouth to belch from satisfaction. She lifted her eyes to Storm Rider who was almost done with her food and said with a satisfied smile.

  “Thank you for the meal, lady Storm Rider. It sounds weird calling you that…why can’t I use your real name?”

  Yes, her name sounded like something that belonged to a cheap game character.

  “Pfft...that? It's because you will forget me. Whoever hears my true name forgets everything connecting to me. It is also another unfortunate curse that I carry,” she put down her cream bowl and continued. “And I need you to remember everything I tell you.”

  “It is the only way you can get out of this tower.” The tone Storm Rider used was extremely calm. It didn’t betray her demeanor at all.

  ‘So she’s affected by the Mind Hex. I need to be careful with what I ask from now on.’

  “There is another curse on you? Which god gave it to you?”

  Luna was now serious.

  “I don’t know who put this curse on me. But the curse long ate up our true names and now the world doesn’t remember who we are.” She paused and a bitter expression found its way to her beautiful face.

  After a few minutes of solemn silence, Storm Rider sighed. Hamido was the only person from the mortal realm that she had talked to since she was brought to this place by the deities.

  She was immortal but she still felt nervous each time she brought this tale up. She briefly looked at Luna. In her eyes, the little mortal was surrounded by a golden radiance.

  The qi seemed to draw itself to her. It took a few centuries, but she had finally reached her goal. If everything went as planned then…

  ‘Then maybe things would be different this time.’

  “My colleagues and I flew too close to the sun and got burnt. We should have stayed ignorant and go about our lives.”