The next morning.
After spending the night with my eyes barely closed, I returned to my hamster body and settled onto Kyle's palm. As I opened my mouth in a wide yawn, he gently stroked my forehead.
"Hold on tight, Shu," he whispered, stroking my fur. "I'll do my best to keep you from falling, but there might be unavoidable situations."
"Okay. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."
I nodded, hugging his index finger with both arms.
Kyle made sure I was clinging tightly before he began his descent down the stairs. One step at a time, he moved with extreme caution.
"[(ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ)] Why are you so slow?" I chirped internally.
I waved one paw, dismissing the busy system notifications, and looked ahead with bated breath.
The tower's structure extended much deeper vertically than it did horizontally. Descending the stairs, one would eventually reach a porch that led outside, roughly midway down the tower. Turning to the other side, I saw a staircase leading to the basement.
"Shu," Kyle called out to me, pausing in front of the basement entrance.
"(Why?)"
"I have a bad feeling about this. No matter what happens, don't leave my side."
"―Chirp, chirp. (Okay, okay, don't worry.)"
"Don't even think about letting me out, especially if the situation turns bad."
"―...."
He's quick to notice.
"Answer."
"―Chirp. (Yes.)"
Only then did Kyle, nodding in satisfaction, begin his slow descent.
The walls and stairs leading to the basement were subtly different from those above ground. While the upper floors were constructed from neatly hewn bricks, the basement section appeared to be roughly built from raw, unrefined stones, as if simply piled up from a mine.
'What a mess.'
Was it unfinished, or was it intentionally left rough to deter entry?
Regardless, the unrefined space was thick with dust, visible in the dim light. My nose tickled because of it, and I had to rub my front paw against my face several times to avoid coughing.
How long did we continue descending like that?
"…It's getting darker," Kyle muttered softly.
I agreed with Kyle, my eyes wide open as I nodded. Even though oil lamps were attached to the walls at regular intervals, the surroundings remained dim. Moreover, once we reached a certain depth, I occasionally saw servants wandering around like ghosts.
'Still, it doesn't seem like this will be easy.'
If there was one thing that bothered me, it was that all their eyes seemed to be fixed on me. Even those who seemed to be aimlessly wandering would stop their movements and turn their heads to look at me as Kyle passed by. It felt like a scene from a horror movie, so I instinctively gripped Kyle's finger even tighter.
Thump.
The sound of his solitary footsteps echoed quietly in the hushed space. It was eerily silent, like the calm before a storm. I swallowed my dry saliva and glanced back at the servant who was staring intently. When my eyes met their vacant ones, a chill ran down my spine.
"―Squeak! (Kyle!)"
The attendants who had been staring suddenly pounced. With sharp nails exposed, they moved more like puppets controlled by invisible threads than actual humans.
Kyle quickly tucked me into his pocket and drew his sword. There was a horrible sound as metal clashed, but Kyle's blade, imbued with power, sliced through their hard nails instantly. Of course, the surroundings were dark, and from within his pocket, I could only judge the situation by sound. Still, I didn't sense that Kyle was being pushed back at all. For now, I didn't feel any motion sickness. This meant the battle wasn't so difficult that he had to move erratically.
The situation was quickly resolved.
I heard the sound of the sword cutting through the air a few more times. Then, Kyle reached into his pocket and placed a magic stone inside, which seemed to absorb the turbid blood. As the stone absorbed it, my 'luck level' suddenly increased. The amount of magic stones was quite substantial, so the gain was significant.
I sat back in Kyle's palm and looked at the shiny system window.
[Information about the Frost Tower has been updated!] [Abnormal Interference Rate increases.] [Current Incident Interference Rate: 61%] [Current Abnormal Interference Rate: 65%] [Current Incident Interference Rate: 71%]
"At this rate, I won't have to take that unpleasant magic potion."
As we descended deeper into the tower's basement, the interference rate continued to climb. It felt like uncovering a new area on an RPG game map. However, this was no game, and there was no room for the excitement of one.
"It looks like you've arrived, Shu," he whispered, his voice low enough for only me to hear.
Indeed. Just as Kyle had said, a massive and suspicious-looking door appeared before us. It was clear, even at a glance, that this was the deepest part of the basement.
I tapped Kyle's finger, as if to reassure him. A faint smile touched his lips.
"I'm going in."
Creak.
The hinges of the old door creaked. I instinctively furrowed my brow and stared straight ahead. The heavy door opened slowly, revealing only darkness within. The flickering lights from the hallway seemed to leak in, casting faint illumination inside.
And when the door was open enough for one person to enter…
"―...."
I found myself gritting my teeth. Because as soon as Kyle took a step inside, he saw him.
"Hello."
It was Knox.
He greeted us with a soft voice, then snapped his thumb and index finger together just as the door closed behind us. With a soft click, the lamps inside the basement lit up one after another.
The interior, now illuminated, was truly a sight to behold. The basement, filled with a crisp, almost sterile air, was a chaotic mess of books, experimental tools, and herbs. It looked as if a typhoon had swept through, scattering everything in a strangely orderly chaos that made me want to stick out my tongue in disbelief. Yet, in the very center, where a coffin lay, the area was meticulously clean, as if no one was permitted to approach or disturb it.
"I knew this day would come," Knox stated.
Instead of answering, Kyle pointed his blade straight at Knox. A chilling sense of hostility emanated from him. Feeling the tension, I called up the system to gauge the right moment.
[Current Abnormal Interference Rate: 81%] [Current Holdings: ♣ ×350] [Current Miracle Points: 95%]
Was it because we had arrived at the core secret of the mage tower? The abnormal interference rate had, without my realizing it, soared close to 80%. I hadn't yet performed 'importing,' so I couldn't be certain, but my physical condition didn't feel too bad either.
The Heart of Winter must be at the center of that coffin.
"If you take another step closer, I won't hold back," a chill dripped from Knox's voice. Kyle simply shook his head.
"Attack."
Pale, luminous constructs surrounded Knox as if guarding him, then all at once, they surged towards Kyle from the right. Kyle, fully prepared, swung his sword, deflecting three incoming attacks. He then ducked to block one more, before straightening up to parry another.
Thwack!
Kyle's right hand forcefully snatched the glowing projectile that had flown towards me, almost hitting me where I clung to his shoulder. If only he had been a moment slower... I didn't even want to imagine what would have happened.
"Shu, get in my pocket."
I feigned fear and quickly scurried into his pocket. Then I called up the item shop.
[Emergency Escape Pumpkin Seed Stick | Consumes 8% Miracle Points | Allows momentary teleportation within a 10m radius.]
It still boasted a hefty price, but this was no time to conserve miracle points. I quickly popped the summoned pumpkin seed stick into my mouth, chewed diligently, and swallowed it.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Knox, without waiting a moment, sent another projectile. Thanks to this, Kyle had to move quickly, and as I was hurriedly eating the sweet, I heard a clatter and a click.
'They don't even bother a dog when it's eating!'
"This is fatal!" I shrieked in frustration, and their eyes briefly flickered towards his pocket.
Now's the time.
[Replica Hamster (Duration: 30 minutes) | Consumes 100 Hearts]
After quickly placing the replica hamster where I had been, I instantly teleported to the coffin. I had once planned to release the replica, switch places, and aim for the Heart of Winter. Kyle didn't panic and shifted his stance to defend his left side.
Knox straightened up. In his hand, he now gripped a thin sword that glowed bright blue. Knox was clearly unhappy with Kyle's steady advance towards the coffin, even while blocking his attacks.
'If he gets aggressive,' I thought, 'even if it's to close the distance to the coffin, he'll fight back harder.'
While Knox's attention was focused on Kyle, I began to climb the coffin. There was only one chance. I had to finish before Knox could look back.
[Hulle-Popping Almond Whinangsi | Consumes 3% Miracle Points | Significantly increases running speed.]
All the miracle points I had were now invested, completely spent. I shoved the entire Whinangsi into my mouth, chewed diligently, and gulped it down.
The moment the two swords clashed, I rushed fiercely towards the coffin. For a small hamster, the coffin was both too high and too slippery. I tried to scramble up as fast as I could, but I kept slipping and falling, bumping my tiny body.
'I'm going to die from the pain!'
All kinds of sounds began to fill the basement. Every time Knox, who had abandoned his usual composure, lunged fiercely, I could see Kyle being pushed back.
I had to hurry for Kyle's safety. I gathered my resolve, spread my limbs, and clung desperately to the coffin.
The moment I finally scrambled onto the top of the coffin lid with all my might, the brightly shining, vivid blue 'Heart of Winter' came into my field of vision.