Scene after scene from the dream unfolded before the three Demons.
"It was him who bestowed upon me a steel body tempered with Dragon Blood Potion!"
In the dark room, an old man with circular glasses coldly poured a tube of black, boiling potion into the mouth of a young Mino: "Mino, if you survive... give it a try."
"It was him who constantly honed my skills through perilous situations and trials!"
On the battlefield surrounded by Demons, the Magic Tower squad suddenly retreated, letting the tide of Demons surge towards the solitary Mino.
As if premeditated, they gathered far away. In the center, the old man in the magic robe laughed, a mix of coldness and heat: "Mino, the strong never complain about their environment. If you must blame someone..."
The dream was blown away by the wind, transforming into a towering spire, clouds gathering, condensing heavy magic power. The spire was inscribed with strange and complex magic patterns, bearing sharp spiritual imprints, falling like a butcher's knife towards Mino, who stood in the center.
"It was him who bestowed upon me the powerful thirty-seven layers of blessings on the Round Tower!!!"
Below the Round Tower, the old man's glasses fell off, seemingly unable to contain his excitement.
"Thirty-seven layers?! He's still alive!!"
The dream gradually faded.
No more dreams were needed. As Demon Officials, the Great Demons instantly recognized that person as the strongest Magic Tower in the Human camp, the Round Tower Chief, Ang Lak.
In the dream fragments, Hero Mino's booming laughter still echoed.
"Don't underestimate the bond between me and Chief Rak!!!"
"—Bond!!"
"Bond—!"
The air subtly vibrated.
Claytina stretched her waist, plucked the fiery red rose from her hair, and her bare, fair skin beneath her dress glowed with a slight, hot flush, vividly enchanting.
Verus's will-o'-the-wisp quickly lowered its head. It was clear that the Secretary had developed killing intent.
"Unexpectedly, it was Chief Rak of the Round Tower who single-handedly created the most powerful Hero in Human history. No wonder, no wonder—"
Claytina said coldly, "That old fellow really knows how to cause us trouble... I can see that Mino's strength is not accidental, but born from countless legendary life-and-death adventures."
"In this regard, Rak, who orchestrated it, is the most dangerous. For a moment, I even thought he was really trying to kill Mino... Humans are truly terrifying. They can be ruthless towards their own kind."
"Is, is that... so?"
Verus recalled those scenes, always feeling an indescribable oddity, yet unable to explain it.
He was a Demon and could not understand Human emotions, but one thing was certain.
The Chief of the Round Tower and Hero Mino indeed shared a strong bond!
Pfft—
A sound like air leaking came from the demon mirror's will-o'-the-wisp, the flickering flame extremely weak.
"demon mirror, are you alright?" Verus was startled. As a Demon strategist, he saw something: "You seem to have suffered a backlash, and it's quite severe."
"I don't know... I seem to have come into contact with... extremely foul power... in the dream... I need to sleep..." The demon mirror's voice was intermittent.
After Claytina's permission, it cut off the connection and fell into a deeper sleep.
"Foul..." Claytina murmured, "Could it be that the location in the dream just happened to be connected to some kind of foulness?"
Did it appear by chance, or was someone carrying it?
Leaving Hero Mino aside, neither his power nor the holy sword in his hand would be tainted by that kind of power.
As for the Chief of the Round Tower, who single-handedly created Hero Mino, that was even more impossible; he was practically the epitome of Human righteousness.
Never mind... Dismissing the distracting thoughts, just as Claytina began to ponder how the next interrogation should proceed.
Verus's sinister voice came.
"Secretary, the Ninth Demon has awakened..."
...
Royal Capital.
The Kuer Kingdom Palace stood in the center of the bustling city. The Adventurer's Guild and the Holy Church were located at opposite ends of the Royal Capital, and to the south of the Royal Capital, a tall, dark Round Tower grew silently like an ancient fir tree.
The Magic Tower, as a long-standing power, had cultivated a large number of royal family Magic Towers, as well as many renowned adventurers.
At dusk, a flock of crows fluttered up from the wilderness graveyard, circling and hovering above the Round Tower, finally merging into a shadow that fell straight down, becoming an old man in a black robe.
"Chief."
Two expressionless senior Magic Towers approached, taking his staff and robe.
A pale purple robe inscribed with complex magic patterns fell onto his body. His withered fingers, covered in magic stone rings, slowly emerged. The old man's pale, bark-like face was revealed in the lamplight, his deep eyes constantly flowing with magic power.
Round Tower Chief, Great Magic Tower, Ang Lak.
"Hero Mino is a thing of the past."
Rak's first words after landing rang out. The eyes of the two senior Magic Towers flickered slightly, they nodded and quickly withdrew.
In the darkness, something stirred.
The voice immediately said:
"That thing is finally gone?"
"Unless the Demon King's Castle falls into ruin..." Rak's aged face stretched into a chilling smile: "But before that, the Kuer Kingdom will fall into deadly silence."
"Darkness" pulsed slightly with excitement, then, to be safe, quietly asked again:
"Guaranteed?"
Rak suddenly bent down and coughed violently.
"Cough, cough, ten years, ten years! Do you know how I've lived these past ten years... I only regret not thinking of it sooner, that as long as I pushed Mino to oppose the Demon Clan, as long as he was captured."
"Even if he didn't want to, I could help him!"
"Darkness" was slightly silent. Rak, this noble Great Magic Tower, this evil lackey, was now speaking somewhat bitterly.
"In short, the plan can be initiated."
"Yes." Rak bowed slightly, looking towards the top of the Round Tower.
A long-suppressed smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
...
"Mino."
"Mino..."
Faint voices drifted in the dream.
"...Mino... you..."
...Mino... you... don't..."
His eyelids twitched slightly. Between being awake and asleep, the blurred voices became clearer and clearer, finally turning into a scream.
"Mino, don't come over!!!"
Swish—
Mino suddenly opened his eyes.
"Huh, it feels like I dreamt of someone familiar." He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he had slept for a long time, the most restful sleep he had ever had:
"Alto Tai, how long did I sleep? Is it almost time for dinner?"
The holy sword's voice came faintly: "I don't know, I just woke up too."
"Didn't... didn't you just wake up from a deep sleep? You can still sleep."
"At my age, of course I can sleep," Alto Tai said righteously.
The familiar scent of roses suddenly filled his nostrils.
A slender and elegant figure opened the prison door. Claytina stood by the door, her wrists and ankles entwined with slender, thorny vines bearing sky-blue roses, emitting a fresh fragrance.
She glanced behind her, a hint of confidence on her face, then spoke to Mino:
"Are you ready, Hero?"
"Yes." Mino nodded very seriously.
"I'm ready for lunch."