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"Damn it, what a beast!"

"That so-called 'dad' in the diary deserves to be executed by dismemberment! The devs really outdid themselves, putting such a twisted storyline in the game."

Mantou slammed the table angrily.

For once, a rare determination flashed in his eyes. He resolved to eliminate that monster and grant Valenna, trapped in endless torment and neither alive nor dead, a peaceful rest.

"I’ll help you rest in peace, Valenna."

He gently closed the diary and carefully placed it back in its original spot, leaving it untouched. It was Valenna's last trace as a human and something she deeply treasured.

"Mantou, you're still too naive."

Singo frowned and said softly, "We need to be cautious. This tower isn’t just haunted by poor Miss Valenna but also her 'dad.' That guy can turn people into terrifying monsters—he’s not someone we can mess with."

"And with Battle Maniac missing, our team's combat ability has taken a hit. At this point, escaping alive would be lucky, let alone ridding the world of evil."

Mantou retorted, "Then what? Sit here and wait to die?"

"The servers are shutting down soon anyway. Our experience points are maxed out, so losing some doesn’t matter. At worst, you give me a rune powder bomb, and I’ll go one-for-one with the boss in this tower."

Singo looked surprised.

"How do you know I have rune powder bombs?"

Mantou chuckled. "Everyone knows you hang around that factory in the Church of the Mechanical God. It's no secret. Who would've thought the great professional player would turn into a fanboy for Maniac?"

Singo defended himself. "Do you even understand what it means to use all available means for gear optimization?"

"Oh, I totally get it."

"Stop messing around! That’s a high-level mage boss!"

As they spoke, the two left the chamber and continued exploring the hidden tower.

Entering a passage, they heard rustling noises, like the sound of wolves breathing.

"Sniff, sniff."

"I smell blood."

"Where, where?"

"Fresh prey—Master will be pleased."

A low, raspy conversation echoed.

Singo quickly pressed a hand on Mantou's shoulder, silently nocking an arrow and drawing his bowstring. He held his breath and aimed at the passage’s corner.

Sure enough, an ugly gnoll with sparse white scales and drooling jaws appeared.

Singo instantly locked onto it, a purple hunter's mark glowing on the gnoll’s forehead. An arrow sliced through the air, piercing its skull with ease.

"Awooo—"

The gnoll managed a single howl before collapsing.

Behind it, several more gnolls emerged. They showed no fear; instead, their cloudy eyes glowed with rage as they bared their teeth and claws, rushing at the two while exhaling foul winds.

Mantou raised his sword, targeting the weak points in their fur. He pierced the throat of the lead gnoll with precision, then kicked its corpse aside and struck down another gnoll in one fluid motion.

In just a few breaths, the patrol team of seven gnolls was wiped out.

"Huff, huff. More gnolls again."

Mantou kicked at one of the corpses, panting heavily.

Singo rubbed his chin and said, "As expected, the gnolls originate from here—the Polar Night Demon Tower. But these ones have minimal dragon transformation, far weaker than the modified monsters. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have taken them down so easily."

Stepping forward, Singo noticed a trail of bones along the corridor and immediately warned, "This isn’t good. Let’s move! There might be more monsters in this tower."

But the dying gnoll's howl had already triggered a reaction. The tower filled with various eerie and sorrowful roars, and the entire structure seemed to tremble.

Mantou turned to look behind them.

"Oh, shit."

His voice shook slightly.

"Roar—"

Terrifying dragonized monsters surged forward like a floodgate had opened. Gnolls, centaurs, goblins, lizardfolk, and even humans were transformed into twisted, half-dragon forms. However, unlike the dragon-blooded creatures of the Ember Kingdom, these monsters were grotesque and unnatural.

Their bodies were sparsely covered in white scales, riddled with excess tumors and flesh lumps. Some had extra limbs or heads, with corrosive saliva dripping from their mouths. Most of their eyes burned with frenzy, their sanity long gone.

Singo summarized grimly:

"My guess was right—this place is nothing more than an experimental base."

"We were lured here on purpose."

"The mastermind behind this Polar Night Demon Tower is likely that mage!"

While Mantou listened, a half-dragon goblin crawled behind him, using both hands and feet. It pounced on Mantou, aiming its sharp teeth at his neck. Thankfully, Mantou’s plate armor protected him, giving him a chance to decapitate the creature with his sword.

Even with its head severed, the dragon-blooded goblin’s mangled body continued to attack wildly. One claw gripped his armor while the other scratched at his arm, leaving deep gashes before it finally stopped after several breaths.

"Damn it! These things don’t die easily, even after death?"

"Don’t fight them head-on—run!"

Singo and Mantou sprinted down the bone-filled corridor, eventually reaching a massive steel door.

Mantou urged, "Hurry up and pick the lock, Singo!"

"Shut up! If you’re so good, do it yourself!"

But Singo was also struggling. This lock wasn’t simple, and he wasn’t a thief by profession. His lockpicking skills clearly weren’t advanced enough.

Behind them, the dragonized centaurs were closing in.

Unlike typical centaurs, these creatures, influenced by white dragon blood, had lower bodies resembling terrifying lizards instead of horses. Their long tails trailed behind them, their scales oozed sticky liquid, and their upper bodies looked like dried-up corpses, skeletal and emaciated.

Suddenly, the steel door swung open with a loud crash.

"Swish—"

A battle axe slashed through the gap, cleaving the dragonized centaur behind Mantou in two.

The severed lizard-like body twisted and crawled on the ground like a headless fly before finally dying.

Mantou and Singo seized the opportunity to dash through the door, slamming it shut behind them.

Seeing a familiar face before them, they were overjoyed.

"Battle Maniac!"

"I’ve been looking for you two! These monsters are tough to kill."

Born Battle Maniac chuckled and rubbed his smooth head.

The three, separated during the dragonized gnoll attack, were finally reunited.

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