"Excuse me, Mister Asmond? There's an important guest that wants to see you," A woman is standing in front of the door of his office.
"Important guest?" Asmond asked with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes, it's Mister Mykel from the Guild Association. He's waiting near the receptionist. I told him to go to the waiting room, but he said that he will wait in the lobby," The woman answered and she looked a bit anxious.
Asmond was mildly shocked, and he was thinking of not meeting Mykel. But knowing Mykel suddenly came to see him, he thought that there must be something important. He remembered the message that Mara had sent him. A message that told him to be wary of Mykel and avoid him.
"Should I tell him that you're busy, Mister Asmond?" The woman asked while she was fidgeting her fingers behind her back.
"No, I will see him," Asmond sighed as he stood up. He thought that he might regret seeing Mykel, but he was curious at the same time.
Asmond walked into the elevator and felt restless and nervous. He never thought that he would feel nervous meeting Mykel. He used to be excited and happy to see him. The moment the elevator door opened, he was frozen still when he saw Mykel standing in the middle of the lobby.
He took a deep breath and exhaled deeply. He then walked out of the elevator, and the moment Mykel turned around to look at him, his mind went blank for a second.
"Am I disturbing your time?" Mykel asked.
"N-no. I just finished my work," Asmond answered and he cracked his voice out of nervousness.
"Are you sure? You seem troubled," Mykel raised his eyebrows and showed a worried expression.
"It's because of work," Asmond chuckled nervously.
"I see. Have you eaten lunch? We haven't talked for months, and I know the atmosphere between the Guild Association and the Fraternity isn't looking good. But we are still friends, so let's put that thing aside because I'm worried about your progress," Mykel looked around him, and everyone threw sharp and hateful gazes at him.
Asmond was holding his answer and waited to see if Mara would give him a warning. Mykel also looked at Asmond's [Character] story and waited for the same thing.
"No, I haven't eaten lunch yet," Asmond answered and saw the snow started covering the street.
"Perfect. Let's grab some lunch," Mykel smiled as he checked Mara's [Character] story.
Mara wanted to warn Asmond, but knowing Mykel could tell if Asmond was aware of him. She had to be careful because if she blew it up, Mykel would kill him. Asmond was her only chance to stop Mykel, and she had invested a lot of [Arcana Coins] in him as well. She had prepared a plan, and she decided to play safe.
Informing Asmond about who Mykel truly was would only make him rely on Mykel more. She didn't want to give Mykel a golden opportunity by doing that, so she stayed quiet and let Asmond in the dark.
Asmond nodded his head and left the building with dozens of eyes pointing at them. Mykel suddenly stopped at the front of the building and felt the winter cold.
"This reminds me," Mykel said as he looked at the pale sky. "The instant noodles that you made for me. I kind of want to eat that now," Mykel looked at Asmond from the corner of his eyes.
Asmond was surprised that Mykel remembered, and it reminded him of how he was there when he got bullied. Chains of memories came to his mind and reminded him of how Mykel had been helping him this whole time.
"I can make you one if you want to," Asmond proposed.
"I would love that," Mykel smiled and chucked softly. "Let's go to the convenience store," Mykel walked past Asmond and started looking for the nearest store.
They bought the instant noodles, and Mykel bought a bottle of vodka at the liquor store on their way back to the Fraternity Building. Asmond used the kitchen while Mykel watched him cook and enjoyed his vodka.
"Alright, it's done! Do you want to eat in my office?" Asmond asked.
"Anywhere is fine, but sure," Mykel took the bowl from Asmond's left hand.
They were enjoying the noodles, and Mykel emptied the bowl so quickly that Asmond was quite shocked by it.
"You want another? I can make it for you," Asmond asked as he held the bowl and looked at Mykel.
"No, this is enough," Mykel shook his head as he poured a glass of vodka. "I told you why I'm here earlier. I'm worried about the progress of your tower clearance, Asmond," Mykel said with a serious expression and making Asmond feel pressured and anxious.
"We are going to clear it this week," Asmond put the bowl down as he cleared his throat. "We are just making sure that we are ready to fight the Demon Lords, that's all," Asmond explained.
"Isn't that just an excuse?" Mykel stared Asmond in the eye.
Asmond went silent and didn't know how to respond to that statement.
"Three months. You had three months and you let a breakout happen. What were you thinking?" Mykel asked with his arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. "Look outside, look at the mess. Were you thinking of sacrificing everyone's home just because you weren't ready?"
"I know. You don't have to mention it, Mykel," Asmond sounded irritated.
Mykel sighed as he sat straight and rested his elbows on his knees.
"What's the problem? You should have known by now that every world and every floor has a clue about what kind of Demon Lord you'll be facing. That alone should be enough to help you understand and prepare yourself and your team to fight them," Mykel sounded so concerned.
Asmond went silent again.
It was as Mykel expected. The moment he took all of Asmond's original friends and team away, Asmond couldn't clear the tower and kill a Demon Lord on his own. Rozan who was insightful, Jeanne who led the team with him, Gunnar who was willing to be at the front for him. Gerrard helped Asmond from the back, and lastly, Sven who would do anything as he told.
Those people were irreplaceable, and no matter how many Awakeners that Mara prepared for him, they were not the main characters. They were just random and useless side characters with no traits or impact on the story.
"Tell me what you know about the worlds and the problem they're having. I will give you a hand on what kind of Demon Lords you're facing," Mykel looked at Asmond with a glass of vodka in his hand.
Asmond looked at Mykel and was reluctant to give him all the information he got. He was afraid that Mykel would take the chance to clear the towers on his own even though it was clear that Mykel didn't take a part in it. Agnez took the blame and made her the bad guy.
"We can do this on our own," Asmond replied as he shook his head. "I have to do this on my own, or I won't be able to move forward if I keep getting help," Asmond explained seriously.
Mykel smiled and nodded his head.
"That's what I want to hear from you, Asmond," Mykel said. "Have confidence in yourself, don't let anything else distract you," Mykel continued as he stood up.
Asmond nodded and hummed with understanding.
"Powers and everything that you have right now. It was given to you, so use it. They're yours, so rely only on those powers. This is your life, don't let anyone else control over you, not even the Gods. Remember, they're just a spectator. They can't help you, only the people that fight alongside you can help you," Mykel looked Asmond in the eye.
"I hate them, that's why even until now I don't have a Benefactor," Mykel continued as he looked outside the window. "I can only trust myself, with the power I gained. That's all that matters, and of course, the people who are close to me," Mykel sighed.
"That includes you, Asmond. So I really hope you clear the towers," Mykel turned around and looked at Asmond.
"Thank you," Asmond smiled as he looked down at the empty bowl. "I will do that," Asmond looked up at Mykel. "I will do just that," Asmond nodded his head with understanding.
"Good luck and I will be waiting for the good news on TV," Mykel patted Asmond's shoulder with a smile and then left the office.
