Chapter 580: Tower of Mirrors
'So, what should I do now? If I continue killing Destiny Conquerors members, the Legendary Mages under Demi-god Raphael will overpower the remaining Destiny Conquerors and might even force Asher to reveal her presence.' He paused for a moment and soon shook his head.
'But that might make Fate Professor's job much easier. For now, I should focus on continuing my assassination while trying my best to gather more information. I hope Sylvia infiltrates the Security force successfully and steals the divination-nullifying stone.' While muttering, he quietly looked around at the chaotic Children's Park and let out a cold smirk.
'What will you do now, Asher? You've been trying to hide all my assassinations from others, but this will be enough to let others know something is wrong, right?' He muttered inwardly and quietly walked away from that place.
...
Entrance of the Tower of Mirrors, Magus Center, Miracle City.
It was around 1.00 P.M.
A young man in his 30s stood before a tall obelisk tower and looked at its top with wide eyes.
The Tower was constructed of black stone that seemed to absorb the light, making it difficult to discern any details. It raised high into the sky, piercing the clouds and casting a shadow over the surrounding landscape.
The entrance to the Tower was a large, heavy wooden door reinforced with metal. It was so tall that one had to crane his neck to see the top of it, and the door handle was just out of reach for a person of average height. The door was flanked by two stone pillars, each with intricate carvings depicting scenes of wars.
At that moment, many people stood in line before the entrance door and appeared to be waiting for the guards to do the security check before letting them in.
"This is the first time I've come to Magus Center." The young man soon retracted his gaze and muttered in a shocked tone.
He had messy black hair, amber eyes, a shallow nose, tan brown skin, and wore regular linen clothes.
He was none other than Marvin.
At that moment, the strange black owl on his shoulder made a strange hoot and spoke in a familiar feminine voice.
"That's because you aren't from this city, right? After all, I have never seen many tan-skinned people in this city."
"You are half-right, Miss. Arayn. But before I tell you about my origin, let me know what we are doing here. Didn't you tell me you would bring me to my family and save them?"
Meanwhile, Arayn made a peck on his shoulder and responded.
"You are underestimating that Professor guy, Mortal. Even if we find out where your family members are currently imprisoned, saving them with your strength is impossible. Moreover, that Fate Professor isn't going to stay quiet when you show yourself. If not for Charles's interference in the timelines, I wouldn't have noticed such a scheme right under my nose. Hoooot! That's why I'm here to get something important from the 52nd layer."
"To get something important from the 52nd layer? What lies in that place?" After hearing Sylvia's explanation about the Tower of Mirrors, he knew that this Tower held more secrets and got curious.
Meanwhile, Arayn didn't mind his curious look and proceeded to talk.
"It's a simple card that will change this catastrophic situation into a fortunate one."
Marvin couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.
"Core Access Card? But how did you know of its location? Also, why didn't you say it earlier to Charles?"
"Some things need to be kept secret until the time is right. Use this Master Access Card and get inside." As Arayn spoke, a unique golden card appeared out of nowhere and quietly landed on his hand.
Although Marvin couldn't understand what this strange owl was scheming, he followed its words and quietly stepped forward.
A few black-robed mages and silver-armored guards stood at the entrance, checking everyone's identity.
The queue moved quickly, and soon it was Marvin's turn.
"Please take out your Tower's identification card or Access card, Mister." A black-robed mage gave the owl a weird look and spoke.
Meanwhile, Marvin took the Master Access Card from his pocket and showed it to him while adding.
"I'm in disguise right now. Don't let anyone know I entered the Tower."
Although the black-robed mage was surprised by the appearance of the Master Access Card, he didn't overthink it and quietly nodded.
"B-But who are you, sir-?"
Before the black-robed mage could ask further, he walked past the wooden door and entered the Tower of Mirrors.
As he entered the Tower, he was greeted by a dimly lit hallway stretching for what seemed like miles. The walls were lined with torches, but the flickering light only illuminated a small portion of the corridor at any given time, creating an eerie atmosphere. He even heard the sound of dripping water echoing throughout the hallway and the occasional scurrying of small creatures.
Before long, he finally saw a few grey-skinned humanoid creatures with pointy ears and sharp noses standing a few hundred meters away from him and appearing to be moving here and there. Although they looked like goblin creatures from the legends, they also had unique horns on their forehead and appeared bare naked. What startled Marvin most was that he even saw them holding clubs and seemed ready for battle at any moment.
"So, this is the first layer of the Tower of Mirrors, huh? But these imp creatures are only in infant form." He muttered slowly and advanced, taking a long sword from his space ring. He approached those creatures within seconds and made a few slashing movements.
A second later, a few heads fell on the stone floor, and painted everything in dark blue.
"Once you move 100 meters ahead, you will see another path on your right side. Enter that path and proceed for another 500 meters... Then, enter the left side path and walk again for 640 meters before reaching a staircase. That's the easiest way to go to the next floor." Arayn said calmly while firmly gripping his shoulder using her legs and closing her eyes.
Meanwhile, Marvin nodded and continued to walk while listening to Arayn's instructions from time to time.
Although the first floor was only filled with hallways and corridors and had no strong monsters, Marvin felt like he was walking in a maze for a while. After 15 minutes of walking, he finally stopped at the end of a stone wall and soon frowned.
"It's a dead end."
"Touch the wall with your right hand and recite the words after me. We will manipulate the dungeon system and enter the next layer without facing any boss monster. If we follow the normal route, reaching the next layer might take a day or two." Arayn said calmly and started reciting a few words in an ancient tongue.
After a few seconds, the door suddenly turned illusionary, revealing a green forest on the other side!
"We are at Layer-2 already."
It was a lush and verdant environment with abundant trees and other vegetation. The forest was teeming with life, birds chirping, insects buzzing, and other creatures scurrying about.
But as Marvin entered the path and walked deeper into the forest, he noticed that the trees began to take on strange shapes and forms. Some had twisted trunks, while others had branches that curled and twisted like the tendrils of a great serpent. Strange flowers bloomed in the underbrush, emitting a sweet fragrance that filled his senses.
Before he could get captivated by this natural scenario, Arayn turned her owl head and spoke to him in a cold tone.
"We don't have time to go sightseeing. Move to your right."
