The air inside the tower became increasingly heavy as they descended into the depths of the upper floors. The passage from the tenth to the eleventh floor had not only marked a numerical progression, but a true paradigm shift in the hostility of the environment.

The black stone walls, once simply cold, now seemed to ooze a humidity laden with demonic mana, making each breath slightly burning for Klein’s lungs. At his side, Walpurga advanced with unchanged grace. She said no words, but her blue gaze regularly scanned the blind spots with an attention she had not shown until then.

The monsters they encountered had changed radically. The goblins and wolves of the first levels had given way to cave Trolls whose power oscillated between A- and A rank.

These massive creatures, with cracked skin and phenomenal resistance, no longer simply charged blindly. They used the shadows, hiding in the crevices of the walls to set deadly ambushes.

On the eighteenth floor, the tension reached its peak. They were progressing in a particularly narrow corridor when the ground vibrated under their feet.

" Klein ... " murmured Walpurga in a low voice, stopping short.

Before he could answer, a colossal mass burst from the ceiling. An A-rank Troll, much more imposing than the previous ones, crashed down with the force of a meteor. The impact pulverized the stone slabs, throwing Klein to the side. He recovered with a pirouette, but two other silhouettes emerged from the side walls. They were surrounded.

’ I see... they have learned to coordinate their attacks ’ thought Klein while gripping the hilt of his white sword.

He immediately activated the First Movement: Crescent Moon. A blade of white light split the air, slicing the arm of the first Troll that tried to grab him. However, the creature did not retreat. Ignoring the pain, it used its other arm to deliver a backhand that sent Klein crashing violently into the opposite wall. The shock was such that his vision blurred for a moment. The metallic taste of blood invaded his mouth. Their bodies being saturated with demonic mana even being much weaker than him. Their attack could hurt him, especially if the environment made any endurance regeneration impossible.

He tried to get up, but his knee buckled. The leader Troll, taking advantage of his weakness, raised its enormous stone club to deliver the finishing blow. Klein saw the shadow of the weapon cover his field of vision. At that precise moment, he sincerely believed he was going to die.

" Get away from him, trash! "

Walpurga’s cry tore through the silence of the room. It was not her usual voice, cold and detached. It was a cry filled with a primordial fury, doubled with a panic he had never known from her. In a flash, the witch was between him and the monster. She did not use her umbrella this time. She simply raised her hand, and the surrounding demonic mana seemed to respond to her call with unheard-of violence. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Thorns of darkness, charged with a disintegration energy, burst from the ground and wrapped around the Troll. In a fraction of a second, the creature was literally crushed, its bones cracking under the pressure before its body was reduced to black dust. Walpurga did not stop there. She turned toward the two other assailants, her violet eyes shining with a murderous glow. She projected a mystical shockwave that disintegrated them instantly, leaving behind only scraps of charred flesh.

Silence returned, disturbed only by Klein’s panting breath. Walpurga turned back to him abruptly. Her face was pale, and her hands trembled slightly as she knelt at his side.

" You are an idiot ... a perfect idiot ... " she grumbled, her fingers brushing his shoulder with unusual hesitation.

" Walpurga ... it’s okay, I’m still here ... " Klein tried to joke. He was not at all in danger against these monsters but Walpurga seemed to be making a whole plan.

" Shut up! " she replied harshly. " You almost died! Do you even realize what that means? If you disappear, who will take care of all these trivialities? Who will ... " She interrupted herself, her voice slightly choking.

< Mystic Arts : Forced Healing >

She made mudras then began to incant a healing spell. A green and soothing glow enveloped Klein’s wounds. While she worked, he observed her attentively. Behind her mask of coldness and her acerbic reproaches, he finally saw the flaw. Her voice barely trembled, but it was enough to betray her fear of losing him. She was not healing him only because he was useful to her plans, but because a hint of real protectiveness had settled in her heart.

" You really have a hidden sensitivity, don’t you? " he murmured, a small mocking smile stretching his lips despite the fatigue.

Walpurga tightened her grip on his arm, eliciting a slight cry from him. " Don’t say nonsense. I simply hate the waste of resources. And you are a particularly expensive resource to replace. "

She continued to grumble between her teeth, but she did not let him go. They remained like that for what seemed like an eternity in this dark corridor.

Klein felt that there were really things going on with this Narcissistic witch and decided to test her mind several times to have a clear heart.

The days that followed outside represented only a few hours, but inside the tower, time stretched. They spent what Klein estimated to be months together, wandering between floors 11 and 20. This time was not only dedicated to powering up. They had to set up makeshift camps in the rare secure areas, sharing frugal meals and long hours of vigil.

The relationship between them evolved in a subtle but undeniable way. Walpurga began to call him by his first name, " Klein ", much more often than by the contemptuous qualifiers she used to like. She also became more attentive to his needs, imposing periods of forced rest as soon as she judged his aura too unstable.

One evening, while they were resting near a campfire fueled by mana residues, Klein broke the silence. " We are almost there, Walpurga. The twentieth floor is just above. "

She looked up from her book of spells. The reflection of the flames in her moon-like eyes gave her a strangely melancholic air. " Yes. But do not think it will be easier. I wanted to ask you... Why are you so weak for someone who has reached Genesis? Besides you master powerful arts... "