Chapter 45: The Unseen Prison

  "Is he... dead?"

  Ethan's voice was a little shaky. He stood a few steps away, craning his neck, looking at the monster's corpse, but hesitant to approach.

  Wolf grinned, a carefree smile. He re-sheathed his greatsword, then walked with steady steps to the corpse, his boots crunching softly on the vitrified ground.

  "Half his body vaporized," he knelt, examining the charred cross-section. "He should be dead."

  That monster—or rather, the last form of Archmage Harrog left in this world—was only its lower half. The wound was charred black like charcoal, yet its edges were eerily smooth, as if cleanly cut by some invisible force. Mary's control was astonishingly precise; such violent magic had not affected the tower's structure, and even...

  Wolf's gaze fell beside the corpse.

  An arm lay isolated nearby, perfectly intact from the shoulder down. The withered hand was still tightly curled, and between its knuckles, a dark silver ring glowed faintly.

  It was the shield ring.

  Most other magic artifacts had melted or failed in the flame light, but only this one seemed to be faintly pulsing with the last vestiges of magical warmth. It was indeed a high-grade, top-quality item.

  Wolf reached out and took it. The ring felt cold to the touch, and the runes inscribed on its surface were largely faded. He weighed it in his hand, then scoffed softly.

  Wolf sighed. It was a good item, but unfortunately, it held little value for a warrior like him. While the shield spell was tricky, it was fundamentally built upon the Archmage's profound magical reserves.

  If he were to use it, his own magic might be depleted after only a few blows.

  He put the ring away. According to mercenary rules, spoils of war should be discussed by the team. But now was not the time.

  Ethan finally moved forward, staring intently at the half-charred remains. His Adam's apple bobbed.

  "So... they were all once human."

  "It seems so. What we thought were attack sites—the bloodstains, the claw marks—weren't monster attacks at all."

  He paused, his voice sinking.

  "It was people, after they turned into monsters, who... left them."

  "Impossible!!"

  Emma had approached at some point. Her face was pale, her eyes fixed on the remnant on the ground.

  "Are you saying George..." Her voice trembled. "George... he could also turn... into this?"

  The last few words were almost squeezed out, trembling, laced with anger, and steeped in fear.

  Wolf was silent for a moment.

  "If even an Archmage like Harrog couldn't escape this fate,"

  "Then your George... is likely in grave danger."

  "We must leave here immediately." Ethan suddenly spoke, his voice regaining a mage's usual coolness, yet unable to hide the underlying urgency. "This place is too dangerous. Even the tower master became this kind of monster; staying a second longer could lead us to the same fate."

  He turned to Wolf, his gaze solemn. "We must report everything that happened here to the Mage Association. Immediately."

  "Wait."

  Wolf suddenly spoke, cutting off Ethan's unfinished words. He handed the Archmage Harrog's diary he held to Ethan, gesturing for him to read it.

  Then he said, "The diary mentioned it—they were already 'trapped' here."

  "Communication spells failed, teleportation spells ineffective. Even if we wanted to leave now, we might not be able to!"

  "Ethan, I need you to try contacting the Mage Association immediately. I'll also try to reach Alice!"

  The two nodded and immediately split up.

  Wolf took out the communicator Alice had given him. He focused, injecting a trace of magic, and the emblem lit up, followed by a sharp static, like countless needles scraping metal.

  Then—

  "Boom—!!!"

  A deafening explosion erupted from the communicator, shaking Wolf's arm and nearly making him drop it.

  He gritted his teeth and held steady. Amidst the static, a familiar, weary female voice finally struggled through:

  "This is Alice. Is that Wolf? It's not our scheduled contact time yet. Is there a problem with the investigation?"

  Explosions continued in the background, her voice carried amidst the rushing air and roars.

  Wolf's brows furrowed. "What's happening on your end? Is it safe to talk? I think I heard explosions."

  "It's nothing, just two little cats being a nuisance. But it's not a big problem. What's your issue? Try to be brief." Alice's breathing was slightly hurried, but her tone remained steady.

  Wolf quickly organized his thoughts. "We are currently on the top floor of the Eye of the North Mage Tower. Uh... the Archmage's area. We found the Archmage's diary and have a general understanding of what happened in this tower."

  "So you're telling me your investigation is complete?" Alice's voice held a hint of doubt.

  "No, we've only gained a preliminary understanding of the situation here, but the cause is still unclear."

  Wolf paused, his tone growing solemn. "I contacted you because the diary mentioned that the Eye of the North's communication with the outside world was cut off, and both teleportation and communication spells failed. To verify the Archmage's claim, I wanted to contact you."

  The communicator fell silent for two seconds, only the faint static of electricity remaining, as if Alice was in the midst of a fierce battle.

  After a moment, the explosions gradually receded, and Alice's voice returned, seemingly from a quieter location.

  "I understand your situation. I'll contact you later, and you can tell me the details. Regarding the communication failure, I advise you not to be too optimistic, because I am also in the Northlands right now, just a bit further away from you."

  Her voice had not yet faded when another loud bang came from the communicator, indicating her battle had not ceased.

  "That's all for now. I'll contact you later."

  "Boom!"

  Another loud explosion, and the communication was abruptly cut off.

  Wolf slowly lowered the communicator. He looked up and saw Ethan approaching, his face grim.

  "Communication spells are completely useless." The mage's voice was heavy. "It's not just magical interference... it's more like something is actively blocking it. As for teleportation—" He shook his head.

  "There's a ready-made magic circle in this tower, its runes intact, its energy abundant, but it cannot establish a connection with the outside world."

  "Mr. Wolf..." Mary stepped forward, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice very soft. "Are we... trapped?"

  "I'm not sure." Wolf's gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Emma. She, too, was distracted, her expression dazed.

  Wolf sighed inwardly. Although the current situation was not ideal, the investigation itself had made significant progress. He wondered how things were going with Nophis. After a moment of thought, Wolf said, "Let's go back for now."

  "Wait. This isn't what we agreed upon!"

  Emma suddenly looked up, her brows furrowed in stubborn defiance.

  "We agreed earlier—we'd go to the fourth floor next."

  Wolf met her gaze, not avoiding it, but merely exhaling a weary breath.

  "The plan hasn't changed, but not now." He pointed to the bloodstains on his own body, then looked at Ethan and Mary, whose faces were still pale.

  "We probably don't have the energy for new exploration."

  "But I can still fight." Emma took a step forward, her voice taut.

  "I know you can." Wolf's voice was calm.

  "And then what? If the mages have indeed mutated, then the fourth floor has likely become a monster's nest. If they were all ordinary monsters, I believe you could handle them alone. But what if we encounter another one like this, also carrying magic artifacts? We need to conserve our combat strength to deal with sudden situations."

  He paused, his gaze sweeping over Emma's clenched fists.

  "Our immediate priority is to confirm what the diary described as 'trapped here.' I need to know how large this 'here' truly is!"

  Emma fell silent. Outside the tower window, the wind sounded like a continuous wail.

  Wolf continued:

  "We traveled from Dragonwood Village to here, and along the way, the sun was bright, with no signs of a blizzard. Does this range include Dragonwood Village? Given the situation, I think it would be better if we rested and then returned."

  "In the worst-case scenario, if we can't even return to Dragonwood Village, then it's not too late to continue exploring this tower."

  Emma closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then glared at Wolf. "...I'll listen to you this time!"

  Wolf nodded, saying nothing, only placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, then sat down on the spot. His gaze fell directly on the half-charred remains.

  "Master Ethan," he suddenly spoke, "is this 'demonization'?"

  Ethan took a few steps closer, knelt, and carefully examined the cross-section, his fingertips hovering over the charred marks.

  "Unlikely." He shook his head. "The essence of demonization is the body reacting with chaotic magical energy, then combining with surrounding elements to change. If it were demonization, his body wouldn't become dry and emaciated; instead, it would exhibit elemental characteristics."

  Then he looked at the remnant for a long time before whispering:

  "Still, as I said, something even an Archmage couldn't resist... we shouldn't linger here."