The Storm Wolf: Gathering Clouds - 4. Chapter 2 Tower (1/2)

Tower: Sudden changes, disasters, accidents essentially, something like that.

I was floating in that empty space.

Ah, I blacked out on the bed yesterday without taking the blue capsule.

I scratched my head in frustration, regretting my indulgence--even skipping both dinner and a shower before passing out. I took back all my previous curiosity about what it would be like to let emotions override reason, reluctantly admitting that I had an impulsive side too. But speaking of which, that surge of passion felt like an overwhelming tide, welling up from the emptiest parts of my soul, endlessly filling me...

I pressed my palm to my chest, evoking memories of being gently caressed. It made my ears droop uncontrollably as I curled up into a ball and covered my head with my tail.

Rationalism, will this make things even more complicated between me and senpai in the future?

Damn, I don't want to think about these things right now! As a psychic, wishing that sleep could simply be a time to rest is such a luxury!

I don't think I have any particular "virgin complex," but the first time does feel a bit peculiar. It's not really good or bad--more of a "oh, so that's what it's like" feeling. I'm not sure if I had been expecting some romantic, dreamlike scenario, but this is probably what people mean by reality. Besides... hmm... before passing out, senpai made me go three more times. So, does that count as four times in total, or is it all just a big one? If it's considered one, then overall it wasn't bad--it didn't suck at least, right? Still, isn't it a little strange to define the number of times we had sex by how many climaxes there were?

I furiously scratched at fur between my head, unable to understand why I was suddenly thinking about these things. Whatever the reason, I was sure I didn't want to dwell on it any longer.

Sighing, I straightened up, determined to find something--anything around me--to distract myself.

Interestingly enough, I managed to step onto a solid surface, and thankfully, I was wearing sturdy boots this time, sparing me from stepping on the cold ground like before.

It was then that I noticed something unusual about this typically empty space.

Aside from a layer of hazy red covering everything like a blood-colored mist, there was an enormous tower standing before me, towering far beyond what my eyes could see. The tower's structure looked ancient, as if made from some old, weathered stone. But I knew that was just the image in my mind. Such a colossal structure, making visitors seem like tiny ants, was probably not even a "tower" in the conventional sense.

Based on these prominent features, I immediately knew where I was.

"The Tower of Time," "The Sky Tower," "The Dungeon," "The Rank"--everyone had their own names for this enigmatic entity, but the most commonly used and straightforward term remained simply "the Tower."

No one knows exactly what it is; we only know that the Tower is likely not composed of physical matter--not in the way we understand it, at least. All attempts to analyze its material composition have failed--analytical devices simply don't work in this space, and practically nothing from within the Tower can be brought back to the Academy--practically nothing.

The first known item on the list of what can be brought back is adamantine. Others include mithril, orichalcum, and on rare occasions, some particularly strong or lucky Tower explorers can find exotic matter.

A large portion of the Academy's operations rely on resources harvested from the Tower. Many cadets earn points primarily through contributing materials, either by selling them to the Academy or trading with other cadets, forming a unique primary industry. Of course, some cadets engage in different levels of industry through processing, refining, or research. Overall, the Academy's entire economic system revolves around the Tower.

Staring at the entrance, I worried that approaching it would be a foolish decision.

It was alarming that the Tower had its own projection in Tel'aran'rhiod. The unpredictable changes of ordinary objects in the dream world were already unsettling enough, and I wasn't sure if I truly wanted to find out what this unfathomable entity would become within Tel'aran'rhiod.

Though I'd never been to any floor beyond the lobby, as first-year cadets are prohibited from climbing the Tower. Even when I had the chance to enter the Tower, I served solely as a "Beacon," stationed near the entrance to fulfill my duties.

The Tower possesses its own realm of consciousness--a powerful and tyrannical one--and the higher you ascend, the stronger it becomes. When operational zones are located at heights unbearable for regular members, "Beacon" are usually enlisted to extend their domains wide enough for the team to function within.

The Master Field had approved my request to climb the Tower. After completing a few commissions left, I should begin exploring this mysterious structure myself.

For everyone, the Tower differs slightly. Not just in appearance, but beyond a certain height, its internal structure can change depending on who enters. However, it's said that if you climb high enough, you'll find what you're searching for.

So, what would it be for me?

Heavy footsteps nearby pulled me out of my thoughts. This was the first time I had noticed another presence in Tel'aran'rhiod.

Turning toward the source of the sound, I saw a wolf with pure white fur standing about four meters away, tilting its head and observing me. Its bright red eyes were hard to read, but from its stance, with one paw resting on the hilt of its sword, I figured it must be a Snow.

When both eyes are entirely red, distinguishing between gray wolves with solid-colored fur becomes an incredibly challenging task. And identifying individuals by scent from a safe distance is impossible.

So even though I felt slightly ashamed of instinctively tucking my tail, I maintained a neutral greeting stance, lowering my ears to show that I wasn't a threat. After all, this figure might not be who they appeared to be--this was Tel'aran'rhiod.

The unidentified Snow didn't respond to my greeting but continued staring at me.

Hoping to further demonstrate my good intentions, I raised a paw to approach, but he immediately stepped back and drew his sword, taking up a defensive stance.

It was the Frost starting stance--a clear indication that this was indeed Snow or some highly skilled mimic. It seemed he had the same concerns as I did.

I cautiously extended my consciousness, attempting to communicate directly or at least confirm his identity through the pulse patterns, but as our domains touched, a powerful resonance erupted in my mind. In the next instant, it felt as though I was being hurled at incredible speed in one direction; all the surroundings compressed into a single point, and then everything returned to pitch-black nothingness.

Some clear, sharp sounds woke me up. For the first time in my life, I truly understood what it meant for eyelids to be so heavy that they simply couldn't open.

I tried to summon my willpower, commanding my limbs to move despite being utterly drained. But my attempts to fight the weakness in my body forced me to give up, leaving me to emit a low, helpless growl that did nothing to help the situation.

I wasn't sure whether this intense fatigue was due to that strange experience with Tel'aran'rhiod, or if it was... a "handiwork" of Kotetsu senpai. But honestly, I didn't really want to find out the answer.

At the very least, I managed to roll over and peek over the edge of the bed towards the source of the noise below.

Tadao was in front of the wardrobe, getting himself ready while unwrapping the velvet around the tips of his antlers and placing it back on the table.

"I've never seen you sleep that deeply before," the red deer said, holding two ties, examining which one matched his outfit in the mirror. "Had me a bit worried there."

"What time is it?" At least my voice still sounded normal.

"Half past eight." He eventually chose the blue tie.

Eight-thirty? How long had I slept? Damn it, I should've checked the time earlier...

"You don't look too well," Tadao said, struggling to turn around and face me with his tie partially done. "I think I can guess why, but I still have to ask. Why does the room smell entirely like... male Altai wapiti?"

"Kotetsu senpai was here." I forced myself to ignore the blood rushing to my ears and responded as calmly as I could.

"I know Kotetsu senpai was here, but..." Tadao scratched the back of his head, his gaze wandering. "Let me be blunt: not only does your body smell like his, but it's also mixed with a very noticeable..." He hesitated for a moment, looking even more embarrassed before finishing the sentence. "...scent of musk."

I sniffed the air twice but, perhaps due to olfactory fatigue, couldn't detect anything particularly different, let alone Kotetsu's scent. But in that moment, I understood what Tadao meant. Slowly, I lay back down, feeling around the fur on my chest and stomach, only to find several tangled, stiff patches of fur.

This must be the peak of all the awkward experiences in my life. Faced with uncharted territory, my only strategy was to pretend I didn't exist--hold my breath and stay still. Maybe Tadao would actually forget I was lying here, and that we'd been having a conversation.

"Did you two...?"

I shot up from the bed instantly, completely forgetting my plan of pretending to be invisible. It wasn't like this was a huge deal, and I obviously had no chance of covering it up, so I didn't even know why I felt so flustered. Rationalism above, the way Tadao was too embarrassed to even meet my eyes was… just a little bit hurtful, wasn’t it?

I couldn't quite pinpoint why I felt that way, but to force myself to face the situation, and to keep my paws from fidgeting, I crossed my arms over my chest and answered as calmly as possible.

"Yes."

The silence that followed was long and heavy, far worse than the confusion and panic of stumbling over my words. So, I tried to briefly explain what happened.

"I got beaten up again by Master Field, so my clothes were covered in blood." I glanced down at the still-drying, now completely white shirt hanging there. "Kotetsu senpai was adamant that I couldn't show up at the assessment like that, so he forced me to come back here to change, but the laundry hadn't come back yet..." As I spoke, Tadao's frown deepened, making me unconsciously speed up. "...and then he helped groom my fur. It was... quite comfortable, and things just... escalated from there." The moment I said it, I regretted phrasing it that way--"going with the flow" might have sounded less awkward.

Still, I suddenly noticed that using the pretext of cleaning clothes and grooming to create an opportunity was a rather interesting plot point. I couldn't help but wonder if Kotetsu senpai had simply gone with the moment or if he'd seen it done somewhere.

"Doesn't that seem a bit... casual to you?" I was certain I detected clear disdain in Tadao's words.

"Huh?" The unexpected shift in his tone left me momentarily at a loss for a more complex reaction.

"I mean..." Tadao sighed, leaning against the wardrobe with his arms crossed. "The whole thing just happened so fast! When he, uh... made it clear what he wanted," he rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, "you two went to bed together like it was nothing--there wasn't any lead-up, right?"

"Probably not..." I tilted my head, recalling our interactions. Even if I wasn't particularly sensitive to such things, if Kotetsu senpai had shown any prior intent, I should've at least picked up on it... probably?

"See, that's exactly it!" Tadao grew animated, his hands making large gestures for emphasis. "It just seems so random and careless, like you're open to anyone!" He reverted to his crossed-arms stance, continuing with a firm tone. "Let me put it this way: if it were me in that situation, would you have accepted?"

It felt a little strange, but I switched the image in my mind.

"I would have." It didn't take me long at all to answer; it was a clear choice. "But I don't think 'who it is' really matters that much."

"'Who it is' is the whole point!" Tadao scoffed, scratching the base of his antlers. "If anyone can, isn't that just... promiscuity?"

"Well, by definition, it might be considered 'promiscuity,' but I don't see why it's such a big deal to have relationships with multiple people. The term itself carries a judgmental connotation." I spoke matter-of-factly, confident that I wasn't in the right state to delve into deep philosophical debates, especially since that wasn't the point. "I think we just interpret 'who it is' differently."

Tadao's frown deepened, but he kept listening.

"Imagine understanding, from the moment you become self-aware, that you're different from everyone around you," I continued softly, facing that strange sensation that felt like a cold, damp heaviness over my fur. "You might speak the same language, even look similar, but deep down, you know your true feelings can never be understood by others. No one else shares your experiences."

I ran my fingers along the wooden edge of the bed, feeling the orderly grain of the wood.

"You try to build connections, and if you're lucky enough, maybe you'll find someone willing to accept you. But even then, they still can't truly understand you, let alone respond, because that gap is unbridgeable."

I met the red deer's brown eyes and kept speaking, my voice steady.

"Day after day, year after year, you finally convince yourself that this is good enough--that, from a certain point of view, it's even the purest kind of bond. After all, we can only take what we're given, right?" The bitterness on my tongue made me question whether I hadn't tried hard enough, or simply hadn't been fortunate enough. "Until one day, you realize it's not like that at all. That you're not destined to be alone forever, that someone out there can hear your cries in the dark, respond to them, and actually understand the emotions and desires behind them."

I reached out with a small part of my consciousness, gently touching Tadao's domain and feeling its pulse.

"So, you see, 'who it is' doesn't matter much, because this is about oneself--about me." I touched my chest, where my heartbeat was steady and calm. “It’s about finally understanding your place in the world—realizing you’re not alone—and truly, deeply recognizing that so many possibilities had never been considered, simply because you could never imagine them, because no one had ever told you they were real. But they are. And you are worthy of them.”

Tadao's domain pulsed with understanding... and something else, hidden beneath the surface--concern?

I tried to convey my gratitude to him, along with a hint of apology.

"Of course, I shouldn't have done as I pleased without talking to you first--this is your room too, after all." I still have to remind myself sometimes—it might be hard to understand if you’re not a Senate wolf—but when you’ve been sharing space with others in a group setting since you were six, your sense of boundaries tends to be a little different. "If it bothers you, I should have respected your wishes and gone somewhere else."

As I finished, I watched the red deer quietly.

After a while, he exhaled through his nose, seeming to relax a bit.

"Hang a sock on the doorknob next time," he said, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Doorknob?" I tilted my head, unsure if this was a Federation’s custom or something.

"Of course, you'd take it literally. What was I thinking..." Tadao muttered under his breath, while I failed to see what the issue was. "Just message me. I'll go crash at Hemp senpai's place," he said with a sly grin, a hint of mockery in his tone. "If your 'desire' isn't so urgent that you can't even type a few words."

"Alright," I couldn't help but laugh, silently reminding myself to find a chance to throw some snark back later. "By the way, what do you usually do when you stay over at Hemp senpai's place?"

I had been wanting to ask this for a while, but I was afraid it might come off as prying too much into his private life for Federation's standard.

"What, jealous?" The stag always showed off his antlers, in a rather flamboyant way, whenever he adopted an aggressive posture. "Maybe I'll tell you when the time is right--you might even find it interesting."

He waved his hand, and all I could do was shrug in response to this feigned mysteriousness.

"I should get going," Tadao picked up his backpack, glancing meaningfully at the floor several times. "I recall someone saying he'd be responsible for cleaning the room?"

"Let me recover first." I made a few simple gestures, feeling the intensity of my mental pulses. "I'll handle it once I'm not so exhausted."

"Wow, isn't this the most powerful psychic ever? Turns out the weakness is this obvious?" Tadao quipped mercilessly. "I wonder what kind of reward the Federation would offer me for this intel."

"Thirty silver coins, maybe." I said with a smile, to which Tadao just rolled his eyes, clearly not finding the joke amusing.

After he left, I lay back down, fumbling around until I found my terminal. I checked my schedule for the day and concluded that I still had enough time to rest a bit longer.

So, I set a reminder and closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts and hoping to fall asleep again. Thanks to being physically and mentally drained, I quickly drifted off into literal sleep--again.

When I found myself standing in front of the towering gate, I felt so frustrated that I nearly wanted to slam my head into the intricate carvings on its massive structure.

What else could I have expected? I hadn't taken my blue capsule--one of the three great Fallacies of Logic!

I pressed my forehead against the cold, hard surface, repeatedly murmuring "There's no place like home" in my mind, but it was clear that this was not the way out of Tel'aran'rhiod. I even went as far as to stand on tiptoe and tap my heels together three times.

I couldn't remember what the punishment was for entering Tel'aran'rhiod without a dream-walk license. With all the Academy's numerous, convoluted rules, put in place to avoid miscasting gestures by even half a degree and accidentally summoning planar demons, it was impossible to memorize them all.

But since I had unexpectedly stumbled upon the tower's projection within the dream, shouldn't I seize the opportunity to take a glimpse into this unknown realm? According to the rumors, the last "terrible accident" happened a year before I came to the Academy. So, statistically speaking, it should be safe for now, right?

Caught in the tug-of-war between rational concerns for safety and a steadily growing curiosity, I jerked my head up, wanting at least to escape this vexing sense of frustration.

I stared at the carvings on the door and recognized the story of the establishment of the Canine Empire and its first emperor, which appeared identical to what I had seen in reality. I wasn't sure how the tower decided which scenes people would see, but it was said that every Senate wolf saw the same carvings on the gate.

I lightly touched the coyote at the center of the carving, the one being celebrated by the masses, feeling the smooth and cold surface of some unknown material beneath my fingertips.

Suddenly, the surroundings flickered, and when I came to, I found myself standing in an expansive room with only a stone staircase in the center, leading upward.

"Don't go touching mysterious, cool-looking objects without knowing what they are," echoed in my ears, and I froze, still holding my outstretched paw in place.

You needed a key to enter the tower, so why had a mere touch of the carvings brought me inside?

I sighed, fully aware that trying to unravel the rules of the dream would likely be futile. Still, I searched my pockets to confirm I indeed had no key on me.

Well, all horror stories start like this--the naïve protagonist is mysteriously brought to an unknown place for unknown reasons, and then encounters some unknown terror.

Determined to prove my intelligence, I absolutely refused to make a mess of things and end up a victim of a poorly crafted plot. I crossed my arms over my chest, planning to stay perfectly still until I woke up, avoiding any potential triggers.

Though in my usual assignments to the tower, I was essentially doing the same thing, I'd always come prepared with reading materials to stave off boredom. Now, under these conditions where I could only stand in place, it was somewhat difficult.

I tried to gauge the passage of real time by counting my breaths while simultaneously pondering whether breathing and time had any meaning in Tel'aran'rhiod.

After about an hour and a half passed, I began counting the hairs on my left arm.

On the bright side, there were many other places I could count, and I thought I was probably close to waking up.

But then, a powerful tremor rippled through the tower's domain, causing the air to fluctuate in density and even distorting the light, making my surroundings ripple as if expanding outward in waves.

I smoothed the goosebumps on my arms, suppressing the urge to expand my consciousness in self-defense.

Sharp clattering sounds echoed from the higher levels, sometimes accompanied by piercing, screeching noises like metal being torn or scratched.

Forcing myself to remain still, I struggled to ignore what was undoubtedly the sound of an intense battle.

After some time, the disturbances in the tower's domain ceased, no longer rippling with odd physical phenomena, and the room fell into complete silence.

Yet, what I hadn't anticipated was that the quiet would be even harder to bear than the previous commotion.

After waiting for quite some time, with no signs of waking up, the oppressive silence in this empty room finally bored me into deciding to do something reckless. The risk of exploring the unknown was now lower than the risk of hallucinating from staying in this eerie environment.

I expanded my consciousness and immediately sensed resistance from the tower's domain, but I pushed through. The intensity of the domain in this hall was stronger than what I was accustomed to in reality, but I couldn't tell if it was due to Tel'aran'rhiod or some other unknown factor.

Extending my domain up along the staircase, I began exploring the higher levels. I instantly felt an immensely stronger pressure pushing back, though still within my ability to handle. This kind of aimless searching was clearly inefficient--although time was likely the least of my concerns at the moment, perhaps all I needed was an excuse to climb those stairs.

Retracting my consciousness, I sent out a probing wave to understand the source of the earlier noise.

As in the real world, the tower's domain greatly interfered with the probing waves, causing the feedback signals to become noticeably distorted and shifted, worsening with distance and object complexity. I wasn't particularly skilled at deciphering waveforms, but by increasing the output power, I could at least obtain clearer signals.

While waiting for the results, I sketched a floor plan in my mind based on the information received from the probing waves.

When the feedback I needed arrived, I understood that it was a wolf, gravely injured, curled up in a corner, panting and unable to move.

The waveform was too blurry for me to discern specifics, but I could identify several fractures and blood loss, and the wolf's exhaustion was unmistakable. Judging by the waveform, he was alone.

I had heard some rumors in idle gossip, stories about how people sometimes died in the tower, or simply vanished without a trace.

The terror of being trapped alone in some bizarre place was overwhelming just to imagine, and I didn't believe I could ignore such a clear cry for help, even if it was within a dream.

However, knowing my poor sense of direction, I used my consciousness to carve a faint blue trail as Ariadne's thread--a navigation technique often employed by tower exploration teams in the absence of Beacon.

I ascended the stone stairs, following the shortest path to avoid any changes in the information I had obtained earlier. When scattered metal fragments began appearing on the ground, I knew I was getting close.

There were many spent shells and deformed, flattened bullets, likely the result of colliding with defensive circle--a sight I often saw in self-defense training exercises.

But there was one other thing, something I was witnessing with my own eyes for the first time.

An oval structure, its material resembling metal, perhaps painted to prevent it from reflecting light. What stands out the most are the numerous jointed tentacles extending from it, with their tips possibly ending in claws or some sort of tools. Regardless of the tools, they all glimmer with a cold, icy sheen.

I immediately recognized it as a "Squid," something that appears at a certain height within the Tower, possessing a core made of adamantine, which serves as the primary means of harvesting this mysterious substance.

It's said that when active, dozens of red dots flicker on its surface, resembling the gaze of some monster from the abyss. For those lacking experience and combat skills, the Squid is extremely dangerous. It's also one of the factors limiting how far climbers can ascend the Tower, and it's rumored that more unimaginable things await even higher up.

Now, this Squid had been neatly sliced in half from the center. I turned it over to confirm that the core had already been taken.

The farther I went, the denser the remains of Squids became. Occasionally, there were also a few scratches on the walls, as if something sharp had sliced into them.

So, it is possible to leave marks on the Tower's structure? Or was this merely a vision existing only in my mind?

Gently running my fingers over the cuts on the stone wall, I noticed delicate, pale patterns that covered the entire wall. However, the lighting was too dim, and the lines too faint to discern whether they were merely lines or part of a larger depiction.

Before I could commit the entire scene to memory, a murky, low groan reached my ears, immediately reminding me of my original purpose.

I ran towards the source of the sound, carefully avoiding slipping on the various scattered metal fragments on the ground, occasionally having to leap over heaps of debris. I could only guess they were once Squids, but the remains were too shattered to confirm.

Simultaneously, I noticed that the cores in the center of the debris were still intact.

After rounding the last corner, I entered a narrow corridor. The abundance of wreckage made me have to squeeze through or clear away fragments to continue forward.

At the end of the corridor was the figure that had let out that earlier murky groan.

A wolf with pure white fur was slumped against the wall, pressing one paw to his side, where a large dark stain of blood spread across the half of his white shirt.

Noticing my approach, the white wolf squinted his crimson eyes and warily observed me, wrinkling his nose to expose the largest of his fangs, letting out a series of threatening, clear growls. A metallic scraping sound followed, drawing my attention to the long sword held in his other paw.

Even though the features weren't clear, I could tell from the style of the sword that this was the same Snow I had encountered in the previous dream.

There was no doubt he was injured and needed help, but as I approached, the white wolf's body tensed up, struggling to stand, so I took a step back, showing my open paws.

"Hey, it's okay." I adopted a submissive posture, lowering my ears to soothe him, worried that his mental state might be unstable--considering the number of wrecks around us, the prior battle must have been quite intense. "I mean no harm, and you need help."

The white wolf didn't respond, but he didn't make any further movements either.

A tiny, paranoid voice in my mind questioned whether this might be some finely crafted illusion masking a malicious trap. After all, there were countless unverifiable rumors and horror stories about the Tower, not to mention the projection version within Tel'aran'rhiod!

But noticing that the wound on the Snow's side hadn't stopped bleeding, with dark red liquid already forming a small pool on the floor, I discarded all doubts.

Approaching the wounded wolf, I mentally recited the mnemonic for prioritizing injuries while preparing the necessary directional wave etchings.

Before I even fully grasped what was happening, my body instinctively reacted--a heavy, oppressive killing intent accompanied a glimmering cold blade that came slashing towards me. Thanks to immediately retreating, I narrowly avoided a strike so swift it exceeded the limits of dynamic vision, feeling an intense pain in my left forearm.

The wound was deep. I clenched my left arm, which was gushing blood, using probing waves to assess the damage.

Rationalism, he had severed my radius!

I tied off the main arteries and began repairing the nerves, ensuring that each of the finest bundles was properly reconnected.

Fortunately, the cut was clean, making it easier to convince the tissues on both sides to merge.

Staying at a distance out of his reach, I remained vigilant against this unknown Snow who had suddenly attacked me.

The wolf wiped his sword on the sole of his boot to remove the blood, all the while glaring at me with those crimson eyes, maintaining his intimidating posture with bared fangs and a wrinkled nose. Judging by his grimace, the movement probably reopened his wound, causing blood to drip faster from his abdominal wound.

"Hey, I mean no harm." I continued trying to calm him, raising my now-healed left arm to show him. "I can help you."

In truth, I'd never tried healing someone else with my abilities before, but having just discovered an unprecedented speed in precisely reconnecting all the muscles, bones, blood vessels, and other structures, I wasn't sure if it was some ability-based adrenaline surge or an effect of this dream world's rules. But I knew I now rivaled automated medical pods--or, no, I was much better.

The moment I raised my foot, the white wolf, in a panic, tried to prop himself up, and I noticed that his right leg was at an odd angle. Not wanting to push too hard, since this unfamiliar Snow was clearly very nervous, I knew that approaching recklessly would be dangerous for both of us. But leaving him alone would only mean watching him die.

So, when I approached again, and the white wolf swung his sword with inhuman speed once more, I was ready--this guy was incredibly skilled. How had I never noticed him during twilight training sessions?

His injuries must have affected his swordsmanship's precision to some extent, but the main reason was that the blood on the blade hadn't been completely cleaned.

In an instant, I extended my consciousness and successfully grasped the sword's blade. Either he was too weak, or his technique of synchronizing with adamantine was insufficiently practiced; the weapon's domain didn't significantly weaken my control.

The white wolf let out a frustrated, defeated growl, unwilling to give up and trying to muster more strength to resist me.

From the pulsations coming from his domain, even though they were considerably distorted by the Tower's unique spatial properties, I could still determine how severe the Snow's injuries were.

I had no choice but to step forward, firmly grip his wrist, and forcefully twist it, compelling the white wolf to drop the sword.

He roared and resisted, forcing me to channel my consciousness with enough force to pin him down, making him lie on the ground. Once his struggling subsided slightly, I began analyzing his condition with probing waves.

The strength of the white wolf's domain was fading too quickly--something was weakening him.

Fallacy, if only the Tower's domain didn't interfere with the waves so strongly!

I struggled to diagnose what was wrong amidst the distorted, erroneous feedback... Oh, Rationalism above, this was...

Internal bleeding, and multiple hemorrhaging points.

"Stop being stubborn!" I finally lost my patience, gripping his snout and speaking sternly. "You're experiencing severe internal bleeding, and delaying any longer is dangerous."

In fact, it was strange that this Snow still had the energy to move around and even execute those precise, high-speed slashes--he should have been in shock long ago.

"Link with me." I attempted to touch and synchronize with his consciousness domain, but the white wolf had completely retracted his consciousness circle within the existence circle. Independent Tower climbers typically maintain this state to avoid interference from the Tower's domain and reduce the likelihood of drawing attention. "Link with me!" I repeated, but he furrowed his brows, confusion now outweighing his anger.

This Snow didn't know what a link was--of course, if Master Dawn hadn't explained it to me, I wouldn't have known about the complex interactions between psychics' domains either.

But thinking about it carefully, if I were seriously injured, lying in a dark corridor for who knows how long, trusting a stranger who suddenly appeared from nowhere to fully open my domain boundaries and establish a link would be impossible. So even if he knew what a link was, he probably couldn't comprehend why I was making such a request.

Wait, he's an independent climber!

I raised my head, quickly scanning the corridor, seeing no other figures and confirming this suspicion.

"Where's your nanodrone syringe? The Academy doesn't allow cadets to climb the Tower without carrying nanodrones." I rummaged through the white wolf's pockets as I asked, and he let out a very offended low growl. "Did you use it up earlier? Why didn't you turn back?"

The rule was that if you ran out of nanodrones in your inventory, you had to retreat immediately and couldn't continue operating.

The unfamiliar Snow looked at me with increasingly confused eyes, as if he couldn't understand what I was saying.

Could it be that he didn't understand me? Wasn't I speaking in the common tongue? Would Tel'aran'rhiod distort the words spoken aloud?

"Nanodrones," I tried again, speaking slowly and enunciating clearly. "The invention by the herbivores of the Federation can basically save anyone as long as they're not dead on the spot."

The unfamiliar Snow narrowed his eyes even further as he stared at me, leaving me unsure of his meaning--is it deep suspicion or the stirrings of infatuation? Okay, I guess it's quite clear that it's the former.

The frown and glare began to make me uncomfortable, but just as I was about to change tactics and communicate through gestures, a sharp metallic scraping sound caught my attention in the distance.

As the rumors described, dozens of red lights flickering on dark shells indeed looked terrifying.

Three Squids swayed their numerous tentacles as if gliding smoothly through liquid, undisturbed by the debris in their path, and approached us.

I heard a clear roar and turned to see the white wolf struggling to stand.

"Don't move! You'll make the injury worse!" I had no choice but to restrain his movements more firmly, receiving a very impolite bark in response.

I hadn't had time to protest the offense when suddenly, countless metal rounds poured onto my defensive circle, clanging against each other as they landed.

The Squids seemed to realize that shooting was ineffective and withdrew all their tentacles, wielding the blades at their tips and charging at us, the red dots on their bodies trailing behind like streaks of light.

These nightmarish creatures couldn't be grasped directly with Domination, related to some device within their structure. The Academy used this as a prototype to develop versions applicable to other living beings.

In short, this meant I needed other methods to resolve the issue before me.

"Let me borrow this for a moment," I said as I pulled the long sword into my paw, lowering my ears in apology to the white wolf, who let out a growl in protest.

It wasn't until I felt the distinctive resonance of adamantine in my palm that I realized I should've first confirmed whether this was a complete adamantine weapon.

This past year at the Academy, being admired by others might have made me a bit complacent...

In any case, self-reflection could wait until after the crisis passed!

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the long sword, and assumed the Glacial second stance.

The Squids were fast, but not beyond the speed I could manage, and their movements were straightforward. Essentially, they were just quicker targets.

Once the target entered my attack range, I swung my blade, cleanly slicing the first Squid in half.

Qana would be proud to see this--it was a perfect bisection.

Following the momentum of the sword, I immediately retracted the blade, intending to strike the second Squid. Unexpectedly, the Squid changed its path in an impossible manner, as if unaffected by inertia, resulting in me only severing a few of its tentacles.

I quickly ducked to avoid the swipes of several tentacles but managed to seize the opportunity, rising with the motion of the sword to cut the Squid in half.

As I spun around to face the direction the previous enemies had charged from, the last Squid had already rushed up to me, about to crash into me.

I adjusted my stance as fast as possible, dodged the few tentacles in front, and reversed my grip on the sword, using the Squid's own momentum to pierce through the shell marked with several red dots.

But contrary to my expectations, the eerie red light didn't extinguish from my attack.

No time to be surprised, a sharp pain shot through my left shoulder as the Squid's thin, sharp tentacle spike pierced through.

Rationalism above all!

I tried to pull the sword out or resonate the adamantine to cut the Squid apart, but the indescribable creature drove more tentacles into my body and twisted them, causing excruciating pain and rendering my left arm useless.

No, it wasn't just a distraction... the Squid was somehow interfering with my conscious will, similar to how adamantine worked.

No time to ponder what that meant, I turned my head to dodge a claw that would have gouged out my eye, leaving several cuts on my cheek. But the shift in my posture made me lose balance, and the Squid managed to press me to the ground.

The dark shell dotted with red lights was nearly touching my face, and being illuminated by that eerie red light from such close range was quite nauseating.

Pinned under the Squid's weight, I couldn't move, desperately trying to dodge the countless tentacles aiming at my head.

Suddenly, all the red dots on the shell went dark.

Finally able to catch my breath, I managed to push the Squid aside and sat up. As I pulled the claws still embedded in my body, I couldn't help but cry out, the terrible pain nearly causing me to spasm.

Once I escaped the Squid's interference, I immediately mobilized my consciousness to diagnose and heal myself.

I looked at the Snow gratefully; he was also sitting on the ground, sheathing a serrated dagger at his waist.

"Hey, what's up?" I had just completed the step of stopping the bleeding when the white wolf struggled to stand and hobbled awkwardly. "Let me help you secure it; it'll get worse if you keep moving like this..." I said as I walked over to Snow's side, catching him just as he stumbled and almost fell, holding him steady.

He turned and gave me an unfriendly glare, baring his fangs.

"You can't move around like this, and you know that, right? At least let me assist you." I pointed out helplessly, and we ended up staring at each other.

Without making any other indication, Snow turned his head and continued toward the end of the corridor. At least this time, he didn't try to push me away, and with my help, he moved without putting more strain on his right leg.

We stopped at the corridor's end, where the white wolf intently stared at the brick wall. Following his gaze, I tried to find what was so special about this place.

Before I could reach any conclusion, Snow made three gestures, and I saw three silver-white symbols etched onto several bricks.

Then, the wall silently split open, revealing a spacious, brightly lit room behind it.

"A safe zone!" I couldn't help but exclaim, turning toward the Snow.

He merely shrugged, gesturing toward a cabinet on one of the walls, indicating we should head over.

I knew there were a few places like this in the Tower, where the inner Tower's influence was relatively weaker, and supplies could be stored. However, the specific locations and opening methods were secrets points couldn't easily buy. But to my knowledge, safe zones were usually the size of a cabinet--yet this one was as big as a double dormitory room in the Academy.

Still overwhelmed with astonishment, I had no time to examine the variety of supplies piled in the room and could only gape and wonder if this was a shared place used by the Senate's wolves.

No... If that were the case, the record holders for Tower ascensions should have included more of the wolves...

A sharp pain in my chest pulled me out of my thoughts, and a cold sensation flowed through my veins like a liquid.

"So you do understand what I'm saying." I spoke with a hint of complaint in my tone, but Snow didn't seem inclined to respond.

He merely pulled out the syringe lodged beneath my collarbone and casually tossed it onto the counter below the cabinet.

I watched as he took out another syringe, examining the red cross on it with a somewhat hesitant expression.

"I could try to set it," I said, pointing to his leg, guessing what he was thinking.

Snow thought about it for a moment, then nodded and sat on what I guessed was a bed.

As I tried to recall the types of fractures and how to diagnose them through palpation, he tossed me a handheld scanner.

"Ah, that's much more convenient!" It wasn't until I picked up the scanner that I realized his sword was still with me.

Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my ear, but the white wolf didn't seem to mind.

Fortunately, it was a clean closed fracture. However, resetting it still produced a nerve-wracking crack, but the white wolf only let out a light grunt. After confirming the bone was in the correct position, I requested the scabbard from him, and using both our belts, I secured it tightly as a splint for his right leg.

I signaled that I was done, and the white wolf injected a nanodrone into his body. He exhaled a long breath through his nose and finally relaxed, no longer as tense.

His change in demeanor affected me, and a wave of exhaustion hit, making me yawn widely, realizing just how tired I was. As I wiped away the involuntary tears that welled up, I noticed the white wolf giving me a teasing look.

"What?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious, unsure if it was normal to feel this tired in a dream.

He shifted a bit, patting a spot beside him with his paw.

"Oh," my ears perked up as I awkwardly lowered my hand. "Uh... thanks."

Why not?

I forced myself to stop trying to tuck my tail away and lay down beside the white wolf, trying to stay calm.

The bed was probably designed for a single person, so it was a bit cramped, especially since the white wolf was a size larger than me. But he wasn't complaining, so I couldn't really say anything either.

Interestingly, he smelled like some kind of metal drenched in oil, mixed with a strong scent of blood--I was pretty sure I smelled the same way.

As if reading my thoughts, the white wolf let out a few chuckles, then turned over to lie on his side. Before long, his breathing deepened, as if he had fallen asleep.

I didn't even have time to feel awkward; my heavy eyelids quickly pulled me into deeper darkness, and I fell asleep amidst the strange, pungent odor.