3rd Floor — Arctic Wasteland VI

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〔Aura +2〕 

〔Strength+1〕 

〔Physique +1〕 

〔You have received 5 stat points to be freely distributed.〕 

〔You have received Minor Healing Potion x2〕

〔You have received Minor Stamina potion x2〕 

〔You have received Minor Aura Potion x1〕 

〔First time clear! You are the first to clear this floor. Additional rewards will be distributed in your inventory.〕 

〔Would you like to Return or Proceed further?〕 

〔⬅〕 〔➡〕

Leandro ignored the screens, focusing on the pitiful woman in his arms. It wasn't her otherworldly beauty that held his attention—he didn't care about that. No, it was the tragedy that had befallen her. It reminded him of his own. His failure. 

Her world must have failed to fully integrate with the 'system', and now she was a survivor, barely getting by as a worker for the Monolith. A slave. A dummy target for Challengers to rescue or abandon. 

'Did Esmeralda meet the same fate?' Leandro's eyes narrowed; his Aura stirred. 'Is she somewhere in the Monolith, or did some other plane take her in?' 

Considering how xenophobic some species were, he didn't know which one was a worse fate. 

But—if something happened to her…

Leandro closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. No point speculating. Esmeralda wasn't weak, and she wasn't stupid.

And besides, he would get his answers soon—one way or the other. 

Ironically, Abrais wasn't wrong about him. 'Always a bigger monster.' The Monolith hosted the most deranged and dangerous garbage the cosmos had to offer.

A hand gently rested on his chest. Leandro looked down. Xylandra looked up at him, and as he tilted his head, she perfectly copied him. Her creepy eyes shone with curiosity. You'd think those crimson orbs would only hold something akin to hostility, so seeing so much innocence in them was a bit odd. 

Her long ears twitched. 

"How are you feeling? Can you speak?"

Xylandra's mouth opened and closed in many false starts. Whenever she attempted to muster the voice, the Imprint of Silence would rain down on her nerves like a glowing hot hammer. She ended up helplessly mouthing her questions and making vague, albeit comical, signs with her hands.

"Don't worry. You don't have to speak for now." Leandro helped her sit, then shrugged off his parka and draped it around her shoulders. She was shivering. "The Imprint of Silence will wear out soon. At worst, wait an hour to recover."

He was kind and reassuring enough to cause Xylandra's cheeks to turn slightly red.

She nodded. 

Meanwhile, Eileen and Wei Chen walked over with apprehensive steps—Griffin trailing not far behind—while the rest stood a few meters away and whispered among each other.

They examined her with some vigilance and concern. 

"She's harmless." Leandro said. Xylandra tried to stand up, but she could hardly push herself without latching onto his arm for assistance. She must have been trapped in that pillar for quite a while. "Here, drink this." 

He retrieved a Minor Healing Potion for Xylandra, and a Minor Stamina Potion for himself. She gratefully accepted it. 

"So, what's going to happen to her?"

It was Eileen who posed the question. 

Leandro briefly glanced at Eileen before moving his eyes to Xylandra. She drank her potion in complete silence. Her cheeks had regained some rosy color to them. Her breathing had even become smoother and less ragged.

"Good question." He murmured, chugging a healing and stamina potion; he was inwardly glad that the vials were small and easy to drink in the heat of battle. "We'll have to ask her when she recovers her voice."

Eileen hummed under her breath. She looked around—at Xylandra, and eventually switched glances at Leandro.

And the more she examined him in an attempt to crack something up, the more she couldn't shake the feeling of something being fundamentally odd.

It was not only the unbelievable strength he demonstrated earlier; she had forced herself to accept his explanation. But Eileen could easily tell that there was more to him, a lot, lot more. It was enough for someone to put up their guard and keep their distance. 

She was no fool or dense by any measure, however, so she simply didn't prod any further for now. Besides, Leandro wasn't a bad guy. That much, at least, she could be sure of. 

With a sigh, and a shake of her head, Eileen drank her own potion and joined Soren and Benjamin in an animated talk about their loot. Griffin, arrogant prick that he was, stood some distance away, eyes closed and arms crossed. 

Xylandra paid Eileen no attention, instead regarding Leandro with a bashful—if not wary—gaze. The parka looked a bit large on her. She idly touched the fabric with a sense of wonder. That's synthetic fabric and fur for you. 

Eventually, she looked down and plucked a ring out of her inventory. She raised her gaze and met his. Leandro curiously peered at the ring. It was thick, white and black; seemingly like a composite of opal and obsidian.

Xylandra shuffled awkwardly closer and showed him what she had. Then, with both hands, she handed it to him.

Leandro arched an eyebrow. "You're giving this to me?"

"..."

She nodded, a melancholy smile on her pale face.

'You... saved my life.' Xylandra mouthed to Leandro. '...that's not a small price to pay in the Tower. Please...'

The ring in his palm gained a mysterious glow, and some more lines of text appeared above it in his vision.

〔Ring of Luminosity: A gift from Xylandra Dragonheart. Whenever you're lost or feeling hopeless, this ring will guide the way.〕

Leandro raised his eyes in surprise. The words vanished.

Xylandra wore a longing smile; but then, the Imprint of Silence took the edge away, making her cringe slightly.

"I... don't know what this does. But I'm sure it's of immense worth." Leandro paused, a small frown on his face. "Keep this to yourself, until someone trustworthy shows up."

Xylandra smiled bitterly, mouthing out:

'There's only you.'

"..."

He heaved a deep sigh. Xylandra's fate was extremely depressing and unjust—he could see it in her face. But wasn't his life just as tragic? Perhaps not now that he had a home to call his own, a family that loved him, and a bunch of women with blatant disregard for personal space. 

If he could bring Esmeralda back and get his revenge, wouldn't life be perfect?

It didn't seem fair to compare, but Leandro could understand Xylandra a little. He wasn't without sympathy. 

'... but I think you're an anomaly.'

"Oh, am I?" He quirked a wry, curious smile. "What makes you say that?"

She smiled slightly, lips parting, slowly. 'You're too strong for someone who just Integrated to the Tower...'

Leandro paused. His eyes were unmoving, and quite intense. Xylandra peeked into those orbs as if wanting to figure him out—and found that they reminded her of the warmth of spring in her homeworld.

"I'm a little special." He chuckled. 

Xylandra tilted her head, offering a smile. 

'A little is a massive understatement... but okay.'

Her eyes carried an interesting tease. 

Leandro shrugged. "My mother always said that I was born with strong bones."

She made a funny face. 'That doesn't make sense.' He read her lips.

Eileen, who was talking to Benjamin and Soren, turned around to stare at them with a very displeased expression. Getting up, she dusted her behind and made her way over. 

Leandro noticed her and offered an appreciative nod. "Amazing display back there. You're a natural with that bow. Oh, you too, Griffin." He tipped his head in tribute to the scarred spearman; he deserved it. "You're a one man army."

Xylandra whipped around, curious. Eileen harrumphed but her cheeks gained a milder hue. Griffin did the same from the corner—earning some muffled laughs from Benjamin, and Wei Chen respectively.

Griffin cursed under his breath and looked away, fists clenched, ears flushed.

Leandro wasn't done.

"We'd be screwed without you on our team, Benjamin. Wei, that was an excellent show of coordination back in the last battle. Your bladework is as deadly as Soren's. Your synergy with Benjamin is a sight to behold."

Wei Chen nodded slightly—but no one was focused on him. Soren scratched the back of his head, almost about to combust. Benjamin awkwardly laughed.

Griffin clicked his tongue. It was odd to be praised by someone so much younger than him, and even odder being elated because of it. 

Eileen teasingly elbowed Leandro. "You should treat us to a meal."

"In women's language, it means that you should treat her to a meal." Wei Chen said, stroking a non-existent long, white beard, looking wise and profound. "We better decline, wouldn't want to be murdered and thrown into the Yangtze River." 

Eileen threw him a glare that could have thawed the snow off of the entire mountain. 

"What did you say?"

She stalked up to him, a sweet smile on her face. 

Benjamin and Soren hastily scurried away.

Wei Chen backed off, hands raised. "I was wrong! Wait—not the arrow! I'm sorry! I have eyes but I failed to see Mt.Tai! Wait—ahh!"

Xylandra watched the entire interaction curiously. 

'Your friends are interesting.' She mouthed out, slowly.

Leandro closed his eyes, smiling. "They're a rowdy bunch."

She nodded thoughtfully. 

The sounds of Wei Chen being rightfully castigated by Eileen's arrow rang out for a while. Leandro downed nearly all of his healing potions—and it barely restored his arm, let alone close the hole in his shoulder. He'd let his Aura take care of it. 

"Guys… you should go and head back down." Leandro walked up to the group. His presence immediately invoked their quiet attention. "I'm sure you're all dying to hit the bed and sleep for the next 24 hours." 

Soren nodded thankfully—seeing as how no one was leaving, he didn't want to be the first one to propose something that'd go against the will of the group. "My wife must be worried sick. Thank you, Leandro. You saved my—our lives."

"If anything, I put all of you in danger." Leandro squeezed Soren's shoulder, giving it a friendly pat. "Listen… spend some time with your wife for the next few days. Don't go out for too long. Most importantly, don't enter the Monolith. Keep your weapons with you, and don't sleep for too long."

"..."

Soren stared deep into Leandro's eyes. He was not the only one. Griffin. Wei Chen. Eileen. All of them had clearly heard him, a pensive frown on their faces. Leandro wore an unperturbed expression on his own.

There was something final there. An urgency for them to understand that—at least for these next few days, and perhaps a week down the lane—they had to live cautiously.

Soren had a good head on his shoulders. With a somber look on his face, he gripped Leandro's arm tightly, the one on his shoulder, and gave him an appreciative nod. 

"Thank you... I hope I'll get to cover your back again, one day."

Leandro released him. "I'll be waiting."

Soren smiled, waving at the rest of the group. "Return."

A bright pillar of light enveloped him, and within a second, he was gone. 

Benjamin and Wei Chen stood up next. The latter mumbled something offensive as he rubbed his butt, glaring at Eileen, who snorted and looked away.

"Guess we'll get going." Benjamin pocketed his new stuff in his inventory. "I'll definitely heed your advice, Leandro. Thank you. For everything. I've learned a lot."

"You've got a good grip; you'll go a long way." Leandro smiled slightly. 

Benjamin took his leave a few heartbeats after. "Return."

Wei Chen followed shortly, clasping one hand over his fist and bowing. "Leandro, 一路顺风 (yī lù shùn fēng)—may the wind be with you. We shall meet again."

Leandro returned the gesture with a nod, appreciating the sentiment. "Thank you, Wei. Take care of yourself."

"Return."

As Benjamin and Wei Chen vanished in a pillar of light, Leandro turned his attention to the remaining members of the group. Griffin, Eileen, and Xylandra. 

"The adventure comes to an end, huh?"

Eileen sighed—disappointed? Perhaps. It was dangerous. She thought she'd die many times, but it'd be a lie if she said she didn't form a bond with the group. The Tower was harsh and unforgiving, that much was clear; the sense of camaraderie made things easier to deal with. Easier to tackle. It almost reminded her of the thrill she once had, years before the Integration.

At the same time… it was different. So different she could say she could never get enough of this sensation. The danger, the thrill, the life and death situations—everything.

It was… liberating.

In a way, it made her feel alive. Even Griffin, with that mean mug of his, nodded along. 

"For now." Leandro said, in a low voice. Xylandra shared a meaningful look with him. 

Eventually, Eileen broke the silence with a weak smile. "You really think something's going to happen?"

Griffin looked over, frowning, and stood there in stoic silence.

"The system said so, and I have a gut feeling that it'll happen sooner rather than later."

"Oh, so now it's a gut feeling and not some very credible news you've heard?" She leaned forward, hands on her hips. 

Griffin snorted gruffly. "He's right." He grunted. "I have experience, and I can smell trouble like an eagle spotting a rabbit under the snow. Whatever you're talking about... I can feel it too."

Eileen looked troubled. Maybe it was the thought that danger could chase them outside the Monolith as well, which was a very valid concern.

Griffin sighed as he peeled himself off of the wall he was leaning on and walked up to Leandro. He didn't say anything—all he offered was a nod of recognition, before he walked past him.

"Don't do anything stupid." Leandro said.

Griffin stopped for a moment, then continued walking. "You too. Return."

A bright light flashed behind Leandro, and when it was gone, Griffin was as well.

His words hung in the air, like smoke off an old man exhaling into the cold air.

"I mean…" Eileen didn't really know what to say. She shimmied on the spot. "We can keep in touch, no?"

Leandro merely tilted his head, his stare intense. Eileen squirmed a bit. 

"Is it not good?"

He chuckled. "You want to make my life harder?"

"Huh?"

"Because when this thing kicks off, I can imagine your anxious calls at 3 AM."

"..."

Eileen stared at him, flatly. 

She burst out laughing soon enough and slugged him in the shoulder.

"You are insufferable! At least I wouldn't come bothering you in the middle of the night." Eileen made her way past him, wearing a teasing smirk on her face. "But you do sound like quite an eligible bachelor. Let's say—when you return back to the Monolith... treat a lonely woman like me to dinner. I just started on a few side-hustles, and I'm a little strapped for cash." 

Leandro made an appreciative nod of his head. "Next time I see you, if you can properly hit a target without your bow, I'll treat you to some warm shawarmas. And if you can use Aura by then—it's two shawarmas, and a pepsi."

Eileen bit her lower lip. "Challenge accepted."

"Work hard, Eileen. You're talented; I mean it."

"Don't die..." She said, at last.

"..."

He simply stared at her.

She stared back, a weak smile on her face. She glanced between Leandro and Xylandra, who was sitting some distance away, observing them. Eileen didn't like the implications of leaving them alone, but there wasn't much she could do. 

"Return."