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n

nDo you think we should take her offer?” Quince watched his childhood friend shift around in nervousness. He could recognize that action as uneasiness on Clove’s part.

n“To be honest, I don’t trust that lady. She appeared down here even when we did not watch her fall. And the snake on her neck is an abyss monster. Yet it is not attacking her. Not to mention -” Quince fell quiet before he finished.

nAurora Dehva was the name the blue-haired female had used to register herself with the tower.

nShe had passed the exam without any problem. And then she humiliated the tower master in front of everyone present.

nBut that was not all. Aurora had somehow transformed while being submerged in the tower’s water.

nListed initially as thirteen years old, the female had aged considerably in a few hours. The most evident change had been physical maturity.

n“Quince, you are staring at her. Stop being a pervert and get your head back on the topic.” Quince did not blush at the accusation. His cheeks just got red due to his justified anger at the statement.

n“I am not ogling her assets. She might have an attractive outer appearance. But she’s still our competition. Not that I believe that in her capabilities in being able to stand against the tower.” Quince assured.

nClove’s face told him that she did not believe Quince’s words.

nBut she had no right to criticize him in this situation.

n“Aren’t you the one having dreams about her every night and waking up flushed? You’re more likely to be crushing on her than I am. Besides, I’m-I’m sorry. I spoke too much.” Quince winched as he felt the glare.

nClove had a blank look on her face when she looked back at Quince.

nAnd when a woman gave you that look, you should keep your mouth quiet and apologize. That was a lesson Quince had learned the hard way.

nEspecially when it was ‘that time of the month’ for the female.

n“It would be better for you not to test my patience. I won’t dignify your words with an answer either. But I guess you are right. We have to cooperate with her and find out whatever we can about her powers. I have a feeling that Aurora will play a major role in changing this tower.” Clove finally looked away.

nQuince breathed a sigh of relief when she did look away. She was scary and Aurora was powerful.

nMost higher-ups looked at her and saw her mask. The fragile smile and a venerable body. They did not know the darkness that lay beneath Clove’s aura.

nIt had happened out of the blue. One day Clove was alright, and the next she was scary and powerful. But she was not cursed, nor did she talk about it.

n“Sooooo, have we decided on our course of action?” Quince asked.

n“Yes. We will cooperate with her. I will try to get her to lower her guard and get some secrets out in the way as well.” Clove assured.

nQuince believed her when Clove said those words. But he also knew that some part of Clove wanted to be close to Aurora.

nClove had not been herself ever since she had met Aurora. Her temper had gotten worse.

nBut Quince decided not to interfere in this matter as long as he did not have to. He liked living.

nBut still, he had observed a key thing. No matter how good of an actor Clove was, her smile seemed genuine when she was in Aurora’s company.

nQuince would have to observe more before forming an official opinion.

n……

n“Wow. Their emotions are all over the place. I can’t keep up at all.” Ava sounded in awe.

nAurora felt worried and glanced at the talking couple a few times. Both had their back toward her which made it difficult to guess what they were talking about.

n“Humans are often like that. You’ll get used to it.” Aurora assured. Even she found the fluctuation of emotions a little hard to keep up with.

nAurora had a lot of questions she wanted to ask but now was not the time. She had to wait for the couple to finish their talk.

nBut it did not take long for them to finish.

n“Looks like they are heading our way,” Ava whispered before she fell limp on Aurora’s shoulder.

nQuince gave Ava a searching look but the snake was smart enough not to react.

n“Finally decided on my offer?” Aurora asked. Even then, she already knew what the answer was going to be from the other side.

n“Yes. We decided that cooperation is the best option we have for now. There is no telling when the tower will send us help.” Quince sounded agitated.

n“And do you agree with this option?” Aurora asked Clove.

nThe female gave a hesitant smile to Aurora.

n“Yes. I think it will be best for us to cooperate for now.” Clove agreed.

nIt was nice to see that Clove was still the sensible female Aurora had come to trust. Aurora had missed her lover and seeing her this young was nostalgic.

nEven if the staring was getting a bit too much for Aurora’s liking.

n“Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?” Aurora questioned. She expected Clove to shy away when her face neared the younger female.

nBut it was Quince who jumped back in alarm. He felt confused but also alarmed.

nHe looked between Aurora and Clove as if trying to figure something out. It made Aurora want to poke her tongue out at him.

nAnd she was about to do just that when she felt Clove turn beside her. Her expression must be bad for Quince to pale considerably.

n“Your face is beautiful. But I was just startled by the snake on your shoulder. It is an abyss monster, right? Won’t it be dangerous to keep it with us?” Clove’s voice betrayed her nervousness.

nIt did make sense for Clove to be nervous and ask questions. It also explained Quince’s jumping nature.

nHe was afraid for her friend’s safety.

n“Don’t worry. Ava is harmless. We have a contract so she won’t attack us.” Aurora explained.

n“Contract? Then you d-did that with a snake? How? Why? No, that is not important. How did you manage to find a contract beast on the first floor?” Quince tripped over his words.

nHis face was red and his aura gave off an embarrassing feeling.

n“Oh. And how do you know what should be done to make a contract? Did you secretly like to read such texts? Your reaction betrays you as a virgin.” Aurora teased.

nThe teen went redder. Revenge was a dish best served cold.

n“I don’t understand this at all. Can someone explain this to me?” Clove asked and it caused Aurora to sober up immediately.

nThe poor female teen exerted anxiety and confusion.

nIt melted Aurora’s heart and made her feel bad at the same time. She had not wanted Clove to feel confused.

n“You don’t need to understand anything at all. Let us focus on getting out of this place for now. Everything else can come later” Aurora assured.

nShe could feel the aura of Abyss monsters starting to close in on the group. Fighting would be a hindrance since she would have to hold back strength.

nAnd there was also the chance of getting attacked by a high-level monster. Clove was in a delicate condition for now. She could not handle this much pressure.

n“We need to start moving. I can feel multiple beast auras heading our way.” Aurora informed. Her voice had lost its cheer.

n“And how can you tell?” Quince questioned. But even he seemed to be on edge.

nAurora did not like Quince but he had been strong in the future. Strong enough to survive the later floors of the abyss.

nAnd one did not make it far without having good instincts.

n“I think you know how I can tell. The air in this trap had gotten disturbingly quiet.” Aurora replied.

nHer body unconsciously took a few steps behind Clove. Her love had never needed Aurora’s help before but Aurora was not about to let her down.

nQuince looked like he would hiss at her if she did not get away. Aurora took a step closer to the behavior.

nClove’s aura felt almost content. It was reminiscent of Aurora’s past life.

nAfter all, they had started as a party of three.

n“So, we just follow the water for now. Let’s hope we see the exit soon.” Quince sounded tired.

nAurora let out a private smile as she walked behind the group. Her eyes narrowed at the monsters nearing the group and her power slipped just a bit.

nIt was enough to make the monsters back off.

nIf the other two noticed anything, they did not say. They seemed not to even notice how close the monsters were getting to the group.

nBut the important part was, that no one got attacked throughout the trip and the trio safely made it out of the trap in record time.

n