Chapter 292: Aidan Hamil’s Proof

Bang...!! Crash...!! Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!

“Huff... Phew!”

Explosions, accompanied by the sharp screech of metal scraping against steel, echoed through the darkness.

“This isn’t working,” Aidan Hamil muttered to himself after throwing away the wolf’s shattered fang.

“I guess it makes sense... I’m not a master, after all. There’s no way I could break that door with sheer force.”

He quickly accepted the reality of the situation.

“I should have picked up a decent sword from the Ghost Forest when I had the chance.”

Aidan’s voice held a note of frustration as he stared at the unyielding steel door. He had already used up all but one of his regular daggers trying to break through.

“Well, I suppose I did get this far thanks to this, at least...”

He tapped the Mountain Scale Armor he was wearing. This armor, made of chains interwoven with sharp spikes protruding in three directions, was comparable to what high-ranking officers of the Eastern Land above the 3rd rank would use.

“They said that reaching the 20th floor would grant you the qualification to become an instructor for the Burning Darkness’ trainees, and opening this door would allow you to ascend to the 3rd rank and meet the master.”

The Tower of the Serpent was a symbolic structure of the Eastern Land, one that every member of the Burning Darkness knew of. It was a simple yet definitive way to prove one’s strength.

Have I really grown stronger?

Aidan thought with a bitter smile. Although he hadn’t managed to break through the door, reaching the 20th floor alone was an impressive feat.

Miliana, Suan Hazer, Mikhail, Serica Lauren... and Karyl MacGovern—Aidan was surrounded by extraordinary people. Against such monsters, it was only natural that he had overlooked his own progress.

But now, his skills were on par with the instructors of the Burning Darkness—individuals who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the empire’s most elite knights.

“Tch!”

Still, it wasn’t enough. Even though the elders of the Burning Darkness were impressed by his growth, the reality was that the monsters around him were still stronger.

“Even if I can’t count all eighty-nine flying needles, I can’t afford to get stuck here if I want to face my lord with pride."

This was Aidan’s second time in the tower. Of course, he had never imagined he would be challenging it as a guest.

After completing their training, the Burning Darkness’ trainees would face one final test before being sent on missions—conquering everything up to the 10th floor of the tower. Only those who reached the 10th floor were deemed qualified to carry out missions across the continent.

“When I first came here, I was with Zouk...” Aidan murmured, lost in memory.

The assassins of the Burning Darkness were driven by orders, and sometimes friends were pitted against each other, turning them into foes. But back then, they were still young. Though their training was brutal and their lives were far from ordinary, they still shared a bond.

But we eventually parted ways...

Since swearing allegiance to Karyl and parting ways in Tatur, Aidan had never seen Zouk De Holde again.

Slap—!

“Come on, this isn’t the time to get sentimental!”

Aidan lightly slapped his cheeks with both hands, snapping himself out of his thoughts. But then...

“Just give up,” a voice echoed through the tower, catching Aidan off guard. He immediately raised his remaining dagger, ready to defend himself, but what he saw next made him question his eyes.

“Zouk?”

Aidan stared at her, disbelief washing over his face.

“Haha... Oh, I must be dreaming or something. I was literally just thinking about you,” he said, unable to hide his astonishment.

“I know. I heard your foolish mutterings,” she replied sharply, which made Aidan’s lips twitch in mild irritation.

“You’re still as friendly as ever, I see. What’s going on? Did you come back from the continent? The empire must still be in turmoil.”

“Yes, because of you. It’s causing us quite a bit of trouble,” Zouk retorted, her tone cold.

Aidan shrugged. “We’re all after different things.”

Crunch... Crackle!

Zouk’s body twisted unnaturally, growing rapidly from her petite frame until she towered over Aidan.

Shapeshifting—it was her specialty, a secret art of the Burning Darkness that drastically increased her physical prowess, including her martial arts skills, when she returned to her adult form.

The once-cute, childlike figure was replaced by a tall beauty, but Aidan’s eyes remained cold as he looked at her, more wary than surprised.

“What are you playing at?” he asked.

Instead of answering, Zouk drew the two daggers strapped to her thighs.

“You wanna fight?” Aidan questioned, still receiving no response. “Put down your blades. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Clink-clink...

Suddenly, Zouk held up a set of keys in front of him, letting them jingle as they collided with each other.

“You don’t need me to explain what these are,” Zouk said flatly.

“...”

Aidan remained silent, processing the situation.

“If you want to go up, you’ll have to kill me. That’s the final trial of the Serpent’s Tower. Master said he’d welcome you if you got through that door.”

“So they made you the gatekeeper of the 20th floor... The elders must have a twisted sense of humor,” Aidan sighed under his breath.

Flash—!!

Zouk moved, or rather, she vanished, blending into the darkness as she dashed toward Aidan with blinding speed. The only thing visible in the tower’s gloom was the gleam of her daggers as they sliced through the air.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

Sparks flew as the two daggers clashed, with Zouk’s relentless assault raining down on Aidan. She attacked from above, below, and diagonally, changing direction midair, her blades aiming directly for his vital points.

“...”

Yet, despite the onslaught from all directions, Aidan was able to deflect every single attack with just one dagger. His movements were fluid, each block precise, flicking aside Zouk’s deadly blows as if it were second nature.

Clang!!

Aidan’s strike landed with force.

Clatter...!

Zouk’s hand recoiled from the impact, and one of her daggers slipped from her grasp, spinning across the floor before coming to a stop beneath Aidan’s foot.

As Aidan picked up the fallen dagger, Zouk squinted slightly in frustration and quickly drew another dagger from her waist. From the moment their blades clashed, the two had ceased speaking.

Without a word, Zouk charged at Aidan again.

Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!

Now, four blades collided in a flurry of strikes, as if dancing to a rhythm. But Aidan, who had already proven capable of deflecting her attacks with just one dagger, continued to parry her blows with ease.

However, he didn’t want to fight Zouk, a comrade.

I’ve grown soft

, he realized as he kept parrying.

Being with Karyl had changed him, it seemed. As an assassin trained by the Burning Darkness, he had been conditioned to kill without hesitation, and yet here he was, unable to bring himself to strike down his former ally.

“...”

Aidan seized an opportunity and struck Zouk’s wrist from below with the hilt of his dagger.

“Ugh!”

Zouk staggered from the blow, and Aidan twisted her arm sharply, dislocating it with a loud crack. She twisted desperately, slashing with her remaining dagger in a wide arc.

Swish...

The sharp blade barely grazed the tip of Aidan’s nose, drawing a thin line of blood. As they separated, Zouk held her dagger in her mouth and used her free hand to force her shoulder back into place.

“I should have broken it completely,” Aidan muttered.

“And you... That was too shallow. I was aiming for your neck, you know. Consider yourself lucky,” Zouk replied, rotating her arm to test its range of motion after resetting it.

“Lucky? More like skill,” Aidan quipped, grinning at her.

“Are you going to continue?” he asked.

“Of course,” Zouk replied, her tone determined.

“Well, I’m not.”

Aidan’s words were firm, spoken as if the decision had already been made. Zouk’s expression twisted in disbelief.

“...What do you mean,

you’re not

?” she demanded.

“I’m not fighting you,” Aidan clarified. “There’s no point in winning a key by defeating you.”

Zouk stared at him, her eyes filled with confusion and anger.

“What nonsense is that?!”

Thoom!

In a flash, Zouk launched herself at Aidan like a bullet, aiming to kill him with a strike to the neck.

Crack... Crack...

But Aidan effortlessly blocked her assault and drove his fist into her abdomen.

“Ugh!”

She was sent flying in a straight line, the wind completely knocked out of her. The gap between them was becoming clear.

Aidan didn’t give her any time to recover. Before she could even attempt to rise, he was already behind her, seizing her by the nape of and slamming her into the ground.

Crunch!

With a loud thud, Zouk’s legs flew up as she crashed onto the floor, landing hard on her back.

“If it were our lord, he’d probably say something like this,” Aidan began.

“You...! Ugh!” Zouk tried to speak, but her words were cut short. Before she could utter another sound, Aidan pressed his foot down on her chest with all his strength, pinning her to the ground.

“This is as far as I go in playing along,” he said firmly.

“Urgh...”

Zouk struggled to comprehend how Aidan had grown so powerful in the time they had been apart. She, on the other hand, was still desperate for more strength.

“My lord has ordered me to prove myself here. I didn’t come all this way just to show off my growth like some child seeking praise,” Aidan declared, his voice resolute. “This is where I draw the line on following your rules.”

Without hesitation, Aidan reached into Zouk’s robe and retrieved the key.

Snap—

He broke it without a second thought.

“I am the representative of Tatur. From now on, I’ll deal with the Eastern Land in the way of Tatur. Simply following your lead would stain our pride.”

With a slight smirk, Aidan turned his gaze toward the heavily reinforced door and muttered under his breath, “The one undergoing the same trial as me probably did the same.”

***

“Achoo!”

The man shivered terribly as the northern wind cut through him, causing him to pull his robe tighter while gazing up at the towering structure before him.

“Who is there? State your name.”

The voice, stiff and mechanical, echoed across the snowy landscape, not sounding quite human.

The man pulled back his hood.

“Mikhail Roman.”

“What business do you have at the Ivory Tower?”

Though his face seemed unassuming, the sharpness in his eyes was unmistakable.

With a genial expression, he looked up at the towering spire and replied, “I’ve come to challenge the Dawn Council.”