Tower of Paradise

My eyes opened slowly. The private mission had ended, and the result was more complex than anyone could imagine.

No rewards were granted, which was completely logical. KathyIn had been the crucial element in this operation. Ironic, isn't it? She had the highest contribution in this mission, and I wasn't exaggerating when I thought that killing her would have meant my own suicide.

I didn't know what KathyIn's private mission was, but we didn't need to exchange that kind of information either. Soon we could find ourselves in a situation where we would have to eliminate each other. Sharing personal data would only complicate things. What you know about another person and what others know about you made a big difference in this place.

The first thing that caught my attention was a wide rectangular room built in stone. The portal, as usual, was located at the end of the room, and I immediately noticed the absence of the merchant's shop.

But what really disturbed me was the presence of a young woman sitting on the floor, with her head bowed down, beginning to open her eyes. It was the same one who had been fleeing with us. Apparently, she had managed to survive.

A bad feeling ran down my spine.

What do I do now?

I wasn't the best at winning others' sympathy; rather, it was quite the opposite. People tended to avoid me, and it wasn't something that bothered me. It was easier that way.

The woman rose slowly, her body moving with caution. In the blink of an eye, KathyIn turned her hand, and a long sword appeared in it, cutting the air in a defensive gesture.

She was a short young woman with bright green eyes. Her hair was brown, wavy, somewhat short, barely reaching beyond her ears. The clothes she wore, a white blouse and black shorts with long socks, gave her a rather practical appearance, almost like someone used to moving quickly. She didn't look older than twenty years.

At that moment, the young woman's information appeared on my retina. I read it silently.

[Name: Caria Alberola]

[Level of existence: 2 (E)]

[Class: Assassin.]

[Public attribute: Presentiment.]

[Description: Allows sensing malicious things with a fairly high probability.]

An assassin.

It was no wonder she had managed to escape from the mutants. The assassin class specializes in speed and close combat.

They were fast and lethal. They generally used small weapons, daggers, hidden swords, and in a fight against mages, they had an advantage. Being so fast, spells took longer to cast and, therefore, were vulnerable.

That girl was not only an assassin, she also had the Presentiment attribute, which meant she could perceive malicious intentions with high probability. That made her even more dangerous.

The young woman stood still, looking at us with a certain fear. She inhaled deeply before speaking, in a tone that tried to be friendly.

—Excuse me, can you put away your weapon? We just survived those mutants. You don't want to keep fighting here, right?

—What will we do? —Asked KathyIn, pursing her lips.

I didn't respond immediately, observing the woman attentively. I knew I couldn't completely trust her, but it wasn't convenient for me to make a hasty move either. Finally, I said in a neutral voice:

—Just put your weapon away.

KathyIn, apparently calmed by my words, put away the sword after a few seconds of doubt. She didn't like that idea, but she seemed to accept the situation.

—What do you think if we continue together? —Asked Caria, approaching a little.

I observed her without showing any emotion. I didn't like the idea of trusting a stranger, but whether I said it or not wouldn't change the inevitable.

—Are you offering your help? If that's the case, I refuse. I'm fine on my own. —I responded coldly, not wanting to get involved more than necessary.

She raised her hands, a sign that she didn't want to cause problems. The tension was palpable, but she was trying to do what she could to reduce it.

—Well, a little extra help never hurts. —Caria tilted her head slightly while I weighed the advantages and disadvantages of her proposal.

After a moment of deliberation, I responded in an expressionless tone:

—I don't need you to help me. I don't want another burden.

—Ah, well... Think about it, the most important thing is survival. —The smile disappeared from Caria's face, replaced by exasperation.

—Hmm... All right. —I finally conceded. In that situation, any person could be useful, even if I didn't trust her.

The three of us walked through the room and approached the portal that floated in the air. The tension had decreased slightly, but I knew I needed to remain alert. There was no way to predict Caria's actions or even KathyIn's.

From the beginning, I felt apart from everyone, not because I had a specific reason to distrust others, but simply because I didn't like people in general.

I was always a misfit even in my previous life. It wasn't that I had never tried to approach someone, but that I seemed to lack that ability. As if there was an invisible wall between me and other people. If I had to express it in words, I'd say I was born without a small but important mechanism in my brain that everyone else seemed to possess.

As a result, I often felt bewildered and perplexed by human behavior, and my attempts to imitate it, however diligent, inevitably failed. This oddity made others uncomfortable. In short, I was a bit different, and if there was one thing people hated, it was those who were different from them.

Over time, I simply learned to avoid getting too close to anyone and comfortably adapted to my role as an outcast. This habit proved useful to me, as it not only made me self-sufficient but also saved me from being stabbed in the back by suspicious characters on multiple occasions.

That's why I wasn't so enthusiastic about sharing time with two beautiful women. It was inevitable.

Whether I liked it or not, to survive in the tower, you had to kill people, and when that moment came... most would choose to kill others rather than die.

Will you dirty your hands and survive?

Will you preserve your morals, your conscience, and your duty waiting for death?

The answer was logical to me.