"I thought we'd make it to the plateau before nightfall, but that swamp got in our way. What a pain... and to top it off, my shoes are completely filthy. Hey, Douglas, you'd better find us a nice hot spring!"
Isabella complained while eating a piece of roasted rabbit from a wooden skewer beside the campfire she had built.
"I don't know how to do that. Li-Xeng does."
"But why me? I mean, I could probably track down water... but a hot spring?"
We were resting on a small sand dune near a desert.
After dealing with the harpies—or rather, after I dealt with the harpies—we walked for several more hours until we reached an enormous swamp.
We ran into a few wild monkeys and some predatory crabs, but fortunately, this time everyone fought.
The monsters on this floor really seemed far below the heroes' level. The real challenge would be the demons.
According to the reports I'd read, the heroes had struggled tremendously up until the seventeenth floor, since their levels had been relatively low.
But once they passed Level 20—and with a well-balanced party covering every class—their battles became much easier.
Originally, they had traveled with a much larger group. Some had died along the way, but these twelve had been together since at least the seventh floor. After spending months traveling side by side, they must have developed incredible teamwork... even knowing that one of them was a traitor.
"What are you thinking about, Redhead? Getting scared already?"
Isabella tossed me a piece of rabbit. I nearly dropped it as it bounced awkwardly from one hand to the other before I finally caught it.
That night, the world's crimson full moon looked especially strange.
Inside the Tower, the moon constantly changed its shape and color at random, almost as if it were nothing more than a hologram.
Every floor seemed to have a different moon, but on this particular floor alone, I'd already seen it in three different forms, and I couldn't understand why. The stars overhead looked identical to those from the outside world, except that shooting stars fell across the sky almost constantly.
That night, I could also feel an incredibly dense, oppressive aura.
As we leveled up, we became capable of sensing not only powerful Returners, but also monsters and demons.
The closer we got to our destination, the more clearly I could sense the demonic horde.
By the time we left the swamp, I could even estimate their numbers.
There had to be at least twenty of them.
And every single one felt powerful—probably stronger than me.
Of course that worried me.
I knew Douglas was incredibly strong, and Li-Xeng was an outstanding healer.
But what about me?
If my life was on the line...
Would they really save me?
Even though Douglas and Isabella kept saying they believed in me, I knew there was still doubt.
One of their companions had been murdered the very same day I joined the party.
Of course they would suspect me.
I couldn't be foolish enough to think I was in the clear.
If they ever had to choose between saving another companion or saving me...
They would undoubtedly let me die.
That's why I had to become stronger.
I clenched my fists as I thought about what I should do from now on.
I hadn't come this far just to find my brother.
I'd also come here because I wanted to run away from responsibility.
Deep down, I longed to belong to a powerful party...
And now, that wish had finally come true.
I kept telling myself it was all for saving the world and obtaining the Holy Grail.
But the truth was...
I also wanted to be protected by people stronger than me.
If I remained nothing more than a scout or a rookie adventurer, I would eventually die.
Ironically, my chances of survival were much higher in a party of elite adventurers—even if they constantly fought demons and abyssal monsters.
They had made it from the eighteenth floor all the way here without losing a single person.
How could I not believe my odds were better with them?
But after becoming the prime suspect in a murder...
Everything had changed.
"I know you're worried, but don't be."
Douglas spoke calmly.
"We're not going to let you die. I still don't trust you one hundred percent, but I promised I'd protect you. If you really are the murderer, I'll deal with you later. Until then, we're a team. If we're ever in danger, we'll help each other, just like we've been doing so far. And you won't be an exception."
He looked directly at me.
"Natasha... you're one of us now."
The Tower's monsters also possessed a certain degree of intelligence. They could sense a person's strength through their level, so naturally, weaker monsters would usually avoid the strongest parties.
In the harpies' case, however, they had been truly desperate for food. Some monsters couldn't survive long without meat, and because food was so scarce on this floor, they attacked despite knowing their chances of winning were slim. Other monsters didn't need to eat every day and instead prioritized staying alive.
To this day, no one knew where these monsters had come from.
As people had speculated back at the camp, those floors might actually be parallel worlds, and the creatures inhabiting them could be the same ones described in ancient myths and legends. But how could a single Tower possibly contain so many worlds? Even after spending so much time inside it, everything still felt surreal and incomprehensible.
By the end of the night, we continued onward, following the demons' energy.
Li-Xeng tracked them without pause, but after a while, he noticed something unsettling.
"They're... they're moving toward us."
He stopped in his tracks, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Isn't that great? It'll save us a ton of time!"
Isabella had already activated her weapon's circuits, but Douglas didn't seem pleased by the news.
"No. This is abnormal. Normally, if they noticed us, they'd either run away or at least try to set up some kind of trap. Our plan was to surround them, with Isabella acting as bait. Thanks to her teleportation ability, we could've at least separated the stronger ones. But that changes everything. If they're coming toward us, they've already found us."
"But isn't that strange?" I asked, beginning to share Douglas's concern. "Li-Xeng, how far away are they? Even if they're strong, shouldn't they only be able to sense us when we're, at most, thirty minutes away?"
"Y-Yes... exactly. They're still over two hours away from us. That's what's so unusual. On the nineteenth floor, we fought seven demons. They were weaker, yes, but they only detected us when we were less than fifteen minutes apart... and even then, they tried to run and split up."
"So they're confident they can beat us, huh? Haha."
Isabella laughed, though there was unmistakable concern in her voice.
"I believe that's exactly what's happening. Demons are intelligent, but they're also cunning. If they were weaker, they'd scatter, hide, and prepare an ambush. The fact that every single one of them is heading straight toward us means they believe they can win."
Like monsters, demons could sense Returners and estimate their levels.
The difference was that demons were intelligent.
"But Li-Xeng just said they're weaker than the four of us!"
"They are! Douglas could handle the three Level 60 demons himself. From what I can tell, there are fifteen below Level 20 and another five between Levels 20 and 40. You and Isabella could deal with those twenty while I stay alive to heal and buff everyone."
"...Unless..."
Isabella's words made everyone glance at one another before turning their attention—especially toward me.
"...Unless they already know there's a traitor among us."
"They're going to suspect me again?"
"What Isabella said makes sense," Douglas replied as he continued walking. "It would explain why they're moving toward us. If they're weaker, the only reason they'd come straight at us is because they know they'll have help."
"Or maybe they're just confident they can win!"
"No. Demons have their own objective as well. They want to conquer the Tower and obtain the Holy Grail. What's strange is that an entire legion appeared out of nowhere without being detected by any of the lower command centers. Whenever a legion reaches a floor, the scouts report it immediately—especially to our party. This unexpected appearance was suspicious from the beginning. It means either they managed to destroy one of a floor's communication crystals... or one of the command centers sided with them."
Douglas paused briefly.
"...Which would have to be a lower floor's command center."
"...Or there's one more possibility."
Isabella fell silent before slowly turning toward me.
"They were already here... but because of sabotage from someone inside the command center, they went unnoticed until now."
A chill ran down my spine.
She was suggesting that I, having been stationed at the command center before the heroes arrived, might have been responsible.
Everything fit together.
It almost felt as though they had already reached their conclusion.
...Could that really be what they were thinking?
"There's no point accusing her right now," Li-Xeng interrupted. "There's also the possibility they came through that mysterious portal that appeared. The timing was too much of a coincidence."
His argument bought me a brief moment of relief, though Isabella's theory still seemed more convincing.
"There's no point standing around making guesses. They forced us to change our plan, so let's come up with a better one."
Isabella stepped in front of me while addressing Douglas.
"We're using both of my teleports. That's our biggest advantage."
Thanks to her weapon, Isabella possessed a teleportation skill.
At her current level, however, she could only use it twice every fifty hours.
It was one of the party's most valuable abilities and had saved them countless times.
"And why would we use it now? For what exactly?"
Douglas frowned, unable to follow her reasoning.
"I'll teleport in, plant a tracker on one of them, then teleport back here so we can prepare our ambush. Or I could even let one of them wound me just enough to collect some of my blood before returning."
She spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Demons track prey much more easily once they've tasted its blood. Right now, they probably know where we are because of one of the two possibilities we discussed: either there's a Demon Lord among them, or the traitor revealed our location. But regardless of which is true, if they wound me, they'll naturally try to track my blood. That's when you and I, Douglas, head one way, while Natasha and Li-Xeng head another. We either lure them into a trap... or intentionally split them apart. If there really is a Demon Lord, he'll most likely chase the two of us, leaving Natasha and Li-Xeng to deal with the weaker demons."
"That plan is... a little too open-ended..."
Li-Xeng replied uncertainly, avoiding Isabella's gaze.
"It's the best we've got. Even if I can't fake being injured, just finding out their exact numbers, levels, and whether there's a Demon Lord will already be worth it. Besides, what else was I going to save my teleport for? Running away?"
"No."
Douglas answered without hesitation.
"Running away isn't an option. We've confronted every demon we've encountered so far. That's our duty."
Isabella nodded as if she'd known that would be his answer.
"Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean... throwing yourself into the middle of a group of demons..."
I couldn't help asking, despite knowing what Isabella was capable of.
"She can also turn invisible for a few seconds," Douglas said. "Besides her weapon, Isabella has more tricks than most people realize."
"Hey, nerd, do you really think it's a good idea to tell her all that? What if she is the traitor? I bet plenty of demons don't even know about half of my abilities!"
"Well... I already knew all of that..."
I answered awkwardly, forcing a faint smile.
The truth was that the Heroes' party was incredibly famous.
There were already countless reports about them, especially those issued by the Central Command.
The Central Command was the organization responsible for coordinating the Returners.
Its headquarters, located near the Tower, monitored the heroes and maintained communication with them through the communication crystals installed on every floor.
Scouts submitted weekly reports covering every floor, so the Command usually knew the location of every party—including the demonic legions.
They often sent supplies to Returners in need and provided intelligence on enemies, each floor's environment, and the composition of demonic forces.
Ever since I began climbing the Tower, I'd studied everything I could about the Twelve... and about my brother.
I knew almost everything there was to know about them.
Which meant I was certain many other people did as well.
"See? We're famous." Isabella tossed her hair dramatically. "I'm probably a superstar on the lower floors. With my beauty and charisma, I bet they even make posters of me."
"Er... well... I do know quite a few scouts and civilians who have fan clubs..."
"Ha! See? I told you! So who's the most popular hero? Obviously Douglas is first and I'm second. Maybe Erika comes in third."
"Actually..."
I hesitated.
Isabella genuinely seemed convinced.
"The most popular is Yumi... especially among people from the western nations. I think Omar comes next."
"WHAT?!"
Isabella puffed out her cheeks in disbelief.
"Seriously? The world's ending, and those idiots are still a bunch of otaku obsessed with cute Asian girls? And Omar's popular because he's basically a Sung Jin-Woo stereotype? I can't believe that's still a thing."
She looked genuinely offended that she hadn't made the top rankings.
"Then let's do it."
As usual, Douglas cut the conversation short.
He turned toward Isabella.
For the first time in a while...
She looked genuinely surprised.
"I thought you'd reject it. I kind of came up with it on the spot just to show Natasha that I'm actually good at strategy..."
The woman scratched the back of her head, breaking into an awkward cold sweat.
"No, it's a good plan. We have nothing to lose. Letting them 'injure' you is risky, though. Before you go, make a cut on your own arm and let some blood drip. If you can, make it look like one of them wounded you. Even if they suspect it's a trap, they'll still use the blood to track you. Li-Xeng can use his protective barrier to conceal both his and Natasha's aura, so they won't be able to detect them. If all twenty-three demons decide to chase us, Natasha and Li-Xeng will attack them from behind. You can lend them your invisibility cloak afterward. Ideally, Omar or Erika would be the ones using it, but it'll have to be you this time, Natasha."
Douglas looked at me with complete confidence while I stared back, wide-eyed and uncertain.
"If that's how it plays out, you'll use the cloak and take out at least five of the weaker demons from behind. That alone would give us a huge advantage. We'll lure them somewhere favorable for us to fight, and I'll prepare several runic circles to weaken them. There's no way we can lose."
Douglas genuinely believed in the plan, risky as it was.
Everything depended on Isabella.
"Alright, if that's the plan, let's do it now. Li, send me their location mentally. I'll teleport there and then come back to you."
I still didn't fully understand how Isabella's teleportation worked, but she could travel to any place she could either visualize or clearly remember.
Li-Xeng possessed the ability to locate enemies and determine the area they occupied. He could also transmit his thoughts directly into someone else's mind. He would send their location to Isabella, who would teleport there and then return by focusing on where we were.
"I'll stab my sword into the ground so you can use it as a marker to return."
I said it while trying to confirm something I'd heard before.
"No need. I can come back just by focusing on little Li."
Isabella grinned, gave me a wink, and flashed a thumbs-up.
"Oh, and Douglas... if this works, I want thirty percent of our next haul."
"I remember you only asked for ten percent last time. How does it keep increasing like this?"
"Changing circumstances, dear."
Isabella took a deep breath and pulled Li-Xeng over beside her.
"Wait, let's at least stand in the shade while we're waiting..."
I said as the scorching sunlight burned against my skin.
As silly as it sounded, I sunburned incredibly easily.
"It'll be quick. Less than ten minutes. Even if Li-Xeng sends me to a spot near them, it'll still be right around the group."
I couldn't understand how Isabella wasn't afraid.
I could never do something like that.
What if the teleport back failed?
What if she ended up somewhere else?
What if a demon attacked her before she had the chance to return?
I looked at her, and she immediately noticed my concern.
"Relax, girl. I'm good at this. It's my ultimate skill. There's no way it'll fail."
She confidently gripped her artifact while Li-Xeng took hold of her arm and closed his eyes.
His staff emitted a soft green glow, and Isabella looked dazed for a brief moment.
I glanced at Douglas.
He watched everything with his usual stern expression, silently signaling for me to stay quiet.
Before I even realized it...
Isabella was gone.
Li-Xeng opened his eyes and staggered.
"Using telepathy like that drains a lot of energy... but I think it worked."
He steadied himself, and all of us waited for Isabella to return.
Three minutes passed.
She still hadn't come back.
"Okay... this isn't normal, is it? She said it'd be quick."
I looked at Douglas, my heart pounding.
The moment I saw how pale he'd become, I knew he was worried too.
"Y-You're right... Wait... what?"
Li-Xeng had been concentrating on sensing Isabella's aura when his eyes suddenly widened.
"What is it?!"
I asked anxiously.
"She... she's not moving. A few minutes ago I sensed her near the demons. I thought she was looking for an opportunity to fake her injury... but it looks like she never moved from the spot where she teleported in. And now... twenty of the demons are moving faster... but Isabella stayed behind with the other three."
It was at that moment...
...that I realized she wasn't coming back.