Zev smiled as they continued walking.
"So, when did you enter the Tower?"
"I'm not really sure," Subedai replied.
"I think I've been here for about three or four days."
As they walked, Subedei carefully observed the people accompanying Zev. Seeing his injuries, they clearly didn't like the idea of traveling with him. They threw him hostile looks from behind, not even bothering to hide their resentment when their gazes met his.
However, it seemed they didn't dare speak openly against Zev.
Noticing Subedei's attention, Zev casually pointed at one of them.
"Why are you staring at them? Want an introduction? This guy..."
Subedei cut him off immediately.
"Judging by their looks, they don't want to get acquainted. Wouldn't it be better if you just ditched them and went with me instead?"
Hearing that, Zev didn't respond. He simply laughed quietly and moved on.
Subedei's words enraged the three men behind them.
The burly man among them couldn't hold back anymore. He glared at Subedei and snapped,
"Damn it! You should be grateful we're even letting a cripple like you tag along!"
The two tall, thin men weren't silent either and backed him up.
"Exactly. In a place this dangerous, you should be thanking us for not abandoning a cripple like you."
"They're right. We're only traveling with you because you're Zev's friend."
The three of them advanced toward Subedei step by step.
The skinny man in front walked right up to him and raised his hand, as if about to strike.
In that instant, Subedei tightly gripped his spear with one hand and swung it straight toward the man's throat.
At that moment, the skinny man already looked dead in Subedei's eyes.
Seeing the spear coming at terrifying speed, the man tried to dodge but it was far too late. The spear was already inches from his neck.
His eyes filled with fear and panic.
Only one thought flashed through his mind.
"Am I… going to die like this?"
Suddenly, something moved between them at incredible speed, blocking Subedei's attack just before it reached the man's throat.
It happened so fast that Subedei couldn't see clearly.
When he looked up in surprise, staying alert.
Zev was standing between them.
Zev glanced at everyone one by one, then shouted,
"That's enough! If you want to get out of here alive, stop fighting among yourselves!"
Subedei stayed silent for a moment, then lowered his spear.
The skinny man, terrified by the attack, dropped the weapon from his trembling hands. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, staring at Subedai in pure fear.
The other two, however, didn't want to let things end so easily.
Still, they didn't dare make a move. Instead, they stared at their fallen companion in shock.
Seeing that they weren't backing down completely, Subedei immediately activated two skills.
[Your body is enveloped in mana. Strength increased by 20%.]
[Mana-based skills increased by 10%.]
Power surged through his body. A faint blue mana wrapped around both him and his spear.
The three men instantly realized it was a skill. Their faces filled with shock and fear as they stared at Subedei.
The hands holding their weapons trembled.
Subedei didn't move.
Instead, he slowly turned around with a smile on his face.
Zev was momentarily stunned but quickly calmed himself and let out a deep breath.
Realizing that Subedei had no intention of fighting, the three men also relaxed, breathing out in relief. The other two hurried over to help their fallen companion back to his feet.
After that incident, the group walked in silence for a while.
Breaking the silence, Zev asked Subedei,
"Have you seen the boss of this floor?"
"We've been searching for two days and haven't found it," he continued.
"Not sure how many more days we'll have to look."
Noticing Subedei still gripping his spear tightly, Zev added,
"Skeletons don't appear in the morning, so you don't need to stay on such high alert."
"We use the mornings to recover, then fight the skeletons at night."
Subedei nodded and relaxed his grip on the weapon.
Everything Zev said sounded clear and practical the words of someone who had already adapted to this place.
After walking for a long time, they stopped under the cover of dead trees, just as Zev suggested.
The group split up to rest, eat, and recover. Zev went hunting for food, while the other three immediately lay down and fell asleep.
That left Subedei on watch.
He sat beneath another dead tree, glaring coldly in the direction of the three men.
Hours passed quickly.
From afar, Subedai spotted Zev returning with game meat in his hands. Zev quickly lit a fire and began grilling the meat, waking the sleeping trio as he did.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"It's time to eat."
The three men slowly opened their eyes and got up. Soon, everyone gathered around the fire and started eating.
Subedei, however, took one piece of grilled meat and moved away, sitting alone under another dead tree.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw Zev approaching with two pieces of grilled meat in his hands.
Zev sat beside him and handed him one.
"Eat well. Your wound will heal faster."
Subedei smiled and replied,
"I'm not a little kid."
After they finished eating, both of them lay down on the ground. Subedei fell asleep almost instantly.
Seeing that, Zev closed his eyes as well.
"Subedai…"
Hearing someone call his name, Subedei slowly opened his eyes.
Zev was standing beside him, sword in hand. Seeing him awake, Zev said quickly,
"Get up. It's evening."
"Prepare for battle."
Subedei immediately stood up and tightly gripped his spear.
As night fell, fog began to roll through the forest. It was the first time Subedei had seen it with his own eyes.
"Amazing…"
Zev stood beside him, smiling quietly.
The fog thickened little by little, and silhouettes of skeletons began walking through the mist.
Everyone gathered and prepared for combat.
Weapons clenched tightly, they advanced cautiously, watching all directions. Any skeleton they encountered was killed with ease.
Though Subedei didn't land the killing blows himself, he was surprised to see notifications appearing before his eyes.
[You have slain "Skeleton Warrior."]
"I didn't kill it… so why am I getting notifications?" Subedai asked.
Zev paused in surprise, then replied calmly, remembering that Subedei had entered the Tower alone.
"We share experience from every monster the party kills."
"That's why you're receiving the notifications."
Hearing this, Subedei was astonished and became even more aware of the benefits of traveling with others.
Still, due to his injuries and because his friend was here he continued on quietly with the group.
They killed skeleton after skeleton throughout the night, yet never once caught sight of the boss monster.
Gradually, morning came. The sun rose, the fog dispersed, and the skeletons vanished one by one.
Days passed like arrows flying through the air.
During that time, Subedei grew noticeably weaker from relying on others. However, thanks to Zev, he didn't need to push himself into intense combat.