Kim Hajun ground his teeth together. It was a habit born from frustration he thought he had given up long ago; at least, in this lifetime, this was his first time doing it. After meeting the three variables, absolutely nothing was going according to plan. The White-Striped Princess Ant Pupa should’ve been his. The rudimentary wind magic skill orb should’ve been his. The Constitution of the Lightning Lord should’ve been his. If it hadn’t been for his quick wit, he would’ve lost Yeol’s Heart of Fire as well. Not only that, but he was also down the cost of seven vials of gecko juice. Although they didn’t cost much, to someone who had just entered the tower, they were worth a fortune.

Kim Hajun stared as Vur picked up an axe with a crystalline head and a shaft made of bone. It was Kax Ammer’s weapon, a brutal tool of slaughter that had reaped hundreds of thousands of lives within Kim Hajun’s prophetic dream. In the dream, Kax Ammer had failed to pass the entrance exam and was sent to the tower’s basement. Although Kim Hajun didn’t know what happened to the red-haired man down there, he knew that when Kax clawed his way out, the tower was thrown into chaos. However, the three variables had influenced Kax, making it hard to tell what would happen in the future. Would the red-haired man still be a symbol of fear and slaughter?

“Here.”

Kim Hajun’s gaze followed the axe as it flew through the air from Vur to Kax. The red-haired man caught the axe with a blank expression on his face. “You don’t want?” Kax asked and tilted his head to the side. “Kax axe is very good.”

Vur shook his head. “You keep it.”

A furrow appeared on Kim Hajun’s brow. As someone who had witnessed Vur transforming from dragon to human, he was confused. Why in the world would Vur reject a treasure? Dragons were known hoarders, so much so that legends and tales of their riches reached audiences even outside of the tower. Actually, thinking about it further, Vur did hoard all the white-striped ant honey, and he did accept a head-sized muffin. Alongside the fact Vur wanted to eat the White-Striped Ant Pupa instead of raising it, it was clear Vur was more interested in food than anything else.

Kim Hajun’s eyes narrowed, but his expression smoothed out as he put on a poker face. Rather than crying over what had already happened, he needed to make the best use of what he had. Adapt or die, that was how the tower worked. “Excuse me, Vur.”

Vur raised his head and grunted in a questioning manner.

“By any chance, have you ever eaten a cow before?” Kim Hajun asked. In the world he came from, cows were docile and domesticated creatures. In the tower, however, cows were vicious beasts on the level of wyverns and behemoth bears.

Vur blinked. “Not sure.” Although he had never personally hunted a cow, it was possible some meat he had been given before was from a cow. “Are they tasty?”

“They’re a delicacy,” Kim Hajun said and nodded. “And I happen to know a region in the second floor where cows are aplenty. Are you interested? I can take you there if you’d like.”

“Sure.”

“What’s the catch?” Tafel asked after Vur agreed without hesitation. The small vortex of wind she was playing with disappeared. “Plenty of people help Vur for free because they either worship or are terrified of him, but you don’t seem to be either.”

Kim Hajun’s gaze shifted onto Tafel. It was clear she was a demon, given her horns and purple eyes. However, was she also a dragon? If she wasn’t, then how in the world did she end up together with Vur? Anyone would question the relationship between a bear and a sheep that hung out together. “I’ll be honest. I’m hoping to pick up any scraps Vur happens to leave behind: horns, bones, hooves, fur, I know people who’re willing to buy them.” A wry smile appeared on Kim Hajun’s face. “Also, every group that challenges the Angry Bovine Cave will receive a reward upon completion, and quite frankly, it’s extremely tough to beat for a regular person such as myself. With Vur clearing the way, I won’t have to worry about dying.”

“In other words, you want a free ride,” Stella said, popping out of Vur’s chest. Her back was still obscured by the white cape, and the triangular outerwear was still comically stitched to fit her body. Vur’s brow furrowed, and a golden puppy fell out of his abdomen, landing on the ground with a short yelp and stunned expression.

“That’s correct,” Kim Hajun said, unfazed by the odd occurrence. “But without me, wouldn’t it be inconvenient to locate the cows? Considering the bovine cave counts as a bonus level in the second floor, its location isn’t obvious.”

“We’ll take you,” Vur said and picked up a red feather. He handed it to Lindyss; after all, he didn’t have a need for the eyebrow feather of a phoenix. If he ever needed one, he could pay a visit to Minerva. After settling his rewards for winning the contest, Vur looked around. “Now, we wait for the stage to end? I could use a nap.”

“Not quite,” Tafel said. “If we go to a temple and clear the trial inside, we’ll get some equipment along with the option to pass the exam early.” She turned towards Kim Hajun. “Since you’re a prophet, you should know the location of the temples and the best rewards for clearing their trials, right? Don’t think you’re going to tag along and collect stuff for free without contributing.”

Kim Hajun scratched his head. “It’s true that the temples provide equipment if you clear their trials, but … are the three of you in need of any?” Such powerful individuals, Kim Hajun was willing to bet his left foot that they already had great gear.

“Absolutely!” Stella said from the golden puppy’s back. At some point, she had migrated down from Vur’s chest. “Look at Vur. He doesn’t even have a shirt. What makes you think he has good equipment?”

The fact that he’s a dragon? Kim Hajun thought but knew better than to say out loud.