Clang, clang—
The iron chains clashed together, and a shadowy figure lay trembling at Mike’s feet, speaking again.
“You were sent by Lord Morpheus, weren’t you!?”
Mike crouched down, helping the figure up, and curiously asked, “You know my big brother?”
“Lord Morpheus is your big brother… That’s wonderful… just wonderful…”
The shadow lifted its head, and Mike finally saw the person’s face clearly.
It was the face of a middle-aged man, with sharp features and piercing blue eyes, bloodshot and looking quite unwell.
He spoke again, his voice filled with pleading, “Do you have a way to get us out of here?”
“Before I came, ahem, my big brother didn’t give me many details, just told me to come here.”
Mike coughed lightly, hoping the man would explain more clearly.
Morpheus… Mike had never even met him.
Privately calling Morpheus his big brother, he probably wouldn’t mind, right?
Hearing Mike’s words, the shadowy figure nodded shakily, about to say something.
Suddenly, a young werewolf nearby spoke up with a mocking tone, “Don’t listen to that old fool, he’s crazy.”
As soon as he said this, many others chimed in,
“Yeah, he’s been acting weird since this morning, mumbling about Lord Morpheus, Lord Morpheus…”
“If you ask me, Morpheus is just a load of crap, no, not even…”
His words were abruptly cut off.
Because a staff had pierced through his throat, pinning his entire body to the ground, blood slowly seeping from the wound, draining his life away.
And the owner of the staff stood beside the corpse, expressionless and cold.
The killer’s intent was unmistakable.
Swish—
Most of the werewolves began to back away, distancing themselves from Mike, growling threateningly, baring their claws, ready for a fight.
But a small group of ‘werewolves’ did the opposite, surrounding Mike protectively.
They weren’t true werewolves but human participants who had chosen the werewolf faction.
They had witnessed everything that had just happened, and they had heard Mike’s conversation with the shadowy werewolf.
Calling the Supreme Being [Morpheus] his big brother, appearing on the tenth floor today, instantly killing a disrespectful werewolf…
All these factors combined pointed to only one conclusion—this person was Thor!
They had encountered Thor!
However, due to the unique nature of the tenth floor, everyone here wears masks, and all sounds, body shapes, and physical features are slightly altered. Even if they encountered Thor here, they wouldn’t be able to recognize his true identity in the real world.
Understanding this, they all made the same choice: to protect Thor.
Earlier, a werewolf had insulted Morpheus, and Thor had acted immediately, effectively making enemies of all the werewolves present. Instantly, the battlefield became sharply divided, and the tension was palpable. The air was thick with the smell of blood.
“Clean up this mess; the stench of blood is unbearable,” Mike said, kicking the Cerberus Phantom.
“Gulp—”
Cerberus swallowed the werewolf’s corpse in one bite, even licking the blood off the ground. The bloody smell quickly dissipated, replaced by a faint scent of cumin.
“Where were we? Oh right, what’s your name?” Mike asked, ignoring the tense atmosphere.
The shadowy werewolf trembled as he spoke, “My name is Dorian.”
“Dorian, can you tell me what exactly happened here?”
Ignoring the enraged werewolves, Mike focused on his conversation with Dorian.
“Three hundred years ago, Lord Morpheus came to the castle. He was one of the first guests and the beginning of all nightmares…”
From Dorian’s story, Mike roughly pieced together the sequence of events.
Three hundred years ago, the Tower of Truth appeared. Morpheus awakened an SSS-level talent and was the fastest to conquer it, reaching the tenth floor first. As Mike suspected, Morpheus chose the werewolf faction, achieved an SSS rating, and then left.
The problem started there.
The storyline of the tenth floor is an endless loop of one day. Every night at midnight, everything resets.
After Morpheus left, one werewolf went mad—Dorian. The reset had no effect on his memory!
Each time he died and came back, Dorian retained his memories, starting a new loop each time. This was no blessing; it was a curse.
Until today, Dorian recognized Mike by his cloak.
“So, what did my big brother promise back then?” This was Mike’s most pressing question.
“Lord Morpheus said…” Shadowy werewolf Dorian had memorized these words long ago and recited them effortlessly, ‘In the future, a young man will come to help you break free from this endless loop. When you see him, you will know it’s him.’
Mike frowned. This sounded way too mystical!
Was Morpheus some kind of prophet?
It seemed like Morpheus had said a lot, but in reality, he hadn’t said much at all.
The tenth floor is early in the Tower of Truth, so anyone coming here would likely be young. Helping to break the loop sounded more like an empty promise. The last part of the sentence was even more useless.
“When you see him, you will know it’s him. That’s as good as saying nothing at all.”
Mike rubbed his temples, feeling at a loss for a moment. He asked again, “Have you seen anyone wielding a sword?”
Mike tried a different approach. The three Supreme Beings who had arrived before him should have left some traces.
Dorian shook his head and explained, “Many years ago, right after a reset, I was killed by a newly arrived werewolf. When I revived again, the entire castle had undergone a massive change, with sword marks everywhere… They don’t have memories, but they are terrified of the sword marks.”
It seemed Dorian had narrowly missed encountering Ares.
Mike wasn’t ready to give up and wanted to ask about Apollo. So far, in this endless loop, there were two beings whose memories weren’t reset. They retained memories of the centuries-long cycle, starting anew each day: Shadow Werewolf Dorian and the Count!
Shadow Werewolf Dorian was due to Supreme Being Morpheus, while the Count had been slashed by Ares.
“There should be a third person, influenced by Apollo…” Mike calculated in his mind.
Clang, clang—
The sound of iron chains clashing echoed again, but this time, it was completely different from before! As the heavy chain sounds reverberated, all the werewolves became as docile as lambs. They pressed against the walls, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Thud—
Thud—
From the darkness, a massive shadow slowly emerged, each step causing the entire dungeon to shake, with countless stones falling. A colossal figure, standing at 16.4 feet tall, gradually revealed itself. Covered in scars, its fur was a rare white, and its eyes were also white, exuding a terrifying aura. Wrapped in numerous iron chains, it radiated a dangerous vibe.
Someone immediately whispered an introduction, “Lord Thor, this is the White Wolf King, possessing strength comparable to a Battle Chief. He’s someone you definitely don’t want to mess with on this level.”
The White Wolf King ignored everything around him, his eyes fixed solely on Mike.
“You’re looking for the one who wields a sword?”
Clearly, he had overheard Mike and Dorian’s conversation.
“Yes, have you retained your memory too?”
“I don’t believe the crazy talk from Dorian. This cycle has been going on for three hundred years? Impossible…”
“Dorian has no reason to lie,” Mike said.
The White Wolf King took a deep breath, “But I have a question for you.”
As he spoke, the White Wolf King raised his right hand, crushing the iron chain on his chest, revealing a terrifying scar on his silver fur. In a deep voice, he asked,
“What’s the deal with this sword mark?”
He had woken up this morning to find this scar on his body, with no memory of how it got there!
Seeing the familiar sword mark, Mike nodded and said,
“Ares slashed you. Any problems with that?”