Chapter 15: Move at Night
Perhaps because he had eaten too much, Enzo ended up taking a nap, only waking after nightfall.
His body felt completely refreshed when he opened his eyes.
Naturally, the prison was eerily quiet at this hour.
A few moments later, however, Emma arrived once again.
Enzo was slightly surprised because this time she was carrying a tray with a large boiled lobster, its shell a vivid crimson.
The rich aroma drifted into his guard post through the gaps in the walls.
He hadn’t expected such a luxurious dinner.
He quickly walked over and opened the door before Emma reached it.
Standing there calmly, he waited until she stopped in front of him.
Her cold expression was as indifferent as ever.
Unlike before, however, she didn’t immediately hand him the tray.
Enzo noticed her suddenly glance inside his guard post.
"It seems you’re really enjoying your life," she remarked.
Although her tone was dripping with sarcasm, Enzo still found the comment rather unexpected.
"Life is meant to be enjoyed," he replied. "Is there something wrong with that?"
He was genuinely curious about what was going through this woman’s mind.
"How pathetic," she said in the same sarcastic tone.
Enzo frowned.
"Did you come here just to comment on my life?" he asked as he took the tray from her hands without waiting for her to offer it.
"What? Are you angry? Weren’t you perfectly fine when everyone else was insulting you? Hmph."
She finished with a soft snort before turning around and walking away.
Enzo couldn’t understand her mood.
He decided she was bordering on insanity, shook his head, returned to his guard post, and eagerly began eating the lobster.
It was genuinely delicious.
Fortunately, his afternoon nap meant he wasn’t sleepy anymore.
After finishing dinner, he lit another cigarette and sat down on his bed.
Without thinking about cleanliness, he flicked the ash onto the floor.
His attention immediately shifted to the virtual screen before him.
Both hands rested on the floating keyboard and mouse.
Violet was still sitting motionlessly inside her castle, like a lifeless doll.
She breathed, but her eyes never closed.
As a character, she recovered simply by remaining still.
There was no concept of sleep for her.
With nothing else to do, Enzo decided it was time to make Violet even stronger.
Violet immediately stood up and walked out of the castle.
The residential district was so quiet that not a single person could be seen.
She walked calmly, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
In fact, the entire Sanctuary seemed deserted at night.
The newcomers had either returned to Earth or gone back to their accommodations.
Occasionally, groups of Awakeners returned from their expeditions.
Some wore joyful smiles, while others looked grim.
Regardless, every one of them carried wounds somewhere on their bodies.
When Violet reached the prison entrance, she paused slightly because Enzo himself had been caught by surprise.
A young man covered in crimson dragon scales had just entered.
Enzo immediately spotted him from inside his guard post.
Who else could it be but George Morgan?
This time, George carried a broad silver sword with a dark crimson line running through its center.
Just looking at the weapon made Enzo uneasy.
It looked capable of cleaving through almost anything.
Combined with George’s icy expression, he looked like someone ready to kill anyone foolish enough to meet his gaze.
Enzo watched him pass one gate after another.
When George reached the guard post, he glanced toward it, making Enzo feel rather uncomfortable.
Fortunately, George merely continued walking.
Soon, he entered a cell containing three Level 2 Goblins.
However, after passing through the first security door, he stopped because Violet had arrived.
"What are you looking at?" Violet asked the moment their eyes met.
Enzo still hadn’t forgotten how George had yelled at him earlier just for glancing in his direction.
There was no way he wouldn’t return the favor.
Violet’s words caused George to tighten his grip on his sword while his free hand clenched into a fist, clearly suppressing intense anger.
Unfortunately for him, Violet’s piercing gaze alone filled him with an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
He remained silent and lowered his head.
A faint smile appeared on Violet’s face as she walked past him—the very same smile spreading across Enzo’s face.
She continued onward until she reached a pair of massive steel doors that weren’t completely closed, leaving just enough space for one person to pass through.
Nearby was what looked like a freight elevator, an open platform that descended underground, though it was apparently used only for transporting monsters.
Violet stepped through the doorway.
The only illumination came from rows of candles lining the walls.
Just beyond the entrance stretched a long staircase leading deep underground.
Driven by Enzo’s curiosity, Violet calmly descended.
When she finally reached the bottom, even Enzo, watching through the screen, felt as though a chilling breeze had passed through him, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.
Violet herself, of course, felt nothing.
Cold crimson eyes stared at her from countless cells.
Most of them belonged to wolves.
Even the smallest stood over a meter tall, and those were merely Level 6 monsters.
Enzo didn’t see the enormous Level 12 wolf from the previous night, the one that had stood nearly two and a half meters tall.
The strongest monsters on this floor seemed to be only Level 10.
After looking around, he noticed another heavy door leading even deeper underground.
Apparently, there were additional basement levels below this one.
Unlike the upper floor, however, there wasn’t a single guard post here.
Enzo wasn’t sure who cleaned this place.
Perhaps the supervisors handled it themselves, since the corpses here likely retained dangerous residual power that ordinary people couldn’t safely approach.
He couldn’t help wondering what level of monster Violet should challenge next.
Her gaze swept across one cell after another before finally stopping at one containing four wolves, each around 1.3 meters tall.
They weren’t Level 6.
They were Level 7.
If entering a cell were free, Enzo wouldn’t have minded progressing one step at a time.
Unfortunately, every attempt required payment.
And the price was anything but cheap.
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