Just as Evelyn felt deep disappointment cross her eyes, thinking Ian would ignore her and walk past…

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

Makes me want to change my mind after going through the trouble.

At Ian’s words, Evelyn jumped up and approached him with quick steps. She couldn’t let this opportunity, created through desperate conversation, slip away meaninglessly.

But would this man, who never showed his face at social events except for the Founding Festival, even know how to dance? Contrary to her concerns, the Tower Master took Evelyn’s hand with his soft silk-gloved hand and skillfully began to step.

When Ian, famous for only appearing at the Founding Festival once a year before disappearing, started dancing with Evelyn, silent shock spread among the people gathered in the banquet hall. ‘Is that really the Tower Master? Not some stand-in? ‘
 ‘What am I seeing right now? ‘
 Ignoring the whispering people, the two continued dancing.

In truth, Evelyn had no capacity to gather herself amid the pouring gazes and attention. She felt that if she accidentally stepped on the Tower Master’s foot, she would bid farewell to her short game life that very day.

“You’re quite stiff.”

“I’m afraid you’d end my life if I stepped on your foot.”

“For someone so scared, your mouth is still lively.”

A faint dimple appeared and disappeared along with the smile that crossed Ian’s lips. Isn’t it unfair to add dimples to that decadent beauty that pierces through that gloomy half-mask? She stared, entranced, at Ian’s aristocratic jawline, straight nose bridge, and crimson eyes that had captured the entire sunset within them.

Suddenly, a deep crease formed between Ian’s brows, which had looked consistently emotionless. With visible restraint, he squinted one eye and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward abruptly. Her chest was pressed against his slender but firm body, and his lips unexpectedly brushed past her earlobe.

“Since I’ve indulged you sufficiently, come for the blood donation as soon as possible.”

With just those words, he vanished like a mirage before the song even ended. The spot where Ian’s lips had touched burned as if scalded. Just as Evelyn stood frozen in place, covering her throbbing ear with her hand…

[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the sub-quest <Dance with Each Male Protagonist in Turn.> You can now proceed to the sixth main quest and hidden route. Would you like to proceed?

*If accepted, you will be transported to the Magic Tower immediately.]

No, no. Not now, later. Having just parted with Ian, she didn’t have enough courage or composure left to head straight to the Magic Tower. Besides, after being pushed around by people all day, she desperately needed rest.

Smiling and politely fending off curious people approaching her, Evelyn escaped to the terrace. After locking the door and carefully closing the curtains, Evelyn collapsed onto the sofa. She had planned to replenish her energy here before finding the roleplay-obsessed pervert waiting for her somewhere in the garden to work on his affection level, but…

[System error detected. Due to an unexpected situation, the sixth main quest <Ian, Master of the Magic Tower> and the hidden route <The Tower Master’s Secret> will proceed forcibly.]

[Summoning to the Magic Tower is beginning.]

“…?”

F*ck. In a situation where she truly couldn’t help but curse, all sorts of harsh words poured from Evelyn’s mouth. It suddenly hit her that this was indeed a test server, and curses toward the developers welled up from deep within her. As Evelyn was unleashing every curse she knew toward the system and developers, her vision flipped.

What then dominated her vision was not the banquet hall filled with the noise of hundreds of people, but an eerily silent lobby. A massive spiral staircase at the center of the dimly lit lobby extended so high that the end was not visible.

[Welcome to the Magic Tower. The sixth main quest <Ian, Master of the Magic Tower> has arrived.]

Ian, the Master of the Magic Tower, has long been suffering from the aftereffects of black magic. Cure Ian’s condition and uncover the secrets related to the rifts in this world. This quest proceeds simultaneously with the hidden route <The Tower Master’s Secret.>  Upon completion, the Tower Master’s affection will significantly increase, and you will receive the final quest related to the Saintess’s mission.

The final quest related to the Saintess’s mission!

All this time, Evelyn had been trying to find out about the Saintess’s mission mentioned by the system. She had even asked the High Priest at the Grand Temple, “If there is a mission given to me as a Saintess, what would it be?” but received only the ambiguous and enigmatic answer, “It would be the calling desired by the deity Helios.”

After moving to the imperial palace, she had thoroughly searched the library for materials about past healers, but couldn’t find any special clues related to her mission.

And yet…

‘So this is where it pops up.’

She had an ominous feeling that this main quest might be the most difficult one yet. She didn’t know what black magic Ian, whom many users were convinced was the game’s villain, had attempted. But first, she needed to find Ian, who must be somewhere here, so she could figure out how to cure him.

‘Sorry, Hezel.’

It seems our perverted roleplay will have to wait until next time.

She had a sad premonition that Hezel would thoroughly punish her body for breaking her promise, but right now, completing this main quest connected to the final quest was the priority. Evelyn opened the mini-map to check Ian’s location.

Fortunately or unfortunately, a red dot presumed to be Ian was emitting an eerie light not too far from her. The fact that this light felt more ominous than other male leads was surely just her imagination. After giving herself another pep talk, Evelyn followed the dot on the mini-map.

This naturally led her to stairs connecting to the underground. The wind blowing up the staircase was unnaturally chilling for June.

‘In horror movies, the person who enters such a suspicious place is always the first to die.’

Even though she wanted to run away, she couldn’t escape now that the main quest had started. Evelyn forced strength into her legs that wanted to retreat and stepped onto the stairs leading underground. At the end of the staircase was a thick iron door. Whatever was happening inside, the door was already half-open.

“Ugh… cough…”

Evelyn, who had stopped momentarily in front of the door, wondering if she should knock, flinched at the groan leaking through the iron door.

Feeling her heart pounding, Evelyn peered through the gap in the open door while holding her breath. That’s when she witnessed it: the Tower Master’s back as he pulled out a man’s head, spinal cord and all, from someone wearing prisoner’s clothes.

“…!”

Evelyn quickly covered her mouth before she could scream. The blood dripping down Ian’s arm and splattered throughout the space made her stomach churn. She needed to escape. Quest or not, if she was caught witnessing this, that severed head in his hand would be replaced with hers.

Trying to muffle her footsteps as much as possible, Evelyn attempted to retrace her steps, when suddenly:

“Well, well. A little mouse was hiding here?”

A voice drowning in languid ecstasy suddenly approached from behind, and her body was enveloped by an unknown force, sucked through the iron door.

“Hah…!”

“Hmm. How did you get in here? Those annoying people should all be enjoying themselves at the banquet hall right now.”

His half-mask was nowhere to be seen. Ian, showing his bare face, looked down at her with cold crimson eyes while licking his lips.

His disheveled black hair, smooth nose bridge, languid yet chilling eyes, and porcelain-white skin—unlike his breathtakingly beautiful face that seemed inhuman, the hand gripping her neck was rough.

Feeling her breath increasingly restricted, Evelyn struggled weakly, but it was useless. He seemed like a completely different person from the one she had seen just 10 minutes ago. Ian’s crimson eyes were filled with murderous intent bordering on madness.

“Tower… ugh… Tower Master. Why are you… cough.”

“Shut up. As always, there’s nothing but irritating things around that bastard Ian… Wait. You’re not a soul of this world, are you?”

A slight spasm crossed Evelyn’s eyes, her heart nearly dropping in shock.

‘How does he know?’

The pupils of Ian, who was staring at her up close, elongated into an abnormal shape. Facing those eyes that resembled not a human’s but a beast’s, Evelyn realized: this wasn’t Ian, but something wearing Ian’s skin.