Looking at the now-dead ogre's corpse, Rio didn't know what to do next. According to the novel, there shouldn't have been any monsters here,yet there it was.
Ogres aren't just rare,they're intelligent for their kind. While their IQ is below the average human, they can wield heavy swords and battleaxes with surprising skill.
Rio thought about the original events in Arte's Tower: Fade and Kira had chosen the tower for their date. Kira, being obsessed with history, lectured Fade on the tower's entire past. Naturally, Fade, as the protagonist, couldn't miss the chance to show off.
As they reached the stairs, a passerby stopped him:
"Kid, this isn't your place. Go play somewhere else."
Suddenly, everyone in the area,about a hundred people,turned to look at Fade.
Plot Hole 1: Did so many people really forget what they were doing just to mock one kid? Classic protagonist halo effect.
Fade, unfazed, decided to assert dominance.
"Huh, I'm climbing this tower today, and no one can stop me! Come if you dare!"
Several burly men surrounded him. But to an awakener like Fade, ordinary humans were ants. He didn't even need his staff; a single breath could have ended them.
Plot Hole 2: No adult in their right mind would attack a child. But, plot convenience… cough!
Fade cast a fireball with his bare hand. People panicked, but a security staff member,coincidentally the brother of someone Fade had scared earlier,blocked it. Naturally, he attacked, got beaten, summoned friends, and they too got destroyed.
Eventually, Fade was arrested for harming innocents. Of course, protagonists can't stay in jail. Kira called her father, and an hour later, he was free.
Plot Hole 3: Why didn't Kira stop the situation before it escalated? Don't ask me,I didn't write this.
Later, Fade and Kira passed through the tower's illusion by spending 25k EXP each. The crowd noticed, chaos ensued,but nothing could stop it once started. Rio, of course, had been dismantling these "Fade moments" all along.
On the illusion's other side, they reached the floor where Rio had just fought the ogre. Kira immediately recognized the ancient teleportation mechanism and activated it, just as Rio had.
Difference: Fade spent EXP; Rio used True Immunity.
Inside the library, Kira stuffed countless books into her space ring. The last book,the dead dragon pierced by a star-marked spear,slipped and magically fixed itself into the statue.
Poor Rio's brain cells.
Kira handed the perfect-rank Enhancement Stone to Fade. He absorbed it without question. No monsters appeared, and they found their way out via the teleportation circle, leaving the tower as they came. Outside, a crowd clamored, but Kira's bodyguards cleared the way.
Rio looked at the ogre again.
Heavenly luck trying to stop me from stealing Fade's chances?
Even if so, nothing could stop a professional thief. He shook his head. Thinking about the dead monster was a waste of energy.
He headed toward the stairs. Will anyone notice me? Better stick to the plan.
[Body Strengthening!]
[Concentration!]
Using both skills, Rio temporarily boosted his stats. He paused briefly at the first ladder, then shot down like an arrow. Ordinary people couldn't see him; only a faint breeze betrayed his passage.
In moments, he exited the tower, heading toward the dormitories.