Chapter 281: Miko’s Dilemma.

Kael was utterly dumbfounded by the question.

For a long moment, he simply stared at Miko, his mind racing as he scrambled to figure out how he could possibly answer without revealing the existence of his Multiplier Talent. He turned the problem over again and again, searching for a way to respond that wouldn’t expose one of his most closely guarded secrets, something vague enough to satisfy her, yet specific enough not to sound suspicious.

Yet the longer he studied the sharpness in Miko’s expression, the more he realized that fumbling through a poorly thought-out answer might end up far worse for him, he needed to come up with something better.

Kael let out a quiet, resigned sigh.

"Actually, it’s a big secret of mine," he said, his expression turning slightly more serious. "But since things have already come this far, I’ll tell you."

Miko narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly waiting for him to continue.

"I have an ability that allows me to duplicate certain items. That’s how I managed to duplicate the Blood Crystal for the Blood Store."

Silence followed. Miko simply stared at him for several seconds before finally nodding.

"Okay."

Kael blinked.

"What? You believed what I just said?" The question escaped his mouth before he could stop himself.

Miko folded her arms across her chest, her eyes locked onto Kael.

"You don’t want me to believe what you just said?"

Kael’s expression stiffened as he realized his mistake and quickly backpedaled.

"Of course I do."

A soft chuckle escaped Miko’s lips. Even that simple sound carried a strange, seductive quality that made Kael’s expression twitch slightly.

"Calm down," she said. "I won’t simply believe your word without question. I’m not that naive."

Miko’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"I can tell when someone is lying to me, Kael."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So you know?"

"Of course I do." Miko tilted her head slightly. "I know you’re not telling me the full truth."

Kael remained silent.

"But everyone has their own secrets." Her expression softened slightly as she leaned back. "As long as those secrets don’t violate the Tower’s rules, I have no reason to pry into them."

Kael’s expression eased slightly.

Miko glanced him over before continuing.

"Technically, since everything you obtained here came through your own ability, you have the right to take it with you. I can’t simply stop you from claiming what you’ve earned."

Kael listened quietly.

"However, there is another problem."

Her tone became more serious.

"Taking this much from the Blood Store would disrupt the balance of the trial."

Kael’s expression darkened.

"If you continue doing what you’ve been doing, you could potentially drain a massive portion of the Blood Store. That would affect the resources available to other challengers and could throw the entire trial into chaos."

She paused before looking directly at him.

"So I can’t allow you to take that much."

Kael’s brows furrowed.

He wasn’t pleased.

But there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Miko was simply too powerful for his current self to oppose. Even if he somehow decided to fight her, he had no confidence that he could survive the confrontation, let alone force her to change her mind.

Besides, not everything he had taken from the Blood Store was particularly valuable to him.

He had purchased many things simply because they were there.

One could never possess too much treasure, after all.

Still, that didn’t mean he was happy about being told he couldn’t take what he had earned.

While Kael’s expression grew increasingly dissatisfied, Miko quietly observed him.

Internally, however, she was having a completely different reaction.

"Damn it. How am I supposed to deal with this?"

She maintained her calm and dignified appearance, but the situation was far more troublesome than Kael realized.

The Tower’s rules were absolute.

The Tower Master had already established a fundamental rule regarding rewards obtained through a challenger’s own abilities. Anything a challenger legitimately obtained within a trial belonged to them. Even an Administrator could not simply confiscate it because doing so would violate the Tower’s rules.

If Kael decided that he wanted to keep every item he had purchased from the Blood Store, Miko couldn’t stop him.

If he wanted to continue the trial, earn more Blood Crystals, and spend them all again, she couldn’t stop that either.

He could even potentially drain the entire Blood Store.

As long as he wasn’t using some forbidden method to cheat the trial, everything he obtained through his ability was legally his.

That was precisely what made this situation so troublesome.

Miko looked at Kael’s dissatisfied expression before finally making a decision.

"Of course, it would be unfair to take away what you earned through your own ability."

Kael’s eyes shifted toward her.

"So how about compensation instead?"

Miko smiled.

"I’ll make sure it’s worth it."

Kael furrowed his brows.

"Compensation?"

"Yes."

He considered it for a few seconds before nodding.

"Fine."

If he was going to be compensated for what he was giving up, there was no reason to reject the offer.

Miko couldn’t help but sigh internally at how readily he agreed. She didn’t celebrate, she couldn’t afford to. After all, she’d have to give up something valuable to Kael as compensation. But even so, it would be worth it.

The Tower contained thousands of trials, and every trial had an Administrator assigned to oversee it. To a challenger, a trial was simply a dangerous challenge that offered rewards at the end.

For an Administrator, however, the trial they oversaw was far more important than that.

It was their lifeline. Their authority, their power, even their position within the Tower, all of it was tied to how well they managed their assigned trial. If the balance of a trial was disrupted badly enough, an Administrator could lose a significant portion of their authority and power.

No Administrator wanted that to happen, and Miko was no exception. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Kael.

Then she asked a seemingly casual question.

"I assume your ability to replicate things can also replicate Tower Coins, right?"