Chapter 1372: 130. Men’s Friendship

"Single-minded devotion—that is the secret behind why my Enhancement Magic is so powerful! Everything I have today comes from it! In fact, you could say that single-minded devotion is the principle I live my entire life by!"

Muen thumped his chest, his voice firm and resonant, as though he truly were laying bare several decades' worth of experience studying magic.

But Huggins's expression clearly stiffened.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Muen looked over curiously and asked with concern.

"No......it's nothing."

Huggins instantly returned to normal and smiled. "I simply didn't expect the secret to be so......simple?"

"You can't put it that way."

Muen immediately put on a stern expression and said with complete seriousness:

"'Single-minded devotion' may sound simple, but actually putting it into practice is extremely difficult. Do you think it has been easy for me? If I hadn't followed this path from beginning to end, earnestly embodying the true meaning of single-minded devotion in everything from magic and training to even matters of the heart, I probably never would have made it this far."

"Is......is that so?"

Huggins subconsciously looked into Muen's eyes.

Muen met his gaze openly.

In those azure eyes, he could not see the slightest trace of falsehood. There was only the soul of a good man who was incomparably "single-minded" in everything he did, shining brilliantly.

Huggins abruptly turned his head and averted his gaze.

Too dazzling.

That radiance was so dazzling that it made him feel......somewhat pained.

"As expected of Master Enmu."

Huggins took a deep breath, his smile remaining gentle. "Just a few words from you have benefited me greatly. As expected of the present-day number-one magic master beneath the Truth Rank."

"I already told you, I can't possibly live up to that title."

"You're too modest, Master Enmu. Acting like that will make people dislike you."

"Then does Lord Huggins dislike me?"

"I'd like to, but what can I do when Master Enmu and I hit it off from the moment we met?"

"Lord Huggins, that was......a little mushy."

"Ha, Master Enmu truly is an interesting man."

The two traded remarks back and forth, chatting idly about one thing after another, and their conversation grew increasingly smooth.

Before they knew it, they had already walked quite some distance.

Huggins raised a hand, and the school crest floating above his head dropped into his palm.

The crest's glow faded, yet the surrounding lights remained bright.

Huggins looked around, then said to Muen:

"There are many things I'd like to discuss with Master Enmu, but clearly we don't have the time right now. We've already left the prison area. You can simply follow this corridor from here. I also need to go report back to that old bastard Douglas. He's the Tower Master right now, so a great deal of the school's work has fallen onto my shoulders. I really can't stay away for too long."

"I can really just leave?"

Muen looked toward the brightly lit corridor in surprise.

He turned around. The winding staircase was still behind him, with faint traces of the prison's characteristic chill drifting out from it, but aside from that, he could no longer sense the presence of any magical arrays.

That oppressive sensation that made even breathing feel heavy had also completely disappeared.

That meant he had fully left the area covered by Divine Sigh.

If he wanted to leave, he really could leave.

"Of course you can leave. Isn't your confinement over?"

Huggins gave him a strange look. "Could it be that Master Enmu still has some other questions?"

"No......I suppose an old habit of mine is acting up again."

Muen smiled awkwardly.

But from the corner of his eye, he once again swept Huggins up and down, left and right, without leaving the slightest trace. If he had not been worried that it would be too offensive and arouse the man's suspicion, he would have liked nothing more than to shove his perception directly into Huggins's face.

Still, this level of observation was already enough for him to confirm quite a few things. For example—Huggins's attitude remained gentle, and he truly did not seem to harbor any hostility. His death warning had not sensed any danger either.

So......had he really just been too guarded?

Muen thought for a moment, then relaxed.

Right. Maybe he really had simply been overthinking things.

Although caution had long since become a habit for him, and although he had outwardly lowered his guard just now to avoid arousing suspicion while inwardly keeping his nerves stretched taut the entire time......when he thought about it carefully, there really was not much about Huggins that seemed strange.

He was excessively enthusiastic toward him, yes, but Muen was now, after all, the hottest newly risen strongest master in the Origin Tower. Huggins had also said earlier that he had once yearned for the Enhancement School and possessed an intense desire to learn more about it, so his enthusiasm toward Muen fell within a perfectly understandable range.

As for everything else, there was even less reason for concern. Huggins carried a token belonging to the current Tower Master, Douglas. From the standpoint of identity alone, there was no possibility of anything being wrong with him.

If there truly were danger, it was far more likely that someone on Douglas's level intended to make a move against him.

But if Douglas really intended to act, then another question arose: why would Huggins bring him out of Divine Sigh's range?

Under the suppression of that powerful formation, if Douglas truly wanted to do something to him, it would have been as simple as a single thought.

That was precisely why Muen was certain that his secretly going to contact his cheap senior brother had not been exposed.

Because if it had been exposed......there was no way he would have been allowed to leave that prison.

"No. I really need to change this habit. Being cautious is good, but if this keeps up, I'm going to develop a persecution complex."

Muen sighed inwardly.

Actually, if he seriously summed things up, the only people who had harbored improper intentions toward him so far were a damn gay bastard who lusted after his body, terrorists who regarded him as an obstacle, an Evil God who kept hounding him just because he had accidentally stolen a little something from them, and various people who had misunderstood him thanks to that goddamn fate of his.

That was not even that many!

He, Muen Campbell, was actually quite well liked by everyone!

"Then I'll be on my way too, Lord Huggins!"

With that thought, Muen finally relaxed completely, lowered his final layer of vigilance, and very naturally bid Huggins farewell.

"Mm, take care!"

Huggins nodded vigorously. As they said goodbye, their gazes met once again.

There was none of that filthy banana-tension, nor any mutual scheming or deception. At this moment, both men's eyes were extraordinarily clear and sincere.

Although their interaction had been brief, once Muen let go of the final trace of reservation in his heart, he could not help feeling something special.

"Lord Huggins......turns out he's a genuinely good man......"

"Talking with him is actually pretty enjoyable."

"I'm ashamed that I misunderstood him before."

"He's one of the few people who understands my single-minded nature!"

"If only we'd met sooner!"

Amid the many thoughts flowing through Muen's mind, he raised his head and discovered that the other man's expression was equally complicated.

The lake of the heart rippled.

Turning into countless unspoken words.

But as men, how could they possibly be affected by such minor emotional waves?

"See you around."

"Mm, see you around."

Without the slightest reluctance, the two turned around at the same time and walked in opposite directions.

The two ends of the corridor represented two different paths.

Yet neither of their footsteps hesitated in the slightest.

Since they would meet again, what was there to be reluctant about?

There were many things they had already confirmed in that exchange of glances just now.

For example......friendship!

Men were always creatures like this, forming deep friendships over some inexplicable twist of fate.

As for everything else, it all went without saying.

"From now on, Lord Huggins will count as my first friend in the Origin Tower."

"I need to cherish him and trust him."

"I absolutely won't harbor any strange suspicions or wariness toward him again."

"I'm sure he's thinking the same thing."

Muen thought.

He smiled.

And then......the instant he reached the end of the corridor.

Black Book!!!

Within his mental space, the pitch-black book suddenly rose into the air. Its pages flipped open, and blood-red letters appeared upon them.

【In the corridor filled with brilliant light, the two men who had just become friends walked in different directions. Their newborn friendship was as indestructible as a towering mountain, yet from angles where the other could not see, a strange and dangerous gleam appeared in both of their eyes.】

Fuck!

Muen abruptly spun around and roared, "You bastard! I fucking knew there was something wrong with you!"

And what greeted him was a profound darkness that suddenly came crashing toward him!

"Die!!"

From the other side of the mountain of friendship......the answering roar was just as thunderous.