I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Chapter 10: There Are Times When A Man Must Risk His Life

"Never go into the basement."

It was a warning impossible to forget.

Because she, who normally stuttered and had clouded eyes, had spoken with a sharp voice and clear eyes at that moment.

Her change in demeanor would have felt ominous to anyone ordinary.

But for those affiliated with the Mage Tower, ignoring such a warning could lead to a terrible fate, one that not even life could repay.

It was only a rumor, but there were tales of people imprisoned in barrels, their brains exposed, subjected to electrical stimulation...

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Then who could it be?

Was it possible that such a dangerous person committed an act grievous enough to make them cry out like that, all in one night without me noticing?

"It's... it's gone."

The basement was not only unlocked but also in disarray.

As if to indicate that something large and heavy had been placed there, the spots where dust had been cleared were faintly visible here and there.

"Everything... it's all gone. Everything I've achieved, all...!"

Vivian stood at the center, crying out in despair.

It was a scene unimaginable when she was engrossed in her research and offered me her modest gratitude.

Her tears flowed as if she felt pain, like her heart was being torn out.

"Vivian, are... are you okay......?"

Concerned by her state, I unconsciously stepped forward to comfort her but then stopped.

Damn, what was I about to do?

Approaching someone who might be a madwoman in such an emotionally unstable state.

Boom!

Of course, that moment of hesitation was brief, but this damned world seemed to snatch even the chance to flee from me.

Debris from the collapsed ceiling blocked the stairs.

The cause became apparent when the woman sitting and crying in the empty room met my eyes.

"...It was you."

I had never faced such a thing directly in this world before.

Her eyes, filled with deadly intensity and focused solely on me, made me realize...

"You... you've interfered with me meeting my mother...!"

"No, Vivian. I didn't..."

Boom!

The excuses that slipped from my mouth were silenced by something pressing down on my body.

Was the ceiling collapsing again, burying me?

No, that wasn't it. It was purely due to magical power.

Her mana, driven by her emotions, pressed down on the entire space around us.

It was an energy drawn not from a direct attack but purely from her anger.

"Guh, gasp. Ugh...!!"

But was such a thing really possible?

From what I knew, mana was an energy that exerted physical force in response to will, and if the power controlling it was not precise, it couldn't exert its proper strength.