The Tower Is the Key

"Look, it's right up ahead."

Zhou Qiaoling pointed at the massive creature on the vast plain below the mountain, instinctively lowering her voice.

Level 38, Forest Mammoth, with a special Greater Demon icon next to its name.

"Old pal, you don't think this thing spawned at our respawn point because of you, do you?"

Zhou Qiaoling squinted, muttering under her breath.

"Bah! What's that got to do with me? You gotta know, I... uh, anyway, it's got nothing to do with me!"

Zhou Yue's face flushed slightly.

He suddenly remembered his first time playing Minecraft, when he spawned right in the middle of an ocean, and his tone became less certain.

"Alright, alright, the folks in my livestream all said others had the same thing happen. You can't blame Lao Zhou for this."

Zhong Yi quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

And indeed, that was the case.

Without tweaking the settings, the boss's spawn point was fixed.

Every player's starting path to the outside world was blocked by that Level 38 Forest Mammoth.

The design was probably a nod to the Tree Sentinel from Elden Ring.

"This big guy's level 38, and the four of us are all level 8. That adds up to 34, which is pretty close... How about we give it a shot?"

Mu Yawen stared at the Mammoth's hulking mass, her eyes gleaming with eagerness, rubbing her hands together.

"Forget for a moment that adding us up doesn't really make 34 levels... Are you sure level difference works that way?"

Zhong Yi looked at Mu Yawen with a helpless expression.

Anyone who'd played Lu Ze's Illusion Realm knew that level difference wasn't simple arithmetic.

Take Immortal Demon Clash: four players at level 4, even with similar gear, couldn't take on a level 10 opponent, let alone a level 16.

"Forget about taming it... Don't you remember what we saw earlier? That thing jumps once, and all the Pal minions nearby get wiped out?"

Zhou Yue nodded in agreement.

When they'd first encountered the Forest Mammoth, they'd indeed thought about testing its strength.

But then some wild Pal in a fight accidentally hit the Mammoth with its skill. The beast threw a tantrum, unleashed its own ability, and the whole area shook like an earthquake.

The Pals they'd spent ages fighting were all instantly killed, instantly killing their desire to pick a fight.

"That strong? Once we level up more, we've definitely gotta capture it..."

After hearing the descriptions, Zhong Yi grew even more excited about this Pal continent.

"Junior Brother Lu might act impulsively, but he never sets an unsolvable task... This Forest Mammoth might not be as dangerous as it seems. How about we scout ahead?"

Zhong Yi thought for a moment, then summoned his Mischief Cat.

After setting its behavior mode to Do Not Attack, he pointed at the Giant Vulture Statue behind the Forest Mammoth.

"You go scout ahead!"

"Meow meow meow??"

The Mischief Cat pointed a tiny paw at itself.

But since its master's orders couldn't be disobeyed, it trudged forward with a tragic look, its little legs trembling with every step.

"Left a bit, left again, yes..."

"Right! Right, right, right!"

Zhong Yi directed it step by step, finally relaxing when he saw the cat make it safely around.

"This Forest Mammoth isn't too aggressive. As long as we don't enter its warning zone, it probably won't attack us. Let's move!"

Zhong Yi waved for the others to follow.

But the three took several steps backward in unison.

"Uh-huh, that's right. Senior Brother Zhong, you go scout the path first!"

"Left a bit, left again..."

"Right, right, right!"

Zhong Yi's mouth twitched. "Damn it! You're treating me like a Pal!"

...

Zhong Yi's reasoning was correct.

In fact, in the original version of Fantasy Beast Atlas from Lu Ze's past life, most Pals didn't actively attack players.

But in this world, Lu Ze had made some adjustments. Based on the Pals' temperaments and levels, not all were docile.

Of course, on the first starting island, there were basically no overly violent Pals.

Zhong Yi took the lead, with the other three following behind, carefully skirting the edge of where the Forest Mammoth could detect them. Soon, they reached the second Giant Vulture Statue.

They touched it, and another warp point was unlocked.

Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.

Time in the Illusion Realm moved quickly, and night fell in an instant.

The previously lively Pals all drooped their eyelids, found suitable spots, and lay down to sleep on the ground.

Little bubbles appeared above all their noses, clearly indicating they were fast asleep.

"Pals can sleep, too?"

Zhou Qiaoling was astonished. She glanced at the Pot Elephant she'd just caught at her feet—it was still wide-eyed and alert.

"It looks like the Pals we tame don't rest, but the wild ones do..."

Zhong Yi analyzed, then looked toward the Forest Mammoth in the distance.

That enormous creature had also lain down on the ground, snoring deeply.

Zhou Yue instantly crafted four torches and handed one to each person. The group held up the torches and pressed on forward.

In the pitch-black night, clusters of red flames stood out sharply.

"What's this? A Fire Fox?"

"Haha! It's so obvious in the dark... Catch it, quick!"

"What's this thing on the water? A Lumir? Such a pretty little fish!"

"Ping Penguin? Staring with those big eyes, it looks hilarious, haha! Makes me want to mess with it!"

"Wow, is that a Rabbitling? It's way too cute... Be gentle, guys! Ah!! How could you kill such an adorable bunny!!"

"Hey, weren't all Pals supposed to be asleep at night? Why is this Lunari so wide awake?"

...

As the group journeyed further, they encountered more diverse types of Pals.

They captured one after another along the way, their constant sense of novelty and satisfaction warding off any fatigue.

"So dark-attributed Pals come out at night and don't sleep, is that the idea? This Pal world is getting more and more interesting!"

Zhong Yi habitually opened the Pal index, studying each newly captured Pal, getting more and more engrossed.

Normally, spiritual beasts with this kind of behavior would be considered evil affiliates of demonic paths in the cultivation world.

But in Lu Ze's unique art style, each one was more fun and lovable than the last.

Before they knew it, dawn had arrived.

As a ray of sunlight fell through the forest, the Pals sleeping nearby all roused and started their daily lives.

"Lao Zhong, should we head back first? We've only got a few Pal balls left, and I think it's time to swap out the Pals in our team!"

Zhou Yue suggested.

Each person could only carry five Pals at once, so all the ones they'd caught the previous night had been sent back to the Pal terminal.

Zhou Yue couldn't wait to go back to the base.

When they'd been capturing Pals last night, he'd immediately taken a liking to the fire-attributed Fire Fox.

In real life, Zhou Yue specialized in fire magic, and the Fire Fox's flame skills dealt respectable damage. It suited his style perfectly.

"Yeah, time to head back."

Zhong Yi nodded without hesitation.

It wasn't just the Pals that needed swapping; the base needed upgrading, too.

Over the course of the night, he'd captured many new Pals, raising his level by three and unlocking a host of new skills.

The new structures needed for base upgrades could now be built.

The three climbed to the hilltop and gazed into the distance for a long while. The nearest teleportation point appeared to be on a distant mountain peak. Behind that massive statue of a giant vulture stood a towering spire that pierced the clouds.

"A tall tower is the key..."

Zhong Yi murmured, recalling the hint he had seen upon first entering the illusion. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he pointed at the towering spire, saying,

"Could this tower be the very key to the illusion!?"