Back in the roundtable chamber, Mr. Wolf exhaled, crossing his arms.
He glanced at the space where Mr. Cat had vanished in a pillar of summoning light.
"That fool..."
His voice was low, almost a whisper.
"He's clumsy, but... I hope he doesn't screw it up."
Somewhere Else.
Mr. Cat was no longer in the tower.
He didn't even know where he was.
He stood on a floating platform in an endless void that looked like space—glimmering stars stretching in all directions.
Except... none of them were real.
The stars didn't shine.
They just hovered.
Motionless.
Like props in a play no one was watching anymore.
A constructed dimension.
An illusion.
A domain of something far beyond his station.
He gulped and took a few cautious steps forward.
His paw twitched. His tail curled defensively.
"Hello, sir!"
His voice echoed through the blackness.
No reply.
He must've heard that... right?
This guy's a god—or something worse.
He swallowed and continued walking.
He had heard rumors. From the others. The old stories passed between Guides like forbidden bedtime tales.
The one who lived above the system.
The High Custodian.
The one who oversees all 100 floors.
The absolute enforcer.
A being whose rules weren't even written into the Tower code—they were older than the Tower itself.
"Sir, my apologies for failing you but..."
Mr. Cat paused.
His fur stood up.
Think. Think fast. Make it good or you're toast.
He dropped to one knee and bowed low.
"Give me one more chance. I swear—I won't let any human climb the Tower!"
Still no reply.
His ears twitched.
"Damn it. At least answer me!"
A voice cut through the void like a dagger through silk.
"Oh, I should answer you?"
Mr. Cat's instincts went wild.
He jumped back, arched his back, tail bristled in full panic mode.
And then... he saw him.
From the darkness came laughter.
Smooth. Pleased. Disturbing.
And then—he appeared.
The High Custodian.
A figure made of thick, swirling black smoke, clothed in a perfect dark suit and cap. No face. No form. Just presence.
Impossible to describe.
Even harder to remember.
In fact—Mr. Cat had already forgotten what he looked like.
And that made it worse.
The Custodian chuckled and dabbed his nonexistent eye with a handkerchief.
"My, oh my. You really do act like a cat."
Mr. Cat quickly adjusted his tie, stood up straight.
"My apologies, Master."
"Ahh... how boring. You only behave when I call you out."
"I... yes, sir."
The voice circled him. Not from a mouth. Just... everywhere.
"Let's talk about my friend, shall we? The one you were supposed to watch."
Mr. Cat trembled.
"N-nya—Mr. Cat is sorry, Master! I didn't mean to let him go, I swear!"
The Custodian giggled again, wandering in a slow orbit like he was strolling through a garden of ideas.
"So... how did he escape? Was the room I made not to his liking? Hmm?"
"He—he broke the system, Master. Tore it apart like tissue and walked out. In human form."
That stopped the Custodian.
He went silent.
Then hummed.
"In human form, huh... I knew he could shift. But choosing that... that's new."
He floated closer. Not walking. Just there, again.
"Then again... he always liked to mimic. He once turned into a cloud for fifty years just to watch a family argue over soup."
Mr. Cat had no words.
He could barely breathe.
Then—unexpectedly—
The Custodian grinned. Not physically. But the entire dimension grinned.
"I see. Then that's all. I suppose... the humans will climb the Tower now."
He tilted his head, as if enjoying a joke only he understood.
"It will be fun."
A suffocating silence settled over the starless dimension.
Mr. Cat dared to raise his voice, ears still pinned back.
"Nya... you mean... you want me to continue guiding the humans?"
The High Custodian didn't move. But the space around him shifted, as if reality bowed to his next word.
He gave a single, slow nod.
"Yes. You'll do that."
He turned, clasping his hands behind his smoke-wrapped back.
"I'll have a little chat with the system. Things are getting interesting again. It's been fifty years since anyone reached the first floor boss, and now... they've skipped it."
He laughed, deep and low.
"The other bosses are bored. The quest givers are depressed. Even the floor traps are rusty. They need something to eat. Let the humans come."
Mr. Cat lowered his head and rubbed his paws together with relief.
"Nya~ You're wise, Master. Very wise. Brilliant. Excellent idea!"
At least he's not killing me…
But the Custodian's voice dropped to a whisper.
"But… since you failed to even stop my friend…"
The air darkened.
The stars blinked out.
The very room bled with killing intent.
"Nya—Master, I'm sorry!"
A black slash ripped through the air like a god's sword.
It struck Mr. Cat across the face—straight through his left eye.
He screamed, leaping back, summoning a weak barrier—too late.
The damage was done.
Blood stained his cheek as he dropped to one knee, paw over his ruined eye, fur soaked in red.
"T-That was a warning…" the Custodian said softly, eyes now glowing within the mist.
"Next time something like this happens, I'll erase you completely."
"Nya… y-yes, Master…" Mr. Cat whimpered.
"Your job isn't just to guide the humans anymore."
The Custodian floated closer.
"You are to find my dear friend."
Mr. Cat froze.
"…and convince him to come back to the Tower."
Silence.
Cold sweat drenched him.
His remaining eye widened.
"N-Nya… m-my friend? That… thing? He's your friend?!"
That thing that eats worlds?!
The Custodian didn't answer the question.
Instead, he chuckled, a sound that echoed like thunder underwater.
"How can he just leave me here, hmm? Why did he go back with the humans? I wonder…"
He turned his head slightly.
"Or is it because of that?"
Mr. Cat's ears twitched.
"Nya… as you wish. I'll find him."
"Good."
The Custodian paused… then grinned again.
"If he doesn't come back—"
He raised a smoky finger and pointed it at Mr. Cat's chest.
"—just erase yourself."
Mr. Cat's heart dropped.
The words hit harder than the slash.
He nodded slowly, trembling.
"A-As you wish…"
With a flick of the Custodian's hand, Mr. Cat vanished in a ripple of voidlight.
Gone.
The High Custodian stood alone in the fake starfield. He looked up into the nothingness.
And smiled.
"He was terrifying, once."
He closed his unseen eyes.
"All that power. That hunger. That stillness. And yet… he never erased anything unless he had to."
A long pause.
Then, softly—warmly—
"I wonder how he's doing."