For mages, desire was the ultimate fuel.


    From the start, the term ''mage'' was synonymous with ''lunatic''. This was a truth as undeniable as fire being hot or water flowing downhill.


    In a place without human rights, the concept of research ethics simply couldn''t exist.


    The Goddess had said that monsters and humans were equal in life, and this was the irrefutable first verse of the prophecy. When the Goddess of Life who created this land spoke about life, denying it would naturally lead to a meeting with Temple Knights, followed by a full-course tour of the temple basement, personally guided by the heresy inquisitor.


    Starting with villagers throwing stones, progressing to steel flicks from gauntleted hands and beatings with iron rods, and ending with a talent show (displaying one''s innards) - this wasn''t what shy nobles wanted. So instead of denying the Goddess''s words, they carefully added detailed conditions to that sentence.


    Monsters and humans are equal life forms, yet they fight to the death. Carnivores eat herbivores - isn''t this the essence of life?


    It''s natural for the capable to rule over the incapable!


    No matter how much equality is preached, it''s logical for intelligent beings to want to be a bit more ''equal'' than others. The ''special'' royalty chosen by the Goddess, the ''special'' nobles who supported them, and the ''special'' mana-users who guarded them quickly adopted a slightly twisted version of the survival of the fittest logic.


    Of course, even powerless commoners had no intention of saying "We''re all equal humans, let''s be friends" to the sword-wielders who protected their villages and slaughtered monsters in one strike. So it was a logic everyone could understand.


    Moreover, if you argued that all life was truly equal, it would mean that goblins - who dug holes, ate animal carcasses, and tried to rape any woman they saw - were the same as those who lived difficult lives but still believed in the Goddess and lived with a clear conscience. This made it even more acceptable.


    So most mages had no qualms about human experimentation. Just as humans ate livestock, it was natural for mages to experiment on people.


    "You''ve already figured this out?"


    "Yes. With the hefty research grant, we hired lots of mercenaries."


    "...Isn''t this just saying you did human experiments?"


    -They need people for experiments, and with the Empire appearing, there''s an overflow of test subjects


    -Are you saying the results of magic experiments are already out in less than two days?


    -Why the hell isn''t she 5★ if she''s this competent? lolololololololol


    -Are natural-born 5★ or 6★ mages like Einstein or von Neumann level? I don''t get it


    -Seeing how Teacher Roland cleared the 50th floor with no equipment, 6★ mages must be at the level of creating a whole new theory, right?


    And for mercenaries, the ultimate fuel was gold coins. What a perfect synergy!


    The Magic Tower madmen who saw mercenaries as smart test subjects willing to do anything for money, and the moth-like mercenaries who thought their lives were as valuable as gold coins but saw the Magic Tower as a sucker handing out bags of gold.


    When these two groups came together, experiments progressed at an incredible speed, like chemical fuel catching fire.


    Of course, this wasn''t the kind of human experimentation where they cut open living people''s bellies and pickle them in drugs. Not because they felt sorry for the test subjects, but because it didn''t seem elegant enough for nobles. Though if it was monsters instead of people, they''d dissect them thoroughly.


    "How did you conduct the experiments?"


    "We just gave mercenaries mana stones and sent them to fake safe zones. We told them to report if anything happened, and if the mana stones disappeared, we''d give them gold coins. If the stones didn''t disappear, they could keep them. Everyone volunteered."


    "This seems like that kind of gimmick, right? Like in that game I played briefly before, where the boss monster gets stronger if players take too long to kill minions or die."


    -That''s pretty common lol Bosses changing difficulty based on gimmick performance is so common it''s cliche?


    -More importantly, can we actually check if real safe zones get contaminated?


    -Who knows, the 55th floor mid-boss might already be occupying a big safe zone


    -Actually, isn''t this overlapping? One layer is supposed to be purified at the 55th floor, but teacher already pushed through to the 45th floor with the holy sword


    -There''s a possibility lol The safe zone gimmick purifies an entire layer, but teacher already did it lolololol


    This was a gimmick that anyone who had played RPGs would have heard of or experienced somewhere. Well, except for the safe zone gimmick, it was a very common story.


    So common that it could be used not just in RPG games but even in mobile games.


    Therefore, when Hanna - genius mage, hero, holy sword owner, and leader of the hero party - nodded at the mages'' hypothesis, it became not just a hypothesis but a half-confirmed truth.


    Let me say it again, all of this happened in just three days while we were resting and regrouping.


    "So, are we heading back to the 55th floor now?"


    "That''s right. But it looks like it''ll be just us this time."


    After finishing our rest and regrouping, the party gathered. It might be disappointing news for Han Se-ah and some viewers, but this time, the trio hired as mercenaries would not be joining the party.


    McDonagh, who got stuck with the dirty work as the youngest in the knights, returned to report the secret of the fake safe zones that he had uncovered with the hero party. Manaashi, having enjoyed his test of strength against the ogre, returned to the temple without regrets to await the Magic Tower''s research.


    And Lukius, the lucky totem that Han Se-ah had been considering whether to drag along with the party, once again felt some kind of intuition and left the party, accepting a request from the Magic Tower and disappearing without even resting.


    "Ah... I could understand the other two, but I was planning to use Lukius to find the mid-boss on the 55th floor. Maybe I should have offered him an employment contract earlier."


    -Didn''t he run away immediately because he knew he''d be screwed if he stayed with you?


    -As expected, the lucky totem sensed he might get a straw stuck in his spine and escaped like a ghost lololol


    -So now you''re going to search for the mid-boss? Without the lucky totem?


    -Why does it sound so scary when you say you''re going to search for something without the lucky totem? lol I can already see the future wailing


    -you''re not going to spend like three months on the 55th floor and find it next year, are you?


    Well, we couldn''t keep temporary NPC companions as mercenaries forever. After all, it would be weird if the hero party, which isn''t a group of porters, went around with a bunch of mercenaries hanging off them.


    And so, as the mages went wild and Maelis''s neck stiffened from the aftermath, Han Se-ah, who had been promised considerable benefits from her, suggested starting the exploration of the 55th floor again with mixed feelings of joy and fear.


    The goal was, of course, the mid-boss that should be - had to be - on the 55th floor.