Lanqi Discovers It Was All the Poet of Great Love's Fault

"……" The Poet of Great Love stared silently at Warden Melissa sprawled on the ground, deciding not to say another word and pretending to know nothing. Now he finally realized where the jarring sense of incongruity came from. If his guess was correct, the warden best suited for this floor ought to be a knight built for high defense, low attack, and damage reflection. An enhanced phantom posed zero threat to someone boasting immense vitality and defensive capability. Two tanks could clash for ages without deciding a victor, and since the initiative to escape lay with the warden, overseeing this prison floor would be exceptionally safe. The Protos Empire would never assign a glass cannon with high attack and low defense to such a crucial post as warden of B5. That would only result in mutually lethal one-shots with a phantom, risking death the instant they crossed paths. Leaving aside how highly the Protos Empire valued Tier 7 powerhouses—an exceedingly rare caliber of combatant—the inner security of Herrom Prison was paramount. They would never place a warden with such poor suitability here. Judging by Warden Melissa's performance just now, her offensive power was nowhere near Tier 7, perfectly aligning with Lanqi's initial hypothesis. This also meant her vitality had to be tremendous. Moving around shouldn't cause her to collapse like a candle flickering in the wind. In all likelihood, her physical condition wasn't bad at all. Every time she collapsed, it was right after the Poet of Great Love spoke. This warden wasn't some martial fanatic at all—she was a super masochist. Not only was she reveling in the pleasure of wounds tearing across her body, but she was also treating the Poet of Great Love's voice as an exquisite seasoning. A heavy silence lingered in the corridor for a long time, the surrounding air seeming to freeze along with it. "Did you... guess it?" Melissa strained to turn her head, fixing her eyes on the Poet of Great Love. Feeling the Poet's gaze, her body began to tremble again, yet her face remained as icy as ever. From the moment she heard the voice of this black-haired, green-eyed girl in the office, she had experienced an unprecedented euphoria—one she had never felt in her entire life, intoxicating enough to make her swoon. Yet she also knew how utterly shameful it was to have her secret desires seen through. Her noble pedigree and upbringing forbade such an unsightly obsession lurking in the depths of her heart. "Since you aren't going to die, I don't need to worry anymore," the Poet of Great Love said with a helpless sigh of relief. Warden Melissa stared blankly. She had expected ridicule, scorn, or sheer disgust, but the girl had accepted her behavior with such tolerance instead. That pure, radiant figure reminiscent of an angel possessed the voice of a devil capable of leading one's soul astray. She gazed at the Poet of Great Love, her pupils quivering faintly. An inexplicable surge of emotion began rushing into her heart. By all rights, she should have expressed gratitude or treated her with sincerity. Yet now that the boulder holding her desires in check had been pried loose, there was no stopping it. At first, she thought she could exercise restraint, but now she wanted to experience it even if it cost her life. Melissa swallowed hard and pushed herself to her feet, facing the Poet of Great Love. "Where is your phantom? I can help you deal with her," Warden Melissa proposed. "My phantom is far too weak. With you near me, she's probably hiding somewhere fuming with rage, but she'll never show herself," the Poet of Great Love replied, glancing around. "If she's too weak and keeps hiding, it could take ages to search this labyrinth and eliminate her. Phantoms possess absolute awareness of the terrain and its shifts; hunting her down proactively will be exceptionally difficult," Warden Melissa continued. She had realized it as well: ever since she started accompanying this black-haired, green-eyed girl, they hadn't caught a single glimpse of her phantom. She had initially wondered if the phantom had already been eliminated, but now she was certain the phantom was exceedingly cautious, keenly aware of the original body's location, and deliberately keeping her distance to avoid a fight she had no hope of winning. "Then it's best if I deal with her alone," the Poet of Great Love sighed. Having the warden personally clear the way made things effortless, but failing to locate the Poet of Great Love's phantom meant they could never fulfill the condition to descend to B6. An intern guard's task on B5 was to purge all phantoms. "No, leaving you alone in the depths of the labyrinth could easily get you killed." Warden Melissa shook her head, fixing her eyes on the Poet of Great Love once more. "Just raise your fighting spirit and draw her into her strongest state. Only then will she come out to fight." "She might become Tier 8," the Poet of Great Love said hesitantly. Though the warden's assessment wasn't wrong—even if the Poet of Great Love reached Tier 8, her base stats would still be on par with Boss Cat, devoid of physical strength or mana, unable to use martial arts or magic, and incapable of beating a Tier 5 in a direct clash—no one knew how high the multipliers on a Tier 8 Poet of Great Love's innate traits would scale. "Don't worry. I can tell your strength and mana are extremely low. Even at Tier 7 or Tier 8, you likely won't possess any offensive damage." Warden Melissa spoke faster and faster, as if she could barely wait any longer. "I am very strong! Hurry and raise your fighting spirit—leave the rest to me!" Melissa's eyes took on an unprecedented gleam as she urged the Poet of Great Love. Her gaze held both confusion and an unspeakable craving, every breath turning noticeably heavier. Just listening to the voice beneath the Poet's mask was an entirely different experience from before; her brain felt stimulated in ways she had never known, leaving behind an intoxicating aftertaste. She could hardly imagine what ecstasy an empowered version of this demonic-voiced maiden would bring her. To fight such an opponent, she would gladly welcome death! Standing before this black-haired, green-eyed girl, she was on the verge of losing all control over her inner desires. "Your current emotional state seems a little dangerous," the Poet of Great Love said, looking at Warden Melissa with deep concern. Lanqi felt that Warden Melissa of B5 was mentally unstable right now—by comparison, Warden Selena from the floor above seemed vastly healthier. "Hurry, please... I'm begging you." Melissa couldn't hear a word, resembling a sick patient desperate for medication. Her body leaned forward involuntarily, as if some force deep within was dragging her along—a force that terrified her, yet proved utterly irresistible. "You really need to calm down," the Poet of Great Love urged gently in a low voice. Ever since the entrance exam in Ikerite where he had caused Examiner Ferrat a cerebral hemorrhage, he had been exceptionally cautious about using the Poet of Great Love's emotion-amplifying effects on humans. "Enough nonsense! Don't force my hand—I am carrying out official clearance duties! Summon her out right now!!" Though Melissa still fought to maintain a dignified facade, she was clearly beginning to lose her mind.