System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!

"Bro?! / Nephew?!"

Caldwell and Edmund exclaimed at once, their voices overlapping in stunned disbelief.

"Sup. Long time no see," Taufik replied casually, stepping fully out of the Crack with a half-smile on his face. "So, you did become a werewolf, huh?-"

*BRAK!!*

The door slammed open.

"Caldwell, hold on!"

William burst into the room, sword drawn and glowing faintly with protective runes. Behind him, several Royal Guards surged forward, weapons raised, and a trio of Magicians prepared to cast spells at a moment's notice.

"I brought reinforcements! What's going on with the Cr- huh?"

He stopped mid-sentence.

All eyes turned to the young man standing calmly in the center of the room. The Crack behind him had closed, completely sealed as if it were never there.

No chaos. No monster.

Just Taufik, standing there like nothing had happened.

"Hey, Uncle," Taufik said with a relaxed wave. "Long time no see"

William blinked. Once. Twice. His sword didn't lower, but his mind was clearly trying to catch up.

"What… What about the Crack?! What was that?!" William demanded, eyes darting between Taufik and the place where the rift had sealed shut moments ago.

"Oh, wait a minute," Taufik said casually, raising a hand.

*Crack!*

With a single snap of his fingers, space twisted again, and the same jagged tear, in reality, appeared behind him, humming with that unnatural mana.

"Fik!! Tha-!" William tensed immediately, sword rising once more, the Magicians instinctively charging their spells.

"Whoa, whoa! Uncle, relax!" Taufik held his palms out in a calming gesture, grinning. "This is just my portal. I, uh... customized it a bit"

"Customized it?!" Edmund barked, half in disbelief, half in irritation. "You made it look like a Crack in Reality, one of the most terrifying Crack we've ever seen?!"

"Ahaha~ Aesthetic choice," Taufik replied with a sheepish chuckle. "I thought it looked cool. Kinda dramatic, right?"

William slowly lowered his sword, staring at the portal, then back at Taufik. His voice was low, flat.

"You nearly gave us a heart attack, son"

"That means it worked," Taufik grinned. "Ten out of ten for dramatic entrances"

Caldwell, still partially transformed, rubbed his temples with a clawed hand, fur bristling with lingering adrenaline.

"You fucking idiot… I was this close to ripping your damn head off"

"Aww~" Taufik smirked. "You sure about that? You don't even touch my hair, bro"

Behind him, the portal flickered gently, ominous in its shape, but no longer threatening. Just strange. Alien.

William, still catching his breath, finally let his sword drop to his side.

"Alright," he muttered, steel still lingering in his voice. "We're going to need an explanation. Now. What the hell were you thinking?"

Taufik didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he turned to the portal, casually reached inside, and pulled someone out.

Amanda.

She stumbled slightly as she emerged, her expression half-confused, half-irritated, clearly not expecting to be brought through like baggage.

"...Honestly," she muttered, brushing herself off, "you could warn someone before yanking them like that, you idiot"

"Love you too, sis," Taufik said with a wink, then finally turned back to the room.

He walked over and sat down in one of the chairs like this was just a lazy family gathering, not a near-disaster. His posture relaxed, demeanor almost too calm.

"I don't have any grand reason behind what I just did," Taufik said, voice casual. "No hidden agenda, no master plan.I swear, I'm here just wanted to confirm one thing"

He pointed lazily at Caldwell.

"Whether you really turned into a Werewolf"

He smiled, all teeth and curiosity.

"And turns out… you did"

Silence lingered for a moment. He leaned back in his chair, resting one boot on the table, utterly at ease amidst the chaos.

"And that," he added, voice low, almost fascinated, "is very interesting"

He glanced around the room, his eyes sharp despite the smirk on his lips.

"So. Are we going to sit and talk like a family now? Or do I need to make another dramatic entrance?"

--------

Once everyone had taken their seats and the last tension left the air, Caldwell finally returned to his human form. His shoulders were still tense, but the worst had passed.

They began explaining everything, from the situation on the fragmented island to the resistance from the survivor leader, and the suspicious presence of too many magicians.

Taufik listened quietly, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in thought. When the explanation ended, he leaned back in his chair.

"Hmm… that is suspicious," he murmured, then added, "Let me ask you something"

"What?" Caldwell raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a Realm Gate on that island?"

Edmund, still lounging with his usual lazy demeanor, answered.

"Yeah. There is"

Taufik clicked his tongue.

"Then it's definitely the Magic Tower"

"What makes you so sure, son?" Amelia asked, having just returned to the room with a calm, motherly air.

Taufik glanced at her, then turned his gaze back to the others.

"You all noticed the emergence of that strange tower, right?"

"Only a blind man wouldn't," Caldwell replied. "We sent a team to investigate it. But it's so far from here… why are you so convinced the Magic Tower has something to do with this? They have no reason to get involved in some broken island"

Taufik gave a casual smile. Then dropped the bomb.

"Because I built it"

Silence.

Everyone in the room froze.

"That tower, the Infinite Tower... I made it"

The silence stretched. No one even breathed.

Taufik continued calmly, as though discussing the weather.

"There are two types of Realm Gates. The bad ones, and the good ones. That Infinite Tower? I designed it to contain all the bad Realm Gates"

"Which means…?" William asked, slowly.

"Which means all the good ones are still scattered across Earth. Including the one on that island"

"...Then that's what the Magic Tower is after," Edmund muttered.

Taufik nodded.

"Exactly. A phenomenon as massive as the Infinite Tower doesn't go unnoticed. The Magic Tower's eyes are everywhere. They're trying to seize the remaining Realm Gates while they still can"

Caldwell frowned.

"That still doesn't explain why. Realm Gates are dangerous. What's the benefit?"

"Opportunity," Taufik said simply. "Every Realm Gate holds potential, power, knowledge, even access to other worlds. The Magic Tower wants control"

Amelia's voice cut through the explanation, worried but composed.

"Should we be concerned? Can they use it against us?"

Taufik shook his head.

"No need to worry. I've already altered the settings of the Realm Gates"

"Settings?" Caldwell asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, think of them like dials. Before a Realm Gate fully opens, I made sure no one, no one... can pass through. Doesn't matter if they're trying to come in or out"

Taufik gave a reassuring nod, his tone light but his eyes serious.

"So rest easy. They can try all they want, but they won't get through"

Then his tone shifted slightly, sharpening.

"What you should be concerned about right now is which Magic Tower wants control of the Realm Gates. If it's one of the known Towers, that's manageable. But…"

"If it's that Hidden Magic Tower…" Edmund cut in, his voice low and dry. His years in the shadows lent weight to his words. "Then we've got a real problem"

Taufik nodded.

"Exactly. If it's them, we're flying blind. We don't know what they want or how far they'll go. The knows Towers at least operate under some law pressure; this hidden one, though? No rules. No oversight"

He paused, letting that sink in, then added with a shrug:

"But, like I said... No need to panic. Until the Realm Gates fully open, no one's passing through. Not even them"

Then, in true Taufik fashion, his mood did a complete 180.

"Now~ let's stop talking about all this doom and gloom, and get to something fun instead"

He turned toward Caldwell with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Caldwell, come with me"

Caldwell blinked, already wary.

"…What?"

"Come with me to explore the Infinite Tower," Taufik said, grinning from ear to ear.

Silence.

Edmund slowly turned to look at his nephew.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Taufik chirped. "It's also a good opportunity for him, so no, I'm serious"

Caldwell frowned, then slowly pointed to himself.

"You want me, the one you just gave a heart attack, to follow you into the eldritch nightmare tower that you built?"

"It'll be fun," Taufik said, clapping Caldwell on the shoulder. "And it's not eldritch nightmare tower, but The Infinite tower"

"That's what people say right before something explodes," Caldwell muttered.

"Exactly! Adventure!" Taufik laughed.

"I hate you," Caldwell groaned.

"And yet, you'll still come," Taufik said with a wink.

William pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm too old for this…"

"C'mon, don't be like that," Taufik said, trying to sound encouraging as he leaned against his seat.

"Like I said, this Realm Gate is an opportunity. You have that system, right? You can train inside the Tower, level up, unlock new skills, hell, maybe even awaken something stronger from your Werewolf bloodline." He grinned. "Besides, I'm curious to see your full power. You won't be going in alone either; I'm planning to bring a few more people with us"

Caldwell let out a frustrated groan, dragging a hand down his face. His seat now felt more like a cage than a seat.

"Ahh, fuck…" he muttered. "Do I even have a choice? I'm a king now, you know? I've got responsibilities, and you brought Amanda here too. Don't tell me she's joining us?"

"Amanda?" Taufik blinked, then shook his head. "Of course not. That tower's dangerous. I'm not letting her set foot in there until I'm sure it's safe"

Caldwell narrowed his eyes.

"…What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

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