Dragon Raja: I started out as Erii's older brother

"Isn't this drawing... a bit too abstract?"

Su Mo was about to take her "teaching sketch" out when she caught a glimpse of the manual out of the corner of her eye.

"Never mind, art originates from life, but transcends it."

In the corner of the first page, there was a line of small print that he hadn't noticed before, next to which was a simple sketch of a tall tower.

"Um?"

Su Mo curiously leaned over and took out his "Dragon Pattern - 300 Japanese Phrases" again.

"The ceremony...the location...must...be at...the highest point...able to...communicate...with...the sky..."

Su Mo translated word by word, her brows furrowed in a frown.

"The highest point? A place where you can communicate with the sky?"

As he looked at the simple line drawing of the pointed tower, countless landmarks flashed through his mind.

The Egyptian pyramids? Too far away.

Mount Everest? People would die there.

He instinctively took out his phone, opened the map, and began searching within the Tokyo area.

Tokyo Skytree?

"No, no, it's too new. It lacks the weight of history and doesn't look like a place where the final boss could be hidden."

He crossed out that option.

Suddenly, a classic red and white building came into his view.

Tokyo Tower!

"This is it!!"

Su Mo slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Since ancient times, Tokyo Tower has been a sacred place for monster invasions, hero battles, and romantic dates! It has excellent feng shui, is of historical significance, and looks like the spawn point for the final boss in the beginner's village!"

"And most importantly~~~"

He opened the comments section and saw a key piece of information: "There is free Wi-Fi at the observation deck at the top of the tower."

"Perfect!!!"

Su Mo felt like he was the chosen one, and all the clues pointed to the same answer.

He was engrossed in his meticulous logical analysis when he suddenly smelled a rather strange stench wafting in through the window.

The smell was like a mixture of rotten eggs, rotten salted fish, and socks that hadn't been washed for a hundred years—it was incredibly penetrating.

"Holy crap!! Who's pickling biological weapons?!"

Su Mo pinched her nose and peeked outside.

In the courtyard, several burly men in black suits, responsible for tending the garden, were covering their noses, staring at an unidentified object on the lawn that was emitting yellow smoke, their faces filled with disgust and anger.

"Baka! It's those bastards again!"

"This is the third time this week! Last time it was about controlling crows to poop on the patriarch's car roof!"

Su Mo listened to their curses without any emotional fluctuation; she even felt a little amused.

"I understand."

He gave off a "everything is under control" look.

"This must be a revelation from heaven!!"

"Look how treacherous the outside world is, full of all sorts of childish pranks! We must become stronger as soon as possible to survive in this harsh environment!"

The stench ignited a sense of urgency in Su Mo.

Clutching his "teaching sketches" and "strategy plan," he strode confidently out of the restroom.

Erii was already awake, sitting cross-legged on the bed, engrossed in a game, with sparks flying across the screen.

Su Mo cleared his throat, put on the air of a seasoned game planner, and sat down next to Erii.

"Ahem, Erii."

The girl didn't even look up, her fingers flying across the keys.

"I've discovered a hidden quest," Su Mo said in a low, mysterious voice.

Erii paused for a moment, but her eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"A legendary, S++ difficulty, two-player co-op exclusive epic quest!"

"Smack."

Erii pressed the pause button, finally raising her head with a hint of curiosity in her pure, large eyes.

There is a play!

Su Mo was overjoyed and quickly added, "The final boss of this mission is in a special hidden map."

"If we defeat it, we can unlock an extremely rare achievement and even get legendary equipment!"

As he spoke, he took out his phone, displayed a photo of Tokyo Tower at night, and handed it to Erii.

"Look, the hidden map, 'The Crimson Tower of Babel'! Isn't it awesome?!"

Erii looked at the brightly lit Tokyo Tower in the photo, then at Su Mo, her eyes sparkling.

She was clearly drawn to the "hidden map".

She picked up her phone, typed quickly, and then held it up in front of Su Mo.

Can I buy crepes on the way?

"Of course!!" Su Mo felt like a negotiation expert who had signed a contract worth hundreds of millions, waving his hand excitedly and exclaiming.

"Crepes are the 'Power Blessing' buff dish we absolutely must eat before setting off!"

Erii nodded in satisfaction, then typed another line of text.

What is equipment?

"Equipment..." Su Mo paused for a moment, then pointed to the manual in his arms and talked nonsense with a straight face.

"It's a super-powerful weapon that allows us to combine and unleash a 'Dynamic Beam'!"

Erii nodded as if she understood, clearly satisfied with the term "dynamic light wave".

She put away her game console, jumped off the bed, opened the wardrobe, and started rummaging through her clothes, looking like she was preparing for a spring outing.

【Done!!】

Su Mo mentally gave a thumbs-up, feeling that her communication skills had simply reached new heights.

He stood up, full of vigor, ready to take his "best partner" to carry out this great plan.

He walked to the door of the room, opened the paper door with great ambition, and prepared to take the first step in conquering the world.

Then, the smile on his face froze.

At the entrance, two guards, dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses, stood expressionless on either side of each other.

One of them even flicked the walkie-talkie at his waist with his finger, seemingly out of boredom.

Su Mo's smug expression instantly turned into a constipated look.

"Help..."

He slowly and silently closed the door, leaned against it, and felt his heart grow cold.

"I'm cracked..."

"This newbie village... why are there two elite-level guardians standing guard as soon as I step out?"

"Is this game unplayable without spending money?! o(╥﹏╥)o"

Su Mo leaned against the cold door, feeling as if her life had been completely cut off, leaving her in a state of utter darkness.

"Oh no, Barbie Q is gone!"

He muttered to himself, pacing around the room like a caged monkey.

"Two elite monsters are blocking the way as soon as you step out of the starting village. Is that reasonable? Did the game designers fill in the numbers with their feet?"

Erii had already changed into her little dress, was carrying her little duck backpack, and was tilting her head, looking at Su Mo with a puzzled expression. She didn't understand:

Why is my brother jumping around at the entrance of the Crimson Tower of Babel, muttering to himself, when we were supposed to go there to fight the boss?

Looking into Erii's pure eyes, Su Mo felt as if the burden on his shoulders was incredibly heavy.

[Alert! Alert! The dungeon entrance has been blocked by two elite guards, the Brothers of the Sighing Wall, of level ???.]