The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success

“Woof woof!”

The white dog stole a glance at me.

I pushed the pile of scrolls closer to its nose and pointed at the monster corpses around us.

“If you don’t want to end up like that, you better listen to me.”

Then I flashed it a sweet smile after the threat.

“Woof woof!”

And just like the old me, the dog proved quick-witted and sharp. It sniffed hastily, then suddenly crouched down.

“Oh, you're telling me to get on? Good. You've got work sense.”

I immediately climbed onto the huge dog’s back.

It had tried to trick me by playing dead, so my first impression of it wasn’t exactly great.

But once it figured out the power dynamic and began following orders sensibly and smartly, it was just...

“...Just like Kibon.”

The name pierced my heart.

The only person I’d ever truly felt comfortable with was Kibon.

That comfort slowly turned into affection, and that affection turned into excitement.

He was the first person I’d cared about, other than my father.

“If only he hadn’t been sick on the night of the Saint Cairo banquet...”

I buried myself in the dog’s soft fur and thought,

“It would’ve been nice if we could’ve danced, just once...”

He probably would’ve been good at dancing, too.

“And I still ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) have so many unused meal coupons...”

I missed that calm voice that spoke as if they were his own: “Next time, let’s go here.”

“Maybe we should’ve gone on one more walk around the palace...”

There were so many beautifully decorated places in the palace.

But for both of us, it felt like someone else’s house, so it was hard to suggest aimless strolling.

“There’s so much we didn’t get to do.”

When I thought about it, most of our time had just been me dumping work on him in the office.

Even surrounded by prying eyes, he always stayed composed...

“I thought he’d always be there.”

He was just a three-month intern. A foreigner barely fluent in Imperial Common. But I really believed that if I just said, “Don’t go,” he wouldn’t leave.

So I didn’t rush anything. I thought I had time.

“No... Kibon was always by my side. I’m the one who left.”

Even in the palace, he’d come running whenever I gave the tiniest tug on the line.

Just imagining it brought tears to my eyes.

“Hey.”

I whispered to the white dog carrying me.

“Your name is...”

“Woof woof!”

“Let’s call you Kibon.”

There wouldn’t be any confusion.

Because I’d never see that Kibon again.

“Woof woof!”

“Alright, Kibon—let’s go!”

I stroked his thick neck, swallowed my tears, and forced myself to sound cheerful.

“Any monster that gets in our way, this big sister will take care of them all!”

And so, we began charging through the maze at incredible speed.

There were monsters in our way, but that didn’t matter.

“Activate!”

SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!

With attack scrolls, everything could be solved.

“Kibon, don’t go the long way. Just take the shortcut and smash through the maze walls.”

“Woof woof woof!”

With firework scrolls, I could even destroy the walls.

No wonder the Reformists once tried to cause casualties using fireworks.

“Let’s keep up the good work, Kibon.”

This dog probably hadn’t asked to become a test subject either.

It had likely just been snatched up while minding its own business.

It had a cute face and was pretty smart, too.

“If things had gone differently, it might’ve ended up as someone’s beloved pet.”

Or maybe it had been torn away from its owner against its will.

There was something familiar about it.

I hadn’t chosen this path either. I too had been separated from the person I wanted to be with.

“Just two test subjects, huh...”

Kibon looked at me quietly, then let out another bark.

***

The deeper one went into the temple’s central area, the more monsters there were in the maze.

It also meant the Master of the Tower was slowing down.

He used another invisibility scroll and moved slowly.

“It’s draining far more mana than expected...”

There was a reason why the invisibility scroll had never been commercialized.

Normal mages couldn’t handle the mana cost. Only someone like the Master of the Tower could keep it going even for a few minutes.

“Can I even hold out until I reach the inner sanctum...”

He was stepping carefully when he suddenly heard BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM echoing from afar.

“What... the hell?”

He pressed his body against a wall covered in ancient script, startled.

The explosive sounds were getting closer.

Each boom was followed by the scream of a monster: SCREEEEEECH!

“It’s... it’s headed my way?”

The Master of the Tower swallowed dryly.

The noise kept growing louder.

As if its destination was... him.

Sweat trickled down his back. Just as he resolved to run—

SQUELCH!

The monsters lurking nearby collapsed in an instant.

CRAAAAACK!—a section of the maze wall caved in with a deafening crash.

The Master of the Tower’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Floating in the air was a magic circle.

“Unbelievable!”

His vision spun and he clutched his forehead.

At this moment, only one conclusion came to mind:

A monster... using scrolls?! Just how far have the Reformists taken their experiments?!

He hadn’t passed on information about the Reformist base to Kiaros.

He’d been worried about Aran and his son-in-law, still trapped inside.

But if monsters were using scrolls...

For a second, he thought maybe it would be better to just call in a Dragonblood and burn everything down.

“No, focus! Don’t grow a conscience! Act irrationally! Just think about your bloodline!”

He slapped his own cheek and refocused.

He activated another invisibility scroll, trying to sneak in unnoticed.

That’s when it happened.

“WOOF WOOF WOOF-WOOF-WOOF-WOOF WOOF!”

A deep bark echoed.

The Master of the Tower immediately dropped to the ground. The invisibility scroll should have concealed him completely.

“Just pass by... Just go right past me...”

But the barking didn’t stop—it came from above, loud and unrelenting, like it had found something.

Large paws began circling around him.

“What the... Is it a monster that hunts intruders?”

His mana was nearing its limit.

He’d been spamming invisibility scrolls with no time to recover.

If this kept up, his body would soon start to become visible. But the huge dog wouldn’t leave, and he couldn’t move.

Then—

“Kibon? Why are you lingering here...”

A slow, deliberate voice.

“There’s no one here...”

It quivered, weak and tearful.

“Don’t tell me... Is this... the Tower Master’s final resting place?”

“Woof woof woof!”

“...Seriously?”

“Woof woof!”

“You’re not messing with me, right? Right?”

“WOOF!”

Then came a thud as the voice’s owner jumped down.

The Master of the Tower, still pressed flat to the ground, furrowed his brows and tilted his head—

“Uh-huh... uhhhuhuhuh...”

He heard crying—very close.

“No way... I came... I came as fast as I could...”

Only then did the Master of the Tower realize whose voice it was.

This voice...

“Hnggh, sob... Judging by all the monsters, this must be the central zone... He must’ve gone down fighting...”

It was Namia!

He scrambled to rise and make his presence known.

Just then, his mana ran out—and his body slowly began to appear.

“No! Not this pose—it’s too humiliating!”

He was lying flat on the ground like a coward!

And Namia thought he’d died heroically in battle!

The last time she’d seen him, he’d been grappling with the Empress and flexing his muscles.

This was way too pathetic by comparison. Then—

“No, Tower Master! TOWER MAAASTER!!”

Before he could collect himself, Namia was already clinging to him.

His mana had fully drained. The invisibility scroll was gone.

“Noooooooo!”

Namia grabbed his prone body and began to wail.