The simulated evening light filtered through the canopies of the gigantic trees, casting long golden and shadowy stripes over the carpet of dry leaves. As we ventured deeper into that green immensity of the third floor, the feeling of isolation increased palpably. We knew that, despite the idyllic beauty of the landscape, we were trapped inside a dimensional cage of monumental proportions. Every step required heightened attention, as the apparent calm of that artificial forest was merely a silent façade concealing the ecosystem's active defenses.
The vanguard remained under Rai'kanna's attentive leadership. She moved with impressive lightness, almost blending into the low vegetation. Her ears moved independently, catching the slightest acoustic variations in the environment, while her analytical eyes constantly swept the packed earth and low branches in search of any physical or mystical anomaly.
"Stop," Rai'kanna whispered, raising her right arm with her palm open. The group stopped instantly, freezing exactly where we were.
She slowly knelt near an exposed root that appeared perfectly ordinary at first glance. With the tip of one of her daggers, she extremely carefully moved aside a layer of damp moss, revealing a thin line of silver silk that glowed subtly with a signature of concentrated magical energy. It was a runic trigger trap, connected to a system of stone stakes hidden at the top of the tree directly above us.
"They are scattered everywhere," she explained, carefully standing after disarming the mechanism by cutting the mana-conducting wire with a precise movement. "They don't just want to attack us head-on with monsters like the giant wolves. The tower is using the terrain itself to create passive ambush points. If one of us steps on one of these lines, it will activate a chain reaction that will alert every creature within a radius of several kilometers."
"Your perception is incredible, Rai'kanna," I praised, approaching to examine the complexity of the dismantled spell. "The tower is trying to force us to move more slowly. It wants us to spend time analyzing every meter so that mental exhaustion accumulates. That is the true danger of a long-course dungeon: psychological wear before even the major confrontations."
"Exactly," agreed Liriel's assistant, adjusting her glasses while observing the residual flow of energy dissipating into the forest air. "The forced slowness increases the time of exposure to the draining miasma of this floor. The longer we spend searching for traps, the more mystical energy the atmosphere attempts to extract from our bodies passively."
I realized that we needed a new tactical approach to avoid falling into this time-wasting trap. I proposed that we change our movement pattern. Instead of advancing in a straight line while trying to uncover every individual inch, we would begin moving in a dynamic zigzag pattern, using the areas of higher rocky elevation as observation points and jumping across the valleys of denser vegetation, where the concentration of ground traps was logically higher.
The tactical change proved extremely efficient. By using the artificial rocky elevations, we were able to visually map the terrain's depressions in advance. Rai'kanna could now focus her senses only on the narrow passages between the rocks, which considerably accelerated our pace without compromising our physical safety.
Even so, the journey was taking much longer than we had initially estimated during the Alliance's great war council. The internal space of the tower operated under such intense spatial dilation that a single floor seemed to possess the geographical extent of an entire province of the outside world. This perception made me deeply reflect on the level of power the Demon King had accumulated to erect and sustain a structure of such conceptual magnitude.
"He really transformed my memories into an implacable physical reality," I thought as I jumped over a small stream of artificial crystal-clear water. "In the video games of my old world, the frustration of losing progress was merely a digital inconvenience. Here, every miscalculation can cost the lives of real people who placed all their trust in my leadership ability. The weight of this game is immensely greater."
I looked back and saw Elara speaking quietly with Lyannis as they walked, sharing observations about the behavior of the simulated air currents blowing between the artificial ravines. There was an impressive sense of understanding and focus in each of them. They were not simply following me blindly; they were actively analyzing the environment, adapting their own abilities to ensure that the group operated with the greatest possible efficiency.
"How are the runic potion reserves?" I asked Liriel, who walked beside me while maintaining an elegant and attentive posture.
"Consumption is at zero for now," she replied with a reassuring smile that conveyed unwavering peace. "Thanks to the conservation tactics you established and Rai'kanna's precision in avoiding confrontations and traps, we have not been forced to spend a single bottle of alchemical extract. Our bodies are still operating based on the natural energy we accumulated before crossing the entrance portal."
"Excellent. Save every drop for the floors where healing suppression becomes even more severe," I instructed, focusing my eyes on the artificial horizon where the monumental trees were beginning to open, revealing an immense rocky clearing surrounded by walls of natural rock.
As we continued advancing, the simulated evening light gradually began to lose intensity, initiating the transition into the artificial night of the third floor. The blue sky gave way to a dark mantle speckled with small bright lights that perfectly imitated the constellations of the outside world, although I knew those stars were merely passive illumination runes suspended within the ceiling's containment barrier.
The wind blowing through the forest became cooler and carried the distant sound of stronger running water. We knew that continuing our exploration during the simulated nighttime would be a serious tactical mistake, as the darkness would reduce Elara and Vespera's visual effectiveness, in addition to giving a natural advantage to the tower's predators that used the darkness to hunt.
"We need to find a place to establish our first temporary camp before the night fully settles in," I suggested, pointing toward a large rocky elevation projecting from the center of the valley ahead. "That elevated point will give us an excellent defensive advantage and a clear view of the surroundings in case any creature tries to approach during the rest period."
With a unanimous nod of agreement, the group quickened its pace in a coordinated manner, walking toward the safety of that stone formation as the last shadows of evening completely disappeared between the monumental trunks of the artificial forest on the third floor.