The camp we had set up in the heart of the seventeenth-floor forest exuded a serene and welcoming tranquility. The environment was dominated by tall trees whose leaves shone with a soft silver hue, reflecting the magical illumination from the ceiling of the floor. The soft, bluish light emanating from above simulated the onset of night in the outside world with extreme perfection, creating a peaceful contrast with the agitation and constant dangers we had faced throughout the tower's ascent. The fresh aroma of renewed vegetation, mixed with the faint smell of damp earth and the comfortable warmth of our controlled campfire, made that small refuge an absolutely refreshing point of pause for our entire squad.
I was sitting on a fallen log covered with soft moss, carefully adjusting the leather fittings of my tactical armor and checking the sharpness of my runic sword. Around me, my companions organized the night's tasks with admirable synchronicity and discipline, the result of the many journeys we had already shared together. Liriel and her assistant organized the navigation reports under the light of a small arcane lantern, while Elara and Rai'kanna took care of the security perimeter, checking the warning seals we had installed along the edge of the clearing. Lyannis and Vespera organized the supplies and provisions inside the main tent, while Scarlet cleaned the blade of her longsword with a dry cloth, keeping her attention alert for any more distant noise in the forest.
"The lighting on this floor is truly impressive," commented Liriel's assistant, pausing her writing on the papers for a moment and looking at the canopy of silver trees. "The way the tower's magic recreates the day and night cycle gives the distinct feeling that we are not trapped inside an enclosed structure, but rather beneath the open sky of the continent."
"That is one of the most fascinating mechanics of the Demon King's architecture," I replied calmly, without taking my attention away from polishing my blade. "This alternation between brightness and gloom is not merely an aesthetic decoration to impress those who enter here. It serves to keep the invaders' biological clocks under a certain degree of control or, in many cases, to cause psychological disorientation in groups that lose their sense of real time."
Liriel adjusted her sacred wooden staff beside the log where I was sitting and smiled serenely, agreeing with my assessment. "Fortunately, your leadership and the strict control of our routine prevent our group from falling into this type of exhaustion. We know exactly how many days we have been marching and how much we have progressed."
"If my calculations are correct based on our daily records," Lyannis interjected, coming out of the tent and joining the conversation around the campfire, "we have been continuously climbing the tower for exactly one week. Reaching the seventeenth floor in just seven days is an extraordinary feat."
"And what is most impressive," Vespera emphasized, approaching with two cups of warm tea and handing one to me and the other to Liriel, "is the comparison with the reports from the S-Rank adventurer we received before departing. He and his group took almost three full weeks to cover this same distance. Our pace is practically three times faster."
"This glaring difference in progression speed is not the result of luck or reckless haste," I commented, accepting Vespera's cup and feeling the warm steam heat my hands. "It is a direct consequence of our team's tactical work. We do not waste energy on unnecessary battles, we maintain a well-defined vanguard and rear-guard formation and, above all, we know the exact moment to stop to rest and recover our strength."
As I sipped the warm tea and watched the embers of the campfire crackle, I allowed a peaceful reflection on our journey to fill my thoughts. Being at the head of a squad composed of such talented and dedicated warriors brought an enormous responsibility, but also a profound clarity of purpose. In a dangerous structure like the Demon King's tower, brute strength alone is incapable of guaranteeing long-term success. The true secret of survival and victory lies in the balance between combat efficiency and constant care for the team's physical and mental well-being. Seeing that each of my companions maintained extremely high confidence, organized supplies, and a peaceful mind confirmed that our method was absolutely correct.
Scarlet sheathed her longsword with a dry click and turned toward me with a look of approval. "Knowing that we are advancing so quickly without suffering any serious injuries or resource losses gives us immense peace of mind. Tomorrow, when we set out in search of the exit from this level, we will be at 100% of our restored capacity."
"Exactly," Rai'kanna agreed, approaching the fire after completing the inspection patrol along the edges of the clearing beside Elara. "The forest is completely calm. The protective seals are active and there is no presence of monsters within a radius of several kilometers."
"Excellent vigilance work, Rai'kanna, Elara," I praised, rising from the log and looking at the entire group gathered around the fire. "Our progress up to this point has been impeccable, but we cannot allow the apparent ease to make us lower our guard. Tomorrow we will continue our march with the same rigor and attention as always."
Elara smiled firmly, adjusting the quiver of arrows on her back. "You can trust me, Takumi. No one here is going to falter."
With the night's tasks duly completed and the camp perimeter properly secured against any unforeseen event, we organized the nighttime watch schedule in a balanced manner. We extinguished the campfire so as not to attract unwanted attention in the darkness of the forest and withdrew into the large travel tent. The comfortable warmth of the shelter and the sense of duty fulfilled enveloped our team. As I lay down in my sleeping bag, listening to the soft and rhythmic breathing of my companions resting around me, I closed my eyes with the certainty that we were fully prepared for any challenge that the seventeenth floor and the entire tower might place in our path.