The white room vanished.
Gravity returned. Sound returned.
Elian blinked, shielding his eyes from the roaring sun. He was back in the Coliseum of Beginnings. The stands were shaking. Fifty thousand players were screaming, stomping, and cheering.
[Tournament Concluded.]
[Grand Champion: Elian (Block C)]
A massive holographic scoreboard hovered over the arena, displaying the stats of the Top 10 finalists.
Elian – Combat: S | Tactics: S | Mental: SSS (3m)
Valen – Combat: A | Tactics: B | Mental: B (45m)
Jax – Combat: A- | Tactics: A | Mental: C+ (52m)
...
The crowd wasn't cheering for the combat score. They were staring at the "Mental" column.
"Three minutes?" a commentator's voice boomed over the magic speakers. "Did you see that? The kid cleared a trauma simulation in the time it takes to boil an egg! Is he even human?!"
Elian sighed. Great. Now I'm a freak.
He tried to step off the podium. He wanted his gold, and then he wanted to disappear.
He took one step, and three shadows moved with him.
"Where are we going?" Valen asked brightly, limping slightly but smiling.
Elian stopped. " We aren't going anywhere. I am going to the bank."
"Cool," Jax nodded, spinning a dagger. "The bank it is. Safety in numbers."
"I need to buy new robes," Seraphina added, walking on Elian's left side. "And we should probably eat. That mind-trial made me hungry."
Elian turned around, glaring at them. "The tournament is over. The 'Party' is dissolved. Go away."
"No can do," Valen said, crossing his arms. "You led us through Floor 12. You saved us in the mind trial. By the laws of the Tower—or at least, by the laws of common decency—we owe you."
"You owe me nothing," Elian snapped.
"Technically," Jax interrupted, "we owe you our lives. So we're sticking around until the debt is paid. Or until you get us killed. Whichever comes first."
Elian rubbed his temples. This was the worst-case scenario. He wanted to push them away to keep them safe, but his competence had made them cling to him like barnacles. They weren't just following him; they were orbiting him.
"You are annoying," Elian stated flatly.
"We know!" Seraphina beamed. "But you're stuck with us."
Before Elian could argue further, a hush fell over the stadium floor. The crowd parted.
Three groups of players approached the podium. They didn't look like rookies. They wore matching, high-tier armor with glowing enchantments. Their presence radiated authority.
The Big Three Guilds.
From the left, a man in gold armor: The Dynasty.
From the right, a woman in black silk: The Black Lotus.
From the center, a massive warrior with a tower shield: The Vanguard.
The recruiter for The Dynasty stepped forward first. "Elian. I am Commander Thorne. The Dynasty offers you a Vice-Captain position, a signing bonus of 5,000 Gold, and a guaranteed slot in our main raid team."
The crowd gasped. 5,000 Gold was a fortune.
The woman from Black Lotus stepped in smoothly. "Too loud, Thorne. Elian, The Black Lotus offers you 7,000 Gold, and access to our exclusive information network. We know you value... privacy."
The Vanguard recruiter simply grunted. "We offer the best tank line in the tower. You will never take damage again."
They circled him like sharks. To them, Elian was a commodity. A weapon to be bought.
Valen stepped forward instinctively, his hand on his sword, ready to defend Elian. "Back off. He's tired."
Elian put a hand on Valen's chest to stop him. He stepped forward, facing the three giants of the Tower.
"5,000 Gold?" Elian asked Thorne.
Thorne smiled arrogantly. "A generous offer for a rookie."
"I made more than that on Floor 10 alone," Elian lied (it was close enough).
The smile dropped from Thorne's face.
Elian looked at the Black Lotus recruiter.
"Information? I know more about this Tower than your entire guild combined."
He looked at the Vanguard. "And I don't need tanks. I don't get hit."
Elian adjusted the strap of The Reaper's Edge.
"I decline all offers," Elian announced, his voice amplified by the silence of the arena. "I don't like leashes. And I don't carry dead weight."
He turned his back on the most powerful people in the Tower.
"Let's go," Elian muttered to his "party."
Valen's jaw dropped, then turned into a grin.
"Did you hear that? 'Dead weight.' He definitely means us."
"He's so cool," Seraphina whispered.
As Elian walked toward the exit tunnel, the guild recruiters stood stunned. Being rejected publicly was an insult. Thorne's eyes narrowed. This wasn't over.
But Elian didn't care about their bruised egos. He cared about the sensation in his pocket.
BZZZZT.
The Black Cube in his inventory.
It had been inert since he found it. But the moment he stepped into the shadow of the exit tunnel, it pulsed.
A vibration ran up his spine. It wasn't just shaking; it was... pulling. Like a magnet.
It was pulling him down. Not to the exit, but deeper.
Elian stopped walking.
"Elian?" Seraphina asked, bumping into his back. "What's wrong?"
Elian looked at the notification window that popped up in the corner of his eye—visible only to him.
[Item Resonance Detected.]
[The Black Cube has reacted to: 'The Mask of the Stoic'.]
[Hidden Quest Triggered: The Basement of the World.]
[Location: Floor 0.]
Elian's blood ran cold.
Floor 0?
There was no Floor 0 in the Tower. It started at Floor 1.
He looked at his annoying, loyal, fragile friends. If he followed this quest, he would be walking into an anomaly that didn't exist in his memories.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Elian lied.
"We'll wait!" Valen chirped.
"Outside," Elian corrected. "Go to the inn. Order food. I'll meet you there."
"Promise?" Seraphina asked suspiciously.
"Promise," Elian said. I promise I'll keep you alive by keeping you away from this.
He watched them walk away toward the sunlight. Once they were gone, Elian turned and looked into the shadows of the stadium's lower maintenance levels.
The Cube pulsed again, harder.
"Floor 0," Elian whispered, gripping his sword.
"Let's see what you are."