Tower 1 — Floor Twenty-One, The Silver Vein Halls
The staircase opened into a long silver corridor—
but unlike most floors they'd seen until now,
they weren't alone.
Torches of white flame lit the hall, and ahead were at least three other groups:
A four-man squad in red armor with flame-shaped crests.
A trio of black-cloak assassins scouting silently.
A large mercenary team of nine, carrying tower-forged halberds.
Ragnor blinked.
"Oh thank god, PEOPLE."
Lyra nodded, relieved.
Iris nearly collapsed from the comfort of seeing other humans.
Aetherion observed them all carefully.
"There are more climbers this deep than expected."
A mercenary captain walked past, eyeing them briefly.
"You kids better keep up. Floor 21's correction event wiped out an entire party."
Ragnor's eyebrows shot up.
"Uh—correction what now?"
But the captain was already gone.
Rio stayed close to the back, eyes lowered.
He didn't want attention.
Not here.
The hall widened into a circular arena.
System text appeared:
[FLOOR 21 — CALIBRATING ENVIRONMENT]
[CORRECTION EVENT IN PROGRESS]
[MULTI-PARTY CHALLENGE ACTIVATED]
"Oh, that sounds bad," Ragnor muttered.
Lyra lifted her bow.
"It usually is."
Aetherion nodded.
"Stay alert."
The silver veins along the walls began to pulse—
once
twice
three times—
Then burst open.
The Tower's Compensation Monster — Silver Reaver
A tall, humanoid construct of living silver stepped out.
Lightning veins crackled across its arms.
Its movements were sharp, precise, mechanical.
The mercenary captain shouted:
"IT'S A REAVER!
ANOMALY RESPONSE UNIT—GET READY!"
Multiple parties engaged at once.
The red-armored team launched coordinated fire blasts.
The assassins moved like shadows behind it.
The mercenary squad formed a spear wall.
Ragnor grinned.
"Oh hell yeah—TEAM FIGHT!"
Lyra fired an arrow that fractured across the Reaver's chest.
Iris projected a chrono-slow field across the arena, helping everyone, not just their team.
Aetherion locked onto the Reaver's movements, analyzing faster than any other climber.
Rio tried to support, but his staff shook in his hands—
partly fear, partly shock at how many strong humans surrounded him.
He wasn't the center here.
Not even close.
Ragnor exchanged fist bumps with a red-armored warrior mid-battle.
"HEY—nice fire blast!"
"That punch wasn't bad either!"
Aetherion floated beside a cosmic-marked mage from another party.
"Your galaxy rune is incomplete."
"So is yours."
They smirked at each other—
a rivalry sparked instantly.
Lyra's eyes locked with a silver-haired archer across the battlefield—
another Constellar bearer.
The girl smirked at her.
Lyra returned it.
Iris noticed a mage her age using time dilation twice as efficiently as she could.
He looked at her with curiosity—
and maybe pity.
Iris blushed and scowled.
Rio, overwhelmed, stood back—
Until the Reaver's head suddenly snapped toward him.
Ragnor yelled:
"WHY ALWAYS HIM—?!"
Aetherion cursed.
"It's targeting the weakest aura signature!"
Lyra fired immediately.
Iris pulled Rio behind her.
Several mercenaries tried to intercept.
The Reaver charged—
But DRM stepped between them silently.
His aura pulsed quietly.
A whisper.
Barely a ripple.
But the entire battlefield felt it.
The silver walls flickered.
The Reaver staggered—
its lightning veins glitching.
A system prompt blinked repeatedly:
[SIGNATURE: UNCLASSIFIED]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[REAVER FUNCTIONALITY DEGRADED]
The mercenaries froze.
"What did that kid just—"
"Who IS he—?!"
"Is that a glitch ability?!"
The Reaver tried to attack again.
DRM lifted one finger.
Just a gesture.
The Reaver collapsed into silver dust.
Silence followed—
broken only by the sound of other climbers whispering.
Ragnor sighed.
"Damn… he's scary when he wants to be."
Lyra nodded.
"It wasn't even a fight…"
Aetherion stared at DRM long and hard.
"He's not from our world."
Iris whispered:
"He scares the Tower…"
Rio said nothing,
but his hands trembled.
Not because of DRM.
Because killing the Reaver granted a reward—
and it drifted straight to him.
A floating silver orb.
[Silver Memory Core]
[Grade: Rare]
Lyra blinked.
"Why Rio?"
Iris looked confused.
"Did… you do something?"
Rio forced a smile.
"Maybe… luck?"
But deep down he felt something
pulling at his mind.
Something inside the Core.
Something familiar.
He quickly hid it in his pocket.
As they moved toward the stairs,
other climbers whispered about DRM, Rio, and the team.
And for the first time—
the group wasn't alone in the Tower.
They had
rivals.
Enemies.
Potential allies.
And eyes watching them.
The Tower felt alive.
And it was watching back.