They moved forward.
There was no reason to return yet. One fight didn't say everything. Two maybe wouldn't either. But three, four… would begin to show the pattern.
The next group of goblins appeared near a depression in the terrain. Two large ones and a smaller one, unevenly armed, but moving with a caution that didn't match old memories.
"They're more alert," Elenya commented, already preparing another shot.
"Or we're just too used to it," Sienna replied.
Jay stepped forward to take the first impact. The blow came heavy, like the previous one. He absorbed it. Felt the buildup rise almost immediately.
"Same weight," he warned. "It wasn't an exception."
Marcus entered from the flank, forcing one of the goblins to step back. The strike opened, but didn't bring it down. The enemy responded quickly, nearly landing the counterattack.
"They're missing less," Marcus growled.
Sienna summoned the spirit wolves again, using them to separate the enemies. It worked… partially. One of the goblins completely ignored the summon and advanced straight toward Jay.
Emanueru reacted quickly.
Two blades of light formed in the air and were launched in sequence. The impact made the goblin step back, but not fall.
"This is getting expensive," Sienna commented, now without humor.
The fight lasted longer than it should have. Much longer.
When the last goblin fell, no one celebrated.
The interface appeared.
Class Sigils obtained: 12 + 12 + 6
Automatic distribution: +5 to each member of the group
Jay narrowed his eyes.
"The points vary by monster type. The big ones give twelve. The smaller ones, six."
"Distribution proportional to the enemy's strength," Ethan replied. "Interesting."
They advanced further.
The third confrontation came shortly after. A large goblin, alone this time. The result was the same: victory, but with excessive expenditure of time, energy, and coordination.
Emanueru launched more blades than in the previous fight.
Sienna had to summon the fire phoenix earlier.
Jay came dangerously close to his overload limit.
When it was over, the notification appeared again.
Class Sigils obtained: 12
Automatic distribution: +2 to each member of the group
Marcus took a deep breath.
"This doesn't scale the way it should."
"No," Ethan agreed. "The difficulty rises fast. The reward doesn't."
They continued.
Each fight reinforced the same feeling: it wasn't impossible, but it also wasn't sustainable that way. Not unless something changed.
Emanueru observed the field in silence. Not the fallen bodies, but the space between one encounter and another. Something there was beginning to stand out.
"Do you see that?" he said, pointing ahead.
The field stretched normally… until it didn't anymore.
Ahead, the terrain opened into a distinct area, almost as if someone had cut out a piece of the world and placed it there. The ground was more regular. The formations around it rose in an imperfect circular pattern, creating multiple entrances that led into inner corridors.
"That's not open field," Sienna said, slowing her pace.
Elenya opened the map.
"There's no marking," she commented. "The map simply… doesn't show this."
Jay narrowed his eyes.
"Then it's a separate location."
They approached cautiously.
There were no monsters.
No signs of battle.
No players.
As soon as they crossed the invisible boundary, the interface appeared.
[Safe Zone Activated]
Combat Disabled
Sienna blinked.
"…a safe zone?"
Jay stopped immediately.
"Here?"
Elenya tried to cast out of reflex. Nothing happened.
"Confirmed," she said. "Abilities blocked."
Marcus looked around, suspicious.
"A safe zone… in the middle of nowhere?"
The space was wide, too silent. The entrances to the inner corridors spread at different angles, some narrow, others wide, all hiding what came next.
Emanueru felt the same discomfort that had been there since they entered the Fourth Floor. The sensation that something important was too close to ignore.
"No one reached this by accident," he said.
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Whatever it is… it wasn't placed here to be found early."
The Safe Zone notice remained there.
Without disappearing.
Without explaining itself.
Reassuring enough to lower their guard.
Strange enough not to trust.
They advanced through one of the entrances.
The corridor extended ahead for several meters before splitting. Two passages appeared, a wider one to the right, a narrower one to the left. Neither indicated a clear advantage.
"Before we start walking without criteria," Ethan said, "let's mark the path."
Sienna raised an eyebrow.
"Like a breadcrumb trail?"
"Like not walking in circles," he replied.
Marcus nodded and carefully drew his blade, making a simple mark on the wall near the entrance.
"Basic, but it works."
They followed the corridor on the right.
Soon after, the path split again. This time into three. They chose the middle one. They walked for several minutes, long enough for conversation to thin out and attention to focus solely on the space around them.
"Mark here too," Ethan said.
Marcus made another mark, similar to the first.
The corridor continued straight for a while longer, then opened into a wider space.
Jay entered first… and stopped.
"Wait."
Sienna approached.
On the wall ahead there was a mark.
Identical to the one Marcus had made minutes earlier.
"…that doesn't make sense," she said.
Marcus frowned and stepped closer, running his fingers over the mark.
"That's mine."
Elenya opened the map out of reflex.
"We didn't turn back," she said. "The path was straight."
Emanueru felt a tightening in his stomach.
"Then we didn't get lost just now."
Silence fell heavily.
"We were already lost," Sienna finished, in a low voice.
Ethan looked around more carefully. The entrances around them. The distance between them. Small details that had seemed irrelevant before.
"Make another mark," he said.
Marcus hesitated for a second, then made a new, deeper scratch.
They chose another exit.
They walked.
Turned.
Crossed another junction.
That was when the sound appeared.
A low, deep noise. Stone sliding against stone.
Everyone stopped.
"Did you hear that?" Elenya asked.
The sound didn't come from a fixed point. It seemed to move with the space. A slow dragging, followed by a dry crack.
"The walls…" Jay murmured. "They're moving."
The corridor ahead opened again into a familiar space.
This time, there were two marks on the wall.
Both of them.
"You've got to be kidding," Sienna muttered, without humor.
Another sound echoed, closer now. One of the corridors to the left… was no longer the same. The angle had shifted. Slightly, but enough not to match the previous memory.
"It doesn't change when we choose," Ethan said. "It changes while we walk."
"So marking doesn't matter," Marcus concluded.
"Nor memorizing," Elenya completed.
The sound of the walls moved again, as if responding to the realization.
They slowly returned to the center of the area, surrounded by entrances that did not guarantee they would remain the same in a few minutes.
The Safe Zone notice was still there.
Unmoving.
Calm.
As if saying they could try as many times as they wanted.
As long as they accepted not leaving.