Floor 5 stabilized.
Arthur stood alone in the control space, watching the medieval city breathe for the first time.
Players would enter soon.
Choices would begin.
He turned away.
A golden notice unfolded in front of him.
Not blue.
Not white.
Gold.
[HIGH AUTHORITY DIRECTIVE]
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't automated.
This came from above the Tower.
Message:
Upon successful construction of Floor 10, Manager will be granted a limited audience with High Authority.
Duration: Undisclosed.
Conditions: Performance-based evaluation.
Arthur stared at it silently.
Floor 10.
Only halfway.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"What is this Tower really meant to do?" he asked the empty space.
And more importantly—
"Who is watching me from above?"
The notices never explained the objective.
They only demanded progress.
Efficiency.
Results.
Arthur's fingers curled slowly.
If someone had built the Tower…
If someone was guiding humanity through it…
Then there must be a reason.
A destination.
"I'll find it," Arthur said quietly.
"Whether you want me to or not."
The golden light faded.
Another alert surfaced immediately.
This one carried heavier weight.
[WORLD INTEGRATION PROTOCOL]
Status: PENDING ACTIVATION
Trigger: Completion of Floor 5
Arthur read slowly.
Dungeon portals will begin appearing in the Outer World.
Purpose: Accelerate human adaptation.
Secondary Objective: Increase Tower participation rate.
Arthur read slowly.
His jaw tightened.
So this is how it will be .
Not persuasion.
Pressure.
Fear would do what motivation couldn't.
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment.
"You're sharpening them."
He exhaled slowly.
Humans wouldn't climb by choice.
They'd climb because the ground beneath them burned.
Arthur opened his eyes.
A confirmation window unfolded in front of him.
Not gold.
Cold blue.
[SYSTEM PRE-INITIALIZATION REQUIRED]
Dungeon deployment cannot proceed without configuration.
Arthur's gaze sharpened.
Of course.
Nothing this cruel was ever simple.
New panels layered themselves open.
• Portal Density
• Spawn Zones
• Monster Aggression Level
• Civilian Proximity Threshold
• Initial Reward Scaling
Default values pulsed faintly.