Leo let out a guttural roar, muscles flaring as he summoned the last of his strength. With a furious shove, he managed to knock the towering Goblin King off of him, sending the hulking beast staggering backward just enough for Leo to scramble into a firmer stance. The chamber shook beneath us, candlelight flickering wildly along the cracked stone walls. The goblin king grunted, caught off guard.
I was already behind him.
"Leo—take out his legs!" I shouted.
Leo caught on fast. His blade gleamed under the low light, then slashed horizontally with a powerful yell. The edge bit into the king's knee with a nasty crack, not fully severing it, but enough to send the creature collapsing with a deafening thud. It hit the floor like a falling tree—roaring, thrashing, snarling. Perfect.
"Yui!" I screamed, raising my sword. "Enhance my weapon—now!"
Yui didn't hesitate. Her eyes glowed faintly as she whispered something in that otherworldly magic tongue. Light surged down my blade, coating it in a glowing blue shimmer—just as Luna said it would.
With every ounce of force I had, I drove my sword toward the soft flesh at the back of the king's neck.
The impact was brutal. The blade sank deep into the tender tissue, and the king let out a twisted groan—more beast than man—before slumping forward with a final gasp. The club slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a thunderous clang.
I stood over the body, panting, sword still lodged in the monster's neck. I did it. My chest heaved, sweat dripping down my face, mixing with dirt and blood. I finally did it… I beat the first floor.
All around me, the goblins that had been chasing me broke into a frenzy. They screamed in confusion, fear written across their twisted faces as they scrambled in every direction. Their king was dead—and they knew it.
We cut them down one by one, no hesitation, no mercy. They were disorganized now. We had the edge.
By the time the last goblin fell, the chamber was littered with corpses, the air thick with smoke and blood. We stood in the center, all of us breathing hard, eyes wide, the shock just beginning to wear off.
Outside the tower, we regrouped under the cold Tokyo sky. Each of us exchanged nods, tired smiles, and our raider IDs. Leo gave me a bro-ish slap on the back, grinning like an idiot. Lily said nothing, just gave a quiet nod. Yui looked away when I met her eyes, cheeks slightly flushed. Weird girl.
I hesitated before handing them my contact info… but I did it anyway.
One by one, they walked off, disappearing into the city's crowds.
I waited until they were gone.
Then, I turned back toward the tower.
"Chosa?" Luna's voice chimed in softly. "What are you doing?"
"I just… need to check something."
I stepped inside, retracing my path through the now-empty corridors of Floor 1. My footsteps echoed quietly, and I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword, just in case. The deeper I went, the more I felt that strange anxiety crawling back into my chest.
I needed to see if that thing—that creature—was still there.
That room... where I died.
Where everything changed.
I reached the place where I remembered falling. My heart beat faster as I approached.
But there was nothing.
No hidden door.
No broken wall.
No room.
Just stone. Old and untouched, like nothing had ever been there to begin with.
"What…?" I muttered under my breath. "Luna… do you see anything?"
Her voice came through the interface gently. "It's gone. They've covered it."
"They?"
"The Makers," she said. "They must've realized someone entered a restricted space. They took countermeasures. You got lucky, Chosa… but tread lightly. You don't want to get on their radar. Not with how weak you are right now."
"Wow," I muttered, sarcasm heavy in my voice. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"You're welcome," she replied in that cheerful tone.
I couldn't help but chuckle, even as I shook my head.
With nothing left to find, I turned around and headed home. The streets of Tokyo passed me by in a blur of neon and silence. The night air was cool against my skin, and the weight of what I'd done—and what I'd nearly lost—settled in my chest.
Once inside my apartment, I dropped my gear, cleaned the blood from my hands, and finally laid down.
I stared at the ceiling for a long time, eyes heavy, thoughts heavier.
Today… was just the beginning.