Lucen exhaled. Once. Short.
'Of course this wasn't going to be a lesson in punching rocks.'
Varik turned.
"I brought you here because this place doesn't play by city rules. And because if you survive this zone, you'll hit Level Nine. Maybe Ten."
Lucen raised a brow. "That easy?"
Varik's expression didn't change. "No. That hard."
Lucen glanced once at the tear.
It pulsed slightly. Like it was breathing.
He stepped forward again, until he stood directly beneath it.
It still didn't pull.
Didn't yank or force.
It waited.
Lucen tapped his system once, just to check.
[Mana: 112/112]
[Spell Archive: Loaded]
Everything ready.
He looked at Varik.
"You coming in with me?"
Varik's smile was thin. "Eventually. But I want to see how far you get alone."
Lucen didn't blink.
Just turned back to the tear.
And stepped in.
—
Lucen stepped through the rift and landed on cracked stone. Reality shimmered around him. Fog. Mana residue.
He checked his status.
[Mana: 112/112]
