The false sun of Floor One drifted low, painting the meadow and forest edge in muted gold. By the time Alexis and Lyra pushed past the outpost again, the light had dimmed into a dusk that never truly ended.
The forest swallowed them quickly. The air grew colder, thicker, as if every step deeper carried them farther from safety. Moss clung heavy on the trees, roots twisted like serpents, and the silence pressed tight against their ears.
Alexis moved with careful precision, katana drawn, eyes sweeping for movement. Lyra trailed behind in silence, her steps so light they barely touched the ground.
"Feels different here," she whispered.
"It is," Alexis replied. "The den was only the surface. This…" His voice trailed, gaze sharpening. "…is the Tower showing more of its teeth."
The first attack came from above.
A dark shape dropped from the branches — a Forest Spider, its limbs long and jagged, mandibles dripping venom. Alexis pivoted, steel flashing, severing one leg clean before the creature landed. It screeched, ichor spilling black across the ground
Another followed, then another. Webbing glistened faintly between the trees, revealed by the fading light.
[System]:Battle Commenced — Forest Spider Cluster (D Tier).
Lyra vanished into motion, her daggers cutting threads before they could bind. One spider lunged at her, but she slid beneath its body, stabbing upward into its thorax. The beast shrieked and collapsed.
Alexis's blade moved in sharp arcs, cutting through mandibles and limbs, but each strike drained him. One spider caught him across the forearm, leaving a burning sting.
[System]:Status Effect Applied — Venom (Minor): -1 HP per second for 15 seconds.
His jaw tightened. He parried another strike and severed the creature clean down the middle.
When the last spider fell, the forest was silent once more. Threads swayed in the phantom breeze, glistening faintly.
Lyra wiped her blade clean on the moss, lips curling faintly. "I hate spiders."
Alexis checked his arm. The venom was weak, already fading, but the sting lingered. He adjusted his grip on the katana. "And yet there'll be more."
"Of course there will." She smirked faintly. "The Tower doesn't know when to quit."
They pressed deeper. Hours passed. The trees thickened until only narrow trails wound between them. Strange fungi glowed faintly in patches, their light painting the bark with eerie green fire. Shadows shifted in the underbrush.
They found the signs first: broken branches, claw marks across bark, bones cracked and scattered. Then, in a clearing, they found the beast.
A hulking form hunched over a carcass, its skin mottled gray, tusks jutting from its jaw. Muscles rippled across its body, each movement radiating brute power.
An Ogre.
Lyra inhaled sharply. "That rumor at the tavern wasn't a lie."
Alexis's grip tightened on his blade. "We're not ready for this."
The ogre turned, its small eyes glowing faintly, its breath rumbling in the quiet. It dropped the bones from its hand and rose to its full height, towering over them.
[System]:Elite Monster Encounter — Ogre (B Tier).
The ground shook as it charged.
Alexis barely rolled aside as the ogre's fist cratered the earth where he had stood. Lyra darted behind it, her blades striking at its back, but the steel barely scratched its hide. The beast roared, swiping a massive arm. The blow caught her mid-step, sending her tumbling across the clearing.
She groaned, coughing blood. "Yeah… not ready."
Alexis steadied his stance, heart pounding, stamina already bleeding from the effort of dodging. He could fight — but killing it was impossible.
"Fall back," he ordered.
Lyra staggered upright, wiping her mouth. "Finally, some sense."
The ogre roared again, charging. Alexis slashed across its thigh, just deep enough to slow its stride. Lyra threw a dagger into its shoulder, distracting it long enough for them to slip between the trees.
Branches snapped, the ground quaked as the beast gave chase. But after minutes of pursuit, it stopped, bellowing in frustration before retreating to its clearing.
Only when the forest fell quiet again did Alexis lower his blade. His chest heaved, his body slick with sweat.
"We survive today," he said.
Lyra leaned against a tree, grinning despite the blood on her lips. "And come back when we're strong enough to carve that thing into steaks."
They limped back toward the outpost, the false night deepening overhead. The Tower had made its message clear: Floor One was no playground.
And somewhere above, deeper still, stronger monsters waited.
Chapter 2 Part 1.5 : Whispers in the Outpost
By the time Alexis and Lyra staggered back through the outpost gates, the false night above had deepened into an endless twilight. Lanterns glowed along the palisade walls, their light casting long shadows across the dirt paths. The air inside was thick with noise — the clamor of traders, the clang of the forge, the murmur of adventurers nursing wounds and pride alike.
Alexis's clothes were streaked with blood and dirt, his shoulder stiff from the ogre's near-miss. Lyra limped slightly, her ribs wrapped in a makeshift bandage, but her grin was as sharp as ever.
Their entrance did not go unnoticed. Adventurers at the tavern doorway fell silent, eyes narrowing at the sight of them alive. A whisper rippled through the crowd.
"They went deeper."
"They came back alive."
"Someone said the ogre's real… did they see it?"
Inside the tavern, the smell of ale and smoke hit them immediately. They found a corner table, and Lyra collapsed into her seat with a satisfied sigh. Alexis remained standing for a moment, scanning the room, before sitting across from her.
The chatter around them rose again, but now fragments of conversation drifted their way.
"—swear to the Codex, the thing was three times a man's size—"
"My party barely made it out with half our gear intact."
"No one can kill that monster, not at this level. It's suicide."
"Unless someone finds a dungeon with the right drops…"
Lyra leaned on the table, chin propped on her hand. "Hear that? We're not the only ones who ran into it."
Alexis nodded. "The ogre's a wall. A warning. The Tower won't let anyone advance until the floor's been tested enough."
She smirked. "Which means more corpses, more silver for us when they fail."
A tall man in chainmail approached their table, his expression unreadable. His party lingered behind him — three others, all bruised and bandaged.
"You two," the man said flatly. "You saw it, didn't you? The ogre."
Alexis's eyes narrowed. "We did."
The man's jaw clenched. "We lost one of ours. Barely made it out." He looked down at the table for a moment, then back at them. "There's talk that somewhere in these woods, there's a hidden dungeon. Stronger loot. Maybe even weapons that can pierce that monster's hide. If you hear anything—" His gaze flicked between Alexis and Lyra. "—don't be greedy. Share."
Lyra smiled sweetly, her voice like silk. "Of course."
The man studied her for a moment, then turned and walked away.
Alexis's eyes lingered on the party as they left. "He doesn't believe you."
Lyra laughed. "Of course he doesn't. And he's right not to."
Later that night, they returned to the shrine, the soft white glow washing over them as they bound themselves once more. The mark shimmered faintly on their skin — a promise of return, but never without cost.
Alexis sat quietly on the shrine steps, watching the false stars glimmer above the outpost. Lyra sat beside him, tossing a silver coin into the air and catching it idly.
"The Tower's getting serious already," she murmured. "Spiders, goblins, an ogre before the first floor is done? Makes you wonder what's waiting higher up."
Alexis's grip tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword. "Whatever it is, we'll be ready. Step by step."
The wind shifted through the trees beyond the walls, carrying faint howls from the forest.
The Tower listened.
And in the silence that followed, it almost felt like it was laughing.