Tower 1 — Floor Three Entrance
The path narrowed into a stone throat—smooth walls converging overhead like a clenched jaw.
The air was humid, vibrating with a low rumble that made Ragnor grit his teeth.
Lyra whispered:
"Something's breathing ahead."
Iris hugged her spellbook.
"That… that isn't breathing. That's growling."
Aetherion stepped forward, eyes glowing faintly.
"No.
That's waiting."
The corridor opened into a massive cavern.
A cavern that felt… alive.
The ceiling throbbed like a heartbeat.
The walls were covered in gray, fibrous veins.
The floor was slick with black fluid.
Ragnor wrinkled his nose.
"This is disgusting."
Lyra steadied her bow.
"We're in the digestive layer."
Iris's voice cracked.
"D-digestive?! As in… stomach?!"
Aetherion nodded.
"Not literally. But close enough. Floor Three functions like a maw—preparing to swallow newcomers."
A deep crunch echoed from the darkness.
Followed by a scraping sound.
Wet.
Slithering.
Ragnor raised his fists.
"Oh great. Something hungry."
Lyra took aim.
Iris hid behind Ragnor.
Aetherion summoned cosmic dust to his hand.
They waited.
Silence.
Then—
A whisper.
"Found you."
Something dropped from the ceiling.
The Veiled Maw Appears
The creature landed with a sickening thud.
It was enormous—eight feet tall, humanoid in shape, but entirely covered in black, threadlike tendrils that swayed like hair underwater.
Where a face should be, a white veil of stretched flesh hung loosely, twitching with faint ripples.
Underneath the veil—
rows of needle-like teeth clicked together in a slow rhythm.
A muffled voice seeped out:
"Hungry…"
Iris froze, shaking.
She couldn't even scream.
Ragnor stepped forward.
"Disgusting or not… it bleeds the same."
The creature tilted its veiled head.
Then spoke again—
this time with perfect mimicry of Iris's voice.
"Help me…"
Iris gasped.
"That's—that's my voice—!"
Aetherion's expression hardened.
"It mimics consciousness. Be careful."
The creature lunged.
The Fight Begins
Ragnor met the Maw head-on—
his punch colliding with its chest.
The impact splattered black fluid everywhere.
But the Maw didn't budge.
Instead—
The tendrils around its body shot forward like spears.
Lyra fired a Void Arrow—
splitting one tendril in half.
Aetherion redirected another with a gravitational twist.
Iris attempted a Temporal Bind—
but the Maw twitched, absorbing the time distortion like a sponge.
Her eyes widened.
"It—absorbed my magic?!"
Aetherion gritted his teeth.
"It's learning."
The Maw's jaw unhinged slightly—
revealing three rows of teeth.
It mimicked Ragnor's voice:
"Punch harder."
Ragnor snarled.
"Oh THAT'S IT—!"
He swung again—
but the Maw blurred, dodging faster than before.
Lyra fired multiple shots—
each absorbed into the veil.
The Maw laughed with Aetherion's voice:
"Too slow."
Aetherion's demeanor sharpened.
"It's copying us. Adapting."
Iris trembled.
"H-how do we fight something that learns every second?!"
Ragnor spat blood and grinned.
"With something it can't mimic."
Aetherion's eyes widened.
"Emotion."
Ragnor charged—
—but his punch was feinted.
He suddenly hugged the Maw's torso.
Just like he did to beat his Mirror Echo.
The Maw stiffened.
A beat.
Another.
Then it shuddered violently—
confused by the emotional act.
Lyra seized the opportunity.
She fired a Void Arrow at the Maw's exposed chest.
The arrow pierced through the tendrils—
exploding inside like a collapsing star.
The Maw shrieked.
Iris gathered trembling courage.
She cast Temporal Bind—
this time converting her fear into determination.
The spell clamped down.
Aetherion summoned a gravitational pulse—
crushing the Maw's limbs inward like imploding metal.
Ragnor delivered the finishing strike:
"BREAK!"
A massive Earth Strike shattered the creature's chest.
The Maw convulsed.
Collapsed.
And dissolved into black mist.
Silence.
Then—
A single drop of glowing essence remained.
A reward.
Lyra stepped back, panting.
"That… wasn't even a boss floor yet…"
Iris wiped tears.
"I-it was too strong…"
Aetherion knelt beside the fading ashes.
"That thing isn't the problem."
Ragnor cracked his neck.
"Then what is?"
Aetherion pointed to the far end of the cavern—
where an enormous door carved with an eye symbol slowly opened.
"That."
The air chilled.
And DRM stood in front of the door.
Not appearing suddenly.
Not glitching in.
Just… standing there.
Ragnor flinched.
"How long have you been—?!"
DRM lifted a hand—
not to point, not to warn,
but to wave them forward.
Lyra approached cautiously.
"…you want us to follow?"
DRM nodded once.
Aetherion murmured:
"Then the real boss is ahead."
Iris whispered shakily:
"I feel… something huge…"
Ragnor exhaled.
"Let's go."
The group stepped through the opening.
DRM walked ahead, silent as death.
And the Tower's true trial began.
CHAPTER 8 — STATUS REPORT
Ragnor
Level: 9
EXP: +820
Skills:
Earth Strike
Ground Pulse (Improved stability)
Physical Status: Bruised knuckles, adrenaline high
Mental State: Energized, reckless
Notes: Emotional tactics solidified
Lyra
Level: 8
EXP: +760
Skills:
Constellar Mark
Void Arrow (Intermediate)
Physical Status: Fatigued
Mental State: Confident, sharp
Notes: Void proficiency increasing fast
Iris
Level: 6
EXP: +540
Skills:
Temporal Bind
Chrono Sense
[New] Time Recoil (Minor)
Physical Status: Tired, hands trembling
Mental State: Fearful but growing resilience
Notes: Emotional surge triggered new ability
Aetherion
Level: 9
EXP: +880
Skills:
Microcosm Blast
Gravity Pulse
Physical Status: Stable
Mental State: Strategically focused
Notes: Analytical strength increasing
DRM
[UNREADABLE]
Level: ERROR
EXP: Unknown
Aura: Stage 1.9 — Silence Before Storm
Domain: Activity detected
Mask Sync: 67%
Emotional State: Unknown
System Note: "Subject resisted adaptive mimicry. Flag: impossible."