The 47th floor greeted Sailor with the smell of burning.
It was the first thing he felt when he stepped through the gate. Not just warm air—hot, dry, searing his throat as if he'd found himself inside a giant forge. Every breath weighed heavy in his chest, as if his lungs were filling not with oxygen but with ash.
The floor beneath his feet was warm. Not scalding—still tolerable for now—but Sailor knew he couldn't stand here for long. The stone slabs were covered in cracks, oozing a reddish light as if a sea of lava simmered beneath the Tower.
The walls rose upward, lost in a haze. No ceiling was visible. Somewhere in the distance, dull thuds echoed—like the beating of a giant heart deep within the floor.
Sailor stopped.
He slowly exhaled.
"I don't like this place…"
"You don't like much of anything," the dragon replied lazily. "But you're still alive. That's progress already."
Sailor clenched his fists.
With each floor, his body felt worse. His joints ached, his muscles couldn't recover in time, a constant chill seemed to have settled inside him. Sometimes he caught himself walking without feeling his feet. Other times—staring at his own hands, not quite believing they were his.
"How many have we passed?.."
"Forty-seven," answered the dragon. "You're climbing faster than most people do in a lifetime."
Sailor gave a bitter smirk.
"Only because you're dragging me by the scruff of my neck."
"Exactly."
They walked along a vast corridor more like a canyon. Stone columns stretched on either side, scarred with claw marks and dried blood. In places, the walls were smashed through as if someone had pounded them in rage with bare fists.
Sailor felt it.
A presence.
It pressed on his mind like a heavy gaze from the darkness. There were no small monsters here. No random creatures. This floor was the territory of a single being.
Its master.
The system flashed before his eyes.
[Floor 47]
[Guardian Zone]
[Recommended Rank: A+]
[Survival Probability: 0.02%]
Sailor swallowed.
"Two percent?.."
"Optimists," the dragon snorted.
The corridor ended abruptly.
A vast hall opened before him.
Sailor involuntarily halted.
The hall was the size of a city square. The floor sloped downward, forming a giant bowl. At its center—a crater from which billowed clouds of red mist. Sparks hung in the air, as if something was perpetually burning here.
And from this crater, something was rising.
First, a hand appeared.
Enormous, covered in red skin webbed with cracks that oozed fiery light. Then a second. Then—massive shoulders.
The ground trembled.
The creature straightened up.
A two-headed orc.
Both heads were different.
One—ugly, with a twisted jaw and crooked tusks. The other—almost human, but with empty, glowing eyes.
It stood as tall as a five-story building.
In each hand—an axe forged of black metal, covered in runes.
When it took a step, the floor cracked.
When it inhaled, the air howled.
Sailor felt everything inside him clench.
His legs trembled.
His arms turned to lead.
"This… is impossible…"
The system flashed again.
[Guardian of Floor 47]
[Name: Kharr-Dug]
[Class: Caller]
[Rank: S]
[Threat Level: Absolute]
Both heads stared at him.
One smiled.
The other tilted its head, as if examining an insect.
Sailor took a step back.
Then another.
"I'm going to die."
"Probably," the dragon replied calmly. "But let's at least make it interesting."
The orc took a step forward.
The floor beneath its foot exploded into stone dust.
Sailor turned and ran.
He ran as fast as he could, but every step echoed with pain. His lungs burned. His heart hammered as if about to burst.
A roar sounded behind him.
Heavy. Deafening.
The air shuddered.
An axe cleaved the space where Sailor had been a second before. The blow shattered a column, turning it to dust.
Sailor stumbled.
Fell.
Rolled.
Barely got up when the second axe slammed into the ground before him.
The shockwave threw him back.
He hit a wall.
Darkness swam before his eyes.
"I can't… I can't keep up…"
"Of course you can't," the dragon chuckled. "You're still human."
The orc was approaching.
Every step—an earthquake.
Sailor tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't obey.
He saw both heads leaning toward him.
Saw the axes rising.
Time slowed down.
"So this is it…"
At that moment, the world seemed to crack.
Sailor's consciousness was pushed aside.
Not gone—just became an observer.
His body stood up on its own.
Its movements became fluid.
Light.
As if gravity had vanished.
"My turn," the dragon's voice rang out.
Deep. Real.
The orc struck.
Sailor's body vanished.
It reappeared ten meters away, standing on a column fragment.
The orc froze.
Both heads turned.
The dragon stretched out a hand.
His fingers curled.
Black flame swirled around them.
"It's been a while since I stretched."
He stepped forward.
The air exploded.
Sailor felt everything.
How muscles tore.
How bones creaked.
How energy surged through a body it wasn't meant to withstand.
The orc lunged.
The dragon let it come closer.
On purpose.
The axe cleaved his shoulder.
Bone cracked.
Blood gushed.
Sailor screamed inside.
"You'll kill us!"
"Don't worry," the dragon replied calmly. "I know how much can be broken before the vessel becomes unusable."
He struck.
His fist pierced the orc's chest.
The shockwave shattered the floor.
One head howled.
The other tried to bite.
The dragon allowed it.
Jaws clamped down on his shoulder.
A crunch.
Blood.
Sailor felt fangs tearing through flesh.
"Stop! Kill it!"
"Boring," the dragon answered.
He grabbed the orc by its tusks.
And tore the head in two.
The giant's body swayed.
The dragon leaped.
Straight for the heart.
Fingers plunged into the chest.
Black flame ignited within.
The orc roared one last time.
Its heart exploded.
The giant collapsed.
The floor shuddered.
Silence enveloped the hall.
Control returned abruptly.
Sailor fell to his knees.
He vomited blood.
His body was on fire.
Every breath echoed with pain.
"You… you dragged it out on purpose…"
"Of course," the dragon answered with satisfaction. "I told you. I was bored."
Sailor lifted his gaze to the orc's body.
To the ruined hall.
To the smoke and blood.
"You're a monster…"
The dragon smirked.
"And who did you think you were signing a contract with?"
The system flashed.
[Guardian Destroyed]
[Compatibility: 14%]
[Assimilation Risk: 1.1%]
Sailor closed his eyes.
"I don't want to be your toy…"
"Then get stronger," the dragon said calmly. "Otherwise, you'll remain just a body in my hands."