Floor 31 didn't feel like a checkpoint. It felt like the moment everything stopped pretending to be manageable.
The moment we stepped into the combat zone, I turned around and called everyone's attention, not bothering to ease into it.
There were too many people now, too many variables, and if I didn't set the tone immediately, this whole thing would collapse into chaos in about ten seconds.
"Listen carefully," I said, raising my voice just enough to cut through the noise. Conversations died down one by one, until hundreds of eyes were actually looking at me. "From here on out, we stop playing safe. We're grinding levels. Hard."
A ripple went through the group. Some straightened, others exchanged looks, but no one interrupted. Good. That meant they already understood this wasn't a suggestion.
