The air brushed against my body.
Cool.
Real.
For the first time since the battle ended, my muscles loosened.
The tension that had held fractured bones together and forced breath into exhausted lungs finally disappeared.
Then—
It came.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
Slowly.
Pain.
Every wound I had ignored returned at once.
My ribs screamed.
My shoulder throbbed.
Every muscle burned.
Fatigue crashed into me like a collapsing dam.
The price of forcing Prime Instinct beyond its natural limits.
The adrenaline that had carried me through battle vanished.
My knees buckled.
The world tilted.
Thoughts slowed.
Sounds echoed strangely inside my head.
Darkness crept into the edge of my vision.
Then—
A crimson screen appeared before me.
> [CONGRATULATIONS]
The First Stage of the Tower Has Been Cleared.
Calculating Rewards...
I barely looked at it.
Almost immediately—
A familiar blue screen appeared.
> [Congratulations on Completing the Initial Trial]
Healing Initiated...
Gentle blue light flowed over my body.
Unlike battle...
Unlike rage...
Its warmth was quiet.
Comforting.
Like cool water washing away years of exhaustion.
My breathing steadied.
Broken ribs slowly aligned.
Torn muscles reconnected.
Internal injuries disappeared one by one.
Minutes passed.
Eventually...
I stood once more.
My body had recovered completely.
Yet something remained wrong.
I clenched my fist.
Weak.
Not physically.
Mentally.
It felt as though my mind had fought a battle of its own.
"...So that's the price."
Prime Instinct had not damaged my body.
It had consumed something deeper.
Concentration.
Mental endurance.
Willpower.
Physical wounds could heal.
Mental exhaustion...
Could not.
Not yet.
I stretched slowly.
Everything worked.
But every thought felt heavier than before.
I exhaled.
"Take me back."
Silence.
The crimson screen appeared again.
> Proceed to the Second Stage?
YES / NO
"No."
Nothing happened.
The battlefield remained exactly the same.
The shattered mountains.
The ruined wasteland.
The lingering silence.
Then—
The crimson screen changed.
> Reward Calculation Complete.
Due to the exceptional difficulty of the First Stage...
Additional rewards have been granted to improve your chances of survival.
The letters flickered.
Their color darkened.
The final line appeared.
> Please... stay alive.
The words distorted.
Layering over one another.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Countless voices spoke together.
> It would be a shame...
> ...if our toy died so soon.
The battlefield fell silent.
The crimson screen shattered like broken glass.
Every fragment dissolved into darkness.
My pupils contracted.
Something...
Was wrong.
Very wrong.
The mental exhaustion disappeared.
Not because it recovered.
Because something else replaced it.
A surge of power erupted from somewhere far deeper than my own existence.
Not violent.
Not uncontrolled.
Ancient.
A blue screen forced itself before my eyes.
> [STATUS UPDATE]
> Pure Beast Bloodline: Stable (Sealed)
> Accessible Power: 2%
> Threat Classification: Unregistered
The numbers flickered violently.
> ERROR
> ERROR
> ERROR
The screen cracked.
Fragments scattered into nothingness.
Gone.
I slowly raised my head.
My breathing had changed.
My pupils became vertical.
Like those of a tiger.
The entire battlefield entered my perception.
Every grain of dust.
Every current of air.
Every vibration beneath the earth.
Then—
I felt it.
A presence.
One that made the ancient orc feel insignificant.
It wasn't standing before me.
It wasn't behind me.
It existed...
Everywhere.
Watching.
Measuring.
Observing.
Danger.
Every instinct screamed.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Yet something sleeping inside the seal remained calm.
Watching alongside it.
The presence noticed.
It realized...
I had noticed it.
Then—
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
Not from one direction.
From all directions.
Soft.
Calm.
Amused.
"Welcome back..."
A pause.
"My little cat."
The words were gentle.
Yet every syllable carried unquestionable authority.
It wasn't mocking me.
It was stating a fact.
My body instinctively tensed.
Another surge of power rose from deep within me.
The seal trembled.
Blue lightning flashed across my skin before disappearing again.
The presence remained unmoved.
"...Still defiant."
A faint chuckle echoed through the ruined battlefield.
"Good."
The voice faded.
"Grow stronger."
Another pause.
"...or remain entertainment."
Silence.
Everything disappeared.
A pillar of blue light descended from the heavens.
Space folded around me.
The battlefield vanished.
...
I opened my eyes.
I was back inside my room.
Standing exactly where I had entered the Tower.
Morning sunlight poured through the window.
Peaceful.
Calm.
As though nothing had happened.
I looked toward the sky.
Then—
For the briefest instant—
I saw them.
Two enormous crimson eyes.
Far beyond the stars.
Watching.
I blinked.
They disappeared.
...
I hadn't imagined them.
---
Across the planet—
Ancient wills awakened simultaneously.
Within forgotten mountain ranges...
Beneath endless oceans...
Inside hidden realms untouched for countless ages...
Powerful existences slowly opened their eyes.
None spoke.
None moved.
Yet every expression became solemn.
Only one thought echoed through their minds.
Something... had looked into this world.
Not descended.
Not invaded.
Simply...
Looked.
And that alone was enough to make beings who had survived countless ages prepare for war.
---
Far beyond the known universe...
Beyond endless galaxies...
An isolated, barren world drifted silently through the void.
No oceans.
No forests.
No life.
Only endless stone.
At its center stood a solitary black tower.
Its body devoured every ray of light that approached.
Space bent around it.
Reality itself seemed unwilling to acknowledge its existence.
The watching presence returned.
Back to where it had always been.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!!!
The heavens responded.
Dark clouds gathered above the dead world.
The universe trembled.
A Heavenly Tribulation of Judgment descended.
A pillar of divine lightning crashed onto the black tower.
The world shook.
The void rippled.
The tower remained unmoved.
Not even a scratch.
Steam slowly rose from its dark surface.
Nothing more.
The heavens raged.
Thunder roared louder.
The clouds condensed once again.
This time—
A Heavenly Tribulation of Erasure descended.
Its purpose was simple.
Erase the offender.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!!!
The second bolt struck.
The barren world trembled violently.
Mountains collapsed.
Space distorted.
The tower remained exactly as it had before.
Untouched.
Unaffected.
Unjudged.
The heavens gathered once more.
Thunder rumbled endlessly.
Then...
The clouds slowly dispersed.
Not because their anger had faded.
But because they understood.
There was nothing they could do.
---
At the summit of the black tower—
The entire highest floor was a single chamber.
Darkness filled every corner.
At its center stood a black throne.
A lone figure sat upon it.
Motionless.
Invisible.
Only two crimson eyes glowed within the darkness.
Filled with amusement.
They slowly dimmed.
A quiet chuckle echoed through the chamber.
"So..."
A brief silence followed.
"The party..."
"...has finally arrived."
The darkness swallowed the crimson eyes once more.
And the tower returned to silence.