The temperature dropped sharply as Nathan emerged.
He stood in what looked like it had once been a library. Towering shelves stretched toward a ceiling that was lost in shadow, their wood warped and blackened by centuries of moisture. The sound of water dripped somewhere in the darkness. The air smelled of mold and old paper.
[Ding! Tower of Beginnings: Floor 2]
[Objective: Defeat all enemies.]
[Party Size: 1]
[Difficulty: Adjusted for solo Climber.]
Nathan activated [Hunter's Insight] immediately.
The library's mana felt chaotic, with wisps of energy drifting between the shelves like fog. It was much harder to read than the clean mana patterns of Floor 1. He could see vague shapes in the darkness, but they kept flickering and shifting, never becoming clear.
"Shadow Wisps..." he muttered. "Semi-physical creatures. They can pass through walls and attack from ambush."
'You researched the Tower's monster roster.'
"Of course I did."
'Thorough Master. Very attractive quality.'
"Focus, Mirko"
'I am always focused. I simply multitask.'
Then there was ovement on the left. Between two collapsed shelves.
Nathan fired a [Mana Arrow] at the shape. The arrow passed straight through it. The wisp's body scattered around the impact like smoke, then pulled back together without a scratch.
"They're immune while dispersed," Nathan muttered. "We have to hit them when they turn solid to attack."
'How do we make them solid?'
"We wait."
Three wisps appeared at once from different directions. In their dispersed form, they were barely visible, like faint distortions in the air. But to attack, they had to become solid.
The first wisp lunged.
For a split second, it formed into a humanoid shape with long claws.
Nathan's arrow pierced straight through it.
The wisp let out a sharp shriek and vanished.
[Ding! Xp Gained!]
The second wisp solidified behind him. Nathan turned, but he was too slow.
Mirko slammed into it with [Headbutt].
The wisp staggered, and Nathan finished it with a close-range [Mana Arrow].
[Ding! Xp Gained!]
The third came from above.
Nathan's [Hunter's Insight] sensed the mana change a moment before it solidified. He dove aside, rolled across the damp floor, and fired. The arrow clipped the wisp. Not enough to kill it, but enough to force it back into its dispersed state.
"This will take forever if we fight them one at a time," Nathan said, breathing harder.
'Perhaps I should—'
"No. Not yet."
They cleared the archive room by room. Nathan found a rhythm: use [Hunter's Insight] to predict attacks, bait the wisps into solidifying, then strike with [Mana Arrow] or regular arrows depending on distance. Mirko kept pressuring them, forcing them to either stay dispersed and useless or become solid and vulnerable.
It worked, But it was slow. And the timer kept ticking.
In the third chamber, a wisp attacked from behind a fallen shelf before Nathan's [Hunter's Insight] could warn him.
Claws tore across his back.
Nathan gasped. His combat suit absorbed most of the damage, but the hit knocked him forward. Heat spread across his shoulder blade... bloodied, Not serious, but painful.
'MASTER!'
"I'm fine." He fired backward without turning, guided by [Hunter's Insight]. The arrow struck the wisp as it retreated. "Just a Minor injury. Let's Keep moving."
'You are injured.'
"And I'll be worse off if we stop." He kept walking. "Tower climbing is a marathon. Every mistake adds up. Let's not make another one."
---
They cleared the remaining rooms with more focus. Nathan's back still hurt, but the pain kept him sharp. Mirko stayed closer than usual, her normal teasing gone.
When the last wisp vanished, Nathan checked the timer.
[Ding! Tower of Beginnings: Floor 2 Cleared!]
[Time: 15 minutes 41 seconds.]
[Clear Rank: C]
[Floor Clear Reward: Minor Healing Potion x3, Minor Mana Potion x2]
C-Rank. Worse than Floor 1.
The injury hadn't caused a direct penalty, but it had slowed him down. A slower clear meant worse rewards.
Nathan drank a healing potion. Warmth spread through him, and the pain in his shoulder faded to a dull ache.
"Okay," he said quietly. "That could've gone better."
'You were hurt because I failed to cover your blind spot.' Mirko's voice was unusually serious. 'That won't happen again.'
"Mirko..."
'I am your Knight, Master. Protecting your blind spots is my job. I failed. I will improve.'
Nathan crouched and met her eyes. "You didn't fail. We cleared the floor. We're alive and That's the true win."
Her ears twitched. 'A C-Rank win.'
"A win, nonetheless." He stood up. "Now let's see what Floor 3 has for us."
---
Floor 3: The Fungal Cavern
The portal dropped Nathan into a huge underground cavern.
Glowing fungi covered the walls, ceiling, and rocks, bathing the area in blue-green light. A large lake sat in the center, perfectly still despite water dripping from the stalactites above. The air was warm, humid, and carried a sweet smell.
Nathan's [Hunter's Insight] flagged it immediately.
Mildly toxic. Not dangerous in small amounts. Just another environmental problem.
[Ding! Tower of Beginnings: Floor 3]
[Objective: Defeat all enemies.]
[Party Size: 1]
[Difficulty: Adjusted for solo Climber.]
Nathan studied the cavern. The glowing fungi interfered with [Hunter's Insight]. Too many mana signatures. Too much ambient energy. He could see movement near the lake, but not clearly.
Then he heard it... Not monsters. Humans.
Someone shouting. A summon crying out in pain.
Nathan moved toward the lake, staying low behind rocks. Mirko followed silently at his side.
Then he saw them.
Three Armored Crawlers... huge insect-like monsters with black armored shells and too many legs... they had trapped a Climber near the water.
The man looked slightly older than Nathan, maybe early twenties. Sweat soaked his brown hair. His armor was damaged, one shoulder plate completely cracked.
Beside him fought his summon.
Nathan blinked.
The summon was a... sheep. But not a normal sheep of course.
It was nearly the size of a man. Its wool was deep red, looking more like layered armor than fur. Four black eyes stared from its face in a pattern that made Nathan uncomfortable. Two massive black horns pressed against a Crawler's jaws as it struggled to hold the monster back.
A Mad-Sheep.
Nathan had read about it. It was a C-Rank summons. Tough, aggressive, and dangerous to everyone if not controlled properly.
Right now, it was losing.
The Climber smashed a mace into a Crawler's leg. The blow chipped its shell but didn't pierce it. Another Crawler moved around his flank.
The Mad-Sheep let out a bleat that sounded disturbing and threw itself in front of its master.
They wouldn't survive much longer.
'Master,' Mirko said tensely. 'We can avoid this. The exit is on the other side of the cavern. The Crawlers haven't noticed us.'
Nathan stayed still...
He could walk away...
The Crawlers were distracted. The cavern was large. He could go around, find the exit, and clear the floor without fighting.
Nobody would know....Except the Climber who was about to die... and except himself.
"Hey!"
Nathan turned before he realized he was moving. The Climber had spotted him. His eyes were wide with desperation, clinging to the sight of another person like a drowning man grabbing a rope.
"A little help?!"
Nathan hesitated... then he moved.
"Mirko! Harassment pattern! Right Crawler first! Keep it distracted."
'Master...'
"I know. We'll handle it."
Mirko rushed forward without arguing.
Nathan drew a normal arrow. No reason to waste mana before understanding the enemy's defenses. He activated [Hunter's Insight].
The Crawlers' armor lit up in his vision.
Thick, Layered and Tough.
[Mana Arrow] wouldn't reliably pierce it. [Focus Shot] could, but charging it would leave him exposed. The weak points were the joints between armor plates, but they were small and constantly moving.
A puzzle.
Nathan liked puzzles.
"Hey!" he shouted, drawing the left Crawler's attention. "Over here!"
The monster turned. Six segmented eyes fixed on him. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of grinding teeth.
Nathan fired.
The arrow struck the joint where its front leg connected to its body. The Crawler screeched and jerked back, its leg twitching.
It wasn't dead yet but it was now vulnerable.
"Hey you! Left side! Hit the damaged leg!"
The Climber stared for a split second, then swung his mace with everything he had.
CRUNCH.
The leg shattered. The Crawler collapsed sideways, armor scraping against stone.
Nathan finished it with a [Mana Arrow] through the exposed belly.
[Ding! Xp Gained!]
"One down!" Garrett, the Climber, shouted between breaths. "Holy shit, one down!"
"Focus! Two left!"
Mirko was already fighting the right Crawler, darting between its legs in a green blur. [Headbutt] slammed into its sensory organs. [Quick Reflex] got her out before it could strike back.
She couldn't break its armor in bunny form.
But she didn't need to, she only needed to keep it occupied.
Nathan drew another arrow and began charging [Focus Shot].
Five seconds.
Garrett's Mad-Sheep crashed into the middle Crawler, locking horns against its jaws. Its crimson wool hardened on impact, absorbing the monster's bite. Garrett hammered at its legs, yelling something furious and barely coherent.
Five more seconds then Nathan released.
The charged arrow tore across the cavern and punched through the right Crawler's armor like paper. The monster's scream cut off instantly as the shot blasted through its body.
[Ding! Xp Gained!]
The last Crawler sensed the shift and turned to run toward the lake but Nathan didn't allow it.
[Mana Arrow]. [Mana Arrow]. [Mana Arrow].
Three rapid shots hit the same joint.
The creature collapsed at the lake's edge, legs twitching. Then Nathan ended it with one final arrow through the head.
[Ding! Xp Gained!]
[Ding! Level up!]
Silence settled over the cavern.
Nathan lowered his bow, breathing hard. His mana had dropped sharply. The rapid-fire [Mana Arrows] had cost him. The Leyline Ring was already restoring it, but recovery would take time.
Garrett bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. Beside him, the Mad-Sheep's crimson wool slowly softened. Its four black eyes blinked separately.
Nathan looked away.
"That was..." Garrett wheezed. "That was insane. You're insane!. Thanks!. Holy shit!."
"Don't thank me yet." Nathan approached, scanning for threats. "You're injured."
"Yeah. Noticed that." Garrett straightened. Up close, he looked worse. Blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow, and his right shoulder hung awkwardly. "Didn't expect Crawlers. Floor 2 already drained me. Thought I could solo Floor 3."
He laughed weakly.
"Clearly not."
"Where's your extraction crystal?"
"In my pouch." Garrett patted his belt. "I was about to use it when you showed up. Perfect timing." He blinked. "You're Nathan Cross, right? The Bunny King?"
Nathan grimaced. "Just Nathan."
"Right. Sorry. I'm Garrett. Garrett Voss." He pointed at his summon. "This is Red. My C-Rank summon Mad-Sheep. Terrifying little nightmare. Love him."
The Mad-Sheep bleated, a discomforting sound.
"You should extract," Nathan said. "That shoulder needs treatment. And there are seven floors left."
"Yeah, I know." But Garrett didn't move.
He was watching Mirko, who sat on a nearby rock, alert pink eyes scanning the cavern.
"That's your summon?" Garrett asked. "The famous bunny?"
"Mirko."
"It's faster than I expected." Garrett shook his head. "And your teamwork..." He paused. "...i saw everything. It knew where you were aiming before you even fired. That's not normal. It's almost on the level of a humanoid summons intelligence"
Nathan stayed silent.
Garrett studied him, then smiled. Tired, genuine.
"Man, that bunny of yours..." he said. "No wonder you topped the Tutorial leaderboard. People are gonna be very interested in you, Cross."
Friendly words, but Nathan heard the warning underneath.
"Let them be interested," he said. "Are you extracting or not?"
"Yeah. I'm Going."
Garrett pulled out his extraction crystal.
"Hey, Cross?"
"What?"
"Thanks. Seriously. Most Climbers would've walked away."
He crushed the crystal.
Light swallowed him. The Mad-Sheep dissolved into particles and followed.
Then they were gone.
'Master,' Mirko said quietly. 'He saw too much.'
"He saw good teamwork and a fast bunny. Nothing weird." Nathan checked his arrows. Enough left. "Come on. We still need to clear the floor."
---
They found the remaining Crawlers in a side chamber, eating glowing fungi off the walls.
Nathan fought from range this time, using the terrain to trap them in a narrow path where numbers mattered less.
[Focus Shot] broke armor.
[Mana Arrow] finished the wounded.
Mirko disrupted and distracted.
When the final Crawler fell, Nathan checked the timer.
[Ding! Tower of Beginnings: Floor 3 Cleared!]
[Time: 18 minutes 3 seconds.]
[Clear Rank: A]
[Floor Clear Reward: Mid-Grade Mana Potion x3, Antidote Vial x2]
[Note: Rank adjusted for assisted Climber extraction. Bonus applied.]
A-Rank.
Saving Garrett had cost time, but the Tower compensated for helping another Climber.
Interesting.
The Tower rewarded cooperation.
Or at least recognized it.
Nathan collected his rewards and headed for the Floor 4 portal.
His mana was back to seventy percent thanks to the Leyline Ring. His earlier injuries were gone. Mirko was unharmed.
Objectively, the climb was going well, But Garrett's words stayed with him.
People are gonna be interested in you, Cross.
Then He stepped through the portal.
---
The Floor 4 entry room was smaller than the previous ones.
Circular, ten meters wide, No monsters, No hazards.
Only a single pedestal in the center with a glowing interface.
[Ding! Floor 4: Conditional Trial.]
Nathan frowned, that was new.
[Summons Restricted: Humanoid-type summons detected within party.]
His blood ran cold.
[Full combat authorization granted to detected humanoid summons.]
[Warning: Floor 4 monsters scale to match authorized summons.]
Nathan stared at the message.
The Tower knew, Not just that Mirko had a humanoid form.
It had detected her real capabilities while she was still in bunny form. While she was hiding. While she was suppressed.
'Master...' Mirko's voice was small. 'I didn't reveal anything. I swear.'
"I know." Nathan's thoughts raced. "It's not you. The Tower must be scanning potential through the system, not just current form."
'What do we do?'
Nathan looked at the gate ahead.
Floor 4.
The monsters would be stronger than anything they'd fought so far.
Scaled to a humanoid summon.
Scaled to Mirko.
If they fought seriously, they could probably clear it.
But the Tower would record everything. Guilds, the Association, rivals... everyone watching Nathan Cross could end up learning exactly what his "useless bunny" could do.
But If they held back... They could die or extract.
Nathan clenched his jaw. "Damn."
He stood before the gate, feeling the weight of the choice.
Seven floors remained, seven harder floors. And now the Tower itself was forcing his hand.
'Master?' Mirko asked.
Nathan drew his bow. "Let's get onto the Floor first, Then we decide."
Then he pushed open the gate...