"I flow, I move, and I am endless. Still, I am your source of life."

Darwyn and I were in full agreement, this had to mean water. Every part of the clue pointed in that direction. Water flows, moves, and never truly stops. It gives life, sustains existence. There was no doubt in our minds.

But the others weren't convinced.

"Endless?" Muradin crossed her arms, frowning. "That word fits air better than water. The sky stretches forever, but rivers and lakes? They have limits."

Elena nodded. "And think about it. Air moves constantly, just like the clue says. It shifts, swirls, and never stays still. It's also just as essential to life as water is."

I opened my mouth to argue but hesitated.

She had a point.

The problem was, the other clue complicated things even more.

"I am a force that whispers in the silence. Guide me, and I'll carry you where you wish to go."

I tapped my fingers against my arm, deep in thought. "A force that whispers in the silence…"

"That sounds like wind," I muttered. "Air moves soundlessly, always present but never seen."

"Exactly," Darwyn said. "That's gotta be air."

But before I could agree, Muradin scoffed and stepped forward, shaking his head.

"You're all thinking too hard about the 'whisper' part," he said. "What about the second half? Guide me, and I'll carry you where you wish to go." He folded his arms. "A river will take you places. Ocean currents carry ships across the world. Water does that, not air."

That gave us all pause.

Dang it. He wasn't wrong either, at least in this world where air balloons and paragliders do not exist.

We stood in tense silence, staring at the gemstones in our hands.

There were only two left. One had to go to water. One had to go to air.

And we had no idea which was which.

***

Orin didn't take sides in the debate, nor did she have a clear answer.

She was the worst at puzzles like this, long discussions and overcomplicated reasoning just made her head hurt. Listening to us go back and forth for so long had drained what little patience she had.

So, without another word, she reached for the Blue Gemstone, turning it over in her palm.

She wasn't thinking.

She wasn't analyzing.

She was feeling.

Slowly, Orin pivoted on her heel, scanning the identical statues. She let instinct guide her steps, walking toward one of them with careful purpose. Until she hesitated.

Her fingers tightened around the gemstone.

"...Are we really going to decide it like this?" she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "We've already spent too much time arguing. Both sides made valid points. This is the best we can do."

Muradin grinned. "At least now, if we all die, it's your fault." He let out a booming laugh. "I swear, if you get this wrong, I'll haunt your spirit for eternity."

Darwyn chuckled, shaking his head. "No pressure, huh?" Then he gave Orin a reassuring nod. "We trust your decision. No matter what happens, this isn't just on you. It's on all of us."

Orin exhaled, but before she could respond, she felt a sudden warmth around her arm.

Elena had latched onto her, squeezing tightly.

"You got this," she whispered.

Orin blinked, taken aback. Elena wasn't usually this… clingy. But there was no hesitation in her grip.

Orin let out a small breath, straightened her back, and slotted the gemstone into place.

Silence fell over the chamber.

No one moved.

Elena shut her eyes, pressing her palms together like she was praying to every god she knew. Muradin nervously stroked his beard, muttering something under his breath.

The seconds dragged on like an eternity.

Our eyes snapped to the monolith, waiting, bracing…

And then nothing.

The runes remained blue.

A beat of silence.

Then chaos.

A chorus of cheers erupted as relief washed over us. We grabbed onto each other, laughing, shouting, celebrating.

"Oh Orin, I love you!"

Orin's face flushed crimson as Darwyn, eyes wide with horror, immediately let go of her. The realization of what he'd just said hit him like a brick to the face.

"I mean…" He staggered back, hands up defensively. "That was… I just—!"

Silence.

Then, Muradin roared with laughter.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Orin covered her face with both hands, groaning.

The mood shifted instantly, the tension from before completely forgotten.

And just like that, we had won.

***

Orin inserted the final gemstone into the statue engraved with the inscription: "I am a force that whispers in the silence. Guide me, and I'll carry you where you wish to go."

The monolith at the heart of the chamber pulsed. Its runes shifted from blue to a deep, glowing green.

Then, with a low rumble, the path ahead opened.

We had done it.

Verdant Glade.

After twenty-six grueling days inside the Tower, we had reached the secret trial, on the very last possible day before the Tower sealed itself once more.

We had no time to waste. If we didn't act fast, everything we'd fought for would be for nothing.

I took a step forward, my heart pounding with anticipation.

This was where we would face the secret boss. A monster so rare and powerful that defeating it would grant us an item of immeasurable value. One that was guaranteed to drop.

A reward that would make all our suffering worth it.

But just as my eyes locked onto the massive monolith in the center of the glade, etched with the infinity symbol.

A voice interrupted.

"Hey, we got here first."

It was a girl's voice, smooth and confident, with an almost playful edge.

I turned sharply toward the source.

Standing at the other entrance was a petite human girl with striking features. Her golden-blonde hair framed a delicate face, though her jet-black eyebrows immediately stood out as unnatural.

People dyed their hair in this world too?

She looked young and around Orin's size, but what really caught my attention was her clothing.

Bright. Bold. Stylish.

A clash of colors and patterns that looked far too modern for this world, almost reminiscent of streetwear back home.

And in her hands?

A watercolor paintbrush.

Not a staff. Not a weapon. A paintbrush.

I barely had time to process that before I noticed her other hand.

A druid's staff.

A weapon that should have been exclusive to the druid race.

But she wasn't a druid.

And she wasn't alone.

Behind her stood a tall man. Almost 2 meters, broad-shouldered, and built like a fortress. His imposing frame was eerily similar to Darwyn's, though even more muscular.

He said nothing.

He just stood there, watching us with a calculating gaze.

Thick stubble framed his jaw, accentuating his sharp features. His dark brown eyes burned with an intensity that made it impossible to read his thoughts.

He wore no visible armor. No weapons.

And yet…

There was no doubt in my mind.

This man was dangerous.

The girl tilted her head, flashing a knowing smile.

"Well?" she asked.

I narrowed my eyes.

"That's impossible," I said coolly. "If you really got here first, the entrance should've closed behind you."

"We must have entered at the same time, then," she mused. "Since it only sealed just now."

I clenched my jaw.

Of course.

Somehow, against all odds, another team had entered the secret area at the exact same moment as us.

The odds of that happening were astronomically low.

And now we were stuck here together.

Muradin scoffed, folding his arms. "We're the ones who opened this place. That means the reward belongs to us."

The large man behind the girl finally spoke.

His voice was deep, steady, and unshakable.

"Wrong. We opened this place."

He wasn't lying. I hated to admit it, but technically… both he and Muradin were right.

Because there was more than one way to unlock Verdant Glade.

We had used one method.

They had used another.

Muradin frowned. "Tch. Even if that's true, there's no way just two people can take on this boss alone."

The man smirked, stepping forward. "Then let's settle this the old-fashioned way. Us versus all five of you, right here, right now."

I tensed as he placed himself firmly in front of the girl, shielding her from view.

He was protecting her.

Muradin cracked his knuckles. "Hah! You think you can take me?"

Darwyn raised his bow, his sharp gaze locking onto the man.

Tension crackled in the air.

"Enough."

The girl sighed, placing a hand on her companion's arm.

"Max, we don't need to waste our energy on this." She turned back to us, her expression unreadable. "So? What's it gonna be?"

Elena stepped forward, crossing her arms.

"We take down the boss together," she stated firmly. "We roll dice to decide who gets the drop, just like normal adventurers do. Each team rolls a number of dice equal to their members."

The girl hummed, tapping her paintbrush against her chin.

"Ahhh, I see. So your team gets five rolls, and we only get two? Seems a little unfair, don't you think?" She grinned. "How about this? We all roll five dice. Winner takes the prize. The losers can keep the Mana Stones. Sounds good?"

"That's ridiculous," Orin scoffed. "We have more people, which means we will contribute way more to this fight."

Max exhaled sharply. "They're stubborn, Odori. Let's just end them and take the reward ourselves."

Muradin immediately stepped forward, standing nose-to-chest with Max despite their size difference.

"You wanna try, big guy?" Muradin growled.

Max grinned.

Darwyn didn't hesitate to raise his bow again, his arrow glowing faintly with fire.

The air was thick with tension. One wrong move, and we'd be fighting before the boss even spawned.

"Enough."

I shut it down before it could escalate.

"There's no point fighting each other," I said firmly. "We don't have time for this. The Tower closes soon, and we all need this drop."

Max frowned, but I continued before he could argue.

"We work together. We agreed to your condition. Whoever rolls the highest keeps the grand prize, and we'll each roll five times," I said. "Mana Stones should be plenty. No one leaves empty-handed."

I let my gaze drift to Orin for a fraction of a second.

Because we had a secret weapon.

Cursed Mimic.

Her luck was absurd.

We wouldn't lose.

And they wouldn't even see it coming.

Odori studied me for a long moment before her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Well then," she purred. "Let the games begin."

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