Defeating the Verdant Warden was no small feat. For a team like Ironwood, the battle would typically last at least five hours. But with Max and Odori fighting alongside us, the entire ordeal took half that time.

Honestly? Our contribution paled in comparison to theirs.

Because of that, we now had over two hours left before the Tower closed. Even after losing an hour stuck in the Verdant Glade due to the boss's final curse.

With this much time, we couldn't take on another major battle or trial. Most of the treasures in this area had already been looted.

But there was one last thing we could accomplish, something that could significantly boost our strength.

The Portal to the Second Floor.

With our Soul Slot already full, we needed to increase our Soul Level before we could absorb more Soul Fragments.

And the only way to do that?

Reaching the next floor's portal.

Unfortunately, this method could only be used once per floor, meaning that Darwyn and Muradin, who had already reached Floor Two before, wouldn't benefit from it.

But for the rest of us? Reaching that portal was a golden opportunity we couldn't afford to miss.

The problem was…

Time was running out.

***

"H-Hold on! I… I need to catch my breath!" Muradin wheezed, dragging his feet behind us.

Even Orin, usually full of energy, was gasping for air beside him.

I turned back and saw Muradin's armor weighing him down.

"Take off your armor," I suggested.

Without hesitation, he removed his chest plate and stored it in his pouch, finally lightening his load.

"How much farther?" Orin panted, glancing at Darwyn.

Darwyn squinted ahead, calculating.

"If we keep running, we'll reach the portal in about thirty minutes," he said. "Especially since we've already cleared the glades leading up to it."

"You guys go on without me," Muradin groaned, his face flushed red from exhaustion. "I don't need to reach the portal anyway."

"Same… I can't run anymore," Orin coughed, doubling over.

I quickly visualized the map in my head, tracing every possible route we could take.

There had to be another way.

Then, it hit me.

"There's an alternative route."

Everyone looked at me.

"We don't need to run all the way to the portal," I explained. "But it means we'll have to pass through Glade 215."

Their expressions instantly shifted.

"Instead of going straight to the portal, we take the right path at Glade 215. It's a shortcut, but it won't be easy."

Silence fell over the group.

Then, I turned to Darwyn and Elena. "You two should keep running to the portal. I'll take Orin and Muradin through the shortcut."

"No."

Elena's voice was firm, unwavering.

"We stay together."

Darwyn nodded in agreement.

I sighed but smiled. "Alright then. Let's head for Glade 215."

***

At long last, we arrived at Torchbearer's Hollow.

Unlike the battles we had faced before, this challenge wasn't about brute strength. It was a test of logic.

And that was a problem.

Because once again, the puzzle was different from the one I remembered in the game… And we only had less than fifteen minutes to solve it.

Before us stood six unlit torches, each marked with a rune, representing numbers one through six.

The moment we touched the massive monolith at the center of the area, a deep, echoing voice resonated from the stone.

"Six torches stand before the gate, Three must shine to change your fate. The highest flame must stand between, The sum of all, an even scene. First and last must not be twin, Nor differ by just two within. Let final rise above the start, Lest shadows tear the flame apart."

As the last word faded into the air, Elena suddenly said, "I think this is a math puzzle. We need to light three out of six torches, and their total has to be an even number."

"Yeah, exactly," Darwyn replied. "And the second torch we light needs to be the highest number."

"Aaargh, my head hurts!" Orin groaned, gripping her hair in frustration.

Muradin, who was still recovering from our earlier sprint, simply collapsed onto the ground.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Yeah, I'll leave this one to you guys," he mumbled, waving us off.

Darwyn, Elena, and I exchanged glances before falling into deep thought. For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, Darwyn spoke first.

"We should light torches 1, 6, and 3." His voice was steady. "Six is in the middle, the highest number. And the total sum is 10, which is even."

"Don't forget the last rule," I reminded him. "The difference between the first and last can't be exactly two… and the last has to be greater than the first."

Darwyn blinked. "Oh. Right."

Elena tapped her chin. "Then what about 4, 6, and 2?"

But almost immediately, she shook her head. "Nope... same problem. The difference is two again."

Darwyn let out a frustrated sigh. "Darn it, this is trickier than I thought."

I stepped forward and examined the torches one more time, running through the conditions again in my mind.

Then, it clicked.

I turned back to them and pointed at the correct torches.

"It has to be 1, 6, and 5."

Elena's eyes widened. "Wait, yeah! That works!"

Darwyn blinked before grinning. "Ohhh! You're right!" He quickly nocked a fire arrow and took aim. "Gosh, you really are sharp, Erynd!"

"Are you sure about this, Erynd?" Muradin asked, finally sitting up.

I nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Now, let's move. We've got less than five minutes."

The moment Darwyn ignited the three torches, the entire area rumbled.

A second later, a brilliant blue portal flickered into existence.

Had we been wrong, the portal would not have teleported us to the glade with the portal. Instead, we would have been sent all the way back to the first glade.

We rushed into the portal without hesitation.

One by one, we stepped into the new area, our feet landing on a smooth stone platform bathed in ethereal blue light.

Directly ahead of us stood a massive portal, far grander than the one we had just passed through.

Unlike the previous one we entered before, this one was encased within an enormous, intricately carved gate, its surface adorned with ancient runes that pulsed with an intense blue glow.

The air crackled with arcane energy, and despite the urgency of the moment, I couldn't help but feel awe-struck.

This was it.

The gateway to the next floor of the Tower.

***

A strange, familiar sensation enveloped me the moment I stepped through the portal.

My stomach twisted and churned as if it were being thrown into a whirlpool, and my vision blurred into a swirling mess of colors. My entire body felt like it was being stretched and compressed at the same time, weightless yet completely out of control.

I clenched my eyes shut, steadying my breath.

This should only last a second.

The transition between locations was always disorienting, but it was never longer than fifteen seconds.

I started counting in my head.

One… Two… Three…

By the time I reached thirty, my pulse spiked in alarm.

Something was wrong.

The usual sensation of my feet touching solid ground never came.

Instead, my body still felt suspended, floating in an endless abyss.

A deep, unnatural silence filled the space around me.

I hesitated before opening my eyes.

Darkness.

A vast, empty void stretched endlessly in all directions. There was no sky, no ground, no walls. Just nothingness.

Even more terrifying… I couldn't feel my body.

I tried moving my arms. Nothing.

I tried wiggling my fingers. Nothing.

It was as if I had become a disembodied consciousness, adrift in an endless vacuum.

Deja vu.

A creeping realization slithered into my mind.

I had felt this before.

And then it hit me.

The first time I entered this world.

My chest tightened.

No… No, no, no. This can't be happening.

Did I… die?

Was I being reset to the beginning?

What about the others?

Elena, Orin, Darwyn, Muradin. Had they been sent here too? Were they experiencing the same thing? Or was I the only one trapped in this abyss?

The thought sent a surge of panic through me.

I struggled to calm myself, forcing my mind to retrace my last moments.

I remembered watching Orin step into the grand portal.

Nothing seemed off.

A few seconds later, I followed her.

And now… this.

Was the portal a trap?

Or had something—or someone—interfered as I passed through?

A new possibility chilled me to the core.

What if I wasn't alone here?

***

Time seemed to stretch endlessly.

I floated in the void, trapped in an eerie silence, waiting for something to happen.

Then, from the farthest reaches of the darkness, a single point of light appeared.

At first, it was barely noticeable, like a distant star in an empty sky. But it grew steadily, getting brighter and closer.

If my guess was right, this was the part where multiple figures would appear before me, allowing me to choose from the six races of Dreadspire.

But instead of that, only one figure emerged.

A man, clad in a long, flowing white robe, stepped forward.

His silver-white hair cascaded past his shoulders, and though his face was veiled in a glow, I could see his aged hands, lined with wrinkles. His posture was straight, dignified, yet his presence radiated an unmistakable power.

Then, without warning, a deep, majestic voice resonated in my mind.

"Ah, finally. My guess was right."

He looked at me closely.

"Hmm… interesting. A druid, of all things. Ah, I see… is this right? Ursine Spirit? Too bad."

There was a pause, as if he were mulling over his own words.

Then he chuckled softly before speaking again.

"How's that bastard doing? He should still be alive. I can't wait to meet him in person. How long has it been? Time… such a strange concept, given my condition."

I tried to speak, but my lips wouldn't move.

The questions swirled in my mind. Who the hell this bastard is? What is this place and how to get out of here?

The voice interrupted my thoughts, almost amused.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Try again now. It should work now."

I hesitated. Was he talking to me? What was he even saying?

"Ho ho ho… Yes, I'm speaking to you, earthling."

My breath caught.

How did he know?

My thoughts raced with possibilities.

Was he the one responsible for bringing me here? Was this all his doing?

"Hmm… possibly. You could say that, though I wasn't the one who directly triggered it."

A realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.

He could read my mind.

***

"What do you want?" I thought, testing him.

Instead of answering, the voice let out a piercing, high-pitched laugh that rang through my skull like a bell.

"Most people in your position would ask for information… or mercy. You, however, jump straight to hostility. How very aggressive."

"I don't have time for games," I thought firmly. "You wouldn't approach me just for small talk. You want something, so get to the point."

The glowing figure paused.

Then, he laughed. Menacingly.

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