Chiara's fists were clenched, trembling despite her efforts to steady them. She couldn't deny it—she was nervous.

Addressing all the climbers, their piercing gazes fixed on her. These weren't ordinary looks; they were the gazes of people who had blood on their hands, who had fought and survived to make it this far. And now… now she had to say it. What she had to become for them…

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The white rooms never truly ended. The trials never stopped. This isn't a place to feel safe, to relax, or to enjoy each other's company… This…

Her eyes snapped open.

It was time.

She scanned the crowd, locking eyes with Wang, Imani, Arjun, and Lukas. They were ready. Waiting. Trusting her to lead.

She stepped forward, burying her emotions beneath an iron will.

"I believe by now all of you think you understand what it means to face The Tower," she began, her voice steady and unyielding. "But… do you really? Let me tell you something—if we keep going like this, every single one of us… will die."

Her words cut through the crowd like a blade.

"We are weak. Our fangs have dulled. We lack the strength to face what's ahead. A boss is roaming the Riftflow, and all we can do… is wait. And wait for what, exactly?"

She let the question hang for a moment. "Wait for someone stronger to take care of it? Pathetic, isn't it? But here's the thing—that's how nature works: survival of the fittest. The law of the jungle. And that's exactly what this is, in every sense.

"In this place, only strength matters. Everything else is a lie. A delusion. A fragile comfort we've dragged in from modern society—a society that has no place inside The Tower."

She paused, scanning the crowd, her gaze sharp and unwavering.

"And enough of walking in circles. Let's name names. Let's state facts. Alonso is the strongest of us in The Tower right now, and every day, he grows stronger. I know many of you hate him, but your hate doesn't change the truth."

Her eyes flicked briefly to Arjun before continuing. "It doesn't change the fact that Alonso defeated eight of us at once, in a one-on-eight match. It doesn't change the fact that he killed the first boss alone, an abomination we could only watch in fear."

"And why do you hate him?" Her voice turned colder. "Because he refused to submit? Because he didn't die like you wanted him to? Because he stood tall while you trembled? Your fear disguised as hate won't change the truth."

She took another step forward, her voice hard as steel. "Let's stop pretending. You wanted him to submit because you were too afraid to face him yourself. You wanted him punished because you couldn't do it with your own strength. Let me remind you—this is not Earth. There are no laws here. No police. No constitution. No society to protect you or uphold your complaints."

"This is a jungle. And we are animals. No one will protect you. No one will care for you. And when you die—and you will die—you'll be buried under the claws of some creature or fall to the blade of someone stronger than you."

Chiara stopped, her gaze sweeping through the crowd.

"How many of you want Alonso dead?"

Her sudden words sent a ripple through the climbers. Shock flickered across their faces, and the crowd grew eerily silent. People glanced at each other, uncertain, hesitant. No one wanted to be the first to move.

Her eyes fell on Rakesh. He stood oddly still, his gaze fixed on the ground, calm yet detached. Then she locked eyes with Arjun. His fierce gaze met hers, but he didn't raise his hand.

Chiara chuckled, shaking her head. "So now, even with him absent, you're even afraid to raise your arms? I thought strong warriors like you would have more guts than this. Has it all been lost?"

Her voice sharpened as she gestured toward them. "Seasoned meals. Safe hunts. Laughter around the fire at night. Very cozy, isn't it? Reminds you of home. Makes you forget where we really are."

Her gaze hardened, her tone cutting. "You're getting soft. Soft and weak."

She let her words hang for a moment, then added, her voice dry, "Save the Bible for Sundays, eh?"

The crowd remained silent. Some clenched their teeth and fists, and others, like Ishaam, radiated anger. But most just stood there, their gazes lowered, the weight of realization pressing down on them. Or perhaps they'd already begun to grasp this truth in the last few days.

Chiara observed the stark difference from the Oasis. Back then, their anger had nowhere to go but Alonso, and there had been no fear of tomorrow. It had been a safe environment, free of abominations dozens of meters tall, capable of wiping them out. Here, people had already died, and more would follow. Now, they knew what true fear was.

"So, things have to change. And by changing, I mean this: for those who wish to remain under me, any trace of modern society we've clung to must be abandoned. We will become animals. We will follow the laws of the jungle—the laws of The Tower. We will become whatever is necessary to survive and keep moving forward."

Her voice was cold and heavy, striking the silence like a hammer.

"Rule number one. We are not equal. The stronger you are, the more power you have, the more rights you gain, the more immunity you hold. For the weak, you either obey… or leave."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Some eyes widened, others darted nervously. Whispers broke out like small waves of rebellion, but no one dared speak openly.

"Rule number two. I will cooperate with Alonso for all major battles. Let me make this clear: he does not need us, but we need him. That means he has no obligation to cooperate with us, yet we will follow his lead. If he asks for something, we will deliver. No questions asked."

Murmurs grew louder, but Chiara's words silenced them.

"Rule number three. Based on the boss's rewards, we anticipate that seven of us—and by us, I mean all climbers in this stage—will always remain a step ahead of the others. These seven will hold absolute authority over the rest. No one disloyal to us or on bad terms with Alonso will be considered for these positions. And those chosen will have their needs met by the rest, without exception."

Chiara's face was cold, staring ahead, unblinking. The crowd was clearly shocked. Disgust and fear showed on some faces, confusion on others.

She remained still, letting the silence stretch. The hardest part was done. Now, she had to prepare for the backlash. It took longer than she expected for someone to step forward. But eventually, Arjun did.

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"So that's it? Nothing else matters but power? No honor, no compassion, no morality, no rules? Nothing but strength? So… we're going back to the way things were? Just like Hughes? All we fought for… for nothing?"

Chiara locked eyes with him, calm and unwavering, noting the ripple Hughes' name created among them. She had expected this.

"Yes. Nothing else matters," she replied. "Tyranny? Yes, but only of those with strength earned through their own hands—not strength handed to them by others." She paused. "And yes, Arjun, I'm willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to climb The Tower. And even that may not be enough."

She continued. "You speak of honor, morality, feelings. Tell me, does The Tower care about those things? Will they take us to the top? Can we even afford them in a place like this?"

Arjun stayed silent, his fierce gaze locked on her.

Chiara pressed on. "Let me ask you this: if Alonso were to die right now, what do you think would happen?"

Arjun didn't answer.

"And now that you've stepped forward," she continued, her tone sharpening, "let me ask you something else. You took one of the orbs from the first boss. So, what will you do moving forward? Will you cooperate with Alonso… or will you not?"

Arjun's fists clenched, the tension visible. The crowd's eyes turned to him, waiting for his response.

Chiara had seen this moment coming. She had planned for it. She had expected every part of it.

She'd forgotten how predictable human nature could be—how much she'd overcomplicated it before. All the apprehension, all the chaos, all the doubts… when all she really needed was to treat it as a problem. Map the variables. Extrapolate the behavior under specific inputs. Guide the outcome toward the desired path. Too complicated? Simplify it. Use force. Use fear. Use whatever tool was available.

She wasn't a born leader, and she could admit that. She didn't understand much about emotions. But she was a scientist. And she was good at solving problems. Perhaps… too good.

Arjun finally raised his voice. "If one day I become stronger than him, and I kill him… what then?"

"If you become stronger than him?" Chiara's gaze didn't waver. "Then do whatever you want. Kill us all, for all I care."

She stared straight at him, her tone cold and unrelenting. She knew why he said it—a meaningless sentence to preserve his pride. But he knew, too. If he left, others would follow. And they would all die. Incapable of matching the bosses, falling behind, with no one strong enough to protect them.

He had no choice but to stay. For him and for them.

Arjun sighed deeply, his jaw tightening. "Fine. I'll fight with him. Even if I hate him. Even if every fiber of me wants him dead. I'll stand by his side, Chiara. Until the day I'm strong enough to change that… I'll be what this place demands. An empty warrior. An emotionless... animal."

Good.

Chiara gave him a curt nod and turned to Wang. But before she could speak, one of the others stepped forward. Ravi?

"What the hell is— Ugh!" His words cut off as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach.

Rakesh, standing beside him, had driven his elbow hard into Ravi's gut. His face was shadowed, his teeth clenched, his hands trembling slightly but holding steady.

Chiara didn't flinch. She let the moment settle, cold and deliberate, before turning back to Wang again.

"Wang, will you also fight with us?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

"Imani?"

Imani hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"Lukas?"

"Yes," he said with a firm nod.

Chiara's eyes swept over the rest of the climbers. "As for the rest of you, I'll be honest—I don't care."

With that, she turned and walked toward Lukas. He fell in step beside her as they left the others behind.

Hmmm?

I slowly open my eyes, and she's there, staring back at me.

You just won't let me surprise you, will you?

I smile, and she smiles back.

It feels… comfortable. Her soft hands caress me gently, and I savor the moment, wanting it to last. But eventually—and against my will—I know I have to get up.

My back feels much better than before, though I wouldn't want to test it in a fight just yet.

I push myself up, refusing Ayu's help, even as she offers it.

Finally, I stand and take a proper look at her.

That smile of hers—it's so refreshing. The kind that puts my heart at peace just by seeing it.

I linger a moment longer, then step forward and hug her. I hug her tight.

I feel her head resting against my chest and her arms wrapping around me.

I gently caress her back, my hand moving up to her hair. It's soft to the touch, comforting.

We stay like that for several seconds until my noisy stomach growls. Well, you just had to mess it up, didn't you?

I blush as she pulls back, chuckling, and heads over to two large barrels, grabbing some water and food.

Barrels? Did Chiara and the others bring these? Now that I think about it, I'm in the jungle, but not exactly at the camp. Chiara or someone else must've come to help Ayu… and by extension, me.

I shrug it off for now. Might as well ask Ayu later—not really in the mood right now.

I sit down and start eating. The food tastes good.

As I look around, I notice my sword, mask, and gauntlets lying nearby, along with Ayu's.

Alright, nothing to worry about then.

I take a moment to check in with my body, assessing the damage. Most of me feels fine, but my back still needs some time—maybe another couple of hours.

While I'm lost in thought, Ayu sends me an image through our wave connection.

It's a picture of my body with a question mark. How do you feel?

I look at her and raise a thumb. All good.

She narrows her eyes slightly and sends another image, this time focused on my back.

I grin mischievously and send her a response—an image of her giving me a back massage.

Her face immediately turns red, and she pouts. Adorable.

But then, to my surprise, she shakes her head and walks behind me. Her hands press down on my shoulders.

What? Seriously? Is she actually gonna—

FUCK!

She drives her knee into my lower back and stretches me from the top. Goddammit!

My back cracks loudly. Under different circumstances, it might've felt great, but with the wounds? Not so much.

She sends me another image.

The same as before: my back with a question mark.

This… this girl…

I spin around quickly, trying to catch her off guard, but she steps back effortlessly, grinning as if she saw it coming.

Then it hits me. Ayu's ability—Houston mentioned it before. Some sort of precognition, wasn't it?

A cold sweat breaks across my forehead.

How the hell am I supposed to surprise her?!

She keeps staring at me from a distance, that playful grin daring me to come after her.

I grin back. I want to go after her, but not like this—not just to be toyed with.

If she can predict my attacks… fine. Next time, I'll go full Overdrive and play with her. Let's see who's laughing then, my love.

As certain naughty thoughts wander through my mind, the faint vibrations of footsteps on the ground pull me back. Someone's coming.

I snap to full alert, and so does Ayu. But then she relaxes. A friend? Chiara?

I lock my gaze in the direction of the approaching figure. My waves scan the source—no attempt at concealment. At least some people have manners.

It's the tall blonde guy. Lukas, was it?

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