Pablo awkwardly rose, his movements slightly stiff, as if his body hadn't quite caught up with his mind. He hesitated for half a second before grasping her hand, unsure of how firm or light the handshake should be.

"The pleasure is mine," he managed, clearing his throat. "I'm… uh, I'm Pablo."

Leonie's grip was cool, composed, yet strangely grounding. She didn't squeeze too hard, nor did she let the gesture linger.

She chuckled softly. "No need to be nervous," she said, releasing his hand. "I promise, I don't bite."

Pablo forced a half-smile, his thoughts still catching up.

She gestured toward the chair across from her. "Please, sit."

Pablo hesitated but obeyed, lowering himself into the seat. His mind was still stuck on her earlier words.

Another person related to Gen-1.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, and I'd love to answer them all, but time is short. So, let's keep this simple." She met his gaze, steady and assured. "You may ask me three questions, and I will answer them honestly. After that, I'll ask you three in return, and I hope you'll extend me the same courtesy."

She paused just long enough to let the offer settle.

"Does that sound fair to you?"

Pablo was taken aback by the offer. Truth be told, what capital did he even have? The power imbalance in this situation was as stark as it could be, and yet this woman—undoubtedly an important figure within The Shadows—was treating him with such courtesy and respect.

Was there a hidden motive? Was his connection to Alonso really that important to them?

Pablo nodded. "Yes, and… thank you."

"Perfect." Leonie's smile didn't waver. "So, what do you want to know, Pablo?"

Pablo took a deep breath but dared not delay his questions. "What does The Shadows want with me?"

"The Shadows? Nothing." She chuckled. "The one interested in you is myself. And I want to ask you some questions."

Pablo felt like he had somehow wasted a question, but… no. He needed to know.

For the next one, he chose carefully. "I know my connection to Alonso is the only thing of interest I could have to you, so… do you expect to meet Gen-1 during your climb?"

Leonie tilted her head slightly. "Good question. The answer is, we don't know. There is a possibility—if we climb high enough, or perhaps fast enough—we could meet them, yes. But that's it, just a possibility."

Again, not much information. He took a deep breath. Only one question left.

But… he had already made up his mind. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

"Can I join The Shadows?"

Leonie's eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, amusement flickered across her face—genuine, almost entertained. Her lips curled just a bit more, her smile threatening to spill into laughter, though she never quite let it.

Then, just as casually, she said, "No."

Pablo blinked.

What?

He opened his mouth but closed it again. What had he expected? That she'd just say yes? Just like that? The rejection wasn't unexpected, but it still caught him a bit off guard, leaving him feeling foolish for even asking.

Before he could recover, Leonie leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on her fingers.

"Well then, my turn."

Pablo swallowed, still slightly stunned, but he nodded.

Leonie's gaze sharpened, the warmth in her amusement fading into something more intent. "What is your goal in The Tower, Pablo?"

His goal?

Pablo didn't need time to think it over. He had spent weeks solidifying his resolve, making it clear, making it real.

"I want to reach Alonso, and… when I do… I want to help him."

For an instant, something flickered in Leonie's eyes—gone before he could grasp it.

"The Tower is a set of cruel tests that push us humans to our limits," she said, her tone measured. "So the second question is, Pablo, how much are you willing to suffer to see that friend of yours again?"

Pablo clenched his fists under the table.

How much?

He had no illusions about The Tower. He had seen what it did to people—how it shaped them, twisted them, broke them. Alonso… Alonso had been gone for a while, and he knew it would likely take a long time to reach him—if they ever did, if neither of them died along the way. Pablo didn't know what kind of person he would find at the end of this journey.

But that didn't matter.

It couldn't matter.

He met Leonie's gaze, his voice steady. "As much as it takes."

She watched him for a moment, unreadable. Then, her lips curved ever so slightly.

"Would you like to climb with us?"

Ayu's eyes fluttered open, her vision adjusting to the dim light filtering through the cave. The rough rock ceiling came into focus, unmoving, solid—grounding.

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Her body felt stiff, but not in the way she expected. It wasn't the stiffness of strain or exhaustion, but of something… settling. Slowly, awareness seeped back into her limbs, a quiet hum beneath her skin.

"Ayu?"

That voice.

Chiara?

Ayu pushed herself up on shaky arms, but the moment she moved, she became acutely aware of something else.

She was completely naked.

She instinctively clutched the plant fiber blanket draped over her. Before she could say anything, Chiara moved closer, leaning in, studying her with sharp, analyzing eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Ayu blinked, forcing herself to focus. "I… I think so. Yes." She flexed her fingers, ran a hand over her arms. Everything felt… normal. No aches, no pain, no lingering soreness from the training. If anything, she felt fresh. Lighter. Clearer. "I remember I was training in the Body Path. What happened? Did I pass out?"

Chiara nodded. "Yes. Actually, I was already heading this way to talk to you. Lukas asked me to try and compress the two paths into a more structured form we could share with the squads—something they can train with systematically. But I'm… less confident in the Body Path. It feels odd, not sure how to put it into numbers. Maybe I'm just not suited for it. So I thought you—"

She paused, shaking her head. "Sorry, sidetracked again. Not the priority right now."

Chiara inhaled, steadying herself before continuing. "Let's talk about you. I found you completely covered in black residue—the same kind that sometimes appears after a Stage Progress increase, but… much more. The smell was unbearable, mixed with a distinct scent of burnt flesh. And, well… I panicked a little."

Ayu grimaced. "Not that nasty sludge again..."

Chiara nodded. "I took the liberty of removing your armor and cleaning you up. Don't worry, I made sure no one else came this way."

Ayu exhaled slowly, processing Chiara's words in silence.

"After cleaning you, I realized your body was… different." Chiara's eyes flickered with curiosity, scanning her again, as if trying to quantify what she saw. "Your skin looks healthier, more uniform in tone, and your muscle definition has improved. And you're… well, heavier than I would have guessed. I had to use both my waves and my body to carry you properly. So that leads me to my main question."

She exhaled slightly before asking, her voice steady. "Did you, by any chance… already reach the First Body State?"

"What?" Ayu frowned, processing the words. But then—realization dawned.

The goal of the Body Path was to reach these so-called stages. The point where the current method yielded no further improvement and had to be replaced with a new one. So… had she reached it?

She remembered that moment—when her mind emptied, when her body aligned, when everything clicked into place. And then…

"How much time has passed?" Ayu asked.

"Well, around four hours since I found you like that."

"And before that—how long since the fight with the seventh boss?"

"Uhh… 17 hours and 34 minutes."

How long did I train for?

Ayu's gaze drifted past Chiara, settling on the horizon beyond the cave's entrance. Calmly, she closed her eyes, shifting her focus inward.

Her waves flowed through her neural pathways, seeping into her muscles, scanning her body. Then—she sent the shock currents again.

The familiar tingling, sharp sensation flared across her skin, but… something was different.

She felt nothing.

She pushed harder. The pain sharpened—but it was just pain. Nothing more. No underlying resistance, no struggle for control, no sense of dissonance between destruction and rebirth.

She adjusted. This time, she didn't analyze. Didn't explore. She let go.

She reached for that mental state from before—sinking into the rhythm, synching with her whole body, letting instinct take the lead.

And just like before—the pain faded. The discomfort dulled into nothingness.

She remained in that state for a long moment before finally opening her eyes.

"Yes. I think I did," she said softly.

Chiara blinked. "Wow. That was… you did it just now, didn't you? You reached resonance. Incredible. That was so fast. How did you synchronize everything? That was thousands of corrections in an instant."

Ayu thought for a second before answering simply, "I just… did, I guess. Emptied my mind. Let my body feel it."

Chiara's eyes widened slightly, a frown forming. "Emptied… your mind? Okay. Yep. I don't think I'll ever see myself going down that path."

Ayu flexed her fingers, clenching her fist experimentally. She felt… different. Stronger, maybe? More loose? She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but something had changed. She needed to stand up and—

Growl~

Ayu stiffened slightly, heat creeping up her neck as her stomach protested, loud and unapologetic. And just like that, she became acutely aware of just how hungry she was. And thirsty.

Chiara smirked but said nothing, standing up and disappearing for a moment before returning with food and water.

"Yeah, I figured you'd need something after all that. It's just plain octopus tentacles, though."

Ayu took the food without hesitation, tearing into it as she gulped down some water. It was only when the first few bites settled in her stomach that she realized just how empty it had been.

Chiara sat down beside her, watching her eat with a thoughtful look.

"You know," she started, "the more I explore the Pillar Path, the more fascinating it gets. I can't quite explain it, but it just… makes sense. Everything aligns so beautifully, like it was always meant to be this way."

She exhaled, rubbing her temples. "There were so many questions I had at first—about efficiency, sustainability, how our neural patterns could interact with an energy-based construct in the first place—but the more I analyzed it, the more it just fits. Like the missing pieces were already there, and I just hadn't seen them."

Ayu listened, eating in silence as Chiara continued, her voice gradually picking up speed.

"I actually strayed pretty close a few times, you know? I had a working model that explained most of the mechanics, but I was stuck thinking it had to be actively controlled. It turns out… I was overcomplicating it. The system doesn't need constant input. It can function passively, self-sustained, like an optimized biological process—once set, it stabilizes on its own, adapting naturally. That's what I was missing. That's why I always felt like I was fighting against it rather than working with it."

She leaned back, exhaling slowly.

"And the moment I adjusted… I can't even describe it. It was like something just clicked into place. When I finally reached the First Pillar State, I felt… complete."

"So you reached the First Pillar State? Congrats," Ayu said, smiling as she finished a bite. "How are the others?"

"Well, in my case, it wasn't hard. My unique condition, my background, and everything that makes me who I am align well with this path, so I picked it up quickly. But I know the further states will take more time—what I already knew only got me this far. From here on, it'll be uncharted territory. As for the others, I think Alonso should manage it soon, and Lukas too. As for Arjun, well…" She chuckled. "Let's pray."

Chiara leaned back slightly. "As for the Body Path, I don't know. I haven't spoken to anyone but you. I've been rather… closed off lately."

"I see," Ayu murmured as she emptied the first water container. "I guess I've been a bit closed off myself."

"Everyone is. We all want to get as strong as possible before climbing the stairs," Chiara said. "I mean, besides the qualitative breakthrough in my understanding, the practical effects of reaching the First Pillar State are significant. For one, I went from a 71% enhancement using my previous model to 108%. And not only that, but it changed from active enhancement to a passive, natural boost—no longer eating up my processing power. And that's just the First State. What about the Second? Or the Third?"

Ayu raised an eyebrow. "71%? I thought Alonso said it was like 28% or something."

"Oh, yes, for them, that's correct. My unique condition—my parallel minds—allows me to use it differently. For their model, it is indeed 28%, and after the First State, it should grow to around 42% if my calculations are right."

"I see," Ayu said as she finished her meal, her gaze drifting down to her arms. "I'd also like to know how far I've improved."

Chiara's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Oh, by all means. Can I witness it? It would be good for my data."

Ayu laughed. "Sure. Just bring me my clothes and armor first, okay?"

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