“You will not pay?”
The Hound stood. Dust rose. The sun hadn't fully breached the horizon, yet the ruins already burned hot. The Hound was colossal: arms bare and veined like rooted stone, wrapped from chest to shin in warped chainmail and black leather fused to his flesh. A rusted iron mask sealed his face, no slits, just jagged breathing vents pulsing with each breath. He took one step forward and drew his weapon. Not a sword. A monolith. The slab of iron hissed as it left the stone floor, longer than Vaylan was tall, wide as a man’s chest, its jagged edge dull and nicked. It didn’t shimmer. It moaned. A weapon meant to maim, not kill cleanly.
They moved.
Vaylan unsheathed his new blade: a long, straight weapon with a narrow diamond profile, balanced by a guard that arched upward like a crescent moon. Its grip was bound in weather-treated leather, sections reinforced with golden wire for stability. A weapon made to pierce armor and glide through bone. He spun the hilt in his palm. “Time to see what this baby can really do.”
Pierre dropped into a grounded stance, left foot forward. His hand reached behind him as sparks danced around his wrist. “Come forth… Gáe Assail!” A golden spear snapped into his hand, its shaft sounding with static, its tip wide, flat, and razor-sharp.
Zara crouched low, sliding her new blades into reverse grip. Her khanjalis, forged silver and straight-edged, were perfect for tight angles and sharp cuts. While made for stabbing, in her grip, reversed and tightened, they became fang-like scythes.
The Hound took another step, then charged. His sword carved a trench through the earth as he raised it overhead and brought it down with a roar. Pierre dove aside. The ground shattered.
[Fleet Foot]
Vaylan vanished in a blur, appearing at the Hound’s left flank, and slashed across the side of his leg. The blade dented the leather, scraped metal, and left a shallow cut. The Hound grunted. Zara was already behind him. She slashed in reverse grip across his exposed ribs, the twin khanjalis gliding through the thin chain like scissors through silk. Blood burst from the opening. The Hound roared. He spun and backhanded her. Her body flew, slamming into the edge of a stone pillar.
“ZARA!” Vaylan shouted. Lato sprinted to her, glowing gold.
Pierre hurled his spear with a full-body pivot.
[Ibar]
His whole frame twisted: shoulders, hips, legs. The spear screamed through the air in a golden streak.
CRACK!
It struck the Hound through the chest. Blood gushed. The beast staggered one step, then bellowed and charged Pierre. He raised the broken hunk of his sword and swung with both hands. Pierre rolled to the side. The blade clipped his thigh, tearing flesh. He hit the ground hard.
“Anthibar!” he called out, arm extended.
[Anthibar]
The air behind the Hound shimmered. A golden line zipped backward. The spear returned, blazing like lightning. It slammed into Pierre’s hand mid-roll. He caught it, winced, pivoted again, and launched it into the Hound’s side.
SHUNK!
Another wound. Blood poured. The armor was cracking. Vaylan charged again.
[Fire Ball]
The orb launched point-blank at the Hound’s face. He tilted his head, taking the hit on the mask. It scorched but didn’t stop him. A fist followed, slamming into Vaylan’s stomach.
CRACK!
He flew across the field. Rolled. Stopped. Gasping. “Not… done yet.”
Pierre limped forward. “We need to stagger him—now.” Zara was already standing again, bleeding from her nose, breathing hard. She dashed in low, slicing twice, the khanjalis dragging deep slashes across the Hound’s inner thigh. He bellowed. Turned. Raised his blade for a downward cleave. Pierre raised Gáe Assail in both hands, wound it over his shoulder. Full draw. Back arched. Elbow bent.
[Ibar]
The throw was thunder. The spear launched from Pierre’s hand, the force of it sending him staggering back. Pierre fell unconscious. The Hound saw it. He raised his sword to block the spear, high. His entire posture lifted, bracing against the impact—
BOOOOOOOOM!
The spear struck steel. Sparks flew. The sword deflected it, but left his right side wide open. Zara darted in. Twin khanjalis slashed across his upper arm in a brutal X. Her reverse grip let her twist and drag the edge across the wound, carving deeper. She started to understand her capabilities better. Blood jetted out.
Vaylan, coughing, raised a hand.
[Fire Ball]
The orb flew into the open gash. The fire exploded. Muscle cooked. The Hound screamed.
[Fleet Foot]
Vaylan surged forward, sword raised. He launched into a spinning leap and brought the blade down across the joint.
CRACK!
The edge split open charred muscle, cut through sinew, met bone. Kept going.
SHRRRRK!
The arm dropped. Sword and all. Clean off. The Hound took one step back, then another. Breathing hard. Blood soaked the ground. The severed arm twitched. The Hound looked at it, then raised his head.
The Hound laughed like a madman. “Hahaha... You cut off my arm. Impressive.” None of them spoke; they were too winded, too bruised, too bloody. The Hound tilted his head toward Zara. “You. You’ve changed. No longer the pathetic worm you were. Good.” He looked at Pierre, who was getting back up with Lato’s help. “And you. Handsome man. You should marry my daughter. She's the cutest thing.”
Pierre blinked. “H-How old is she?”
“Four.”
Silence. Pierre wiped blood from his lip. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”
The Hound chuckled again. “It was a joke. Maybe. Anyone who wants to marry my daughter would have to kill me first anyway.” He stepped aside from the gate and gave them a slight nod. “I'll let you pass. No toll. A reward for your tenacity.” As the group began walking past, the Hound’s mask tilted down toward Lato. “And you... ugly cat.”
Pierre made a muffled pffft sound, barely holding in his laughter.
Lato’s tail moved violently. “I heard that.”
***
The gate to the Tree opened slowly. Light poured from inside: not searing, not harsh, but soft, like early morning sun. Gold and warm. They stepped into it. And a woman’s voice greeted them before their eyes could adjust.
“Welcome!”
They looked up. A woman hovered in the air, levitating above a circular platform. She wore pale robes, clean and billowing, with a faded pink scarf looped over her shoulders. Her hair was silver-white. Her smile, dazzling.
“Oh dear,” she said, her manner theatrical. “The trials haven’t even started yet, and you sweet little lambs are already hurt.” She raised her hand.
[Blessings from Above]
A warm light exploded outward. Their wounds sealed. Cuts vanished. Bruises faded. Bones reset with a gentle pop.
Zara exhaled. “Okay, that’s… that’s nice.”
Pierre flexed his arm, impressed. “Tingles.”
“I’m Mary Sue,” the woman said. “I am a Defiant. Meaning, like you, I once began my journey as an Ascendant… and made it all the way to the 99th floor.” She floated down to hover at eye level. “I’ll be the Ranker for this trial. My job is to determine if you pass. And rank you compared to other trial takers in history. Hence, ‘Ranker.’”
“Now—” A ping sounded. Suddenly, in front of each of them, a translucent floating interface appeared.
“Whoa! What the hell is this?!” Vaylan said, jumping back.
“This is the System Interface,” Mary said. “It displays information about your journey, monsters you’ll face, your party status, and personal abilities.” She gave a wry smile. “Try clicking ‘Show Profile’ at the top right.”
Vaylan did.
| First Name | Vaylan |
| Last Name | ?? |
| Title(s) | None |
| Level | 1 |
| Highest Floor | 0 |
| Affinity | Uncalibrated |
| Unique Skills | |
| The One Who Learns All <SSS-Rank> [Level 2/30] | |
| Mystic Eye of Truth <SS-Rank> [Level 1/30] | |
| Mystic Eye of Prophecy <SS-Rank> [Level 1/30] | |
| Flame Heart <A-Rank> [Level 9/20] (Level cap reduced due to skill being a copy) | |
| Ibar / Anthibar <A-Rank> [Level 1/20] (Level cap reduced due to skill being a copy) | |
| Skills | |
|
Fleet Foot <C-Rank> [Level 3/30] [Wind Affinity] |
|
| Fire Ball <C-Rank> [Level 5/30] [Fire Affinity] |
"I’ve always been able to use skills and magic, even back in the Old World, but a floating screen didn’t pop up like this. Now that I think about it, this didn’t appear back in the labyrinth too…"
“Holy shit, this is awesome!” Vaylan said, tapping wildly through tabs. “Wait, there’s tabs for Titles too?! Where do I get one?!”
Mary clapped twice. “Alright, alright, enough. Put it away.” Everyone else had dismissed their interfaces already. Vaylan looked up sheepishly. “Uh… how?”
“Swipe right. Say ‘System’ to summon it again if you wanna use it later.”
“Oh! Got it.”
“Wow, it’s just like a video game from the Old World…”
“Is there any other nifty features this system interface can do?” Vaylan asked.
Mary’s smile twitched.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS IDIOT. DOESN’T HE KNOW IT’S ALMOST 4PM AND MY FAVORITE ANIME, WINDOW BREAKER IS ABOUT TO AIR?!?" Mary thought to herself.
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen a system screen before…” Pierre said.
Vaylan looked at him dead serious.
“Wait, you’re being dead serious right now?” Pierre asked with genuine surprise.
“Maybe because he is from bey—” Zara stopped speaking and cleared her throat. “Now that that’s over—if you look at the backs of your hands—or other body parts—you’ll see Thor’s Mark.”
Each of them examined themselves. Vaylan had it on his right hand. Zara’s was left. Pierre’s was left. Lato’s was just above his ribs.
“The Mark represents your status as someone who has begun climbing the Tree. The number in the center is the highest floor you’ve reached. Yours all say zero.” She pulled off her glove. Her mark read: 99.
Zara let out a breath. “That’s… a lot of floors.”
Vaylan raised a hand. “Umm, excuse me. Miss. What’s the difference between a Defiant and a Ranker again?”
Mary blinked. “All Rankers are Defiants. But not all Defiants are Rankers. Rankers are Defiants chosen by the Tree and its guardian deity, Thor, to oversee trials and administer tests.”
“Why are there trials?” Vaylan asked.
Mary’s manner dimmed. “No one knows. Not even us. Maybe it’s what Thor wants. Maybe it’s something more. Some things are above mortals. Even Defiants. Even us Rankers.”
“So what sets apart a trial from a regular floor’s monster fights and boss fights?” Zara asked.
Mary sighed. “Do I have to explain every single thing? I’m not a convenient exposition tool you know...” A long silence followed. “A-Anyway, boss fights are just you beating an oversized monster, that is all there is to it. As for trials, there are 19 trials in total. Trials are held on Floor 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and every floor from 90 to 99. Trials are not just fights. It depends on the ranker who designs the trial. It really could be anything, think of it like a game you must complete,” Mary said with a tired expression.
“So the trial on Floor 0 is not a fight?” Lato asked.
Mary remained silent. “A-Anyway, follow me.” Mary suddenly floated backward and landed beside a massive colorless crystal embedded into the center of the platform. “Now. Let’s move to the first phase.”
Vaylan’s eyes lit up. He opened the system again and tried to check her profile.
| First Name | Mary |
| Last Name | Sue |
| Title(s) | The Lazy Demon |
| Level | 237 |
| Highest Floor | 99 |
| Affinity | [BLOCKED] |
| Unique Skills | |
| [BLOCKED] | |
| Skills | |
|
[BLOCKED] |
Mary turned toward him with a stare that could melt mountains. “Nice try, cutiepie. System information’s restricted to party members.”
Vaylan laughed nervously. “Worth a shot.”
Mary pointed to the crystal. “This is the Mana Measurement Crystal. Your first trial is simple. Place your hand on the crystal. Channel your mana.”
One by one, they stepped forward. Pierre pressed his palm to the surface. The crystal glowed. Steady blue. Lato went next. It shone a bit brighter. Calmer. Controlled. Zara stepped forward, her hands trembling slightly. She pressed. A faint movement of blue. Gentle.
Then came Vaylan. He pressed his hand against the surface. And the entire crystal erupted in a shade of deep, ocean blue, like it had absorbed the sky.
Mary froze. Her hands fell to her sides. Her breath hitched. A tear ran down her cheek.
She didn’t even know why.
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