"Wait?" Aries repeated. His head tilted, as if he hadn’t heard it right. "Did you seriously just say wait?" he said again, louder this time, his voice laced with disbelief.

Vaylan stood hunched, panting, blood on his lips, gasping for breath that barely came. "‘Yes, defeating you is what the trial entails.’ Those were her exact words," Vaylan said, wheezing between phrases. "The Ranker said it—the second phase of the trial requires us to defeat you. But nowhere did it say ‘defeat you in battle.’”

Zara didn’t even have the strength to speak. She remained on one knee, barely upright.

Lato, hands glowing, was desperately channeling Healing Light into Pierre, who still lay unconscious.

Vaylan continued, his voice ragged but steady. “You’re a monster. Even if we killed you, you’d just respawn infinitely. If the trial wanted us to kill you, that would’ve been the requirement. But it said defeat. That’s different. Maybe we’re supposed to defeat you in a game, like chess or go?”

Aries’s crimson eyes narrowed. "Interesting. And what makes you so certain?"

"Because you said it yourself… you hold no ill will against us," Vaylan said. "So what would be the point of a battle?"

“HAHAHAHAHAHA this boy truly is an idiot!” Aries said.

Aries was then silent for a long moment. “Hmm. That would be true. But as you climb, you’ll learn—monsters and mortals alike do pointless things all the time.”

“Even so,” Vaylan said, his chest still heaving, “I know you don’t actually want to kill us.”

Aries blinked slowly. "Oh really?" he growled, his voice rising.

Mana surged.

“WHAT MAKES YOU SO SURE?”

A crushing wave of mana exploded outward. The room groaned under its ability.

Zara flinched. Lato gasped. Even Mary Sue in the distance glanced up.

Vaylan’s knees trembled. But he didn’t step back. “Because I can see the good in you,” he said.

And then...

A vision. A memory.

Seven years ago. A battlefield torn to shreds. Aries, bloodied and broken, knelt in defeat. “You are by far the strongest man I’ve ever faced. Possibly stronger than my creator. You have earned the right to kill me… now that my win streak of 8,256 challenges ends,” Aries had said.

Before him stood a man: a muscular man, casually picking his ear.

Blonde hair. Tank top. Cargo shorts. Flip flops.

“Kill you? Why would I do something so pointless and cumbersome?” the man said with a goofy grin. Aries had stared, stunned.

“Besides,” the man added, “your life has meaning.”

“Why?” Aries had asked.

“Because I can see the good in you.” Then that same goofy grin. “Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll kick the shit outta the assholes who created and trapped you in this overgrown weed.”

Aries’s eyes shimmered. “Who are you?”

“I’m Jin Eun-Soo,” the man said. “But you can call me… the strongest mortal. Or even hyung if you want.”

The memory faded.

Back in the present, Aries’s eyes watered. “Haha… never thought I’d hear those same exact words again,” he whispered. “Just like that strange man…”

“Strange man?” Vaylan asked.

Aries stood tall, breathing deep. “You’ve bested me. Not through power… but through conviction. I no longer have the will to fight.” He turned his head. “RANKER!”

Mary Sue appeared with a pop, holding a strange rectangular device. “Whaaat? I was watching the last episode of ‘Chains, Door, Man.’ You better have a good reason—”

“They’ve defeated me,” Aries said calmly.

Mary blinked. “Huh? But you look fine. Barely a scratch on you.”

“I’ve lost the will to fight. His words moved me. I concede.”

Mary groaned. “What in the talk-no-jutsu bullshit is this?”

Pierre stirred and sat up, blinking.

Everyone looked equally confused.

Mary faked a cough.

“You do know what conceding means, right?” Mary said. “Like last time… even if they don’t kill you, a concession of defeat means the tree will kill you. You’ll revive eventually, but as a different you. And I remember you saying dying hurts.”

“Wait, what?” Vaylan asked.

“It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt too much,” Aries said.

“But what do you mean ‘a different you’?”

“It’s just an opinion Mary and I hold. Ever heard of the Ship of Theseus?” Aries asked.

“No,” Vaylan admitted.

“It’s a famous story, even back in the Old World, Vaylan,” Lato said to him through telepathy.

“Yeah, but I don’t remember it.”

“I do, it’s—” Pierre began.

Aries interrupted. “There was a ship—called the Ship of Theseus. It was a ship being repaired. Over time, they replaced every plank. Bit by bit. Until nothing original remained.” Vaylan leaned in, intrigued. “So… is it still the same ship? Or something new? What makes it the Ship of Theseus?” Aries asked.

Mary shrugged. “I say no. It’s a new ship. When you die and get rebuilt, you’re a different Aries.”

“I have to agree with this gremlin on this one,” said Aries.

“I think you’re wrong,” Vaylan said. Aries blinked. “As long as the soul remains… it’s still you.”

Mary scoffed. “Ships don’t have souls.”

"Yes they do. It's the memory and identity of the ship. As long as the memory of the ship exists, and the identity remains the same, the soul never dies. The same way, if the ship, even with its old parts were left abandoned, with no memory of it left, if one were to discover the ship, even with the old parts, it is no longer the ship of Theseus. It's just an old abandoned ship. The soul has died."

Aries’s eyes widened.

“That might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Mary deadpanned.

“I agree,” Zara said, weakly bonking Vaylan’s head.

“Ow!”

But Aries only whispered to himself. “The soul never dies, as long as the memory and identity remain…”

Then he shouted, arms wide. “Amazing! Truly amazing! Yielding to you was the right decision!”

Mary cringed. “Okay, whatever. But you four are weak. Pathetically weak. Aries is easily floor 19-tier boss. This floor wasn’t meant to be cleared. But hey—your wits, charisma, and sheer dumb luck might carry you far.”

Aries looked at Pierre, who stood now.

“You’ve earned a reward. I’ll share some information. I was able to identify the Apostle of Ares… because—”

Suddenly, red lightning burst from Aries’s chest. His body seized.

He screamed in agony.

“Aries!!” Mary and Vaylan shouted in unison.

“Impossible… Eun-Soo severed the link… how… how can this be?” Aries gasped.

[Blessings from Above]

Mary’s healing spell bathed the room in divine light. Everyone’s wounds faded. But Aries did not heal. Vaylan reached out, cradling Aries’s shoulders—only for lightning to arc into him.

His vision went white. A flash.

A man. Elegant. Regal. Crimson eyes. Red hair. A twisted smile. The face… hidden in shadow.

Only the mouth visible.

Then—

“Vaylan! Vaylan!” Zara’s voice. His eyes opened. Zara crouched over him, her eyes red with tears.

“Thank god…” Lato muttered.

“What happened?” Vaylan asked, sitting up slowly. He looked around. Aries… was gone.

“Where is he?”

Silence.

“He’ll respawn when you leave,” Mary said, forcing a smile. “I’ll tell him you said goodbye.”

“Does that always happen?” Zara asked.

“Not really,” Mary thought to herself. “Not even back then with that freak seven years ago…”

“Mary?”

“Hmm? Oh! Haha—yeah, he’s always like this. Such a drama king.” She clapped.

“Anyway—here’s your reward!”

A glowing interface materialized in the air before them all.