Lucas looked at Sae, feeling the weight behind his words. For a few seconds, he said nothing. Then he turned toward the forest and spoke in a simple, almost indifferent tone:

"We're companions now. You don't need to keep insisting."

Sae's eyes shone when he heard that.

" Right…"

Lucas let out a 

" I think I've found a good way to use your gift."

Sae tilted his head slightly, confused.

" How exactly?"

Lucas gave a faint smile — brief and restrained — and began to explain.

The plan was simple and brutal.

Sae would use the absurd speed and noise of his ability to attract the demonic beasts. The thunderous sound of his movement, combined with the red trail he left behind, would trigger any creature in the area to react instinctively, chasing him without a second thought.

Lucas, meanwhile, would remain hidden at a strategic point. Once the beast reached the prepared location, Lucas would appear in a single motion. One clean strike. Precise. Devastating.

Most of the time, he severed one of the creature's legs, completely disabling it. When the beast had no legs, Lucas adapted — cutting tendons, joints, or any vital point that eliminated its mobility.

After that, finishing the creature was only a matter of time.

Once the explanation was over, they put the plan into action.

And it worked.

With this strategy, they eliminated demonic beasts at an abnormal speed.

Demonic beasts were divided into classes and types. There were, for instance, insect-type beasts — nearly identical to common insects, except for their grotesque size and the horns protruding from their heads. These horns, incidentally, were a common trait among all demonic beasts, regardless of type.

There were also walker-types, such as dwarf giants — massive creatures with overwhelming brute strength. Crawlers, like the brown-scaled serpent, stayed close to the ground, fast and lethal, relying on ambushes and sudden attacks.

Of course, there were many other types and variations, but up to that point, Lucas and Sae had only encountered creatures from these three categories.

What stood out the most, however, was the lack of real diversity among the enemies. Most of the time, the beasts belonged to the same species, repeating attack patterns and behaviors, as if that floor had been deliberately populated with a limited number of races.

This made combat predictable…

…but no less dangerous.

Against walker-type beasts, the method was simple and efficient. Removing one leg was enough for the creature to lose balance and collapse, completely incapacitated. Its own weight did the rest.

Insect-types required more precision. Lucas positioned himself high among the trees, motionless, waiting for the perfect moment. When Sae passed like a red lightning bolt, drawing the creature in, Lucas jumped immediately after. In a single swift motion, he severed the demonic insect's wings, sending it crashing violently to the ground, unable to fly again.

The crawlers were the most troublesome. The serpents' absurd speed made any mistake fatal. When one lunged forward, Lucas appeared from behind at a critical instant, gripping the tail with all his strength. By removing the bindings of strength, he locked the creature's movement for a brief moment — just enough time. Before the serpent could react, Sae came down from above like a projectile, piercing the beast's head without hesitation.

And so they continued. Move after move. Strike after strike.

Lucas and Sae drove their swords into the last beast in the area — a brown serpent that still writhed weakly before finally falling completely still.

Silence once again settled over the clearing.

For a few moments, neither of them moved.

Their heavy breathing betrayed their condition. Lucas's body was covered in small cuts, darkening bruises, and fresh marks of extreme strain; each breath seemed to be forcibly dragged into his lungs, as if his body were still fighting. Sae was in no better shape — his arms trembled slightly, stiff muscles protesting after hours of relentless use of his ability.

Then the sky began to change.

A carmine hue slowly spread above the treetops, dyeing the forest in an unsettling red light, like a silent omen. The shadows stretched longer, growing denser and deeper, swallowing parts of the clearing.

Lucas pulled his sword free with a firm motion, despite the obvious fatigue weighing down his shoulders, and lifted his gaze to the sky. His expression remained serious, but his eyes revealed the toll it had taken.

"Night is coming. — he said in a calm, alert tone". — We'd better prepare.

Sae nodded silently, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his forearm, feeling the weight of his own body as if every step now demanded twice the effort.

***

Night fell.

Lucas and Sae sat in a clearing around an improvised campfire. The faint crackling of the flames broke the heavy silence of the forest, while cold wind slipped between the trees, making the shadows dance around them.

"How many beasts have you killed?" Sae asked, breaking the silence.

Lucas lifted his gaze briefly and summoned the runes to check.

" Forty-six in total…" he replied after a short moment. "— And you?"

" Forty-five."

Sae let out a long sigh. He leaned back slightly and stared at the dark sky between the treetops, as if organizing his thoughts.

"Damn… my symion is almost depleted."

After a few seconds, he spoke again.

" Lucas… I'm a noble."

Lucas didn't seem surprised. He simply glanced at Sae's armor.

" Nothing I hadn't already noticed," he said neutrally. "— That lion crest on your armor… it's pretty obvious."

Sae gave a faint, tired smile.

"I expected you'd notice," he said with another sigh. "— As you can imagine, I'm weak. And for a noble, that's… unacceptable."

He lowered his head, staring at his own hands illuminated by the firelight.

"Nobles are supposed to be strong," he continued. "— So I trained. Like a madman. I did everything I could. I pushed my body to the limit…"

His voice faltered slightly.

"But… I was never able to understand my gift."

Sae's fingers slowly clenched.

"No matter how much I trained, with a gift like mine… I was always left behind by my brothers."

Silence fell between them again for a few moments — heavy, but not uncomfortable.

Sae took a deep breath and lifted his gaze toward Lucas.

" But today…" he said quietly. "— Today, I managed to feel… a little fulfilled."

He hesitated before finishing:

"So… thank you. For everything."

Lucas didn't respond right away.

He kept his eyes fixed on the fire, the flames reflecting faintly in his gaze, while the silence spoke louder than words.

Lucas had always been cold and reserved — not by choice, but simply because he didn't know how to deal with other people's feelings. Still, this time, he made a small effort to answer.

After a few seconds, he spoke.

"Difficult moments… shape resilient people," he said in a low tone. "— If you made it this far, you're not weak."

A brief pause.

" Keep going. That's all."

There were no grand promises, no heroic words. Even so, it was enough.

Sae's eyes widened slightly… then he smiled.

" Thank you," he said sincerely. "— So you can talk after all."

Lucas immediately looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

"Don't exaggerate," he muttered. "— Go to sleep."

He stood up, extinguishing part of the fire with his foot.

" Tomorrow we move to the second floor," he added. "— You'd better be ready."

Sae watched Lucas for a moment longer before lying down, the smile still on his face.

During the night, Lucas and Sae took turns standing watch, keeping constant attention on their surroundings, alert for any sign of dangerous beasts. The silence of the forest was heavy, oppressive—but no attacks came.

Fortunately, the night passed in an eerily calm way.

Morning came too quickly.

The sun had barely begun to tear through the sky when Lucas and Sae were already on their feet. They exchanged few words. Both felt the same thing: anxiety. Only the last beasts remained.

Without wasting time, they resumed the strategy they had defined. They moved through the forest at extreme speed, almost like shadows. One attracted, the other struck at the perfect moment. Precise attacks. Clean cuts. No wasted movement.

When they finally stopped, it was side by side.

Runes floated before them. Both had the same number. Only one beast remained for each.

Lucas and Sae exchanged a brief look — not of competition, but of understanding. Each already had a disabled creature before them.

Sae stood before a brown-scaled serpent, writhing on the ground, unable to react. On the other side, Lucas faced a gigantic demonic insect, resembling a monstrous bee, its wings shattered and body embedded in the earth.

Sae took a deep breath and steadied his sword.

"Very well…" he said, casting one last glance at Lucas. "— See you on the second floor."

Without hesitation, he delivered the final blow. Blue runes immediately appeared, shimmering in the air.

Congratulations.

You have eliminated 50 Demonic Beasts.

Transfer to the Second Floor initiated.

A white light enveloped Sae's body. Within seconds, he vanished completely.

Lucas watched the scene in silence. Then he turned toward his prey.

In a single clean, precise motion, he finished off the demonic insect. The same runes appeared before him.

White light enveloped him as well.

And just like Sae…

Lucas was teleported to the second floor.

When Lucas opened his eyes, the sensation was different from the first time. The ground beneath him was hard and heavy, as if made of solid rock.

He slowly sat up and looked around. Red rocks stretched in every direction, reflecting the intense heat that seemed to envelop everything. The air was thick, almost suffocating.

Before him, dark-blue runes appeared in the air, glowing as they displayed a message.

Congratulations. You have successfully passed the first floor.

The difficulty of the floors will increase as you ascend.

Floor 1: Easy

Floor 2: Easy–Medium

Good luck.

Lucas widened his eyes in disbelief.

"That was easy?"

He immediately remembered the hardships he had faced upon reaching the river.

" It was… easy, in a way. But only because I had Sae's help. Alone, it would have been much harder."

The thought unsettled him. Before he could reflect further, new runes appeared before him.

Mission

Reach the finish line within 10 hours.

Exceeding the time limit will result in failure.

09:59

Lucas stared at the mission calmly.

" the finish line? That shouldn't be too difficult."

"Ha…"

A strange sound cut through the air, resembling a bird's cry. Lucas looked up — and his body froze.

The sky was filled.

Thousands upon thousands of demonic beasts soared overhead. All shared a similar form: long beaks, massive wings connected to their limbs like those of bats, long legs hanging beneath them, and sharp talons made to seize prey midair.

Lucas's eyes widened in pure shock. He jumped to his feet.

"Those are pteranodons…?"

Even someone as calm as Lucas felt fear tighten in his chest.

" Killing a pteranodon, in theory, isn't that hard…"

" The problem is that they never travel alone."

And that number was simply impossible to handle at the moment.

Lucas took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

" I just need to survive… and reach the finish point. I don't need to fight. If I hide my presence, it'll be fine."

" AAAAAH!"

Before he could finish the thought, a thunderous scream echoed through the air. Lucas turned instantly.

A massive volcano stood before him, explaining the unbearable heat — but that wasn't what caught his attention.

Something was moving at the top.

"…I know that voice."

Lucas's heart sank as he looked up.

Sae was being carried through the air, trapped in the talons of one of the pteranodons, his small body dwarfed by the vast crimson sky.

"What the hell…?"

High above, fear completely consumed Sae's heart. The wind roared in his ears as he desperately tried to activate his power to descend.

Nothing.

Small red roots appeared around his body, trembling unstably, but they shattered before obeying him.

It wasn't responding.

It wasn't working.

Despair flooded his mind like a dark tide.

" I… I can't do anything…"

"If this keeps up, I'm going to die."

Raw terror was etched into his widened eyes — the kind felt by someone facing the end for the first time.

Below, Lucas watched the scene with his entire body trembling.

"He can use his power to get down… can't he?"

Lucas waited. One second. Then another.

Nothing.

Sae kept drifting farther away, growing smaller in the sky. A crushing sense of helplessness tightened Lucas's chest, stealing his breath.

Why wasn't he doing anything?

Why wasn't he reacting?

Lucas's hand slowly closed around the hilt of his sword. Hesitant. Heavy. As if the decision demanded more than courage.

He drew the blade.

"Damn it…"

Lucas clenched his teeth, tasting metal with each breath. His eyes locked onto the monster in the sky. For a moment, he closed them.

His heart was beating too fast.

So hard it felt like it might burst from his chest.

It was as if his own conscience screamed for him not to do it.

A mistake meant death. Not only for Sae — but for both of them.

Even so, Lucas took a deep breath.

"Double Binding Removal…" he murmured, his voice low, almost breaking.

" Remove precision and strength."

When he opened his eyes again, they were steady.

He didn't aim directly at the monster.

He aimed slightly ahead — calculating flight time, air displacement, the weight of the blade.

His hands tightened around the sword's hilt with everything he had.

His feet dug into the red stone, cracking the ground under the pressure.

And then—

Lucas threw the sword.

The air was torn apart.

The blade sliced through the wind like a silver lightning bolt, moving at an absurd speed, leaving behind an invisible trail of pure killing intent.

In the skies, Sae was in despair.

Trapped in the beast's talons, his body swayed violently. His arms trembled, his grip weakened, and his strength slowly faded.

He struggled.

He screamed.

He tried to break free.

But he failed.

Fear consumed his thoughts. Memories blurred together, and hope began to unravel.

"Maybe… maybe this is how it ends…"

His voice came out weak, broken by the wind.

"I give u—"

Before he could finish the sentence, something pierced the sky.

The sword drove straight through the beast's head in a brutal, decisive impact.

The monster's body stiffened for a second…

Then fell.

The talons opened.

Sae plunged into the void.

Time seemed to stop.

The wind screamed in his ears as he fell, his heart racing, his body in panic.

But in the middle of the fall, his eyes caught something.

The sword.

Embedded in the beast's head.

He recognized it instantly.

"…Lucas…"

That name echoed in his mind like a shock, and tears welled in his eyes before he could stop them. As he fell, with the wind cutting against his body and the ground rapidly approaching, Sae realized something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Amid fear, pain, and the feeling of abandonment, there was warmth.

And that simple certainty tightened his chest in a different way, turning despair into strength, making him understand — in that moment suspended between life and death — that he was not alone.