The next morning, sunlight spilled through the blinds as Chosa stood in front of his mirror, adjusting the straps of his newly equipped leather armor. It fit snugly—protective, flexible, and more than anything else, it made him feel like a real Raider. The old, ragged set was gone, tossed aside like the part of himself that used to barely scrape through the first floor.
"Looking decent for once," Luna chimed through his neural link, voice as dry as ever. "You might even pass for someone competent."
Chosa smirked. "High praise coming from you."
He slid the ancient dagger into its sheath, the gem embedded in the hilt glowing faintly as if it, too, was eager to see what came next.
"Time to see what the market has for me," he muttered, stepping out into the morning light.
Central Market District — Inner Rim, Neo Tokyo
The air buzzed with energy as Chosa entered the Central Market. Located in the heart of the city's Raider Sector, the sprawling district was a maze of sound, scent, and steel. Raiders of all ranks bartered, browsed, and barked out orders. Every step he took brought new colors, flashing holo-signs, and the scent of mana-brewed coffee and roasted meat skewers.
To his left, a merchant hawked enchanted cloaks that shimmered like water. To his right, a crowd gathered around a man peddling monster bones carved into decorative charms, claiming they warded off Tower sickness.
"Waste of credits," Luna commented. "Those don't do anything. But the placebo effect is statistically powerful in lower-ranked minds."
Chosa chuckled and kept walking.
He passed a group of B-rank Raiders arguing over potion brands, a blacksmith demonstrating how mana-threaded blades held their edge, and even a recruitment booth for a lesser-known guild called Crimson Oath. Every booth had something unique, something exotic. It was like walking through a living museum of the post-Tower world.
Eventually, he arrived at the towering black structure of the Government Guild—smooth obsidian walls etched with glowing blue veins, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.
Inside, it was clinical and quiet, the air heavy with mana regulation fields. He walked up to a terminal and placed the mana stone from the second-floor miniboss on the scanner. A Guild Clerk scanned it without looking up.
"Grade B stone, second floor. That'll net you 7,800 credits. Transferring now."
His holo-wristband vibrated with the transaction. The amount made him blink—he'd never seen that many credits at once.
With time to spare, he walked through the attached Guild Armory. He examined a few sets of armor but found one that called to him—a smooth, matte-black set of reinforced leather reinforced with runework on the underside. It wasn't flashy, but it moved well, and the mana-threading meant it would last through more than a few tough encounters.
"Good choice," the quartermaster said, nodding. "That one's built for survivors."
Chosa bought it, along with three high-grade healing vials, an anti-venom, and a compact ration kit.
As he exited the building, Luna spoke again, calm as ever.
"You're starting to look like someone worth watching."
"Careful," Chosa said, grinning, "that almost sounded like a compliment."
"I have logs of your failures to balance it out."
Later that day, standing before the Tower once more, Chosa took a breath. This time, his boots didn't feel as heavy. His heart didn't beat with the same chaotic rhythm.
He touched the surface of the Tower, and the world bent around him.
Floor 3 — The Shattered Vale
The light faded.
Chosa landed on solid ground, but it wasn't jungle. It wasn't swamp. This time, it was something… colder.
He stood on the edge of a desolate canyon—jagged cliffs splitting the land in every direction. Stone bridges arched over glowing cracks in the earth where radiant crystals pulsed with mana. Wind howled through the chasms, carrying strange, distant roars and whispers.
The sky above was a deep violet, dotted with floating stone islands. Gravity here felt slightly… off.
"Welcome to the Shattered Vale," Luna said, her voice cutting through the eerie silence. "Environmental hazard level: moderate. Terrain: unstable. Creatures: unknown, but airborne threats are likely."
Chosa took a cautious step forward, his dagger now glowing faintly in response to the mana-rich atmosphere.
"What's the objective?" he asked.
"Same as always—survive, adapt, and find the mini boss. But I'd advise extra caution. This floor has a high Raider casualty rate due to terrain-based accidents."
"Fantastic."
A sudden screech echoed from above, and Chosa instinctively ducked, eyes scanning the cliffs.
"Eyes up," Luna said smoothly. "They like to dive."
"Of course they do."
With his grip on the dagger tightening, Chosa pressed forward into the strange new land of glowing stone, whispering wind, and monsters waiting just beyond the next ledge.