Chapter 108 — The Twenty-Seventh Floor
The staircase seemed to stretch endlessly.
Azrael walked at the front.
Seraphina remained beside him.
Behind them came Caelan, Lyanna, and Orin.
Nobody spoke much.
The previous floor had been strangely peaceful.
After everything they had experienced inside the Tower, simply living in a city had felt almost unnatural.
But now they were returning to the path of growth.
Step after step.
The number carved into the staircase changed.
26...
27...
The moment Azrael stepped onto the final stair—
The staircase disappeared.
Everyone landed on solid ground.
Azrael immediately looked around.
A vast white plain stretched in every direction.
There were no mountains.
No forests.
No buildings.
No enemies.
Only an enormous circular platform beneath their feet.
Seraphina looked toward the horizon.
"Another empty floor?"
The System appeared.
[Floor 27]
[Trial Type: Cooperation]
[Objective: Reach the opposite side.]
[Distance: 100 Kilometers]
[Special Rule:]
[Individual strength will not determine success.]
[Failure Condition:]
[Any participant reaches zero stamina.]
Orin stared at the message.
"One hundred kilometers?"
Caelan looked toward the horizon.
"And we have to do it together."
Azrael nodded.
"Then we move together."
They began walking.
For the first few kilometers, nothing happened.
The plain remained completely empty.
Then—
BOOM!
The ground suddenly shook.
A massive wall rose from the earth ahead of them.
It stretched hundreds of meters into the sky.
Orin stopped.
"That’s new."
The wall was completely smooth.
No doors.
No openings.
No visible way around it.
Azrael approached.
He placed his palm against the surface.
Solid stone.
"Can we climb it?"
Caelan looked upward.
"Possibly."
Seraphina shook her head.
"Look."
She pointed toward the ground.
Thin lines extended from the wall.
They formed a pattern across the plain.
Azrael activated Resonance Sight.
His expression changed.
"It’s connected to the entire floor."
"So?"
"The wall isn’t an obstacle."
He looked at the pattern.
"It’s part of the trial."
Seraphina understood.
"We need to work with it."
Azrael nodded.
"Exactly."
They began examining the formation.
Lyanna quickly noticed that several sections were incomplete.
"The lines don’t connect."
Caelan pointed toward several stones scattered across the plain.
"Those might be pieces."
Orin groaned.
"Please don’t tell me we have to carry stones for another hundred kilometers."
Azrael picked one up.
The moment he placed it into an incomplete section—
CLICK.
The wall moved.
A small section lowered.
Everyone stared.
Orin sighed.
"Of course."
They spent the next hour studying the formation.
It wasn’t designed to be solved by one person.
Each person could only manipulate certain sections.
Caelan was responsible for the northern patterns.
Lyanna handled the western ones.
Orin moved the heavier stones.
Seraphina restored damaged energy channels.
Azrael coordinated everything.
Slowly, the wall began lowering.
Not disappearing.
Opening a path.
When the final section was completed—
RUMBLE!
The enormous wall sank completely into the ground.
The System appeared.
[Obstacle Overcome]
[Cooperation Efficiency: 97%]
[Trial Progress: 12%]
Orin wiped sweat from his forehead.
"We’ve gone twelve percent and already worked harder than an entire week."
Seraphina laughed.
"You’re complaining again."
"I’ve been consistent."
They continued.
The second obstacle appeared after another ten kilometers.
A vast chasm opened before them.
There was no bridge.
The gap was nearly one kilometer wide.
Orin stared across it.
"Yeah."
He shook his head.
"I’m done."
Lyanna laughed.
"You’re not."
Azrael looked at Seraphina.
She was already studying the terrain.
"There are plants growing along the edges."
Azrael nodded.
"Can you grow them across?"
Seraphina considered it.
"Maybe."
She knelt.
Her hand touched the ground.
Golden energy spread through the soil.
[Genesis Bloom]
The plants began growing.
Vines extended toward the chasm.
Roots dug deeper.
Branches intertwined.
But the distance was too great.
The vines stopped halfway.
Seraphina frowned.
"I can’t reach the other side."
Azrael looked at the remaining distance.
"Then don’t."
She looked at him.
"We only need to get halfway."
He pointed toward the opposite edge.
"Caelan."
Caelan understood.
He planted his spear into the ground.
His energy surged.
He launched himself across the chasm.
BOOM!
He landed on the other side.
Orin stared.
"Show-off."
Caelan laughed.
"Someone had to."
He secured a rope to a stone pillar.
The others used it to cross.
Seraphina followed last.
When she reached the other side, the System appeared.
[Obstacle Overcome]
[Cooperation Efficiency: 98%]
[Trial Progress: 29%]
Seraphina looked at Azrael.
"We’re getting better."
Azrael nodded.
"We’re learning each other’s strengths."
The third obstacle was different.
The plain suddenly became a desert.
Heat radiated from the ground.
Everyone’s stamina began dropping.
[Environmental Pressure Detected]
[Stamina Consumption Increased]
Orin immediately complained.
"Why does every floor have to hurt?"
Lyanna handed him water.
"Drink."
He accepted it.
"You’re my favorite person."
"I know."
Seraphina looked toward the others.
"We need to conserve energy."
Azrael nodded.
"We shouldn’t walk separately."
They formed a tight group.
Seraphina used Genesis Bloom to create small patches of vegetation.
The plants provided shade.
Caelan carried water.
Lyanna managed their supplies.
Orin carried the heavier equipment.
Azrael monitored the terrain.
They moved steadily.
No one rushed.
No one tried to prove themselves.
When one became tired, the others slowed down.
When someone needed water, they stopped.
Eventually, the desert ended.
The System appeared.
[Obstacle Overcome]
[Trial Progress: 47%]
[Group Synchronization Increased]
They continued.
At fifty percent, the fourth obstacle appeared.
This time, there was no physical barrier.
Instead, five paths appeared.
Each looked identical.
A System message appeared.
[Choose One Path.]
[Only One Leads Forward.]
Orin pointed toward the middle.
"That one."
Lyanna frowned.
"Why?"
"It feels right."
Caelan laughed.
"That’s not exactly evidence."
Azrael activated Origin Perception.
Nothing.
He tried Resonance Sight.
Nothing.
The paths were identical.
Seraphina stepped forward.
"Maybe we’re not supposed to determine which one is correct."
Azrael looked at her.
"Explain."
She pointed toward the five paths.
"They’re identical because the choice matters more than the destination."
Azrael considered it.
"So we simply choose."
Seraphina nodded.
"But everyone has to agree."
They looked at one another.
Nobody knew which path was correct.
Caelan chose the fourth.
Lyanna chose the second.
Orin chose the fifth.
Azrael chose the first.
Seraphina chose the third.
Five different choices.
Orin laughed.
"Well, that’s a problem."
Azrael looked at them.
"Then we don’t choose individually."
He stepped toward the center of the five paths.
"We choose together."
The others joined him.
Seraphina closed her eyes.
"Third."
Caelan smiled.
"Third."
Lyanna nodded.
"Third."
Orin sighed.
"Third."
Azrael nodded.
"Third."
They entered the third path.
Nothing happened.
The other paths disappeared.
The System appeared.
[Decision Made Through Consensus]
[Correct.]
[Trial Progress: 65%]
Orin stared at the message.
"That was lucky."
Azrael shook his head.
"No."
Seraphina smiled.
"The Tower wasn’t testing whether we could predict the answer."
"It was testing whether we trusted each other."
The remaining distance became easier.
They crossed a frozen plain.
They passed through a storm.
They climbed a steep mountain.
Every obstacle required something different.
Strength.
Patience.
Communication.
Trust.
Adaptation.
By the time they reached the final ten kilometers, everyone was exhausted.
Seraphina’s breathing was heavy.
Caelan’s clothes were torn.
Lyanna could barely keep her eyes open.
Orin was practically dragging himself forward.
Azrael was exhausted too.
Yet nobody stopped.
They continued.
One kilometer.
Two.
Five.
Nine.
Finally—
The opposite side appeared.
A massive golden gate stood at the end of the plain.
They walked toward it together.
The moment all five crossed the boundary—
The System appeared.
[Floor 27 Complete]
[Trial Type: Cooperation]
[Objective Complete]
[All Participants Survived]
[Cooperation Efficiency: 99%]
[Bonus Condition Fulfilled]
[No Participant Was Left Behind]
[Rewards Granted]
Golden light surrounded them.
Everyone received experience.
Their stamina returned instantly.
Orin collapsed onto the ground.
"We’re never doing that again."
Caelan laughed.
"You know the Tower doesn’t care."
"I know."
Seraphina sat beside him.
"You did well."
Orin looked at her.
"Really?"
"Really."
Azrael looked toward the golden gate.
It slowly opened.
Beyond it was another staircase.
The number 28 was carved into the first step.
Seraphina stood.
"Ready?"
Azrael nodded.
The others followed.
As they approached the staircase, the System displayed one final message.
[Floor 28]
[Trial Type: Unknown]
[Participants: 5]
[Recommended Strategy:]
[Remain together.]
Orin stared at it.
"That’s actually the first useful advice the Tower has given us."
Azrael smiled.
"Then we should listen."
The five stepped onto the staircase together.
This time, nobody walked ahead.
Nobody walked behind.
They climbed as one group.