The tension broke before it could boil over. One of the group members, the archer with twin spirit pistols, stepped in just in time to separate the pink-haired magician and the tank.
The magician clicked her tongue, then turned on her heel. Without another word, she quit the party and stormed off toward the white room.
The rest of the group hesitated, exchanged a few glances, then followed her toward the safe zone.
Watching from the shadows, Sonny stepped out from his hiding spot. His eyes followed the direction they had come from. That was the entrance to the First Floor.
'What was that about, anyway? Something about the Fifteenth Floor?'
Warp answered through their link.
[From their words and tense expressions, it seems a tragedy occurred there. Someone named James died on that floor, yes?]
Sonny answered simply,
'Seems so.'
Casualties were inevitable when climbing the Tower, whether alone or in a party. The life of a Hunter was one constantly flirting with death. Survival depended entirely on strength.
James had likely fallen to unforeseen circumstances but even then, he might have been too weak to survive regardless.
Still, the mention of something unusual on the Fifteenth Floor stirred a quiet curiosity within Sonny, a growing desire to uncover the mystery.
Of course, he couldn't reach that floor just yet. Before anything else, he had to conquer the lower levels. Only then would he have a chance to investigate whatever had happened there. Who knows? Perhaps along the way, he'd grow stronger, maybe even find a way to break past his current limitations.
But for now, that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
'One step at the time.'
Finishing that line of thought, Sonny took a deep breath and shifted his gaze forward, toward the straight passage ahead.
The walls shimmered with crystalline structures, and the ceiling was studded with stones that emitted a faint glow at regular intervals. Even then, the light was dim, he could barely see two meters ahead.
Beyond that was darkness.
'I'm really here.'
He clenched the grips of his newly purchased pistols, each holstered at his sides.
The Tower of Nightmares was both gateway and a proving ground for those who sought to become gods. Naturally, the Tower didn't accept just anyone. Challengers had to earn their place.
If one made it past the Tenth Floor, their path as a Hunter was considered solidified.
...Or so the records claimed.
In truth, even high-ranking Hunters struggled or died if they let their guard down on the deeper floors. The further one descended, the greater the dangers and the closer one danced with death.
However, for Sonny, this was an unmissable opportunity.
A few days ago, he never would have imagined stepping into the world of Awakened and Hunters. He had never thought he would escape his mundane, repulsive routine or find a path to wealth. Yet he did, with just a simple command on his smartphone.
More importantly, it had been so easy that he still struggled to believe it.
Sonny Kyre had transformed into Sonny Redgrave, one of the richest individuals in the country. And when considering his mysterious Divine Origin and his Nightweave, he might even be considered a Demon God (魔神).
But the universe was infinitely vast, so it was wrong to assume he was all-powerful.
Compared to other Hunters, Sonny couldn't level up even if he cleared the entire Tower. He would remain forever stuck at Level 0. Worse, all his attributes, except for two, were utterly, ridiculously bad. His only redeeming trait was his ability to use Dreamweave (Ω) to create any effect (果) he desired, but that was entirely dependent on how many 'reality points' he had.
And to his dismay, he currently had only three RP!
In other words, he was basically an ordinary human with a overwhelming, fraudulent ability.
However,
'I can't afford to waste my reality points recklessly. That means I have to fight like a proper hunter.'
Unlike his Origin Ability (异能) and Soul Power (灵能), his physical strength was truly pitiful. Forget the Awakened, even an ordinary Dreamless could take him down if he wasn't careful. Nevertheless, that didn't mean he was completely out of options. If he could somehow find a method or way to break through his "shackles," then perhaps he'd finally be able to level up and unlock greater power.
With that in mind, Sonny made it his goal to conquer the Tower while remaining a Sleeper.
The real question was how he would achieve that.
According to Thomas, there were hidden pieces scattered throughout the Tower. Depending on the piece, it could be a powerful asset or completely useless, depending on who found it. Worse still, these hidden pieces were notoriously difficult to locate.
Even so, if he could find one capable of negating his Shackles, then that would be a game-changer.
Considering the rank of his skill, finding something like that would be incredibly difficult. He even wondered if the item he sought truly existed. Maybe it was more realistic to focus on gathering enough reality points to create it himself. That seemed like a more plausible path.
"First, I need to clear the beginner floors and reach the Tenth Floor."
After aligning his thoughts, Sonny swallowed the dryness in his throat and cautiously stepped forward into the passage.
† †
Who knew how long he had been walking along this straight path?
The deeper he ventured, the more the darkness seemed… inviting.
And it wasn't just his imagination.
The blackness was so complete that Sonny couldn't even see where he was going. Eventually, he turned on his smartphone and used the torch function to pierce through the gloom, if only slightly.
'I should really bring a proper flashlight next time.'
Using his phone as a light source was far from ideal. First, there was the issue of battery life. But more importantly, he needed his smartphone active to access his ability. Given how few reality points he had left, he could only afford to use it in true emergencies.
Sonny continued forward, cautious and alert, gripping his handgun like a gunslinger from the Wild West.
Still, nothing happened. No threats emerged. No movement stirred in the darkness.
As if nothing existed here at all.
An ordinary person might have started to relax but not Sonny. The silence only made him more uneasy. Additionally, there was this strange feeling vibrating around the center of his chest, growing stronger with every step.
He didn't know what was causing it, but it tightened around him like an invisible coil. And the longer he walked, the worse it became.
This definitely wasn't paranoia.
'What's going on? Don't tell me I'm having a heart attack here of all places.'
His fingers trembled slightly.
Wouldn't it be terrifying if he just collapsed out of nowhere? A heart attack was commonly caused by stress. One of the triggers was fear, after all.
Certainly, he would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious. Maybe even scared. But to have a heart attack over that? It sounded ridiculous.
Before the panic could truly set in, Warp's voice echoed in his mind. However, her usual calm was gone, replaced with desperate urgency.
[Master, be careful! There are traps ahead!]
'Traps...'
Thwish!
A sharp sound sliced through the darkness, cutting off his thoughts. An arrow had materialized out of the void.
"?!"
Without much time to think, Sonny instinctively lowered his body.
The arrow hissed past, grazing his hair by the thinnest margin before embedding itself in the far wall.
Twing!
'An arrow! That thing almost hit me!'
Sonny stared at the steel-tipped projectile embedded in the wall, his breath catching in his throat.
It wasn't just a wooden arrow, this one was forged from steel.
A wooden arrow was already deadly enough, but if that had struck its mark… he would've been dead on the spot. No second chances. Just a swift descent into hell.
If Warp hadn't warned him, he wouldn't even have realized how he died.
"Damnit," Sonny muttered bitterly and clicked his tongue.
To think he'd find himself in a situation where death came within a hair's breadth. How absurd would it be for him to die like this, without even understanding what had happened?
…Wait.
If alternate realities existed, then wasn't it possible that, in another timeline, he had died here? Caught unaware and killed instantly.
He shook the thought from his mind.
Focus.
'Warp, can you tell where that arrow came from?'
[I'm sorry, Master,] she replied, her voice laced with frustration. [But that won't be possible. Our connection only lets me perceive what you see. However… if I had to guess, this entire place is laced and with with traps.]
'Now that's just great.'
Sonny's gaze swept the corridor, scanning for the faintest glint of another trap mechanism.
'Guess that means every step from now on could be my last, huh.'
He knelt beside the embedded arrow, inspecting the shaft without touching it. The fletching was black, smooth, and professionally made, far too precise to be a random hazard. This wasn't the work of a half-baked trap. Someone or rather something had designed this traps to kill intruders.
'Warp, do you think these traps reset? Or are they one-time triggers?'
[Difficult to say without more data,] she answered. [But based on the mechanism I glimpsed as the arrow fired, it's likely they reset after a certain cooldown. We should proceed with extreme caution.]
'As if I was planning to take a stroll.'
Sonny sighed and stood up, taking another tentative step forward, this time staying close to the right wall. With every footfall, he felt like he was walking across thin ice.
The seconds dragged on. His breath was shallow. His grip tightened on the pistol.
Then,
Click!
His foot depressed something small beneath the dust.
'Shit—!'
He leaped away just in time.
Thwish-thwish-thwish!
A rapid volley of arrows erupted from the left wall in a straight, deadly line. One sliced through his jacket, just missing his ribs. Another barely grazed his shin. He gritted his teeth, taking some several steps backwards.
But the assault didn't stop there.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Steel arrows whistled through the air from multiple directions.
Too fast to track with the naked eye.
Sonny dropped low and rolled to the side, pressing his body flat against the cold wall. With no idea where the next shot would come from, minimizing his body exposure was the only logical move.
But the passage was straight and barren, providing no cover whatsoever.
And to make matters worse...
Shlickt!
A trap sprang from behind. Before he could react, an arrow embedded itself deep into his left thigh.
"Agh!"
A flash of white exploded infront of his eyes. His breath hitched, but he gritted his teeth, willing himself to move. Unfortunately for him, he was too late to avoid the incoming assault.
Puck! Puck! Puck!
Three more arrows found him; one in the shoulder, another in the forearm, and a third piercing his side.