The streets of Solport buzzed louder than ever.
SeTa noticed it the moment they exited the Awakening Tower. Whispers followed them. Omni-Class. Nullborn Arbiter. Hellbound Inquisitor. He and Kael were now anomalies that even the veterans tracked with quiet caution.
Notifications chimed in SeTa's mind as they stepped away from the central plaza.
> [System Alert]
Floor Milestone Reached: Floor 20
Earth Reconnection Available
Current Allotted Time: 24 Hours (Real World)
SeTa exhaled slowly.
"Earth called yet?" Kael asked, casually flicking a mana coin between his fingers.
"Yeah," SeTa replied, not looking at him. "One full day this time."
"You going?"
He paused.
"No. Not yet."
Kael grinned. "Didn't think you would."
SeTa had people back on Earth—barely. But right now, he felt more alien to that world than this one. And Kael, well... Kael never asked for help unless it mattered.
"You said your class gave you a system mission?" SeTa finally asked.
"Yeah. Hellbound Inquisitor isn't just edge-lord branding," Kael said, waving his system screen open. "Turns out, Inquisition has duties."
He turned the screen for SeTa to see:
> Personal Quest: Trial of the Bound Flame
Mission Grade: S
Objective: Purge the Cursed Cult operating beyond Solport's western frontier.
Reward: Title Advancement + Skill Unlock
Note: Party members allowed. Recommend high-synergy allies.
"They've been kidnapping lower-tier Climbers and NPCs alike. The city guard won't touch it. It's considered... bad optics," Kael muttered.
"Where?" SeTa asked.
"West of the wall. Near the Obsidian Ravines. You in?"
SeTa nodded. "Of course."
The western edge of Floor 20 was nothing like the refined beauty of Solport's interior. Past the protective walls were fields of broken stone, scattered ruins, and unmonitored dungeons. The sky darkened here unnaturally, like a storm frozen in a perpetual state of almost-arriving.
They crossed a dusty checkpoint manned by NPC guards. One of them, an older man with silver dreadlocks and cybernetic eyes, handed SeTa a City Guild slip.
"You're both marked for high activity," the guard said. "Solport tracks everyone now. You'll get mission offers from time to time. Some tied to the city, some tied to the System directly."
They entered the fringe lands. Noise quieted. The air felt heavier—less filtered, more real.
SeTa flexed his fingers. Since evolving to Nullborn Arbiter, his perception hadn't stopped splitting reality in small ways. He saw micro-illusions, heat patterns, time echoes. He felt pressure where events might happen, rather than where they already had.
"I don't even need scouts anymore," Kael joked.
"You say that," SeTa muttered, "but I still let you walk in front."
Kael laughed as they traversed the ravines, eventually setting up camp just outside a dilapidated temple. This was where Kael's quest would begin—a place cursed by forgotten rituals and blood-soaked faith.
As they ate a quick meal of ration bars and cheap restoration tea, Kael glanced toward SeTa.
"You ever miss Earth?" he asked.
SeTa thought for a moment. "I miss... silence. Music. Some smells."
"Not people?"
"Some. Not most."
Kael chuckled. "That's cold."
"No. Just honest."
A few minutes later, a faint shimmer in Kael's eyes signaled the system locking in his quest.
> Trial Begins: 48 Hours Until Cult Ceremony
Failure Condition: Inquisition Target Ascends
Bonus Condition: Eliminate Cult Leader Before Ritual Initiation
Kael stood and cracked his neck.
"Guess we've got two days to shut this thing down."
SeTa rose beside him.
"Then we better start now."
Behind them, the city lights of Solport flickered in the distance.
Before them, the darkness waited.