Shubh's body hit the cold floor of the arena, the sound echoing louder than the crowd's roar. His vision blurred, blood trickled from the side of his lip, and the voice of the referee rang sharp in his ears:
"Winner — Kairn of the Stone Fang Clan!"
The crowd erupted, chanting Kairn's name, but Shubh only heard the heavy thumping of his own heart. His gravity affinity had failed him at the last moment. For the first time since entering the Tower, he had been defeated.
As he staggered out of the arena, the mocking cheers of the spectators stung sharper than any wound. So this is the Tower past Floor 30… ruthless, unforgiving.
A voice came from the shadows of the corridor. Calm. Familiar.
"So, even you can fall."
Shubh froze. Slowly, he turned his head — and his eyes widened.
Standing there, leaning casually against the wall, was Williams. The same boy Shubh had fought back in Oak, just before leaving his hometown. His sharp eyes still carried the same calm fire, but there was something different now — a confidence that came only from surviving the Tower.
"You…" Shubh muttered, his voice low, edged with disbelief.
Williams pushed off the wall and smirked faintly.
"I told you once, didn't I? Strength alone won't always be enough."
Before Shubh could reply, another figure stepped out from behind Williams. Shubh's breath caught for a moment — it was him. The boy from the Affinity Test. The one who had sneered at Shubh's gravity ability. His first real rival.
The boy's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Gravity Shubh. Looks like you couldn't even keep yourself standing."
Shubh's hands clenched into fists.
"You two came here to gloat?"
The rival shook his head.
"No. I came to climb. The Tower doesn't care about pride — only survival. And apparently, fate thinks I'll climb faster with you in my path."
Williams stepped between them before the tension snapped into violence. His calm voice cut through the thick air.
"Enough. Shubh, listen. You've come farther alone than most ever dream to. Floor 38 is no small feat. But from here, the Tower turns cruel. Alone, you'll be broken. Together, we might just have a chance to reach higher."
Shubh's pride screamed at him to refuse. He remembered the rival's laughter during the Affinity Test, the sting of defeat just moments ago, the feeling of weakness clawing at his chest. But beneath all of that burned something stronger — his resolve. His goal.
He looked at Williams. Then at his rival. His jaw tightened.
"…Fine," Shubh said at last. His voice was low, but steady. "But understand this — I'm not following either of you. I'll climb with you… until the day I surpass you both."
The rival smirked.
"Good. I wouldn't want it any other way."
Williams gave the faintest smile.
"Then it's settled. From this floor onward — we climb as one."
The three of them stepped into the preparation chamber for Floor 39. For the first time, Shubh wasn't walking alone.
Far above, in a chamber of golden light, a man sat upon a throne carved from the flames of the setting sun. His gaze was sharp, his presence suffocating. The Sun of the West.
As his overseers whispered of the alliance forming below, a faint smile curved his lips.
"So… the Vavugan boy finally learns the taste of defeat. Good. He is shaping into something interesting."
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a cloaked figure.
"Send him a trainer. If he is to entertain me longer, he must first survive the fire I grant him."
The cloaked figure bowed deeply. But before leaving, the Sun of the West's voice hardened like steel.
"And one more thing." His golden eyes glowed brighter, burning with a cruel amusement.
"The boy who calls himself Shubh's rival… remove him."
The cloaked figure paused, lowering his head further in acknowledgment.
"As you command."
The Sun of the West leaned back against his throne, the fiery aura around him flaring higher.
"Let us see how far this Shubh climbs… when the ones beside him begin to fall."