The inner ring didn't open like a door. It tilted—a whole slice of city leaning to show us its throat.
[ Main Quest — Reach the Inner Ring ]
[ Objective Complete ]
[ New Objective Unlocked — Defeat the Crimson Verge High Entity ]
[ Target: Ash Warden Hierophant (S-Rank • Unknown Parameters) ]
[ Reward: Tier Advancement • Hidden Path Resonance (Major) ]
[ Sub-Objective — Disrupt Forge Grid Integrity ≥ 60 % ]
[ Optional: Identify Countermeasure Runes → Reward Unknown ]
[ Warning — Dungeon Stability at 14 % ]
[ Breach Window: 04 h 00 m ]
We came out of the service ramp onto a maintenance gantry bolted under a viewing terrace. Twenty meters above, the official platform jutted into heat and light: a black dais ringed with spine-rails and rune pylons, a ceremony spot pretending it was just scaffolding. Beyond it, the forge's mouth breathed flame slow as sleep. Red veins burned in every wall. Drums kept the work-beat—three short, one long—until the long turned longer.
