The dim, cracked ceiling above Aragi Zotai stirred with early light. He slowly opened his eyes, the memory of yesterday crawling back into his thoughts like a shadow he couldn't escape.
"Maxton…" Aragi murmured.
That blue-eyed Vindicator from Floor 200 still haunted his thoughts. What was he doing down here? Why did he speak so casually about strength, yet seem so unreachable?
Aragi sat up on his makeshift bed in the quiet room of Drektown, his worn hoodie crumpled around his shoulders. Dust danced in the air. But then he shook his head.
"Thinking about what I don't understand is a waste of time."
He got ready in silence. He had one goal — climb higher.
Aragi headed to Goros Soros's shop. The old trader's shop stood out among the wrecked stalls of the slums. Inside, the familiar smell of old leather and oil greeted him.
He placed several monster crystals on the counter. "These are from Floor 4."
Goros raised an eyebrow. "Hmph. Not bad, kid. You're moving faster than I expected."
After counting the crystals, Goros handed over a pouch of money. Not a fortune, but enough to survive and prepare.
Then Aragi noticed a worn, thick book lying near the counter. Its cover was dark and plain, but the title burned clearly:
"TOWER STRUCTURE, MONSTERS, VINDICATORS: VOLUME I."
"How much for the book?" Aragi asked.
Goros smirked. "You planning to read now, too? Five ren."
Aragi paid and took it.
As he turned to leave, Goros called out, "Good luck. You'll need it more the higher you go."
Aragi walked with the book open, flipping through pages as he made his way to the lift. It was full of detailed entries—monster classifications, floor changes, theories about the upper tower. Whoever wrote this book was a genius.
Then he paused. At the bottom of a page, he noticed the author's name.
#Goat_Alex_020
"What kind of name is that…?" Aragi whispered, genuinely puzzled. It didn't sound like a real name at all.
Reaching the lift, he scanned his ID. The 5th Floor light blinked on, and the doors closed.
---
The doors opened to an eerily silent floor. The 5th was darker than the ones before — ruins more crumbled, lights more faded. But what disturbed Aragi the most was something else.
There were no monsters.
The entire floor was… empty.
Aragi's instincts screamed. He wasn't just scared — he felt wrong.
"Something's not right…" he whispered, hand resting on his katana.
He turned to go back to the lift — but the ground beneath him glitched. Walls shimmered, reality shook like a broken screen. Then—
Everything went black.
---
When Aragi opened his eyes, he was somewhere else.
The new floor was massive. Silent. Unlike any other he had seen.
A straight, endless corridor lay ahead. Cracks lined its walls, and at the end sat a throne — old and tall — a throne meant for a ruler. Thick pillars surrounded it like a temple of forgotten gods.
No monsters. No sounds.
Aragi walked forward, katana tight in his grip.
As he reached the throne room, he felt something shift. A voice echoed behind him.
"Stop."
He turned sharply.
Someone was sitting on the throne.
A humanoid monster.
But what made Aragi freeze wasn't the shape. It was that it spoke.
"Who are you?" the monster asked calmly. "What is your name?"
Aragi hesitated. His hand hovered near his sword.
"…Aragi Zotai. A Vindicator."
The monster tilted its head, eyes glowing faintly. "A Vindicator? Haven't seen one in… 100 years."
Aragi's eyes widened. "100 years? This thing is ancient…"
The monster stood slowly. "You want to leave this place, boy? Then defeat me."
"Defeat… you?" Aragi looked at the figure again — the aura it radiated was suffocating. It was like staring at a boss-level monster from Floor 350 or higher.
"You can't be serious," Aragi muttered.
The monster took a step forward. "What color are your eyes? I can't see them from here."
Aragi tensed. He didn't want to answer. But finally, he whispered, "Grey."
The monster paused.
"…So the rumors were true," it said. "You really do exist."
That reply only deepened Aragi's confusion. Did this creature know something about him? About his eyes?
"Enough talk," the monster growled. "Let's begin."
It dashed forward — blindingly fast.
Aragi barely moved when the creature was already in front of him. It didn't teleport — it just moved that fast.
Aragi swung his katana — the blade bounced off its skin like paper against steel.
He turned to run — but a single flick from the monster's finger sent him crashing into a wall, his breath knocked out of his lungs.
The monster walked over, crouched beside him. "You're disappointing. I expected more."
Then it stabbed its clawed hand into Aragi's chest.
Everything went dark.
---
Then…
A glow.
A pulse in the silence.
The monster stopped. It turned slowly.
Aragi stood again.
Blood still dripping from his chest. Face emotionless. Left eye… glowing silver.
The monster narrowed its eyes. "So… that's what the rumors meant…"
Aragi didn't respond. He simply stared — cold and lifeless.
Then the monster struck with full strength — a fist that shattered the wall behind Aragi.
But when the dust cleared…
Aragi had blocked the punch with one finger.
The monster jumped back in shock. "I'm a monster… but are you something worse…?"
Before it could think, Aragi vanished — and then appeared in front of it.
One punch.
The monster flew across the chamber and smashed into the wall, embedded in stone.
It struggled, whimpering. "I… I'm sorry… I was wrong…"
Aragi walked toward it. His expression never changed.
He raised his fist.
And with one blow, crushed the monster's head against the stone.
Blood rained like a crimson storm.
---
Aragi gasped and opened his eyes.
He was back on the 5th Floor.
He touched his chest — no wound.
But he remembered everything.
Except the last part. That… monstrous version of himself. That strength. That power.
"Was that… me?"
Then he noticed something in his hand.
A red, square-shaped monster crystal.
His grip tightened.
---
After some time to recover, Aragi continued forward. Now, E-rank monsters had returned — he cut through them easily, the weight of his earlier experience still pressing on his mind.
Eventually, he reached the lift console. He scanned his ID.
"6th Floor unlocked."
Inside the 6th Floor, he found a strange room tucked behind broken walls. Inside it — a chest.
He opened it.
A gun.
Aragi blinked. "A weapon…? My first."
Not knowing how to use it, he stored it in his bag and moved toward the next lift. He pressed Floor 0 and leaned back.
His reflection in the steel doors stared back at him.
"What's happening to me…?"
"Can I even reach the top?"
"Am I really getting stronger… or losing myself?"
---
Back at Drektown, Aragi went straight to Goros's shop.
"I found something," he said, placing the red crystal on the counter.
Goros froze.
"Where did you… find this?"
"Lying around," Aragi lied.
Goros whistled. "That's rare. I'll give you 10,000 ren."
Aragi's eyes widened. "Ten… thousand?"
With that money, survival was guaranteed for a while. Maybe better gear, a real room…
Then he remembered the gun.
He showed it to Goros. "I found this too."
Goros chuckled. "A gun. Not common in the lower floors. Not many know how to use them down here."
"I don't either," Aragi muttered.
"Keep it. Might save your life someday."
---
Aragi decided not to risk keeping money in the open slums, so he found a small hotel tucked between old buildings.
The room was small, but private. A bed. A washroom. A lock.
His own space. For the first time ever.
After a warm shower, he sat on the bed, finally relaxed.
Then — a knock at the door.
He frowned. He hadn't spoken to anyone else.
"Maybe hotel staff?"
He opened the door—
A man stood outside. Strange. Dressed differently.
"…Are you Aragi Zotai?" the man asked, voice low.
Aragi stared.
End of Chapter 3.