The gates of the outpost swung wide as Alexis and Lyra returned, dragging their spoils behind them. The ogre's hide slung across Alexis's shoulder gleamed faintly in the false moonlight, its weight heavy but its worth heavier still. Lyra twirled the ogre's fang like a dagger, letting the crowd see it before slipping it into her belt with a smirk.
Silence met them at first. Then a wave of murmurs.
"They killed it…"
"No one else survived long enough…"
"The ogre's dead?"
"How—how did just two of them—"
Eyes burned with awe. Others with suspicion. And many more with envy.
The blacksmiths were the first to move, shouting offers before they'd even reached the stalls.
"Hide like that? I'll pay triple—no, quadruple!"
"Bring it to me, I'll weave armor that will never crack!"
Traders swarmed closer, waving silver pouches and promises of guild contracts.
Lyra laughed, brushing past them all. "Oh, this is fun. Didn't know we were celebrities now."
Alexis's eyes narrowed. "Fame cuts both ways."
And already, he could feel the other edge. In the crowd, not all eyes held admiration. Some glared with bitterness. Others measured them with cold calculation.
That night, the tavern was louder than ever. Adventurers packed the room, voices raised in disbelief and heated argument.
"They stole it from us!" barked a scarred man at one table, slamming his mug down. "We had it half-dead before they jumped in!"
"You had it half-dead, but no plan to finish it," someone else countered. "They struck when the time was right. That's smart, not stealing."
"It's unfair!" another spat. "Two people reap the loot of twenty!"
The argument swelled until fists slammed into faces and chairs splintered across the floor.
At their corner table, Alexis and Lyra sat quietly. Lyra drank lazily, one boot propped on the bench, watching the chaos with a grin.
"You'd think they'd thank us for killing the thing," she mused.
"They wanted glory," Alexis replied, tearing bread with calm precision. "Instead, we took it. Now they want blood."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "So what happens first, do you think? Someone tries to recruit us… or someone tries to kill us?"
Alexis's gaze flicked toward the crowd. "Both."
By dawn, the outpost was different.
Blacksmiths worked through the night, whispering of new weapons forged from ogre bone. Traders whispered that the ogre's fall would shift the market, prices rising, fortunes changing. Guild banners were unfurled more boldly now — their recruiters prowling the streets, eyes set on anyone strong enough to matter.
And through it all, Alexis and Lyra's names carried on every tongue.
Two shadows walking taller than the rest.
But shadows always drew hunters.
[System]:Notice — Floor 1 Ecology Shift.
Elite Monster: Ogre — Slain.Floor Balance Adjusted.New Threats Emerging.
The Tower did not rest. Neither could they.
Chapter 4 Part 2 : Guild Eyes
The outpost was restless.
The ogre's death had shifted everything. Traders hawked their wares at double the price, smiths demanded more silver for reforging, and adventurers filled the taverns with half-true stories of how close they had been to landing the killing blow.
But one truth lingered above the noise: Alexis and Lyra had slain it.
And that made them valuable.
The first recruiter came at dawn. A man in lacquered leather, bearing the crest of the Iron Vultures, stood outside the shrine steps as Alexis tightened his gauntlets. His voice was smooth, his bow rehearsed.
"You two stand apart," he said. "The Tower favors those with strength. The Vultures would be honored to call you allies. Contracts, silver, protection. Together, we could dominate this floor and the next."
Lyra stretched, yawning deliberately. "Sorry, we're not the 'flock' type."
The recruiter stiffened. His polite mask faltered just a breath, but he bowed again before leaving.
By midday, three more came.
A woman clad in blue silks bearing the Azure Veil, promising wealth and rare potions.
A knight from the Hammered Sun, boasting numbers and strength in unity.
Even a silver-tongued merchant, unaffiliated, who whispered of forming something new, something greater.
Each was turned away with the same cool dismissal.
By evening, the offers soured. Voices grew sharper. Silver turned to threats.
The tavern that night was quieter. Alexis and Lyra's presence bent the room's air like a drawn bowstring.
"Fools," a man muttered at the bar. "Think they can climb alone."
"They'll die in the Boss chamber," another hissed.
"Or sooner," someone added, eyes narrowing.
Lyra smirked into her cup. "We're so popular."
Alexis's gaze swept the room, catching eyes that darted away too quickly. His voice was calm, low. "They're testing how long before we break. Or bleed."
[System]:Floor 1 Boss Rumor Unlocked — The Dire Wolf King.
Location: Deep Forest Clearing, north of the ogre's lair.Estimated Tier: A (Boss).Recommended Party: 20+
The message spread like wildfire. By morning, every adventurer in the outpost spoke of the Wolf King, some with fear, others with hunger. Parties formed rapidly, banners raised, gear polished.
And though guilds whispered of alliances, every eye still drifted, inevitably, toward the pair who had felled the ogre.
Alexis. Lyra.
Whether they joined the raid or not… the climb to Floor 2 would carry their shadow.
[System]:Notice — Player Status Update
Alexis: Lv. 8Lyra: Lv. 8Ogre Fang & Hide: SecuredReputation: Rising (Marked by Guilds)
The Tower waited. The Boss had stirred.
And the first true test of Floor 1 was about to begin.
Chapter 4 Part 3 : The Wolf King's Howl
The outpost was electric.
News of the Dire Wolf King spread faster than fire in dry brush. Adventurers sharpened blades, guild banners unfurled across the square, and silver changed hands as quickly as mugs of ale.
The Boss wasn't rumor anymore. Scouts had confirmed it: a colossal wolf, its fur streaked with silver, its eyes burning like frostfire. Packs of lesser wolves prowled the surrounding clearing, a living army shielding their king.
And the Tower had marked it clearly.
[System]:Floor 1 Boss Identified — Dire Wolf King (A Tier).
Recommended Party: 20+
Failure Penalty: Outpost Regression Event.
The warning hung heavy in the air. Everyone knew what it meant: if the Wolf King wasn't slain, the outpost itself could fall.
Guilds scrambled for dominance.
The Iron Vultures claimed they had the numbers.
The Azure Veil boasted precision and coordination.
The Hammered Sun swore by brute strength.
Each shouted, each bargained, each gathered followers in the tavern square.
And through it all, Alexis and Lyra sat quietly, shadows at the edge of the firelight.
"They're already planning who gets the kill," Lyra said, her grin sharp as she sipped her drink. "Who gets the loot. Who gets the glory. It's almost cute."
Alexis's gaze swept across the gathering. His voice was low, steady. "Cute until they turn on each other."
"Mm," Lyra hummed, leaning back. "So what do we do? Play along? Or let them bleed first?"
Alexis's fingers tightened on the hilt of his katana. His silence was answer enough.
That night, the Wolf King's howl rolled through the forest.
It was no ordinary sound. The false moon trembled, lantern flames flickered, and every adventurer in the outpost fell silent. The howl carried hunger, rage, inevitability.
For a moment, it felt as though the Tower itself had spoken.
By morning, preparations were frantic. Blacksmiths hammered through the night, forging spears from ogre bone. Alchemists brewed potions until their hands shook. Scouts returned bloodied, whispering of wolf packs that moved like shadows, of glowing eyes in the dark.
The raid was set.
Dozens of adventurers marched north toward the deep forest. Guild banners fluttered, voices raised in hollow bravado.
And in the distance, watching from the treeline, Alexis and Lyra followed — silent, unseen.
[System]:Raid Commencement — Floor 1 Boss Battle: Dire Wolf King.
Participants: Multiple Guilds, Unaffiliated Parties.
Observers: Alexis, Lyra.
The Tower had prepared its first trial.
And the blood it demanded would be plentiful.
Chapter 4 Part 4 : The Raid Begins
The forest north of the ogre's lair was alive with growls.
Dozens of adventurers pushed through the trees, torches and lanterns casting flickering light. Their armor clattered, banners swayed, and voices rang too loud for a hunt.
The wolves were already listening.
The Iron Vultures marched in formation, shields raised, spearmen in front.
The Azure Veil moved quieter, their casters whispering incantations, archers nocking glowing arrows.
The Hammered Sun crashed forward, heavy axes gleaming, their laughter too loud, too forced.
They all wanted the kill. They all wanted the loot.
None of them wanted to bleed for it.
From the treeline, Alexis and Lyra watched.
"They're making enough noise to wake the Tower itself," Lyra whispered, crouched low on a branch. Her mantle shifted faintly, camouflaging her in the dark. "Perfect bait."
Alexis's eyes tracked the shadows moving between trees — the gleam of eyes, the rustle of padded paws. "The wolves are already here."
The first strike came swift.
A dozen shapes burst from the undergrowth, fur flashing silver in the torchlight. The vanguard of the Iron Vultures faltered as fangs sank into exposed gaps, wolves pulling men screaming into the brush.
The line broke.
[System]:Dire Wolf Pack Ambush (B Tier).
Casualties: 3 (Iron Vultures).
The forest erupted in chaos.
Archers loosed arrows into the dark. Spells lit the trees with bursts of fire and frost. Wolves darted between the chaos, fast as shadows, tearing through the ranks before vanishing again.
Lyra grinned, eyes glinting in the firelight. "Oh, I like this. The Tower's showing them what a raid actually means."
Alexis's voice was calm, steady. "This is only the pack. The King hasn't moved yet."
A howl shattered the night.
The sound was deeper than before, louder, carrying across the battlefield like a blade of cold air.
Every torch flickered. Every adventurer froze.
And from the far end of the clearing, the Dire Wolf King stepped into view.
Its body was massive, towering over men, its silver-streaked fur gleaming under the false moon. Its eyes burned with pale fire, intelligent and merciless. Dozens of wolves flanked it, their growls rumbling like thunder.
[System]:Boss Battle Commenced — Dire Wolf King (A Tier).
HP: 100%
The guild banners trembled in the torchlight. Adventurers raised their weapons with shaking hands.
The Wolf King bared its fangs — and the clearing descended into blood.