The door opened without sound.
No roar.No tremor.No immediate attempt on their lives.
Tatsu stopped short.
"…That's suspicious."
The room beyond was wide and softly lit. Stone benches lined the walls. A clear pool sat in the center, steam rising gently from its surface. The air was warm, comfortable, almost welcoming.
A glowing message floated above the entrance.
Rest FloorRecovery Permitted
Leonhart blinked."…Is that it."
Fridge Sama stared at the room for a long second.
"This floor is lying," he said.
Tatsu nodded immediately."Thank you. I was about to relax and that felt illegal."
Despite the warning bells screaming in their heads, their bodies betrayed them. The exhaustion hit all at once. Muscles screamed. Lungs burned. Even Leonhart's flames flickered weakly before settling.
Tatsu collapsed onto the nearest bench.
"I don't care if this place eats me," he said. "I need to sit."
Leonhart hesitated, then sat across from him, posture stiff.
Fridge Sama remained standing.
"You should drink," Fridge Sama said, gesturing at the pool.
Tatsu squinted."That sounded like a trap."
"Yes," Fridge Sama said. "But a useful one."
Leonhart frowned. "How do you know."
"Because if the Tower wanted us dead immediately," Fridge Sama replied, "we would already be dead."
Tatsu considered that."…That's comforting in a deeply upsetting way."
He dipped his fingers into the pool.
Warmth spread instantly through his hand, soothing and deep, like sinking into a bath after a lifetime of bad decisions. He sighed involuntarily.
"Oh no," he said. "It's working."
Leonhart knelt and cupped water into his palm. The moment it touched his skin, the strain in his shoulders eased. His breathing slowed.
"…This is effective," he admitted reluctantly.
Fridge Sama watched them closely.
"Do not relax completely," he said.
Tatsu leaned back anyway.
"I will relax halfway," he replied. "As a compromise."
The lights dimmed slightly.
Neither of them noticed at first.
The benches shifted.
Just a little.
Leonhart's eyes snapped open."Did the floor move."
Tatsu sat up."…No."
The floor moved again.
This time, unmistakably.
Thin lines appeared across the stone, spreading outward like cracks in ice. A low hum filled the chamber, not loud enough to panic, but steady enough to make the skin crawl.
Fridge Sama stepped forward.
"Stand," he said.
Too late.
The benches sank into the ground, vanishing instantly. The pool drained in a single breath, the water disappearing into hidden channels.
Tatsu yelped and scrambled to his feet.
"WHY DOES EVERY FLOOR WAIT UNTIL I'M COMFORTABLE."
Leonhart ignited a weak flame, scanning the room.
The walls began to breathe.
Not literally.But close enough to make Tatsu deeply uncomfortable.
Stone plates shifted. Narrow openings formed. Something inside them clicked into place.
Fridge Sama's expression sharpened.
"Memory traps," he said.
Leonhart frowned. "What."
The first dart fired.
Fridge Sama flicked his wrist, freezing it midair.
Then another dart fired.And another.And then dozens.
Leonhart reacted instantly, flames flashing as he burned a path through the barrage.
Tatsu ducked behind Fridge Sama instinctively.
"I knew it," he shouted. "The Tower hates naps."
The darts stopped.
Silence returned.
Tatsu peeked out."…Did we pass."
"No," Fridge Sama said.
The room darkened.
The air grew heavy.
And then the floor spoke.
Not in words.
In pressure.
Tatsu's chest tightened. His vision blurred slightly, memories flickering at the edge of his thoughts. Failure. Falling. Being too slow. Too weak.
Leonhart staggered.
His fists clenched as heat flared uncontrollably.
"I don't need rest," he snapped aloud, to no one. "I don't need this."
Fridge Sama turned sharply.
"Do not listen," he said.
Tatsu swallowed hard.
"…Listen to what."
The pressure increased.
Whispers crept into the air, faint but relentless.
You are weak.You rely on others.You do not belong here.
Tatsu dropped to one knee.
"This floor is rude," he muttered.
Leonhart roared, flames bursting outward wildly, scorching the walls.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD."
The Tower responded.
The cracks widened.
Creatures pulled themselves out of the walls. Pale, thin things shaped like unfinished people, faces smooth and blank. They moved slowly, but every step made the pressure worse.
"Manifestations," Fridge Sama said calmly. "Mental fatigue given form."
Tatsu looked up, terrified.
"…We're fighting depression monsters now."
"Yes," Fridge Sama replied.
"That's unfair."
The creatures rushed them.
Leonhart burned the first one down, breathing hard.
It dissolved instantly.
But two more replaced it.
Tatsu forced himself to stand.
"Okay," he said shakily. "Okay. Same rules as always. Move. Don't think."
He grabbed a fallen shard of stone and swung at the nearest creature.
It shattered.
"HEY," Tatsu yelled. "That worked."
Fridge Sama moved.
The temperature dropped sharply, not freezing the monsters, but the air around them. Their movements slowed, hesitation creeping into their forms.
"They feed on hesitation," Fridge Sama said. "Do not give them time."
Leonhart nodded, teeth clenched.
He adjusted his flames, shorter bursts, controlled.
One creature lunged at Tatsu.
Leonhart stepped in front of him without thinking and incinerated it.
Tatsu froze.
"…You saved me."
Leonhart did not look back."Do not make it a habit."
They fought together.
Fast.Messy.Focused.
The last creature dissolved into dust.
The pressure vanished.
The lights returned.
The floor stilled.
A message appeared.
Rest Floor ClearedMental Resistance Increased
Tatsu collapsed backward, laughing breathlessly.
"I hate rest."
Leonhart sat heavily beside him.
"…That was not rest."
Fridge Sama looked down at them.
"You survived," he said. "That counts."
Tatsu wiped sweat from his eyes.
"Next time the Tower offers me comfort," he said, "I am punching it."
Leonhart snorted quietly before he could stop himself.
Fridge Sama turned toward the next door.
"Do not sit too long," he said.
Tatsu groaned and forced himself up.
"Rest is a lie," he muttered.
They stepped forward together.
The Tower closed the door behind them.