Part 1: The Wall of Light
The Obsidian Leviathan, safe within the air bubble of the Dragon Turtle, descended into the crushing blackness of Floor 25. They weren't fighting monsters; they were fighting the sheer vastness of the "Water Wall."
[Depth: 9,000 Meters]
"We are deeper than the trenches of Floor 24," Orion's raspy voice echoed. "The pressure outside the bubble is enough to turn diamond into dust."
"Keep going," Elian ordered. "The map says the exit is at the nadir."
Caelum pointed downward. "Light."
It started as a pinprick, then expanded into a blinding white sheet stretching across the ocean floor.
"Brace yourselves!" Elian shouted. "We're hitting the threshold!"
The Dragon Turtle slammed into the light.
THUD.
For five agonizing seconds, they were suspended in resistance, as if the world itself was rejecting them. Then—
POP.
Part 2: The New Horizon
The sensation of falling stopped. The blinding light faded into a familiar blue.
Bubbles roared around them as the Dragon Turtle surged upward, breaching the surface.
SPLASH.
The crew ran to the railings.
"We... we're on the surface?" Titan asked.
"No," Elian said, looking up at the golden sky. "We're on the next floor."
The ocean they floated in was vast and dotted with floating islands. Some were jungle paradises; others were jagged rocks with waterfalls.
[System Notification]
[Welcome to Floor 26: The Archipelago of Beginnings.]
Then, a Global Announcement rang out for every player in the Tower.
[SERVER ANNOUNCEMENT]
[First Visitors Detected: Guild Eclipse.]
[Unlock Condition Met: The Tutorial is Over.]
[NEW RULES ACTIVE: FLOORS 26 - 100]
1. Exploration Theme: The Minimap is disabled.
2. Conquest System: All lands are unowned. If you can protect it, you own it.
3. Safe Zones: There are no pre-built cities. Players must build their own.
"No maps?" Jax whispered. "We're blind."
"We aren't blind," Elian grinned. "We're free."
Part 3: The Administrator's Gift
As they marveled at the view, the sea around them began to rumble.
Eight massive points in the ocean began to churn.
ROAAAAR.
"Captain!" Orion shouted. "Space-time rupture detected! Eight massive energy signatures opening up!"
In the distance, forming a perfect circle around the central sea, eight colossal Whirlpools opened up. But they weren't sucking water down; they were spitting energy up.
[System Notification: The Currents of the Worthy]
[The Administrator has granted a Boon.]
[The "Water Wall" of Floor 25 is now bypassable via the 8 Whirlpools.]
Elian read the notification and frowned. "He's changing the game."
"What does it mean?" Valen asked.
"It means we broke the seal, and now the Administrator is opening the floodgates," Elian explained, pointing at the spinning vortexes. "Those Whirlpools connect directly to Floor 24. They are elevators."
Part 4: The Filter
"So anyone can come up?" Titan asked, worried. "Even the Dynasty?"
"Not anyone," Elian said, reading the fine print.
[Condition: The Pressure Test.]
[Only players with sufficient Stats (Strength/Vitality) or Ship Integrity can survive the ascent through the Whirlpool.]
[Safety Protocol: Active. Failure results in expulsion back to Floor 24. Death is disabled in the transport stream.]
"It's a filter," Elian realized. "The Administrator wants a war on this floor. He's inviting the players from the lower floors to come up, but only the strong ones. The weak will be spat back out to Port Siren."
As he spoke, the first Whirlpool erupted.
A massive, reinforced Dynasty Warship shot out of the vortex, splashing violently into the sea of Floor 26. Its masts were cracked, and its hull was smoking, but it had survived the pressure.
"They're here," Isara whispered, drawing her daggers.
"Let them come," Elian said, turning the Obsidian Leviathan toward a large, unclaimed jungle island in the distance.
"The map is blank, the land is free, and we have a head start."
"Orion, take us to that island," Elian commanded. "We plant our flag before the rest of the server figures out how to swim."