"Did you really think you could reach the 100th floor, Ethan?"
The voice came from behind him, familiar and cold.
Ethan turned slowly, his body broken and bloodied. Around him lay the corpses of the Seven Tower Masters—the most powerful beings humanity had ever produced.
He had killed them all.
Just as Malachar had commanded.
Standing at the chamber's entrance were five figures.
His party. His friends. The people he had climbed alongside for ten years.
Marcus Chen—the tank who had saved his life countless times.
Lily Park—the healer who had patched his wounds after every battle.
Derek Stone—the rogue who watched his back.
Jin Nakamura—the swordsman who trained with him every morning.
And leading them... Sarah Kane, the vice-leader of their guild. His closest friend.
All five had their weapons drawn. All five were pointing them at him.
"Sarah...?" Ethan's voice came out hoarse. "What's going on?"
Sarah's expression was cold, devoid of the warmth she once showed him.
"You've served your purpose, Ethan. Malachar doesn't need you anymore."
The name hit him like a physical blow.
Malachar. The Demon God who had granted Ethan power ten years ago through a contract.
"You... you're working with him?" Ethan couldn't believe it. "All of you?"
"Not all of us," Marcus said quietly, his shield raised defensively. "Some of us had no choice."
"Shut up, Marcus," Derek snapped. "We all made our decisions."
Lily looked away, unable to meet Ethan's eyes, tears streaming down her face. Jin's grip on his sword trembled slightly, his jaw clenched.
But Sarah's gaze never wavered.
"Malachar offered us a deal, Ethan. Power beyond imagination. Survival in the new world he's creating. All we had to do was make sure you completed your missions like a good little puppet."
"Missions...?" Ethan's mind raced back through the years. "You mean—"
"Every 'quest' Malachar gave you. Every artifact you retrieved. Every Tower Master you hunted down." Sarah's smile was cruel. "All of it was to weaken humanity's defenses. And you did it perfectly, never questioning, always trusting."
Ethan staggered backward.
The Seven Tower Masters. He'd bought Malachar's story—they were going to betray humanity, sell everyone out to the Towers.
But they had been humanity's last line of defense against the demon invasion.
And his friends... had helped guide him to each target.
"The coordinates you gave me..." Ethan whispered, looking at Sarah. "The intel about their weaknesses... the 'anonymous tips' about their locations..."
"All me," Derek said with a smirk. "You were so trusting. It was almost too easy."
"I'm sorry, Ethan," Lily sobbed. "I didn't want to, but Malachar said he'd kill my sister, my family—"
"Enough," Sarah cut her off sharply. "Malachar's orders are clear. Ethan Cross dies here. Now."
[WELL SAID, SARAH KANE.]
The voice boomed through the chamber, and reality itself seemed to warp.
Malachar's avatar manifested—a massive demonic figure wreathed in shadow and flame, towering over them all. His presence was suffocating, crushing.
[You have served me MAGNIFICENTLY, Ethan Cross,] the Demon God's voice dripped with amusement. [By eliminating the Tower Masters, you've removed the final obstacles preventing my full descent into your pathetic world.]
"You... you lied to me from the very beginning," Ethan choked out, blood dripping from his lips. "You said we were saving humanity. The Tower Masters were the enemy—"
[Did I LIE? Or did you simply hear what you WANTED to hear?]
Malachar's laughter shook the chamber.
[Our CONTRACT was very clear, Ethan Cross. You would use my power to complete missions. I never promised those missions would save anyone but ME.]
"You bastard—"
[YOUR CONTRACT IS COMPLETE. YOU ARE NO LONGER NEEDED.]
"Wait!" Marcus stepped forward, his voice desperate. "You promised! You said you'd spare him if he finished all the missions! That was the deal we made—"
[I made no such promise to YOU, Marcus Chen. You chose to serve me. You chose to betray your friend. Live with that knowledge.]
Sarah raised her bow, dark energy swirling around the arrow. "Malachar promised us seats of power in the new world order. Let's finish this."
"Sarah, wait—" Jin started to say.
"Move, Jin," Derek interrupted, daggers gleaming with poison. "Or we'll assume you're siding with him."
Jin's hand shook on his katana, his face twisted in anguish.
Lily turned completely away, her healing staff falling from her hands. "I can't... I can't watch this..."
Marcus looked at Ethan one last time, something unreadable in his eyes, then slowly... stepped aside.
Ethan saw it all in slow motion.
Sarah's arrow, wreathed in dark flames.
Derek's daggers, coated in lethal poison.
Jin's blade, raised but trembling.
Malachar's overwhelming demonic energy, crushing down on him.
And his friends—some eager, some reluctant, some crying, some cold—all participating in his execution.
The attacks came from every direction.
His body, already pushed beyond its limits from fighting the Tower Masters, couldn't dodge. Couldn't fight back.
He fell.
As his vision darkened, Ethan's last thoughts weren't just of anger or revenge.
They were of confusion and bitter realization.
'Malachar betrayed me... I always knew that was possible. But my friends...'
'Which of them actually wanted this? Which were forced? Which ones were lying when they said they cared?'
'I'll never know...'
[Goodbye, Shadow King,] Malachar's voice echoed mockingly. [You were an EXCELLENT puppet. Almost as good as your friends.]
The demon's laughter was the last thing Ethan heard before everything went black.
And in that final moment, one desperate thought consumed him:
'If I could go back... I would reject that contract. I would watch my friends more carefully. I would save humanity the RIGHT way...'
Then—nothing.
DING!
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, his heart pounding violently. His hands immediately moved to his chest, feeling for the gaping wounds.
Nothing.
He was whole. Uninjured.
"What...?"
Ethan sat up slowly, looking around in shock.
He was in a small, cramped apartment. Cheap furniture. Cracked walls. A broken heater in the corner.
This place...
"My old studio apartment?"
Ethan stumbled to his feet, rushing to the window. Outside, the city was intact. No destroyed buildings. No screaming. No monsters.
He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, checking the date.
April 1st, 2025.
His breath caught in his throat.
This was the day before the Towers appeared.
"I'm... back?"
Ethan's mind raced. He was back at the beginning. Before the Towers. Before Malachar. Before...
Before the double betrayal.
His hands clenched into fists.
'Malachar used me like a puppet. Made me kill the Tower Masters. Made me doom humanity.'
But that wasn't the worst part.
'My friends... some of them worked WITH him. Helped him manipulate me. Fed me false information.'
Sarah. Derek. Jin. Lily. Marcus.
In his past life, they had all participated in his execution. But he didn't know which of them had betrayed him willingly, which were coerced by Malachar's threats, and which were genuinely loyal until the very end.
'Sarah led the attack and seemed cold. Derek was eager, smirking. But Lily was crying—was that guilt or acting? Marcus tried to negotiate—was he protecting me or himself? Jin hesitated—did he actually care, or was it all for show?'
Ethan had died without knowing the truth.
'This time will be different. I'll reject Malachar's contract. And I'll watch my friends closely. Figure out who the real traitors are before they can strike.'
Before he could think further—
DING!
A black panel materialized before his eyes, outlined in crimson light.
[TOWER SYSTEM INITIALIZING...]
[The world will change in 24 hours]
[1000 Towers will descend across the globe]
[Humanity must adapt or perish]
[You have been selected as a "Climber"]
[Prepare yourself, Ethan Cross]
Ethan stared at the panel, his mind racing.
This was it. The exact same message he had received ten years ago.
He was back at the beginning.
But this time...
"I won't make the same mistake," Ethan whispered. "I won't accept that contract."
He knew what was coming. He knew where the first Towers would appear. He knew which monsters would emerge.
Ten years of experience. Ten years of knowledge.
And most importantly—he knew the truth about Malachar.
DING!
[24 hours remaining until Tower Descent]
[Good luck, future Climber]
The panel faded.
Ethan clenched his fists, determination hardening his expression.
Twenty-four hours. That was all the time he had to prepare.
This time, he would do things differently.