That arrow had been nothing less than this “tower” introducing itself. All manner of traps lurked in the corridor. Its walls were pitch-black, and when Yuto tried to peer into the distance, something like black mist shimmered ahead, obscuring the end. Perhaps it was not even a straight passage. The path might suddenly turn, or the floor might disappear.

That alone told Yuto what sort of trials this tower would force upon him. Trials prepared by the Void itself. He had been told that however sweet the fruits, the process would be anything but.

[Tower of the Void, Floor 0.]

Yuto smiled as he checked the name hovering in the corner of his vision. It was a tower, and this was Floor 0, not Floor 1. This was probably a sort of tutorial. Once he passed it and climbed higher, the trials would grow harsher, and the rewards sweeter still. Anticipating the sweetness of the fruits he would reap, Yuto strode forward.

'With my field of vision limited, I'll have to be careful using Void Step, too.'

There was no way a trial prepared by the Void itself would be simple enough to overcome with a single skill. Yuto focused his awareness on the soles of his feet.

He could read the flow of aether in the black floor. Keenly sensing that current, he gradually extended his senses, all while striding forward.

Then, for the briefest instant, he felt a subtle shift in the flow. The moment he sensed it, he prepared to react. Something dropped from directly overhead. Rather than retreat, Yuto summoned Void Touch.

CLAMP!

Void Touch seized something. A glance upward revealed a massive blade caught in its grasp. Had he reacted even a little later, that blade would have cut him in two.

RUMBLE...!

It happened just as he confirmed what it was. A deafening rumble began to rise from the stretch of corridor he had already traversed. Yuto immediately looked back.

Darkness had become a towering wall, surging toward him. He let out an incredulous laugh at the sight. Apparently, it had no intention of letting him proceed cautiously, checking for traps one step at a time.

“Looks like this trial wants to kill us.”

Flokiro snickered at Yuto's complaint. Looking amused, he lowered his body.

“What are you going to do?”

Flokiro asked with a grin, despite knowing perfectly well what Yuto would do. After ruffling his mischievous partner's fur, Yuto drew Gloria from Void Storage.

Sure enough, the way Gloria nestled into his hand alone felt entirely different from the sword he had swung so much earlier.

After giving Flokiro a glance, Yuto flung aside the massive blade he was holding and sprinted forward.

BOOM!

The ominous crash of the falling blade rang out behind him.

Running ahead of Flokiro, Yuto read the flow of aether. The senses concentrated in his soles detected something wrong with the floor. It was less precise than checking each step as he had earlier, but he trusted his senses.

Without hesitation, he stepped on the trap. Just as he had sensed, the floor gave way beneath him. Before his body could fall, he immediately activated Void Step and moved to the far side of the pit.

The Tower of the Void was nasty indeed. A new trap manifested where he appeared. It had not been prepared in advance; it had appeared after reading his response.

'So it won't let me breeze through with Void Step.'

Just how sweet a reward was it planning to offer, to torment him this much? A chill ran through Yuto as he swung Gloria.

BOOM!

Arrows fired from either side vanished in the sweep of his slash.

Flokiro leaped across the pit Yuto had discovered first and breathed fire toward the ceiling.

WHOOSH!

Arrows falling from above were engulfed in flames as well. Yuto gave a small chuckle, exchanged a look with Flokiro, and resumed his sprint.

The faster they ran, the closer came the sound of the wall of darkness bearing down behind them.

RUMBLE!

The entire corridor was shaking. At the same time, the flow of aether forming the corridor changed. It became impossible to read the aether in the floor while maintaining their speed.

Now he had to rely on his moment-to-moment perceptions and warnings from Flokiro, who followed a short distance behind.

WHOOSH!

Yuto's body reacted swiftly to the sound of incoming arrows. He knocked aside the arrows from the right with Gloria and blocked those from the left with Void Touch.

At the same time, darkness erupted from the floor ahead, trying to engulf him. He stopped that too with the remaining hand of Void Touch.

“Above!”

Flokiro shouted. Without even looking up, Yuto wrenched himself sideways.

BOOM!

Another massive blade like the first brushed his hair and buried itself in the floor. The impact made the ground ripple.

A sharp tingle sent a warning through his senses. There was more than one falling blade. As more came down in succession, Yuto immediately activated Void Step.

Moving did not end it. As though it had been waiting for him to do exactly that, the ground beneath him vanished. Yuto swore and used Void Step again. To avoid a repeat, he chose a point in midair rather than on the floor.

Appearing directly above the hole, Yuto immediately summoned Void Touch before he could fall again. Flokiro was running toward him, having made it through the countless falling blades.

Flokiro sprang upward, and Void Touch caught his small body. With its other hand, Yuto grabbed the floor on the far side and hauled them across.

There was no time for relief. The moment they crossed, both walls began closing in. From behind, from either side—it was as if everything was determined to kill him.

Yuto and Flokiro ran at the same time.

BOOM! BOOM!

The walls crashed together and were swallowed by the darkness, which accelerated even further. Amid the menacing crashes, flames enveloped Flokiro. Evolving in an instant, Flokai raced ahead of Yuto. Understanding his partner's intent, Yuto leaped up and settled on his back.

Flokai began running at full speed. He ignored every trap that activated, thinking only of reaching the end of the corridor. Dealing with the traps was now Yuto's job.

Yuto unleashed his aether. The hands of Void Touch darkened further. He smashed every arrow, sword, and spear flying at them from all directions. Any attack that slipped between the hands, he knocked away with Gloria.

When the floor vanished and Flokai began to fall, Yuto leaped to the next foothold and used Void Touch to pull him up.

“Haha...!”

Laughter burst from Yuto's lips. Working together with his partner was fun, but that was not why he was laughing. Apparently, the Tower of the Void had decided these traps were not much of a threat.

Farther down the corridor, figures emerged from the wavering darkness. They were skeletons, the Beasts made of living, moving bones that Yuto had seen time and again. Dozens—hundreds—of them packed the corridor ahead, blocking their path in a physical wall.

Even now, the darkness was surging toward them from behind. His shoulders shaking with laughter, Yuto stroked Flokai's fur.

“Partner, you're not going to let those things slow you down, are you?”

“That depends on how well the guy on my back clears the way.”

Though his words sounded like a complaint, Flokai did not seem particularly troubled by their predicament either. Traps that appeared without warning demanded split-second decisions, but the Beasts before them now—a physical wall that simply blocked their path—were very easy to deal with.

“Run,” Yuto whispered with a smile.

Void Touch, darker still now, advanced menacingly. Rather than merely coating Gloria in aether, he formed a Void Blade around it.

“I'll clear them all away so you won't have to slow down.”

Hearing that whisper, Flokai grinned. He wrapped even the flames meant for attacking around his legs. He would leave every obstacle ahead to Yuto instead of clearing any himself.

BOOM!

Explosions erupted wherever his flame-wreathed feet landed. Using them like propulsion, Flokai raced ahead far faster than before.

WHOOSH!

From his perch, Yuto sent Void Touch ahead. Both hands clenched into fists and slammed into the skeletons blocking their way.

CRASH!

Bodies made of mere bones could never withstand Void Touch unleashed at full strength. Just as he had expected, the blow pulverized the skeletons, but the bones that formed them did not disappear.

Instead, as though this had been the aim all along, the scattering bone fragments hurtled at Flokai like bullets.

The Void Blade surrounding Gloria swelled. Yuto swung the pitch-black blade, now as large as a greatsword. Void Blade ignored physical defenses and cut through existence itself. The bones caught in its sweep could no longer remain, vanishing entirely.

No matter how many times he shattered the walls of skeletons, they never ended. Each time they broke through and advanced, more skeletons immediately sprang out to form another wall.

His response remained the same. Shatter them with Void Touch, then cut away what remained with Void Blade. He considered simply cleaving through them in one stroke with Void Scythe, but using a skill that consumed so much aether on mere skeletons felt wasteful.

How long had they been running? At last, no more walls of skeletons appeared, and no more traps activated. Instead, a wall of darkness with a door rose ahead.

As they reached it, the menacing rumble behind them abruptly ceased. Yuto wiped the sweat running down his forehead and lowered Gloria.

“Looks like the corridor ends here.”

“We could've gotten here faster.”

Flokai gave his back a little shake, bouncing Yuto up and down.

“I won't name names, but if a certain someone had cleared the way better.”

“Hmm. I think that someone did a good job.”

Yuto chuckled and ruffled Flokai's fur.

“You probably just weren't running as fast as usual. Were you nervous?”

“Not at all!”

Giving the growling Flokai's fur one more ruffle, Yuto climbed down.

[4:03 p.m.]

He checked the time. It had been 3:27 when he first entered the tower, so a little over half an hour had passed. Folding his arms, Yuto studied the closed door.

“What do you think is on the other side?”

“If this were an ordinary dungeon, it would lead to the next room.”

“Or the boss might pop out right away.”

Yuto gave a small chuckle.

“Dinner with Levian is at seven. We still have three whole hours. What do you want to do? Should we just leave the tower and get some proper rest?”

“I'm more curious about the sweet rewards this tower supposedly offers than dinner with Levian.”

Flokai growled, twitching his nose. Apparently, having gone to the trouble of evolving only to run, he still felt unsatisfied.

“Honestly, so am I.”

Smiling, Yuto placed a hand on the door.

RUMBLE...!

The enormous door opened with a deafening rumble.

Beyond lay a spacious clearing, where a huge monster made of bones, like the skeletons, lay curled up.