"Is everything prepared?"
Jun Si's voice was calm, but the tension beneath it was unmistakable.
"Yes, Guild Master," Eita replied respectfully. "The sword you requested is ready."
She stepped forward and presented the weapon.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a heavy, straightforward great sword—no excessive ornamentation, no exaggerated glow. Yet the moment Jun's fingers wrapped around the hilt, he felt it.
Power.
At the very tip of the blade was embedded a fragment of Dead Bone.
The blacksmith had used the finest materials available, reinforcing the blade again and again, until it could barely withstand the foreign essence sealed within it. Somehow—against all logic—the Dead Bone's power had been partially drawn out and fused into the sword's structure.
When swung, even slightly, a cold, deathly aura seeped out from the blade's edge.
It was a masterpiece.
A miracle.
As a blacksmith, accomplishing such a feat bordered on the impossible.
The sword had been named Neev—the foundation, the blade said to be capable of cutting even dragon scales.
The moment the forging was completed, the Tower itself had responded.
[ The God Forge level has increased ]
[ Blacksmith Skill has reached SSS-Class ]
In a small, dimly lit hut far from the guild hall, Novia sat alone.
Sheets of parchment were spread across her worktable. At the center was a carefully drawn sketch of the Dead Bone, every curve and fracture reproduced from memory. Around it were pages filled with strange symbols and incomplete scripts.
She had discovered faint inscriptions etched into the Dead Bone—ancient, alien letters that resisted interpretation.
Yet she copied them all.
Word by word.
Line by line.
"This is the greatest material I have ever seen…" she murmured, her eyes fixed on the drawing. "And yet… I can't even leave a scratch on it."
Her voice carried frustration—but also awe.
Suddenly, the hut's door creaked open.
A small boy with an oversized hat hurried inside.
"Master!" he said breathlessly. "Guild Master Jun has summoned everyone. It's for the 97th floor raid."
Novia exhaled slowly and stood up.
"So it's finally time," she said. "We've waited long enough."
She reached into a wooden chest and pulled out a heavy sword along with several compact throwing daggers, slipping them into her inventory.
"Come on, Shin," she said gently. "We may need to build a new hut soon."
As they stepped outside, the sky shimmered.
A system message appeared.
[ Tower Difficulty Level has increased by 1 ]
[ Tower Bosses have been updated ]
"…What the hell is happening now?"
Novia clenched her fists and glared upward.
"Was the Tower not difficult enough already?" she shouted. "Do you want us all dead?"
With a grim expression, she headed toward Jun Si's location.
On the First Floor—
Nitya pushed open the door of a familiar bar.
"Give me the usual," she said, dropping onto her seat.
The bartender poured silently.
"You look tense today," said a man beside her, swirling his drink.
"This damn Tower," she snapped, downing half her glass. "The difficulty increased again."
He sighed. "I think the Tower is reaching its limits. Accidents like this are bound to happen."
"But why now?" she said bitterly. "We're so close to the 100th floor. After that… everything should normalize. I could go back to the office. My family would be waiting at home."
Her voice softened for just a moment.
Nearby, a group of hunters were talking.
"Did you hear?" one said. "Someone was drinking water from the fountain."
"Ugh—disgusting," another scoffed. "Who drinks from that filthy thing?"
"He must be new," a third laughed. "Probably his first time on the First Floor."
"But that's strange," the first added. "It's been ages since anyone awakened."
Nitya froze.
She stood up abruptly and approached them.
"A new hunter?" she demanded. "Where is he now?"
"I don't know," one replied nervously. "If he's new, he should be near the boss field."
Nitya's mind raced as she turned away.
"There's no life left on Earth," she muttered. "Even oxygen is depleted. How could someone survive until awakening age?"
"…Is he from another world?"
She immediately opened her system and contacted Jun Si.
Jun Si stood silently, examining Neev.
The sword felt unreal in his hands.
The weight, the balance, the aura—it was as if the weapon itself affirmed his existence. For a fleeting moment, Jun felt invincible.
As though as long as this sword remained in his grasp, no enemy could stand before him.
Then—
[ Tower Difficulty Level has increased ]
"What?"
Jun frowned deeply.
"How can the Tower's difficulty rise again?"
He turned sharply. "Eita, have you received any reports?"
"No, Guild Master," she replied. "This is the first I've heard of anything like this."
Before they could speak further, Novia entered the room.
"You saw the Tower message, didn't you?" she asked.
"I think we should postpone the raid," she continued seriously. "We need to research this first."
Jun nodded slowly. "You're right."
He turned to Eita. "Call all guild members. We'll discuss this together."
As Eita left, Jun looked back at Novia.
"What do you think caused this?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But something has changed—something fundamental."
Before either could speak again, Jun's system chimed.
[ A new hunter has appeared on the First Floor ]
Jun's eyes widened.
"A… new hunter?"
This news shocked him more than the Tower's announcement.
Because it meant—
There was still life on Earth.
And whatever had changed… had already begun to reshape the Tower itself.