Arc 2: The Tower of Power
Nora
The group woke up around six in the morning to cover as much ground as possible. The sun was still low, and the air remained cool—an ideal setting for a long journey.
"Are we still low on water?" Rebeca asked.
"A bit… Maybe just enough for a few more hours," Helena replied as she checked the canteens tucked inside her backpack.
Hours passed. By one in the afternoon, the sun showed no mercy.
"We may never find the way out," said Nora, sweating profusely.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed across the desert. The ground began to shake—something was coming.
"An earthquake? In the desert?" Rebeca questioned.
Then, just a few meters behind the girls, a massive insect burst out from beneath the sand. A giant centipede emerged and launched a surprise attack.
"Fall back! I'll jump onto its body and pierce its brain!" Nora shouted to the other two girls.
She stepped back and waited for the right moment.
"This thing moves fast… its pattern is erratic, completely random."
Nora observed the creature for two minutes until it emerged fully from the sand. She leapt and drove her sword into its cortex. The beast roared in pain.
With Nora still on its back, the centipede reared up, revealing the vast horizon ahead. In that moment, Nora spotted a towering mountain about five kilometers away.
"We'll have to climb that thing? Well, we'll figure it out once we get there."
She climbed up the monster's long back and plunged her needle into its skull. The pain was so intense that the creature thrashed wildly in the sand until it finally lay still.
Looking toward the other girls, Nora called out, "I think I saw the exit. Let's move, quickly!"
They walked for nearly four kilometers through the desert until suddenly, they were intercepted by a group of participants.
"Someone's approaching," Nora said, sensing their presence nearby.
A group of four emerged from the left. Nora and her group tried to hide in the sand, but it was too late—they had already been spotted.
"You can come out now—we've been following you for a while!" shouted a man from across the sandplain.
"That dwarf was tracking us… How didn't we notice?" Rebeca asked.
The group, consisting of two Ferals and a dwarf, had clearly been after them for some time—but for what reason? With little choice, they stepped out from behind the sand mound.
"What do you want, filth?" Rebeca spat, addressing the dwarf in front of her.
"Hand over your backpacks and supplies, and we'll leave you alone."
"There are two Shisui right in front of me. I want to gut them and take their heads as trophies," one of the Ferals growled, locking eyes with Nora.
"I just want their supplies. Do whatever you want after that," said another voice from the group.
The two Ferals lunged at the girls, and an intense hand-to-hand battle began—fists and kicks flying in all directions.
"I'm tired, irritated, and filthy. I don't have time for this," Nora muttered to the Feral attacking her.
She summoned her needle, ducked low, and drove it straight into the creature's heart. He dropped dead on the spot.
Rebeca unwrapped the white bands from her fists. Flames erupted from her hands and climbed up her arms.
Realizing he was next, the remaining Feral was cornered. He had no choice—he transformed into his Feral form.
His body twisted unnaturally, bones cracking like dry wood. It was a sickening sound. His skin changed color as his human form gave way to that of a humanoid leopard, towering over three meters tall.
"I've seen that form before. Not everyone can reach that level," Rebeca said, facing the beast.
She entered her battle stance, right fist at her waist, concentrating flames into her punch. As the Feral charged on all fours, she waited until he was close—then delivered a single, devastating punch to his head. The force caused a fiery explosion, shattering the creature's skull and even breaking the ground beneath them.
"They're too strong… We have to retreat," the dwarf thought.
"Run! We can't win this!" their leader shouted.
"Now you run… Cowards," Rebeca snarled, her hands stained with blood.
"Let's keep going. We're close," Helena said, pointing toward the mountain up ahead.
The three walked another kilometer before arriving at the base of an immense mountain—more like a colossal stone-and-clay wall stretching from east to west, seemingly endless. If they wanted to continue, they would have to climb it.
"It's not that tall. Maybe twenty meters. Let's climb," Rebeca said as she crouched down, touched the ground with her fingers, and launched herself over eight meters into the air.
"Her legs… Does she do everything on her own?" Helena muttered, watching in awe as she considered following suit.
The sun was blazing. The heat was unbearable. We were thirsty and completely filthy—it was a horrible feeling. As we began our steep ascent, hunger began gnawing at my insides. We had prepared for thirst, but hunger was a different beast—something I had never truly experienced.
After several minutes, my fingers began to ache—of course, we were barehanded. The rocks were jagged and sharp, leaving small cuts on our skin.
"Just a bit more… we're almost at the top."
As I finally poked my head over the edge of the mountain, I caught a glimpse of the horizon awaiting us. And to my surprise—even if just for a brief moment—I saw ten massive steel pillars stretching from the ground to the ceiling above.
I quickly realized what they were—elevators.
To be continued…