"Well, aren't you a confident brat," Benithar said with a frustrated smile. Zara and Pierre were back on their feet now, bruised but steady. Vaylan twirled the bloodstained spear in his hand, his eyes glowing faintly.
"So," he asked, his voice low and steady, "how do we kill this son of a bitch?"
Zara arched a brow. "Whoa. Haven't heard you curse that much. Thought you were a good boy."
"Not when we're dealing with a major asshole like him," Vaylan replied.
Pierre shook his head. "We can't kill him—he's not actually here."
Zara blinked. "But he's there—"
"This is just a puppet. A shadow forged from mana. Remember what he said? He stole Tauros' mana core from Floor 9. The real Benithar... he's climbing the Tree."
"Look at his hand," Vaylan added, pointing up at the fading apparition. They all looked. On Benithar's left hand was a skeletal tattoo, intricate, made of bone-white lines. In the center was a glowing number: Twenty-three.
"That bastard's already on the 23rd floor," Pierre said bitterly. He limped toward the center of the room, the blue veins of the magic circle beneath their feet pulsing faintly. Vaylan stepped beside him and offered a shoulder. "Here."
Together, they reached the glowing center. "This magic circle is the source of all the power here, but is also what drains our mana, and all those who died. It supplies it back to him, wherever he is." Pierre pointed downward. "Destroy it."
Vaylan didn't hesitate. He flipped the spear and rammed the butt into the stone.
CRACK!
The floor shattered open. Below, embedded in a socket of bone and black crystal, was a coin-sized orb glowing a dull blue. A second mana core. Pierre bent down and retrieved it. As soon as he pulled it free, the glowing lines across the room darkened. The throne of bones cracked, and Benithar's puppet began to fade.
But just before it vanished completely, the ghostly figure grinned. "I'm proud of you, my dear nephew. So clever. So strong. Just like your father..."
Pierre froze.
Benithar's voice echoed, quieter now, as if drifting on wind. "Before I leave... let me give you a gift." Everyone stood still. "The one who killed your father..." Benithar grinned wider. "Was your mother."
Pierre's pupils shrank. Zara gasped. Lato narrowed his eyes.
"She let me in, Pipi. She opened the gate. She wanted out. She hated that boring little life, hated being a loyal wife to a man she despised. She was the one who poisoned your brother's food. She's the one who let me roam free. The reason so many of your kin died that night wasn't just me." He cackled. "She killed your father to be free—and when she was done, she offered herself to Lindert. How noble."
Benithar's shadow began to vanish, dissolving like smoke. Pierre stood frozen, fists clenched.
"One last thing…" Benithar whispered, his grin twisting into something monstrous. "Your sister is next. Once I reach Floor 79, I'll make sure her corpse is just as pretty. Maybe I'll preserve her face in glass—something tasteful to remember your pathetic family by. Your pitiful father must be rolling in his grave right about now."
Then he was gone. Nothing remained but silence. No one spoke. Vaylan turned to Pierre, but Pierre's face wasn't contorted in rage. There were no tears. Only silence.
He turned to Zara and held out the mana core. "Take it."
Zara blinked. "What?"
"You fought without skills. You fought well. With this, you'll gain a mana core. You deserve it."
She stared at the orb. "I... I can't."
"If you're feeling guilt, don't. The creature or person this belonged to is dead. My uncle killed him. And you can't extract a mana core from something without killing it." Pierre's voice was cold, flat. "Let your morals apply to the living, not the dead."
Zara grit her teeth. "Fine." She snatched the orb from his hand.
"Thanks again, Pierre," Vaylan said. "We couldn't have done this without you." Pierre offered a tired smile.
"What was supposed to be a short training trip turned into a war. But at least Zara gets to use mana now," Lato said.
"Sheesh! I'm sorry, okay!" Zara groaned. "How was I supposed to know a cursed necromancer was behind a minotaur?"
Vaylan laughed. Then Pierre turned to him.
"Hey, Vaylan. After I blacked out, I came to for a second. Lato healed me and helped circulate some mana... and I saw something." He narrowed his eyes. "You used Ibar."
Vaylan rubbed the back of his head. "...Yeah."
"That's a unique skill. How?" Zara stared.
Lato sighed. "You might as well tell them. The secret's out."
Vaylan exhaled. "I have a unique skill. It's called The One Who Learns All. I can copy any unique skill."
Zara's mouth dropped. "Holy shit."
Pierre raised a brow. "That sounds... impossible. There must be a catch."
"There is," Vaylan said. "A pretty big one." He took a breath. "Every time I copy a skill... I lose one human emotion. From the 27 basic emotions. Admiration, adoration, aesthetic appreciation, amusement, anger, anxiety, awe, awkwardness, boredom, calmness, confusion, craving, disgust, empathic pain, entrancement, excitement, fear, horror, interest, joy, nostalgia, relief, romance, sadness, satisfaction, sexual desire and surprise."
Silence.
"When I activate the skill, in my inner mind, there is another version of me, but with black hair, and black eyes. He demands payment, in exchange for the use of the skill. That's how I know exactly what I give up."
More silence. Zara's hand flew to her mouth. "That's... horrible."
Lato nodded. "We are in agreement on that one."
"I've limited him to fifteen skills," Lato said. "That way he can keep twelve emotions—enough to still be human."
Pierre frowned. "Which twelve?"
"Admiration. Anxiety. Anger. Disgust. Empathic pain. Fear. Interest. Joy. Romance. Sadness. Satisfaction. Surprise."
"Why those?" Zara asked.
Lato moved his tail. "I've lived among humans for over two thousand years. I've seen what happens when people lack these emotions. Consider it an arbitrary decision I'm making as Vaylan's legal guardian."
Zara blinked. "Wait—you're over 2000 years old? I thought the gray fur was natural!"
"It is natural!"
Pierre shook his head. "So... how many have you lost?"
Vaylan looked up. "I only use the skill to copy unique skills. I learned Fire Ball and Fleet Foot normally." He smiled softly. "So far... I've only used The One Who Learns All twice."
"And the emotions you lost are?" Pierre asked.
"Boredom. And confusion."
Zara blinked. "Wait, two? Oh right, Pierre had two skills."
"Not quite. Anthibar is just a reversal. A reversal is the undoing of a unique skill. Think of it as the other side of a coin. In the end, it is still 1 coin. That is also why Anthibar uses no mana." Pierre explained.
"So, you said two, you have another unique skill you copied before but didn't use?" Pierre asked.
"Yes."
Pierre sighed. "I am sure you have your reasons."
"Anyway, was the first emotion you lost boredom? You already never felt boredom from when we met, and you only sacrificed confusion today?" Pierre asked.
"Yeah, how did you know!?" Vaylan asked with such excitement, sparkles in his eyes.
"No wonder you're like a puppy dog."
"She said what we were all thinking," Pierre muttered. "Anyway, can I have my spear back?"
Vaylan pouted as he handed over the spear he was holding back to Pierre.
Zara looked down at the orb in her hand. "So... if I swallow this... I'll get a mana core?"
Pierre nodded. "You'll finally be able to use skills."
She hesitated, then tilted her head back. "Here goes nothing…" She swallowed it whole.
The moment Zara swallowed the blue glowing orb, everything changed. She gasped. The energy surged through her like lightning in water. Not pain, just overwhelming. Every limb buzzed. Every breath felt too big, too loud. Her eyes widened. The world had texture now. She could feel something in the air, a kind of pressure, like invisible threads floating around her, brushing against her skin, slipping between her fingers. Mana. It was everywhere.
"Woah... what the hell?" she whispered, her eyes glowing faintly. Then her body started to glow. And all at once, her strength left her. She collapsed.
"Zara!" Vaylan caught her just before she hit the ground. She was unconscious.
Pierre stepped forward, calm but serious. "It's okay. Her body's changing. She's adapting to the mana core."
"She's burning up," Vaylan said, adjusting her in his arms. "Her whole body's shaking."
"She'll stabilize," Pierre said. "But she needs rest. We shouldn't stay in this throne room. Let's bring her back to camp."
Lato's eyes stayed on Pierre, sharp and watchful. The group moved out, back through the labyrinth, back through the ruined halls and cracked stone. By the time they reached their campsite, the fire had died, leaving only blackened wood and cold ash. But the sun hadn't fully set; evening light poured through the cracks in the ceiling.
Vaylan lowered Zara gently onto her sleeping bag. Her breaths were shallow but steady. They settled down in silence. Pierre sat against a stone pillar. Lato curled near the campfire pit. Vaylan sat beside Zara, wiping her brow with a cloth.
"So," Lato said without looking up. "Now that everything's over... how about the truth?"
Vaylan blinked. "Lato?"
"I've seen a lot of things in my life. And you? You don't just show up, help strangers, risk your life fighting a necromancer's puppet, and hand over a priceless mana core without wanting something."
Pierre didn't flinch.
"What is it?" Lato asked. "Revenge? Leverage? Are you planning to use us later?"
"Hey, that's enough—" Vaylan started, but Pierre raised a hand.
"No. It's alright," Pierre said. "He's right." He looked down at his boots. "I didn't come here for noble reasons. When my men told me there was a minotaur here, I found it odd. The original beast was long dead. I thought maybe someone resurrected it. I was curious." He looked up, meeting Lato's eyes. "But that wasn't the only reason I came."
Lato narrowed his gaze. "Let me guess. The hooded men who followed us from the market?"
Pierre gave a tired smile. "You're good. Yeah. Them." He leaned back against the stone wall. "I was desperate. I'd heard your party was carrying jade. A lot of it. So the plan was... if the boss killed you, we'd clean up what was left."
Vaylan's face tightened. "You were going to rob us?"
Pierre nodded. "Yes." There was no hesitation in his voice. "I've been stuck on this floor for two years. I've hunted, traded, begged. And it's never enough. The Hound—he's the one who controls access to the Tree from Floor 0. You pay him or you don't climb." He looked at the dead campfire. "My sister's on the line. She's still up there, on the higher floors. I have to climb. And I'd do anything for that chance... or at least, I thought I would."
Lato's voice dropped. "Where are your men now?"
"I told them to wait outside the labyrinth for two days. If I didn't come back, they'd leave. I'm stronger than all of them combined. If I couldn't beat the boss, they wouldn't stand a chance." He shook his head. "Truth is, I call them 'my men,' but they're just lowlives. They follow money, not loyalty. If I had none, they'd cut my throat too." He looked at the others. "That's why we should stay here one more night. Just to be safe. They won't expect me to survive. But if we leave too soon... they might be waiting."
Lato's tail moved. "And why this change of heart?"
Pierre exhaled. "I've seen what ambition without limits turns people into. My uncle... he was once like me. Desperate. Justified everything by saying it was for the family." Pierre's jaw tightened. "I won't become like him. I've done things I regret. But I won't cross that final line. Not again."
Lato's stare didn't waver. "You sure you're not just giving us a sad little speech to earn pity?"
Pierre looked straight at him. "You'd know if I was lying, wouldn't you?"
Lato froze. His eyes widened slightly.
"You..." Lato murmured. "You figured it out."
Pierre gave a weak smile. "One of your skills is a lie detector, right?"
Lato sighed. "Truth Seeker. I can tell when someone lies. Most of the time."
"Most?" Pierre asked.
"If the liar truly believes their lie... if they've convinced themselves... it's harder."
"So it's not perfect," Pierre remarked.
"No," Lato admitted. "But it's usually enough. But how'd you figure out I had it?"
"You've been staring into my soul while activating some sort of skill from when we first met. I can sense mana pretty well," Pierre explained.
Vaylan leaned forward. "So... if you're done with your men, and you still want to climb... what now? How're you gonna afford it?"
Pierre chuckled. "Good question. Maybe I'll hunt monsters for a while. Sell what I can. Hope I get lucky."
"Or..." Vaylan said slowly. "You could come with us."
Pierre blinked. "What?"
"Join us. Permanently. We can pay your fee."
Pierre stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"You're joking. I tried to rob you."
"Yeah," Vaylan said cheerfully. "But you didn't."
"You're insane," Pierre muttered.
"You're an idiot," Lato added.
"Why?" Pierre asked.
"If Lato can see the truth," Vaylan said, smiling, "I can see good people."
"Is that one of your skills?"
"Nope."
"I really don't get you," Pierre muttered.
"Don't try to," Lato sighed.
A quiet groan broke the tension. They turned. Zara stirred. She blinked slowly, her lips dry. "Ughh... what happened?"
"Zara!" Vaylan leaned toward her. "You okay?"
She rubbed her eyes. "I think so. I just feel... weird."
"Weird how?" Lato asked.
Zara frowned. "Like I'm full. But not with food. Full with... pressure. Like the air is pressing on my skin."
Pierre stepped forward. "That's mana. You're sensing it for the first time."
Her eyes widened. "This is what it feels like?"
Pierre nodded. "It'll take time for your body to adjust. A few days, maybe more. Once it stabilizes, your first skill will probably awaken on its own."
She looked up at him. "How do you know?"
Pierre hesitated. "My sister. She was born without a mana core too. I helped her through this process."
Zara lowered her eyes. "Is she okay?"
"She's strong. Like you," Pierre said softly.
She smiled a little, then lay back again. Everyone fell silent. The fire pit remained cold.
But somehow, it felt a little warmer than before.