Noah sat at the edge of Floor 18's outpost camp. The stars—fake, artificial, Dungeon-projected stars—shimmered overhead. His team slept nearby in tents, exhausted from the trial, but still breathing.
He should've felt relief.
Instead, he felt pressure.
Something was off.
Ever since his trial with Helios, the fire inside him hadn't settled. His body accepted the new power, but his instincts… they were sharp. Tense. Hunting.
There's a snake in the tent, the system whispered.
He turned.
Quietly.
Silently.
He moved toward the supply crates. One had been shifted. Slightly.
He placed a hand on it.
Warm.
Then he flicked it open—and caught the flash of steel just in time.
CLANG!
A dagger bounced off his gauntlet.
He didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the attacker's wrist, twisted it, and slammed them into the ground with a knee on their back.
"Wake up!" he shouted.
The camp exploded into chaos. Everyone scrambled up—swords out, eyes wide.
The attacker groaned—hood pulled down to reveal…
Raul.
The scout.
Naaza stepped forward, confused. "That's—he's one of us!"
"Not anymore," Noah said coldly. "Check his neck."
Welf moved and peeled the collar of Raul's tunic back.
A faint tattoo glowed there—a white dagger, curved in the shape of a serpent.
Lili's eyes widened. "White Knives…"
Cassandra covered her mouth. "They planted someone inside our team?"
Raul hissed beneath Noah's knee. "You were never supposed to reach Floor 19."
Noah's voice was cold. "Who sent you?"
Raul chuckled. "You think you're strong. You think you're chosen. But all you've done is dig up a grave. And when the thing buried in the Deep wakes… your fire won't mean a damn thing."
Noah leaned down.
"I'm not afraid of the dark," he whispered. "Because I am the fire."
Then he slammed the hilt of his pistol into Raul's temple—knocking him out cold.
---
The next morning, Raul was tied and left at the Guild's sealed outpost checkpoint—marked with White Knives evidence. The Guild would interrogate him, but Noah didn't need to wait for answers.
He already knew what this meant.
Someone was terrified of him going deeper.
Which meant…
He had to.
---
That evening, he stood before the entrance to Floor 19 proper—a black maw descending past the Safe Zone into raw, ancient Dungeon.
Hestia's voice rang gently through the communication crystal in his earring.
"Noah?"
"Still here," he said.
She was quiet for a moment.
Then, "You're not just pushing limits anymore. You're breaking rules."
"I have to."
"They'll come after you harder now. Not just monsters. Not just the Guild."
He closed his eyes.
"I know."
A pause. Then, softly: "Come back."
"I will."
"You better. I didn't bless you so you could burn alone."
Noah smiled faintly, just for her.
"Then keep the hearth warm."
He clicked off the crystal, drew his pistols, and stepped forward.
Behind him, Welf, Lili, Naaza, and Cassandra followed without a word.
Into the dark.
Toward Floor 19.
And toward whatever the gods sealed away before they abandoned this place.