The door sealed behind them with a low thud that echoed through the chamber.Tatsu almost jumped.
"This is it," he whispered. "The Tower of Trials. Floor One. A place where countless heroes took their first step."
Fridge Sama looked around at the empty stone hallway.
"It looks small," he said.
"It is supposed to be scary," Tatsu corrected.
"It is not," Fridge Sama said.
"Well, it is supposed to be dark."
"It is dim," Fridge Sama corrected.
"Dim is close enough."
"No," Fridge Sama said. "It is laziness from whoever designed this floor."
Tatsu felt the urge to argue but realized that arguing with Fridge Sama was like arguing with a fridge. You would lose, and it would hum smugly afterward.
They moved forward.
The hallway stretched into a small open arena with old mossy stones and faint glowing symbols carved into the ground.Tatsu looked around carefully.
"So…"He whispered, "What do you think appears first. A wolf. A slime. A skeleton."
Fridge Sama pointed ahead.
"A cat."
"A what."
A small black cat sat in the center of the arena, licking its paw.It looked completely normal.Tiny.Cute.Not a monster in any way.
Tatsu blinked."…Is that the first trial."
The cat looked up at them.
Meow.
Tatsu nodded slowly."…Okay. I can handle this."
He took one step forward.
The cat hissed and shot toward him like a missile.
"AAAAAGH," Tatsu screamed. "IT IS AGGRESSIVE."
He ran in circles.The cat chased him, swiping at his legs like it had personal beef with weak humans.
Fridge Sama watched with zero intention of helping.
"Your agility is poor," Fridge Sama said.
"How is that relevant right now," Tatsu yelled while the cat chased his ankles.
"You let a cat corner you."
"It is not a normal cat."
Fridge Sama raised an eyebrow."It is very normal."
"Then why is it violent."
"You annoyed it."
"I did not," Tatsu shouted.
The cat lunged at Tatsu's shoe.
Tatsu tripped backwards.
The cat hissed one last time, then turned around and casually walked away like it decided Tatsu was not worth the trouble.
It disappeared into a crack in the wall.
Tatsu lay on the ground, gasping.
"That," he said between breaths, "was the hardest fight of my life."
Fridge Sama looked down at him.
"We did not even begin."
"That was a trial," Tatsu insisted.
"No," Fridge Sama said. "That was a cat."
A deep rumble shook the arena.
A large stone door behind them slid open, revealing a massive cave chamber.Breathing echoed inside.Heavy.Slow.Not catlike.
Tatsu froze.
"…Please tell me that is a friendly breathing sound."
Fridge Sama walked forward calmly.
"It is not."
A shadow lumbered forward.
And then stepped into the light.
Tatsu's soul left his body.
A massive goblin, twice Tatsu's height and three times his width, stomped into view.Its muscles bulged like badly inflated beach balls.Its teeth were long enough to qualify as illegal weapons.It carried a club that looked like it was made out of a tree trunk.
Tatsu whispered, "That is not a goblin. That is a green fridge on steroids."
The goblin roared.
Tatsu screamed louder.
Fridge Sama exhaled a small sigh.
"Stand back," he said.
"No," Tatsu said quickly. "We fight together. I cannot let you take all the glory."
"Yes," Fridge Sama said, "you can. And you should."
"No. I will help."
Tatsu grabbed a random rock on the floor.
The goblin stomped forward.
Tatsu held the rock out like a sacred relic.
"I got this," he said.
"Drop the rock," Fridge Sama replied.
The goblin swung its giant club downwards.
Tatsu dropped the rock and rolled away with the panic of a man who did not want to die before lunch.
"FRIDGE SAMA," Tatsu shouted. "IT IS TRYING TO UNINSTALL ME FROM EXISTENCE."
Fridge Sama stepped toward the goblin without an ounce of urgency.
The goblin swung again, the club slicing the air with enough force to snap bones.
Fridge Sama lifted his hand.
A wave of frost burst outward from his palm.It was not dramatic.Not flashy.Just a clean, precise, cold snap.
The goblin's swing slowed.Then slowed more.Then stopped entirely, frozen mid attack.
The goblin snarled in confusion, unable to move as frost crawled up its arms.
Tatsu stared.
"You froze it."
"Yes."
"That fast."
"Yes."
"With one hand."
"Yes."
"And you were bored earlier," Tatsu said.
"Yes."
Tatsu threw his hands up."My life is becoming a parody."
Fridge Sama stepped beside the immobilized goblin."You finish it."
"What," Tatsu asked. "No. I cannot finish anything that has muscles. Or teeth."
"Finish it," Fridge Sama repeated. "You need experience."
Tatsu looked between the giant frozen goblin and his flimsy arms.
"This is unfair training," he said.
"It is basic training."
"No, basic training is lifting small rocks. Or running. Or light exercise."
"You ran from a cat," Fridge Sama reminded him.
"That cat had a grudge," Tatsu muttered.
"It was a cat," Fridge Sama repeated.
Tatsu groaned but grabbed a half broken wooden staff from the ground.
He walked toward the frozen goblin with shaking hands.
"Alright," Tatsu whispered. "Sorry big guy. Nothing personal."
He swung the staff.
It snapped in half.
"…Okay," Tatsu said quietly. "Personal now."
He picked up a fallen stone.
"Please work."
He hit the goblin's knee.A crack formed.
He hit again.A larger crack.
The entire goblin shattered like a giant icy statue, collapsing into fragments of frozen green shards.
Tatsu fell backward with relief.
"I did it," he said. "I actually did it."
Fridge Sama nodded once.
"You broke a frozen opponent. It is a small step."
"It is my biggest achievement," Tatsu said proudly.
"No," Fridge Sama said calmly."It is small."
Tatsu's pride deflated like a cheap balloon.
Before he could complain, text suddenly floated in front of them, glowing faintly.
Floor One ClearedProceed to Next Room
Tatsu stared.
"We level up in this world. That is amazing."
Fridge Sama stepped past him.
"We proceed."
Tatsu followed, excitement and fear mixing in his chest.
"Hey," he said. "Do you think the next floor will be easier."
"No," Fridge Sama answered.
"That was fast."
"It will get worse," Fridge Sama added.
"Why are you like this," Tatsu muttered.
Fridge Sama did not answer.
He simply walked toward the glowing door as it opened.
Tatsu swallowed.
The Tower of Trials had officially begun for them.
And he had barely survived a cat and a frozen goblin.
This was going to be a long journey.