The next morning,
Taiga's tent was glowing again before sunrise. The runes embedded in the metal structures pulsed in a slow, steady rhythm, like a heart that had awakened before the rest of the city.
Jay received a message through the crystal.
"Shield-boy, tell Marcus the masterpiece is ready."
He let out a long sigh.
"…shield-boy…"
Not long after, the group stood in front of the tent.
Taiga was waiting for them, arms crossed, a dark cloth covering something large on the workbench.
"You took long enough. I thought you were going to leave me alone with this legend here."
She pulled the cloth away.
Light exploded across the tent.
The sword looked as if it had been forged from the sun itself. The long blade reflected living shades of gold, etched with runes that didn't just glow — they breathed. The reinforced hilt fit perfectly in the hand, and energy flowed through the weapon in slow, powerful pulses.
"I present to you…" Taiga said, satisfied.
"Sunbreaker Rael."
Marcus lost his breath.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Ethan was the first to break the silence.
"What does it do?"
Taiga smiled, clearly proud.
"It doubles your attack. Strength ×2. No limit. Whatever strength you have… the sword doubles it."
Elenya's eyes widened.
"That's… absurd."
Marcus held the sword with both hands.
The blade responded instantly, shining brighter.
"I…" he took a deep breath.
"…I'll live up to it."
Taiga nodded. "I expect you to."
She then turned to Jay and pushed another cloth aside.
The shield emerged, now polished, balanced, gleaming like pure gold — but without excess. Solid. Built for war.
"Now this looks right," Taiga said. "Matches your armor. You even look better… I think I might be falling for you."
Taiga wiped her hands on a rag stained with oil and soot.
Then she turned her gaze straight to Ethan.
"And you, Boss?" she asked, a crooked smile on her face. "Did you really think I'd leave the party leader without something worthy of the role?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.
Taiga leaned over the workbench and pulled out an object wrapped in dark leather. The material seemed to swallow the light around it. When she unwrapped it, a pulsing golden glow flooded the workshop, forcing Sienna to lift an arm to shield her eyes.
At the center of the bench rested a staff.
Its design was minimalist, almost austere. The shaft was made of matte black metal, discreet, as if it existed solely to support the true heart of the piece. At the top, held in place by thin, precise metal claws, a small luminous sphere pulsed steadily.
The Solar Core Luminaris.
Its light beat in a constant rhythm, warm and reassuring — like a captive dwarf star, alive within the staff.
"I used Amun-Rael's core as the sole power source," Taiga explained, her playful tone fading. "Didn't need anything else. That core is so dense with mana that the staff itself functions like a solar engine."
Ethan stepped closer, feeling something resonate even before his fingers touched it.
His subclass affinity reacted instantly.
Archmage of Flames.
"It's called Solaris Focus," Taiga continued. "It wasn't made to increase your fire… it was made to give you control. The core condenses your mana and stabilizes combustion. If you push past your limits, it absorbs the pressure before the backlash burns you from the inside."
Ethan wrapped his hand around the staff.
The weight was perfectly balanced. The energy flowed cleanly, without turbulence. For the first time since awakening that affinity, he felt he could raise the intensity of his flames without watching his mana bar collapse in seconds.
"It's perfect," he said, sincerely. "Thank you, Taiga."
She let out a short laugh and was already reaching for her hammer again.
"Don't thank me. Thank the monster that dropped it." She shot a quick glance over her shoulder. "And just make sure you don't melt the city with that toy… or my business is going bankrupt."
Then she turned toward Jay and pushed another cloth aside.
The shield was revealed — now polished, perfectly balanced, gleaming like pure gold, but without excess. Solid. Built for war.
"Now that looks right," Taiga said. "Matches your armor perfectly. You even look better with it on…"
She tilted her head slightly. "I might be falling for you."
Jay turned bright red instantly.
"I-I… w-what…?"
Sienna and Elenya nearly doubled over laughing.
Taiga stepped closer to Jay and lowered her voice, still smiling.
"And don't forget me. Use the crystal. Talk to me sometimes. Don't disappear."
Jay swallowed hard.
"I-I will."
She smirked.
"That way I don't have to find another shield-boy to annoy."
"W-what?! N-no… I… we—"
He took a breath.
"Taiga… don't you want to come with us?"
She blinked slowly.
"I do. But if I go… who stays behind to make equipment for all these people?"
She glanced outside the tent, toward the waking city.
"A lot of people depend on me. I want as many of them as possible to survive."
Jay understood.
Even so… it hurt.
"So… this is goodbye?"
Taiga lightly pushed his chest.
"Don't be stupid. You're going up. You're going to fight. You're going to survive. And you're going to keep talking to me. Got it?"
Jay smiled — weak, but genuine.
"Got it."
Outside, the sun was beginning to set.
Ethan watched the group. Everything they had achieved. Everything still ahead.
"Tomorrow morning," he said. "We go up to the Third Floor."
Marcus rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm with you."
Jay raised the newly adjusted shield.
"Let's do this."
Elenya adjusted her bow.
"I'm ready."
Sienna gave a small smile.
"Then we go together. Until the end."
Ethan nodded.
"Tomorrow… the journey continues."
Night fell over Arenis. Lights ignited across the city. And the group that defeated the Sun Guardian ended the day as heroes — ready for what was still to come.
Outside the Game
A vast room filled with monitors covering entire walls. Graphs, vital signs, three-dimensional maps of every floor.
At the center, a long rectangular table. Four exhausted but focused engineers.
At the far end, seated in silence:
Elon Musk.
Blue light reflected off his face as he stared at the main panel, where a message blinked prominently:
[SECOND FLOOR CLEARED]
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then, for the first time in weeks, Elon smiled.
Not an arrogant smile.
Not a confident one.
A hopeful smile.
"They cleared another one," he murmured. "They haven't given up. And neither have we."
"The signals are stable, sir," one engineer said. "Conditions haven't worsened in the last few hours. If they keep advancing, they may find an exit sooner than expected."
Elon lightly clenched his fist against the table.
"Then keep going. Use everything. Talk to whoever you need to. I'm not letting those kids die in there."
Another monitor lit up, showing images of the group:
Ethan leading.
Marcus adjusting the new sword.
Jay bracing the solar shield.
Sienna distracted, looking toward Marcus.
Elenya walking beside Ethan.
Elon watched in silence.
"Hold on in there…" he said quietly.
"We're doing everything we can out here."
Inside the game, the golden portal to the Third Floor began to glow.
They were ready to cross.
To be continued…