Erwin woke just at the exact moment. [Rest Period Complete] [HP: 100/100] [Essence Energy: 100/100] [System Announcement] **"Floor 2: The Hunting Grounds is Now Accessible."** **"Objective: Survive Until Dawn"** **"Warning: Night Predators Active. Stealth and Combat Proficiency Required."** The sealed doorway began to glow brighter, its surface becoming fully translucent. Through it, Erwin could see dense greenery, massive trees, and lush vegetation similar to the forests on Earth before the green rain. "It's so beautiful," Erwin muttered as he stared through the doorway, lost in awe at the sight before him. Actual living trees, healthy and green and full of life. It had been so long since he'd seen proper vegetation. "Beautiful and deadly," Einstein floated toward the doorway, his voice bringing Erwin back from his reverie. "Don't let the appearance fool you. If the objective is to survive until dawn, that means something is hunting at night." "And we're the prey

The worst-case scenario was the sharp pain in Erwin's chest that caused his heart to beat so loudly he could hear it in his ears. That familiar pounding like the first time he used his pattern reading. Badum! [Warning: Mental Fatigue Reaching Dangerous Levels] [Pattern Reading: Forced Shutdown] Erwin felt his mental clarity drain to critical levels instantly, accompanied by the worse crushing headache. The Pattern Reading ability that had been giving him an edge in this chase, that had kept him alive for hours, faded completely. At this exact moment, even his natural senses were performing poorly. His vision blurred, his hearing became muffled, and his body felt disconnected from his mind. His legs, which had been readied for sprinting, gave out completely. He fell limply to the ground, the dead leaves beneath him rustling with the impact. The moment that sound echoed through the jungle, all three predators' heads snapped toward his direction. They'd been circling, sear

**Recovery Chamber** Badum. Erwin's first conscious thought was pain. Badum. His second was that pain was good, because it meant he wasn't dead. Badum. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, steady and strong despite everything. "What a relief!" Einstein's voice cut through the fog in Erwin's mind. "You're awake! You're actually awake!" Erwin tried to speak, but his throat felt like he'd swallowed sandpaper. He managed a weak groan instead. "Don't move!" Einstein zipped into his field of vision, the blue sphere practically vibrating with agitation. "Seriously, don't even try. Your body is still knitting itself back together, reconstructing your left shoulder completely, reattaching several tendons, and repairing internal damage I didn't even know was possible to survive." Erwin's eyes slowly focused. He was lying on something impossibly soft, in a room bathed in gentle blue light. The walls seemed to pulse with healing energy unlike how he remembered the room to be, and he could f

The battlefield lit up with information. He could see seventeen other candidates now moving in various directions. Some were charging straight for the center, others circling, a few forming their own alliances. Erwin could see a red colored trail with his enhanced perception he recognized as danger based on his battle with the predators from floor 2. "Center platform is a kill zone," Erwin said quickly. "Anyone who goes straight there will be surrounded and destroyed. Look—" He pointed, and as he did, three candidates converged on the platform simultaneously. What followed was a brutal three-way fight that left all three bleeding and vulnerable. A fourth that looked like some kind of winged creature, swooped in and snatched a crystal while the others were distracted. The winged creature tried to fly back to their rune marker, but they'd barely made it thirty yards before they were struck by what looked like a bolt of lightning. As it fell from the sky, and the crystal bo

The tower's recovery system was efficient—Erwin had to give it that much. The scratches had healed, and even the fatigue had faded to a dull throb behind his eyes. The time he spent in the recovery chamber this time around was the shortest so far. Erwin hadn't been severely damaged, so he could understand the reasoning behind the mere one-hour rest period. "Rest period complete." "Floor 4 Portal Now Available." "This Floor Contains Ascendant-Ranked Entity." "Are you ready?" Erwin stared at the notification, reading the warning three times. Ascendant-ranked. The system had never labeled a threat before. But now... Ascendant-ranked entity? "Trying to scare me now?" he muttered, though his hands were already clenching into fists. Einstein remained floating beside his shoulder, still blank and unresponsive. This was the moment when Erwin wished Einstein was active—at least then he would have gotten some explanation. [Name: Erwin Veridian] [Rank: Mortal - C] [STR: 25] [AGI: 29]