Chapter 24: Marcus is watching us

The lift gates open. Dante did not step out into a regular area. The thirty-first level was a dark box made of dense mineral blocks. There was no sky, no lights, and no wind. The floor beneath the reptile’s feet was dry.

Marcus did not send another text transmission. The screen in Dante’s vision remained dark. But the text data on his interface changed.

[Alert: Floor 31 has entered absolute lockdown.]

[Status: All external transport channels closed. Internal oxygen levels are decreasing by 2% every sixty seconds.]

Marcus had stopped trying to fight him with units. He was trying to suffocate him inside the mineral walls.

Through the shared mind link, Yenna’s thoughts reached Dante. Her voice was free from any panic. ’The air is thinning. The exit gate to the next floor is three hundred meters straight ahead, but the guild has flooded the corridor with a blue mineral fluid to block our path.’

"We are not waiting for the air to run out," Dante said.

He didn’t run. He didn’t draw any weapon. He simply looked at the deep pool of blue mineral fluid ahead. The fluid was bubbling slowly, releasing a toxic gas that turned the grey walls black wherever it touched.

Inside his private cosmic world, another portion of the treasury dissolved.

[System Notification: Resource Assimilation calculation complete.]

[You have permanently gained: +10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Vitality, +10 Intelligence.]

The transformation inside Dante’s body was silent. His bones felt heavy, rooted deep into the ground. He stepped off the reptile’s head, his boots touching the mineral floorboards.

He walked directly toward the edge of the blue fluid. The defense system of the floor recognized his movement. From the left and right mineral walls, two automated iron pipes slid open. They did not shoot fire. They shot two high-pressure streams of the same toxic fluid straight at his chest, intending to melt his clothing and skin.

Dante stood his ground. He didn’t use a shield. He didn’t move away.

The toxic fluid hit his black hoodie. It didn’t burn the fabric. It didn’t leave a mark. Instantly, the SSS-Rank reflection ability initialized. The total kinetic and chemical force of the automated trap was doubled and sent straight back into the pipes.

The iron pipes broke apart, their joints splitting under the pressure of their own fluid. The toxic liquid sprayed backward against the mineral walls, dissolving the security panels hidden inside the masonry.

Dante raised his right hand. A small purple spark appeared on his middle finger, burning with the power of his primary fire attribute. He didn’t snap his fingers. He simply pointed at the deep pool of blocking fluid ahead.

The spark dropped into the pool. The transformation was immediate. The blue mineral fluid didn’t ignite with a loud reaction. Instead, the purple fire consumed the chemical structure of the liquid from the inside out, turning the entire three-hundred-meter pool into dry, grey ash within five seconds. The toxic gas vanished, leaving the air clear.

"Move," Dante commanded the reptile.

The twelve-meter reptile stepped forward, its scales scraping against the dry mineral ash as it carried Yenna toward the end of the passage.

At the far wall, the stone exit gate stood closed. Dante walked up to the interface screen mounted next to the lock. He placed his finger against the glass panel, activating his property seizure attribute.

The text on the screen flickered, rewriting the code until the lock recognized his soul signature as the absolute owner of the floor.

The gate slid upward, revealing the opening to the thirty-second level.

"Marcus is running out of options," Dante said, stepping through the opening. "Let’s see what he tries to lock next."

After some time...Dante stepped out onto the floor of the thirty-second level. This level did not have corporate rooms or plains. It was a long passage between two high walls. The reptile moved its legs slowly, its scales scraping against the mineral floor as it followed behind Dante’s movement.

Dante kept his posture relaxed. He did not look at the walls. He looked down at the digital text inside his vision. The clock was moving toward the midnight marker.

11:59 PM.

12:00 AM.

Ding!

[System Notification: Midnight reached. You receive 1x Free Daily Spin.]

[The Gachapon wheel is initializing its movement...]

The big wheel appeared inside his thoughts, turning around before stopping on a low slot.

[Spin Complete!]

[You got: ’Small Mineral Scrap’ (F-Rank Common Utility Material).]

• Description: A piece of common rock from the lower levels. It has no value.

A small mineral piece appeared in the air and dropped into Dante’s palm. It was just a common piece of stone. But a second later, the golden text interface of his second system came over his vision.

[System 2: 100x Sovereign Multiplier Triggered!]

[’Small Mineral Scrap’ (F-Rank) ---> Multiplied by 100x!]

[Calculating Highest Transformation... Complete!]

[You got SSS-Rank Divine Relic: ’The Sovereign’s Core Matrix’ (Bound).]

• Description: A mineral core containing the foundational gravity code of the tower.

• Effect 1: ’Ground Weight Control’ - You can change the weight of the ground within a two-kilometer radius. You can increase or decrease the pressure on any target by 100x.

• Effect 2: ’Mineral Assimilation’ - Allows you to control the movement of any natural mineral walls or floors around you, reshaping the path instantly.

The piece of stone in Dante’s palm changed. It turned into a small, dark sphere that hummed with a pressure before disappearing into his skin. Dante felt a new transformation inside his body. The ground beneath his boots felt responsive, as if the floor itself was waiting for his next command.

He looked at the passage ahead. Through the his mind, another notification text from his private cosmic world expanded.

[System Notification: Resource Assimilation calculation complete.]

[100x Calamity Cores dissolved.]

[You have permanently gained: +10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Vitality, +10 Intelligence.]

The energy moved through his veins, making his base stats even heavier. He did not slow down his movement.

"Marcus is watching this level," Dante said aloud to Yenna. "He knows about us."