Walking over, I touched the crystal and the projection screen dissolved into nothing. Balt had fought like hell. I couldn’t help smiling. He always did.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  When I opened it, a well?dressed guild attendant stood waiting, one of Jason’s assistants, if I remembered right. Mariel, that was her name. “Hi, Mariel. Good to see you. What can I do for you?”

  She dipped her head politely. “Good evening, Outlier Riven.”

  I held up both hands. “Please, just Riven.”

  “Of course.” Her smile softened. “I’m checking in on you and letting you know that as soon as Balt is healed, he’ll be escorted to your room along with your companion. Is there anything else you need?”

  I thought for a moment. “Yeah. Could you bring Tucker’s toothbrush kit from the Hungry Dragon? It’s in my bathroom there, green shower bag.” “That will be no problem.” She turned slightly, then paused as I spoke again.

  “And… is it possible to have some drinks brought up with dinner?”

  “Of course, Outlier.” She remained in the doorway, hands folded, clearly waiting for dismissal. It took me a second to realize it. “I think that’s all. My party members and some good food and drink sounds like the perfect way to end this very long day.”

  “Very understandable.” She gave a small bow. “If you need anything, simply open the door, an attendant will be stationed outside. Good luck tomorrow.”

  I closed the door behind her and let out a slow breath before sinking onto the couch. The room they’d assigned me wasn’t extravagant, but it was comfortable in a way that made it easy to breathe. Arena suites were meant for fighters to recover, not to impress, and this one struck that balance perfectly.

  It had warm stone walls. A wide sitting area dominated the center, furnished with a sturdy couch and two deep chairs arranged around a low table scarred with old weapon nicks. Soft amber crystals were set into the ceiling, giving the room a steady, calming glow. Two modest bedrooms branched off to the sides, each with a thick mattress, wool blankets, and enough space for gear chests and armor stands.

  To my relief the bathroom was surprisingly spacious, with a stone basin fed by enchanted pipes and a tiled shower area large enough for someone my size and a wolf?bear who refused to stay still during bath time.

  I smiled to myself thinking of Tucker… then the smile slipped away. This floor was ending soon, and the question I’d been avoiding for months finally cornered me.

  I needed to ask it before the others arrived.

  “Lawson, can we talk?”

  The man appeared instantly, seated in one of the big chairs as if he’d been there all along, as always. His expression was neutral, “What’s on your mind?”

  I clenched my fist. The answer he might give could break me. I exhaled, forced my shoulders to loosen, and pushed forward. “On the first floor, you complimented us for beating Dalton without a full five?man party.”

  Lawson nodded and leaned forward, giving me his full attention. He made a small gesture for me to continue. “In my world, one of my favorite forms of storytelling is something called anime.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What’s anime?”

  “It’s an art form,” I said. “Talented people draw characters and worlds, and voice actors bring them to life. The stories get shown on screens. There are tons of styles, and some of my favorite stories come from it.”

  Lawson nodded slowly. “Alright. Go on.”

  “One of them is called Sword Art Online. The main character gets trapped in a virtual world. In that world, there are people who aren’t… real. They’re called Non?Player Characters. NPCs.”

  My hands dragged through my hair as I gathered the nerve. “Was Dalton like that? Was he… a real person or like a NPC?”

  Lawson studied me for a long moment before standing and moving to sit beside me. “He was real. Once. But that world is long dead. I use him as the first?floor test for every charge I take on.”

  My heart dropped. The next questions tumbled out before I could stop them. “What about the others? Tucker, he’s real, right? I’m not going to lose him when this is over?”

  Lawson’s hand settled on my shoulder, steady and grounding. “Be at ease. Every other floor involved real people. Every Overseer designs their Tutorial differently. Mine is shaped around what my charge will face on their dungeon world.”

  He gave my shoulder a small squeeze. “Your dungeon world will be full of factions with competing power structures. You needed to learn how to navigate that.” A low laugh escaped him. “And in your own… direct way, you’ve sort of managed it. Subtlety just isn’t your preferred tool.”

  Relief hit me so hard my eyes stung. I wiped them quickly. “So Tucker can leave with me and Balt? He’ll come to the next floor?”

  “Indeed he will,” Lawson said, tone steady and certain. I couldn’t help it, I reached over and hugged the guy. To my surprise, Lawson actually returned it. After a few awkward seconds we separated, and he settled back into the couch like nothing unusual had happened.

  “How’s your soul feeling?”

  “It’s recovering,” I said, easing onto the couch. “I should be able to use the base version of Limit Break tomorrow, but Sunder is definitely off the table. My insides feel wrung out. Resilience is working, but… slowly.”

  Lawson nodded thoughtfully. “Lean on Tucker tomorrow. His howl will disrupt Jase’s shadow?hopping. It should be extremely effective.”

  I tilted my head. “I was planning on letting Tucker sit this one out. Make it a fair one?on?one.”

  Lawson shook his head immediately. “Normally I’d applaud the chivalry, but you need to win tomorrow. You need that floor key. It’s important that you get it. And if you were at full strength, you’d steamroll Jase. Dally knows it. Jase knows it.”

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  His intensity caught me off guard. I still didn’t understand why the key mattered so much to him, but he’d brought it up enough times that the weight of it was impossible to ignore. So far, the keys had been little more than paper weights.

  Lawson waited, eyes locked on mine, waiting for my reply.

  “I understand,” I said quietly.

  He nodded, satisfied. “Enjoy your friends tonight. And come to win tomorrow. The quicker the better.”

  Then he vanished.

  An hour later, another knock sounded. Balt and Tucker stood in the hall. I let them in, and Balt immediately collapsed into one of the chairs while Tucker and I took the couch. The thing was sturdier than it looked, it handled Tucker’s weight without complaint.

  “I thought I had him, Riv,” Balt groaned.

  “It was one hell of a fight,” I said. “If Jase hadn’t pulled out that new form of his, you absolutely would’ve had him.”

  “I know, right? Daggers for hands is some bullshit.” He rubbed his face, then looked at me. “You’ve got a plan to beat him, yeah? How’s your soul feeling?”

  I filled Balt in on my conversation with Lawson, minus the NPC part. He listened quietly, brow furrowed in thought. “I’ve got to say, I agree with Lawson on this one,” Balt said. “You fought a tough bastard who shouldn’t have even been in the tournament, and it wrecked your soul. Tucker’s your companion. It’s within the rules for him to fight with you.”

  I sighed. “I know. It just feels wrong somehow.”

  Tucker nudged his head into my lap, and I scratched under his chin. His tail thumped against the couch like he was trying to reassure me himself. “I get what you’re saying,” Balt continued, “but if Lawson is telling you how to fight this one, that floor key must be seriously important.”

  A knock at the door cut off my reply. When I opened it, Mariel stood there with several guild attendants behind her, all pushing in carts loaded with food and drink. The smell hit us like a spell, rich meats, roasted vegetables, fresh bread.

  Tucker’s excitement spiked instantly, and Balt was doing his best to keep him from drooling directly onto the platters. He was losing that battle badly.

  I thanked the attendants as they filed out. Mariel handed me Tucker’s toothbrush kit before leaving, and I hid it behind my back as I turned. “Tucker, eat all you want,” I said, “but we are definitely brushing your teeth extra tonight.”

  Tucker froze mid?sniff, eyes widening with theatrical innocence. “Well, you see… it is rather unfortunate, really, but I believe we left my toothbrush back in our room. So it appears I will not be able to brush my teeth tonight.”

  I pulled out the green shower bag and gave it a shake. “You mean this bag?”

  Tucker’s eyes went comically wide. Balt and I burst into laughter.

  Lawson

  Dally leaned back against the railing of the observation deck, arms crossed as she watched the arena lights dim for the night. “So,” she said without looking over, “you told Riven about Tucker’s howl effectiveness against Jase. You don’t usually hand out tactical advice unless there’s a reason.”

  Lawson didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pulled a slim crystal tablet from his coat. The screen lit his face in cold blue as he tapped a file he’d clearly opened many times before.

  Dally frowned. “What’s this?”

  Lawson didn’t speak at first. The video began to play, silent, but clear. A woman held a baby close, her expression tight with fear.

  Lawson pointed at a woman that stood in front of them. “That’s Alice, Riven’s sister.

  Alice stood with a training sword in hand. A level?100 woman circled her, striking her across the face with the flat of her blade. Alice staggered, already bleeding, but forced herself upright again.

  Dally’s jaw tightened. “Lawson…”

  “She’s been trying to train,” Lawson said quietly. “But that one” he pointed at the woman delivering the blows. “Took over about a week ago. Calls it ‘instruction.’ I know her type. She enjoys hurting her.”

  The woman in the video struck Alice again. Alice fell to one knee, then pushed herself up, trembling but refusing to stay down. “It’s only a matter of time before she kills Riven’s sister,” Lawson said. “And the baby won’t survive long after that.”

  Dally exhaled slowly. “And you think Riven…”

  “I know Riven,” Lawson cut in. “If they die, he won’t stop. He’ll burn that entire faction to the ground. And yes, most of them would have nothing to do with it, but grief doesn’t care about fairness. He’s a good kid, Dally. A force for good. But if they take his family from him… I don’t know what he’ll become.”

  Dally watched the video for another moment before Lawson shut it off.

  “That’s why he’s gotten so strong,” Lawson said. “Not for glory. Not for power. He’s fighting to save them. And I need that key to get him there in time.”

  Dally rubbed his temples. “Jase has already finished his five floors. The reward he’d get from winning won’t be much anyway, not after that training ring I gave him.”

  “Exactly,” Lawson said. “Riven needs it more. And he needs it now.”

  A beat of silence passed.

  Dally’s eyes narrowed. “You’re planning to use the reward to skip his fifth floor and send him straight back, aren’t you?”

  Lawson gave a small, humorless smile. “Something like that. There’s a tutorial grounds on his dungeon world. The System will let me bend the rules and count it as his fifth and final Tutorial floor.”

  Dally stared at him. “So all he has to do is reach his dungeon world’s Floor One portal… and his entire Tutorial ends months perhaps years early.”

  Lawson nodded. “And he’ll be there in time to save them.”

  Dally let out a long breath. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Lawson.”

  “For the right kid,” Lawson said, slipping the tablet away, “I’ll play it every time.”

  Carson

  The creature hit the ground hard enough to shake dust from the cavern ceiling.

  Carson landed beside it in a crouch, breath steady despite the battle that had just torn the chamber apart. The monster was a hulking, six?limbed brute of stone and sinew.

  It gave one last shudder before going still. He ran his mana through the hilt. The pieces lodged in the creature and throughout the chamber came shooting out, reforming into his weapon.

  Cracks of pale energy spider?webbed along the fractured metal, pulsing once before fading. He flicked the blood and grit from the edge and straightened, rolling his shoulders as the system notification chimed faintly in his mind.

  Another level. Small, but progress.

  The cavern fell quiet except for the slow drip of water and the settling groans of the dead beast. Carson reached into his coat and pulled out a small crystal, the alert stone Sager had given him. Its surface was dim, lifeless.

  He exhaled through his nose. “So. No sign of the Outlier yet.”

  He closed his fist around the crystal, jaw tightening. “If the Elders, or my father think I’m going to sit in that damn castle while the Outlier grows stronger, they’re fools.” His voice echoed off the stone walls, low and sharp. “I’m not a target waiting to be struck.”

  He stepped over the creature’s corpse, boots crunching on broken stone. The portal key at his belt glimmered faintly, still warm from use. He’d been activating it in his room. Transporting himself to this floor’s instance to train with only his elite guards in the know of what he was up to.

  The monsters here gave little experience, but he’d wrung every drop of strength from them. Every fight, every kill, every breath in this place pushed him higher. He could feel it, the slow but steady climb.

  “I’ll be ready for him,” Carson muttered. “More than ready.”

  He glanced at the crystal again. If the Outlier showed up while he trained, Sager would alert him instantly. He’d be back through the portal in seconds.

  And then…

  Carson’s grip tightened around the hilt of his shattered blade, knuckles whitening. “I’ll kill him,” he whispered. “I’ll show my father. I’ll show those damned Elders. I’ll prove my worth once and for all.”

  The cavern lights flickered as if reacting to the force of his resolve. Carson turned toward the next tunnel, blade in hand, eyes burning with purpose.