After killing the slime's in the second floor Kael stepped onto the stairs leading to the 2nd floor, there was nothing like that clear conditions on each floor because all awakeners can easily move onto till floor 101 because the floors has already been cleared unless there was hidden missions and treasures lying somewhere on each floor, and every 5 floors have bosses and each floor could have some hidden bosses.
As the light swallowed him, a faint system message appeared.
[You have entered Floor 3]
Something deep within the tower something shifted.
And Kael Ardent moved forward completely unaware that the tower was starting to pay attention.
Floor 3 smelled wrong.
That was the first thing Kael noticed the moment he stepped out of the staircase,
It wasn't the rot or blood or a damp stone like lower floors. It was sharp like cold iron scrapped against glass. The air felt thinner, tighter as if the tower was itself was less patient here.
A wide cavern stretched before him illuminated by pale blue crystals embedded in the ceiling. Jagged stone pillars rose from the ground like broken teeth casting log shadows that twisted unnaturally when he wasn't looking directly at them.
[Floor 3 - Hunting zone]
Kael swallowed.
"Already sounds unfriendly".
Floor 1 had been for awakening tutorial. Floor 2 has been a test and Floor 3 according to everything he'd heard growing up was where people learned fear.
This was the floor where late awakeners quit or died.
He tightened his grip on the dagger and took a cautious step forward.
The moment his boot touched the stone, something moved.
Not one thing, it was several.
Low growls echoed through the cavern as shapes emerged from behind the pillars. Lean grotesque creatures with charcoal black fur and elongated limbs crawled into view, Their eyes glowed a dull amber and fixed their eyes entirely on him.
Shadow Hounds Level 5
Kael recognized them instantly they are fast and coordinated strong enough to tear through leather armor like paper.
"Ah", Kael said weakly "So its that kind of floor".
One hounds stepped forward muscles coiling beneath its fur. Another circled to the side. A third stayed back head tilted but watching.
They were beginning to hunt him.
Kael inhaled slowly and raised his hand.
A thin white line appeared in the air between him and the nearest hound.
The hound jumped and it slammed into the boundary and bounced back violently and crashing into the pillar with the sharp cry.
Kael grinned for a half a second.
"Okay, that--"
Pain exploded through his chest.
Kael was thrown backward as if someone as punched him straight through his ribs. His feet left the ground and his vision spun and he slammed into the stone floor enough to knock the breath out of his lungs.
"Ghk--!!"
He rolled gasping for air clutching his side.
The line shattered like glass.
"Shittt what was that???? that was something new".
The hound shook itself and rose again unharmed and now visibly angry. The other two growled louder.
Kael forced himself upright, heart pounding.
What was that?? What just happened???
I drew the line and the shadow hound attacked me and got bounced back due to the effect of line which has the boundary and even I got reflected back with much larger force. Is this some kind of law where I heard it from someone that a great scientist before the Tower era called Eewton said that "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction"
So that was it.
Actually Line drawer worked but against something stronger than him there would be a recoil effect. Equal and opposite force.
"Of course there is", Kael muttered "Why wouldn't there be".
The hounds charged together, Kael drew another line angling diagonally this time.
The first hound hit it and flew sideways.
The recoil slammed into the Kael again throwing off balance. He stumbled barely staying upright pain flaring through his arms.
The third hound leapt.
Kael twisted instinctively and his hand slapped against the stone floor.
Tap. Information exploded into his vision.
Not about the hound, about the floor he's standing on.
[Stone layer: Durability 92%]
[Secondary Mana flow detected]
[Irregular spatial density]
[Hidden structure Present]
[Classification: False floor]
Kael's eyes widened. "what??".
The ground beneath his palm flickered, just for a split second the hound's claw's swiped through empty air as the stone collapsed beneath Kael like it had never existed.
"WAIT---"
Kael dropped. Straight down. The fall was vertical, there was no slope no stairs just darkness and rushing air as the hunting zone vanished above him like a being erased.
The shadow hound's snarls faded instantly.
Kael screamed "THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT BY ESCAPE---"
He forced himself to think through the panic. Yes line, draw a line.
A white streak flashed beneath his feet. Kael landed on it like an invisible step. The impact shaken his bones, but it held.
He drew another and another. Each one formed just long enough to catch him before shattering. The recoil bruising his legs and spine with every landing.
By the time he reached the bottom, his knees buckled and he collapsed forward, coughing, every muscle screaming in protest.
He lay there for a moment, face pressed against the cold stone listening to his heartbeat hammer in his ears.
"...I survived" he muttered "I survived again".
The ground didn't feel like Floor 3. It felt smoother, Older, Warmer. Kael pushed himself up slowly.
The chamber around him was circular carved from pale stone etched with faded runes. Soft golden light shined from the walls themselves casting the space in a calm almost gentle glow.
There were no monsters, No growls, No pressure like feeling.
The message appeared.
[HIDDEN LAYER DISCOVERED]
[FLOOR 2 SAFE ZONE: ARCHITECT'S SHELTER]
Kael stared "Floor 2 safe zone, there was floor 1 safe zone and no safe zone for floor, it was direct stairs to the floor 3, but there was a hidden floor zone for floor 2.
A hidden layer buried beneath Floor 3, connected to the floor 2.
And no one found it in fifty years!!!.
Because who the hell would tap the floor while being mauled by shadow hounds?.
Kael laughed, it came out shaky, half hysterical. "I'm never making fun of Tapping again".
He moved forward, testing the ground, this is solid layer, no false layers.
In the center of the chamber stood a Stone platform which was pretty high compared to other platforms which I have seen till now.
Kael approached slowly, As he did, a familiar blue screen finally appeared.
[STATUS WINDOW
NAME: KAEL ARDENT
LEVEL: 1
EXP: 95/100
CLASS: DELIMITER
ROLE: ARCHITECTS CHOSEN
TALENT: LINE DRAWER (F-)
SUB SKILL: TAP (F-)
HEALTH: 84/100
MANA: 52/100
STAMINA: 41/100
STATUS EFFECT: BRUISED (MINOR), RECOIL FATIGUE (LOW)]
Kael exhaled "So I do have limits"
That means his powers weren't trash as he thought, its incomplete.
He tapped the platform.
[Structure: Training monument]
[Purpose: Calibration]
[Condition: Dormant]
[Activation Requirement: Architect authority -- Partially detected]
"Authority?" The runes lit up faintly not fully, like something was missing.
Kael stepped back, suddenly aware of how quiet the chamber was. This wasn't just the safe zone, it was kind of waiting room and training room made just for him.
He sat down hard against the wall, letting the tension finally drain from his body. His hands were still shaking, his ribs still hurt, his legs felt like jelly and this room is slowly making him recover.
But he was alive and he had discovered something no one else had hahaha.
Line Drawer wasn't just the shield which he though to be and tap wasn't omniscience. They were tools, like any tool to be used.
Kael chuckled weakly "Guess I can't just draw lines at Gods and expect it to work"
The thought sobered him, if recoil scaled with resistance.... then against truly strong enemies he would definitely break himself, unless he got smarter, unless he used the tower the way it actually worked.
Kael looked at the glowing runes again, eyes narrowing with the new determination.
"Fine", he murmured "I'll play by your rules".
Outside, on the floor 3 awakeners hunted monsters, above that guilds climbed the floors, legends stalled at floor 101 and the world argued about the Planet eater's arrival.
But down here? In a place that wasn't supposed to exist? Kael ardent sat alone bruised laughing softly and beginning to understand something very important.
The Tower didn't reward strength. It rewarded those who noticed what others stepped on.
And for the first time since he awakened Kael smiled genuinely.
"Alright", he said "Let's see what else you're hiding".