Three months had passed, but the capital still hadn’t breathed the way it should.
Streets that used to be full of light and life were now surrounded by metal scaffolds and half-built walls.
The Awakened, in different groups, were busy rebuilding using mana and special tools. Some were constructing new walls, some were stabilizing temporary structures, and others simply stood there, staring at the empty space where something no longer existed.
The sky was clear, but no one saw it as a sign of peace.
The war was over... but its effects were still very much alive.
In the middle of this half-living city, Daniel stepped out of their house. A gentle breeze moved his hair, and his gaze swept from above over the city that still hadn’t hidden its wounds.
His eyes stopped for a moment.
"...I should go see him."
He had plans to visit Varnos. Before challenging the fourth floor of the Tower, there were things he needed to talk about with him mostly about the future.
Especially, he wanted to tell him that he was going to leave the country. The Guild no longer had any enemies in the country, and nothing was threatening him anymore.
In other words, the time had finally come for him to move on.
He took a step forward, but before he could continue, the sound of his phone ringing cut through the air.
He paused for a moment, then took out his phone. The name on the screen made his expression soften a little.
Alice.
He answered the call.
"Hello?"
"We did it!" The voice on the other end was full of energy.
A very faint smile appeared on his lips.
"First floor?"
"Yeah! We completely cleared it. According to the Guild protocol, we came to Fallen Sun to report. Our work is done... Are you coming to pick us up?"
"Just stay there. I’m coming."
Daniel stayed silent for a few seconds, then said quietly,
When the call ended, he stood there for a few more seconds. A strange feeling settled in his chest, calmer than anything he had experienced in these past few months.
It would be wrong to say he hadn’t been worried about his sisters. It was true that they were really powerful, more powerful than any genius in their generation, but that was exactly the problem.
The more powerful they were, the harder the Tower’s test would be for them.
Then he started moving.
The Fallen Sun Guild building, unlike many parts of the city, had remained almost completely intact. Its entrance was guarded by sentries with military discipline, and inside it was filled with Awakened moving about in silence and focus.
Daniel entered without stopping.
Several glances fell on him. Everyone recognized him. Some simply felt they should make way.
After what had happened, he had become the most famous person in the country. Even before that, his hidden identity had already brought him a lot of fame.
And now, because of the war, he was even more famous than before. Many people secretly called him the strongest man in the country.
And then he saw them.
Alice and Tiana were standing next to one of the large pillars. For a moment, Daniel just looked at them.
Alice was no longer the same excited girl from before. Her gaze was firmer, her movements more calculated. And Tiana... she seemed calmer, but deeper, as if she had seen something that had made her quieter.
Both of them had changed.
"...They’ve grown up."
"We’re here!" Alice was the first to notice him. She raised her hand and said with a smile.
A few minutes later, all three of them were inside the car. Daniel had wanted to have a meeting with the leaders of the Fallen Sun Guild, but the girls looked more tired than that would allow.
A short silence settled between them.
"How was the first floor?" Daniel asked, without taking his eyes off the road.
"It wasn’t a closed environment... it was an open area. Like a forest, but... not natural." Alice took a deep breath and then explained.
"They called it the ’Silent Zone.’ None of the systems worked properly. No map, no accurate enemy level detection, and not even mana!" Tiana continued.
"So it was a survival test." Daniel raised an eyebrow slightly. The first floor for him had also been a survival test, and not a simple one—it was extremely difficult.
He had to escape from a creature far more powerful than himself in an icy mountain and survive. Of course, he had successfully cleared the floor.
"Survival, but not just from monsters. From people too." Alice nodded.
"At first we thought it would be easy. A few monsters, one environment... we’d finish it quickly. But we were wrong." Her expression became more serious for a moment.
"The monsters... they were hunters. They waited. They learned. They even predicted our movements." Tiana said quietly.
"Once we were really close to being finished. If that other group hadn’t shown up..." Alice laughed, but her laugh sounded a bit dry.
It had hurt her pride a little. She had never thought she would need help from others on the first floor of the Tower. She believed she could handle everything alone.
But she had been badly mistaken. No matter how powerful she was, the Tower adjusted its standards to match her. That was why all the monsters had been in C-rank.
"Other group?"
"There were three of them. A girl with ice powers, a boy who used shadows, and one person... who analyzed more than he fought."
"Without them, we wouldn’t have made it through the third night." Tiana added.
"That’s quite impressive for the first floor." Daniel thought for a few seconds.
"So does that mean it’s confirmed?" Alice smiled.
"It means you came back alive." He was happier that his sisters had returned alive than that they had cleared the first floor.
And since they hadn’t said anything about the Hell difficulty, it seemed the Tower hadn’t considered them worthy of it, which made him fall into thought for a bit.
Both of his sisters were now much stronger than he had been at their current ranks, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if their first floor had been Hell difficulty.
But apparently it wasn’t. He asked them about it and, after receiving their answer, he became sure.
"Difficulty? I think it was Extreme," Tiana thought for a moment and then replied.
This meant that Hell difficulty wasn’t based only on the Awakened’s current power. It could be more related to their future potential than their present strength.
Maybe that was why the death penalty was active. Normally on the first floor of the Tower, death was not permanent—even if you died, you would come back to life.
But in Hell difficulty, it wasn’t like that. Death meant real death.
It could be because the Tower tried to nip people with very high potential in the bud? But why would it do that?
The Tower existed to make Awakened stronger, right? So this didn’t make sense at all.
He stopped thinking about it further because he had no evidence to support his reasoning.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of the house.
When the door opened, Liana was standing there. For a moment, she just looked at them, as if she wanted to make sure they were really there.
Then, without saying a word, she stepped forward and pulled both girls into a tight hug.
"Thank God..." Her voice was quiet, but there was a slight tremble in it.
Alice and Tiana hugged her back firmly.
A few minutes later, the house was filled with the sound of talking and laughter.
"Alright, tell me everything. What did you see? Were you scared?" Liana asked with curiosity.
Alice started excitedly, talking about the first night, their mistakes, and the moment they thought there was no way out.
Tiana sometimes added details, things that Alice had missed.
Daniel listened in silence, with a very faint smile on his lips. But it didn’t last long. He quietly stood up.
"I have something to do... I need to go."
"Take care of yourself." Liana just looked at him, then nodded.
Daniel didn’t say anything. He just gave a short look to all three of them, then left the house.
The sky was starting to darken.
The streets had become quieter, and some parts of the city were still sunk in the shadow of destruction. Instead of using the car, he flew.
Fortunately, he had obtained permission to fly in the capital.
It didn’t take long before he reached his destination.
Varnos’s house. Unfortunately, the Guild headquarters and the entire area had been destroyed and was under reconstruction, and the rebuilding would take time. That was why he had to come here for the meeting.
The large closed gate stood silently. The surroundings were calm, too calm.
He knocked gently.
Knock knock!