Fifteen days had passed since the battle with the Ice Wizard. The first floor of the tower had settled into a bitter, unforgiving landscape of ice and frost, but it was quiet—too quiet. The dead bodies of players who hadn't survived were long frozen, their expressions locked in eternal fear. The temperature had only dropped further as time went on.
Most of the surviving players had gathered into makeshift camps, trying to make sense of their new world. Small fires flickered weakly in the icy air, offering little warmth to those who huddled around them.
Kira stood at the edge of one of the camps, gazing out at the frozen expanse. His new cloak, awarded for his victory over the Ice Wizard, was the only thing keeping him from freezing completely. As the MVP candidate, he had garnered attention, but there was little he could do to lead anyone right now.
The arguments had started almost immediately after the Ice Wizard's defeat. Some players believed that staying on the first floor was the only option—they had established safe zones, after all, and leaving might mean risking their lives in another unknown battle. Others, like Kira, knew that the freezing temperatures wouldn't allow them to stay for long. It was only getting colder.
"We need to move," Kira said, his breath visible in the frigid air.
"We can't just leave!" a man in the crowd protested. His face was red from the cold, but his expression was defiant. "We've built defenses here. We've survived! Who knows what's waiting for us on the second floor?"
"Who cares about defenses if we're going to freeze to death?" someone else argued. "The temperature is dropping every day. If we don't leave soon, we'll all be wiped out!"
The group fell into heated bickering once again. Tensions were high, and fear gripped everyone—fear of the unknown, fear of the next battle. But Kira knew they didn't have a choice. The bitter cold was unrelenting. The first floor was no longer safe.
Kira stepped forward, silencing the group with his presence. His calm, calculated demeanor had earned him respect, even among those who disagreed with him.
"We either stay here and freeze," Kira said, his voice low but steady, "or we push forward and take control of our future. We can't wait for the next Act to force us into action. We need to keep moving."
Silence followed his words. The group exchanged uneasy glances, but no one could deny the truth. The cold was becoming unbearable.
One player, a woman wrapped in layers of makeshift clothes, stood up. "He's right. If we stay here, we're dead. The second floor might be dangerous, but at least we'll have a chance."
Gradually, the others began to murmur in agreement. The decision was clear. The second floor awaited, and though it was a step into the unknown, staying meant certain death.
Kira nodded to himself, satisfied. The tower had many floors left, and they were only at the beginning of their journey. But if they were going to survive, they had to keep moving forward—no matter what waited for them on the next floor.