Eren stumbled back into the Phantom Gate, his legs trembling from exhaustion. His pack thudded onto the metal floor as he collapsed against the wall. Sweat soaked his shirt, and his hands were still shaking from his encounter with the creature on Floor 2.
"What the hell was that thing?" he muttered, staring at the glowing outline of his knife—the only weapon that had kept the predator at bay. He absently rubbed his arm where the air had felt unnervingly warm, like static, every time the creature drew closer.
The Tower's interface materialized in front of him, pulling his attention away.
Mandatory Recon Report:
• Objective: Provide detailed observations of Floor 2.
• Reward: Floor Tokens awarded based on report quality.
Eren groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm barely alive, and you want me to write a report?" But the mention of rewards piqued his interest. The Phantom Gate's workshop had supplies he desperately needed, and tokens were the only way to get them.
"Fine. Let's do this," he muttered, opening the report screen.
The Report
Eren thought back to the floor he'd just left. "Okay, start simple."
"Floor 2 was… strange. It looked like a forest, but the trees glowed faintly, like they were coated in some kind of bioluminescent paint. The air was thick, almost humming. Walking through it felt… off, like I was wading through something invisible but heavy."
He paused, tapping his fingers on the keyboard. "There were patches of ground that were burned, almost like something exploded or caught fire recently. It wasn't random either—there was a pattern, like these spots followed some kind of invisible trail."
Eren hesitated before writing the next part. "I ran into a creature—something big. It was covered in dark scales that shimmered, and its eyes glowed red. It was fast, quiet, and… smart. It didn't just attack me outright; it stalked me for what felt like hours, waiting for the perfect moment."
His hand hovered over the screen. What had that thing been?
Prompt: "What conclusions can you draw about these phenomena?"
Eren frowned at the question. "Conclusions? I don't even know what half of it means."
Still, he tried. "The glowing trees and heavy air might mean… something about this place is alive, or at least reacting to me. The burned spots could be caused by that creature—maybe it… spits fire or something? But I didn't see it do that."
His thoughts raced as he typed. "That thing—whatever it was—it seemed to know where I was. Every time it got close, the air felt like static, like the atmosphere itself was watching me."
He shook his head. "I don't have enough to go on. Maybe it's a predator, or maybe it's… I don't know, some kind of trap this place set up."
Recon Report Submitted. Processing…
Eren leaned back, his mind swirling with questions. What was that static? Why did the trees glow? He couldn't shake the feeling that everything on that floor was connected, but he didn't know how or why.
A notification appeared, pulling him from his thoughts.
Recon Evaluation: Satisfactory
Rewards: 4 Floor Tokens
"Not bad," Eren muttered, picking up the tokens that materialized on the console tray. He immediately opened the Phantom Gate's vending menu, scrolling through its inventory.
Inside the Phantom Gate
The workshop hummed softly, its shelves now stocked with supplies. Eren purchased a simple meal, scarfing it down before using the rest of his tokens on materials: a basic energy cell, some wiring, and a soldering kit.
As he worked on a project—a small device he'd sketched out—he muttered to himself. "If that thing reacts to… whatever that static was, maybe I can use sound to throw it off. Or light, maybe?"
He soldered wires together, experimenting with the components in front of him. The Tower had made these supplies easy to use, but he couldn't help feeling like he was missing something. Every now and then, he glanced at the small crystal he'd found on the second floor.
It glowed faintly, pulsing with the same rhythm as the trees on Floor 2. Eren had no idea what it was or how it worked, but it had seemed important. He'd pocketed it during his escape, figuring he could experiment with it later.
Now, as he stared at the glowing shard, an idea sparked in his mind. "What if this thing… powers something?"
Carefully, he wired the crystal into the energy cell. It flickered weakly, but nothing happened. Eren sighed. "Guess I'll need to experiment more."
As he cleaned up his workspace, another item caught his eye. The Phantom Gate had also rewarded him with a small token-like crystal marked Return. The description had been vague, but it claimed to let him return to Earth for short periods of time.
Eren pocketed it, unsure of when—or if—he'd use it. Right now, he needed to prepare for Floor 3.