The Legacy of Ancient Tales
After bidding farewell to their mentor on the first floor, Malik turned to Walid and said,
"It seems the path will be harder than we expected."
"Of course, but we made it through the first part, didn't we?" Walid replied with a sarcastic smile, his gaze fixed on the massive doors leading to the second floor.
As they stepped onto the second floor, the atmosphere began to shift. The walls were adorned with strange carvings depicting creatures from various myths. Among them were the likeness of a massive Minotaur from Greek mythology and an Asian dragon coiling around a tower.
"Are these… ancient legends?" Malik asked, running his hand across one of the carvings.
In the middle of the vast hall, the first guardian of the second floor appeared—a creature resembling the Korean myth of the "Gumiho" (the nine-tailed fox). It smirked wickedly and said,
"Wouldn't it have been better for you to stay on the first floor? This is where the real stories begin."
Walid quickly raised his bow and shot an arrow at the creature, but it vanished into thin air, as if the arrow had passed through smoke.
"It's too fast!" Walid said in frustration.
"Not just fast, but cunning…" Malik added, trying to study the guardian's movements.
The battle was fierce, with Malik using the skills he had learned from his mentor while Walid relied on his intelligence and tactical maneuvers.
The Room of Secrets
After narrowly defeating the Gumiho, a new door opened, leading them to a small chamber filled with old books and maps.
"What is this place?" Malik wondered aloud, trying to read texts written in strange languages.
Walid picked up a mysterious map and pointed to a symbol resembling a tower surrounded by dragons.
"It seems like this map reveals the floors ahead."
Before they could examine it further, a holographic image of a creature resembling Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic, appeared and spoke in a cryptic voice:
"Touch those treasures carefully. Not all that glitters is gold."
On their way to the third floor, they encountered another creature, this time inspired by Japanese mythology—a dragon named Ryujin. It blocked the passage, breathing blue fire that resembled lightning.
"Is that dragon… real?" Walid asked, stepping back cautiously.
"Whatever it is, we must face it!" Malik declared, raising his sword, ready for battle.
The fight was epic, with blows exchanged between the heroes and the dragon. Walid used his precision to hit the creature's weak spots, while Malik relied on his physical strength and agility to dodge and attack.
Meeting a New Ally
After defeating the dragon, they encountered a mysterious warrior named Kenta, a samurai who seemed to have stepped straight out of Japanese folklore.
"You are brave to enter this tower, but strength alone won't be enough here. You'll need wisdom and patience."
Malik looked at Kenta hesitantly and asked,
"Will you be with us or against us?"
Kenta smiled and replied,
"That depends on your choices."
The Third Floor and More Legends
Upon reaching the third floor, they faced a new leader, this time from Western mythology—a dark knight named Morgan, surrounded by undead soldiers bearing shields with cryptic symbols.
"Finally, a real challenge…" Walid said with a sarcastic grin, despite his unease.
"This won't be easy. Get ready, Walid!" Malik shouted, raising his sword.
The battle against Morgan was the longest yet, forcing both of them to use every skill they had learned from their mentor.
Temporary Ending
After the fight, Malik and Walid stood, panting from exhaustion.
"If each floor gets harder than the last, we'll need all the strength we can muster," Malik said.
"But we're still here, aren't we?" Walid replied with a grin, shooting an imaginary arrow into the sky as a victory salute.
…