Beast Evolution Forge

[Welcome to the third floor—Haven Town,] the tower's voice announced, loud enough for all players to hear. [This is a safe zone where combat between players is forbidden. Use this area to rest, trade, and prepare for your challenges. The third floor proper begins beyond the town gates. Good luck to all participants.]

"A safe zone?" Ada whispered. "Why would we need that unless..."

"Unless players can fight each other outside of it," Vell finished. He turned to his group. "This changes things. From now on, we need to be more careful. We're not just fighting the tower's monsters anymore."

"Master, what exactly happened with Luna?" Regina asked carefully, keeping her voice low. "You said she tried to kill you?"

His expression darkened. "She was working against us from the beginning. She wanted to free the Hollow King and saw me as an obstacle." He looked at each of them in turn. "If any of you have similar thoughts, now's the time to leave."

"How could you say that?" Ruby said, looking hurt. "We would never betray you!"

"We're with you all the way, Master," Jia added firmly.

He nodded, but his eyes remained guarded. The betrayal had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.

"Let's find a place to rest and gather information," he said. "We need to learn how this floor works before we venture out."

They made their way to a nearby inn called "The Resting Warrior." Inside, the place was busy with other players talking, eating, and planning their next moves.

As they settled at a table, a screen appeared before each of them.

[Floor 3 Rules:

1. Players will compete in challenges throughout the floor.

2. Rankings are determined by points earned in these challenges.

3. The top 100 ranked players will receive special rewards.

4. Players may form teams of up to 8 members.

5. Team points are shared equally among members.

6. PvP is allowed outside of safe zones.

7. Defeated players lose 30% of their points.

8. Completing the floor requires 1000 points per player.]

"So we need to earn points," Wren said, returning to her human form as she sat at the table.

"And other players can take our points if they defeat us," Regina added with a frown.

"What's our plan, Master?" Jolly asked, cracking her knuckles. "I say we head out and start earning points right away."

"No," he said firmly. "First, we rest and recover. Then we gather information from other players. I want to know what kinds of challenges are out there before we jump in." He looked around the inn. "And I want to see who else is here."

As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed a group of players in a corner who seemed to be watching them. One of them, a tall man caught his gaze and nodded slightly.

"We've got eyes on us," he muttered.

[They're assessing us. Probably wondering if we're worth fighting or allying with.]

'How annoying. I need to rest, my mind is a mess.'

"I am going to rest up for a bit, you guys should do that too." He stood up and walked up to the maid, paying for a room.

He went up to his room and locked the door behind him. He sat down on the bed, his mind racing with thoughts about Luna's betrayal and the strange red panda.

"This floor is going to be different," he muttered to himself. "Players fighting each other for points... I need to be more careful now."

[you should rest. You've been through a lot today.]

"I know," he sighed, lying back on the bed. "But I can't stop thinking about what that panda said. And Luna... I never saw that coming."

[Some betrayals are impossible to predict.]

He closed his eyes. "From now on, we trust no one outside our group. We need to get stronger and climb this tower without any more surprises."

Meanwhile, downstairs in the inn, the girls sat around their table, speaking in hushed tones.

"I'm worried about Master," Ruby said, fidgeting with her sleeves. "He seemed really upset about Luna's betrayal."

Regina nodded. "Anyone would be upset. She tried to kill him."

"What I want to know is who those people are," Jia whispered, gesturing subtly toward the group in the corner that had been watching them. "They haven't stopped looking at us since we came in."

"Should we talk to them?" Wren asked.

"No," Jolly said firmly. "Master said to rest and gather information. We follow his orders."

As they talked, one of the watchers—the tall man stood up and approached their table.

"Excuse me," he said with a polite smile. "My name is Derek. My team and I couldn't help noticing your group. You seem... different from the other players."

"What do you want?" Regina asked coldly.

"Just to talk," he said, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Information is valuable on this floor. Maybe we could help each other?"

The group exchanged glances, unsure how to respond without Vell's guidance.

"Our master is resting," Ruby finally said. "If you want to talk, you'll have to wait for him."

"Your... master?" he raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting. Most teams have a leader, but not a maste-"

"Fuck off!" Wren said, her eyes filled with bloodlust, "If you disrespect master with that mouth of yours I will kill you."

The man stared at her for a moment and walked away without saying a word. Regina looked at them, knowing exactly what he was planning.

"He just made us his targets. Once we leave, he will try to kill us." She said casually, taking a bite off her meat.

"They are trash, no even worth out time." Ruby also said casually, "anyways, are we still going to only use half our powers on this floor?"

"Yes, master said that unless there is no other way, we should try to overcome situations with that much power, it will teach us a lot, instead of just overcoming everything in one attack." Jolly said, cleaning her weapons.

Upstairs, Vell sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed as he tried to process everything that had happened. Luna's betrayal still stung, not because he had trusted her completely, but because he had failed to see it coming.

'I'm getting sloppy,' he thought. "Time to go back to my roots." He exhaled and began studying his mana pathways. "I have 4 cores as of now, not too bad. As for my rank-" He sensed someone watching him, but this was not someone close, this was someone in a separate space.

[Master?]

"I think that admin is watching me." He focused further, the presence becoming even clear.

[Wait...you don't mean-]

"Hey shit head, stop spying on me and show yourself." Now that his space manipulation power was unsealed, his senses were through the roof. There was nothing for a bit until a tear appeared in front of him.

A man wearing a black suit walked out, adjusting his tie. "Well well, it's been a while, hasn't it."

[Oh for fuck's sake.]

"Yes, good to hear from you too, little girl." He said, his tone dry. His attention shifted back to Vell, "I am surprised you managed to sense my presence. You have grown strong fast," he scanned him, "too strong in fact."

"Hahhh, what do you want this time?" Vell asked, lying down on his bed, clearly not wanting to deal with this right now.

"The time has arrived. Did you think over the deal I offered you?" His tone was now serious but Vell was still not interested.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you offered me that stupid opportunity. Hmm...how about, fuck you and your system and your council and whoever is in power."

The admin's face contorted with anger, his composed demeanor crumbling at his blatant disrespect.

"You ungrateful little—" He raised his hand, the air around it distorting as he gathered his power. "Perhaps you need a reminder of who holds authority here."

The space around Vell began to warp and twist, reality itself bending to the admin's will. The room's dimensions stretched and compressed unnaturally, a demonstration of his control over spatial manipulation.

"Authority of Space: Compression," the admin intoned, his voice resonating with power as he attempted to crush Vell where he sat.

But Vell remained calm, not even rising from his relaxed position on the bed. His eyes flashed briefly as he prepared his counter.

[ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED ADMINISTRATIVE INTERVENTION DETECTED IN SAFE ZONE]

The tower's voice boomed throughout the room, vibrating the very air. A golden barrier suddenly materialized between them, instantly neutralizing the spatial distortion.

[ADMINISTRATIVE PRIVILEGES TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. REMOVING UNAUTHORIZED ENTITY FROM PLAYER SPACE]

The admin's expression shifted from anger to shock as golden chains of light erupted from the floor, wrapping around his limbs and torso.

"This isn't over," he snarled as his form began to dissolve. "The council won't stand for your continued defiance. You can't hide behind the tower's protection forever!"

"I wasn't hiding," he said calmly, finally sitting up and looking the admin directly in the eyes. "I was ready for you this time. Your spatial manipulation is impressive, but..." He smiled coldly. "Mine is better."

The admin's eyes widened with realization just before he completely vanished, the golden chains pulling him through a portal that snapped shut behind him.