The next morning, James woke before sunrise.

His face was still visibly wounded when he checked the mirror. The bruises had not faded because the fight happened outside the Tower where injuries did not heal instantly like they did on cleared floors.

He got ready quietly while avoiding noise that might wake his mother.

He moved through the house carefully while pausing near her door. He felt guilty leaving before she could see him properly, but he knew she would ask questions if she saw his face clearly.

James was not ready to explain the fight with Adrian or the Ganner family.

He left without saying goodbye.

James arrived at the Hale Estate while the sun was barely rising. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He entered the basement training room where Team Zero gathered before Tower attempts. The others were already there preparing their gear.

The moment James entered, the room went quiet.

Finn, Aria, Kael, and Elliot stared at his face.

They had all seen the livestream. The entire country had seen it. StreamKing_IE’s footage went viral within hours while clips of James being punched through a wall, summoning skeletons in the street, and fighting Adrian Ganner spread across every social media platform.

They knew it was James.

They just did not know what to say.

Finn’s voice was careful. "James."

James set his bag down. "I’m fine."

Nobody moved for a second.

Aria’s tone was controlled but furious underneath. "We saw the stream."

James did not answer.

"Everyone saw the stream," Elliot added quietly. "It’s everywhere."

Kael stayed quiet while studying the injuries. The bruises matched the footage. The split lip matched the final moments when James was barely standing. The burn on his shoulder matched when Adrian grabbed him and channeled fire directly into his skin.

Finn opened his mouth. "Why didn’t you call—"

Aria slapped his hand. "How would he have called when he was fighting?"

Finn stopped while realizing how stupid the question sounded.

James avoided their eyes. "It’s done."

"We know," Kael said. "We watched it happen."

Elliot’s voice shook slightly. "The whole world watched it happen. The stream hit over 900,000 viewers before TRB shut it down."

James finally looked up. "Can we focus on the floor now?"

The team went quiet because they knew he was not ready to talk about Adrian, the fight, or whatever had caused a Ganner heir to attack him in public.

Finn nodded once. "We’re sorry we weren’t there."

"You couldn’t have been," James said. "It happened too fast."

Aria’s jaw tightened. "The footage shows Adrian burned that girl first. Then threatened everyone. You were defending yourself."

"I know what the footage shows."

Kael added quietly, "TRB released you both with fines. Self-defense reduced your charge."

James did not want to talk about TRB, fines, or charges anymore. "Are we doing Floor 10 or not?"

James changed the subject. "Why are we attempting Floor 10 now instead of waiting?"

Finn leaned against the table. "Because we have momentum after the world-first Floor 9 clear. Other countries and guilds will study the Floor 9 data soon. If we wait too long, they catch up."

James’s tone was skeptical. "No one has cleared Floor 10 yet. Rushing into an unknown floor is dangerous."

"That’s why we’re not streaming it," Finn said. "This is a test run. We enter, understand the floor’s rules, and retreat if it’s impossible."

Aria nodded. "We’re not being reckless. We’re staying ahead."

Kael added, "Story floors change the rules. We need to see what kind of story this is before other teams figure it out first."

Elliot looked nervous but determined. "We cleared Floor 9. We can handle this."

James still did not fully like it, but after what happened with Adrian, he also knew he needed strength fast.

Waiting meant staying weak.

He gave in. "Fine. Let’s go."

Team Zero equipped their gear while checking supplies and confirming everyone was ready.

James was quieter than usual, but more focused. His wounded face still bothered the team, but nobody pushed him anymore.

Finn led the preparation while confirming potions, weapons, and armor were in place. The party gathered near the Tower access point in the basement where a shimmering portal waited.

The system prompt appeared in their vision.

[ATTEMPT FLOOR 10?]

[PARTY: TEAM ZERO]

[YES / NO]

Finn looked at the others. "Everyone ready?"

They confirmed.

Finn selected yes.

White light consumed them.

Team Zero materialized inside the Tower, but instead of a battlefield, forest, village, or monster camp, they appeared in a large academy arrival hall.

The place was clean, structured, and filled with movement.

Students in dark uniforms passed through the hall while carrying weapons, books, training gear, and magical equipment. Some wore swords at their hips. Others carried staffs or bows. A few had armor pieces strapped to their backs.

The students treated Team Zero like new arrivals instead of enemies.

Nobody attacked.

Nobody screamed.

Nobody ran.

Team Zero stood together while confusion spread across their faces.

Finn immediately studied the surroundings while noting exits, staircases, and the flow of student traffic. "This doesn’t feel like a normal floor."

Aria watched the students’ weapons carefully. "They’re armed, but they’re not hostile."

Elliot noticed balconies above them where more students looked down at the hall. "Are they real or artificial?"

Kael focused on whether the people felt human or system-generated. "They move like challengers, not NPCs."

James stayed quiet while already thinking this floor had rules they did not understand yet.

A student in a crisp uniform approached them. "New recruits?"

Finn hesitated before answering. "We just arrived."

The student nodded. "Follow the flow toward the training ground. Commander Valdis will address all new arrivals shortly."

The student walked away before they could ask more questions.

Team Zero moved with the flow of students toward the training ground because staying in the arrival hall would only draw more attention.

They passed through wide corridors lined with banners, weapon racks, and doors leading to classrooms or barracks. Everything felt military and disciplined.

Eventually, they stepped outside into a massive training ground.

Rows of students stood in formation across the field. The training ground was wide, flat, and surrounded by stone walls. The students were quiet, tense, and waiting for instruction.

Team Zero blended into the formation near the back while unsure whether to follow along or reveal they were outsiders.

Before they could decide, the atmosphere changed.

A massive commander climbed onto the platform at the front of the training ground.

He was tall, broad, and scarred across his face and arms. His presence silenced the entire area immediately while every student straightened their posture without being told.

Team Zero realized the floor had started, but not with a system battle prompt.

It had started with rules, hierarchy, and a setting they did not fully understand.

The massive commander climbed onto the platform, and the entire training ground went silent.