Chapter 78 – The Path Someone Left Behind

The footprints became the center of their attention.
Not because they were dramatic.
Not because they contained some obvious clue.
But because they existed at all.
The higher they climbed, the fewer people they encountered.
Entire floors could pass without seeing another human.
Yet these tracks were fresh.
Recent.
Purposeful.
Whoever made them had crossed this area only a short time ago.

For two days Team Snail followed the trail.
Carefully.
Patiently.
The footprints crossed rivers.
Passed through forests.
Moved around monster territories.
Whoever left them clearly knew what they were doing.
They avoided danger without wasting distance.
They traveled efficiently.
Like an experienced climber.

Aerin crouched beside one set of tracks.
“The stride is long.”
Mira looked down.
“You can tell that?”
“A little.”
The mysterious man nodded.
“He’s right.”
Aerin looked proud.
Mira immediately rolled her eyes.

The trail eventually led them toward a mountain region.
Not a single mountain.
An entire chain.
Sharp peaks pierced the sky.
Ancient stone cliffs stretched for kilometers.
The terrain became more dangerous.
Steeper.
Harder to navigate.

Yet the footprints continued.
Straight ahead.
As if their owner had never doubted the route.

That bothered Kael.
Because she knew exactly what uncertainty looked like.
Everyone left signs of it.
Small changes in direction.
Tiny corrections.
Moments of hesitation.
These tracks showed none.

The person either knew the floor perfectly.
Or had been guided.
The thought lingered in her mind longer than she liked.

On the third evening they discovered the first real clue.
A campsite.
Old enough to be abandoned.
Recent enough to matter.

The fire pit remained intact.
Several pieces of rope had been left behind.
A damaged waterskin rested near a rock.
Nothing valuable.
Nothing useful.
Yet all four immediately knew.
Someone had definitely been here.

Mira searched through the area.
Aerin examined nearby tracks.
The mysterious man inspected the surroundings.
Kael focused on the camp itself.
The arrangement.
The placement.
The details.

Then she noticed something.
Carved into a flat stone.
Almost hidden.
A single symbol.

Not a word.
Not a message.
Just a mark.

A circle.
With a line passing through the center.

Kael froze.
Not because she recognized it.
Because she had seen something similar before.
Months ago.
On one of the ruins.

The memory surfaced slowly.
A faded carving.
Ancient symbols.
Fragments she never fully understood.

“What?”
Mira noticed her expression.
Kael pointed toward the mark.
“Have you seen this before?”
Everyone looked.
Nobody recognized it.
Even the mysterious man shook his head.

Which somehow made it more important.

That night Kael copied the symbol into her notebook.
Again and again.
Trying to remember.
Trying to connect it to something.
Nothing came.
Only frustration.

The next morning they continued.
The footprints eventually disappeared.
Not gradually.
Not because of weather.
Not because of terrain.

They simply ended.

One moment they were there.
The next moment they weren’t.

Mira stood in the middle of the trail.
Looking around.
Confused.
“Did they fly?”
Aerin frowned.
“Maybe they climbed?”
“There are no climbing marks.”
The mysterious man examined the area carefully.
His expression became thoughtful.

Even Kael couldn’t explain it.
The tracks ended in the middle of a rocky clearing.
No signs of struggle.
No signs of monsters.
No signs of departure.

Just absence.

The mystery bothered them for the rest of the day.
Especially Kael.
Because she hated unfinished patterns.
And this one felt incomplete.

That evening they reached the entrance test for the thirty-fourth floor.
Unlike many previous tests, this one immediately looked dangerous.

A massive stone arena occupied an entire valley.
Broken pillars surrounded the area.
Ancient statues stood along the edges.
Most had been destroyed.
Only fragments remained.

At the center waited the guardian.

Mira stared upward.
“…that’s huge.”

The creature stood nearly four meters tall.
Its body resembled a knight forged from black stone.
Cracks of glowing red light ran across its armor.
A giant sword rested in its hand.

Unlike previous guardians, it didn’t roar.
Didn’t attack.
Didn’t move.

It simply watched.

The moment Team Snail entered the arena—
The creature raised its head.

Then charged.

The battle exploded instantly.

Aerin met the first strike head-on.
The impact launched him backward.
He rolled across the ground before regaining his footing.

“Okay!”
he shouted.
“That one hurt!”

Mira immediately moved to support him.
Her healing skill activated.
A warm glow spread across his body.
Minor injuries disappeared.
Fatigue lessened.

Meanwhile Kael observed.
Watching.
Thinking.
Searching.

The guardian moved differently than most monsters.
Not wild.
Not instinctive.

Disciplined.

Like a warrior.

Every strike flowed into another.
Every movement carried purpose.
No wasted energy.
No unnecessary motion.

For nearly fifteen minutes they fought.
And struggled.

Aerin blocked.
Mira supported.
The mysterious man held back intentionally.
Following Kael’s earlier request.
Only stepping in when absolutely necessary.

Even so, progress remained slow.

Then Kael noticed it.

A pattern.

Not in the attacks.
In the pauses.

Every seventh movement.
The guardian hesitated.
Only briefly.
Barely noticeable.

Yet it happened.
Every time.
Without fail.

Kael immediately shouted.
“Aerin!”

He reacted instantly.
Months of fighting together had taught them that much.

“Every seventh movement!”

He didn’t understand.
Yet he trusted her.

That trust changed everything.

Aerin began counting.
Mira followed.
Soon both noticed it too.
The tiny delay.
The tiny weakness.
The opening.

The battle shifted.

What had seemed impossible suddenly became manageable.

The guardian still hit hard.
Still moved fast.
Still forced them to fight seriously.

But now they understood it.
And once Team Snail understood something—
Defeating it became only a matter of time.

The final strike belonged to Aerin.
His sword crashed into the glowing crack at the center of the guardian’s chest.
The stone giant froze.
Cracks spread across its body.
Then—
It shattered.

Silence returned to the arena.

Aerin collapsed onto the ground.
Breathing heavily.
Mira immediately sat beside him.
Equally exhausted.

Kael wasn’t much better.
Even she felt tired after analyzing and participating throughout the battle.

Only the mysterious man still looked relatively calm.
Which earned him three annoyed stares.

“What?”
he asked.

“Nothing.”
Mira replied.
“You’re just unfair.”

The entrance to the thirty-fourth floor slowly opened.
Ancient stone shifted.
A path revealed itself.

For several moments nobody moved.
Simply resting.
Recovering.
Enjoying victory.

Then Kael stood first.
As always.

She looked toward the newly opened passage.
Toward the higher floor.
Toward the next step.

Toward the thirty-fifth floor waiting beyond.

And somewhere deep in her pocket—
The joined shards pulsed once.
Softly.
Almost eagerly.

The next piece was close.
Very close now.
And none of them realized that the moment they found it, the mysteries surrounding the Tower would begin revealing themselves far faster than before.