Chapter 83 – The Last Piece

The thirty-fifth floor took Team Snail longer than expected.
Not because they were struggling.
Not because they lacked strength.
But because something had changed after obtaining the fifth shard.

Kael couldn’t explain it.
Neither could the others.
Yet everyone felt it.

The Tower seemed quieter.

Not physically.
The monsters still roamed.
The wind still blew.
The forests still moved.

Yet beneath all of that, something felt different.
Like a long wait was slowly approaching its end.

The feeling lingered with them for days.

They continued their routine.
Mapping.
Training.
Exploring.
Learning.
Fighting.

But now there was a growing sense of purpose behind every step.

Only one shard remained.

One.

The realization made the journey ahead feel shorter.
And somehow heavier.

One evening while resting beside a stream, Mira sat cross-legged with a notebook balanced on her lap.

She had changed significantly since entering the Tower.

No longer the sharp-tongued orphan who reacted first and thought later.
She still argued.
Still complained.
Still teased everyone.

But now she listened.
Observed.
Learned.

“Do you ever think about going back?”
she suddenly asked.

Aerin looked up.

“Back where?”

“The real world.”

Aerin considered the question.

Then shrugged.

“Sometimes.”

Mira poked the fire.

“I don’t.”

The answer surprised everyone.
Including herself.

She stared at the flames.

“For the first time in my life…”
She hesitated.
“…I feel like I’m actually moving somewhere.”

Nobody laughed.
Nobody teased her.

Because they understood.

Even Kael.

Especially Kael.

Months ago she had entered the Tower searching for one person.

Now?

She was still searching.
But somewhere along the journey, the purpose had become larger than herself.

The thought stayed with her long after the conversation ended.

Several days later they reached the entrance test to the thirty-sixth floor.

The test was simple.
At least on the surface.

A massive stone gate blocked their path.
Ancient symbols covered its surface.

The gate contained a single question.

What drives you forward?

Below the question rested four handprints.

Nobody spoke immediately.

The answer seemed obvious.
Yet somehow it wasn’t.

Aerin stepped forward first.
Without hesitation.

“People.”

His hand touched the stone.
The symbols glowed.
One section of the gate unlocked.

Mira stared at him.

“That’s all?”

Aerin smiled.

“That’s enough.”

Mira rolled her eyes.
Yet a small smile appeared anyway.

Then she stepped forward.

For several moments she remained silent.

Then answered honestly.

“Freedom.”

The gate reacted.
Another section unlocked.

The mysterious man approached next.

His expression became unreadable.

Even Kael watched carefully.

After several seconds he finally answered.

“Purpose.”

The symbols glowed again.

Only one section remained.

Everyone looked toward Kael.

She stared at the question.
Longer than the others.

What drove her forward?

Months ago the answer would have been easy.

Riven.

Only Riven.

Yet now…

The answer felt incomplete.

She looked toward Aerin.
Toward Mira.
Toward the journey they had shared.

Then finally spoke.

“Answers.”

The final section unlocked.

The gate slowly opened.

Nobody noticed the symbols briefly rearranging themselves after Kael answered.

Or the hidden line that appeared beneath her handprint.

Welcome back.

The words vanished before anyone could see them.

The thirty-sixth floor greeted them with mountains.
Endless mountains.
Sharp peaks disappearing into clouds.
Narrow pathways carved into cliffs.
Dangerous terrain.
Strong monsters.

And something else.

The crystal sphere reacted again.

Not strongly.
Not like before.

But enough.

Kael immediately understood.

The final shard wasn’t on this floor.

It was above.
Much higher.

The realization surprised her.

For the first time since finding the second shard, she had no immediate destination.
No piece waiting nearby.
No obvious clue.

Only the certainty that the final piece was still ahead.

Somewhere.

The following weeks passed quickly.

Team Snail climbed.

Floor thirty-six.
Then thirty-seven.

The highest floor ever officially reached by living climbers.

The floor where the investigation leader had once stopped.
The floor people considered impossible.

Yet Team Snail continued.

Not recklessly.
Not arrogantly.

Step by step.
As they always had.

Meanwhile, far below in the real world, rumors continued spreading.

Months had passed since anyone had seen Team Snail.

The discussions grew darker.

“They’re dead.”

“No team disappears this long.”

“They probably died after reaching higher floors.”

“What a waste.”

Many people believed it.

Others refused to.

Lera didn’t.

Dain didn’t.

Aerin’s parents didn’t.

The children in Mira’s orphanage certainly didn’t.

Yet even they worried.

Because the Tower wasn’t kind.

And nobody climbed forever.

Or so they believed.

Back inside the Tower, Team Snail stood atop a mountain peak on the thirty-seventh floor.

The view stretched endlessly.
Clouds drifted beneath them.
The sky seemed closer than ever.

Mira looked outward.

“We really passed thirty-seven.”

Aerin laughed softly.

“If people could see us now…”

“They’d probably faint.”

“True.”

Even Kael allowed herself a small smile.

Not because of the achievement.

Because they had reached it together.

Then suddenly—
The crystal sphere pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Everyone froze.

Kael immediately pulled it from her pocket.

The incomplete sphere glowed brighter than it ever had before.

A single stream of light appeared within the crystal.

Pointing upward.

Not toward a direction.

Toward a floor.

A higher floor.
Far above them.

The final shard had finally begun calling back.

And for the first time since entering the Tower, Kael felt certain of one thing.

The end of their journey was no longer distant.

It was approaching.