After a friendly negotiation—with the enthusiastic cooperation of the first-floor tenants—Novak successfully cleared the first floor of the Black Tower.
Now, standing at the base of the stairs leading to the second floor, he slowly exhaled.
This Black Tower dungeon was too strange.
He had killed two tenants by force, yet nothing dropped.
Not even a sliver of experience.
Clearly, the price of breaking the rules was that the rewards in this dark place would be... unsatisfactory.
Novak narrowed his eyes.
"So that's how it works."
"Alright," he said casually. "Shall we head up?"
To him, this first-floor encounter had simply been a test—a way to gauge just how forgiving the memory-erasing death rules of the Black Tower really were.
Crow, however, didn't care about any of that.
His only goal was to get through the Black Tower alive.
No hidden rewards, no secret challenges—just survival.
This place was terrifying.
If given another chance, he swore he would never step foot in here again.
Yet, as his eyes flickered toward the dark silhouette ahead, he couldn't help but feel an unexpected sense of security.
With Brother White here, everything felt... manageable.
Any Hell-level Dungeon could be cleared with this man around.
If it had been just him, Crow wasn't even sure how he would have passed the first tenant's test—let alone survived this long.
Step by step, they climbed the stairs to the second floor.
Crow's nerves slowly settled.
But then—
A thought surfaced in his mind.
The Black Tower's three "death rules"—aside from the punishment for using extraordinary power, wasn't there... another condition for memory loss?
What was it?
Crow frowned.
Something felt off—like a vital piece of information was just out of reach in his mind.
And that was what truly terrified him.
The memory that was missing... was the most important part.
Still—
"At least Brother White is here."
The stairs stretched longer than they should have, over twenty steps, each one feeling like an eternity.
By the time they finally reached the top, the oppressive feeling of the stairway faded.
The second floor lay before them—its surface smooth and even, unlike the winding, uneven steps of before.
Crow let out a small breath of relief.
"Alright... that's one-fourth done."
At this rate, with Brother White here, they'd clear all four floors in no time!
At least—that's what he thought.
Until—
Just as Crow glanced at the second-floor rooms, a thought flashed through his mind.
He turned to speak, but before he could—
Novak's voice cut through the air.
"Meimei."
His tone was sharp.
"Are we the only ones who entered the Black Tower this time?"
"Yes," Meimei responded immediately.
In that instant—
A wave of cold dread crashed over Crow.
His body froze.
Wait.
What?
His heart pounded as he hurriedly tried to speak.
"Meimei, Brother White, and me—"
But—
No sound came out.
His voice—gone.
Crow's eyes widened.
What the hell is happening?!
Panicked, he reached out and grabbed Novak and Meimei.
His fingertips brushed against them, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
They were real.
They turned toward him—
Both wearing blank expressions.
Then—
Novak's gaze darkened.
"Who are you?"
Crow's mind went blank.
His chest tightened, and his breathing grew erratic.
"What...?"
Meimei stared at him—genuine confusion in her eyes.
Not feigned confusion.
Not distrust.
But as if she truly, completely, had no idea who he was.
And Novak—
His red eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Are you a resident of the second floor?" His voice turned cold. "Which room are you in? What's your test?"
Crow felt his stomach drop.
Something had gone horribly wrong.
They had only gone up one floor.
Yet now—
Neither of them remembered him.
And worse—
He couldn't even speak to tell them the truth.
What Just Happened?!
His mind reeled.
Was this...
The Black Tower's second rule of death?
Or something far more sinister?
And most terrifying of all—
If he had already lost this much in just one floor...
How much more would they lose if they kept going?
Novak frowned.
The man in front of him looked... desperate.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried to recall—he truly had no memory of him.
In this Black Tower, dangers lurked at every turn, and uncertainty was the only constant.
Still—
Something about the urgency in this man's expression made Novak's frown deepen.
He glanced at Meimei, who looked just as confused.
This guy...
Was he really their companion?
Or—
Was this another twisted test from the building?
Did he need to kill him?
A sudden, cold murderous intent flashed through Novak's eyes.
And in that instant—
Crow felt like he had been thrown into an icy abyss.
Compared to the trials of the Black Tower, the man standing before him was far more terrifying.
Yet—
No matter how desperate he was—
No matter how much he wanted to scream—
He couldn't speak!
Meimei, watching the scene unfold, tilted her head slightly.
"You seem anxious," she said, her voice light. "Do you need our help?"
Crow's heart sank.
Even Meimei was speaking to him like this—
Just what kind of place was this Black Tower?!
Novak's frown deepened.
His gaze swept across the dimly lit second floor—
Compared to the first floor, visibility was even worse.
The same four doors loomed before them.
The same four challenges awaited.
Novak didn't hesitate.
The demon avatar surged to life—
And Crow flinched at the sudden energy shift.
Then—
Hellfire erupted.
Four blazing infernos shot out simultaneously.
The four doors shattered as an earth-shaking explosion thundered through the narrow corridor.
Four distinct auras surged into the air.
Somewhere deep in the Black Tower's existence—
Something stirred.
Perhaps, in all the countless years this place had existed, this was the first time someone had dared to clear it this way.
From within the shattered rooms, four figures emerged.
Novak's voice rang out, calm and indifferent—
"No time to waste. Pass the test."
One of the figures—his form flickering and hazy—let out a furious growl:
"Damn outsider! What the hell do you think you're—AARGH!!"
Before he could even finish his sentence—
Hellfire surged forward.
The black and red flames devoured him instantly.
Screams tore through the corridor.
The burning figure twisted violently, the agony so overwhelming that he didn't even have a chance to beg for mercy.
Then—
He was gone.
Reduced to ashes.
The remaining three figures stood frozen.
Silent.
Still.
They stared at the pile of ashes, the flames still flickering in the darkness.
That scene—
Was far too familiar.
Their hesitation lasted only a second.
Then—
Under Novak's continued "friendly negotiation", the three of them made the only logical choice.
They submitted.
Instantly.
After all—
They had no desire to become the next pile of ashes.
Yet—
Novak didn't even wait for the universal notification to confirm his victory.
Instead—
Before his consciousness could fully register what he was doing—
He activated his ability.
The air around him shimmered.
A flickering distortion of time.
The Hourglass of Time.
The timeline rewound.
And with it—
Reality itself shifted.