The sky above Floor 5 was neither stormy nor clear—just gray, like the breath before a cry. SeTa stood in silence at the edge of a battlefield strewn with shattered columns and ancient obsidian statues. The trial had ended. The stone leviathan—a guardian of greed and judgment—lay motionless, its core crystallized and cracked open from within.
SeTa exhaled, rolling his left shoulder, where a faint golden thread still pulsed beneath his skin. His movements were tired but precise. His clothes torn, his body dust-streaked. But his eyes burned with clarity.
He had won. Alone.
Not through raw force, but through layers of precision: chaining Inception EX with Moment Lock to stall time, nullifying gravity mid-leap to change momentum, using Reflection to ricochet pressure waves and implode the boss from its own kinetic shield.
And now, the reward waited.
The cracked heart of the guardian rumbled. From the glowing fissure rose not a weapon or stat-boosting relic, but a creature.
Small.
Almost adorable.
A lion-like beast with soft scales, the color of polished black jade lined in molten gold. Its eyes were slitted with deep sapphire, and its horned crown shimmered with primordial authority. Despite its compact, rounded body, it carried itself like a god-emperor in disguise.
SeTa narrowed his gaze.
> [Trial Beast Awakened: Pi Yao of the Fifth Seal] [Status: Unclaimed. Title: None. Affinity: Greed-Seeker]
The creature padded toward him, ignoring the corpses of failed Climbers embedded in the rubble. It sniffed once—then twice. Its nose twitched.
And then it pounced into SeTa's arms.
His reflexes activated instantly, but not with defense. He simply caught it.
The creature curled against his chest, nuzzling once. Only SeTa could see the soft glimmer it gave. To any other onlooker, the Pi Yao's eyes were abyssal. Cold. Drenched in menace. Already, the ambient mana recoiled around it like prey before a predator.
SeTa didn't smile. But his arms held it tighter.
> [Subordination Thread – Activation Possible] [Caution: Limitations in place. Subordination only binds beings who recognize you as Sovereign. Requires consent or trial-based eligibility. Failure = permanent hostility. Cannot chain-bond. One Subordinate at a time below Rank A.]
> [Proceed?]
SeTa paused.
This was the first time the system had acknowledged the skill.
He hadn't used it on Floor 1–5 because every creature he encountered was either too feral, bound to greater wills, or incapable of consent. The Tower had rules—even regarding domination. He could not simply enslave monsters. They had to choose him, or he had to defeat them in recognized trials.
But this creature had chosen him.
> [Thread Activated. Subordination Protocol Engaged.]
A luminous cord extended from his chest and wrapped around the Pi Yao, not constricting it, but embracing it like silk. The creature purred, its golden whiskers flaring. The bond solidified.
> [Subordinate Acquired: Pi Yao of the Fifth Seal] [Name: ??? (Unnamed)] [Type: Legendary Beast (Treasure-Class)] [Function: Treasure Detection, Dimensional Tracking, Combat Amplification] [Trait: Emperor's Presence – Commands All Lower Beasts of Gold and Earth-Type]
A crownless roar echoed in SeTa's mind—not a voice, but a resonance. The creature didn't speak. It didn't need to. It had accepted him.
And now, the Tower would see.
Floor 5 was cleared.
The Pi Yao, sensing the shift in energy, leapt down and paced beside SeTa, its gait proud and silent. Already, the atmosphere respected it. Mana curled away from their path like mist before a flame.
SeTa adjusted his torn coat. The glyph of Inception shimmered faintly across his back.
> [Return Point Open: Floor 1 Safe Zone Enabled]
He glanced once more at the carnage behind him. Five floors. Five trials. One bond.
And now?
Now, the climb would change.
He had a companion. A commander.
And one day, he would have ten.
But for now, the black-gold Pi Yao purred softly as SeTa began the descent.
Back to the only Safe Zone.
Back to where the world was watching.
Back to where legends began to gather.