They left the Master's room in silence.
No celebration. No haste. The weight of the closed interfaces still seemed to linger in the air, even after the passage behind them sealed itself.
Outside, the Fourth Floor's field received them the same way as before: wide, uneven, seemingly ordinary.
But now they knew that nothing there was simple.
– Right – Jay said, adjusting the shield on his arm. – Now it's official.
– Now we know what needs to be done – Sienna completed.
They moved forward.
The first fight came sooner than expected. A large goblin, alone, standing near a rocky elevation. Nothing different from what they had already faced.
Even so, it took time.
Jay held. Absorbed impact after impact. Marcus attacked repeatedly. Elenya fired with precision. Sienna summoned support. Emanueru sustained the group, always in that strange way, as if undoing damage instead of healing it.
When the monster fell, no one said anything.
The interface appeared.
Class Sigils obtained: 12Automatic distribution: +2 to each member of the groupBalance: 11
– One – Marcus muttered.
They moved on.
The second fight happened almost an hour later. Two smaller goblins. They seemed easier.
They weren't.
The terrain interfered. A timing mistake made Jay nearly overload too early. One of Sienna's wolves fell too quickly. Elenya had to use more shots than she would have liked.
When it ended:
Balance: 13
The sun in that world never seemed to move properly, but their bodies felt the passage of time.
The third monster was another large goblin.
It took even longer.
Marcus missed a strike. Jay had to release retaliation earlier than ideal. Sienna had to summon again. Emanueru launched more blades than in the previous fights.
Balance: 15
They stopped to rest.
It wasn't real rest. Just sitting. Breathing. Drinking water. Waiting for the body to stop trembling.
– This is insane – Sienna said, resting her forehead on her knees. – We killed three monsters and it feels like a whole shift has passed.
– Because it has – Ethan replied. – This floor doesn't respect human rhythm.
They stood up again.
The fourth fight came near a more open area. Another large goblin. The toughest so far.
That was where the fatigue almost took its toll.
Jay held longer than ideal. Marcus was slow to reposition. Elenya lost her angle. For a few seconds, everything became too dangerous.
It only didn't go wrong because no one panicked.
When it fell:
Balance: 17
The silence that followed was heavy.
– How many was that? – Jay asked, not looking at anyone.
– Four – Sienna replied. – And I can't summon anymore today.
They walked a little further.
The fifth monster appeared at the end of the day. A large goblin, armed, more aggressive than the previous ones.
It was ugly.
Slow.
Dragging.
Each strike seemed to cost twice the energy.
When it finally fell, no one remained standing.
The interface appeared for the fifth time that day.
Class Sigils obtained: 12Automatic distribution: +2 to each member of the groupFinal balance: 19
Jay dropped to a seated position.
Marcus let the sword fall to the ground.
Sienna lay on her back, staring at the unmoving sky.
– A whole day – she said. – Five monsters.
– And we're not even close to a skill – Marcus completed.
Ethan was watching the numbers.
– Now you understand.
The group fell silent.
– If we keep going like this – Elenya said – we'll spend days here without changing anything.
Emanueru spoke quietly:
– Then we don't keep going like this.
Everyone looked at him.
– The system allows choice – he continued. – It allows accumulation. It allows transfer.
Jay took a deep breath.
– We split because it feels fair.
– But fairness doesn't kill monsters – Sienna replied.
Everyone's gaze, inevitably, turned to Marcus.
– Not because you're better – Ethan said. – But because you're the bottleneck.
Marcus clenched his hand.
– If I take them down faster…
– Everyone spends less – Jay completed.
– Less error. Less fatigue. More sigils per day – Elenya added.
Silence returned.
– Alright – Marcus said, finally. – Then let's do this properly.
They opened the interfaces.
The transfers began.
Sigil by sigil.
A cold gesture. Calculated. Necessary.
There was no sense of victory.
Only the acceptance that, on that floor, growing alone was impossible.
When they finished, they were too exhausted to celebrate.
But, for the first time since they entered the Fourth Floor, they had a clear direction.
And that, there, was already rare.