[Current Stack: 1 Mythic Chest, 6 Fragments, 2,700 Tokens, 25,000 Vita-Fragments, 1 Hydro-Core, 1 Tear, 3 Dev-Strings, 1 Admin Key, 1 Guild Cipher, 1 S-Tier Suit.] [Multiplier: 1.42%] [Vault Pressure: 25%. Warning: Micro-fractures detected in Host's skeletal structure.]
Floor 50 didn't look like a dungeon. It looked like Mount Olympus had been bought out by Wall Street.
Yuto and his Vanguard stepped through the jagged, glitching tear in the server wall and onto pristine, polished marble. The lobby of the Zenith Bank Central Hub was the size of a football stadium. Massive pillars of solid, glowing gold supported a ceiling painted with frescoes of mortals offering their hard-earned stats to angelic tellers. High-society Guildmasters in bespoke armor sipped digital champagne while waiting for their loan approvals.
And then, the wall tore open.
Out stepped Yuto Kurosawa. His cheap jacket was soaked in toxic seawater and his own blood. His right arm was glowing with a terrifying, pressurized red heat, and he looked like a man who hadn't slept in three weeks. Behind him was an Oni with a feral grin, a serene samurai holding a wireframe katana, a fiercely blushing gladiator, and a weeping succubus.
The classical symphony music playing in the lobby scratched to an abrupt halt.
Every billionaire Guildmaster and glowing, angelic bank teller turned to stare at the dripping, bleeding trespassers.
"Master," Shion whispered, hiding behind Yuto's back. "The average level of the security guards in this room is 95. If they sneeze, we get uninstalled."
"Stay behind me," Yuto rasped, wiping blood from his chin. His bones were literally creaking under the 25% Vault pressure, but his eyes were locked on the massive, platinum vault doors at the far end of the room.
Before they could take another step, the marble floor beneath them glowed. A massive, holographic warning sign flashed in the air.
[SECURITY ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED DEPOSIT DETECTED. ASSET SEIZURE INITIATED.]
From the center of the lobby, the Floor Manager materialized. He wasn't human. He was a towering, eight-foot-tall entity made entirely of floating, interlocking gold coins, wearing a sharply tailored, three-piece pinstripe suit and a monocle made of a polished diamond.
"Attention, vagrants," the Manager announced, his voice sounding like thousands of coins clinking together. "I am Aurelius, Chief Teller of Floor 50. You have damaged Bank property, bypassed the toll gates, and tracked unrendered static onto my imported marble."
Aurelius raised a hand made of gold bullion.
"The fine is ten million Vita-Fragments. If you cannot pay, your souls will be instantly liquidated to cover the repair costs."
Isabella drew her twin water-blades, her hands shaking slightly. She had never been this high up in the Tower. The sheer aura radiating from Aurelius was suffocating. "Yuto... he's a Tier-S corporate entity. His defense stats are probably maxed out."
"I don't care about his stats," Yuto said, taking a heavy step forward, leaving a bloody boot-print on the pristine marble. "I'm not here to pay a fine. I'm here to close my account."
Aurelius let out a condescending, metallic laugh. "Close your account? You are a rat from the lower floors! You have nothing! [Skill Activated: Asset Audit!]"
A beam of golden light shot from Aurelius's diamond monocle, sweeping directly over Yuto to scan his inventory and forcibly extract the fine.
But the beam didn't bounce back with a number. It hit Yuto's chest and stopped.