Omniscient Necromancer POV

The next day, Rosella and I had everything ready to enter the Tower of Babel again.

With the mission to exterminate the Iruxis on Floor 3 in mind, we knew we needed to move quickly. Paladin Halmax did not set a deadline for completing our mission, nor did he guarantee that when we got there the mission would not already have been resolved, but this was an opportunity anyway.

The reward was fifty gold coins.

With that money, Rosella would finally be able to start helping her family with their debts to try to get those supposed assassins off our tail. In addition, it would be crucial to succeed in this mission in order to create our guild.

After Halmax told us everything about the mission and provided us with route maps, he decided to ask why we were there. I explained, of course. And Halmax said that to create a Guild, it was necessary to complete at least one mission of any Rank, but that the Rank influenced the initial rating of your Guild.

So Rosella and I couldn't be more excited.

We stopped in front of the colossal structure that dominated the city of Lovikalen. The Tower of Babel stood like something impossible, a monument built by hands that could not be human. It literally pierced the clouds, disappearing into the gray mist that hid its top. Whenever I stood before it, I had the strange feeling that I was looking at something alive.

Rosella glanced at me sideways. "Ready?" she asked.

"Of course. Let's go."

As soon as we began to cross the monumental corridor that served as a passageway, we were overwhelmed by an intense light. It was like being swallowed by the sun itself, and my eyes closed instinctively. When I opened them again, we were no longer in Lovikalen.

We were on top of a mountain, and before us lay the domain of the First Floor of the Tower of Babel. The immensity of that floor was something that defied logic. If someone told me we were facing an entire world, I would believe it. Dense forests spread as far as the eye could see, interspersed with wide rivers and sparkling lakes, while mountain ranges snaked like natural walls.

However, what caught the eye the most was in the distance: a gloomy region, shrouded in an aura of darkness. Even from afar, we could see the stark difference between that place and the rest of the verdant floor.

While the sun painted the other forests green and gold, in that specific region a suffocating darkness reigned. A blanket of shadows covered everything, making it impossible to distinguish details.

"There it is. The Varzen Forest."

Rosella frowned. "Just looking at it gives me the creeps. Do we really have to go through there?"

"There's no other way to get to the second floor, after all, that's where the first floor boss room is," I replied, without taking my eyes off the forest.

The Varzen Forest was known to harbor a dark curse that corrupted everything around it. The monsters inside were not only more aggressive, but also stronger. There were reports that even peaceful creatures, upon crossing those trees, turned into bloodthirsty predators. And that wasn't all: even during the day, darkness dominated the place. Many Climbers who dared to enter never returned.

"Anyway, it's time. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to complete this mission before someone takes our place."

Rosella smiled slightly, firm as always. "Then let's show them what we're capable of as a future guild."

So we began to descend the mountainside toward the cursed forest.

The descent down the slope seemed endless. Each step was risky and took us deeper into that world that was both fascinating and threatening.

Rosella walked right behind me, her gaze attentive to every detail of the landscape.

She was incredibly perceptive in noticing things that I overlooked: a trail of light footprints in the mud, broken branches indicating the passage of something large, or even the sudden silence that always heralded danger.

She was a noble in this world, but she still had better survival instincts than I did because I had lived on peaceful Earth.

At first, we encountered only common animals: Steel Rabbits that ran away in fear when they noticed our approach, small Crystal Deer that watched us from afar with antlers shining like glass before disappearing among the trees, and even birds with plumage so vivid that they looked like jewels flying in the sun. But it wasn't long before the monsters began to reveal themselves.

The first attack came from a group of Midnight Wolves. The detail that set them apart from ordinary wolves was their eyes—they glowed like burning embers.

They emerged from the bushes like swift shadows.

"Watch out!" I shouted, raising my sword.

Rosella immediately released her Aura and summoned one of her spheres of light, which shot at the first wolf and knocked it down instantly.

I advanced against the other two, dodging the bite of one of them and plunging my blade into its flank. The third began to retreat, growling, but it didn't take long for it to realize it was alone. Then it fled.

"Those were just low-level ones. But if the first floor already welcomes us with an ambush, I wonder what it will be like inside the Forest," Rosella commented.

"We'll have to be prepared for the worst," I replied, sheathing my sword.

We continued our journey for a few hours. The terrain alternated between green glades and dense woods where the light could barely penetrate. In one of these glades, we stopped to rest. We sat for a few minutes on the soft grass, listening to the sound of insects and the gentle wind swaying the trees. It was almost relaxing—until we heard a deep roar echoing through the hills.

We didn't know where it came from, but the ground shook slightly.

Rosella stood up quickly, her hands already on the hilt of her sword. I was also on alert, scanning the surroundings with my eyes. But the creature did not approach. It seemed to be far away.

We decided not to risk staying still for much longer and resumed our march.

Thanks to the super-efficient route we got from Halmax, every half hour the landscape changed until finally the vibrant green of the forests and open fields gave way to more twisted trees with darkened trunks and intertwining branches. The sunlight seemed less intense, as if an invisible shadow was already spreading.

"Look," Rosella murmured, pointing north.

On a hill, we could already see the Varzen Forest. The contrast was so stark with the landscape a few minutes ago that it seemed impossible to be natural.

Once we crossed those trees, there would be no more rest, and we did not fear that.

As soon as we crossed the invisible line between the rest of the floor and the Varzen Forest, I immediately felt the weight of the curse that plagued that place. It was as if the air had become denser, too heavy for the lungs, and the light coming from the sky was gradually being swallowed by darkness. The sound of life disappeared: there were no birds, no wind, not even the rustling of leaves. Only silence. A silence so deep that it hurt our ears.

I glanced at Rosella and saw that she didn't seem afraid. She had probably heard a lot about the Varzen Forest and had long since gotten used to the idea of crossing it.

As it was too dangerous to cross without a light source, I summoned a small ball of fire to the tip of my left index finger.

The flame projected a yellowish light that dispelled some of the suffocating darkness. The gentle heat of the fireball didn't bother me, and something so small didn't consume much mana because casting the skill was what consumed the most, not maintaining it.

However, I forgot one detail... Rosella's eyes widened when she saw the fire on my finger.

"Hey, wait... Weren't you a Summoner?" She asked with wide eyes.

Yes, I had completely forgotten that she didn't know about this fire skill after all, I only acquired it after defeating The Guardian.

I laughed to buy some time to think of an answer. "Haha... It's just that I can use some of my Summoning abilities. I can summon a creature that looks like a Mage, so I can use Fireball."

Actually, I had the ability to manipulate fire completely, but it was better to explain it in parts.

Rosella's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing! I've never heard of a Summoner who could do that!"

"Shhh!" I asked her not to make so much noise. "It's too dangerous here to have this conversation. When we're in a safer place, we can talk about it."

Still with eyes sparkling with excitement, Rosella nodded and we began to enter the darkness of the Varzen Forest.

With every step we took in this place, the trees became more grotesque. Trunks twisted like broken bones, branches resembling arms trying to grab us, and a thin mist covering the ground like a blanket. It was difficult to see more than a few meters ahead, even with the flame.

We walked in silence for several minutes, until suddenly, the silence was broken. Not by a roar or footsteps, but by murmurs. Distant voices, almost whispers, echoed among the trees and dry bushes. They weren't clear, but enough to make anyone's blood run cold. It was as if someone was speaking right behind my neck, and when I turned around, there was nothing there.

"Do you hear that?"

Rosella nodded. "They're illusions. The forest is trying to break us before even sending its creatures."

It made sense. I forced the flame to grow a little bigger to try, somehow, to ward off these whispers. Now a larger sphere illuminated a radius of almost three meters around us. Unfortunately, lighting my way had the opposite effect of becoming a beacon for the monsters of this forest, and we were alone for a short time.