As Tyler emerged from the portal, he found himself alone in an opulent bathhouse. The contrast between the dense, humid jungle and this new environment was stark. The air was warm and fragrant, filled with the scent of exotic oils and incense. The bathhouse was a grand, open two-story room with intricate tilework and towering marble columns. The domed ceiling featured a skylight that allowed soft, diffused light to filter in, casting an ethereal glow over the scene.

Tyler realized he was alone, and he took a tentative step forward, scanning the bathhouse. "What the hell?" he muttered. The massive pool in the centre was empty, its ornate floor glistening under the light. Large lion head statues with open jaws lined the walls, their expressions frozen in eternal roars.

Before he could fully take in his surroundings, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a naga, a serpentine figure with a regal yet menacing presence. Her lower body was that of a massive, emerald-green serpent, while her upper body was that of a strikingly beautiful woman adorned with intricate jewellery and ornate armour. Her eyes glowed with an unsettling light, and she carried a staff that pulsed with dark energy.

Tyler's eyes met the naga's, and in that instant, he felt a cold, paralyzing grip seize him. He was frozen, unable to move or speak. The naga's grin widened as she saw the struggle in his eyes.

She moved with a serpentine grace, circling him slowly. "This is the part where you start blubbering and beg for your life, but you can’t move," she said with a laugh. "Those who think they can skip their way up the tower without facing me?" Her voice was a mix of amusement and anger, echoing around the room.

"I am Seraphina Viperous, the guardian of one of the tower floors you so rudely skipped!" she continued, her voice rising in pitch. "Do you think you can just bypass the challenges set before you?" Now shouting, she added, "That’s not how this works! That’s not how any of this works!"

"You know, I see it in every one of the tower challengers," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Full of bravado, thinking they could outsmart the system. But you see, the tower is a living, breathing entity. It has rules, and it doesn’t take kindly to those who think they’re above them."

Seraphina circled him slowly, her serpentine body gliding effortlessly across the marble floor. Tyler focused his thoughts, trying to calm his muscles. Whatever she was doing was preventing him from moving, but he was far from helpless. He didn’t need to move to activate his dimensional inventory. "I’m pretty sure I have enough mana to store a big enough part of this crazy bitch to kill her," Tyler thought as Seraphina slithered around him. But then he hesitated, realizing she was talking a lot and he could probably get some information out of her before taking action.

"I’ve seen many like you. So confident, so sure of themselves before they fight me. And that’s when they become humble beggars, crying and slobbering before me. Pathetic humans... You all think you’re special until you’re cradling your insides."

Her laughter was sharp and grating, echoing off the marble walls. "You thought you could just waltz past without facing the consequences…"

Tyler rolled his eyes as the diatribe continued. "If this keeps going, I might die of boredom," he thought.

She stopped in front of him, her head tilting curiously. "Did you bribe Thal'Kor? No, he would never take a bribe. Blackmail? Yes, you found out Mr. Goody Two-Shoes isn’t as honorable as he pretends to be? Hmm… Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter now."

Seraphina’s grin grew even wider. "I can’t attack you directly, you see. It’s against the rules... rules, rules, RULES!... But... I can offer you an opportunity."

Tyler’s eyes widened slightly, the only part of him he could still move. Seraphina’s grin grew even wider. "Yes, an opportunity. You take my challenge, right here, right now. If you win, I’ll drop you and your team off right in front of the 65th-floor portal. No more running, no more hiding. But if you lose…" She let the implication hang in the air, her head chuckling darkly.

She looked expectantly at Tyler, waiting for his answer. "Oh, of course, you can’t move. Silly me," she said, laughing uncontrollably as she snapped her fingers, dispelling the paralysis.

"Oh my god! I thought you would never stop talking," Tyler said as he bent over breathing heavily.

Seraphina’s face grew dark as Tyler clearly disrespected her. "You disrespectful…" Seraphina tried to say, now clearly outraged, but Tyler cut her off.

"So where's my team? You want a fight, you need to first tell me what you did to my friends."

Seraphina's eyes suddenly sparkled with a mix of malice, all her anger suddenly nowhere to be seen. "Oh, they’re safe… for now. But they’re not here. This is between you and me, boy."

"And why should I take this challenge?" Tyler challenged. "You’re clearly breaking the rules by even offering this deal. I could just refuse and be on my merry way."

"None of the rules prohibit me from holding on to your friends for a very long time," Seraphina frowned with a look of genuine sadness. "How long do humans live?"

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Why do you want this so badly?" Tyler asked, trying to understand her motivation.

Seraphina’s expression softened, taking on a hauntingly tender quality, like that of a lover betrayed. "Do you know what it’s like to wait for something, for someone, with every fiber of your being? To have everything ready, everything perfect, only to be left alone in the dark?" Her voice grew unsteady, edged with mania. "I had prepared for a grand ball, the finest gown, the most exquisite jewels, the entire court in attendance. But my dance partner never came. I waited as night turned to morning, but he never showed."

Tyler listened to her impassioned speech, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Alright, let’s say I agree but first, I need information. You're going to answer some questions." he said, his tone pragmatic.

Seraphina's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "And what might those be?"

"What happens when you beat the 100th floor of the tower?" Tyler asked, his voice firm.

Seraphina's eyes widened in genuine surprise before she burst into laughter. "Who told you the tower has only 100 floors? Oh, you poor, naive thing. You think you know so much, but you know nothing!"

"It doesn’t? Then how many floors does it have?" Tyler pressed.

Her eyes glinted with madness. "Win, and I will answer one more question. Do we have a deal?"

"Three questions, and we have a deal," Tyler bargained.

Seraphina’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "Well, well, well! Let the games begin!" As she raised her arms, the lionhead statues lining the walls began spewing massive torrents of water.

Tyler knew he needed to avoid her gaze to survive, but Seraphina slithered to the opposite end of the vast room, clearly stalling for time as the water level rose. Then he had a sly idea. Moving out of her direct sight, he removed a fist-sized brick from the wall and placed it in his inventory. Peering through the hole, he saw that the room was either deep underground or the walls were incredibly thick. The water was already ankle-deep and rising.

"So, what are the rules?" he called out. "Do I solve a puzzle, or do I just kill you to win?"

Seraphina’s laugh echoed through the chamber. "You really think you can kill me?" More laughter. "The rules are simple: I kill you, and you die."

Tyler rolled his eyes at her cackling. "Wait, you know I killed Palin, the Wyvern boss?"

"Don't you dare say his name!" she screamed, her voice reverberating through the chamber, forcing Tyler to cover his ears. It was then that he connected the dots. “This was because he killed Palin. Were they… together? “

"You said this would be a challenge, not a fight to the death!" he exclaimed, dread creeping into his voice. If he killed her, she wouldn’t be able to bring his friends back. He might never see them again.

Of all the things Tyler had been through in the last few weeks, this—this helplessness—angered him beyond all reason. He had faced countless dangers, always confident in his ability to protect his friends. But now, the thought of his friends left to rot somewhere, unreachable and unrescuable, ignited a rage he had never felt before.

The frustration boiled over. Tyler was powerful, but this situation threatened his very purpose, the reason for his being. Protecting his friends was everything to him, and now, for the first time, he felt a terrifying impotence. The sheer intensity of his anger surged through him, his mind racing for a way to ensure their safety without destroying the one link that could reunite them.

"Oh, you naive boy! A fight to the death is a challenge. All I needed was for you to agree." she shrieked. With a wave of her hand, hundreds of snakes surged through the rising water toward him.

Tyler activated his shield, drew his sword swiftly, and began hacking at the advancing serpents. The first snake exploded on contact, triggering a chain reaction that sent shockwaves through the chamber. His mana shield absorbed most of the blast, but the force dented his reserves. As a stone pillar collapsed toward him, Tyler dove to the side, rolling through the water. He barely had time to brace as another wave of serpents detonated against his shield. Boom. Another dive. Boom. Boom. Boom. His mana was rapidly depleting, the roof crumbling as the water rose to his waist.

Tyler was wet, exhausted, and utterly spent. Every ounce of his patience had evaporated, replaced by a seething fury. The relentless battles, the constant pressure, the ceaseless threat to his friends—all of it had been weighing on him, pushing him to his limits. Now, it all came crashing down. He poured his remaining mana into his frost rune, the ice spreading rapidly until the water ceased flowing entirely. Across the room, Seraphina stood immobilized, her eyes widening in terror as she felt the full force of Tyler's anger and bloodlust. Everything he had shrugged off over the past few weeks—the fear, the frustration, the exhaustion—finally erupted. The pressure cooker of his emotions had reached its breaking point, and there was no holding back.

Silence enveloped the shattered bathhouse as mana tendrils whipped out from Tyler's core. In a calm, almost serene voice, he spoke, “Everyone thinks their pain is special...” He wrenched one leg free from the ice. “When I was ten, I stole something small, and my old man beat me within an inch of my life. He had a code of honour. Everything was either right or wrong with him, with no middle ground.” He shattered the ice around his other leg with a burst of power. “For as long as I could remember he had cancer and even while coughing his guts out, he never complained or expected sympathy.

Tyler slowly climbed out of the ice and made his way towards the mobile Seraphina. “You know, lying there in my own blood, I realized – everyone thinks their pain is special... like the universe owes them something…”

Now just a few feet away, he deliberately locked eyes with her. The paralysis spell tried and failed to hold Tyler down. Paralyzed with fear, Seraphina watched as the true monster emerged. Black and purple mana tendrils ripped apart the walls around them as Tyler slowly advanced. “But no one cares... Waiting for someone to save you,” he smiled, “no one’s coming… "

In an instant, Tyler closed the distance, grabbing her throat and slamming her against the wall, his fist flying into her face.

You have to get up and fight for what you believe in… fight for those you love. Your pain isn’t special.”

With a choked voice, Seraphina croaked defiantly, “You’ll never see your friends again.”

“My old man would say—there will be a time in your life when you'll lose a battle. You’ll fight and you will lose, but what makes you a man is that you don't lose yourself in the process.”

Tyler's grip tightened as he punched, each blow like a lead hammer, relentless and unyielding. He continued until her strength drained, and she collapsed to the ground. Tyler glimpsed his mana bar emptying before darkness claimed him.