Chapter 10 The Gate to Floor Three
The stone chamber was quiet.
Too quiet.
After the chaos of the Whispering Forest, the sudden silence felt strange—almost unreal.
Arjun stood near the center of the room, staring at the glowing system messages still floating in front of his eyes. The blue light flickered softly against the stone walls.
Floor Two cleared.
The words still felt hard to believe.
Behind him, Kabir lay flat on the cold floor with both arms spread out.
“I swear,” he groaned, “if the next floor has another forest, I’m quitting the tower.”
Meera leaned against a pillar nearby, still catching her breath. Her metal rod rested beside her.
“You can’t quit,” she said calmly.
Kabir lifted his head slightly.
“Why not?”
Meera nodded toward the massive staircase ahead of them.
“Because the tower won’t let you.”
Kabir followed her gaze.
The staircase spiraled upward into darkness. The stone steps seemed ancient, worn by countless footsteps that may or may not have been human.
He sighed dramatically.
“…Right. Forgot we’re trapped in a nightmare tower.”
Arjun barely heard them.
His attention remained fixed on a different message.
One that only he could see.
Karma System Notice
The text glowed faintly, separate from the tower’s system.
That alone was unsettling.
Because it meant there were two systems operating here.
The Tower.
And the Karma System.
Arjun focused on the message again.
WARNING
The Tower has begun active observation.
Prepare for correction attempts.
He exhaled slowly.
So the tower really had noticed him.
That explained the strange behavior on the second floor.
The trial modification.
The emergency protocol.
The Fog Stalker Commander recognizing him.
None of that had been normal.
Kabir suddenly sat up.
“Hey, Arjun.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re making that thinking face again.”
Arjun blinked.
“What thinking face?”
“The one where something terrible is about to happen.”
Meera crossed her arms.
“…He’s not wrong.”
Arjun rubbed the back of his neck.
“Maybe.”
Kabir groaned.
“Oh great. That’s reassuring.”
Before anyone could say more, the chamber trembled slightly.
The glowing runes along the walls pulsed once.
Then the staircase ahead lit up with faint blue symbols.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Proceed to Floor Three
Kabir stood reluctantly.
“Well.”
He stretched his arms.
“Time to die again.”
Meera gave him a dry look.
“Try not to.”
Arjun walked toward the staircase.
Every step echoed softly in the chamber.
Something about the stairs felt different from the previous floor.
He couldn’t explain it exactly.
But his instincts felt… uneasy.
His Predator Awareness skill pulsed faintly.
Not danger.
But something close to it.
Watching.
Observing.
The tower itself.
Kabir caught up to him.
“You know what I’ve been wondering?”
“What?”
“If the tower gives powers… does that mean someone reached the top already?”
Meera followed behind them.
“If someone did,” she said quietly, “they never came back to tell the story.”
Kabir frowned.
“…That’s comforting.”
They climbed for several minutes.
The staircase seemed endless.
The higher they went, the colder the air became.
Eventually the stairs ended at a massive iron gate.
Unlike the doors on the previous floors, this one looked newer.
The metal surface was dark and polished, covered in strange circular patterns.
Arjun stepped closer.
The gate vibrated softly.
Then it opened.
A sharp gust of cold wind rushed past them.
Kabir shivered.
“…Okay, definitely not a forest.”
Arjun stepped through first.
And stopped immediately.
Floor Three looked nothing like the previous floors.
Instead of a forest or a dungeon hall, they stood inside what looked like a ruined city.
Broken stone buildings stretched across a wide open area.
Crumbling towers leaned dangerously.
Dust blew through the empty streets.
The sky above was dark red.
Almost like sunset frozen in time.
Kabir stared.
“…Are we still inside the tower?”
Meera crouched slightly, touching the cracked ground.
“The environment changed again.”
Arjun looked around carefully.
His instincts were quiet.
Too quiet.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Floor Three: The Fallen City
Objective: Survive and explore.
Kabir blinked.
“…That’s it?”
Meera frowned.
“That’s vague.”
Arjun nodded slowly.
Usually the tower gave clear objectives.
Defeat enemies.
Survive a time limit.
Complete a task.
But this one…
Was different.
Suddenly, a distant sound echoed through the empty city.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Kabir turned toward the noise.
“…Please tell me that’s another monster.”
But Meera’s expression changed.
“No.”
Arjun felt it too.
A presence.
Strong.
Much stronger than the creatures on the previous floors.
His Predator Awareness skill flared sharply.
Danger.
But not immediate.
The footsteps grew louder.
A figure slowly appeared from between the ruined buildings.
Tall.
Wrapped in a long dark coat.
Unlike the monsters they had fought before, this figure looked human.
Very human.
The stranger stopped about twenty meters away.
Then spoke calmly.
“Well.”
His voice echoed across the broken street.
“New players.”
Kabir blinked in confusion.
“…Wait.”
He looked at Arjun.
“…That’s a guy.”
Meera’s grip tightened slightly.
“Yes.”
Arjun studied the stranger carefully.
The man looked around thirty years old.
His posture was relaxed.
Too relaxed.
Like someone who had been here a long time.
The man smiled faintly.
“You survived the Whispering Forest.”
Arjun’s eyes narrowed.
“How do you know that?”
The stranger shrugged.
“The tower talks.”
Kabir scratched his head.
“…It does?”
The man ignored him.
His eyes settled on Arjun.
And for a brief moment—
His smile faded.
“…Interesting.”
Arjun felt a cold chill run down his spine.
Because the man’s gaze felt very similar to the Fog Stalker Commander’s.
Like he was being studied.
Examined.
The stranger spoke again.
“You three must be new.”
He turned slightly and gestured toward the ruined city.
“Welcome to Floor Three.”
Kabir crossed his arms.
“…You live here or something?”
The man chuckled.
“Something like that.”
Then he said something that made Arjun’s heart skip.
“I’ve been inside this tower for eight years.”
Silence fell.
Kabir stared.
“…Eight… what?”
Meera looked stunned.
“That’s impossible.”
But the man only smiled calmly.
“Is it?”
Arjun slowly realized something terrifying.
If someone had been inside the tower for eight years…
Then the tower wasn’t just a trial.
It was a world.
And they had only just stepped inside it.
If you’re enjoying Karma Tower: The Player Who Returns After Death, keep climbing the tower with Arjun.
Because the deeper the floors go, the more dangerous the truth becomes.
And the next chapter will reveal why this mysterious survivor has been trapped inside the tower for eight years.
