Chapter 9 The Fall of the Commander
The forest burned.
Flames crawled across the dry ground, devouring fallen leaves and creeping up the twisted trunks of the gray trees. Smoke rose into the air, thinning the fog that had once covered the Whispering Forest like a blanket.
Without the fog, the monsters looked smaller.
Weaker.
But the Fog Stalker Commander was still standing.
Barely.
The creature staggered where it stood, the glowing roots of fog that once fed it now reduced to thin threads of smoke. Cracks had spread across the gray armor covering its body.
Arjun stood a few meters away, breathing hard.
The burning branch in his hand crackled as sparks fell to the ground.
Behind him, Kabir and Meera fought off the last few Fog Stalkers.
Kabir swung his flaming weapon wildly.
“Why are there still so many of these things?!”
Meera ducked under a claw and struck the monster’s knee with precise force.
“Focus.”
The creature collapsed instantly.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Enemy defeated
Experience +5
Arjun barely noticed.
His eyes were locked on the Commander.
The creature slowly lifted its head.
Its twisted smile was gone.
Now its face looked… furious.
“You break the forest.”
Its voice was no longer calm whispers.
Now it sounded like grinding stone.
“You destroy the trial.”
Arjun tightened his grip on the branch.
“No.”
He stepped forward.
“We survived it.”
The Commander roared.
Its claws slashed through the air.
Arjun’s instincts screamed danger.
He rolled to the side just before the attack struck.
The claw smashed into the ground, sending dirt and burning leaves flying.
Kabir shouted from behind him.
“Timer!”
Arjun glanced quickly.
SURVIVAL TIME REMAINING
00:31
Thirty-one seconds.
Not long.
But the tower had already changed the rules once.
He didn’t trust the timer anymore.
The Commander stepped forward again.
Its movements were slower now.
The burning roots had weakened it.
But it was still powerful.
Still dangerous.
“Error,” it growled.
Its eyes locked onto Arjun.
“You are the error.”
Arjun sighed.
“Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot.”
The monster lunged.
Arjun moved forward instead of back.
Kabir’s voice cracked in panic.
“ARJUN!”
The claw came down like a falling blade.
Arjun twisted sideways.
The attack sliced across his arm, tearing through his sleeve.
Pain flashed through his body.
But he didn’t stop moving.
He stepped inside the creature’s reach.
Right next to its chest.
The burning branch slammed directly into the cracked armor.
Flames burst across the Commander’s body.
The creature screamed.
Not a whisper.
Not a distorted voice.
A real scream.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Critical damage dealt
Experience +10
Arjun pulled the branch back and struck again.
This time the flames sank deeper into the cracked armor.
The Commander staggered backward.
Kabir finally reached them.
“Move!”
He swung his flaming weapon directly into the monster’s leg.
Meera followed instantly.
Her metal rod smashed into the creature’s shoulder.
Crack.
A piece of armor shattered.
The Commander stumbled.
For the first time since the battle began—
It looked weak.
The system timer flashed again.
SURVIVAL TIME REMAINING
00:10
Ten seconds.
Kabir laughed breathlessly.
“Looks like we win!”
But Arjun noticed something strange.
The Commander wasn’t panicking.
It was smiling again.
Slowly.
“You misunderstand,” the creature whispered.
The ground trembled.
A new system message appeared.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Emergency protocol activated
Arjun’s stomach dropped.
“What?”
The message changed again.
FLOOR RESET INITIATED
Kabir blinked.
“…What does that mean?”
Meera’s voice was suddenly tense.
“It means the tower is about to restart the trial.”
If that happened—
Every monster would return.
Including the Commander.
Arjun realized the truth instantly.
The tower wasn’t just testing survival.
It wanted to erase players who became dangerous.
Players like him.
The Commander raised its claws again.
“Correction complete.”
The timer reached zero.
SURVIVAL TIME REMAINING
00:00
The forest went silent.
For one terrifying second, nothing happened.
Then the system message changed.
FLOOR TWO CLEARED
Kabir stared at the floating text.
“…Wait.”
He blinked again.
“…WE WON?!”
The Whispering Forest shook violently.
The Commander froze.
Its body began dissolving into smoke.
“No,” it whispered.
Its voice sounded distant now.
“The error remains.”
The creature’s eyes locked onto Arjun one last time.
“The tower will correct you.”
Then its body collapsed into ash.
The remaining Fog Stalkers vanished instantly.
The burning forest faded.
The flames disappeared like illusions.
Within seconds, the entire forest dissolved into darkness.
Arjun blinked.
The three of them were standing in a stone chamber again.
A quiet room with glowing runes on the walls.
The second floor was gone.
Kabir sat down on the floor immediately.
“…I need a break.”
Meera leaned against the wall, catching her breath.
“That… was brutal.”
Arjun remained standing.
Because the system messages hadn’t stopped.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Floor Two cleared
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Bonus reward granted
Arjun’s eyes widened.
“What?”
A new message appeared.
Hidden achievement unlocked
Kabir looked up.
“…That sounds good.”
The system screen expanded.
Achievement: Trial Breaker
Condition: Forcing the tower to modify its own trial.
Reward: Rare Skill
Arjun’s heart pounded.
A glowing icon appeared.
New Skill Acquired
Flame Resonance
Meera looked at him.
“…You got something special, didn’t you?”
Arjun nodded slowly.
“I think so.”
Kabir sighed dramatically.
“Man, you’re going to become ridiculously strong, aren’t you?”
Before Arjun could answer—
The entire chamber trembled again.
A massive stone door slowly opened in front of them.
Behind it, a staircase spiraled upward into darkness.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Floor Three unlocked
Kabir groaned.
“…Already?”
Meera pushed herself off the wall.
“No rest inside the tower.”
Arjun stared at the staircase.
Something about it felt different.
He could feel it.
The deeper they climbed…
The more the tower would react to him.
Because the Commander had been right about one thing.
He was an error.
And the tower was trying to fix him.
Arjun stepped toward the staircase.
“Let’s go.”
Kabir stood up reluctantly.
“Next floor better not be another forest.”
Meera walked beside them quietly.
But before they could reach the stairs—
A final system message appeared in front of Arjun alone.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Karma System Notice
His steps stopped.
Kabir turned.
“What is it?”
Arjun stared at the glowing text.
Because the message was different from the others.
It didn’t come from the tower.
It came from the Karma System.
And the words made his blood run cold.
WARNING
The Tower has begun active observation.
Prepare for correction attempts.
Arjun slowly exhaled.
“…Yeah.”
Kabir frowned.
“Yeah what?”
Arjun looked up at the dark staircase.
“This tower really wants me dead.”
And Floor Three was waiting.
If you're enjoying Karma Tower: The Player Who Returns After Death, keep following Arjun’s climb.
The deeper he goes, the more the tower reveals its secrets… and its dangers.
And on the next floor, Arjun will meet someone who has been inside the tower far longer than he has.
