The corridor opened into a circular chamber, lit by green crystals embedded in the ceiling. At its center, a stone door covered in runes pulsed slowly, as if it were breathing.

  The air was heavy, the silence weighed like lead.

  Luiz raised his fist, signaling the group to halt.

  — “This is it… the core.”

  Valquíria set her warriors in a defensive arc, with Leli at the center.

  Boudica spun her spears in her hands, shifting their weight like she was testing the draw of an invisible bow.

  Alenna stepped forward, studying the runes.

  — “Sealing magic. Old. Maybe older than the Tower itself.”

  Lukas scanned the room, a chill running up his spine.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  — “Doesn’t look like we were the first to arrive.”

  The stench of burned iron confirmed his suspicion.

  From the shadows behind the door, a creature crawled forth.

  Half wolf, half living armor, with claws the size of shortswords.

  Its roar made the crystals tremble.

  — “Formation!” — Luiz shouted.

  The battle erupted.

  Valquíria struck first, her fist smashing into the beast’s jaw and driving it back.

  Boudica followed, using her spears as steps to climb its body and plunge both blades into its eyes.

  The Copas held the flanks, stopping the monster from breaking the line.

  Lukas seized the opening, sliding under the creature’s hind legs and slicing its rear tendons.

  The scream was deafening.

  Alenna finished it with a diagonal slash, splitting the beast’s neck to its shoulder.

  Silence.

  Their heavy breathing filled the chamber.

  Luiz pointed toward the door, now motionless.

  — “Core unlocked. Let’s recover and move on.”

  Boudica passed by Lukas, giving him that cold stare.

  — “Not as useless as I thought.”

  He frowned.

  — “One day, I’ll wring a real compliment out of you.”

  She gave no answer, only adjusted her spears and walked toward the exit.

  Lukas took a deep breath.

  The sixth floor waited.

  And he knew… it would be worse.

  End of Chapter 3

  Em inglês (padr?o RR):

  "Thanks for following along until 8 PM! ?? See you in the next chapter."