Floor 3 Chase Test

Lore & Background

In the Tower's layered architecture, the early floors are deliberately calibrated to strip away the comfort of preparation. The Chase Test on Floor 3 embodies this principle: climbers are given a course, a goal, and a pursuer, and then the clock starts. There is no briefing on the creature's exact speed, no map of the terrain's hazards, no guarantee that the path will remain stable. The Tower's design philosophy in these early trials is to test raw human (or non-human) drive—the willingness to sprint when your lungs are burning, to leap over obstacles you cannot see clearly, to keep your eyes on the finish line even when the thing behind you is closing the gap.

What makes the Floor 3 test resonate with readers is how it reframes the concept of a 'test.' It is not a riddle to be solved or a gate to be opened. It is a question asked in the body: can you keep going? Baam's performance in this trial is often cited by fans as a quiet declaration of his nature—his speed is extraordinary, yes, but what truly sets him apart is that he never stops. Where others calculate risk and hesitate, he simply runs harder, as though the act of moving forward is itself an answer to a question he has already decided.

Farn's experience during the chase adds a different emotional register. Her participation is not solely about physical output; it is about trust, about choosing to run alongside someone whose strength dwarfs her own, and about finding her own reason to keep her legs moving. The Tower, in this way, tests not only the individual but the bonds between climbers, revealing whether a group can function as a unit under the most primal pressure: the fear of being caught.

In Their Own Story

The corridor opened like a throat. Cold air rushed past Baam's face, carrying the scent of wet stone and something older—something that had been running here long before any of them. Ahead, the path twisted upward, narrow as a finger, and beyond it the faint glow of the next checkpoint pulsed like a slow heartbeat.

Behind him, the ground shuddered. Not an explosion. A footfall. Something vast and patient, its shadow swallowing the walls, closing the distance with a slowness that was somehow more terrifying than speed.

Farn's breath came in short, sharp bursts. Her legs burned. She glanced back—once, only once—and saw the shape of it, the way its limbs folded and unfolded with mechanical grace. Then she looked forward again. Baam was already three steps ahead, not running so much as flowing, his expression set in that calm, almost puzzled look he got when the world was moving too slowly for him.

'Keep going,' she told herself. Not a command. A promise.

The path narrowed. The pursuer's shadow lengthened over her shoulders. And she ran.

Reader's Guide

Floor 3 presents climbers with a pursuit-type trial. Upon entering the designated corridor, participants are given a visual or auditory cue that the test has begun. A pursuing entity—described as a large, fast creature native to the Tower's lower floors—activates and begins closing the distance from behind. Climbers must reach a marked endpoint before the entity catches them. The course is not a simple straight line; it includes narrow passages, uneven terrain, and at least one section requiring a leap or climb.

The core mechanic is endurance under pressure. There is no combat option, no trick to disarm the pursuer. The only variable is the climber's own speed, stamina, and decision-making in the moment. The Tower does not provide a map, a timer, or a warning about the creature's exact pace. Information is deliberately withheld, forcing climbers to rely on instinct and momentum.

Baam, Farn, Karkaria, and Dols all attempt this trial during their early ascent. Baam's speed is exceptional and he reaches the goal with margin to spare. Farn's success is more hard-won, rooted in determination and the knowledge that others are running beside her. The test passes for the group, but the Tower's design intent is clear: early floors are meant to be survivable yet humbling, establishing the baseline that the Tower does not care about your title, your background, or your reputation. It cares only about whether you can keep your legs moving when the thing behind you is breathing down your neck.

The philosophical underpinning is that the Tower tests drive before it tests skill. Speed without will is just physics. Will without direction is just panic. The Chase Test demands both simultaneously.

Did You Know?

• The early-floor tests in the Tower are designed to be passable by a wide range of climbers, but the Tower's true evaluation often lies in HOW a climber passes, not merely whether they do.
• Baam's running style during the chase is frequently noted by fellow climbers as unusual—not just fast, but almost effortless, as though he has never encountered a distance that requires effort.
• Farn's participation in the early tests is significant because she is not a traditional 'climber' by the Tower's standards; her success in physical trials like the chase underscores that the Tower evaluates intent and sp
• The pursuing entities on the lower floors are not hostile in a sentient sense; they function more like natural hazards or environmental forces, which makes the Tower's design feel less like a dungeon and more like a livi