Floor 1 — Cleared.
The goblins never stood a chance.
Honestly, Kang and Kwon felt bad for them.
Their guts were basically cotton candy, their shields were literally apples, and their swords were… carrots.
Kwon exhaled.
"I almost feel guilty. Almost."
Kang nudged one lightly with his foot.
It exploded like a cheap piñata.
Pathetic.
Floor 2 — Cleared.
A herd of fifty standing cows charged toward them.
Or… waddled.
Or politely wandered toward them, unsure what emotion they were supposed to express.
Kang sliced one in half with the carrot sword and winced.
He expected resistance.
He got something weaker than a wet paper bag.
"These things deal less damage than a feather…"
Kwon covered her face, embarrassed on the cows' behalf.
Floor 3 — Cleared.
Three snakes the size of grown adults slithered in with dripping fangs.
One bit Kang.
0 Damage.
A level 7 snake biting a level 30 player had the same impact as a toddler slapping a brick wall.
Kwon and Kang proceeded to commit what could legally be classified as a hate crime.
Floor 4 — Cleared.
A small slime bounced forward.
It attempted to shapeshift into Kang Jaehyun.
It failed.
Instant death.
Kang stared at the puddle.
"…What was that supposed to be?"
Kwon shrugged.
"No clue."
SYSTEM POP-UP *
LEVEL UP!
Kwon Sohyun — Level 8 → Level 14
Kwon yawned as they reached the door, completely unaware.
Kang stretched.
…huh. So levelling up takes a while.
He'd seen enough nonsense today.
Floor 5 Approaches…
Kang and Kwon stepped onto the 5th-floor platform.
Unlike the previous floors, the door didn't open automatically.
Kang placed his hand on it.
A loud chime echoed.
SYSTEM POP-UP *
FLOOR 5
Are you sure you are ready?
Recommended Level: 15
Kang tapped YES.
The door creaked open.
Kwon instinctively stepped back, startled.
But the door was opening…
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Painfully, dramatically, unnecessarily slow.
The ground rumbled beneath their feet.
The entire floor felt… alive.
SYSTEM POP-UP*
please wait…
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
inner thoughts — huh… a loading percentage?
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Kang looked at Kwon and muttered:
"Get ready."
100%.
He blinked—
And suddenly they were no longer on Floor 4.
A forest.
A dense, humid, moss-covered forest stretching endlessly in all directions.
Kwon stared around, shocked.
"Kang… weren't we just in the World Tree?"
Kang tightened his grip on the carrot sword.
"…So this must be the 5th floor."
Then the trees shifted.
Something moved.
Something… big.
Kwon held her stance, katana drawn. Kang followed her eyes as the ground trembled beneath them.
A tree stood up.
A giant tree—
alive—
roots bending like legs, branches twisting into arms.
Scarlet eyes carved into its trunk glowed faintly.
Its breath alone shook the floor.
Kang's heart dropped.
Kwon whispered, voice shaking:
"This creature… is the forest."
A nervous laugh escaped her lips.
Kang inhaled sharply through his nose.
Then—
The monster raised its weapon.
A giant hammer, formed from its own roots, lifting slowly…
Slow.
Slow…
Slowly.
Slowly.
Kwon moved first.
One dash.
One jump.
One clean, perfect slice.
Kang blinked.
inner thoughts — holy… she's fas—
SLAM.
The hammer crashed into the ground beside him—
hard enough to rupture the earth.
Kang tumbled back, chest tightening from the shock.
"Kang! Be careful!" Kwon yelled.
Twenty massive roots shot downward toward her.
Then—
Her delayed strike activated.
Every root split into a beautiful, clean cross-section.
Pink sap floated into the air like flower petals.
Her blonde hair blew in the wind, glowing under the scarlet light.
She shared the same eye colour as the tree.
A beautiful red.
And then—
A heavy chime echoed through the forest.
SYSTEM POP-UP
BOSS ENCOUNTER
Defeat — The Forest of the Damp Spirits
good luck.
Its head twisted upside down, slow and unnatural, scarlet eyes glowing from the hollow gaps in its bark.
Kang's stomach tightened.
Kwon dove aside as a forest of thorns speared toward her, her blade slicing them apart in the span of a breath.
Then the forest stopped moving.
All of it.
Every branch.
Every leaf.
Every root.
Staring at them.
Unblinking.
Silent.
Like a predator that had finally become curious.
Kang's hands shook.
"…It's watching us."