After warping to the seventh floor, we were met by a sprawling forest. We had spawned just outside an orc stronghold made of stone and wood, towering above us like a fortress lost to time. The stone walls were massive, worn from battle and weather, while the wooden structures seemed almost like an afterthought—reinforcing the brutal architecture of the place.
BOOM.
The sound of a loud explosion echoed through the air, followed by the crackle of something breaking. A fight with the boss was already underway. We sprinted around the walls, looking for an entrance. But finding none in the nearby vicinity, Viri activated a rune beneath us, similar to the one in the guild hall. The ground trembled, and we were lifted into the air on a platform of earth.
Once we made it onto the wall, we could see the chaos of the battle unfolding below. Twenty, maybe twenty-five members of Ascend were engaged in the fight. They all donned silver armor, much like Valen's, emblazoned with the symbol of an arrow pointing northward on their shoulder pads or belts. Even their weapons bore the same mark.
Valen was fighting the orc warlord, driving his sword deep into its chest and slamming the creature into a wall. The other orcs were locked in combat with Ascend members. No one had fallen—no gravestones in sight.
The boss appeared to be on its last legs as Valen ripped his sword from its chest. Red poured out, and the orc warlord let out a scream that caught the attention of every player and orc nearby.
The inside of the orc stronghold was completely destroyed, as if the fight had caused all the devastation. Buildings and roads were now rubble, remnants of their former glory scattered about. The ruined castle had gaping holes, with fruits, vegetables, and livestock sprawled across the ground. An orc shaman was trapped under a pile of debris.
Almost instinctively, the orcs' eyes began to glow with malice as they charged toward the warlord, their final attempt to save their leader. I glanced over at Ryena, who had a nervous expression on her face, then back at the fight. The orcs were closing in on Valen, almost reaching him—
But at the last moment, he moved with incredible speed, vanishing and reappearing behind the orcs. They collapsed in unison, red spraying from their necks and sides, staining the ground. Valen sheathed his sword as the orcs fell.
As he turned back toward the boss, a mysterious figure appeared beside him. Above her head floated the name "LV6 Ascend: Risto". She wore the same silver armor as the other Ascend members, but with a cape like Valen's. They exchanged a few words, then Valen glanced up at us on the wall.
WHOSH.
In an instant, we were teleported next to Valen. Risto was now standing where we had been on the wall—it was as if we had swapped places. The orc warlord let out another cry, engulfed in a white aura I had seen before. It was healing. But this time, it didn't move—it was stuck in place.
"Who or what would heal the boss?" I thought, my heart racing.
"It's as good as dead," Valen said, his eyes locked on the warlord.
Viri laughed. "You needed 20 people to take down one boss?"
Valen, looking annoyed, didn't reply. Risto appeared next to him, her glasses shining in the light. "The boss of Floor 6 was level 12, and you lost to it. You'd fare much worse with this one," he said.
Viri continued laughing. "Sho was able to take it down alone. Is this the gap between rank 1 and rank 2?"
Valen swiftly drew his sword, barely slicing into Viri's neck. Red began to drip from the wound.
"All I need to do is kill one of you," he spoke, his voice cold. "Just one, and you'll lose your guild status."
Viri grabbed his sword with her hands. "Is that a challenge?" she said, gripping it tighter.
Valen laughed. "Nothing is stopping me from killing you here. No morals, no ethics, nothing logical is stopping me. It would just be recompense for my brother."
Reyna, having joined them, activated Phoenix Featherstorm as hundreds of fiery feathers engulfed her arm. "I dare you to attack," she said, her voice sharp.
Valen tried to pull his sword away from Viri, but she held on, red seeping onto the blade. With Viri still gripping the sword, Valen smirked. "Alright, Rei, if you can beat the boss by yourself, I'll let your guild challenge Floor 10 first. However, you have to do it alone."
"What do you get out of it?" Reyna replied sternly.
"Seeing you fail," Valen smiled.
Reyna shook her head as Viri let go of the sword, and Reyna deactivated her Phoenix Featherstorm. Tenshi walked over to Viri, healing her hand as Reyna prepared for the boss, which was still frozen against the wall.
Valen ordered his guild to get on the wall, and they followed, teleported up by Risto. "Begin," Risto commanded.
The Orc Warlord began to rise, free from the prison that had held him. He grabbed onto his face, his green skin glowing in the light. His gray hair was similar to Sho's. Sharp teeth showed as he growled at Reyna like a wild beast. Around his neck were necklaces made of stones and teeth. He wore the fur of an animal and leather armor, with metal spikes on his shoulder blades. On his belt were three potions—one red, one blue, and one green.
The Orc Warlord stood and immediately consumed the green potion. Reyna, trying to end the fight quickly, summoned eight balls of fire that formed a circle behind her. They shot fireballs at the warlord, igniting the ground and burning him on contact.
The warlord charged through the flames, shrugging off the burns. With his thick skin, he endured the heat. Reyna continued the onslaught, but the Orc Warlord deflected the smaller fireballs with his axe, using it as a shield.
It ran at Reyna. Not fazed, she created a wall of fire that moved toward the Orc like a wave, preparing another spell behind it. The Orc Warlord pushed through the wall, sustaining burns but grabbing Reyna and slamming her into the ground.
Red poured from her mouth as the Ascend guild members cheered. The Orc Warlord raised his axe above his head, but Reyna summoned a pillar of fire beneath him, jumping back and wiping the red from her lips. She glared at the boss and engulfed her arm in fiery feathers. The feathers swirled in the air like snow before landing on the warlord, who looked surprised.
"Bang," Reyna said, snapping her fingers.
Instantly, each of the hundred feathers exploded in rapid succession. A blinding red light filled the room as the explosions continued one after another before finally stopping.
The Orc Warlord looked like an overcooked piece of meat as he fell to his knees, moving sluggishly. He grabbed onto his belt and reached for the red potion. Suddenly, his skin began to return to normal as he threw the bottle to the ground. The Orc Warlord let out a demonic roar.
—--------------------------------------
Orc Warlord's Roar:
Increases strength and speed.
—--------------------------------------
The Orc seemed to disappear, reappearing next to Reyna, trying to slice her with his ax. Reyna summoned a fire shield. The fire engulfed the ax, causing the Orc to drop it as he began slamming the barrier. Reyna stood still, calculating her next move.
Then, she canceled the barrier, creating distance between herself and the Orc.
"Scorch it, Ashen Dragon Infernia!"
As Reyna uttered those words, a colossal dragon made entirely of fire materialized before her. The heat radiating from the dragon could be felt even from the walls, as the flames began to consume the surrounding cities. The very walls appeared to melt under the intense blaze. The fire dragon surged forward, targeting the boss as it gulped down a blue potion, yet the Orc remained unfazed.
With a ferocious roar, the Orc charged at Reyna, who swiftly drew her katana. "Blazing Edge," she whispered, and flames engulfed the blade.
The moment the Orc came within range, Reyna swung her katana, slicing the beast down the middle. But as she fell to the ground, red seeped from her side, pooling beneath her. The Orc, despite being cleaved in two, began to heal. A shaman appeared in the distance, casting a revival spell.
The Orc stood once again, its eyes black as night, stepping toward Reyna.
In a flash, Valen disappeared from sight, reappearing behind the shaman, killing it with a swift strike. He then drove his sword through the Orc Warlord's back. The creature twisted and writhed, desperately trying to free itself from the blade. Valen's sword, burning with the same fire as Reyna's, glowed brightly as the Orc Warlord collapsed, disintegrating into pixels.
==================================
Guild [Ascend] has successfully cleared Floor 7.
You have reached the max level for this floor
===================================
Tenshi healed Reyna from the wall, and I was stunned she could do it from such a distance. When we finally made it down, Valen smirked.
"Since the shaman decided to step in, you get first crack at the 10th floor," he said before glancing at his guild rushing toward the fortress. "We're going to loot the city for anything valuable."
His group stormed in, grabbing anything that survived—plates, trinkets, anything they could find.
"Is that a good idea?" Risto asked, clearly concerned.
Reyna stirred as Valen disappeared into the fortress. I turned to her. "What's the plan? We can't let them take everything."
Reyna smiled. "It's fine. We got what we needed."
"Why don't we explore the floor a bit?" Tenshi chimed in, her excitement obvious. "No monsters left, right? The orcs are dead."
Viri frowned. "According to the Crusaders' guide, but they've been wrong before."
"Might as well check anyway," Tenshi said with a grin.
"Fine," Reyna sighed. "Let's split into groups of two."
Before I could say anything, Eli grabbed my arm. "Can I go with Arden?" she asked, looking up at me shyly.
Before Reyna could respond, Viri interjected, "Are you sure they should be alone?"
Eli shot her a glare, and Reyna just waved it off. "It'll be fine."
Eli wasted no time, pulling me into the forest. As we walked, the rest of the guild faded out of view. The forest was calm and quiet—no monsters, no goblins, no bears, just silence.
"This floor will definitely become a hub for activity," I said, noticing patches of vibrant flowers in every color and apple trees dotting the area. It felt safe now that the orcs were gone.
We walked quietly for a while, and I decided to break the silence. "Thanks for having my back earlier."
Eli blushed slightly. "No problem. You're part of the guild now." She gave me a soft smile.
I looked away. "I'm just... affiliated," I said, my voice more somber.
"To me, you're family," she said with warmth, stopping to smell the flowers.
"Family…" I repeated softly, a hint of sadness in my voice.
"Did I say something wrong?" she asked, her concern immediate.
"No, it's not your fault…"
"Can I tell you something?" I asked, hesitating.
"Of course," she replied, her eyes full of curiosity.
"You have to keep it a secret from Viri."
Eli nodded, serious now.
"My family... they died right before Earth and this world merged. Ever since then, I've had no one."
Eli stopped walking and gently took my hand. "Well, you have us now. I'll make sure Viri doesn't bother you."
"Why doesn't Viri like me?" I asked, still unsure.
"Viri's just... really protective. Maybe too much." Eli glanced away. "We were friends on Earth, even before the merge. She let me stay with her when I had nowhere to go." as she reached for an apple from a nearby tree.
Eli handed me the apple, and I took a bite before she blushed and took a bite from the same spot.
"I hope Viri warms up to me," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'd like to stay with you all."
Eli walked ahead, then turned back toward me, a playful smile on her face. "It doesn't matter if she does… because I like you." She paused, her expression turning serious. "Will you go on a date with me?"
I smiled, a little surprised, but nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."