After warping to the seventh floor, we were met by a sprawling forest, its dense trees standing like sentinels around us. 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.
But it wasn't just the orc stronghold that captured my attention. The entire forest seemed different. This was the place where we had fought Sho, the ground scarred from the battle that had unfolded here.
The forest's once lush green had been replaced with a bleak, almost desolate feel. The leaves hung like shredded paper, with some trees still smoldering in the aftermath of the combat. A small lake had formed in the crevices around the clearing where we had fought, the water shimmering unnaturally with an eerie glow. It was as if the land itself had been scarred by the battle's intensity. Unable to fully heal.
BOOM.
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 bodies in sight.
The boss appeared to be on its last legs as Valen ripped his sword from its chest. Blood 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 Reyna, 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, blood 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. 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.
The woman 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.
"Thank's Risto" Valen smiled
"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.
"You'd fare much worse with this one," She 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. Blood 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."
Viri looked over to tenshi momentarily. Valen also looked towards her.
Valen tried to pull his sword away from Viri, but she held on, blood 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.
Blood 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 blood 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.