Chapter 6: Floor 1 Boss (2)

A female voice called out to Ethan.

"Where are you going?"

Knowing that his hood was the only thing concealing the red crystal above his head and username, Ethan was in no mood to communicate with anyone, so he ignored the voice and continued walking. However, the voice only got louder and louder.

"HEY ARE YOU DEAF?"

"HEY, DO YOU WANT TO DIE? WHERE IS YOUR PARTY?"

Since he killed Ren, his solo-play strategy has been solidified, so he does not need to care about what others think. Even if he had explained the situation, most people wouldn't have believed or told him he should have subdued Ren instead of killing him.

The voices stopped after a minute as they realized Ethan wouldn't listen to them.

In Ethan's mind, if the rumors about the boss room were true, then some people could have already started the boss fight, so he was already leagues behind. If the wind spirit item was an item obtained from just killing that bull, then he couldn't imagine the item that would drop from the floor 1 boss. He had to be the one to get it.

Little did Ethan know that the people behind him were actually discussing how to take on the boss.

A girl with dark blue hair reaching her waist and black eyes looked dissatisfied at Ethan walking away.

"Luna, ignore him; he clearly wants to die."

".... even so, shouldn't we stop him. In this first week alone, more than 2 thousand people have died."

"That's exactly why we have to take out the first-floor boss as soon as possible. People will see there is hope and that beating all 100 floors is possible."

From beside Luna, another man with blonde hair and a cocky expression stepped forward.

"Hello. I'm Leon, a representative from the beta testers guild. As communicated earlier, we have found the first-floor boss room. We hope for your cooperation."

At the words "beta," murmurs began circling around the ground.

"damn, those guys stole all the good stuff."

"left all us normies to die."

"Why the hell should we help them?"

However, the people murmuring immediately shushed Leon as he took a pencil and circled an area on the map.

"Alright, first, we should clear the mobs before it, then hold a strategy meeting."

The murmurs of hostility quickly changed into cheerfulness, as for the first time, there was hope in escaping this world they were unwillingly trapped in.

Calming everyone back down, Luna announced.

"Already make parties of 4 and head to the area. Tomorrow at 8, we will hold the strategy meeting outside the dungeon."

The group departed with their weapons and walked cautiously through the dungeon.

In front of them, Ethan had just finished caring for another set of mobs, earning him another level. After putting the stat point into speed, Ethan slumped down against the cold cave wall and took out a sandwich he had brought from Ravenhood.

Ethan wanted the item but was also stupid enough to believe he could fight the floor boss alone. If he found the boss room, what was he supposed to do? Go in alone, die, or wait for others and probably get kicked out due to his shady appearance.

"fuck, why the hell is this game so complicated."

Even after someone else took his spot on the most wanted board, his crystal would become orange, leading people to believe he was a criminal and distrust him. Additionally, the attitude towards beta-testers was already terrible throughout the city and dungeon, and Ethan heard people constantly displaying hatred for them.

Ethan couldn't blame them, though. Ethan had left them all to die at the coliseum to get an overpowered item. That doesn't mean Ethan felt guilty, though, as he believed he did what he had to survive.

Getting up from his resting position, Ethan continued walking in the cave, only taking small breaks to get amethyst crystals.

"Would be a shame to leave all this money behind."

Since there were more untouched amethyst crystals, Ethan knew he was probably the first person to explore this dungeon area. Although it meant that he was going the wrong way if the boss's room had already been found, Ethan continued exploring the new location with high hopes.

Looking at the mobs blocking his path, Ethan realized they were level 4 and 5.

"Is this a good or bad sign?"

Rushing in his sword, Ethan disappeared for a moment, leaving behind his afterimage, and reappeared below the body of the level 4 arc.

The orc writhed in pain as Ethan stabbed his sword into its leg. Taking advantage of the orc in pain, Ethan darted up the cave walls and pushed himself off the side with his sword pointed straight forward.

The first orc's body shattered into pieces as Ethan's sword pierced its head.

"Is that it's weak spot?"

Ethan immediately had two more orcs and a wolf approaching him. Repeating the same actions with the orc, Ethan was finally left alone with the wolf in front of him.

Due to some careless mistakes, Ethan's vitality was already below 50%, so he decided to end this quickly, even if it meant taking all of his stamina.

Ethan's sheath and cloak disappeared, and his jade sword shined bright and grew in length. Looking at the wolf waiting patiently before him, Ethan could only thank god that the monster's AI was that bad. 

Getting into a running stance like a track runner, Ethan tilted his sword horizontally; in a flash, he appeared behind the wolf.

*KSHHH*

The wolf's body split in half, and its body disappeared like that of the orcs. 

That attack embodied the glass cannon strategy: put everything you have into one attack and ignore the aftermath. Ethan collapsed against the cave's wall and drank some potions, recovering his health to 100. However, there was nothing he could do about his low stamina.

"hah, guess I had to focus my stamina stat next."

Looking in front of him, Ethan couldn't help but be disappointed when he saw a dead end. 

"All of that for nothing."

After recovering, Ethan stood up once again and walked away from my path until he heard some footsteps.

"How the hell are people below me?"

Turning around, Ethan carefully walked towards the dead end, his sword ready for combat. Upon reaching the dead end, Ethan saw a small hole in the ground, so he peered down to see tens of people fighting mobs.

Putting some distance between him and the hole, Ethan looked down at an angle and saw a set of brown doors at the end of the horde of mobs.

"The boss room." 

Observing the players fighting below him, Ethan noticed one person standing specifically as she easily dispatched the level 2 monsters, and her sword moved through the air so elegantly.

Recalling his memory, Ethan tried to remember an item that modified your sword style, but his memory came blank.

After about another hour of fighting, the mobs were dispatched, and the players formed a huddle, so Ethan moved his ear closer to the hole to hear them.

"Alright, this should be it for today. Remember to come to the strategy meeting tomorrow, and I repeat. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIGHT THE BOSS BEFORE."

Many players snapped their heads up at the change in volume, but they nodded their heads. After that, the players split up except for the girl from earlier and the blonde-haired boy as the two seemed to observe the gate.

Pushing himself back from the hole, Ethan sighed.

"Leaving right now would make it harder for me to return when they fight the boss... I guess I'm camping here."

Ethan's sword and cape disappeared as a jade-green blanket was formed. Yes, a special one-of-one item is being used as a blanket.

--- 

Around 20 players looked anxiously at the stage towering above them the next day.

Luna, alongside Leon and another figure, jumped up on the desk. Taking control, the unknown figure started speaking.

"Hello all! I'm Kane, the guild master of The Celestial Order. We are gathered today to take the first step toward returning to Earth!"

The audience broke into cheers at the mention of escape. Nobody wanted to live in a world without their family members or friends.

"We are gathered here today as the hope of all people trapped in this game!"

Kane stepped back while Luna stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Luna, part of The Celestial Order. From the gamebooks handed out by NPCs in the Town of Origins, we know that the boss is Thornroot, a treelike creature that attacks using its roots."

The cheerful audience quickly turned gloomy at the mention of the boss. Everyone knew that their lives were on the line here.

"During this battle, we will split into two groups. One group will consist of those who are weaker; their job will be to distract the tree's roots. The other group can attack the tree directly until it's dead."

After Luna stepped back, Liam finally spoke. Rather than receiving cheers like Luna and Kane, the audience went silent.

"ahem, if you get an item, you keep it. Finders keepers. We will begin our assault in two hours, so get ready."

Back in the dungeon, Ethan was patiently waiting.

"Their strategy meeting must have started, so it's just a matter of time."

Ethan's plan was to jump down and enter the boss's room unnoticed and swoop in at the last moment to kill it.

"Let them do the work for me."

Knowing that deaths were bound to occur among the people, Ethan was also prepared to use his skill if necessary.

Shuttering, Ethan remembered when, under the influence of the skill, he had killed Ren without a second thought, but at the same time, Ethan knew that without the skill, it was likely he could have died.

Finally, Ethan heard the sound of approaching footsteps; he returned to the hole and patiently waited for the players to open the doors.

The girl and blonde-haired boy from yesterday led the group. After seeing the girl fight, Ethan knew that he could likely beat her, but the blonde-haired boy's skill was unknown.

After a quick inspirational speech, the pair at the front opened the doors. 

While everyone was distracted by that scene, Ethan quietly jumped down from the hole and landed near the rear end of the group without anyone noticing.

Looking inside the doors, a massive tree-looing monster stood motionless in the middle of the room. Its trunk, several yards in diameter, was covered in a thick bark that resembled a twisted face. Vines and thorns covered its branches, adding to its menacing appearance. The branches at the top of the tree were long and twisted like they were to be used as claws.

[Image]

Everyone carefully entered the boss room, and instantly, the expression on the tree trunk changed as 2 golden eyes opened to look at us.