Ren returned to Zumfut, the main settlement of the third floor, where faint, rare sunlight spilled across weathered wooden signs, and the sound of scattered footsteps echoed against damp, hardened planks stretched across the massive trunks of towering Baobab trees.
He had completed nearly all the work for the Dark Elf faction; what remained were just a few trivial errands.
Those tasks, though rewarding with a decent amount of money, experience, and the occasional decent piece of equipment, felt meaningless after a day of nonstop fighting without a single moment's rest. Ren's body felt like it was on the verge of falling apart.
Especially when the road back meant passing through the dense fog-covered forest, where even the slightest mistake could cost a life.
Moreover, he knew those basic quests would do nothing more to improve his standing with the Dark Elves.
The affinity cap had already been reached, doing more would only waste energy for no gain.
As soon as he set foot in the settlement, Ren didn't think twice and rented a bath at Zumfut's largest inn.
When the hot steam rose and filled the room, he sank into the wooden tub, the gentle slosh of water wrapping around him as if washing away the tension that had built up over the past few days.
Warm water seeped through every taut muscle, scrubbing away the grime that clung to his skin after endless battles.
"Finally… a bath." Ren closed his eyes, letting the heat seep through every strand of his hair.
As his body slowly loosened, he opened the system interface, a motion he hadn't done properly in what felt like ages.
The familiar status window appeared before him, pale blue light reflecting in his tired eyes:
[Name: Ren]
Level: 12 (2200 / 4150 EXP)
HP: 1,200 / 1,425
STR (Strength): 28 (+14)
VIT (Vitality): 31
AGI (Agility): 35 (+10)
[Free Stat Points: 3]
Ren blinked and pushed himself up slightly, sending ripples across the water. "When did I hit Level 12…?"
He hadn't realized just how much EXP he had accumulated, the progress bar was already more than halfway filled.
Maybe the Elf quest chain rewards exceeded expectations, or perhaps the linear nature of the quests caused each branch to stack up with a compounded multiplier.
Or maybe, Ren thought, the fights against Forest Elves and especially Fallen Elves, foes from higher floors, had granted far more experience than ordinary monsters.
His gaze dropped to his HP stat.
Over than one thousand four hundred. A number he'd never imagined reaching this fast.
His base HP used to hover around eight hundred, but thanks to his new armor adding six hundred more, the figure had skyrocketed insanely high.
Defense had risen so much that physical mobs on this floor could hardly pierce through his armor.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips, pride flashing briefly before vanishing beneath the familiar layer of calculation. "This gear is a turning point. But… it's still not enough. With three free points left, where should I put them…?"
Ren tilted his head, blue light from the status panel glimmering across his serious face, mirrored in eyes deep in thought.
Beyond stat distribution, his mind drifted toward the floor boss, the one waiting behind those massive steel doors for the raiding party today.
Steam still curled upward, but something heavy pressed in his chest. Not fatigue, not fear.
Just a flicker of unease, like an ember glowing faintly in darkness. Still, Ren couldn't stop thinking about Kirito, Asuna, and the raid group preparing to face the boss even now.
He rested his head against the wooden window frame, letting the chill from outside slip through the cracks and kiss his cheek.
Beyond, the wind howled across dizzying heights, screeching like snapped strings echoing in the endless void.
Ren closed his eyes briefly, letting the wind swallow his thoughts… then chuckled softly, a sound equal parts bitter and relieved.
With their current strength and levels, nothing bad would happen. After the disaster on Floor Two...when the vanguard team nearly got wiped due to carelessness, they had grown wiser, more cautious by far.
And yet, the more he recalled, the more absurd it felt. When the first rumors spread, he had dismissed them as a bad joke to scare newbies.
Until Kirito and Asuna confirmed it, and the story became terrifyingly real. Who would've imagined the colossal monster they battled for hours, the one everyone assumed was the final boss, turned out to be just… a minion of the real one?
And what the hell gave a giant bull the ability to fire energy beams from its horns? Just remembering it sent shivers mixed with incredulous laughter down his spine. This world… never runs out of cruel jokes.
'I wonder how Yuna and Nautilus are doing now.' Ren's gaze drifted to the steaming water, fingers absently tracing the dark grain of the wooden tub.
He should've asked Lind when he had the chance… but during the Forest Elf raid, he never saw a trace of them.
That thought dragged another chain of faces into his mind: Klein… and the old friends.
Where were they now? Still alive? Or gone from the game forever? Aincrad was so vast that a single separation could mean a permanent goodbye.
Time slipped by quietly, like a silent river carrying away every thought. Ren let himself be carried along, unaware of how long he'd been lost in that haze, until a dry, mechanical chime rang out, the cold system alert reminding him his bath time had expired.
Ren jolted awake, tearing free from his daydream, and drew in a deep breath. Damp strands of hair clung to his neck, sending a sharp chill down his spine....but that cold also dragged him back to reality.
Outside the window, the darkness had retreated, giving way to the pale gray light of dawn. The system display read: December 21st. A new day, another turn in this colossal steel labyrinth.
His thoughts briefly wandered to the frontliners, Kirito, Asuna, and the others. Given the circumstances, they'd likely postpone the assault.
No one wanted to march into hell when both body and mind weren't at their best. Ren exhaled softly, a strange mixture of relief and distance washing over him.
.....
And… everything unfolded exactly as Ren predicted. At 13:12 on December 21st, a thunderous system-wide announcement shook the air: [Nerius, the Evil Treant] the Floor 3 Boss had been defeated.
The news spread like wildfire, and within minutes, it became the talk of every virtual street corner.
Part of the frontliners returned, exhausted yet brimming with exhilaration. The rest didn't stop to rest, they marched straight toward the stairway to the fourth floor to activate the teleport gate.
It would take at least thirty minutes to climb the massive staircase, and hours more to cross the new territory before reaching the main settlement.
Luckily, they had a rough map from the Beta testers; without it, navigating the monster-infested labyrinth could have dragged on until nightfall.
But that was the frontliners' story. Down in the third-floor settlement, the atmosphere erupted.
The bustling streets turned into a festival. Cheers and laughter rippled through every plaza.
Players dropped everything casting aside the grinding fatigue of endless days, just to celebrate victory together.
They embraced, high-fived, and raised virtual mugs of ale in the inns, as if they'd just reclaimed a piece of their freedom.
The whole town blazed with color...everything, anything that could light up the air, thanks to the sparkling bursts of firework effects sold in item shops.
For many, this wasn't just a battle won. It was proof, they could still move forward. There was still hope of escaping this world.
Ren let himself melt into the celebrating crowd. Cheers thundered across the square as cascades of digital fireworks bloomed against the pale gray sky of the third floor.
He hadn't landed the final blow on the Boss, but he could still feel the wave of relief surging through the air, like a warm tide washing away weeks of tension.
The teleport gate to the fourth floor would activate… but not yet. Thirty minutes to climb the stairs, hours to scout the path and secure the frontliners' safety.
Which meant for those staying behind, it would still be a long while before this victory turned into a real opportunity.
"So… how do I kill time?" Ren wondered silently.
He mingled with the merry crowd, listening to laughter and exaggerated tales of the day's battles.
Someone shoved a mug of virtual ale into his hand, but Ren quickly swapped it for juice or something similar. He raised it for the toast, took a token sip.
Moments later, his eyelids began to droop. The endless days of quest grinding, the hours of hunting monsters in fog-choked forests, all of it crashed down on him at once. The jubilation around him wasn't enough to keep him awake.
Ren set the juice down on the wooden table and let out a quiet sigh. "I'm so tired…"
He slipped away from the group, letting the music and laughter fade into the distance.
Climbing up to his small rented room, Ren let himself collapse onto the bed, eyes closing. In that instant, the triumph outside seemed to dissolve into silence.
Only slow breaths and a dim haze of darkness remained, until sleep descended, heavy as stone.
Ren slept straight through until late afternoon. When his eyes opened, the gentle light of evening filtered through the window, carrying an oddly tranquil stillness.
The noise and revelry had faded, though faint echoes of joy and hope still lingered in the air.
Barely two hours of rest, yet it felt like a full recovery. He sat up, inhaled deeply, and then sprang to his feet without hesitation.
Without wasting a second, Ren dashed down the spiral staircase, its curved wooden planks hugging the massive Baobab trunk, the very pillar of this settlement.
Halfway down, a shout rang out from the plaza below: "The teleport gate's open!"
Ren's heart gave a sharp jolt. Without a thought, he sprinted down the remaining steps, plunging into the stream of players surging toward the square.
Brilliant blue light blazed from the teleport gate, painting every face with pure joy and release.
Without stopping, Ren strode into the glow, letting the light swallow him whole.