Ahrie tightened the last strip of cloth around his arm, hissing through his teeth. "That'll…do."
Then a UI flickered back into view.
[ Boss in slumber…has opened its eyes.]
His face went pale.
"...The what opens its eyes?"
The ground trembled.
Dust fell from above.
A massive Tree Imp crawled out, over seven feet tall.
Longer claws. Sharper teeth.
Ahrie's eyes followed it up as it rose.
He tilted his head, forced a crooked grin.
"...Yup. I'm cooked."
He took one careful step back.
Then another.
"Maybe if I just…" he tried easing sideways, as if sneaking past a sleeping dog.
The Huge Imp screeched.
Wind blasted out, Ahrie steadied himself, digging his boots in.
Ent #314159 shoved another handful of snacks in his mouth, eyes locked on the screen.
"...Now this…this is gonna be good."
The Huge Tree Imp rushed him head-on.
Ahrie leapt back—once, twice, three times…claws tearing air inches from his face.
His wounds tore open again.
"Tch!" His lips curled, pissed.
Ahrie lunged, rapier diving straight in.
His thrust landed, but the wood just rang—
Clang
Not even a scratch.
Ahrie blinked, then grinned.
"Tough bastard."
The Huge Imp tore into him with a wild barrage.
Ahrie ducked, twisted, slid back—still, claws raked his skin.
He threw up his blade to block, but every hit rattled his bones. Too damn strong.
On the other side of the screen, his Ent panicked.
If Ahrie died here, so would he.
"Dohn't diee, bashtard…! I—I haven'... mghhm… fin'hed eatin' yet—!"
He yelled with his mouth full, shoving snacks down in a frenzy.
The Huge Imp's arms began to twist—bark splitting, vines writhing, wood grinding against itself.
One arm sharpened, stretching into a long, jagged pike. The other unraveled, snapping into a whip of roots and thorny spikes.
It lunged.
The pike-hand shot straight for Ahrie's chest.
He swayed aside… barely dodging.
But the whip was already hissing through the air toward his face.
With no other choice, he threw up his arm and tried to block it.
SMACK
The whip smashed into him.
Ahrie's body snapped back…flung across the ground, rolling and skidding through dirt.
He spat blood, wiped his mouth with the back of his good hand.
He staggered up—arms dangled useless, broken from the blow.
Every breath stung.
He steadied himself, Eyes darted, scanning the ruins around him.
Nothing. No cover. No advantage.
Then—an idea pops up.
He bit down on his rapier, the steel clamped between his teeth.
Drew his pistol with his working hand, aiming straight at the Huge Imp.
With his shattered arm, he lifted a trembling middle finger.
A grin split his bloodied face.
"---Tha' all you goh… you ugly fugg?"
The Huge Imp let out a scream that rattled the air.
Bang–Bang–Bang–Bang
Ahrie's pistol roared, rounds slamming into bark. Arms, chest, head—nothing pierced deep enough. Only the eyes stayed unscarred.
He spat the rapier from his teeth, caught it in his hand, and broke into a sprint.
The Imp's whip-arm snapped down—he ducked, rolled, came up fast.
He drove the rapier straight through its eye.
The Monster shrieked, staggering back, clawing at its face.
Ahrie ripped his hand free, leaving the blade buried.
His voice came ragged.
"What's the tantrum for… Hungry? …Here, eat this."
He shoved the grenades into its mouth and broke into a sprint.
Hit the dirt, rolled, arms over his head.
BOOOOM!
The blast tore the air apart, fire and bark raining down.
On the other side of the screen, Ent #314159 froze mid-bite.
He shut his eyes, lifted his fist slowly into the air.
"Wheew…bastard almost gave me a heart attack."
The UI pops up in Ahrie's vision.
[ TRIAL COMPLETED ]
The Huge Imp's massive frame shuddered, bark-skin cracking, limbs wilting like a rotting tree. From the husk, something clinked against the dirt—a coin, faintly glowing.
Ahrie crouched, picked it up, turned it in his fingers.
"...The hell's this supposed to be?"
He shrugged, pocketed it.
The ground rumbled.
Cracks split along the walls, stone groaning as a staircase carved itself upward, endless, towering into the dark.
Ahrie dragged a hand across his forehead, sweat and grime smearing.
"...Seriously? Stairs? No elevator? No escalator? But can travel to different worlds?."
He sighed, muttered curses under his breath, and started climbing.
An hour of climbing. His legs ached, but he finally stepped through—
A gate.
"So this is… Floor 1…" he muttered.
Grassland stretched as far as he could see, wind rolling soft across it. It didn't feel like Earth.
Ahrie turned, froze.
Someone stood there. A girl—at least, she looked human.
"Oh. Hi. Welcome," she said gently, voice almost too calm. "You're the first one out… mind waiting for the others?"
"Uh… yeaa. Sure," Ahrie answered, eyes narrowing.
At first glance she was ordinary. But the longer he looked, the more it itched.
Her skin pale, eyes dark green like moss—and the thing on her head… a sprout.
She didn't even look at him, just stared at the gate.
Ahrie sank into the grass, arms dropping to his sides. The view was wide, endless. For a moment he let himself breathe it in. then raised a hand, muttering low—
"Uh, can I ask—"
"All questions will be answered once the others arrive." She cut him off without turning, lips curved into a polite smile.
His hand dropped. His face flattened.
"...Right. Cool."
Minutes passed.
More people stumbled through the gate.
Scratched up, bleeding, some missing pieces of themselves. Their faces told it all.
This place was worse than Earth. Way worse. A few cried quietly, others just stared hollow, traumatized.
Ahrie lay flat in the grass, staring at the sky like none of it mattered.
"YOOO! You survived, fucker!"
He didn't bother turning his head. He knew that voice.
"Sup, Daiki," he muttered.
Daiki dropped down beside him with a groan.
"Arghh, damn, my back's killing me."
Ahrie chuckled under his breath. "Be thankful you still have your back, idiot."
"Screw you," Daiki shot back, then smirked. "I wonder when Naoya's showing up."
"Guy's taking his sweet time." Ahrie replied.
"Yeah…" Daiki tilted his head, squinting at the sky. "Oh look. A bird."
Ahrie shifted his eyes up. "Cool."
"Wait—hold up. Why's it getting… bigger?" Daiki said, voice tight.
"...Hell no."
Both of them bolted upright.
The "bird" came down screaming, cutting through the sky like a blade.
When it hit the ground, it shook.
Fifty feet tall, claws the size of a motorcycle, eyes sharp and hungry.
The crowd broke. Screams. Panic. They'd barely survived the Tree Imps, and now this.
Ahrie grinned.
"Think we can eat that thing?"
Daiki gawked. "Are you out of your damn mind?"
"We can't finish it all without Naoya," Daiki added.
That did it. Daiki snorted first, then Ahrie followed. Both of them broke down, laughing like idiots who'd forgotten they almost died.
The bird screamed again, shaking the weak-hearted into silence.
Then she moved.
Calm. unhurried.
She stepped forward, smiling softly as ever.
"Sorry to disturb your hunt… they're not ready yet so.. Comeback later, okay?"
She placed one hand on its talon.
The giant bird spun like a ragdoll.
The massive bird went flying, launched like trash, vanishing into the horizon.
The crowd froze.
"Woaa…" Ahrie and Daiki said in sync, clapping.
Both of them held up sheets that read 10.
Ahrie muttered, "Damn… I was still naming that thing."
Daiki tilted his head. "What name?"
Ahrie grinned. "Dinner."
They both laughed.
Ahrie shook his head. "Guess we're not eating bird tonight."
Daiki clicked his tongue. "Yeah. She yeeted dinner."