Once the third floor opened, a large number of players quickly poured in. Most of them were just there to take a look, lingering in the main city of Zumfut. Very few dared venture into the wilderness—at their current levels, facing monsters that averaged level 14 or higher was still pushing it.
Quite a few players also teleported in right away hoping to find out who the boss raider was. To their disappointment, they found no one. Even the assault teams that went to investigate the labyrinth failed to discover any traces of guild activity, and could only begrudgingly accept the situation.
As for guild-based groups, many of them arrived as well. They seemed to be holding back a breath of determination, intent on clearing this floor's boss themselves. Under their guild leaders' command, they quickly headed out into the wilderness to grind levels.
---
At the same time, deep in the forest wilderness of the third floor, Lillian and Argo stood together.
"Help me sell this."
Lillian handed her the [Lightweight Barrier], the shield dropped by the male elf. After checking its stats, Argo glanced at him in surprise.
"A good-quality one-handed shield with damage reduction—this is valuable stuff."
"Yeah, but I don't like using shields. And even if I did, I wouldn't use a small one like this."
"…You're really picky."
Argo put the shield into her backpack. "Just wait—your big sister here will definitely get you a good price."
"Big sister?" Lillian looked at her with mild disbelief. "You really know how to elevate your own status."
"Tch. Don't let my height fool you—if we're talking age—"
She suddenly stopped, blinked, and said, "Asking a girl her age is very rude, you know."
…Did I even ask?
Lillian didn't dwell on it. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Oh right, keep an eye out for greatswords for me. I want to buy a backup."
"Got it."
The two fell silent for a while before Argo suddenly asked, "How did you do it?"
Lillian knew she was referring to soloing the boss, so he answered plainly, "I just fought it head-on. What else could I do? Dodge its attacks and keep hitting it until it dies."
Argo gave him a 'are you messing with me?' look. "That's like saying the way to put an elephant into a refrigerator is to open the door, put the elephant in, and close the door!"
"..."
"Forget it. Big sister won't ask anymore." Knowing that everyone had their own secrets, she didn't press further. Pulling up the hood of her cloak to cover her golden-brown curls, she continued, "I'll head out now. Oh—and you'd better not tell anyone about you clearing the boss… you know why."
"Yeah. I'm not interested in inviting trouble."
After parting ways with Argo, Lillian checked his current status.
Almost all of his stat points had been invested into Strength, giving him exceptionally high attack power. On top of that, after completing the first stage of the Emerald Secret Key questline, the commander had rewarded him with a good-quality lower-body armor piece.
In terms of overall gear, he was already among the top-tier players. Still, his focus wasn't on comparing himself to others—it was on progression.
It was only the first day since the third floor had opened, yet he was already thinking about challenging this floor's boss. With his current level, attack power wouldn't be an issue—but still, it would be better to finish this quest first.
If the quest rewarded him with a good weapon, he planned to replace his current refined-steel greatsword. Even though its stats were strong, what he sought was higher—more extreme attack power.
Back in the main district, Lillian went to an NPC-run potion shop and bought several anti-poison potions. With his current wealth, he no longer bought items one bottle at a time—he bought them in stacks. Twenty bottles in one go.
The reason was simple: aside from when he slept, he kept the anti-poison buff active at all times. His identity was too sensitive now. Beyond monster threats, threats from other players were just as real.
Who knew whether someone might ambush him in the wild with a poisoned weapon? Even if he believed he wouldn't get hit, there was always the chance of an accident. To eliminate even that slim possibility, he simply drank a potion every hour to keep the buff active. It gave him peace of mind.
After finishing his purchases, he headed straight for the Dark Elf camp.
Holding the rune-engraved stone Kizmel had given him the day before, he stepped into the forest fog. The stone immediately emitted a faint glow, guiding him into the camp.
The Dark Elf guard at the entrance didn't stop him, merely nodding in acknowledgment. Lillian returned the gesture and entered the camp. Not seeing Kizmel anywhere, he asked a patrolling Dark Elf for directions. She pointed toward the rear of the camp without saying a word.
Following the direction she indicated, Lillian arrived at a barren stretch of dark, grassless land. Kizmel stood at its center, head lowered, seemingly staring at something.
Tap, tap…
Hearing footsteps, she turned around, her expression subdued.
"Lillian… you're back."
"Yeah."
As he approached, Lillian noticed a gravestone before her. The name 'Tilnel' was engraved upon it.
"She was my twin sister," Kizmel said quietly. "Last month, during the battles after we arrived on this floor, she lost her life."
"…My condolences."
"She wasn't a combatant," Kizmel continued. "She was an apothecary, responsible for treating the wounded. But the rear unit she was assigned to was ambushed by Forest Elf eagle-riders."
Lillian didn't know what to say. Even though he understood this was part of a storyline, he could still feel the sorrow and grief radiating from Kizmel's faintly trembling body.
"…Yesterday, when we set out to reclaim the secret key, I was already prepared to die. Perhaps I even welcomed that outcome. If nothing unexpected had happened, our battle would have ended with both sides annihilating each other. But then you appeared. Maybe… that was fate."
Lillian remained silent. In truth, he was thinking about what might have happened if he had chosen the Forest Elves instead. If he had helped them kill Kizmel, would there have been a similar tragic story on their side?
Something like… 'My lover was killed in a Dark Elf ambush…'?
He didn't know.
He couldn't tell who the villain was—if there even was one. Perhaps neither side was truly evil, only clashing over differing beliefs. He leaned toward that conclusion. After all, most players saw themselves as belonging to a "lawful good" alignment. If they chose to help someone, only to later discover that faction was truly evil… even in a virtual story, that wouldn't sit well.
In the end, the line between villain and hero was far more blurred than it first appeared.
"No matter what, thank you. I owe you my life."
Kizmel's dark eyes shimmered faintly as she looked at Lillian with sincere intensity.
"Until the day our paths diverge, I will protect you."