CHAPTER 57: [ GIANT TREE ]

Crossing the entrance to the boss’s room felt surreal.

The air instantly changed, it felt thicker and hotter. It was humid, as if he was in the middle of a jungle with that natural damp smell.

The doors slowly closed behind them, leaving them no choice but to face what was ahead.

He could feel his blurry vision slowly getting better thanks to the potion given to him by Brak.

Slowly, he broke away from Fae, standing on his own with the help of his staff.

She stood there, watching him.

He couldn’t tell what exactly she thought at that moment, but if he had to guess, it would’ve been concern.

His gaze went toward his surroundings, nothing jumped out.

Besides the large tree in the middle.

The walls had similar tiles as the previous room, but they were mostly broken. Branches extended to all sides, the upper walls completely ruined.

He couldn’t see the ceiling at all, a thick layer of leaves completely hid it.

What he stood on wasn’t the ground, but a root that elevated the floor with it.

The tree trunk was large, taking 20% of the room away right in the middle. He couldn’t tell what was on the other side, but his best guess was the boss.

Alexander glanced at Fae who was still looking at him.

His cold gaze back to the tree.

He took a step forward, his world turning upside down.

This time, there was nobody to catch him.

His body hit the floor, the staff right by his side.

His head was still scorching, whispers in the back of his mind that sounded like the wind whistling.

Distant reminders of what it was he invoked at each cast of a spell.

He rolled on the ground and ended on his back, his eyes set on leaves that almost looked like clouds.

He slid a hand beneath his shirt. He could feel the heat of the mark and his own heartbeat.

It was fast.

He turned his head toward Fae.

"Help me."

He then extended his arm toward her, yet no movements on her part.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, realizing he would get nowhere.

His cold expression softened.

She walked right in front of him, standing near his head with her back turned to him.

Her hands rested on the hilt of her swords, standing still.

She wants to give me time to rest.

No boss had shown up so far.

It felt like a peaceful room, too peaceful even.

No spriggan had made its appearance, hurling spells his way.

He half-expected the tree to start moving, its branches sweeping the room like whips.

But nothing.

If the boss was in fact on the other side of the tree, then maybe it hadn’t seen them yet.

"Alright. We take a short rest—until the boss shows up."

Fae nodded, still looking away for any signs of danger.

The potion was working, its full healing effect would take extremely long to completely finish healing him but he didn’t need its full effect.

All he needed is to be able to stand up. That, and for his headache to go away.

The incessant sound that echoed in his mind, faint and distant yet persistently grabbing his attention.

He closed his eyes, if it went away by the time the boss arrived, then it would be worth it.

—

His consciousness sprung awake, Alexander sitting upright the moment it did.

It took him a minute to realize where he was, as he glanced left and right.

He turned around, finding Fae exactly where he left her.

She was now sitting on her knees, her swords carefully laid on both her sides ready to be pulled out of their sheaths.

"How long?..."

He sat and crossed his legs, Fae turning around to the sound of his voice.

A few things had changed.

His vision wasn’t blurry anymore, and his head didn’t feel like it was imploding anymore.

The mark, however, was still brightly hot.

It was painful, but nowhere near what it was before.

If the potion had this much effect, then it has to have been a few hours, thought Alexander.

He felt better, and with that came a feeling of relief. One that quickly faded with the faintest recall of his wrecked room.

He had almost forgotten.

He was a threat.

Alexander got up, his expression cold once more, his eyebrows in a constant frown as he scanned the room.

He couldn’t see the boss anywhere, nothing had changed from the moment he set a single foot in.

Remembering he still hadn’t checked, he opened his profile.

[ Level : 25 ]

25? Not too bad.

Dungeons aren’t meant to be completed alone—but here I am— and I’m definitely getting more experience from completing them. Level 25 shouldn’t be achievable in less than a week.

Powerleveling, a concept that existed in video-games was also something that existed for dungeon runners.

A high-level group would invite a low-level dungeon runner for a high-tier dungeon run. Some D and C tier guilds were known to solely focus on powerleveling, making a fair amount of money from it.

A lot of rich dungeon runners skipped the early levels grind by paying a hefty sum, essentially getting a jump-start for their new career.

Trying to trap him with a higher tier dungeon turned out to be the best experience boost he could’ve had—and now, he could easily go through them alone.

Alexander walked toward the tree, Fae by his side.

"I’m still weak, but it doesn’t matter. Even if I have no energy left in my body, stats aren’t a resource that depletes with my exhaustion. Once we locate the boss, I’ll use sacrifice and share [ Witness of All Paths ]."

Fae nodded, her grip tightening on her sword.

They were nearing the base of the tree, slowly walking around it yet unable to find the boss.

The anticipation was palpable, but they soon realized they were back to facing the entrance after a full revolution.

Alexander frowned and exhaled.

"What? Where..."

He looked at the tree itself, its large trunk right next to him.

He touched it with the tip of his staff.

A loud whooshing sound made him instantly look up.

Every single leaf instantly combusted, the tree that was once a testament to nature was now ablaze, the ceiling seemingly on fire.

Alexander grabbed his staff with both hands, instantly casting [ Witness of All Paths ].

"There," he said, as the world shifted before his eyes once more.