Chapter 356: Another Player
The flames of the destroyed Conservative Telmarian City continued rising high into the night sky.
Smoke covered the ruins while the screams of dying warriors gradually disappeared one after another.
Ethan walked slowly through the collapsing streets.
His clothes were soaked in blood.
Some belonged to enemies. Some belonged to himself.
The battle against Elder Varken had drained a tremendous amount of stamina, but Ethan still refused to stop moving.
The city behind him no longer mattered.
Its leader was dead. Its warriors had fallen.
And the faction responsible for Gor City's destruction had finally been crushed.
Yet Ethan felt no satisfaction. Only emptiness.
The cold wind blew across the ruined streets as Ethan stepped over corpses and burning debris.
Then—
A familiar light appeared in the distance. A teleportation gate.
"So there really is another floor above this…"
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
The gate stood near the northern edge of the destroyed city, hidden behind a massive ruined structure. Unlike the previous gates, this one emitted unstable energy, as if something powerful guarded it.
Ethan immediately sensed danger.
The next second—
ROOOOOAAAAARRRR!!
A monstrous roar shook the entire area.
The ground trembled violently.
Several ruined buildings collapsed as a gigantic creature emerged from beneath the rubble.
Ethan slowly lifted his gaze. A massive armored beast stood before him.
Its appearance resembled a lion, but its body was covered in black crystal armor while crimson flames flowed from the gaps between its scales. Two gigantic horns curved upward from its head.
Its pressure alone was overwhelming.
"So you're the gatekeeper…"
The monster roared again before charging toward Ethan.
BOOOOM!!
Its gigantic claws smashed through the streets violently. Ethan jumped backward instantly.
The creature moved far faster than its massive body suggested. Without hesitation, Ethan activated Crimson Slash.
SWOOOOSH!!
The crimson arc collided directly against the beast's crystal armor.
BOOOOM!!
The impact shook the surroundings violently—
—but the armor only cracked slightly.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Tough."
The monster attacked again immediately.
Its jaws opened wide before releasing a stream of crimson fire.
Ethan sprinted sideways while the flames destroyed everything behind him.
The heat alone melted nearby stone instantly.
Ethan rushed forward directly afterward.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Bloodblade Ashura collided repeatedly against the beast's armor.
Sparks exploded with every strike.
The monster roared furiously before swinging its gigantic tail.
CRASH!!
Ethan blocked the attack, but the impact still sent him flying through a ruined wall.
Dust scattered everywhere.
Ethan coughed slightly before standing again. His body hurt. But his eyes remained cold.
The beast charged once more. This time, Ethan waited calmly.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
The moment the monster opened its jaws to bite him—
Ethan disappeared from sight.
SWOOSH!
He instantly appeared beside the creature's neck.
"Crimson Slash."
BOOOOOOOM!!
The crimson attack exploded directly into the cracked area of the beast's armor.
The crystal plating shattered violently. Dark blood erupted outward.
The monster screamed painfully. Ethan immediately followed with continuous attacks.
SLASH!
Bloodblade Ashura repeatedly tore deeper into the creature's neck.
Finally—
With one final swing—
CRACK!!
The beast's head separated from its body completely. Its gigantic corpse collapsed heavily onto the ruined streets.
Silence returned once more. Ethan exhaled slowly while staring at the glowing teleportation gate nearby.
"…Done."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and entered the gate.
The scenery distorted instantly. Several moments later, Ethan arrived on the next floor.
Cold wind brushed against his face again. But unlike the previous floors, this place looked strangely peaceful.
Green plains stretched endlessly beneath a bright blue sky. Mountains stood in the distance while rivers flowed quietly through the grasslands.
Ethan frowned slightly.
"This place…"
It did not feel like a dungeon floor at all.
Then suddenly—
"Hey!"
Ethan immediately turned toward the voice. Several people were approaching him from across the plains.
Humans. Real humans.
There were four of them.
A tall swordsman carrying a silver greatsword.
A red-haired female archer.
A mage wearing blue robes.
And a spear user with heavy armor.
All of them looked surprised after seeing Ethan appear from the teleportation gate.
The swordsman raised his hand cautiously.
"You came from Floor 53 too?"
Ethan remained silent briefly before nodding.
The group exchanged shocked glances.
"No way…"
"You cleared the lower floors alone?"
The female archer stared at Ethan's blood-covered appearance.
"You look like you fought an entire army."
"I did."
The group fell silent instantly.
The swordsman then stepped forward slowly.
"My name is Kael."
He pointed toward the others.
"That's Serena, Milo, and Gareth."
Ethan observed them quietly. Unlike the Telmarians, these people carried no hostility toward him.
"You're players?" Ethan asked.
Kael nodded.
"We've been trapped climbing these floors for weeks."
Serena crossed her arms.
"Most people die before even reaching Floor 50."
Milo suddenly looked at Ethan carefully.
"Wait… are you the guy who destroyed the Telmarian City?"
Ethan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How do you know that?"
"We saw the flames from another area," Gareth answered.
"The entire sky turned red."
Kael let out a small laugh.
"Honestly, we thought a war had started."
Ethan remained silent. The group exchanged looks again before Kael finally spoke.
"Well… since all of us are heading upward anyway…"
"You want to travel together?"
Ethan frowned slightly. He had spent so long fighting alone that the idea itself felt unfamiliar.
Serena shrugged.
"You're ridiculously strong."
"And this floor gets worse the higher you go."
Milo nodded quickly.
"There are elite monsters ahead. Fighting together increases survival chances."
Ethan looked toward the distant mountains quietly. Traveling alone was possible.
But exhausting. And these players clearly understood the upper floors better than he did.
"…Fine," Ethan answered finally.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Good."
For the first time in a long while, Ethan walked alongside other people instead of fighting alone.
The group traveled across the plains together throughout the day. Along the way, Ethan learned more about the upper floors.
There were hidden zones. Elite bosses. Dungeon factions.
And terrifying monsters capable of wiping out entire player parties.
By evening, the group encountered their first major battle together.
A pack of gigantic wolf monsters emerged from the forest ahead.
"There's twelve of them!" Serena shouted.
Kael immediately drew his greatsword.
"Formation!"
The battle erupted instantly. Unlike Ethan's usual solitary fights, this battle felt coordinated.
Serena fired arrows rapidly from the rear. Milo used ice magic to slow the monsters.
Gareth defended the front line with his spear. Meanwhile, Ethan moved like a killing machine among them.
SLASH!
One wolf monster lost its head instantly.
Another attempted attacking Serena from behind—
—but Ethan intercepted it immediately.
Three monsters were torn apart simultaneously. The group stared briefly in shock before continuing the battle.
Several minutes later, the final wolf monster collapsed onto the grass. Kael let out a long breath.
"…Yeah."
"You're definitely stronger than normal players."
Ethan ignored the compliment while cleaning blood from Bloodblade Ashura.
Night eventually arrived as they continued traveling together.
And finally—
Near midnight—
The group reached another teleportation gate hidden between the mountains.
A bright pillar of light rose into the sky. Kael smiled slightly.
"We found the next floor."
The group stepped toward the gate together.
And moments later—
They disappeared into the light, ascending toward the next unknown floor above.