[Floor 4 , Floor Depth: 430 Meters]
The cold air sank into their bones like a curse. They stood at the edge of the fourth descent, staring into a corrupted paradise — a grove where nature had withered and died screaming.
The archway leading in was choked with ivy-black thorns, pulsing faintly with sickly green light. A low hum resonated from beneath the soil, like the forest itself was whispering warnings.
THUMP. THUMP.
The ground had a heartbeat.
Noah stepped forward, Azure Blue Flame crackling softly along the edge of his sword. His breath turned white in the air.
"Ready?" he asked, voice low.
Layla twirled her scythe, the blade whistling through the fog. "I was born ready, love," she said, her amber eyes glowing with delight.
Lyra held her lance upright, ice crystallizing at its tip. "We finish this floor."
Scarlett summoned her Shadow Wolf, its eyes gleaming violet in the darkness. "We fight. Together."
They stepped into the Hollow Grove of Despair.
Dead trees loomed overhead, twisted and skeletal, their branches stretched like claws. The sky above—if it was sky at all—shimmered with a rotting green hue. Thorned vines slithered across the ground, moving when no one looked.
"CAW!"
A shriek from above.
From the canopy descended a cloud of winged horrors — featherless birds with three eyes and venom dripping from their beaks.
Monster Type: Blight Crows.
Fast. Coordinated. Poison-infused. Weak defense.
"Back-to-back!" Noah shouted.
"Eclipse Blade Art: Gale Dance!"
He spun, wind erupting around him in a furious arc. SHING! SHING! The crows were sliced mid-air, their bodies evaporating into black mist.
Layla grinned, stepping forward.
"Wraith's Scythe Art: Second Form – Dark Spiral!"
Her scythe spun like a vortex, sending out cursed waves. The energy screeched, distorting the air, shredding crows into bits of feather and goo.
"You okay?" she called sweetly to Noah. "Still breathing?"
"Barely," he muttered, ducking under a diving crow.
Lyra raised her lance. "Frozen Spear Art: Second Form – Frozen Shroud!"
A barrier of shimmering ice spiraled around her, catching the birds mid-flight. CRACK! CRACK! They shattered like glass.
"Take them down!" Lyra commanded.
"Blizzard's Wrath!"
A storm of snow and wind howled from her spear. Dozens of birds were encased mid-flight, plummeting like crystal rain.
Scarlett leapt into the air, her daggers glowing with wind.
"Phantom Dagger Art: First Form – Silent Gale!"
She spun, blades whistling. Three crows exploded in sprays of blood and venom.
The air stank of rot. Still, they pressed forward.
Twelve minutes passed.
The air grew heavier. The path ahead split into a field of statues — decaying stone warriors, faces cracked, vines growing from their mouths.
Noah narrowed his eyes. "Stay alert."
Too late.
CRACK.
One of the statues moved. Then another.
Their stone peeled away, revealing fused limbs of bone and decaying muscle beneath.
Monster Type: Flesh Gorgers.
Massive. Regenerative. Brutal.
One let out a deep guttural roar and charged.
BOOM!
Noah lunged.
"Inferno!"
His palm slammed into the ground, and fire erupted in a spinning vortex. One of the beasts was instantly engulfed. Its screech was a hideous blend of animal and man.
But when the smoke cleared—it was still moving.
"No regeneration this time," Noah growled.
Layla flashed beside him.
"Soul Drain!"
Her scythe impaled the creature's chest, and dark light surged through its veins. The monster howled, body convulsing as its life force drained away.
Scarlett darted past them.
"Shadow Dance!"
She blurred into darkness, reappearing behind the second Gorgers.
"Eclipse Spin!"
Spinning mid-air, she carved her daggers in a deadly arc. Slash! Slash! Slash! Limbs flew off in chunks. The monster crashed backward, twitching.
Lyra raised her hand.
"Deep Freeze!"
Spikes of ice burst from the ground, skewering a Gorgers before it could regenerate. Then she tossed her lance—
"Glacial Strike!"
It pierced the creature's skull with a wet crunch. Ice spread from the impact, encasing its head in a frozen tomb.
Twenty-five minutes passed.
Their breathing was ragged. Layla wiped blood from her cheek. "Tired yet?"
Scarlett panted. "Not even close."
A whisper came from the trees.
"Don't look…"
Lyra froze. "New threat."
Figures emerged from the shadows—tall, spectral, feminine. Their eyes glowed a ghostly green. Vines floated around them, crackling with dark mana.
Monster Type: Hollow Dryads.
Illusion casters. Possession magic. Extremely fast.
"Eyes down!" Noah barked.
But one had already floated toward him.
"Piercing Thorns!"
Vines lashed out. Noah raised his blade—
"Radiant Nova!"
A golden pulse burst from his sword, blinding the dryads. The vines turned to ash mid-air.
Layla vanished.
"Shadow Bind!"
Chains of darkness locked one dryad mid-air.
Then she appeared behind it.
"Reaper's Slash!"
A clean strike across the back — the spirit screamed, her form unraveling like smoke in wind.
Scarlett used the momentum.
"Wind Storm!"
She hurled a dagger that split into five mid-flight, cutting through another dryad's chest. It shrieked and burst into shadow petals.
Lyra stabbed forward.
"Frost Lance!"
A cold spear struck the last dryad, freezing her in place. Then—
"Chill of the North!"
The air around her dropped sharply. Frost spread, cracking her apart until nothing remained but icy dust.
One hour passed.
They stood among corpses, smoke, and broken stone. Breathless.
Then—quiet.
In the middle of the grove, a faint light glowed.
A Rest Altar.
Partially cleansed. Vines writhed around it but dared not touch.
Noah touched the altar.
Warmth spread through his limbs. Their wounds healed. Their hearts steadied.
Scarlett leaned against his shoulder. "We're getting closer."
Layla sat cross-legged across from him, smiling faintly. "I'll protect you… until the very end."
Lyra closed her eyes, hands resting on her lance. "It only gets darker from here."
But they weren't afraid.
Because together—they were stronger than despair.
-to be continued....