The spiral ascent through the massive stone stairways brought us to an environmental transition that once again challenged our biological senses. As we took the final step beyond the last runic stair, the hot and dry air we had felt during the climb suddenly expanded, being replaced by the intense aroma of wet soil, pine sap, and decomposing leaves. We were no longer locked inside a gray stone hall or beside a freezing underground lake. Before us, beneath an illusory sky-blue sky where false clouds floated, propelled by currents of mystical wind, stretched an immense forest of gigantic trees whose canopies rose more than fifty meters high.
Rivers of crystal-clear water cut through the rugged terrain of artificial rocky mountains, creating a complete ecosystem that perfectly imitated the temperate forests of the continent.
"The scale of spatial distortion on this level is frightening," Liriel commented, crouching down to touch the fresh green grass beneath our boots. She rubbed a leaf between her fingers, analyzing its biological composition with an attentive gaze. "Everything here feels incredibly real to the touch, Takumi. If I didn't know we were inside a stone tower in the Isolated Lands, I would swear we had been teleported to the untouched valleys of the elven lands in the south."
"It is an illusion on a divine scale," I observed, looking at the artificial sky where a simulated sun shone without emitting excessive heat, only providing the necessary light for the photosynthesis of the vegetation cultivated by the Demon King's mana. "The purpose of this floor is to wear us down physically. A forest of these proportions requires much more walking effort and attention against ambushes than the stone rooms of the previous levels. It is a classic endurance test."
Liriel's assistant consulted her notes, confirming that the mystical pressure of the floor was subtly attempting to absorb our vital energy to sustain the trees and artificial wildlife. "The drain rate is stable, but continuous walking under this climate will increase the consumption of our biological reserves. We must move with mathematical precision to avoid unnecessary detours."
We began our exploration of the third floor while maintaining the reinforced safety formation. Rai'kanna led the advance at the vanguard, moving extremely silently between the bushes and monumental trees, while her sharp eyes searched for any sign of disturbance in the environment or traps camouflaged by the dense vegetation. Behind her, Scarlet and I kept our blades ready to intervene at any moment.
As we ventured deeper into the forest biome, the apparent calm of the place was suddenly broken by the sound of dry branches snapping in unison nearby. The silence of the forest gave way to deep and guttural growls that seemed to echo from multiple points at once among the shadows of the gigantic tree canopies.
"Rapid approach from the left and right flanks!" Rai'kanna warned, agilely jumping backward and drawing her twin daggers to join our defensive line.
From within the dense vegetation, immense quadrupedal beasts emerged with their teeth bared. They were giant wolves, with dense gray fur displaying bright red runic grooves along their spines. Their eyes glowed with a savage aggression that indicated they were being directly fed by the destructive energy of the tower. Without any tactical hesitation, the first group of wolves leaped toward us with claws and fangs ready to tear through our defenses.
"Scarlet, with me! Elara, rear support!" I commanded, advancing with a clean horizontal slash.
My blue mana blade cut through the air, intercepting the first giant wolf while it was still in midair with surgical precision that split the force of its impact, sending the paralyzed beast crashing against the packed earth. Scarlet, moving with impressive agility that contrasted with the weight of her long sword, spun around and delivered a descending strike that completely neutralized the second wolf attempting to flank our position from the right.
Elara fired arrows in rapid succession from the center of the formation, striking the vital points of the wolves attempting to approach from behind the trees, while Lyannis raised barriers of condensed wind to soften the charges of the smaller beasts surrounding the support group. Within a few minutes of coordinated and extremely efficient combat, the growls ceased completely and silence once again dominated the artificial forest.
Approaching one of the giant wolves lying on the ground, I noticed that, unlike the monsters from the previous floors that instantly dissolved into gray mana dust, the physical bodies of these creatures remained intact on the vegetal soil. I touched the beast's chest with my fingertips, feeling that its flesh and muscles were real, created from dense biological matter sustained by the continuous flow of nutrients from the forest itself.
A tactical idea immediately formed in my mind as I assessed the resources available in our travel backpack.
"These creatures are made of real organic matter," I commented, turning toward the group while cleaning my blade. "Liriel, is the flesh of these monsters free of direct destructive miasma?"
The priestess approached and channeled a small fraction of her purifying energy over the wolf's body, confirming with a confident nod. "The demonic energy is concentrated only in the runes along the spine, which have already gone out with the creature's death. The flesh itself is perfectly safe and nutritious, free of any harmful magical contamination."
"Excellent," I replied, removing a hunting dagger from my belt. "We will use the flesh of these beasts as food for our camp. If we depend exclusively on our dehydrated travel rations and the supplies we brought from the mansion, we will run out of options before we even reach the twentieth floor. Saving the purified supplies from outside will give us a much greater safety margin for the difficulties that await us on the upper floors."
Scarlet smiled, appreciating the practicality of the decision. "A smart choice, Takumi. Besides saving space and weight in our tactical backpacks, a fresh and substantial meal will maintain the group's physical vigor much better than dry travel rations."
With the help of Rai'kanna and Scarlet, we quickly and hygienically collected the best cuts of meat, storing the supplies in thermal bags we had prepared for the mission. Making use of local resources was a basic survival lesson I had learned in the most complex games of my old virtual world: whoever fails to adapt to the environment and does not consume what the board itself provides ends up suffering from resource scarcity before reaching the main objectives.
As we organized the backpacks with the newly collected supplies, I looked at the artificial sky that was beginning to take on an orange hue, simulating the beginning of a calm sunset over the stone mountains. The journey through that colossal forest was only beginning, and the geographical complexity of that floor would require every spark of our practical intelligence to locate the correct route to the fourth level of trials.
"The artificial day is coming to an end," I declared, adjusting the strap of my tactical backpack over my shoulders and indicating the trail of giant trees ahead of us. "Let's continue advancing while there is still simulated light. We need to find a safe and defensible location to set up our temporary camp before the mystical darkness of this floor changes the rules of the environment."
With renewed determination and the certainty that we were operating with the greatest logistical efficiency possible, our squad resumed its silent and coordinated march along the shaded paths of the immense forest on the third floor of the tower.