The next day came as Alex walked in the same city path once again, went to a slightly bigger shop called weapon attic. The shop was larger than most, its walls lined with blades, shields, and enchanted trinkets. The air smelled faintly of oil and steel.
A woman dressed in black approached him, her posture straight and professional.
"Welcome to Weapon Attic. What can I assist you with?"
"I need daggers," Alex replied calmly. "Durable ones. And stamina potions. As many as you can provide."
Her eyes flickered with mild curiosity, but she asked no questions.
He did not need health potions.
Nebula Healing restored his injuries automatically.
But it drained stamina each time it activated.
Lysandra once carried the same passive skill.
But she had fought from the rear.
He fought at the front.
The difference was everything.
He selected sixty reinforced daggers, each granting a modest increase in damage but, more importantly, built to endure extended combat. They would suffice—for now.
As the transaction neared completion, something caught his eye.
A black coat hung slightly apart from the others. Across its back, embroidered in dark blue thread, coiled AETHERWYRM—the Serpent made of constellations, vast and eternal.
"How much for that?"
"Five gold," the woman replied. "Though for that price, its defensive enhancement is unimpressive."
Alex studied it for a moment.
"It will do."
Defense was secondary.
Symbolism mattered.
When he stepped out of the shop, twenty-six gold lighter, only four coins remained.
But he felt better prepared.
He rested one final day.
At dawn, he fastened the coat around his shoulders and left the city behind.
The forest stood at the edge of the Fourth Floor like a silent warning. Tall trees blocked most of the light, their branches woven tightly overhead. The air shifted the moment he crossed into its shadow.
A translucent screen appeared before him.
[Quest: Eliminate at least 100 Orcs]
The forest seemed to grow quieter.
Alex's hand rested lightly on one of his daggers.
One hundred orcs.
He didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward.
And the trees swallowed him whole.
Alex stepped into the forest with quiet confidence, though the towering trees swallowed his figure whole. Ancient trunks rose like pillars of a forgotten kingdom, their branches weaving together high above, blocking out most of the sunlight. Shafts of gold pierced through the canopy, illuminating drifting dust and falling leaves.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and lush greenery. For a moment, it was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
As he walked deeper into the forest, the scent began to change. The sweetness of nature thinned, replaced by something metallic… heavy.
Blood.
The further he advanced, the clearer the signs became—broken branches, claw marks carved deep into bark, and finally, a massive footprint pressed into the mud.
Alex crouched beside it.
"Trolls," he muttered.
A streak of dried blood dragged through the undergrowth like something—or someone—had been pulled against their will.
"Looks like people were here before me… and they were taken."
He rose silently and followed the trail.
Soon, he reached the trolls' village.
It had been built around and atop enormous trees, wooden platforms connected by crude rope bridges. Structures made of stone, mud, and twisted timber clung to trunks like parasites. Bone decorations hung from doorways. Skulls lined the outer perimeter.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"Trolls resemble goblins… but they're taller, stronger. Brutal." His gaze traced the structure of the settlement. "And whoever designed this village isn't stupid."
The village had only one entrance: a wide wooden gate reinforced with tree trunks thicker than a man's torso. Once inside, the pathways curved inward in a circular pattern—any invader would be funneled toward the center while the trolls surrounded the gate.
A kill zone.
Alex lowered himself into the bushes and thought through his approach carefully.
He wasn't here just to rescue potential captives.
He was here to level up.
And possibly confront a high-ranking monster.
He divided his plan into two parts.
First plan:
Use the Cloak of Invisibility. Move silently from building to building. Eliminate small groups. Thin their numbers.
Second plan:
If discovered, fight head-on. Kill as many as possible. And if things turn against him…
Use Void Steps.
He frowned slightly.
"I've been avoiding it for a reason."
His space talent consumed a terrifying amount of mana. At his current level, he could only use it once before risking total mana depletion.
Mana exhaustion was no joke. It occurred when someone forced mana through empty circuits or overloaded their limits. The results ranged from permanent damage… to death.
"At most, one use," he whispered.
No mistakes allowed.
He removed the AETHERWYRM coat and stored it in his inventory, replacing it with the Cloak of Invisibility.
Mana flowed from his core.
The world shimmered around him.
His body vanished.
At his level, he could remain invisible for thirty minutes.
No more.
He slipped past the village gate where a massive troll stood guard, muscles bulging, jaw protruding with jagged tusks. The creature sniffed the air but detected nothing.
Alex walked straight past it.
And into the heart of the enemy's nest.