The forest screamed.
Roots erupted beneath Rei's feet like coiled vipers, lashing in all directions. He twisted mid-air, fire trailing behind his blade as he landed on a slanted trunk and kicked off it, narrowly avoiding a whip-thick vine that cracked the earth where he'd been.
[World Decipher – Activated]
[Analyzing Boss Pattern…]
[Rootstorm – Homing root barrage across battlefield]
[Branch Swipe – Wide cone attack that stuns]
[Sap Mist – Heals over time unless purified]
[Weakness: Flame damage, Inner Core exposure during spell channel]
"Nice," Rei muttered as he flipped between the roots. "You've got crowd control, AoE sustain, and auto-aim vines. What are you, a toxic MOBA support?"
He ducked low—just in time to avoid a swinging root thicker than his torso. The air boomed from the near miss.
Ysera didn't charge. She stood tall, majestic and motionless, like nature itself had decided it didn't need to rush.
Instead, she raised one bark-arm and cast her first real spell.
The roots around her began to writhe—then launched forward in spiraling waves.
"Rootstorm," Rei said, narrowing his eyes. "Let's dance."
He shot left, rolling under the first set of homing tendrils. The second wave came from above—he slashed mid-air, cleaving through two, but a third clipped his shoulder.
[8 HP lost]
[Poison stack – 1]
"Not bad," he hissed, feeling the slow burn of sap-infused venom. "But I've been poked harder by soup spoons."
He dashed forward again—zigzagging through the undergrowth, dodging snapping vines and leaping between mossy outcroppings like stepping stones. Every movement was precise. Rei wasn't just fast—he knew what was coming.
The moment he was within range, Ysera raised her hand again.
[Branch Swipe – Incoming]
[Wide cone. 1.2 second windup. 2.4 second stun if hit.]
Her antlered arm snapped across like a falling tree. Rei ducked low and slid beneath it, the sheer force of the swing sending bark-shrapnel exploding behind him.
"You really thought I'd walk into that?" Rei spun behind her. "Come on. I literally read your move list."
His blade flared with fire again, and he slashed up her side. Bark scorched. Vines recoiled. Ysera finally moved—not a flinch, not a retreat. She turned.
And the air shimmered green.
A cloud of glittering gold sap poured from her chest cavity, bathing the room in thick mist.
[Sap Mist – Active]
[Passive healing per second: 2.5%]
[Duration: Until cleansed]
"Regen field?" Rei hissed. "Okay. Time to take out the spa fog."
He scanned the arena. There—nestled in the roots, pulsing faint green.
[World Decipher – Updated]
[Weak Point Identified: Purifying Seed Clusters (x2)]
[Destroy to nullify Sap Mist]
Rei dashed toward the first, dodging another Rootstorm as it crashed behind him. The cluster was pulsing like a beating heart.
One slash—boom. Mist started to thin.
The second was buried deeper under her protection. As he moved toward it, Ysera slammed her hand down.
A root wall surged between them.
"Oh?" Rei narrowed his eyes. "Defensive play? Didn't think you had it in you."
He jumped up the side of the bark wall, used a vine as leverage, and vaulted over—spinning in midair and hurling a knife directly into the second seed.
Mist evaporated.
Ysera's glow dimmed slightly.
[Boss Regen Halted]
[Phase 1 – 32% Remaining HP]
He dropped to the moss with a smirk. "No more fog machines."
Ysera shrieked—no words now, just a groaning, primal sound as vines across her body blackened. Her glowing core pulsed once—twice—and then exploded in light.
[Phase Shift – 60% HP Triggered]
[Corrupted Bloom]
Ysera's body twisted. Her antlers curved sharper. Blossoms bloomed along her arms—red, veined, unnatural. Her chest cavity pulsed with darker light now. The earth beneath her blackened.
[World Decipher – Updating…]
[Blighted Seedlings – Explosive saplings spawn periodically]
[Decay Pulse – Corruption aura, proximity-based DoT]
[Wild Regrowth – Heal cast at 40% unless interrupted]
[[Weakness: Interrupt timing with Purified Seed Relics]
"Ah. Phase two. Time for the MMO mechanics." Rei cracked his neck. "Let me guess—add waves, corruption damage, and a surprise burst heal."
As if in response, a field of twisted saplings sprouted up. Ten. No—twelve.
Each one pulsed.
"Countdown timers, huh?" He dashed forward, slicing the first just before it bloomed.
BOOM.
Too late.
The detonation shook the floor, sending moss flying. [18 HP lost]
Rei gritted his teeth. "Okay, fast timers."
He launched into motion. Slashed left, dashed right, cleaved downward. Saplings detonated around him—some barely a second before they could blow. His movement was a blur, but still—
[Three saplings remain.]
"Damn it," he muttered. "No way I'm letting her heal."
Ysera raised her arms. The earth around her pulsed with green-black energy. The Wild Regrowth spell had begun.
"Interrupt window—now," Rei muttered.
His eyes locked on a relic node—the same glowing moss-pod from earlier battles.
He blinked forward, grabbed it mid-slide, and hurled it toward her heart-core.
Impact.
The pod burst with purifying light.
[Wild Regrowth – Interrupted]
Ysera staggered, aura flickering.
Rei grinned. "That's right. No healing. If I can't get a mid-fight snack, neither can you."
Decay Pulse suddenly expanded, bathing the entire inner arena in a sickly green field. Rei's HP started dropping just by standing near her.
[HP loss: 10/sec]
"Yeesh. Breathe mint much?"
He backed off, pulling her into a wide rotation as he fought around the edge of her aura. He dipped in, struck, dashed out. A hit here. A burn there. Every movement was clockwork-perfect.
Then she dropped to one knee.
Phase three.
Her core pulsed—then exploded outward in a column of light that turned the trees around them into colossal walls.
[Eruption of Life – Activated]
[Arena terrain shift: Dense root growth. Mobility reduced 45%]
"Mobility nerf. Classic." Rei narrowed his eyes. "They really want to make this dramatic."
Trees exploded up from the ground like spears, turning the battlefield into a labyrinth.
Ysera didn't wait.
The ground beneath Rei began to ripple.
[Sundering Roots – Charging]
"Rootquake. Got it."
[World Decipher – Prompted]
[Jump or levitate to avoid
[Failure: Knockdown + Rooted + 25% HP damage]
"Oh hell no."
The earth exploded upward. Rei leapt, flipping midair as a spiraling shockwave cracked the roots beneath him like an earthquake had passed through wood.
He landed on an arched tree limb—momentum carrying him straight toward Ysera again.
She opened her arms.
[Final Bloom – Charging]
5 seconds…
A swirling bloom of emerald and gold built in her chest.
[4…]
"Big damage move," Rei said aloud. "Stun required. Guess who brought interrupts?"
[3…]
He hurled his dagger. It hit—but bounced off a bark shield.
[2…]
"Tch. Immunity frame? Cheeky."
[World Decipher – Override Triggered]
Unique Prompt: Exposed Core Detected
Stun window: 1.1 seconds
Rei dashed. Full sprint. His blade ignited—brighter than before.
[1…]
He leapt, twisting over one final vine wall, and stabbed directly into her glowing core.
The impact flashed gold.
[Final Bloom – INTERRUPTED]
Ysera screamed.
It wasn't human. It wasn't even animal. It was the forest itself cracking apart—a roar of rage, sorrow, and disbelief, all wrapped in creaking bark and splintering magic. Her limbs seized, glowing lines across her body stuttering like broken circuits.
Vines recoiled. Roots twisted violently, then fell limp.
[Boss HP: 4% remaining]
Rei landed in a crouch, smoke trailing from his boots as moss hissed beneath the heat. He rose slowly, turning his gaze toward her.
"No more cutscenes," he muttered, brushing dirt from his coat like he'd just stepped out of a mildly annoying rainstorm. "No more eco-villain speeches. No second-phase plot twists. You had your big moment—sorry, it flopped harder than a launch day MMORPG."
Ysera trembled, struggling to lift her arm. Her glow had dimmed—like even the forest was trying to pretend it didn't know her anymore.
"You… corrupt flame… bring ruin to sacred ground…" she rasped, each word heavy with ancient power.
Rei snorted. "You say that like I haven't heard it before. Newsflash: I'm not here to mulch daisies. I'm here to win. Loot, XP, and maybe a cool pair of nature-themed boots."
"You… are a blight…"
"And you're dramatic," Rei shot back, circling to her side. "Seriously, lady, you've got great hair, excellent lighting, amazing voice projection—and zero sense of pacing."
Ysera's core flared weakly. A last spark of green light throbbed in her chest.
"You will fall. All of you. Nature… always returns."
Rei cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? Tell that to the paper industry."
He stepped in, lifted his blade—and it blazed. No hesitation. No mercy.
"Say hi to the compost bin."
The strike landed clean. Fire exploded across her barked torso, his sword burying deep into the exposed heartwood. Ysera froze, light pouring from the wound in radiant waves.
For a moment, her expression softened—not pain, but understanding.
Then she shattered.
Bark broke like stone. Vines withered. Her body collapsed, fragments dissolving into golden motes that drifted into the canopy above.
[Boss Defeated – Ysera, the Worldroot – Lv. 19]
A system chime echoed through the
dungeon.
[Achievement Unlocked – Forest's Fall]
You defeated Ysera the Worldroot, without assistance. Word of your feat spreads through the Tower.
Reputation with neutral factions increased
[Dungeon Cleared – Heart of the Wild]
[Floor 2 Boss Defeated]
[Clear Status: Solo – Confirmed]
[Calculating EXP and rewards…]
Rei exhaled, slowly lowering his blade. The moss hissed as it cooled beneath him.
The forest—once alive and hostile—fell still.
No growls. No spores. Just a haunting calm, like something sacred had passed.
He stared at the glowing fragments swirling upward.
"…Alright. That was one hell of a mid-boss."
Then, almost too softly:
[World Decipher – Passive Update]
[Combat data logged. High-tier environmental attack pattern recognized.]
[Recommend: Unlock 'Tower's Crown' to archive skills.]
Another chime.
A new prompt appeared.
[Would you like to register your name to this Floor Completion?]
Rei blinked.
"…Huh?"
For a second, he just stared at the prompt—like it was a mistake.
After the Rooted One… he'd assumed the Tower already knew who he was.
It should have auto-filled.
But now… it was asking.
Rei's gaze lingered on the interface.
Then a thought slipped in.
Maybe… this was a chance.
A pause stretched. Moss drifted like smoke in the wind.
Then he exhaled, slow.
"…So that's how you're playing it."
He straightened his coat, wiped his blade clean.
"Rei Tae Hyun."
[Name Registered: Rei Tae Hyun]
Another prompt blinked into place.
[Would you like to upload this boss battle to the Tower Archive for public viewing?]
[This may influence reputation, faction invitations, and Player awareness.]
Rei stared for a second.
Then scoffed lightly and shook his head.
"…Not yet."
[Upload: Cancelled]
The message faded.
The canopy above cracked open with golden light. Wind stirred the leaves. The dungeon, for now, was still.
Rei sheathed his blade and turned to walk.
The Tower knew exactly who he was.
But the name it had just recorded?
That was something else.
Two names. Two paths.
And only one of them was stepping into the light.
He disappeared into the trees, quiet as ever.
And then—suddenly—
His foot caught on a raised root.
Rei stumbled forward with a surprised grunt, arms flailing.
He caught himself on a nearby trunk, gritting his teeth as bark scraped his palm.
A beat of silence.
Then:
"…Seriously?" he muttered. "I just soloed a mythic forest deity, and this is what almost kills me?"
He straightened again and brushed moss off his sleeve.
"Damn trees hold grudges." he muttered, flexing his scraped palm.
"Bet the next boss is a rock. Watch–its gonna lecture me about erosion
The Tower, mercifully, didn't reply.
It just spat out loot like a vending machine after a kick.
[Rewards & Drops]
[Heartseed Cloak]
A moss-woven cloak infused with ancient vitality.
• Passive HP regeneration
• High poison resistance
[Ysera's Thorn]
A spear carved from Ysera's antler-root. It hums with wild tension.
• Scaling weapon
• High bleed chance
• Wildwood visuals shift with motion
[Verdant Core Fragment]
Remnant of Ysera's primal essence.
• Used to craft or unlock nature-based utility skills
[Forestwalker's Band]
A ring etched with natural runes.
• Increases movement speed and stealth effectiveness in jungle/wild zones
[Title Acquired: Myth Breaker]
You shattered a legendary being born of lore and forest—before the world even heard her name.
The Tower remembers what you destroy.
Effect: Instinctive Pattern Memory
• Against named entities, your reaction speed and dodge accuracy increase by 10% during the first 30 seconds of combat.
------
[Name]: Shiver / Rei Tae Hyun
[Age]: 22
[Gender]: Male
[Level]: 20
[Class]: Swordsman
[Unique Ability]: None
[Titles]:
•The One Who Ended It All
•Myth Breaker
(Tap for full description)
[Skill]: World Decipher (Passive)
[STR]:20 [AGI]:20 [VIT]:20 [DEX]: 18
[Stat Points Remaining]: 42