They used everything they had: guns, bombs, drones to kill the creatures.
They called them Tree Imps.
A year of bloody battles passed.
By 2032, humans finally won.
But nearly half the population was gone.
Leaders from every country met in an underground base.
"We drop a nuclear bomb at their entrance?" one said.
"It might stop it," said another.
"That's all we have left."
They agreed. The bomb was launched.
Everyone waited.
Fingers clenched, breaths held, the deafening countdown echoing in their ears.
The bomb fell.
The nuclear blast exploded over the Pacific, lighting up the ocean, ripping through the clouds… but the root remained… unharmed.
The world went silent. Shocked.
Out of desperation, they built it.
A colossal base surrounding the tip of the World Tree : The Firewall.
Not hope, nor salvation.
It was a barricade.
A silent plea: don't come back.
Soldiers and adult civilians from across the countries get stationed at the Firewall.
They had defended Earth against the relentless waves of Tree Imps.
As exhaustion mounted, militaries began training teenagers—sending them into the Firewall.
Every world leader knew… if the waves continued, there would be no survivors next time.
So they made a plan. Not an army this time… but a unit.
Fifty rookies. Selected by sheer potential.
A promising, young, hungry survivor.
Fifty elite candidates are chosen to observe, map, learn, collect and survive inside the World Tree.
The scout unit.
Each country sent their best :
Combat elites twenty in total sent by military focused country:
The United States, Russia, China, Israel, South Korea, Japan—each sent two.
India, Brazil, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Turkey, Ukraine, and the Philippines—each sent one.
Specialist picked for precision, endurance, instinct and adaptability:
Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan.
Mexico, Argentina, Canada, Australia.
Spain, Poland, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria.
Singapore, Romania, Bangladesh, Colombia and the Netherlands.
Fifty in total.
Grouped into one unit. Trained for years in isolation.
In 2034, they entered the World Tree.
No one ever heard from them since.
No signal. No footage. Nothing.
And then, just like that, the monster attacks stopped.
Not a single breach since.
Earth held its breath.
People speculated.
Some said they were fighting a silent war to keep Earth safe.
Others believed they were already dead—swallowed whole by the World Tree.
Five years later… They returned.
Only eleven.
Miles Carter — United States.
Anika Mehta — India.
Takeda Ren — Japan.
Noah Lefebvre — Canada.
Eun Seulgi — South Korea.
Lukas Schneider — Germany.
Caio Moreira — Brazil.
Callum Hayes — United Kingdom
Raka Santoso — Indonesia.
Rayyaan Sylvani — Malaysia.
Zeke Alvaran — Philippines.
No longer in uniform.
They came back in armor—worn, scratched, almost medieval.
Real. Heavy. Forged. Used.
Their aura had changed.
Cold. like soldiers from another world.
They held a press conference.
What they revealed shook the whole world.
The flash of cameras was relentless.
Reporters crowded the room, their voices overlapping, rising above the hum of static microphones and the low whir of drones capturing the scene from every angle.
The Eleven stood at the center…
Burn marks. Armor dented. Old scars that hadn't healed right.
Rayyaan Sylvani walked up to the mic.
Cluck—Cluck, his footsteps echoed.
He gave the crowd a tired smile, the kind that says we've been through hell.
"Morning," Rayyaan said, clearing his throat.
"We're the eleven. Out of the fifty who went in… we're what's left."
Flashes lit his face. Reporters leaned forward.
"We were supposed to scout the World Tree. a week. Quick in, quick out."
He clicked his tongue, shaking his head.
"Yeah. That didn't happen."
The silence that followed wasn't empty—it was heavy.
"We'll answer what we can. Let's get this over with."
The reporters froze. No one wanted to speak first.
They looked at one another…quiet exchanges of wide eyes.
Then a younger reporter stepped forward, gripping her notepad.
She picked up a nearby mic and cleared her throat.
"What happened inside the World Tree?"
She called out from the front.
The group exchanged glances.
Miles Carter took a step forward. His voice didn't rise above the noise, but somehow, everyone heard him.
"The moment we stepped in… we were split apart."
He paused, eyes distant, as if the memory had claws.
"A system appeared in front of us… like some kind of game overlay.
It said: [Individual Trial]. And then the monsters came."
"They weren't like anything from Earth," Noah Lefebvre added, rubbing a healing scar on his forearm.
"There was no way out. Some freaking force field locked us in…"
"Where are the others?" another reporter yelled. "There were more of you—"
This time, Lukas Schneider answered, jaw clenched. He closed his eyes…
"After the trial… a staircase appeared… a long.. spiral stair..
We climbed until our legs gave out… at the top was a land…another world."
He looked straight at the reporters. "We called it Floor One—"
"That doesn't answer the question!" another voice snapped.
"Where are they?"
The crowd grew quiet.
Callum Hayes looked up, his voice low but steady.
"They died," he said.
"Most of them… didn't make it past the trial."
Silence fell.
"After the trial those of us who made it climbed the stairs… and found a world unlike anything Earth's ever seen. They call it Lumenoxis. We just called it Floor One.
There's magic there. Entire civilization. A system of skills. Currency.
Monster beyond anything we'd seen in the trials. Some… are intelligent."
Gasps swept through the crowd.
Cairo Moreira stepped in.
"Ehem.. each of us will be working with the government…establishing facilities.. Maybe even schools. We'll share what we know and train those who want to enter the tree.
Raise the survival rate. Even if it's just a little."
"After that we will go back inside the—"
"And who approved of this little gathering of yours?"
The words didn't come from a reporter.
They came from the back row. A politician.
The eleven looked at each other… confused.
Anika Mehta raised a brow. "Who's this clown?"
Another suit stood up, veins popping.
"And who the hell do you think you are? This information is classified!
You had no authority to open your mouths!" said by another.
Takeda Ren stepped forward, eyes flat.
"The World Tree is worse than any of you could imagine… Everyone deserves to know.
We need to fight it together."
"Shut up, you ignorant brat!" the third one barked."
"You were sent to scout—and you failed!"
The word failed hung there like a noose.
Eun Seulgi cracked her neck. The mic picked up the pop.
"Failed?" she said. She clenched her fist.
"Do you know how many of us fucking died back there?"
Suddenly—soldiers surrounded the three politicians…
Guns pointed directly at the eleven.
Raka Santoso slapped his face and groaned. "Unbelievable. We crawl out of that hell, give you information for free, and this is the thank you? Pointing guns at us?"
Zeke Alvaran barked a laugh. "Of course. They don't give a shit about humanity. They just want to hoard the intel and sell it."
Rayyaan lifted both hands. "Everyone. Calm down."
Miles Carter snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Jepus Fries. Shut up, the people come first… not your wallets."
The eleven chuckled
"STOP MAKING FUN OF US!"
One of the politicians snapped.
He lunged forward, ripped a gun from the hands of a nearby soldier.
The eleven's laughter died instantly.
The man's hands shook as he pointed the gun at them.
"You lowlifes think you're bigshots now? Just 'cause the media's watching?"
Ren raised his hands, calm. "There are too many people here. Please, put the gun away."
Seulgi snorted. "Don't worry, Ren. He won't do shit. Doesn't have the balls."
The politician's face twisted, veins bulging.
"If he does, I'll stop it," Raka said flatly, already bracing.
Seulgi shot Ren a grin. "See? We're good."
Then back at the politician, eyes sharp like glass.
"Go on. Shoot. I dare you."
The politician screamed—and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Raka moved in a blink.
[Deflect]
The bullet bounced off, flying upward. Punching a hole straight through the ceiling.
Sparks rained down.
The entire room gasped. Reporters stumbled back, some ducking under their chairs, cameras still rolling.
"What the hell was that..?!"
"He stopped a bullet with his hand?!"
"Oh my God, oh my God… keep filming!"
Chaos rippled through the press line, flashes going off nonstop.
He glanced at Suelgi. She grinned. Both threw a quick thumbs-up.
Zeke sighed and raised his hands, bored.
[Locked]
A floating UI Lock Icon appeared above the soldiers and politicians.
In an instant, their bodies stiffened. Frozen.
"It's dangerous to fight here," Lukas muttered. "There's too many innocent lives."
Rayyaan slid a knife from his belt.
Ren closed her eyes. "[Hunt]." she whispered.
Seulgi cracked her knuckles. "[Crystallize]."
Rayyaan murmur, "[Shadow Transfer]."
All three vanished.
Shadows rippled.
They reappeared… right behind the politicians.
Rayyaan pointed his knife at one.
Ren, her claws extended, starred with her fox eyes at the second.
Seulgi stood behind the third—arms glimmering, fully diamond.
The room went silent.
Then Noah spoke, "if you want a fight… do it outside."
The three politicians froze, sweat dripping.
After seeing what the eleven survivors are capable of, they backed down—
Their teeth grinding in frustration.
Their pride shattered.
Their authority was shaken.
Sigh!
Noah put his finger on his eyes in disbelief.
"This is a mess…"