The Emerald Forest of the First Floor was vast, a sprawling labyrinth of ancient oaks and predatory shadows. To most novices, this was a place of tactical retreats and cautious parties. To Han Chen, it was a testing ground.
He stood in a clearing, surrounded by a pack of [Elite Grade: Shadow Wolves - Level 8]. Their eyes glowed with a hungry crimson light, their fur bristling like needles.
"A thousand years of history, and humanity still fears these 'pups'," Han Chen muttered, his voice devoid of emotion. He raised a single finger.
"Fireball."
[System Notice]: You have used \infty Skill Points.
[Fireball (Rank F)] has been upgraded to Level 5,000.
Skill Mutation: Fireball has evolved into [Star-Collapse Supernova].
A tiny, white-hot sphere the size of a marble appeared at his fingertip. It didn't flicker like fire; it hummed with the sound of a dying sun. The air around Han Chen began to warp and liquefy from the sheer heat.
Fwoosh.
He flicked the marble. When it touched the lead Shadow Wolf, there was no explosion—only a silent, blinding erasure. A pillar of white fire erupted, vaporizing the pack, the trees, and the very soil for three hundred meters.
[You have slain Shadow Wolf (Elite). Exp +800]
[You have slain Shadow Wolf (Elite). Exp +800]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
...
[Current Level: 32]
Han Chen walked through the charred trench he had created. "The energy consumption is too high for a Level 1 body," he noted, feeling a slight strain. "I need to balance my mana regen skills next. If I'm going to reach the top, I can't just be a glass cannon."
The Boss Room: The Gatekeeper of the First Floor
As he reached the heart of the forest, the sky turned a bruised purple. The ground trembled. Before him stood the Floor Boss: [The Emerald Behemoth - King Grade (Level 50)].
This shouldn't have been here. King Grade monsters were supposed to appear only after the 50th floor.
The Behemoth was a mountain of moss-covered stone and rotting vines, standing eighty feet tall. Its roar shattered the windows of the nearby 'Safe Zone' outposts. A wave of Fear (Aura Rank: S) washed over the area, paralyzing any hidden scouts nearby.
"A King Grade on the First Floor?" Han Chen narrowed his eyes, a flicker of genuine interest crossing his cold face. "The timeline is shifting already. In my past life, this thing didn't wake up for another decade."
The Behemoth raised a massive fist of compacted earth. [Skill: World-Crushing Impact].
The air grew heavy. Gravity intensified, pinning Han to the ground. This was the Danger—the physical pressure of a King Grade was enough to crush a Level 30 Awakened's internal organs before the hit even landed.
"Hope is a luxury for the weak," Han Chen whispered, his ribs creaking under the pressure. "Fear is just a physiological response to a lack of power. I have the power."
He didn't dodge. He opened his palm.
"Fireball. Level 10,000."
The mana in the atmosphere screamed. Han's mana pool drained to near zero instantly. In his hand, a miniature sun formed, spinning with such velocity that it created a vacuum, pulling in the surrounding debris.
The Behemoth's fist descended.
Han Chen thrust his hand upward.
"Burn."
The collision was cataclysmic. The white flame of the upgraded Fireball didn't just stop the Behemoth's fist; it incinerated the arm and traveled up the creature's body like a virus. The Behemoth let out a sound that wasn't a roar, but a scream of systemic failure.
The forest was bathed in a light so bright it could be seen from the city walls fifty miles away.
The Aftermath
When the light faded, there was a circular crater a mile wide. In the center stood Han Chen, his clothes slightly singed, his eyes as cold as ever.
[You have slain The Emerald Behemoth (King Grade - Boss)]
[World Announcement: Anonymous Player has cleared the First Floor Boss (King Grade) with an SSS Rating!]
[Exp +500,000]
[Level Up!] ... [Current Level: 45]
Drops:
[Legendary Grade: Heart of the Forest (Staff)]
[Skill Book: Verdant Regrowth (Rank S)]
[Currency: 50,000 Gold]
Han Chen picked up a glowing, dark-green crystal from the ashes—the monster's core.
"Level 45," he muttered, checking his status. "The Saint Families will be scrambling to find out who caused that blast. Let them look. By the time they find the 'B-Rank' student from Star-City, I'll be on the 100th floor."
He looked up at the shimmering ceiling of the first floor, the entrance to the second floor glowing above. "One billion levels... it's a long way up. I hope the monsters get harder. This was... disappointing."