The corridor stretched ahead like the throat of some massive beast, darkness pulsing in an unnatural rhythm.
Their footsteps echoed strangely, sometimes sharp, sometimes muffled, as if the tower itself couldn't decide what kind of space they were walking through.
"Stay close," Ilwoo whispered, his sword held at the ready. "Something about this place feels—"
The world shifted.
Not slowly, but not fast, almost unpredictably, like someone furiously changing channels on a television.
The feeling was like being yanked inside-out while floating upward through thick syrup. The world twisted around them, colors smearing together into shapes that shouldn't exist.
"What the hell—" Kim Donghyun's voice stretched and warped, the sound coming as if from underwater.
Then everything snapped back into focus.
They were no longer in a corridor.
Ancient trees towered around them, their trunks thick enough to house entire families, their branches weaving together so densely overhead that only scattered beams of pale light filtered through.
The air smelled of moss and rich earth, scents that felt impossibly distant from their previous world of concrete.
"Ugh." Minji stumbled, pressing her palm against her head.
"My head feels like it's splitting open."
"Forced teleportation," Hayeon groaned, leaning heavily on her spear.
"I saw it mentioned in some serious MMO guides. It's when the game moves you right away to a different zone."
"I never thought teleportation would make me this sick," Jinhyuk muttered.
"That's just because your brain got shaken up too fast," Hayeon explained, surprisingly steady for someone who'd just complained about the effects. "It'll pass in a few minutes."
One of the civilians—a named Han Jisoo—fell to his knees and threw up all over the dirt. The other, a middle-aged woman named Park Sunhee, slumped back against a tree, her face white and slick with sweat.
"Is everyone alright?" Kim Donghyun asked, shaking off the shock faster than the rest.
"I'm okay," Minji said quietly, even though she stood a little straighter.
Ilwoo scanned the area, taking note of everything. Dense forest, limited visibility, multiple potential ambush points, unfamiliar terrain.
It was a classic first-floor dungeon setup, exactly like he remembered from the game.
"We're on the first floor now," he announced.
"Tower dungeons are built like this—each level is its own world, with different creatures and obstacles."
The familiar blue notification window materialized before them:
[MAIN QUEST: DEFEAT THE LEVEL 20 FLOOR GUARDIAN]
"Level 20 guardian," Ilwoo read the notification aloud, and frowned.
"We're looking at something roughly ten times stronger than anything we've faced so far."
"Our only shot is surviving, "Jinhyuk observed with disturbing calm.
"Those are actually better odds than I expected."
"Kid, you're way too hopeful ,it's kinda scary,"
Hayeon said, though a grin crept across her lips.
Awoooooooo
The howl came from deep inside the forest, long and wild and definitely not human.
Another howl answered from a different direction, then another, until the whole woods were filled with wild, hunting sounds.
"Shadow wolves," Kim Donghyun said, recognizing the sound.
"Sounds like there are several packs."
"That's good news," Ilwoo said, surprising everyone.
"We need to get stronger quickly, and wolves are easy targets for experience farms if we're careful."
"Experience farms?" Park Sunhee looked confused, still pale from the teleportation sickness.
"In game terms," Hayeon explained patiently.
"These are easy enemies you can defeat over and over to level up quickly. Think of it like practicing with a purpose and getting rewards for it."
The first pack emerged from the underbrush like liquid darkness given form. Five shadow wolves appeared from the dark, their red eyes shining faintly in the forest light.
But these wolves looked different from the ones he had seen on the streets before, they had stronger muscles and small spikes sticking out from their shoulders.
[FOREST SHADOW WOLF - LEVEL 3(UNIQUE)]
System notification floated around the beast.
"Unique monsters," Ilwoo said flatly. His sword shifted into guard.
The first wolf lunged.
Steel struck bone with a sharp crack as Kim Donghyun's blade blocked the jaws in mid-air.
He twisted, drove the edge down through the throat, and stepped clear before the blood could spray him.
Hayeon's spear blurred beside him, punching through another wolf's eye and snapping back out in one motion.
She twisted on her feet, using the shaft like a staff to knock a third beast sideways before it could tear into Jisoo.
Jinhyuk darted low, the kid's dagger flashing like a fish in dark water. He opened a gash along a wolf's leg, rolled clear, and struck again before it could turn.
Not everyone moved with that rhythm.
Jisoo's shield wavered under the impact of a wolf's bite — until Minji shoved him aside, her own shield ringing like a gong as claws raked against it.
Another wolf almost reached Sunhee. Donghyun was already there, sword sliding clean between its ribs.
It took just a few minutes. Not hours. Not even half an hour.
The fifth wolf collapsed under Ilwoo's blade, its body already breaking apart into black dust.
[FOREST SHADOW WOLF DEFEATED x5]
[75 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[LEVEL UP!]
[BAEK ILWOO - LEVEL 3]
The rush of leveling up was like mainlining caffeine mixed with pure adrenaline. Ilwoo felt his muscles strengthen and his reflexes sharpen.
It was as if years of training had been compressed into a single moment of transcendent growth.
"Holy shit," Hayeon breathed, flexing her fingers as her own level-up took effect.
"That's... that's incredible. I can actually feel myself getting stronger."
"That's how it feels when you level up," Jinhyuk explained, testing his improved stance and balance.
"It's like someone injected you with a specialized performance enhancer that targets exactly what you need most."
Not everyone had gained a level—the civilians and Minji were still at level 1, though their experience bars showed they were close to advancement.
"We need to keep hunting," Ilwoo said, already thinking through their next steps.
"But first, let's set up a temporary camp. The wounded need care, and we need to figure out how to deal with a level 20 boss with the strength we have now."
They found a small clearing where they could see far and defend themselves if needed.
While the others treated wounds and sorted through their few supplies, Ilwoo kept watch on the forest, listening to distant howls for signs of patrols and spotting places that might hold useful supplies.
"I'm heading out to check the area," he said after they'd set up a simple camp.
"See if I can find supplies, spot any threats, maybe learn where that guardian is hid-."
"No way," Kim Donghyun cut in. "You never go out scouting alone in risky areas."
"This isn't military training. It's a game." Ilwoo checked his gear piece by piece.
"I am good with Scout alone. Besides, if I run into something I can't handle, it's better to lose one person than risk the whole party."
"That's a terrible plan," Minji argued against the idea of Ilwoo going alone in the forest.
"It's a practical plan," Ilwoo countered.
"You guys rest and recover. I'll be back within an hour, and if I'm not..." He paused, meeting each of their eyes.
"Well, then you'll know this floor is more dangerous than we thought."
Hayeon grabbed his arm just as he turned to leave.
"You really going through with this, boss?"
"No," he said honestly.
"But being sure is a luxury we don't have right now."
He shot a glance at the group after the last fight. All they could do now was catch their breath, the next round wasn't far off.
"Watch their backs."
"Always do."
As he waved back at them and kept walking, Ilwoo disappeared into the forest shadows. None of them knew what lay beyond those twisted trees, only that the real challenge was just beginning.