Ilwoo returned to the group at their temporary camp in the forest with his newly acquired sword from the ruin.
They walked toward the center of the forest, where the entrance to the boss floor was hidden.
Thanks to Ilwoo's experience playing the game, they managed to find it, though it still took a lot of effort.
As they moved closer to the center, the air seemed to press heavier with every step. The dense forest gradually gave way to open ground until they stood at its heart—where a massive crater gaped before them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a staircase spiraling down into the pit, vanishing into endless darkness.
"So this is where the boss is hiding?"
Hayeon frowned, eyeing the crater. She kicked a rock toward it and watched as it tumbled away, vanishing into the darkness.
"Yeah, this is the place." Ilwoo pressed his lips together, a bitter taste rising in his mouth as he stared at the crater, as if it was trying to swallow him whole.
"We have to climb down before we regret it later."
Everyone nodded at him in silence. They all understood the risk after facing the boss, it was a gamble. Life or death. And they knew the only way out was to win.
They step into the carter where the boss is.
"Thankfully, no one got seriously hurt this time."
Kim Donghyun said, after killing a dozen wolves every minute.
"I'd say that's good progress."
"Don't get too cocky." Hayeon wiped the sweat off her forehead, her bob sticking to her skin.
"And we don't know what'll happen next, so stay alert."
After nearly an hour of finding the right path—avoiding most of the traps and choosing the correct hallway they finally reached the bottom of the crater.
As they walked on, massive black doors loomed in the distance, making them stop in their tracks.
His fist clenched. He knew that beyond the door, a battlefield waited just as he expected. He ran his fingertips over the sword wrapped in cloth, making sure it was still there.
"So that boss is here," Minji muttered, adjusting her grip on a curved sword taken from the museum.
Ilwoo nodded and stared at the door, a chill running down his spine. In the game, he had died to the first-floor boss more times than he could count—even with resurrection. It had taken him nearly two weeks to bring the monster down.
But here, in reality, there was no respawn… and he wasn't sure he could win.
"The boss of the first floor," Ilwoo explained, though his eyes never left the guardian doors.
Jinhyuk, despite being the youngest, had proven surprisingly calm. His armor was worn from past fights.
"Do you know about Boss Hyung?"
"This is the place where the Garmr, the hound of the underworld in Norse mythology, is."
Ilwoo checked his HP, which was still full thanks to the healing crystals they'd found.
He breathed out in relief, knowing he had plenty of healing crystals for an emergency.
"In the myths, it's a rival to the Fenrir."
"And the hardest boss on the first floor," Hayeon nodded at him.
"So that means… are we going to die?" said one of the civilians, Park Sunhee, her face turning pale from fear.
He looked at the middle-aged woman, still shaking. He didn't understand why he was dragging her into this, especially when she knew they barely had a chance to survive.
"I have a plan," he said, though not with much confidence. When he glanced at his party, he made up his mind.
Back in his gaming days, this was the last trick he used to kill the boss — and it worked. His eyes fell on the sword he had taken from the ruins.
"But I don't know how much I can guarantee we can win the battle."
"But at least there is a chance," Kim Donghyun said, making sure his eyes that he would never give up.
Ilwoo managed a weak nod at him.
"Yeah," Ilwoo muttered, nodding slightly. "If this actually works."
"So we have hope to beat this floor."
He pressed his hand to the boss's door, drew in a deep breath, then stepped inside. Before crossing fully, he cast one last glance over his shoulder at the others.
"You guys ready?"
***
Meanwhile, outside the tower...
Sena walked back and forth along the edge of the safe zone, the ground scuffed smooth from hours of nervous pacing. Every so often, she paused and looked up at the tower's imposing silhouette, watching for any hint of movement.
"Still no word?" the elderly man asked, frowning as he followed her restless steps.
"Nothing." Her voice stayed calm, but her hands shook as she checked her phone for what felt like the tenth time.
No messages. No system alerts. Not even a sign that Ilwoo was still alive.
"The barrier will alert us if anyone dies inside," another survivor pointed out.
"If someone in the group dies, the zone leader is notified."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Sena gave a humorless laugh.
"I'll know the second he dies, but not if he's fighting for his life or barely hanging on or—"
She stopped moving, arms folded tight against her chest, eyes fixed on the tower. Ilwoo had been gone for three hours.
Three hours since the doors had swallowed him and six strangers whole. Three hours since her last glimpse of the only family she had left.
The safe zone murmured and bustled faintly behind her, but it all blurred together until the ground shivered under her feet.
It was small at first, like a heavy truck rumbling past somewhere underground. Then it grew, the tremor deepening into a low, bone-shaking growl. Survivors stumbled.
A few screamed. The tower's black walls rippled.
Sena's breath caught in her throat.
But she knew what happened even if she wasn't a player. She recognized the moment the final merge between the game and Earth began.