After Ilwoo acquired the Nine Flame Sword, he and his teammates prepared a burial for Park Sunhee, who had fallen to the boss monster. They couldn't give her a proper funeral, but they did what they could.
It was the only way to lift even a fraction of the weight from his shoulders, though no comfort came from it.
After a long bout of sweat and exhaustion, Ilwoo used a healing potion from the system shop to mend most of his wounds. Once the pain dulled, he opened his status window. The moment his eyes landed on his stats, a bittersweet smile tugged at his lips.
[LEVEL: 21]
[HP: 525/525]
[MP: 263/263]
[SKILLS ACQUIRED:]
[PAIN TOLERANCE LV1]
[FIRE RESISTANCE LV1]
[BASIC SWORDSMANSHIP LV3]
He had gained new skills through the life-and-death struggle against the boss monster, but his level still worried him. As he and his teammates ascended to the second floor, a nagging doubt took hold.
Could they really survive here with such low levels?
He wasn't sure they had the time to grind and grow stronger, especially with what awaited them on the next floor.
Then Ilwoo's gaze shifted to Minji, slumped against the chamber wall with her eyes closed. Her breathing was steady but shallow, which was the lingering effect of a brutal blow from the boss.
Though she was recovering, the sight was a silent accusation, reminding him of his incomplete leadership. Guilt over what had happened to Park Sunhee and Minji gnawed at him, eroding his confidence in his ability to protect his own teammates.
"How is she?" he asked Jinhyuk, who'd taken it upon himself to treat her.
"She's holding on, but it's bad."
The teenager's hands trembled as he adjusted her bandages.
"That fire hit her straight on. She's burned across her chest and arms."
"Will she be able to continue?"
"I don't know." Jinhyuk's voice was barely above a whisper. "Maybe. But pushing her right now could kill her."
Ilwoo's throat tightened as he stared at her burned arms, the guilt clawing at him. This was his fault, and he'd been powerless to stop it.
His hand hovered just above her bandages, then clenched into a fist.
"We rest until she's ready," he decided. "No one gets left behind."
Hayeon asked quietly. "What if her injuries are permanent?"
The question hung in the air like smoke rising from Garmr's corpse. Ilwoo's gaze shifted from his unconscious party member to the rest of his team, wounded, drained, barely standing. Even as their leader, he felt utterly lost, with no idea how to save them.
"You guys rest up before we climb the tower."
IIwoo said quietly. He turned away from them, walking toward the opposite wall to gather his thoughts.
After slumping against the cold wall, he summoned his system interface and accessed his Zone Leader privileges, one of the abilities granted to him when the system chose him for the role.
[MESSAGE TO: BAEK SENA]
[ME AND ANOTHER ARE PREPARED TO CLIMB THE TOWER]
He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. After a couple of deep breaths, he began to type.
[DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME. WE WILL RETURN TO THE SAFE ZONE AFTER WE CONQUER THE SECOND FLOOR. STAY SAFE]
The message disappeared with a soft chime. Somewhere in the safe zone, Sena would receive notification that he was still breathing. It wasn't much, but it was something.
He let out a slow breath and slumped against the wall. His fingers trembled slightly as he pulled out his phone, its screen spiderwebbed with cracks, a scar from the last battle. For a moment, he just stared at it, then tapped the glass.
BLOP!
The screen came to life with a pop-up of a dozen notifications.
#The reality had merged with the game called Eternal Realm Online#
#Multiple casualties reported around the globe#
#Attempts to conquer the towers#
He scrolled through the comment section, and the higher he went, the worse it got.
"This is getting worse by the minute," Ilwoo thought, hoping for some good news. But, unfortunately, all he could find were reports of death, footage of monsters rampaging across the globe. He closed his phone with a sigh.
He noticed Hayeon standing nearby, leaning back against the wall, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes scanned the room, flicking from face to face, taking in every thread of tension.
"Has it gotten worse outside?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.
He gave her a small, reluctant nod.
"We're either really brave or really dumb." A bitter smile touched her lips, but no one smiled back.
"Both," Jinhyuk muttered, still focused on Minji's bandages.
"Definitely both."
"We don't have much time," Kim Donghyun warned, "it's only a matter of time."
"Yeah, we don't have much time." Ilwoo shoved his phone into his pocket and strode toward Garmr's corpse, which was slowly disintegrating into shadowy particles. "The longer we wait, the farther behind we fall.
As he stared at the boss monster's corpse, a small crystal appeared where the hellhound's heart had been, translucent and swirling with strange, shifting colors
[SECOND FLOOR TOKEN: SINGLE USE ONLY]
"There's our ticket upward." He held up the crystal, feeling warmth pulse through it like a heartbeat.
"What about Minji?" Jinhyuk's voice cracked slightly. "She's not in the right condition to fight."
"She doesn't have to fight right away, also we can't stay here."
Ilwoo glanced around the chamber; its walls were beginning to crack and crumble.
"This boss room will collapse if we stay any longer."
As if responding to his words, dust began falling from the ceiling, and a low rumbling filled the air.
"Decision time," Hayeon said, hefting her spear. "we have to climb to the next floor."
He heard a rustle behind him. When he turned, he saw Minji's eyelids flutter open, color slowly returning to her pale face.
"Did... did we win?"
"We did it," Ilwoo said, kneeling next to her. "How are you feeling?"
"It felt like a truck made of fire had run me over." She struggled to sit up, her face contorting in pain as she fought to move her body.
"But I'm alive. That's something."
"Can you keep going? We have to get to the second floor, but ..."
"I can keep going."
Her voice sounded firmer now, even though her hands still shook.
"I didn't come this far just to give up when it gets tough."
Jinhyuk bit his lip, clearly wanting to object but not knowing how.
"Minji," Kim Donghyun said gently, "there's no shame in knowing your limits."
"My limits are whatever I decide." She gripped the offered hand and rose to her feet, her knees buckling for a moment before she steadied herself with a quiet breath.
"Besides, someone has to watch Jinhyuk's back. That kid's way too noble for his own good."
Jinhyuk's jaw clenched. His hand hovered near the hilt of his weapon."I can handle myself."
"Sure you can. That's why you've spent the last ten minutes looking like you're about to cry." Her smile was weak but genuine.
"We're a team. Teams don't leave anyone behind."
Ilwoo studied her for a moment, then let out a slow sigh.
"Alright," he said at last.
"We move together. But Minji, you stay in the middle and no showing off, no taking chances."
"Got it."
He held up the floor pass, feeling its weight. "Everyone ready?"
"Nope," Hayeon said with a grin. "But when has that ever stopped us?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Kim Donghyun said with a nod.
"Let's do this," Jinhyuk said, eyes flicking to Minji like he was trying to memorize her breathing.
The crystal shattered in his palm with a brittle crunch.
A flash of white light slammed into them like a tidal wave. The ground crumbled beneath him, and the wind tore at him as if the world itself was unraveling.