Leon and Risa nodded, obeying Ethan's command. Even so, they had arrived in a place they had never seen before. They had just gotten here and had no idea where to go next.

For now, Ethan and the others focused on following the dirt path through the dead forest while keeping their guard up.

"There's a chance that time flows the same across all floors. So, when we left the first floor at seven in the evening, we probably arrived on the second floor at the same time," Ethan explained.

"That means it's night here. Monsters are usually more active and aggressive at night."

Leon and Risa nodded in agreement. Both of them walked together, following Ethan from behind.

Leon already knew how important Risa was to Ethan. If Ethan was determined to protect her, then Leon would help him no matter what.

They entered the dirt road of the dead forest, not even fifty meters from the teleport crystal, when Leon's party ran into a group of monsters wandering down the path.

They weren't kobolds, but lizard-like creatures covered in green scales. People familiar with the game called them Lizards.

There were five of them in total, standing on the dirt road. Their eyes glowed red, and each held a spear—the same kind of weapon used by the Blood-Cursed Tribe.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. He had fought lizard monsters before in his past experience—but that was on PC and console.

Still, being trapped in this game for over a month had made him far more used to real combat.

"Lizard?" Leon asked, standing beside him.

"Yeah. They're probably faster than kobolds, but their defense is weak," Ethan replied.

"I see."

Spotting humans in their territory, the Lizards became excited. They charged forward with their spears, aiming to strike Ethan and Leon.

Leon rushed ahead while Ethan stayed in place, turning his head toward Risa. She looked terrified watching the fight unfold before her.

"Hissy," Ethan said.

From his sleeve, a small snake slithered out and rested in his palm. Hissy hissed softly when called, knowing Ethan was about to give it an order.

"You stay here and protect Risa. Don't let her get hurt," Ethan instructed.

The snake turned back, hissing again as if to say it understood. Ethan extended his hand, placing Hissy in Risa's palms.

Risa flinched at first, but when she looked at the snake, it showed no signs of aggression.

In fact, when she held out her hands, Hissy acted calm and gentle, only staying alert to its surroundings.

Ethan smiled, trusting Hissy completely to guard her. Then he turned back toward the fight—Leon was still struggling alone against the agile lizards.

As an archer, Leon was clearly at a disadvantage, especially since these monsters excelled at close combat.

"Fall back, Leon," Ethan ordered.

Leon nodded and jumped backward, landing near Ethan. Ethan summoned his Bloodblade Ashura, and as soon as he gripped it, the weapon automatically activated its Ashura Mode.

"I'll handle them up close. You attack from range!"

"Got it, Ethan," Leon replied.

Ethan dashed forward, gripping his crimson blade tightly. The lizards lunged at him, moving quickly, forcing him to match their speed.

He swung his sword sideways, sending a crimson slash toward the lizard in front of him.

The lizard tried to jump aside, but Ethan's skill hit first. A crimson explosion erupted, smoke rising and spreading across the area.

[Passive Skill Activated: Intimidate]

Right after the attack landed, a passive skill triggered, causing enemies within close range to suffer from its effect.

They struggled to move, their bodies crushed down by intense gravitational pressure.

Ethan saw the opening. He jumped onto one lizard and struck it down, then leapt toward another, killing it as well.

In total, Ethan killed three of the lizards while Leon took down the remaining two. Because of that, Leon's party gained contribution points.

[Green Lizard (Lv. 35) || HP: 0/8500]

[Congratulations! You obtained loot:]

[+1250 EXP || +500 Gold || +500 Contribution Points || +5 Moon Fragment]

Both Ethan and Leon received the same rewards—enough to consider the forest path cleared of monsters.

"It's all safe now," Ethan said.

He turned and called Risa over. To his surprise, she was talking to Hissy, and the two seemed oddly close. Her voice caught Ethan's attention.

"You can talk to Hissy?" he asked.

"Something like that. I can speak with the serpent race," Risa said.

"Really?" Leon asked, impressed.

"Yes."

"So, what did Hissy say?" Ethan asked curiously.

Risa smiled. She said Hissy complained that Ethan never gave it any meat, even though it always fought by his side and got hungry every time.

Hissy hissed in agreement, clearly understanding her words. Ethan chuckled quietly, realizing he had indeed been neglecting it.

He pulled a piece of beef from his inventory and handed it to Hissy. The snake was overjoyed and swallowed the meat whole.

"You there," someone called from behind Ethan.

Ethan and Leon turned around and saw a party approaching them. Ethan immediately tensed, raising his sword. Leon aimed an arrow on his bow.

"Who are you?" Ethan demanded.

"Which guild are you from?" the man asked.

"Why do you ask? We're from—"

"Sword Liberation!" Ethan answered firmly.

"Sword Liberation? Isn't that the guild that won the Thousand Star Event recently?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Ethan replied.

The party in front of them stopped walking, clearing their throats awkwardly. They explained they were hunting parties from the Big Three guilds and other top guilds. Sword Liberation may have won an event, but it was still a new D-rank guild—not a major one.

"Then why is there a red-cursed monster behind you?" the man asked.

"She's part of the team. I'm taking her along for a side quest," Ethan replied.

"Side quest?"

"Yeah. The Administrator triggered some hidden events in certain places. Unfortunately, I triggered one where I have to escort her to the upper floor," Ethan said.

The man went silent. He had heard rumors about such quests but never thought he'd meet someone who actually triggered one.

"As long as she's not dangerous, she can come."

"Follow me. The forest's dangerous at night. There's a village nearby where you can rest for a while," the man said.

"Thanks for—"

"Don't thank me yet. It comes with a price."

"What price?" Ethan asked.

"A high-level Spirit Crystal," the man replied with a grin.

Ethan sighed. He pulled a Spirit Crystal from his inventory and tossed it toward the man, who caught it mid-air.

The man examined it—it was a Rare-ranked Spirit Crystal. That surprised his group.

"A rare Spirit Crystal?" he said.

"Now, take us to your village," Ethan replied.

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