"...Right."
The deeper they traveled...
The worse it became.
Traps.
Poison corridors.
Goblin patrols.
Undead soldiers.
Ruins spiders.
A miniboss.
Corrupted Goblin Captain
Level 9
HP: 4,800
MoonPetal stared at the health bar.
"Okay."
"This one..."
Shen Tian fired.
CRITICAL HIT!
-431 HP
"...Never mind."
The boss roared.
It charged.
Jiang Feng intercepted.
His sword collided with its axe.
CLANG!
His arms shook.
"Heavy!"
MoonPetal cast.
"Frost Chain!"
Ice wrapped around the boss’s leg.
Shen Tian moved.
One arrow.
Two.
Three.
All aimed at the same eye.
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
The Goblin Captain ripped free.
It threw its axe.
Shen Tian ducked.
The weapon passed overhead.
Jiang Feng’s eyes widened.
"Now!"
He activated Flowing Step.
His sword flashed.
MoonPetal launched Fire Bolt.
Shen Tian activated Power Shot.
All three attacks landed.
The boss staggered.
Shen Tian’s next arrow finished it.
Corrupted Goblin Captain defeated!
Bonus EXP awarded!
LEVEL UP!
Golden light surrounded all three.
MoonPetal cheered.
"Level seven!"
Jiang Feng checked his status.
"Same."
Shen Tian smiled.
Then...
The wall behind the boss opened.
A hidden staircase descended.
Jiang Feng stared.
"That wasn’t the dungeon boss."
MoonPetal’s excitement disappeared.
"...You’re kidding."
Shen Tian looked down the staircase.
Xu Ning appeared.
[Host.]
A golden Fate thread extended downward.
Bright.
Extremely bright.
Shen Tian smiled.
"There it is."
MoonPetal tilted her head.
"There what is?"
"Nothing."
Jiang Feng studied him.
"You know something?"
"No."
"You smiled."
"I smile often."
"Not like that."
MoonPetal looked between them.
"Are we going down?"
Shen Tian started walking.
Jiang Feng followed.
MoonPetal sighed.
"Why do I even ask?"
The hidden chamber beneath the Forest Ruins was enormous.
At its center...
A massive tree grew underground.
Its roots wrapped around ancient ruins.
Blue leaves glowed along its branches.
And beneath it...
Something moved.
A creature stood.
Nearly twelve feet tall.
Black armor covered its body.
Roots pierced through the armor.
A massive sword rested in its hands.
Its name appeared.
Hidden Boss
Guardian of the Forgotten Grove
Level 12
HP: 18,000
MoonPetal stopped.
Jiang Feng stopped.
Shen Tian looked impressed.
"Cool."
MoonPetal slowly turned.
"Cool?"
"Yeah."
"It’s twelve."
"We’re seven."
"It has eighteen thousand health."
"I can read."
MoonPetal pointed toward the staircase.
"We can leave."
Jiang Feng studied the boss.
Then looked toward Shen Tian.
Shen Tian looked back.
MoonPetal immediately recognized the expression on both men’s faces.
"No."
Jiang Feng smiled.
"We can beat it."
"No."
Shen Tian nodded.
"Definitely."
"No!"
The boss opened its eyes.
Red light filled the chamber.
MoonPetal closed hers.
"...I hate both of you."
The battle began.
Ten minutes later...
MoonPetal had changed her mind.
She didn’t hate them.
She was simply...
Completely speechless.
More specifically...
She was speechless because of Shen Tian.
The boss was terrifying.
Every sword swing covered enormous distances.
Roots erupted from the floor.
Poison flowers appeared.
Falling leaves became projectiles.
But Shen Tian...
Didn’t stop moving.
Not once.
He ran along the edge of the arena.
Jumped over roots.
Slid beneath sword swings.
Used broken pillars as cover.
Fired while moving.
Every arrow found something vulnerable.
Eye.
Joint.
Neck.
Gap in armor.
Jiang Feng fought close.
His skill was exceptional.
MoonPetal could see that.
He blocked attacks that should’ve killed him.
Redirected strikes.
Used Flowing Step beautifully.
He was absolutely one of the best players she’d encountered.
But Shen Tian...
Was controlling the entire fight.
"Jiang, right!"
Jiang Feng moved without questioning.
A root exploded from where he’d been standing.
"Moon, behind the pillar!"
She moved.
Poison leaves struck the stone.
"Three seconds!"
MoonPetal understood.
She began casting.
"Firestorm!"
The boss turned toward her.
Jiang Feng attacked its knee.
Shen Tian fired at its eye.
Aggro shifted.
MoonPetal’s spell completed.
Fire engulfed the boss.
-611 HP
Shen Tian smiled.
"Nice."
MoonPetal’s face warmed.
"Thanks!"
Jiang Feng noticed.
His sword paused for half a second.
Then...
He laughed quietly.
Ah.
He understood.
MoonPetal had started watching Shen Tian differently.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing certain.
But...
The beginning was there.
Admiration.
Interest.
A little excitement whenever Shen Tian praised her.
Jiang Feng felt something uncomfortable.
Then he mentally shrugged.
[Well. That’s unfortunate.]
The boss attacked.
Jiang Feng dodged.
Plenty of fish in the sea.
He smiled.
Then rushed back into combat.
No reason to become bitter.
They’d known each other for barely a few hours.
MoonPetal could like whoever she wanted.
And Shen Tian...
Well...
Jiang Feng couldn’t exactly blame her.
The guy was carrying them like luggage.
The boss reached ten percent health.
Then...
Enraged.
Guardian of the Forgotten Grove has entered Frenzy!
MoonPetal panicked.
"It’s faster!"
Jiang Feng blocked.
His health dropped.
31%!
Shen Tian’s eyes narrowed.
"Back off."
Jiang Feng looked over.
"What?"
"Both of you."
MoonPetal hesitated.
Shen Tian repeated,
"Back off."
Something in his voice made them listen.
Jiang Feng retreated.
MoonPetal followed.
Shen Tian remained.
Alone.
The boss charged.
MoonPetal’s eyes widened.
"Shen Tian!"
The massive sword descended.
Shen Tian activated...
Quick Step!
He vanished sideways.
The blade smashed into the floor.
Shen Tian jumped onto it.
Ran up the sword.
The boss lifted its weapon.
Shen Tian was launched upward.
Jiang Feng stared.
"...No way."
Shen Tian twisted in midair.
Drew his bow.
Hunter’s Mark!
The mark appeared directly over the boss’s exposed eye.
Power Shot!
Release.
The arrow descended.
THUNK!
CRITICAL HIT!
-893 HP
The boss staggered.
Shen Tian landed.
Immediately drew again.
Release.
Critical Hit!
Again.
Critical Hit!
The boss raised its sword.
Shen Tian rolled beneath it.
Another arrow.
Critical Hit!
Its health reached...
Shen Tian drew one final arrow.
The Guardian roared.
Shen Tian released.
Silence.
The arrow struck between its eyes.
CRITICAL HIT!
The massive creature froze.
Cracks spread across its armor.
Golden light erupted.
Then...
It collapsed.
- Hidden Boss defeated! -
- Forest Ruins cleared! -
- WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT -
[Congratulations to Party Leader MoonPetal and party members FallenWind and ShenTian for achieving the world’s first clear of Forest Ruins on Hard Difficulty!]
Special rewards have been distributed!
Outside the dungeon...
Every player stopped.
Then chaos erupted.
(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!

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