Liam and Lydia finally reached the base of the gigantic tree.
Once they got there, both of them had to tilt their heads back.
The trunk was so enormous that it looked like a mountain. Its bark was covered in deep cracks and strange markings that stretched upward, disappearing among the branches.
Lydia’s eyes widened.
"It’s... huge."
Liam smiled.
"Yeah."
She slowly turned around, trying to take it all in.
"How did we not see this last time?"
Liam thought for a moment.
"Maybe because we never reached this area."
"But we fell from above."
"Yeah."
"Then we should have seen it."
"We were also pretty busy trying to find a way out."
Lydia let out a small laugh.
"That’s true."
While she continued admiring the tree, Liam lowered his gaze.
Something had caught his attention.
Stones.
Several of them were scattered around the enormous trunk.
They didn’t look like they had fallen there naturally.
Each one had different symbols carved into it.
Some were small, while others were almost the size of a person.
Liam walked around one of them, crouched down, and touched one of the symbols with his fingers.
"This is strange."
Lydia approached him.
"What?"
Liam examined the stones.
"They’re arranged in a way that looks completely random."
He looked toward another one.
"But they all surround the tree."
Lydia tilted her head.
"Do you think they’re important?"
"I think so."
Liam stood up.
"I think they’re some kind of puzzle."
"A puzzle?"
"Someone must have solved it."
Liam pointed toward the gigantic tree.
"And somehow, that caused this tree to grow."
Lydia looked at the stones.
"I didn’t know there were puzzles inside dungeons."
"Neither did I."
Liam smiled.
"But apparently there are."
He pointed toward the branches.
"If you think about it, it makes sense. Dungeons don’t just have monsters. Some of them seem to have mechanisms that open paths or allow you to reach other floors."
Lydia looked upward.
"Then these stones might have caused the tree to appear."
"Probably."
Lydia looked at the trunk again.
"Then we just have to use it."
That was when Lydia pointed upward.
"Wait."
Liam followed her finger.
Several thick branches protruded from the trunk, and they weren’t growing randomly.
They formed a sort of natural staircase.
One branch, then another slightly higher, followed by another and another.
They all extended around the trunk before disappearing into the heights.
Lydia smiled.
"See?"
Liam nodded.
"Good eye."
"We could climb up that way."
Liam quickly calculated the distances.
After a few seconds, he grimaced.
"But there’s a problem."
"What?"
"Some of them are too far apart."
Lydia looked at him.
"Can’t you jump?"
"I could."
"But..."
Liam looked down.
"...I’d rather not find out how much damage a fall from up here would do."
Lydia burst out laughing.
"Then I have an idea."
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
She smiled.
"I’ll help you."
◇◆◇
The transformation began almost immediately.
Lydia’s body lost its human shape and once again became a green gelatinous mass.
Liam was already used to it.
Even so, he always found it fascinating to watch her transform so quickly.
The green mass began to stretch and slid around his waist.
Then it climbed up his torso.
Finally, it took the shape of a thick belt around his body.
Liam looked down.
"Are you comfortable?"
[Lydia: Perfectly.]
"Good."
Liam jumped forward.
For an instant, he felt as though he were falling.
Then Lydia’s body stretched.
Part of her remained attached to the previous branch while another part wrapped around the next one.
The movement was similar to that of a gigantic pendulum.
Liam swung over the void.
"Woooo!"
The wind struck his face.
Lydia managed to latch onto the next branch, and Liam landed.
"It worked!"
[Lydia: I told you it would.]
"Again!"
Lydia stretched once more, and they began climbing.
Each jump carried them higher, but the tree seemed to have no end.
Liam began to enjoy it.
Adrenaline coursed through his entire body.
Every time Lydia released one branch and swung toward the next, Liam felt as though his stomach had been left behind.
Until he looked down.
And immediately regretted it.
The ground was getting farther and farther away.
Liam swallowed nervously.
[Lydia: Are you okay?]
"Perfectly."
[Lydia: You’re pale.]
"I’m not pale."
[Lydia: You’re about to throw up.]
Liam let out a nervous laugh.
"I’m fine. Keep going."
[Lydia: You’re definitely going to throw up your lunch.]
"Shut up!"
Lydia began laughing.
And they continued climbing.
◇◆◇
After several minutes, the vegetation began to change.
The branches grew thicker, the air became colder, and the sand-filled sky was getting closer and closer.
Liam looked upward.
"We’re almost there."
Lydia swung toward another branch.
Then Liam saw something.
"Wait."
[Lydia: What?]
"There."
In the middle of the enormous trunk was a hole.
A completely dark opening.
And from that point onward, the outer branches began to disappear.
Lydia immediately understood.
[Lydia: We have to go inside.]
"Yeah."
She propelled herself forward, and her body stretched until it reached the edge of the hole.
Liam felt Lydia release her hold on the branch.
The two of them entered the tree.
The gelatinous mass gathered back together, and Lydia returned to her human form.
Liam landed sitting down.
"That was..."
He took a deep breath.
"...way more intense than I expected."
Lydia laughed.
"I told you you were going to throw up."
"I didn’t throw up."
"Almost."
Liam stood up.
Then they both looked around.
There was a room inside the tree.
The walls were made entirely of wood.
But it didn’t look like a natural interior.
The branches had grown in strange patterns, forming structures that resembled columns.
And in the center...
A staircase.
The branches intertwined with one another, forming steps that ascended through the interior of the gigantic trunk.
Lydia’s eyes widened.
"It’s incredible."
Liam looked upward and noticed that a beam of light was coming from somewhere near the top.
It was the only illumination inside the place.
A golden line pierced the darkness.
"So this is the path."
Lydia nodded.
But before they could move...
BOOM!
The entire tree shook, and Lydia nearly lost her balance.
"What was that?!"
Liam placed one hand against the wall.
The trunk trembled again.
Through an opening, they could see huge amounts of sand falling from the suspended sky.
Liam frowned.
"It must be the sub-captains."
Lydia looked at him.
"Do you think they’re fighting?"
"I’m sure of it."
Another tremor traveled through the tree, and the wood creaked.
Liam looked up toward the staircase.
"They’re probably fighting the dungeon’s boss."
Lydia clenched her fists.
"Then we have to hurry."
Liam smiled.
"Exactly."
Lydia took the first step onto the branch staircase.
And Liam followed her.
The two of them began ascending the natural staircase inside the giant tree, toward the final floor of the S-Rank dungeon.