I glanced at my point balance with a subtle smile.
[19,000 Points]
This total was absurd for the early stages. I couldn’t wait to reach Floor 3 and finally unlock the Tower Shop.
For now, my sole focus was clearing Floor 2 and, more importantly, securing my future summon. Based on what Azalea had told me, she would be waiting inside the Boss Room.
I felt a slight edge of nervousness. I wasn’t entirely certain I could convince her to sign a summon pact with me. Fortunately, her options were practically non-existent: she could either become my summon or remain trapped in this wretched Tower for the rest of her life.
Clearing the floor had gone smoothly. By the time I reached the archway of the Floor 2 Boss Room, I had reached Level 24, giving me 3 unallocated stat points to distribute as I saw fit.
I decided against spending them immediately. I preferred hoarding 10 points at a time before dumping them directly into Mana Power, which would indirectly amplify the rest of my stat pool. Holding onto them also gave me flexibility to allocate points on the fly depending on unexpected boss mechanics.
After all, Floor 3 marked the point where the real difficulty spike began. From that floor onward, clearing trial zones required far more than just mindlessly slaughtering mobs and felling a final floor boss.
I knew the core clearing strategies from my past life, but navigating those trials remained treacherous even with my elevated stat line.
Anyway, that’s a problem for later. First, I need to recruit this elf and buy a Return Ticket to Earth.
I took a deep breath, braced my hands against the heavy black doors, and pushed them open.
The moment I crossed the threshold into the arena, I noticed a distinct shift in the environment. The air lacked the suffocating pressure of Floor 1, yet I could immediately feel a sharp, hostile gaze locked onto me. Before I even looked up, a sleek information panel hovered into view.
[Boss Monster: High-Noble Dark Elf]
Rank: Elite
Grade: Expert
Her grade outranked the Noble Demon Knight I had faced on Floor 0. It was another severe anomaly, but unlike before, I came prepared with both Azalea’s warnings and the golden branch harvested from the World Tree.
"Hmm... you’re the first challenger to set foot in this domain," she muttered under her breath. Suddenly, her pupils dilated slightly. "Y-You... how do you bear the residual energy of the World Tree?"
I was surprised by how articulate her speech was. Then again, Grade Expert boss monsters possessed higher cognitive functions, interacting with challengers through taunts, mind games, or outright dialogue.
Before I could answer, her piercing white eyes shifted into a deep crimson.
"What did you do to the World Tree?" she demanded, anger lacing her tone as she raised a longbow and drew the string back in one fluid motion. "Did you desecrate it? Did you steal its life force?"
Why is a Dark Elf so fiercely protective of the World Tree? I wondered.
Dark Elves and High Elves shared a history of bitter animosity, often engaging in ruthless warfare across realms. Yet Azalea, the High Elf Queen, had specifically tasked me with rescuing a Dark Elf.
The underlying history here was far more complex than a simple rescue mission. Regardless, her wild breathing made it clear she wasn’t in a rational state of mind.
"Azalea sent me," I stated firmly, watching her fingers quiver against the bowstring.
She tilted her head, her expression twisting in confusion. "Who?"
"The Elf Queen, Azalea. She dispatched me here to pull you out of this dungeon."
The moment those words left my mouth, she winced in agony, clutching her temples with a sharp intake of breath.
"I don’t know anyone by that name! The Elf Queen is dead!" she screamed, her voice cracking with violent fury. "The Elf Queen is dead! I saw her corpse with my own eyes! They assured me she was dead!"
"They?"
Before I could probe further, she released the bowstring. A black-feathered arrow whistled through the air toward my skull.
My reflexes kicked in just in time. The shaft grazed my right ear, leaving a fine crimson line that dripped blood onto my dark tunic.
I tried calling out to her, shouting over the ambient noise of the arena, but my voice failed to reach her. It was as if something had taken control of her body. Controlled by sheer insanity, she dropped her bow, drew a short dagger concealed in her boot, and lunged directly at my throat.
"How dare you defile the World Tree!"
"You’re dead!"
After parrying a flurry of desperate thrusts, I realized talking was pointless. I needed to knock some sense into her.
My base agility easily outmatched her movement speed, allowing me to sidestep her lethal strikes without wasting mana.
When she lunged once more, I inverted my grip on the [Blood Sword] and slammed the heavy pommel directly onto the crown of her head.
The impact sent her tumbling backward onto the stone floor, gasping as she clutched her head in pain. The physical shock seemed to break her trance.
"W-What just happened?" she gritted out, shaking her head. "Why does my head hurt so badly?"
"Nothing major," I replied coldly. "You just tried to slit my throat."
I deliberately avoided mentioning Azalea again to prevent triggering another psychotic break. Instead, I bypassed further explanations and retrieved the golden World Tree branch from my inventory.
"This is what made you think I stole energy from the World Tree. I attempted to explain that earlier before you attacked me."
Her eyes widened as she stared at the glowing timber in awe, her hostility vanishing in an instant.
"You... where did you obtain that?"