Time passed quietly, and morning arrived.
Light spread naturally through the branches. The tree’s roots had now emerged from the soil more than before, like veins that could no longer stay hidden and had pushed to the surface. They pulsed slowly, not with obvious movement, but with a very subtle rhythm that only someone like Daniel could feel.
The fruit on the highest branch was no longer just a bud. Its light had become clearer, deeper, and with each short pulse, something like a living beat flowed within it. It was clear that devouring all the life force of those mercenaries had caused the fruit’s growth to undergo significant changes throughout the night, increasing by leaps and bounds for a short period.
Although it was still very far from being fully grown, at least the life force of tens of thousands of people, or maybe hundreds of thousands, on par with last night’s mercenaries needed to be devoured by the tree for the fruit to mature. If things continued this way, it could take a long time, and the best way was for stronger individuals to appear. The stronger a person is, the greater their life force.
Daniel was still sitting in the same spot. His back against the tree’s trunk, one leg slightly forward, his hand on his knee, and his sword beside him. His appearance was calm, but his mind was working, precisely analyzing this issue.
He calculated that at least ten or maybe a hundred people on par with him would need to be killed and their life force absorbed by the tree for the fruit to be completed.
But the question is, does anyone as powerful as him exist on this floor? He wasn’t sure. No matter how much the tower wanted to match the floor’s difficulty to his standards, he doubted it could simulate someone as strong as him on the fourth floor.
Unless an anomaly occurred like on the third floor. Unless his luck was terribly bad, he doubted such a thing would happen again.
"So the only way is numbers." He muttered, and his eyes narrowed slightly as his divine sense activated.
The flows of mana were spread throughout the forest like a network of luminous lines, but unlike the previous artificial order, these lines were now bending toward one point. Toward the tree.
Daniel looked at the tree.
"...So it doesn’t just absorb."
Understanding took shape in his mind. This tree didn’t just take energy; it processed and converted it. And more importantly, it was alive. Not as an ordinary creature, but as a raw consciousness, a growing core that became clearer, heavier, and more alert the more energy it received.
He thought the tree only absorbed life force, but his observation now showed that all mana flows were also ending up at it. But surprisingly, it didn’t absorb pure mana; rather, it processed it, converted it into something else, then devoured and fed on it.
"Could it also convert life force into something else?" Suddenly, something came to his mind. But it was clear the conversion rate was very poor.
He looked at the fruit.
"The more it takes... the faster it completes."
And not just the fruit, but this whole "thing."
He was silent for a few moments, then lowered his gaze slightly.
"They want to destroy it before it’s completed..."
"Do they know what happens after?"
"Or are they just afraid?"
A vague feeling formed inside him. Prophecy. For the first time, this word appeared in his mind without certainty. He hadn’t thought much about this Divine Prophet and her order.
But why did she want to destroy the tree?
"Maybe their goal... is to prevent this."
Or maybe... to control something that got out of control.
But before his thought could complete, his divine sense caught something.
Daniel raised his head slightly. These presences... weren’t like the previous ones. Not like the beasts of corruption, not like the knights, and not even like those Iron Grave mercenaries.
Their auras were completely different from any other creature he had seen in this world.
His gaze shifted without moving, and at that same moment, he sensed something else.
Behind those five presences. Further away and hidden, a small caravan of several presences that had deliberately concealed themselves was coming this way.
Daniel focused on them for a moment longer. They weren’t hostile nor ready to attack. If his reasoning was correct, they had come to observe.
And then he dismissed them. No change occurred in his state, no reaction, and of course no apparent preparation. As if it didn’t matter at all.
The space rippled slightly.
And five people appeared from among the trees.
Their entrance wasn’t quiet, but it wasn’t noisy either. It was controlled, like those who know exactly where they stand and what is in front of them.
The first one was that glasses-wearing man.
Kaylen.
His gaze immediately swept the environment, a quick, precise, flawless scan, and then fixed on Daniel.
The insolent boy, with the same crooked smile, glanced briefly at the tree and then stared directly at Daniel, as if he had decided from the very first moment to turn this scene into a game.
The female assassin didn’t say a single word, but her presence was like a hidden blade in the air, ready to cut at the first opportunity.
The heavy man stood one step back without hurry, like a wall.
And the fifth person had a vague aura, not weak, but unreadable. But with a single look, Daniel could tell he was a supporter.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. They weren’t afraid of Daniel, but at least they didn’t underestimate him.
And at that same moment, they all understood one thing: Daniel’s aura was not like the natives of this world.
"...So there really is someone here." Kaylen finally spoke. His tone was calm.
His gaze left Daniel and went around, as if trying to find the remains of last night’s mercenaries, but surprisingly, he found nothing. Not even a trace of their ashes.
"Iron Grave... was that your work?"
"Yeah. They wanted to harm the tree." Daniel answered without changing his posture.
The insolent boy chuckled under his breath but said nothing. As if he had found someone even crazier and more insolent than himself.
"Is he... like us?" One of the group members said quietly.
But no one had an exact answer to his question.
"Where did you come from?" Kaylen asked directly.
"If you came to harm the tree... turn back." Daniel fixed his gaze on him, and then, without a direct answer, said, "And leave."
His voice was calm and indifferent, but there was a terrible coldness in its depths.
"So my guess was right..." Kaylen smiled very faintly for the first time.
"You’re also a player." His gaze sharpened.
No one was surprised. He had already told his teammates about this possibility, which is why they weren’t surprised now.
"We came to destroy the tree." Kaylen continued, this time completely directly.
"That will be dangerous... for you." Daniel didn’t even blink and said mockingly.
There was no laughter, and likewise no mockery.
"Do you know what happens if it fully grows?" Kaylen tilted his head slightly and looked at the tree.
Daniel didn’t answer, just looked. He really didn’t know, nor did he have an accurate guess.
"Anyway, we don’t know exactly either." Kaylen continued, his voice becoming quieter, yet its seriousness increased.
"But it must be something really bad when the whole world wants to destroy it." His gaze returned to Daniel.
"You also know this world has already been destroyed, and this... is just a simulation." He stepped forward.
"Maybe in that real world... no one could destroy the tree."
"And this tree caused its end."
A deep silence enveloped the space between them, and Daniel said nothing for a few moments.
And then a very faint smile settled on his lips.
"Or maybe the world was destroyed... because they destroyed this tree."