"How did you know?" The monster turned to him, its brow-less eyes staring. "I mean, how did you know he changed my stats? I haven't even shown it to you,"

They have been walking for several miles, yet the undead they had crossed path seemed to avoid them. Which was impossible, since they were nothing more than dead automatons. Yet, these things fled, as if the boogieman had appeared. Thankfully, they didn't chase after them. The last thing Jor wanted was to kill more undead.

"A skill called Observe. It lets me divine your stats, skills, and abilities," A useful skill if anything. The knowledge it would give would be a blessing before any fights. Though, it would be nice if Jor had any skill, to begin with.

Jor's steps felt heavy, and his arms ached from the beating he's received from the monster. Speaking of which, Jor asked, "What's your name?" 

"Charlie," Jor stared. The 'Charlie' grinned widely. "You'd think I would have a name from some exotic location, due to my appearance? A little ironic isn't it? Considering your name? Jörmungandr Shesha. Nice name. Your parents must've loved snakes." 

Jor shrugged uncomfortably. "My dad's Scandinavians, and my mom's South Asian. Her last name was Shesha. Dad decided to take my mom's last name when they married, and named me after the Norse myth, the world serpent."  

The monster grunted. 

"Where are we going, anyway?" Jor looked around, and the environment hasn't changed one bit. Just one big long stretch of barren rock and more rock as far as the eye could see. Then, something came to mind. "I... don't suppose you've found others like us?" 

The monst- Charlie, shook his head. Jor needed to remind himself to call him Charlie. It was getting tedious calling him a monster. "Close. No, we're going to another floor. We're meeting with someone," 

Before Jor could react, the hand snaked out from the sword. Its pale hand grabbed his wrist in vice-grip, holding so hard he felt his bones creak. Alarmed, he tried to pull away, grimacing.  

"Don't resist," Charlie said. Well, ordered. Then, another arm from the sword danced and twitched. Wisps of blue smoke and dark light gathered, then shot forward. Jor stood, stunned. A spell. His eyes gazed back upon the numerous hands that seemed to bulge out from the sword.

Did all the hands know magic? Or worse, were they all trapped inside that sword somehow? Jor's eyes dragged back to the monster now facing him fully. Charlie only smiled, its tongue pink and long. 

In front of Jor, space itself seemed to fold upon itself, over and over again. It swirled and widened until an oval portal made of literal shadows shimmered in the air. 

"Let's go. And hold on tight." 

"... What?" 

Jor was dragged through the portal, though he didn't resist as much. It was futile to resist, and Charlie was his only chance at escaping this... dungeon. Or whatever they call it. 

It took but a second to feel the cold that seeped into his bones. Then, it was over. Just like that. Jor looked back at the portal, and it collapsed instantly. 

A butterfly landed on his shoulder. He felt grass underneath his feet. It was grass. He looked around, stared in utter awe. The trees were as tall as skyscrapers. The tree trunks were easily as wide and as thick as castles. And when he looked up, he could not see the sky, but the thick leaves that seemed to cover everything. 

"It's... amazing," It was a forest as thick with life as it was vibrant with the sounds of wildlife. "Where... are we? I've been as far as dozens of miles, but everything was the same," 

"You were on the hundredth floor," Charlie answered. "Now, we're not," 

Jor shook his head. "Right... right," 

"Come along," The pale skinny hand let go of his wrist, and it returned back to dancing and scratching at Charlie's legs. "It's only a few miles south of here," 

"Where exactly are we going?" 

"A city," He said, simply. 

It made sense, he thought. Still, the idea of making a home in this dungeon seemed like a terrible idea. But, what other choices did he have? What choices did anyone have? It's that, or die in some lawless lands alone. This dungeon must really hate them, to live in the belly of a beast as if they were likened to Zeus, consumed by the Titan, and all because he was afraid of his own children. 

The idea of the dungeon being afraid of them was laughable. It may as well be a god, considering the world they're in. 

"This area has been dealt with any monsters that make their home here, leaving it a safer area for the inhabitants of the city," Jor closely walked beside him, watching with the very intent that something might kill him. Chances were high that yes, something might kill him. It was a surprise, however, that the city dealt with it. "Still, it does not mean the city is safe. Monsters encroach on these lands on a regular basis," 

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Or, maybe not. "Just how big are these dungeon floors?" 

Charlie grunted. "Some are as big as a modern city. Some are infinite, expanding in an endless loop. Some floors cannibalize each other floors or reach into other worlds for consumption." 

Jor inwardly shivered. "I don't suppose you know the exact number of floors?" 

The guttural laughter sounded unnatural. It sent a chill down his spine. "Creation of new floors occurs every day. It's a universe unto itself, hidden beneath the veneer of thin reality,"

When he continued again, it was after a minute of contemplating silence. Jor was glad. He needed time to process that kind of information. 

"I saw the creation of a new floor once. It was the dark. Pitch black, as dark and as an empty as a world without a world. Then, slowly, it built itself up from its very root of Providence," Charlie chuckled, gazing at the palms of his hands. They shook. Was he scared? "It was like watching the beginnings of the big bang, a creation of a world by the hands of an invisible master. It was like watching the sun, as I stood on the surface of Mercury." 

Jor stared. "And you watched it?" 

"I escaped it," He emphasized. "To watch it is to burn and die. I was lucky." Charlie shook his head, then nodded ahead. "We're here."

Jor gazed ahead, just as nature parted like curtains to unveil its beautiful gem hidden in the center. "Holy shit..." 

These people had made their homes in the very roots itself. These roots were easily large enough to house hundreds of homes, and that was just one root in a single tree. As he gazed about, almost every root in every tree was occupied, built with grand homes and balconies to show for it. 

"Nearly a million people settle here," Charlie replied. "Numerous races have made their homes, living alongside in order to combat death itself for the sake of survival. Cultures and beliefs clash, as often as they sing and dance with one another."

The closer they got, the easier it was for him to see the hustle and bustling market built at the root of the center tree. People made way for them. Well, for him. Every single one, man, woman, or child, bowed their heads low. Some cheered, and some nodded respectively. Whatever jobs or activity they were doing, seemed to have been left forgotten. 

But what startled him were that they weren't all human. Some of them were, certainly. Some of the others, however, were otherworldly pretty, long-limbed, and with pointed foot-long ears. He saw some that were tall, green, burly, tusked, and built like tanks. Then there were dwarves, with thick beards and muscular arms. The lion people, with their golden coats of fur and girth, with their strength and size to easily match the orcs. The green women, with leaves and tree bark growing out of their skin to cover themselves. And there were the winged people, with colours as varied as there were in the visible spectrum. 

Ah, and of course, a red freaking dragon to complete its package. Its sheer size dwarfed everything in its path, its mouth as wide as a small mountain. The dragon made itself home, and it was the tree's only occupant. An entire tree, just for the dragon.  

"I feel like I just fell into a fantasy game," Jor gulped.

"This is the reality we face," He said, simply. 

"Where are we going?" 

"There, to the tree up ahead," In the middle of the market square that surrounded it was easily the biggest tree in the area, as well as the tallest. They may as well have named it Yggdrasil, the world tree. Entire sets of staircases were carved into the base of the tree, allowing them to walk inside the great entrance. The doors, surprisingly, was not made of wood, but metal. They looked like steel, but perhaps made of some other material. He didn't know. He wasn't some metallurgist.

The pair of guards that stood by the doors wore heavy plated armour, and he wondered just how they could stand still without falling over like a ton of rock. One was an elf, slim-figured, and beautiful beyond belief. While the other was the lion man, twice Jor's size and just as wide. He looked like he crushes rocks for a living. 

Then, they had to take the stairs. Jor had to take the stairs of a forty story building, once. He wasn't a happy camper. This tree, however, easily dwarfed even Dubai's tallest building.

This was hell. 

"Just... how tall... is this... fucking building?" By the second hundredth floor, he was breathing hard. Charlie wasn't even left winded. The bastard just glanced at him amusingly. The guards that escorted them also looked at him with thinly hidden grins. These ones were orcs, the both of them. Even they were less tired, and they were wearing thick plated armour. Jor gritted his teeth. 

"Two thousand meters," Jor glared at Charlie. "We're here." 

Jor straightened to his feet as they entered into wide halls. It was beautiful, designed to look similar to Victorian, but with cultural touches from other races. The interior palace hall looked magnificent, with mosaic carved marble floors and numerous enchanted lights above. The golden gentle glow left a homely feel to the grand hall, and not at all glaring or unwelcoming. 

To the side, he could see the entire market that stretched for miles through the grand circular window set into the wall. Painted portraits placed on the walls, and trinkets, couches, chairs, and various other items were placed with reason in mind. This hall was more like a grand office, then the meeting room of some king. 

Wait, were they to meet a king? 

"I didn't think I would see you again. You had disappeared three years ago, Lord Charlie Ashton."

Jor turned to face the perfection that walked into the room. Well, the guy looked like he walked out of a digitally enhanced modeling cover magazine, and ran away to live here. It was kind of disturbing just how pretty he was. The elves he walked past in the market were ungodly pretty. But this... it was like someone plucked a sun and put it inside him. He glowed. Literally. And so symmetrically perfect, his chin just might cut bullet-proofed glass. 

Charlie ignored him and turned to face Jor. It didn't escape him that the king looked annoyed by his action. "Jor, I would like you to meet Ainmeldiriel Laththeldorion, the King of Eruia Falls. Also, an annoying little shit that kept following me as a child," 

The guard by his sides barely audibly sighed. The other one just seemed to hold his breath. 

The king looked like he was about to explode, if the throbbing vein on his forehead was any indication.  

Jor just kept quiet. It might save his life.