They carried the berserkers across the Garden. The Lost Ones drifted by harmlessly, though Kyung shied away from them whenever they showed up. Guess he’s not used to enemies not attacking him. It is his first time in the Tower, so I suppose it’s not too weird.

The vine waved gently under its own power, growing quietly in the shade by the rose bushes. Kyung’s eyes passed right over it, and he went to walk by until Vivian called out, “Right there!”

“Oh. I didn’t see it.” Kyung lowered the berserker to the ground below him.

Huh. Looks like the Lady of the Lost’s skill breaks if I point it out, Vivian thought, nodding to himself. Wonder if it’s broken to everyone, or just Kyung and Noah? Too late to test it now.

As he thumped his berserker’s body next to the vine, Vivian glanced at Kyung. “Did your Ranker dad train you to fight, or something? You’re a good fighter for a Hairdresser.”

Kyung nodded. “He trained me as soon as I was big enough to hold a sword.”

“He was all-in on you being a melee fighter, huh? Would’ve been unlucky if you ended up as a Mage or Archer-style class,” Vivian commented. He kicked the berserker’s body a little closer to the vine’s roots.

[Compost] Lvl 1

Neither of the bodies dissolved. Vivian frowned, then held out his hand. “Compost.”

SP: 0/5

“Oh, right.” He picked through his inventory until he found an SP potion, then chugged it down and composted the two bodies. From the dirt, he collected their items, offering Noah and Kyung a pick of the loot. Checking his inventory again, he frowned. I’m getting a bit low on potions. I’ll have to take it easy for a while.

Kyung shrugged, pocketing his share of the potions and gear. “I became a Hairdresser.”

“Oh. Well, good point,” Vivian said, shrugging.

Noah tilted his head. “His dad’s a Ranker?”

“Right! I forgot. Noah, Cha Kyung. Cha Kyung, Noah. Kyung’s dad is a Ranker, but he won’t tell me what rank, and it’s really—”

Noah’s eyes shone. “Cha Kyung? Cha Yeong-ho’s son?”

Kyung inclined his head, just a little.

“Wow,” Noah whispered, almost worshipful.

Vivian frowned at Noah. Hey now, what’s this? Even ‘the’ Vivian didn’t get this kind of treatment! Is he actually a K-pop idol?

Clearing his throat, Vivian pulled out the invitation. “Now that we’re all here, shall we go meet the Lady of the Lost?”

“I don’t want to fight her again,” Noah said, shaking his head.

“Again? Did you fight her the first time?” Vivian asked, crossing his arms.

Noah hesitated, then shook his head again. “But I saw enough to know I don’t want to fight her!”

“Smart man. In any case, she didn’t invite us to fight. She invited us to have tea,” Vivian said. He nodded at Noah. “You should hang back, in case she attacks. I’m not really sure what this is about, to be honest.”

“I’m on the front lines?” Kyung asked.

Vivian glanced at him. “Do you not want to be?”

“Not making a statement. Asking clarification,” Kyung stated flatly.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Yeah… I mean, I think it’s a good idea. I don’t know what the Lady’s up to, and I used my Checkpoint today already, so…” He shrugged.

“Checkpoint?” Kyung asked.

“Oh… right. The Tower gave me a Checkpoint once I hit level ten. Lets me regain my stat points after I die, but only once per day,” Vivian said.

Kyung frowned. “I didn’t get one of those.”

Vivian went to thump him on the back, but held back at the last second. “That’s because you haven’t died yet! It only gave me one after I died post-level ten. Tower didn’t bother to mention it while I was alive.”

Kyung glanced at Vivian, then nodded. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Vivian shrugged. “Fair enough.”

They set off, once more winding through the yews overgrown with roses. A few Lost Ones drifted by. Vivian glanced around, searching for their escort. That one Lost One seemed to be leading us… did the battle scare her off?

A cold hand landed on his shoulder. Vivian turned. Big, glowing eyes stared directly into his from inches away, unruly white hair brushing against his skin. The Lost One wrinkled her nose and hissed at him. Icy breath passed over his face.

“Er… sorry,” Vivian tried.

The Lost One retreated a bit, then floated away. Every so often, she checked over her shoulder to see if they were following, her eyes squinted in distrust.

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Vivian assured her.

The Lost One hissed and shook her head, checking in on them again before she floated ahead.

They wound through the maze. As they walked, the turn-offs grew rarer and rarer, until they walked down a long, straight corridor. The fog grew thicker, until Vivian could barely see the Lost One ahead of them. Once more, she paused and turned back, hissing, then flew ahead. The fog closed in behind her, leaving nothing but a faint green smudge in the pale fog.

“Hey, hold up,” Vivian called. He jogged ahead a few steps.

“Vivian, wait,” Kyung said.

Vivian stopped abruptly. That’s right. I almost pulled a classic horror movie mistake right there! I’ve wasted my Checkpoint today. I can’t be that careless! He nodded. “Good point. Do you want to hold hands?”

Kyung frowned, taken aback.

“So we don’t get separated in the fog,” Vivian explained.

Noah hurried over and grabbed Vivian’s hand. Vivian held his other hand out to Kyung.

Kyung regarded his hand with distaste, then glanced at the fog. With extreme reluctance, he pinched the edge of Vivian’s sleeve.

Good enough. Vivian stepped forward, and the fog closed in around them.

The hedges grew further and further apart, until they, too, faded away into the fog. Following the distant glow of the Lost One, Vivian strode forward. Noah clenched his hand hard, huddling nervously close to Vivian. Kyung shadowed a half-step behind him, paces even and confident. Vivian looked around as he walked. We aren’t in the Garden anymore. It… feels different. But… where are we? I’ve never been behind the Garden, but I know people have completely mapped the First Floor. Even a hundred years ago, or whatever, there were people who would sell you maps. Maybe they were bullshitting, but… I don’t recall there being a massive foggy space marked out at any point in the Garden.

Is this another space like the clearing? A space you can only reach if you know the exact sequence of turns to get there? Or maybe… you need to be led here by a Lost One.

Ahead of them, little footsteps sounded out. Vivian squinted, confused, then stepped forward and out of the fog.

A little girl in a white dress glanced over her shoulder at them, then ran off, running up the cobbled path. The cobbles twisted up a gentle hill, where an enormous manor house perched. Stone walls the same color as the cobbles stretched up. Tall, picture windows stared out over the landscape, spaced evenly along the first and second floors, draped in crème curtains. Double doors in a rich walnut welcomed them in. The emblem of a white rose stood over the front doors, touched in gilt, its petals in ivory and leaves in emerald.

In an elegant wooden veranda just before the manor house, an elegant woman in a pale green dress sipped tea from a porcelain cup. She turned, and the white rose fascinator on her forehead wobbled slightly in the breeze. A young boy stood beside her in a white butler’s uniform, stretching up tall onto his tiptoes to fill three additional teacups. In the center of the table, a three-tiered stand held cookies and finger sandwiches.

Sprinting to her side, the girl in the white dress pomfed into the woman’s skirts. The woman smiled and gestured them over, putting a gentle hand on the girl’s back.

“Is that the Lady of the Lost?” Kyung asked, squinting.

“If she is, she’s smaller than the last time I saw her,” Vivian muttered. In other words, normal human sized. Last time I saw her, she was at least ten feet tall.

“She isn’t as scary as she was, either,” Noah offered, letting go of Vivian’s hand to lift his hands and peer at the lady.

Huh… he’s right. It’s sunny now. Vivian turned and looked over his shoulder.

A wall of fog blocked the way behind him. The cobbled path wound into the fog and vanished, only a few feet visible through the thick fog. He frowned and took half a step back.

A clear female voice rang out. “Don’t.”

Vivian blinked. He peered up at the lady.

She shook her head and gestured them closer.

“Shall we?” Vivian suggested, looking at the other two.

Kyung snorted and stepped forward.

“Cookies…” Noah whispered, a little bit of drool dripping down his mouth.

Vivian laughed. “Let’s go get some cookies, then. And meet the Lady!”