“Why don’t you want to be a Boss? It sounded like a sweet deal,” Noah said.

“What part of it? I’d be stuck on this Floor for goodness-only-knows how long, but years at least, locked here until I pawn the Boss role off on the next idiot to pass through here. And not only stuck on this Floor, but chained to the Garden, unable to even fight according to my own whims, but forced to use the Boss Moves the Tower gave me. I’d have no free will of my own,” Vivian said.

And that thing Andrea brought up. Losing my consciousness. Acting according to the Tower’s scripting. I already do that occasionally. If I’m stuck here on Floor One for a year or more, how often will that happen? How long would I remain Vivian, and not ‘the Lord of the Lost?’

For that matter, how long do I have to defeat the Tower? How long… until I become just another NPC?

Pushing the dark thoughts away, Vivian shook his head. Andrea’s been here for much longer than I have, and she’s still conscious. I have plenty of time. Probably.

Unconvinced, Noah looked over his shoulder. “But… the manor, and the cookies, and the games and stuff…”

“Listen to me, Noah. Adults are evil beings that will try to sell you a job by telling you all the perks, and none of the downsides of it!” Vivian said sternly, dragging Noah after him.

Beside Vivian, Kyung nodded. Although he acted cool, he struggled to keep up with Vivian. Sweat dripped down his face.

Vivian frowned slightly. Isn’t he a SPD/SKL/STR build? Why is he so—

SPD: 16

Oh, right. I put all nine points into SPD.

Another scream, not far behind them. Vivian swallowed. Should I try dropping the rake? That should slow her down for a second… or… “Noah, cast Ice on the floor.”

“Huh? Okay,” Noah said. He lifted his hand, pointing it in front of them. Frost rimed the cobbles ahead, and a cool breeze blew back over Vivian and Noah.

“No, no. Behind us, behind!” Vivian shouted.

“Oh!” Noah spun. The spell released, and ice slicked over the floor behind them.

Vivian breathed out. Phew. That was almost really bad.

A Lost One lunged out of the fog, blood dripping down their face, hands clawed. Vivian called out his spray bottle and spritzed it in the face. The Lost One flinched, and he ran on, sprinting blindly into the fog.

Muffled thumping sounded in the fog. Vivian glanced back, but saw nothing. “Kyung!”

“Here,” Kyung replied, close by.

Alright. We’re all still here. “Noah, can you cast flame? And hold it, like a torch?”

“I… I don’t have a lot of SP,” Noah confessed.

“Doesn’t matter. We need to be able to see each other,” Vivian said.

“It’s fine. I can see you,” Kyung said.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Vivian glanced back. Barely, he made out a dark smudge where Kyung was. “If you’re sure.”

“Mm.”

A glow loomed in the fog. Vivian’s eyes widened. He threw Noah forward. Claws darted out of the darkness and scraped across his back. Vivian spun around, tipped off-balance. Blood splattered over the cobblestones.

HP: 5/10

“Vivian!” Noah called.

“Run! Get out of here! She doesn’t care about you!” Vivian shouted. And you can’t respawn! Go!

The Lady appeared out of the fog. Vines twisted around her, peeling off of her body to stab at Vivian.

No time to heal. Vivian called out his clippers and swung left, right, left, deflecting the vines. The final one jabbed at him. He opened the clippers wide and lunged, slamming them shut with all his might. The vine snapped off, falling to the ground.

The Lady roared in pain. She flinched back.

A dark shadow materialized out of the fog behind her. Kyung planted his feet on her shoulders and carved her throat open with a straight razor.

Reaching back, the Lady grabbed Kyung and threw him aside. Eyes wide, he hurtled into the fog. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Vivian charged in and clipped at her viny armor. A segment of the vine came loose.

The Lady rounded on him, gnashing her teeth. Vivian sped backward, utilizing his high SPD to dart out of her reach and into the fog. It closed in after him, blocking his view of the Lady.

System, where’s that Situational Awareness skill? Gardenational Awareness, or whatever? I could use it now!

[Gardenational Awareness]

What’s the proc on that one, anyways?

Spend half an hour in your Home Garden.

Huh. Good to know. Also, wow, you’re in a helpful mood today!

Red dots floated all around him in his mind. A larger one loomed in front of him, rapidly closing the distance. Two green dots floated in the middle distance, one of them swooping toward the large red dot.

Big ‘un’s the Lady, and the green ones have got to be Kyung and Noah. So then…

Vivian threw the rake on the ground in front of him and backed away two steps, lowering to a crouch. One hand held the clippers tight. In his off-hand, he held the spray bottle. In case the rake doesn’t work.

The Lady of the Lost lunged for him, black-streaked face bursting out of the fog. She stepped on the rake, which leaped up and smacked her in the shins ineffectually. She charged through, barely feeling it.

Vivian nodded to himself. Right. She’s huge.

Vivian snapped his hand up and squeezed the spray bottle into the Lady’s face. She didn’t flinch. Raising a hand, she slapped it down at Vivian.

“Andrea, wait!” Vivian shouted.

The Lady paused, her hand still high.

Vivian put his hands up. “I cave. I’ll be the Lord!”

Her eyes widened. She pointed a finger at him.

From out of the fog, a black-clothed man whirled for her head. Kyung grabbed a fistful of her forehead flower and jabbed a pair of scissors deep into her eye.

The Lady clawed at her shoulders, twisting left and right in an attempt to shake him off. Gripping the flower tighter, Kyung yanked his scissors out and slammed them into her other eye.

With a scream, the Lady gathered herself. All the vines on her body tensed, sharp tips pointing upward. Kyung kicked hard and leaped off her shoulders, landing beside Vivian. The next moment, the vines pierced through the air where Kyung had been.

Vivian laughed. Falling back, he stuck his tongue out at the Lady. “Psyche. No way, did you believe me?” Damn, Kyung! Guess you know more than one way to inflict [Blind!]

The Lady screamed in frustration. Bright green ichor ran down her face from her shattered eyes. Blindly, she groped toward Vivian. “You! I’ll kill you!”

Vivian turned and sprinted off. I don’t need to kill her. I just need to get out of here.

Kyung nodded at him. “We retreat?”

“No point in wasting our time on a meaningless fight,” Vivian returned. I already have the skill, and it’s not good enough to be worth getting for Kyung. Better to leave now rather than risk having to respawn without my Checkpoint, and without risking what are potentially Kyung, and more likely Noah’s, only lives.

Kyung nodded.

As she faded into the fog behind him, the Lady jabbed a finger after Vivian. “Run. Run! It doesn’t matter. The next time you die, you’ll respawn here. You live in the palm of my hand. You can’t escape your destiny!”

“Okay, byeeee!” Vivian shouted back.

Turning, he sprinted off into the Garden. Kyung appeared out of the fog. He nodded at Vivian. The two of them ran up on a huffing and puffing Noah, who looked over his shoulder at them. “Can… can we… stop running?”

“Not yet,” Vivian said, gesturing him on as he and Kyung blew past.

With an exaggerated sigh, Noah followed the two of them.

“Physical stats! Don’t neglect them!” Vivian called back to Noah.