Gardener of Eden

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Second Floor

The morning sun broke over the Sol-Aethel Staging Complex, casting long shadows across the central parade grounds where all first-year squads had assembled in neat, disciplined rows.

At the head of the assembly stood Head Dean Sterling alongside a line of senior students clad in distinct, dark-blue academy overcoats—the mark of third-year veterans.

”First-years, quiet down,” Head Dean Sterling’s voice boomed across the court, amplified by acoustic mana wards. ”Today, you leave the safety of Layer 1 behind. Layer 2 is vastly different from the controlled perimeter you have experienced so far. Its terrain is unpredictable, its beasts are organized, and the environmental mana is significantly denser.”

She gestured toward the line of senior cadets behind her.

”You will be entering Layer 2 as independent squad units,” Sterling continued smoothly. ”However, for this initial deployment, each squad will be assigned a Third-Year Monitor. Their duty is strict: they will observe your tactical decisions, evaluate your team cohesion, and log your combat performance.”

A slight rumble of hushed chatter rippled through the student ranks before Sterling raised her hand.

”Make no mistake—your monitor is not there to fight your battles or help you complete objectives,” she warned sharply. ”They are instructed to remain entirely hands-off. They will only step in as a last-resort intervention if your squad encounters an absolute life-or-death scenario. If your monitor is forced to draw their weapon to save your lives, your squad automatically fails the deployment assessment.”

Sterling stepped back and looked over the crowd. ”Squad leaders, step forward to meet your assigned monitors and receive your entry coordinates.”

Rowan turned to Squad 07, catching Caelen’s steady nod and Barney adjusting his gear straps.

”Let’s go meet our supervisor,” Rowan said quietly, leading his squad toward the front of the stage.

A tall, slender figure in form-fitting dark leather armor stepped out from the line of seniors and stopped in front of Squad 07. She carried twin obsidian daggers strapped horizontally across her lower back, her sharp eyes scanning Rowan’s team with complete indifference. She was an assassin-type Awakener, built entirely for stealth and lethal efficiency.

Without offering a name or a single word of greeting, she simply gave a curt, tight nod to acknowledge their presence. Before Barney could even open his mouth to introduce himself, her form blurred into a translucent shimmer and completely dissolved into the shadows, leaving behind only the subtle flicker of high-level concealment mana.

”Well... friendly,” Barney muttered, looking around at the empty air.

Rowan turned his attention to his own preparations. Reaching into his spatial storage, he drew out his newly unlocked weapon—a gleaming, finely forged Rank C Hoe. The metal blade shone with a refined blue hue, its edges unnaturally sharp and pulsing with dense earth mana.

He gripped the polished wooden shaft firmly, letting the tool rest casually by his side as if it were a long polearm.

Caelen stared at the agricultural implement, his brow furrowing beneath his helm. ”Rowan... is that a hoe?”

Seraphina blinked, her usual calm demeanor cracking into genuine confusion. ”Are we clearing dungeons or tilling a vegetable plot on Layer 2?”

”It has good balance,” Rowan said smoothly, offering no further explanation as he adjusted his grip.

”Right,” Mirei said slowly, shaking her head with a faint smile. ”Whatever works.”

”Keep sharp, everyone,” Rowan instructed, turning toward the massive, swirling blue vortex at the center of the parade grounds. ”Monitored or not, Layer 2 is a fresh battlefield.”

Holding his Rank C Hoe at the ready, Rowan led Squad 07 forward as they stepped together onto the shimmering transportation portal, their figures vanishing in a flash of blinding light as they ascended to the next floor of the Tower.

***

The blinding light of the transportation portal faded, revealing the damp, overgrown perimeter of Layer 2’s entry marshlands. Dense fog clung to the ground, and before Squad 07 could even survey their surroundings, a soft, squelching noise echoed through the tall reed grass ahead.

Emerging from the mist was a massive pack of gelatinous creatures—Beginner Slimes. They ranged from translucent, apple-sized Level 1s wobbling near the front, to dog-sized Level 2s in the middle, and three hulking, barrel-sized Level 3 slimes rearing up at the back with cores pulsing menacingly.

”Hostiles incoming!” Caelen called out, dropping into a forward stance with his broadsword raised.

Barney stepped up beside him, unslingshotting a massive, heavy iron tower shield—his sole piece of combat equipment—and slamming its base into the muddy soil with a heavy thud to anchor the front line.

Behind them, Seraphina’s hands blurred as she produced several glass flasks filled with a bubbling, emerald-green liquid. ”Corrosive acid compounds,” she murmured, uncorking one. ”Ideal for breaking down gelatinous membrane cores.”

Mirei drew her bowstring back to full tension, her sight locked onto the largest Level 3 slime in the center.

Before anyone could strike, Rowan stepped past Caelen’s shield. He raised his Rank C Hoe high overhead, his eyes flashing as a massive surge of earth mana surged down the polished shaft into the metallic head.

[Skill Activated: Earthbreaker Plough - Celestial Furrow]

Rowan slammed the hoe violently into the earth.

BOOM!

The ground in front of Squad 07 violently upheaved in a terrifying 30-meter forward cone. Stone, mud, and subterranean bedrock erupted upward like a churning, liquid sea. The brutal kinetic force and razor-sharp earthen spires pulverized every slime in the area instantly, shattering their inner cores before they could even attempt to split or reform.

When the dust settled, a wide, perfectly tilled furrow stretched across the marshland, littered with dissolving slime residue and shiny drops.

Four vibrant beams of golden ascension light erupted simultaneously, enveloping Caelen, Seraphina, Barney, and Mirei.

[PARTY EXP DISTRIBUTION]

Caelen: Level Up! Level 1 ➔ Level 2

Seraphina: Level Up! Level 1 ➔ Level 2

Barney: Level Up! Level 1 ➔ Level 2

Mirei: Level Up! Level 1 ➔ Level 2

Rowan: Level 6 (3,000 / EXP threshold maintained)

Caelen stood frozen, his broadsword half-raised, looking down at his glowing body in complete disbelief.

Barney slowly peeked over the top of his tower shield, staring wide-eyed at the 30-meter crater of freshly plowed earth where an entire monster pack had just existed a second ago. He looked back at Rowan, then at the Rank C Hoe resting casually on Rowan’s shoulder.

”You... you just eradicated a whole group with a farm tool,” Barney blurted out, his voice cracking slightly.

Caelen stood frozen, his broadsword half-raised, looking down at his glowing body in complete disbelief. He glanced at the 30-meter furrow of freshly turned earth where the slime pack had been just seconds before, then slowly turned his head toward Rowan and the Rank C Hoe resting casually over his shoulder.

Seraphina quietly re-corked her acid flasks, staring at the empty field with wide, unblinking eyes. ”That... was certainly efficient.”

Mirei lowered her bow, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. ”I guess we don’t need to worry about frontline damage.”

High above in the canopy mist, a subtle ripple in the shadows betrayed the presence of their stealth-bound third-year monitor, who had briefly lost her composure at the sheer absurdity of a support-class farm skill obliterating an entire monster pack in a single strike.

Rowan rested the hoe back by his side with a calm, even expression. ”It gets the job done. Let’s keep moving while the path is clear.”

Stepping out into the freshly tilled 30-meter furrow, Squad 07 scattered across the upturned soil to gather the monster loot.

Floating just a few inches above the damp earth where the slimes had been pulverized were tiny, fingernail-sized mana crystals glowing with a soft, translucent blue light. While individual slime crystals were small, the sheer number of defeated monsters meant a surprisingly rich harvest for their very first encounter on Layer 2.

Barney crouched down, scooping a handful of the glowing crystals into his palm. ”Not bad for thirty seconds of work. Low-tier slime crystals like these are great for basic forge fuel and simple alchemy catalysts.”

”We’ll pool everything together for now,” Rowan said, opening his spatial storage interface to collect the floating crystals as the squad gathered them up. ”We can do a full tally and divide the spoils at the end of the day when we set up camp.”

”Works for me,” Caelen agreed, stowing a final cluster into Rowan’s collection pouch. ”Better to keep our momentum going while we have daylight.”

With the loot securely stored, Squad 07 reformed their marching grid, pushing deeper into the mist-covered marshlands of the second floor.