Gardener of Eden

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Fourth Floor Boss

The heavy stone doors of the central cavern opened to reveal a subterranean nightmare: the Gloom-Root Leviathan, a colossal, multi-headed hybrid of an ancient subterranean hydra and a toxic fungal super-organism.

The entire boss chamber was a sunken rot-basin, submerged in knee-deep pools of churning violet acid and shrouded in a pitch-black, neurotoxic miasma so dense it corroded metal armor on contact. For two agonizing hours, Squad 07 was locked in a brutal war of attrition against both the titan and its lethal terrain.

The environment made direct engagement nearly impossible. Barney stood as an immovable pillar on the frontline, his heavy vanguard shield glowing red-hot and pitted with rust as he held off surges of skin-searing acid and massive tail sweeps.

Beside him, Seraphina’s fingers were a blur over her alchemy belt, continuously throwing micro-flasks of neutralizing anti-toxin elixirs to keep the team’s lungs from collapsing while analyzing the Leviathan’s subterranean shifting patterns on her slate.

With the cavern floor covered in boiling acid, Rowan acted as the squad’s ultimate foundation. Channeling his Gardener of Eden vitality continuously over the 120-minute ordeal, Rowan drove his trusty hoe into the basalt walls, weaving dense, elevated networks of petrified, heat-resistant Ironwood Vines over the acid lakes.

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, he unleashed continuous waves of botanical purity mana that actively repelled the creeping, black miasma, maintaining a moving sanctuary of breathable air for his allies.

Offensively, the newly crowned Level 10 trio fought with terrifying precision. Mirei sprinted along Rowan’s high-altitude vine paths, her longbow humming as she loosed frost-enchanted arrows directly into the Leviathan’s glowing acid glands, flash-freezing the volatile sacs before they could detonate over the squad.

Caelen lunged into the fray, channeling his newly mastered [Molten Rupture]—slamming his heavy greatsword into the ground to erupt localized pillars of subterranean flame that instantly cauterized the monster’s severed hydra necks, stopping its rapid fungal regeneration in its tracks.

As the two-hour mark passed, physical exhaustion set in, but Princess Lyra delivered the decisive blow. Launching herself off an elevated vine arc, her runic sword flared with a blinding, sun-like golden aura that illuminated the entire darkened cavern.

With a devastating triple-crescent aerial strike, she plunged her blade straight through the Leviathan’s exposed plague-core, shattering the titan into a harmless cascade of inert blue spores and securing their victory over Floor 4.

The continuous two-hour barrage of toxic miasma and high-intensity combat finally caught up with the team. The moment the Leviathan shattered into inert blue spores, Caelen, Mirei, and Princess Lyra collapsed onto a patch of petrified vine, breathing heavily with their mana pools tapped nearly to zero. Even Barney dropped his heavy vanguard shield onto the stone with a dull clatter, slumping against it to catch his breath, while Seraphina rested back against a quartz pillar with her alchemy belt completely emptied.

Rowan, sustained by his Gardener of Eden passive vitality and constant mana cycle, adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat. Stepping calmly over the smoldering, acid-etched terrain, he approached the shimmering boss chest hovering above the boss’s dissipation point.

Reaching out, he swept the four drops into his hands:

Peak Tier 1 Leviathan Core — A dense, radiant emerald boss core extracted from the Level 10 Gloom-Root Leviathan. Pulsing with high-density nature vitality and elemental mana, it represents the absolute peak of Tier 1 core quality, ideal for domain upgrades, elite weapon enchantments, or breakthrough alchemy.

Miasma-Purifying Spore Essence (x4) — A glowing, highly concentrated liquid raw material harvested from the Leviathan’s central spore crown. Highly prized by elite botanists and alchemists, it serves as a crucial catalyst for brewing grand-master antidotes or accelerating the growth of rare spirit crops.

Corrosive Quartz-Veined Hide (x3) — An ultra-durable, lightweight organic raw material peeled from the titan’s outer carapace. Possessing complete immunity to acidic corrosion and high resistance to physical slashes, it is perfect for tailoring high-tier light armor, robes, or shield linings.

Pendant of the Luminescent Canopy — A rare-grade neck accessory forged from glowing subterranean quartz and wrapped in living bioluminescent moss. It accelerates the wearer’s mana regeneration rate by +30% and passively converts ambient environmental energy into a steady recovery stream.

Rowan stored the items securely into his system inventory before walking back toward his exhausted teammates, pulling water canteens from his pack.

”Floor 4 is officially cleared,” Rowan said smoothly, handing the water to Lyra and Caelen with a calm smile. ”Rest up. Once everyone’s mana is back in the green, we’ll distribute the loot.”

***

With the Gloom-Root Leviathan slain and the boss drops safely stowed in Rowan’s system inventory, Squad 07 began their trek back toward Glowstone Refuge to secure a well-deserved night of rest. The damp, violet-glowing pathways of Floor 4 were quiet, the ambient dangers temporarily pacified following the boss’s demise.

Halfway through a winding corridor lined with colossal quartz monoliths, Rowan suddenly halted. Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, he turned his eyes toward a shadowy indentation in the massive cavern wall. Guided by his Gardener of Eden traits, his acute environmental perception registered an abnormal ripple in the local atmospheric mana—a pure, rhythmic pulse that clashed completely with the surrounding fungal air.

Passing through a narrow hairline fracture deep within the solid stone wall was a steady, cool draft of air, carrying with it microscopic droplets of pristine, untainted water.

Could this be a hidden trial? Rowan thought, a spark of intrigue replacing his fatigue.

”Hold up for a second,” Rowan called out softly, waving his squad members over. ”Check this out.”

The team gathered around the fissure. Seraphina immediately raised her mapping slate, her eyes widening as the device scanned the density behind the rock face. ”My sensors show a completely blank spatial pocket directly behind this wall. No ambient toxic spores, no natural cavern acoustic signatures—just a isolated void flooded with high-density mana.”

Princess Lyra reached out, her fingertips hovering just millimeters above the leaking moisture. A faint, golden glow reacted on her skin as she felt the ancient aura hidden beyond. ”This isn’t natural geology. The mana flowing through this fissure carries an old spatial seal, identical to the records of secret challenge chambers left behind by the Tower’s original architects.”

Caelen leaned against his greatsword with a weary grin. ”A hidden trial hidden right behind a boss room wall? That’s either incredible luck or a total death trap.”

”Only one way to find out,” Barney said, adjusting his vanguard shield to cover the opening as Rowan stepped forward.

Infusing a thread of vitality mana through the handle of his trusty hoe, Rowan gently tapped the cracked quartz. The stone crumbled cleanly under his control, widening the opening into a narrow stone archway. Beyond the threshold lay a descending staircase of polished white marble, illuminated by serene, floating orbs of azure light, leading into the unknown depths of a hidden floor trial.