Gardener of Eden

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Onwards to floor 10

With the enchanted white-oak nursery furniture safely installed at the estate and the regional business contracts firmly in Arthur’s capable hands, Rowan’s week of family leave came to a peaceful close.

The quiet sanctuary of the farm gave way to the grand, imposing architecture of the Imperial Academy, where the majestic monolith of the Tower of Trials pierced the clouds above the central plaza.

Stepping through the academy gates, Rowan was immediately met by the familiar, high-energy presence of Squad 07. The difference in his teammates was striking. A week of resting, digesting high-tier domain produce, and preparing their new storefronts had transformed them.

Caelen stood taller, clad in newly forged mithril-plated vanguard armor, his heavy broadsword humming with polished rune-light. Beside him, Mirei practically vibrated with kinetic mana, her scout gear augmented with rare elemental crystals. Seraphina approached with her signature regal grace, her staff tipped with a glowing Aether-gem funded by her family’s expanding trade wealth.

Most importantly, every single member of Squad 07 had officially breached the Level 20 threshold. Hitting Level 20 was a monumental milestone for youth awakeners, unlocking specialized class evolutions, secondary skill slots, and drastically elevated mana pools.

”Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence,” Mirei grinned, adjusting her leather armguards. ”We’ve been itching to try out these new Level 20 skill trees in a real dungeon environment.”

”And with the regional store locations officially secured, our minds are entirely clear for the climb,” Seraphina added, her eyes glinting with focused ambition. ”Our target for this run is set: clear all remaining middle floors and conquer up to the 10th Floor Guardian.”

Rowan smiled, reaching into his spatial ring to hand each of them a customized belt pouch packed with concentrated Sun-Gilded Jade Avocado spreads and dried Sun-Crystalline Eden Apples. ”Then let’s make it a flawless run. These will give you instant stamina recovery and temporary elemental resilience if floor boss mechanics get intense.”

Caelen carefully stowed the priceless domain rations with a solemn nod. Together, the four elite awakeners stepped up to the shimmering crimson teleportation stone at the Tower’s base. As Rowan pressed his palm against the ancient runic interface, a pillar of blinding light enveloped Squad 07, carrying them upward into the perilous depths of the ninth floor.

***

The crimson portal light faded, revealing the punishing expanse of the Ninth Floor—the Ashen Abyss. Scorching wind swept across a jagged wasteland of volcanic basalt, where rivers of molten magma snaked through the dark stone. The oppressive heat debuff immediately settled over the floor, threatening to drain the stamina of any unprepared team within minutes.

”Heat mitigation active,” Caelen said calmly, his voice echoing from behind his newly forged mithril visor. Thanks to Rowan’s Sun-Gilded Jade Avocado rations, a subtle golden veil of elemental fire resilience shimmered over each squad member, completely neutralizing the floor’s environmental burn.

Before the team could take another step, the ground trembled. A horde of Flame-Claw Gargoyles burst from the sulfurous haze, accompanied by towering Magma Golems dragging massive stone clubs across the basalt.

In the past, the Ninth Floor would have demanded a long, drawn-out battle of attrition. Now, Squad 07 moved with terrifying, Level 20 precision.

Caelen surged forward, activating his new vanguard skill, Vanguard Bulwark. A towering barrier of golden mana slammed into the earth, drawing every creature’s aggression while deflecting incoming fireballs like harmless embers.

Behind him, Mirei blurred into motion. Leveraging her evolved Shadow-Step Tempest, she flickered between the gargoyles in a flash of silver steel, severing their wings before they could take flight.

Seraphina raised her Aether-gem staff, her chant short and precise. Frost-Arc Cascade erupted across the battlefield, flash-freezing the magma rivers into solid obsidian and shattering the golems’ fiery armor with intense thermal shock.

Rowan stood at the center of the formation, his hand resting on his domain seed pouch. Even in this barren, volcanic graveyard, rich green vines infused with domain vitality burst through the obsidian crust, wrapping around the remaining beasts and leeching their mana to replenish his team’s energy pools.

In less than ten minutes, the entire Ninth Floor spawn was wiped clear. Not a single member of Squad 07 was out of breath.

Caelen sheathed his broadsword with a clean click, looking down the long obsidian corridor ahead. At the far end stood two massive, ancient iron doors etched with glowing crimson runes—the entry to the Tenth Floor Guardian Chamber.

”Ninth floor cleared without a scratch,” Mirei said with a triumphant grin, tossing a dagger into the air and catching it effortlessly. ”Ready to take down the Ninth Floor Boss, Captain?”

Rowan chuckled softly, glancing toward the towering obsidian doors at the end of the basalt bridge. Glowing runes of molten gold pulsated across the stone, sealing the lair of the floor’s supreme denizen. ”Let’s keep this momentum going,” Rowan replied, adjusting his coat. ”Remember, it’s a volcanic environment, but our elemental resilience is active. Stick to the formation.”

Caelen stepped up first, bracing his heavy mithril shield against the double doors. With a deep breath and a surge of his new Level 20 vanguard mana, he heaved them open. The doors ground apart with a deafening rumble, releasing a wave of blinding heat and sulfurous smoke.

Inside the sprawling, circular cavern, a vast lake of boiling lava swirled beneath jagged rock pillars. Rising from the molten depths was the Ashen Fire-Colossus—a towering entity of living magma and scorched iron armor, its hollow eyes burning with intense crimson flame. As it roared, a shockwave of liquid fire rippled across the arena floor.

”Caelen, hold the center! Seraphina, break its shell!” Rowan commanded, his voice calm and authoritative.

Caelen surged forward, slamming his shield into the ground to activate Vanguard’s Aegis, casting a massive protective barrier that absorbed the Colossus’s opening firestorm. Taking advantage of the cover, Seraphina raised her staff and channeled a high-tier frost spell. A brilliant beam of absolute-zero ice slammed into the boss’s chest, rapidly flash-freezing its molten core into brittle, cracked obsidian.

Before the Colossus could recover, Mirei blurred into motion across the rock pillars, executing her Level 20 skill, Shadow-Blade Rush. She left a trail of silver afterimages, driving her enchanted daggers deep into the shattered cooling fissures of the giant’s armor.

Rowan raised his hand, channeling the vitality of the Primordial Garden. Verdant, mana-dense vines erupted directly through the basalt bedrock, wrapping tightly around the Colossus’s massive legs. Instead of burning, the vines drew upon the domain’s authority, actively leeching the Colossus’s thermal energy and converting it into pure, invigorating mana that flooded back into his teammates.

With its mobility sealed and its core frozen, the Ninth Floor Boss shuddered. Caelen delivered the final strike, channeling a luminous wave of radiant mana through his broadsword to cleave the beast’s glowing core in two.

The Colossus collapsed into a shower of harmless embers and cooling stone. The central chamber quieted down instantly as a massive blue teleportation gate materialized in the center of the arena, revealing the shimmering portal leading directly up to the Tenth Floor.