Chapter 3 - Second Floor

One by one, Alex climbed the steep stone steps of the Tower until he reached a door. He had reached the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a single wooden door — the same as the one on the prior floor. He grabbed the handle and pulled. The door opened with a loud creak.

Beyond the doorway was a lush forest. The night sky stretched on forever above the treetops. Trees swayed to the melody of the wind; crickets and frogs filled the dark with sound. Alex closed the door behind him and moved forward cautiously.

If I remember correctly…

This must be the Forest of No Return…

He picked his way through thick trees and muddy paths, every step careful. Then, without warning, something lashed across his feet and he tumbled onto his back. He hadn't slipped on mud or roots — it had been a tail.

Shit... I forgot where I was...!

This isn't like the real world...!

This is...!

A humanoid lizard stood over him, its tail coiling where his hand had been. Rusted iron plates covered its chest; a faded black cape hung from its shoulders. Glowing vials dangled at its waist beside a curved knife.

The lizard turned and wrapped its tail around Alex's neck, lifting him into the air. "Who are you, and why are you trespassing in our territory?" it hissed.

***

It had been raining that day back at school. Class had been let out; hallways emptied while Alex stayed at his desk reading on his phone.

"Damn, this story is getting good," he whispered.

A girl slid into the desk next to him — oversized white-and-black striped sweater, black headphones tangled in long black hair. "Hey, Alex. What are you reading?" she asked.

Alex looked up and smiled. "Hey ****** I didn't see you there. I'm reading The Abyss's Hell. It's a webnovel."

"Ooo, what's that?" she asked, excited.

"It's an isekai. Main character gets pulled into a tower. Each floor has monsters — a hundred floors in total. He's in a forest right now, fighting humanoid lizards. They're brutal." Alex's voice got small with excitement.

"How do you beat them?" The girl asked.

"You cut off their tails,"

***

Alex felt the tail tighten around his throat. He looked for any sort of weapon as his vision blurred and the world tilted

I got careless... because I beat one earlier...

Alex slammed both of his hands into the tail. Panic and a surge of strength made the creature lose its grip; it staggered and dropped him. Alex scrambled up, sprinted, and grabbed the knife from the lizard's belt. The blade was curved like a crescent and glinted with a faint red sheen; the bone-carved handle had no grip, but it was sharp enough.

He plunged the blade into the creature's chest. The lizard collapsed, breath leaving it in a ragged sound. Alex planted his foot on its chest to pin it.

"Talk. Now. Or I leave you here," Alex said coldly, pressing down.

"F-fine! I'll talk! Don't kill me!" the lizard whimpered.

The lizard — who called himself Randy — gasped out that they were territorial and that he hadn't heard of any great monster or Demon King the way Alex described. He said the King would know more.

"So how do I get to the next floor?" Alex asked.

"I… I can show you. The King would know," Randy stammered.

Alex kept the knife where it was until Randy nodded. Randy's strength faded; he slid to the ground and went still.

I can't trust him completely,

Keep him close. He might lead me into a trap.

Randy led Alex to the lizard encampment — a ring of fires and huts crowded with lizardfolk. All heads turned as Randy escorted Alex to the boss's hut, built of stone and sticks. Inside sat the Boss: taller than the others and tinted a faint orange where they were mint green.

"Who is this, Randy?" the Boss demanded.

Alex stepped in, drew the knife he'd taken from Randy, and pointed it at the Boss. "Sit," he ordered, motioning to the stone chair. The Boss lowered himself cautiously.

Without warning, Alex sliced off Randy's tail.

Ooo, what happens if you cut their tails?

They weaken. That's when they can be finished.

Randy shrieked, immediate weakness stealing his limbs; blood flowed and his vision blurred. He fell and did not rise.

Alex stripped Randy's armor and slid it on over his pajamas. It fit rough, but it added necessary protection.

The Boss stared, trembling. "W-why did you do that?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Tell me everything. From the start," Alex said.

***

Earlier, when they walked through the forest, Alex had debated his approach. Be diplomatic? Show force? He'd gambled on force — blunt, quick — and it had worked.

A blue panel blinked into existence above the Boss.