Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

Ren quickly dismissed the thought of returning to the lower floors. If he kept choosing the easy way out just to complete a basic quest like this...

'How much further could I really go?'

He brushed aside the messy strands of hair hanging over his forehead, clearing his vision of such trivial distractions. A deep breath. A brief pause. Then Ren resumed walking, silently reminding himself to always keep moving forward.

[You have defeated Wind Bee Lv.5]

[You have defeated Wind Bee Lv.6]

[You have defeated Wind Bee Lv.6]

While tracking signs of the wolf pack, Ren was suddenly ambushed by a few Wind Bees, low-level monsters commonly found in this floating misty forest.

But unlike the Dire Wolves or the dangerously cunning Spiders, they didn't drain much of Ren's strength.

He dealt with them efficiently, every sword strike precise and decisive.

Each slash turned a body into shimmering pixel fragments beneath the dappled forest light filtering through the leaves. Though the bees moved incredibly fast, their health and defense were paper-thin.

And compared to Ren, who had invested almost all his stat points into AGI, dodging and counterattacking wasn't too difficult.

Meanwhile, the EXP kept accumulating. Just a few more, and Ren would reach level 10.

A small achievement, but a memorable milestone after such a long stagnation.

Aside from EXP, the loot also caught Ren's interest.

Bee Stinger (Common Material): A necessary item for enhancing weapons, including Ren's Windslash. This material can increase attack damage.

Natural Honey (Common): Can be eaten directly to restore a small amount of HP or used in cooking.

Ren sat down by a tree, opened a small jar of honey dropped by the monsters. The amber liquid slid over his fingertip, carrying a soft floral scent, like wild forest blossoms.

And as he brought it to his lips…

"..."

He nearly froze from the sweetness melting on his tongue. A gentle sensation Ren hadn't expected, as if he had just tasted a fragrant flower, sweet, but not overpowering, not artificial, as though every drop of honey had been distilled from early morning sunlight.

A faint smile passed. Even if only for an instant.

"The sweetest thing I've ever tasted…"

Not some luxury dish at a high-end restaurant… but a drop of wild honey, claimed from the woods after stabbing through the hearts of a few giant bees.

Ren licked the remaining honey off his finger, then stood, fingers wrapping firmly around Windslash.

No reward came without risk. And he hadn't felt this alive in a long time.

After walking a little further, Ren stopped under a dense canopy, opened his map to recheck his location.

He had unconsciously veered off his original path, drifting slightly east of the Misty Forest, simply because… the wolves hadn't appeared as frequently as he'd hoped.

[Quest: 7/15 Dire Wolves defeated]

Still more than half to go. But what gnawed at Ren most wasn't the number.

It was:

Lv.9 (1733 / 1800)

Just a few more monsters and he'd officially hit level 10, a small milestone, but one that marked his true return after being stagnant for so long.

Ren furrowed his brow, eyes flicking toward the two nearest options faintly marked on the minimap:

Hunting Grounds: A flat area deeper within the forest, where many players often gather to farm wolves. High spawn rate, but there's always the risk of fighting over mobs.

Near the Wolf Den: Right along the forest edge, where Dire Wolves spawn frequently, but are more aggressive and usually travel in packs. Danger level doubled.

Ren let out a long breath.

One place was too crowded. The other, too dangerous.

Neither ideal, but his gaze lingered slightly toward the wolf den. Partly instinct.

Partly that rising urgency in his chest. That feeling when your EXP bar is just about to hit the top, but hasn't ticked over yet, it clawed at the inside of his ribs.

"Just one more… just one more wolf."

Ren waved his hand to close the map, stepped back a few paces, then turned down a side path where the trail gradually faded between low shrubs. This route wasn't too close to the wolf den, but far enough from the common hunting zone.

A narrow path, balanced between risk and safety.

And if luck smiled on him, he'd hit level 10… in just a few more minutes.

But as luck would have it, walking a little further, Ren stumbled upon something else. He stopped in front of a small tree, pulled out a glass vial, and carefully collected droplets of dew clinging to its tiny, wing-like leaves.

Ren crouched low, sealed the dew-filled vial with care, then placed it into his inventory.

A light feeling of satisfaction swelled quietly in his chest as a pale message appeared:

[Quest: Collect Dewdrops from the Mírlune Tree][10/10 – Complete]

Not a grand quest by any means. But the feeling of "completion", of ticking something off, always brought a quiet sense of relief.

Ren straightened up, gazing up at the leaves swaying in the early afternoon light. It was already past noon. Sunbeams slanted more sharply now, spilling across the ground in patches between tree shadows.

He knew he couldn't go any deeper. The Misty Forest wasn't a place to wander once the sun began to set, especially for someone like him, who hadn't fully memorized the Floor 3 map yet.

He would have to return to the settlement before nightfall.

But luckily… time was still on his side. With the remaining hours of daylight, Ren could finish all his quests and level up.

[Quest: Eliminate 15 Dire Wolves – 7/15][Quest: Collect Dryroot – 6/8]

Just eight wolves and two more roots left, and Ren would complete his entire questline.

He smirked, just a faint smile, as if responding to the strange calm of the forest.

The afternoon was still long, and Ren still had strength to spare.

He brushed a hand against Windslash's hilt, a pre-battle habit, then stepped deeper into the thinning forest, where light slipped between the leaves and danced across the damp ground.

And then...

Ren abruptly stopped.

Ahead was a clearing, as though someone had sliced open the forest's heart with a blade, an unnaturally silent space.

No insects. No wind. Nothing but stillness.

And… eyes.

From both sides, three pairs of golden eyes gleamed beneath the trees. Shadows stirred among roots and shrubs, slowly revealing their forms, Dire Wolves.

They stepped out nearly at the same moment, forming a triangle around Ren.No growls.No wasted movements.

Pure predator instinct.

Ren didn't flinch. He merely tilted his head and unsheathed his sword in one fluid, water-smooth motion.

"Good," he muttered. "Three at once… saves me the trouble of searching."

…

[You have defeated Dire Wolf Lv.8][You have defeated Dire Wolf Lv.7][You have defeated Dire Wolf Lv.7]

Ren stood at the center of the clearing, sweat dripping down his temple, chest rising and falling after a ferocious battle.

Three wolves. No joke.

They didn't charge blindly, instead, as if they had trained through hundreds of ambushes.One acted as bait. Two circled behind.

The moment Ren committed to a strike, another pounced.

Claws and fangs sharp as blades were ready to tear through any gap in his defense.

He survived, but not unscathed.

[HP: 433 / 700]

Ren exhaled, shaking his head slightly. Left hand gripping his sword, right hand brushing the gash on his shoulder, where the third wolf's claws had barely missed their mark.

[You received 132 EXP][You received 147 Cor][You received: Wolf Hide (Common) x2, Wolf Fur (Common) x1, Wolf Fang (Common) x3]

Another message popped up, and Ren's eyes brightened slightly.

[You have reached Lv.10 (80 / 2200)]

That familiar sensation ran down his spine, a subtle jolt, as if his entire body had been stretched a little further, stronger, more resilient.

[Quest: 10/15]

Five more wolves.

He gave a faint smile, glanced toward the shadows of distant trees, then started walking again. Tired, but the afternoon was still young.

Ren found a hollow tree midway up a slope, just enough to stay hidden and shielded from the wind. He sat down, back against the trunk, laid Windslash beside him, and pulled out his dry rations.

The bread was a bit stiff, but with the honey collected from Wind Bees, it went down much easier.Ren used the hilt of his knife to smear the honey across each slice, chewing slowly while opening his stat window.

[Name: Ren]Level: 10 (80 / 2200 EXP)HP: 574 / 725

STR (Strength): 24 (+4)VIT (Vitality): 27AGI (Agility): 31 (+10)

[Free Stat Points: 3]

He scanned each stat—an old habit from his early days.

Summing it all up, Ren currently had:

STR: 28 (24 base + 2 from Windslash + 2 from Wolf Fang Pendant)

VIT: 29 (no bonuses)

AGI: 41 (31 base + 2 from Lupus Vest + 2 from Windslash + 6 from Wolf Fang Pendant)

A solid set of stats, quite impressive, even compared to the average on Floor 3.

Ren took a sip of water and let out a quiet breath.

"I haven't seen a monster that can keep up with me yet…"

"…at least not so far."

High AGI gave him superior dodging, faster attacks, and sometimes, the ability to completely overwhelm his opponent.

But Ren also knew that as he climbed higher, stat differences would be leveled by combat mechanics, skill use, and strategy.

He still had three free points.

Ren touched his chin, thinking for a moment.

Increase STR? → Stronger hits, better armor penetration.Increase AGI? → Better evasion, smoother movement, easier skill spam.Increase VIT? → More survivability, especially when soloing multiple enemies.

Ren wasn't the type to gamble everything on pure damage.

He allocated 2 points into VIT, and 1 point into AGI.

Updated stats:

STR: 24 > 24 (+4)

VIT: 27 > 29

HP: 725 > 775

AGI: 31 > 32 (+10)

"That'll do."

He packed away his things, wiped his hands, and stood up.

The sun was still high. Five more wolves, two more roots.

Break time was over.

Ren picked up his sword, stashed the leftover supplies into his inventory, and resumed the hunt.