Karl hadn't remembered at first, mostly because it had been so long since he last stepped into this place, but even he shouldn't mess with the being they called the [Gardener].

The memory came back the moment he heard that name, like a cold wave running down his spine.

Even in his past life, even with full parties and coordinated strategies, the [Gardener] was something people avoided, not something they fought.

Karl immediately acted, checking his panels out of instinct.

---

[You have killed "Flower Golem (Level 28 Rare-Rank Boss)"]

[You have gained 120,000 experience points.]

[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 26!]

[You have gained 5 points in all of your attributes, and 5 free points to distribute.]

[You have gained 8 Evolution Points!]

[You have gained 132 Lives!]

---

Hand of Oblivion!

Ding!

[You have gained 107 Lives!]

[You have gained 7 Evolution Points!]

Karl dismissed the panels the moment they appeared, memorizing the numbers in a single glance.

He didn't have the luxury to stand around in the open reading everything one by one.

Not with that thing roaming the maze.

As soon as he finished, he spun around and immediately rushed away from the small clearing where he had defeated the [Flower Golem].

[Free Points to Allocate: 20.]

[Current Evolution Points: 56.]

"Damn," Karl muttered under his breath as he sprinted between the vine-coated walls, "I guess I should be able to do things once I'm out of its range."

Thump! Thump!

A deep rhythm of steps echoed from somewhere behind him, each impact heavy enough to vibrate through the maze walls.

It wasn't running yet, but it was moving fast. Too fast.

"Shit."

Karl grabbed the [Flower Golem Sword] that had dropped on the ground earlier.

It wasn't anything he needed for combat since he had no intention of using a sword, but leaving loot behind was foolish.

After double-checking that there was nothing else around him, he bolted toward one of the paths branching ahead.

But he didn't even make it five meters before—

BAM!

One of the moss-covered walls exploded outward in a shower of leaves and debris.

Karl skidded back as a hulking monster forced its way through from the other side of the wall.

The creature was four meters tall, its entire body made of twisted vines, pulsing roots, and layers of leaves stacked together like muscle.

Its "face" had two openings for eyes, faint and beady white pupils glowing from deep within.

Below that was a massive jagged mouth carved directly into its body, opening and closing slowly like it was breathing.

In its hands, it carried giant shears—rusted, bloodstained, and sharp enough to slice through stone like fruit.

It turned its head slightly, the movement stiff and unnatural, those white pupils scanning left and right like a radar sweeping for targets.

Karl clenched his teeth.

"Damn it… Can't fight that thing."

The [Gardener]. The most infamous part of the entire [Flower Labyrinth].

Anyone who had ever entered this zone learned one rule immediately: if too much noise was made, if too many players grouped together, if anything disturbed the maze too much… this thing would come sprinting.

And it didn't stop until everything was dead.

Even worse, its roaming pattern was semi-random.

If you were unlucky enough to run into it naturally, you were done.

It didn't hesitate. It simply cut. A level 50 legendary-rank boss.

One of the earliest true walls in [Gods Ascension].

Even players who did reach level 50 couldn't kill it.

Even those slightly above that level struggled, if not died instantly.

Because of its weapon's passive: [Decapitation].

If the shears closed around your neck, you were dead. Instantly.

No health threshold, no resistance, no damage reduction.

Even if you had a million HP, it didn't matter.

Your head came off, your life count dropped, and the system told you to respawn.

That's why anytime people heard loud sounds in the [Flower Labyrinth], they would immediately scatter and run for their lives.

Karl didn't like running from monsters. Never had.

But the [Gardener] was a different category. At the same level as the [Floral Guardian].

And even though Karl could likely beat it with raw damage alone, the speed, the unpredictable movements, and especially the instant-kill shears meant that one mistake would be fatal.

Thump! Thump!

Karl could still hear its heavy footsteps as the monster scanned the area behind him.

It didn't seem to prioritize him immediately, which bought him a few seconds at most.

Then—

"AAAAAAH!"

"SHIT, WHY DID WE HAVE TO FIND A DEAD END?!"

Karl heard voices nearby. Other players.

And from the way they were screaming, the [Gardener] had found them instead.

He didn't slow down, but he listened as he ran.

Instead of a battle starting…

Slash! Slash!

Two quick, clean sounds echoed through the maze.

Then silence.

"Insta-kill," Karl thought grimly, "Better leave for now."

He didn't let go of the possibility that the [Gardener] could be one of the monsters that dropped the two keys he needed.

The [Key of the Witch] and [Key of Maze] were both crucial.

Still, even if it didn't drop anything he needed, Karl wanted to at least try to defeat it eventually.

The number of players capable of killing a level 50 legendary zone boss this early in the game was practically non-existent.

The EP and experience would be incredible. But that was for later.

For now, Karl needed to focus on leveling up and getting away from that thing.

He kept running. Kept turning corners.

Kept increasing the distance as much as he could.

The maze twisted endlessly, each path looking identical, each wall made of the same woven vines.

Then—

Fwish! SLASH!

The wall right beside Karl erupted violently as a giant pair of shears burst out, cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

The blades came straight toward Karl's neck.

Invincible Magic Barrier!

SLASH!

The shears slammed against the invisible barrier, sparks flying as they screeched against the magical surface.

The barrier held, but the force behind the strike still dealt around 2,000 damage instantly.

Karl gritted his teeth and jumped back, putting distance between him and the beast emerging from the hole it had carved in the wall.

The monster stepped forward, towering over him.

---

[The Gardener (Level 50)]

[Rank: Legendary (Zone Boss)]

[HP: ???]

---

Karl narrowed his eyes.

Even with his current wisdom and perception, he couldn't see its health.

The level gap was simply too big. Zone boss or not, it didn't matter.

The only thing that mattered was the fact that it had locked onto him now.

Karl tightened his grip on his staff, spinning it lightly in his hand as he faced the monster head-on.

Running wasn't an option anymore. Not with that thing staring straight at him.

The only path forward was damage. Pure, overwhelming, unavoidable damage.

The [Gardener] stepped fully into view, its shears glowing faintly with a greenish aura.

It raised them slowly, letting out a guttural, plant-like roar.

ROOOARRR!

Karl stayed calm. Steady.

The monster lunged forward, its shears glinting with deadly sharpness.

Karl didn't dodge.

Instead, he summoned the one attack that could put any plant-based creature on the brink of death.

'That thing is literally made out of vines and moss,' he thought, 'Fire should be a major weakness.'

And so—

Fire Meteor!

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