Mike woke up, and the gazes of Ice and Hero immediately fell on him. Ice looked at Mike, who was still lying on the ground."Hey, look at this!" she said, pointing at Mike's new armor, which had already equipped itself on him. The Titan Armor was far better and sturdier than the Hyper Scale.

"Oh, Ice! I have something for you," Mike said as he pushed himself upright and then stood up completely. He reached into his inventory and took out the Hyper Scale. It seemed the Titan Armor had equipped itself automatically, sending the scale back into his inventory. Mike held the small red scale in his hand. It came from the Ant Queen. Once activated, it formed a protective suit over the user's skin. It had saved Mike's life, after all, so he felt grateful.

"Thank you. You helped me a lot," Mike said softly to the scale. In a way, it was true. He owed his life to it. He held it gently in his hand and extended it toward Ice."I think it will be in good hands with you."

He handed her the Hyper Scale with a grin. Ice smiled."T thank you, Mike! That's really kind of you!"

Mike walked over to the ladder and looked up at it, then looked back at Ice."I know," he said with a smile.

He glanced down at his armor. A grey stone chest plate made from Titan skin. It looked plain, with no special markings. Mike admitted it wasn't the most beautiful armor, but its strength and durability were something he could feel clearly. It far surpassed the Hyper Scale.

Ice equipped the scale immediately. The moment she activated it, the scene looked like something out of a movie. A strong breeze blew her white hair back. The scale wrapped around her arms, then her legs, then her whole body, forming a protective suit, though without a helmet.

"This armor is really strong!" Ice remarked, punching the air lightly.

Hero interrupted the moment."Well, I could take a nap if you two aren't planning to climb soon!"

Mike glanced at Hero, who stood next to the seemingly endless ladder. It was obviously made of wood, yet it floated in the air as if supported by nothing. Mike read the sign beside it. An arrow pointing upward.(Sky City)

So this was the fourth world of the game. Mike thought about it. There were supposedly ten worlds in total. His quest log confirmed an important mission:(Reach World 10)But he didn't want to worry about that right now. He didn't even know how long they had been trapped in the game. If some players reached World Ten in less than three years, what would happen? Mike couldn't answer the question, so he focused on the present moment. And maybe on the battles ahead.

"Well then, let's climb," Mike said.He paused, sighed, and added with annoyance,"Now!"

They didn't know how far it was, but staying down here wouldn't help. Hero went first. He threw everything into his inventory, grabbed the wooden ladder, and started climbing. It made no sound, didn't sway, didn't move. It stayed perfectly still as Hero climbed higher and higher.

Mike followed. In about forty seconds he reached the same height as Hero. After some time, Ice caught up as well. It wasn't that she was slow. Quite the opposite. She was fast, but Mike and Hero just seemed to exceed the strength of a normal player.

"There you are. We were wondering where you were," Mike laughed.

Ice didn't reply. Instead she climbed past Mike quickly and smirked, then suddenly started climbing faster.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean!" Mike complained.Ice just laughed and soon wasn't even visible anymore.It seemed she was the true climbing talent.

About five minutes later, the group met again while climbing. They didn't speak. They only breathed heavily. The air felt thinner. Mike looked at the sky. It was beautiful. The sun slowly sank, turning the bright blue heavens into warm shades of yellow and orange. The sun disappeared, and the moon rose over the horizon.

Mike glanced at Hero, who seemed like he wanted to say something. He stopped climbing."I can't even see the beginning anymore. But I can't see the end either!"

Ice agreed. There was nothing visible above them.

Mike sighed, annoyed."Okay… just keep climbing."

So they did. They climbed and climbed until the sky darkened completely. Then, slowly, the darkness faded again. The horizon brightened.Had they really climbed the entire night?

They didn't know, but it felt like it.Their arms ached.Their strength was nearly gone.All three wanted to let go and fall.

But of course, they didn't.Better not…

Mike had been on the edge of giving up, ready to let everything fall away, when he suddenly heard Hero's familiar voice above him.

"Here it is!"

Mike jerked upright and looked up. The first thing he saw were his own hands. They were shaking, ready to let go. Then he saw a faint outline of the ladder above him. He looked a little higher, and joy burst out of him like a shock.

"The white wall!"

It was the gate that led into the next world.They had climbed far above the clouds, so high that the entrance must have been hanging in the sky the entire time.This was the path into the fourth world.

Hero didn't say another word. He sped up, pushed hard off the ladder, and leapt. The white surface wrapped around him like liquid light, and he vanished.

Ice climbed through more carefully.Mike wanted to follow her example, but then his vision blurred. His strength was gone. Almost zero.

"I… I have to jump!"

With the last reserves of his energy, truly everything he had left, he pushed himself upward. The final stretch. It was almost too tight, but the tips of his fingers brushed the white wall. That was enough. The wall pulled him upward bit by bit.

It got even closer than it should have, but finally he felt his body relax.He could rest now.Well… maybe.

Mike opened his eyes and felt something soft beneath him.He had landed on something soft.

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