—-

The dungeon setting became much more severe after choosing the Very Difficult mode. There was a lot of moisture in the air, which contributed to the dungeon’s current environment, especially the nearby trees. Some were filled with dew, others were broken from the roots forming a straightforward chiseled-out pathway, and the rest seemed somewhat damaged.

Surprisingly, there were no monsters to immediately greet the party’s arrival, just an eerie silence that put everyone except Kieran on edge. After all, most people in this party had never experienced this difficulty before! How could they not feel nervous about their current situation?

“T-this… Are you insane? Why did you pick Very Difficult? We haven’t even partied together before; how will we know if we can clear this?” Aspaira yelled. She had just asked that they clear the dungeon with absolute certainty, yet Kieran chose to enter the most challenging level!

Frankly speaking, Aspaira couldn’t see how they’d clear a dungeon like this. In fact, she even held thoughts of just leaving the dungeon instead of getting her hopes up, only to have them crushed by the cruelty of death.

Not to mention, the Death Penalty attached to this particular was not the least bit small. Losing 75% Experience meant most people present would undoubtedly lose a level and have to spend time acquiring more Experience. It wasn’t that it was a difficult task―it was an annoying one.

Why would they want to repeat a task they had already completed because of someone else’s decision?

Rather than answer her, Kieran took a step forward and scrutinized his surroundings while placing his finger against the dew on one of the trees. Afterward, he turned back towards Aspaira. “What are your goals for playing this game? Seeing as you’re one of the individuals who played it upon launch, surely you have time on your hands. Is this just one of your pass times?”

“Kind of? Why does that matter…?” Aspaira murmured with a look of faint confusion.

“It’s simple, actually. It matters because some people treat this game as a career. Not everyone has the luxury of a good family or an esteemed occupation waiting for them once they log out. So, tell me, why not take large risks now when there isn’t much to lose than later when the stakes become much larger?” Kieran countered.

To this question, Aspaira didn’t have a response for quite some time. She understood that after the gaming industry developed over the century, a rising number of pro-gaming organizations emerged worldwide.

However, Aspaira didn’t see how this linked to their current situation because most talented individuals should be a part of some organization by now.

“I understand that, but we have zero knowledge regarding this dungeon. We should have at least engaged in a test run before choosing something like this. We’re bound to lose a level if we fail,” Aspaira responded.

The others off to the side, namely Sithik and Cygnus, agreed with Aspaira’s point of view. They understood taking risks, but they couldn’t understand making undeniably foolish decisions.

“Nah, there’s no need for previous runs. If your intentions are going far in this game, then you must learn to improve your adaptation abilities. This is only the beginning―it’ll only become harder from here on out,” Kieran answered.

Afterward, he retrieved his greatsword before looking toward Altair and sending a private message. “Are you ready? Because I’m almost certain most of the load will fall upon our shoulders. The fact they feel this much fear towards an Lv.5 Dungeon means they aren’t confident.”

Dungeons lacking particular words like Team or Squad situated before “Dungeon” were at the bottom of the barrel in terms of difficulty. Likewise, the loot was extremely lackluster when judged against the prospects of more renowned dungeons appearing as players traveled throughout Zenith Online. While it was confirmed that clearing the difficulty Kieran chose would be challenging, he clearly understood what this dungeon required.

So, if he felt it could be cleared with their current party, then it should be absolutely possible. It was just a shame that the earlier warning influenced the party’s opinion. But that’s precisely why the system generated the alert just before entry. It was to incite fear and doubt.

“I see… is this why you chose two healers instead of a tank? To avoid more party member complaints?” Altair asked.

“Partially. The other reason is that two healers will be required,” Kieran said.

A moment later, a burst of faint blue aura surrounded Kieran’s body as he activated Warrior’s Aura. He then turned towards the other party members, “Even if you’re frightened, I ask that you follow my directions and contribute to the party as much as possible. During this run, I’ll be acting as the tank, but I’ll also double as the main dps.”

“Wait a moment; you’ve given yourself dual roles?” Sithik said in shock.

“To be precise, I’ll be fulfilling three roles because I’ll also be the in-game leader. Above all else, I earnestly request that you have faith in my commands. If you do so, then there’s a chance that we’ll clear this without any mishaps,” Kieran answered.

The party felt some bewilderment towards Kieran’s comment. They couldn’t understand what made him so sure of his claims.

“What makes you confident that we’ll clear it?”

“Me and my buddy here,” Kieran said while pointing towards Altair. However, he didn’t allow for further questions as he soon cut off the rest of the party. “Alright, alright. That’s enough. Let’s get a move on because I assume other parties are attempting this dungeon as we speak.”

Kieran didn’t await their response, moving forward at a pace similar to running, but he remained vigilant of his surroundings. Although the fallen trees etched out a path leading deeper into the woods, and he didn’t sense any enemies, that didn’t mean there were no nearby. It was simply a feature of the Forest of Beast’s Very Difficult mode.

The dense fog inside the dungeon dulled a player’s senses considerably. Fortunately, Kieran’s perception was more than double that of a scout’s requirement in this dungeon; hence, he took the lead despite Altair having superior speed.

Eventually, Kieran’s ears twitched after hearing the faint rustle and crunch of fallen leave being stepped upon great force. As a result, Kieran’s eyes gained a piercing glint as he performed a powerful jump backward.

…Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three powerful tremors occurred at Kieran’s previous position. Meanwhile, the party’s expressions blanched after laying eyes upon their soon-to-be opponents. Three large wolves with dark gray fur that wasn’t too far off from black and glowering amethyst eyes locked on the party as a target. But, it wasn’t their appearance that made them feel inherent fear―it was the information present about these beasts.

「Lv.11 Shadow Wolf (Elite)

Beast Type, Dark Type

Health: 1,650/1,650 (100%) 」

This current difficulty raised not only the level of the monsters inside the dungeon but also their ranking. Additionally, their stats were higher than typical monsters of the same ranking and level. Because of this change, the Experience they rewarded was much greater as well.

Sadly, Kieran’s party didn’t know if this increased difficulty was the exchange. Until now, they hadn’t seen a monster with health exceeding 550, yet there were three such monsters with thrice that amount of health right before them. It was a scare, to say the least.

“Um… you said you’ll be the main dps, right? How do you suppose we deal with a collective of almost 5,000 Health quickly?” Cygnus asked while clutching the small cross in her grasp. As the party member with the weakest physical defense, one hit, and she was dead.

“Calm down and let me focus,” Kieran said suddenly. ‘These monsters are agility-based. Even if I dodge, they’ll catch up sooner or later. So, it’s only right that I level the playing field.

〈System: You have used 5 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Strength: 30 → 35]〉

〈System: You have used 5 Unassigned Attribute Points. [Agility: 30 → 35]〉

Whoosh!

Kieran stormed forward towards the closest Shadow Wolf while using his free hand to send a signal toward Altair. It seemed like an innocuous action, but Altair understood what it meant since it was a signaling system typically employed by elite military divisions.

Altair took the Shadow Wolf on the rightmost side while Kieran placed himself squarely between the middle and leftmost wolf. This caused Kieran to grab ahold of both their aggro simultaneously. Their powerful limbs struck the ground, and they pounced toward Kieran with a gale of wind, who suddenly retreated by jumping back and slamming his weapon against the ground for an extra boost.

‘Tch… I could have gotten higher if I had more Strength, but this will have to work,’ Kaiden said while momentarily resting his back against the tree. This dungeon was filled with an abundance of strong monsters, so he needed to battle intelligently if he were to kill all of them.

Kieran counted in his mind and dodged after two seconds. As a result, the two wolves clawed at the tree, which also presented signs of a weakened foundation. However, two strikes weren’t enough to cause it to topple over.

Nevertheless, it was enough. Kieran first hit the closest wolf with Charge, paralyzing it for one second while hitting the other one with a Savage Break. Lastly, he turned around and unleashed a Force Slash upon the already severely damaged tree. This attack was the straw that broke the camel’s back as a creaking noise grew into pronounced cracks.

A second later, the tree fell and trapped the wolves underneath.

At the same time, a message was heard in Kieran’s ear.

〈System: This is a notice to alert you that your stream has begun.〉