Chapter 54

The Kilimanjaro drug incident had come to a close, but talk about the Kilimanjaro Guild lingered for a long while. Especially when it came to Kim Na, who wanted a Fourth-Generation surgery.

On top of that, with Kilimanjaro disbanded into thin air, Mastar was left alone and ended up wanting to join the Father and the Guest Guild. It had been forced labor at first, but it seemed that the short time he’d spent with them had left quite an impression. He didn’t seem to want to take off the maid outfit he’d grown fond of, and thanks to that, people still called him Cinderella.

At first, there had been worries about how he would fit in—after all, he’d been a member of a hostile guild. But since he’d been a clueless recruit who hadn’t even known Kilimanjaro’s full circumstances, and because the twins who liked him dragged him around like their personal servant, he blended into the guild without much trouble.

Inside a carriage rattling down a steep cliffside road sat two people: Theo and Blaine. Their destination was the dungeon known as “Hexi’s Old Castle,” a cooperative dungeon where up to ten parties could enter at once and raid together. Because of that, the entrance swarmed with players looking to form parties to take on the waves together.

After setting his Tier Action, Theo had raised his tier all the way to six at once, using the rewards he’d saved up from the Survival Dungeon. That was just barely enough to hunt alongside others, but then the Kilimanjaro mushroom scandal broke out, leaving him stuck with Blaine in the guild house or their residence.

Still, it hadn’t been all boring. The lively chaos of the guild house was fun, and so was mocking Kilimanjaro. Once that whole ordeal was finally settled and they were free to go hunting again, they started looking for a suitable dungeon. That was when Aslan, right on cue, invited the two of them to join his party.

If it had been just him going alone, Theo would’ve refused. But Aslan had wanted two people, and there was no reason to say no.

When the two of them arrived in front of the dungeon, Aslan, buried in the crowd of people, waved his long arm high and shouted.

“Hey, over here!”

He was already tall enough to stand out, but making a scene like that drew even more attention. Theo dragged along a hesitant Blaine and made his way toward him.

As they got closer, Theo realized he recognized the faces of the people clustered around Aslan. Most of them were members of the YesYesu Guild. They seemed to recognize Theo as well, greeting him warmly.

“Theo, long time no see.”

“Hyung, don’t you hunt with Lan-hyung anymore? We never see your face these days.”

“Heard you got an Eternal—what, too good to hang with us now?”

They chirped around him like a flock of baby birds. Aslan, caught up in the mood, pretended to sob like an abandoned lover. Theo, unfazed, deadpanned back, “Yeah, guess I’m on a whole different level now. Can’t hang out anymore.”

With all eyes on Theo, Blaine was at risk of being pushed aside, but Aslan stepped in. Nagging at Theo for not introducing him properly, he went around making sure Blaine was included, and thanks to that, Blaine got to exchange greetings with everyone.

After some quick introductions and small talk, they entered the dungeon together with the other parties they’d teamed up with.

As soon as the blinding light faded, the sound of crashing waves filled their ears. Then came the damp smell of wet earth and the salty breeze of the sea.

Theo squinted against the glare, then opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different world. A gloomy sky that looked ready to burst into rain, steep cliffs echoing with the roar of waves, and atop it all, an old, towering castle with ornate iron gates.

Hexi’s Old Castle.

“Is anyone missing from the parties?”

Aslan turned back and called out to the others. Each party checked their members, reporting back that no one had been left behind.

“Alright then, let’s go in.”

Leading the way, Aslan pushed hard against the gate. With a long, grating creak, the aged iron swung open. A chilling, eerie wind swept between them all as they stepped inside.

Passing through the castle gates into the garden, they found the inside strangely quiet, as if it were an entirely different world. The crashing waves and howling wind from before had vanished like a lie.

At the far end of the wide garden stood a massive fortress. Their destination was clear. Everyone drew their weapons and marched toward it without hesitation.

As Theo switched into combat mode, the mist of his Eternal Fog thickened around his body. His unusual appearance made people glance at him with open curiosity.

They moved cautiously across the garden, but unnervingly, nothing happened. They reached the fortress without incident and stepped inside through a crumbling, half-collapsed gate.

Beyond the disordered entrance lay a grand interior. A vast lobby stretched before them, with a central staircase leading to the second floor. At the far end of that floor loomed an enormous, tightly shut door, while hallways stretched out from both sides of the balcony.

The lobby itself was tall enough to be three stories high. From the ceiling hung a massive chandelier, though it had long since lost its form. The few crystals that still clung to it were dim and clouded, and the skeletal frame was coated in layers of dust.

Gathered in the lobby, they scanned every corner with sharp eyes. There was no movement, no signs of life. Only dust drifting in the sunlight pouring through the tall windows, sparkling faintly as it hung in the air.

They decided to split into teams and scout the inside. Aslan’s party was assigned the left hallway of the second floor.

Climbing up, they realized it wasn’t an inner corridor at all but an open colonnade. Endless rows of arched pillars stretched down the length of the walkway. Looking across, they could see the right-hand corridor mirrored the same design.

After exchanging quick hand gestures with the other party across the way, they pressed onward into the colonnade.

Eventually, they emerged into a large hall. They glanced back at the endless row of pillars they’d just passed through, then stepped further inside. A worn and tattered red carpet cushioned their steps, but the sense of unease only grew sharper. It had been too quiet. Something should have happened by now.

Instead of finding comfort in the silence, they grew even warier, eyes darting around the hall. Then a strange noise echoed—a grating sound like metal scraping against stone. Instantly, they moved back-to-back, weapons ready.

It almost sounded like laughter… or perhaps the groan of the building twisting. The empty hall, despite the afternoon sunlight, carried a cold, oppressive chill.

A rush of icy air slipped between the six of them, raising goosebumps where it passed. They shuffled closer together, scanning every direction. Then a faint sound echoed above their heads.

A prickling chill ran down their necks. All at once, they looked up. The ceiling formed a dome of glass, and hanging upside down from it was something massive.

Before they could even register what it was, it dropped. The impact shook the entire floor with a thunderous crash, cracks splintering across the ground like a spiderweb. In the rising cloud of dust, a dark silhouette moved with a heavy, swaying gait.

They were a heartbeat too slow to follow its movements. Then came an ear-splitting screech, and from within the haze, a massive pair of wings snapped open.

Everyone gasped, breath caught in their throats. With booming thuds, the wings stretched to their full span and beat fiercely, blowing the dust away in a single gust to reveal its form.

Talons like an eagle’s, wings like a bat’s, and a jaw like a crocodile’s—

It was a wyvern.

The ones who entered through the great doors on the second floor were Party Four, the fourth group listed on the cooperation roster. Beyond the doors lay nothing but ruin, the entire interior collapsed and crumbling. The floor looked as though it might give way at any moment, so they stepped carefully.

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows that circled the wide chamber, scattering light across the walls and broken floor. Only the crunch of debris and shards of glass beneath their boots echoed faintly. Then, from somewhere distant, came a faint sound.

“?”

All four members of Party Four froze, lifting their heads and scanning the area with sharp ears. But the silence returned, feigning peace as if nothing had happened. After tilting their heads and exchanging uneasy glances, they dismissed it and moved on.

They gave the ruined chamber a cursory look, then opened the opposite door and stepped out without hesitation. After they left, shadows began to gather on the glass panes of the empty room. Black shapes clustered there, staring with glowing red eyes at the door the party had just exited.

Party Four moved down a short corridor and soon discovered a circular staircase leading upward. Without hesitation, they began the climb. Step by step, the spiral stretched on endlessly. Then, carried on the wind, a sound drifted to their ears.

“?!”

Everyone froze. They crouched low and scanned the surroundings, nerves stretched tight. The sound drew closer, and they realized with a shiver—it was screaming. Just as they lifted their eyes, the stairwell wall exploded with a deafening crack. Debris rained down as a body hurtled through the opening and tumbled across the steps.

Startled, they stumbled back, but then three more figures came crashing in the same way. Chaos erupted, but it didn’t take long for Party Four to recognize the battered figures: they were members of Party Seven.

“A-are you okay?!”

Shaking off their shock, they rushed forward. But the injured players jerked up their heads in terror, as if seared by fire.

“R-run!”

They scrambled to their feet in a panic. Party Four stared, dumbfounded, not yet grasping what they meant. Then Party Seven shoved past them, yelling at the top of their lungs.

“I said run!”

They pointed frantically at the gaping hole they had crashed through. Party Four, bewildered, turned to look. The instant they saw it, their faces went pale—and then they ran too.

Through the hole, dozens of wyverns were surging toward them.