(1)Messiah's path

Finally, the MK.1 arrived on Asur, a desert planet.

Since the Lizardmen were well-adapted to this climate, it seemed likely that the planet was highly populated, though this wasn't something Apophis had ever cared much about checking in the past.

According to Apophis's memory, the Dungeon portal would have appeared quite close to a small village, which the inhabitants called "Jggees." Fortunately, the in-game political menu was a real help in finding it!

It wasn't long before the MK.1 set down outside the village. Before they disembarked, Apophis gave special instructions to Antanria and Colonel Ralfot. They'd had to stay behind, since any NPC who tried to pass through a Dungeon portal died instantly. After this, the five players of the Eclipse guild exited the MK.1 and headed for the Dungeon.

Once they arrived, seeing the portal looming ahead, Apophis said, "Look, I know we've already done a Dungeon in Nightmare mode, but IronMan mode is very different. Not only are the enemies more difficult, but every aspect of the Dungeon has the possibility to change and become harder as we progress! Moreover, if you fail, your character is permanently deleted.

"This next part is very important, so pay attention. IronMan Dungeons will put you under intense psychological pressure, so you must do everything you can to maintain your composure.! If you remember Gravedigger's Tower, it tried to create a severe atmosphere to match the horror theme, but this will be much worse! Unfortunately, I don't know what's inside.

"All our system information stops above 'Hard' difficulty, so be prepared for any eventuality. Oh yes, make sure to transfer your GCs to your forum account so you won't lose them if we fail. Good luck to all!"

Despite his power, even Apophis felt nervous. After all, this was his first time in IronMan mode, and only one team in his former life had successfully completed a Dungeon on such a difficulty.

And many people had certainly tried! But despite the passion that arose around such lucrative Dungeons, Lucifer, of the SuperGuild Lord Of War, the only party leader to beat one on IronMan.

And Lucifer had never disclosed any meaningful information about his experience. The only thing anyone knew was that he'd beaten a LvL 150 Dungeon called "Bad Dream."

But Apophis was extremely prepared for this Dungeon. He'd previously bought hundreds of health and energy potions, which he now distributed to the team. There were also many stat-boosting potions.

Altogether, their party was probably one of the best in the game in terms of power and skill. Even if the SuperGuilds had their star players, they surely didn't have access to a full party which they could rely on like Apophis could!

Unfortunately, everyone's morale wasn't as high as Apophis wished. The possibility of permanently losing their characters clearly made everyone uneasy, no matter how powerful everyone was. The thought of losing all their progress was dismal.

But there would be no more delays. It was finally time to go!

Apophis set the Dungeon difficulty to "IronMan," and the green portal turned red.

However, this wasn't the only effect. A woman's piercing scream cut through the air—but as the team looked around, they couldn't find the source. All they saw was the vast desert, the nearby village, and the MK.1.

With nothing else to do, the team entered the Dungeon.

System: You've entered the Dungeon LvL 10~20 [Messiah's Path] on IronMan difficulty. Character death within this Dungeon is permanent.

The portal flickered twice, then vanished behind them. There was no going back.

The Dungeon's atmosphere was very close to that of a horror movie. Apophis quickly realized they were in the same desert that they had just been standing on, though in the middle of the night. In addition, they were now surrounded by extremely thick fog that gave the sensation that one was being watched.

This immediately put the group on edge. The effect grew worse as everyone realized that they had no clear destination! After all, there was no horizon or landmark in sight, only the strange mist.

Lotus, being a Mechanic, offered to craft beacon devices and leave them in a trail behind the party, so that they could retrace their steps later.

She quickly began crafting, and then the party formed a marching order. Hulk was at the front, then Apophis, and then Chocolate. In the back were White and then Lotus, leaving her trail of beacons.

The group walked for a good hour before finally coming across a huge wall ten meters high. There was no way for them to cross it, so the group decided to walk along it for a distance. However, it was another hour before they found what looked like an entrance in the wall!

Hulk led the way, his defenses carefully raised, and the party trailed cautiously behind him. Strange, long walls rose on either side of them, and the path eventually diverged into two directions as another portion of wall appeared in front of them.

"I see," said Apophis. "It's a labyrinth!"