(Almost an hour later, The West Path)
Nearly an hour after the initial wave of adventurers confronted PinkLotus, the first group of 100 challengers successfully fought their way through the West Path and managed to arrive at Luke's lair.
In stark contrast to PinkLotus's relatively simple guardian room—a wide, open field with few obstacles—Luke's guardian room was a treacherous lava pit dotted with floating stones and deadly traps.
The terrain was perilous, and the first group of adventurers who stormed in were immediately shaken by the sight before them.
"Holy hell, it's scorching in here, like stepping straight into a sauna!"
"Wait, is that our opponent? The legendary guardian? But... that's SkyLion, the finalist from the grand tournament!"
"Look at that HP bar floating above his head—it's massive! He's got almost a hundred times the health of a normal player. This event must've given him some kind of crazy boost."