Chapter 3: First Intruders

Time gradually passed as the Open Beta testing finally reached its last stage.

Hale was still doom-scrolling through the player forums. The only entertainment he had now. In his past life, he could have done various things that weren't watching the actions of deranged players.

Unfortunately, heroes don't talk about their past glory.

Through reading the player forums, he was able to get a variety of pieces of information. For example, most players were now level 4, almost approaching level 5. Level 5 was an important benchmark.

As it marked the beginning of their first class change!

Once they reached level 5, they could choose their first class, by going through different procedures.

The classes one could choose were: warrior, rogue, wizard, priest, guardian, and various sub-classes under the 5 main courses.

For example, players who wanted to be warriors had to find their nearest Warrior Stronghold. These strongholds housed warriors who were constantly training under the scorching sun, the freezing cold, and the soaking rain. They were a group of dedicated maniacs who would accept anyone into their brotherhood.

Warriors were for players who wanted to specialize in strength attributes. The strength attribute only increased melee damage for heavy weapons, such as swords, two-handed swords, and hammers.

For each attribute corresponded to the 5 main classes.

Hale was a rogue in his previous life. The reason why? He enjoyed the high DPS that he could deal with on single targets. The feeling of PKing other players was a rush that he couldn't stop getting high off. But, as stated before; heroes don't talk about their past glory.

Open Beta was ending, and Hale wasn't the least surprised that no players or NPCs had found his dungeon yet.

Although players were exploring the game as much as they could. The chances of them finding a door attached to countless trees in a swamp were very low. If only he could create a sign that pointed towards his dungeon, how convenient would that be?

It seems that his only employees (monsters and plants) could only roam around the swamp, without any delicious players to feed them.

...

Unbeknownst to Hale, there was a rag-tag group of players who were heading towards his dungeon!

The leader of the group? Our beloved Snow Flower.

Snow Flower had already transitioned from looking homeless to now looking like a respectable person. His short brown hair swayed under the wind, as he wore pieces of leather armor, that gave people a feeling of strength.

Not only that but on his hip was his beloved bronze and rusty copper sword that was generously donated by a goblin.

"Leader, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"

A player with the name 'Boundless Plates' who was doing bunny hops and spinning around asked Snow Flower. The reason for his acrobatic actions? He claimed that it made him faster, even though he was the slowest in the group of 6.

Snow Flower, glanced at him, and his eyes winced in agony. He was a famous streamer and being associated with this weirdo was ruining his handsome, calm, and elegant image to his viewers.

Countless messages flowed through his eyes, as most of them were commentating about his weird actions and how their beloved prince Snow Flower could be associated with a person like that.

Snow Flower turned back as he looked at the tattered map in his hands, it was an item that was pretty common but was still considered rare in this game. A Dungeon Tracking Map allows a player to locate one specific dungeon.

There were countless rarities to the item, with each increase in rarity, allowing the map to point toward better dungeons.

"Well, the map is pointing toward this direction, so I assume we're heading in the right direction."

"How do you know it's pointing in this direction?"

"Because I can see a gigantic yellow arrow in front of me."

"Oh... that makes sense."

Snow Flower almost wanted to bash his head into a wall. But for his increasing views, he wouldn't tarnish his image, tolerating Boundless Plate's actions. The only reason he was even grouped with him was because he had a pair of daggers that were of better quality compared to his rusty sword.

Time passed as they eventually reached a location that was different from the meadows and forests they had been traveling through. It was almost as if a division had separated the peaceful and calm-looking vibrant forest and the gloomy and mud-filled swamp in front of them.

Snow Flower frowned as he stared at the swamp ahead of him. No one knew this, but he was a serious clean freak.

The revolting stench, the disgusting mud, and the cries of insects had almost made a 180-degree turn.

But he had a duty to fulfill. He couldn't back down after leading their party all this way just because he couldn't stand such an environment. So with great endurance, he pushed on.

His shoes picked up on the thick mud with every step a testament to his bravery and glory.

'Damn it, why did they make this game feel so real? I can feel the water seeping into my shoes. I wanna go back.'

These were the only thoughts that rang in his head.

Luckily god rewarded his perseverance as they had finally found what they were looking for. The entrance to the dungeon!

An old wooden gate was lodged into a tree, with life being completely devoid around the area near the gate. Pitch-black mist periodically seeped through the cracks of the gate.

The wooden gate was like a mysterious entrance to hell.

But for players? They couldn't care less as their moods had all cheered up! Snow Flower's viewer count was also reaching an all-time high. The name of the stream had now changed to: The First Group of Players that will Conquer a Dungeon!

Snow Flower put away the map as the group of 6 excitedly ran towards the gate. They could create a legacy inside the game!

As far as they could tell, there hadn't been anyone on the player forums claiming that they had conquered a dungeon yet.

So with that, all 6 of them excited opened the gate together.

When the gate fully opened, a pitch-black mist was all that was revealed to them. Beckoning them to their doom. With excitement, the players ignored all the red signs as they excitedly charged through the black mist.

"Dungeon conquering here we come!"

A cold and mechanical voice rang.

[Welcome to the Dungeon of Noxious.]