The battlefield slowly disappeared behind them.
Neither Rio nor Ryota looked back.
The distant voices of the gathered players faded into the wind as they descended the rocky slope leading away from the High Plains. Behind them, members of Burning Pride and ELEO remained frozen in place, struggling to comprehend everything they had just witnessed.
An entire battlefield had been overturned.
Elite players had been cut down.
Guild leaders had been forced to intervene.
And yet the two people responsible for turning the situation upside down walked away as if they had merely finished a routine quest.
The evening wind brushed against their clothes as they followed the road leading back toward the Town of Beginnings. Gravel crunched softly beneath their boots.
Rio walked in front as usual.
Her posture remained straight and composed, her expression calm and unreadable. There was no sign that she had just overwhelmed dozens of players or shaken the confidence of two major guilds.
Behind her, Ryota stretched his arms behind his head and looked up at the darkening sky.
"Man... that was kind of intense."
Rio didn't respond immediately.
Several seconds passed before she finally spoke.
"What did you buy?"
Ryota blinked.
"Huh?"
"At the auction."
Her tone was casual.
"You didn't go there just to look around."
Realization crossed his face.
"Oh. Right."
He opened his inventory window and began sorting through his purchases.
"I got a few things."
Rio slowed her pace slightly, silently listening.
The first item appeared in Ryota's hand.
It was a worn notebook.
The cover was faded and scratched, and the corners looked like they had survived years of neglect. There was nothing remarkable about it whatsoever.
Ryota shrugged.
"It looked like a notebook. Thought I could draw in it or keep notes or something."
Rio glanced at the item.
Then looked away.
"You spent money on that?"
"It was only five copper."
Silence.
A very long silence.
Rio continued walking before finally speaking.
"You spent five copper..."
She paused.
"...on a notebook."
Ryota tilted his head.
"Yeah?"
Rio released a slow breath.
"I see."
The conversation ended there.
At least for a moment.
Then Ryota reached into his inventory again and pulled out a simple metal ring.
"This was the second thing."
Rio glanced at it.
"It lets me pull aggro."
Ryota smiled proudly.
"I figured it'd help me protect you."
Rio examined the ring more carefully this time.
A Provocation Ring.
A low-level item that forced enemies to prioritize the wearer.
"Seven copper," Ryota added.
Rio looked ahead again.
"Not efficient."
There was a brief pause.
"But useful."
Ryota grinned.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
She didn't deny it.
Instead, Ryota reached into his inventory one final time.
"And then there's this."
Rio expected another strange purchase.
Another random item that had somehow attracted Ryota's attention.
But the moment she saw it, she stopped walking.
Completely.
The object floating above Ryota's palm was small and cracked.
Dark fragments surrounded a faintly glowing core at its center.
The energy pulsing from within was weak, but unmistakable.
Like something broken that refused to die.
The playful atmosphere vanished instantly.
Rio's expression changed.
"Ryota."
Her voice had become serious.
"Yeah?"
"Where did you get that?"
Ryota blinked at her sudden reaction.
"The auction house."
He scratched his cheek.
"It looked cool. I was actually thinking about turning it into a pendant and giving it to you."
Rio didn't respond.
Her eyes remained locked on the object.
"Do you know what that is?"
"No."
A long silence followed.
Then Rio spoke.
"That's a Guardian Core."
The wind seemed to stop around them.
"A what?"
"A Guardian Core."
She stepped closer.
Her gaze never left the item.
"It's a key."
Ryota looked down at it again.
"A key to what?"
Rio finally met his eyes.
Her expression was sharper than he had ever seen before.
"To something that shouldn't be accessible yet."
A brief pause followed.
"Not even for players like me."
Ryota stared at her.
Then looked at the core again.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"So..."
He lifted it slightly.
"Good purchase?"
Rio remained completely serious.
"Ryota."
"Yeah?"
"We need to move."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking.
Fast.
Far faster than before.
"Wait. Where are we going?"
Rio didn't slow down.
"The World Key."
Ryota hurried after her.
"That sounds important."
"It is."
They left the main road and entered a narrow path hidden between rocky cliffs.
The terrain gradually changed.
The open plains disappeared behind them.
Jagged stone formations rose on either side.
The sky narrowed overhead until only a thin strip of moonlight remained visible.
The deeper they traveled, the quieter the world became.
Even the wind sounded different.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
Rio never hesitated.
She moved with certainty.
As if she already knew exactly where she was going.
"Listen carefully."
Her voice remained calm and focused.
"The dungeon we're heading toward shouldn't exist for players right now."
Ryota looked around the canyon.
"And we can get in because of this thing?"
He raised the Guardian Core.
Rio nodded.
"Without it, the entrance won't even appear."
The canyon continued twisting deeper into the mountains.
The air grew colder.
The path grew narrower.
Eventually Rio spoke again.
"This place wasn't discovered until years later."
"Years?"
"By accident."
Ryota scratched his head.
"And now we're just casually walking into it?"
Rio glanced back.
"Because of you."
Several minutes later, the wind suddenly stopped.
Rio halted.
"We're here."
Ryota looked around.
There was nothing.
Only a solid cliff face.
No entrance.
No cave.
No ruins.
Nothing.
"Uh..."
He blinked.
"Where?"
Rio pointed toward the Guardian Core.
"Take it out."
Ryota pulled the core from his inventory.
The moment it appeared, the world reacted.
The core pulsed once.
Then again.
Ancient energy spread outward in rippling waves.
Cracks of light appeared across the cliff wall.
The mountain itself began to tremble.
Deep mechanical sounds echoed through the canyon.
The stone surface shifted.
Separated.
Opened.
A hidden entrance emerged from the cliffside.
Massive.
Ancient.
Impossible.
Ryota stared in disbelief.
"No way..."
Rio stepped toward it.
For the first time since arriving, excitement appeared in her eyes.
"The World Key."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"This is where everything changes."
Without hesitation, she stepped through the entrance.
Ryota followed immediately.
The moment both of them crossed the threshold, the stone doors closed behind them.
The entrance vanished.
And the world outside lost all trace of their existence.
The dungeon swallowed them whole.
The air inside felt different.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Every breath felt denser than normal.
The darkness wasn't merely the absence of light.
It felt alive.
Aware.
Their footsteps echoed through the corridor, amplified by unseen forces hidden within the walls.
Ryota rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah... this is definitely not normal."
"It isn't."
Rio continued forward until she eventually stopped.
Then she turned toward him.
"We need to talk."
Ryota immediately straightened.
"That serious?"
Rio nodded.
The usual sarcasm and teasing had vanished completely.
"What we're about to face isn't something you can improvise your way through."
Ryota nodded.
"Got it."
"The World Key isn't just a dungeon."
She paused.
"It's a system override."
Ryota frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It breaks progression."
Her voice echoed softly through the corridor.
"Players are supposed to grow gradually. Unlock stronger abilities over time."
She folded her arms.
"This place ignores that."
Ryota raised an eyebrow.
"So basically a cheat code?"
"No."
Her answer came immediately.
"Because it comes with consequences."
"What kind?"
Rio looked deeper into the darkness ahead.
"In my previous life, this dungeon wasn't discovered until much later."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"When players finally found it, everything changed."
Ryota listened carefully.
"Guilds fought over it."
Rio's eyes hardened.
"Entire wars started because of what waits inside."
Ryota swallowed.
"Over treasure?"
"Over a World Skill."
Even the system seemed to react to those words.
A faint blue glow flickered briefly around them.
"There are only a handful of World Skills in the entire game."
She looked directly at him.
"Out of forty-five thousand skills, only a few possess the ability to fundamentally alter how the game is played."
Ryota's expression grew serious.
"And one is here?"
Rio nodded.
"Yes."
"What does it do?"
"It grants access to special-tier NPCs."
Ryota blinked.
"NPCs?"
"Not normal NPCs."
She shook her head.
"The ones you see in town are insignificant compared to these."
Rio's voice became increasingly serious.
"The entities tied to World Skills operate outside standard player limitations."
She began walking again.
"They learn."
"They adapt."
"They evolve."
A pause.
"And in the hands of the right person, they can change the outcome of entire wars."
Silence followed.
Ryota stared ahead.
Then finally muttered,
"So we're basically stealing endgame content while everyone else is still level one."
"Exactly."
The dungeon continued deeper underground.
Strange symbols eventually appeared along the walls.
Ancient carvings glowed faintly with blue-white light.
Ryota squinted.
"Can you read those?"
Rio nodded.
"It's old system language."
"Of course you can."
She ignored the comment.
"They describe trials."
Ryota immediately frowned.
"That doesn't sound good."
"It isn't."
Eventually the corridor ended.
The path ahead split into two separate routes.
One corridor glowed with warm golden light.
Inviting.
Comforting.
Safe.
The other was consumed by darkness.
The air around it felt heavy.
Oppressive.
Like danger itself had taken physical form.
Ancient text floated above both entrances.
Rio stepped closer and read carefully.
"The Crusade of the World's Legacy."
Then she looked toward the second path.
"The Knight's Oath to Unyielding Knightmares."
Ryota immediately pointed at the golden corridor.
"Yeah. I'm definitely taking that one."
Rio nodded.
"Reasonable."
She stepped toward the darker route.
"The Knightmares are mine."
"Of course they are."
A faint smile almost appeared on her face.
Almost.
Then she stopped.
"This dungeon separates participants."
Ryota blinked.
"What?"
"Each path is an independent trial."
She met his eyes.
"Once you choose, you cannot return."
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
"No retreat?"
"No retreat."
"No help?"
"No help."
"No second chances?"
"No second chances."
Ryota stared at the glowing corridors.
Then sighed.
"Well... that's comforting."
Rio stepped closer.
"Don't die."
Ryota laughed nervously.
"Yeah. No pressure."
Rio turned away.
"We'll meet at the end."
She paused briefly.
"If we both make it."
Then she disappeared into the darkness.
Just like that.
Ryota stared after her.
"She really just says things like that and leaves."
He shook his head and looked toward the golden corridor.
"Alright."
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the dungeon reacted.
The path behind him vanished.
The light collapsed.
The entrance disappeared.
Ryota spun around.
Nothing remained.
No Rio.
No exit.
No way back.
Only an endless corridor stretching into golden light.
"...Okay."
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"Now I'm definitely committed."
The corridor ahead pulsed softly.
Almost like it was alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
Ryota exhaled slowly.
"Crusade of the World's Legacy, huh?"
A grin appeared on his face.
"Let's see what you've got."
And with that, he walked forward into the unknown.
Far deeper within the dungeon, Rio continued through the darkness alone.
No light guided her.
No warmth accompanied her.
Only silence.
And the faint echo of something moving in the depths ahead.
Her hand rested on the hilt of her saber.
Her eyes remained calm.
Focused.
Determined.
"Knightmares..."
she whispered.
A small smile appeared.
"Let's see if you're worth it."
Then she stepped deeper into the darkness.
Toward a trial far more dangerous than even she remembered.