The golden corridor had felt safe when Ryota first entered it.
That feeling didn't last long.
The deeper he traveled, the more unsettling the passage became. The light never dimmed, but it gradually lost its warmth. What had once felt inviting now felt sterile and artificial, like something attempting to imitate comfort without truly understanding it.
His footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The sound was wrong.
Each step repeated itself just a fraction longer than it should have, creating a subtle delay that made the entire tunnel feel alive.
Ryota glanced around cautiously.
"Yeah... this place is definitely messing with me."
The walls were smooth and polished, almost reflective. Yet whenever he tried to look at his own reflection, the surface only showed vague shapes and distorted shadows.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw another figure moving within the reflection.
He immediately stopped.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword as he stared at the wall.
Nothing moved.
Nothing appeared.
The reflection remained distorted and empty.
"...Nope."
He shook his head.
"Not dealing with that."
Continuing forward, he tried to ignore the growing unease creeping through his chest.
Then the floor beneath him vibrated.
At first it was subtle.
A faint tremor.
A distant pulse.
Like a giant heartbeat buried somewhere beneath the stone.
Ryota froze.
"Uh..."
The vibration intensified.
Rumble.
Rumble.
Rumble.
The entire corridor began to shake violently.
Cracks spread across the pristine floor, racing toward him like jagged veins.
His eyes widened.
"Wait—!"
The floor collapsed before he could react.
The world vanished beneath his feet.
Stone shattered as the ground gave way completely, sending him plunging into darkness.
Wind roared past his ears.
His body spun uncontrollably as he fell.
Instinct immediately took over.
His inventory flashed open.
Without even thinking, his hand moved toward the first thing he could grab.
The Iron Steve sword materialized in his grip.
"Come on!"
Twisting his body, Ryota slammed the blade into the nearby wall.
Metal screeched violently against stone.
A shower of sparks exploded around him.
The sword dug deep enough to catch.
His descent slowed.
Not enough to stop.
But enough to prevent immediate death.
The blade carved a glowing line down the wall as Ryota fought against gravity.
Every muscle in his arm screamed.
His shoulder felt like it was being ripped from its socket.
The sword threatened to slip free at any moment.
Still, he held on.
His fall transformed into a violent slide.
The friction filled the shaft with sparks and molten fragments of stone.
Then something moved.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Before Ryota could process what was happening, an invisible force wrapped around his body.
Not a hand.
Not a claw.
Something else.
Something powerful.
His eyes widened.
"What—?!"
A fraction of a second later, the force changed direction.
Instead of slowing him, it accelerated him downward.
The impact was catastrophic.
Boom!
Ryota slammed into the floor with enough force to shatter the stone beneath him.
Cracks exploded outward from the point of impact.
Dust and debris erupted into the air.
The shockwave rattled the entire chamber.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
The air was driven from his lungs.
For several seconds, everything turned white.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't move.
Eventually, sound returned.
A low mechanical hum echoed throughout the chamber.
"...Heh."
A weak laugh escaped him.
"Okay..."
With considerable effort, Ryota pushed himself upright.
Every joint protested.
Every muscle ached.
His ribs felt bruised.
His shoulder burned.
Yet somehow, he was still alive.
"That's definitely worse than Rio's training."
The dust slowly settled.
And then he saw them.
Seven enormous figures emerged from the darkness.
Dragons.
Each one represented a different element.
A crimson dragon stepped forward first, flames leaking continuously from its jaws.
Beside it stood a deep-blue dragon surrounded by swirling water that never touched the ground.
A violet dragon crackled with violent lightning.
A pale white dragon exhaled frost that coated the floor beneath its feet.
A massive brown dragon appeared carved from stone itself.
A green dragon hovered slightly above the ground as powerful currents of wind spiraled around its wings.
And finally—
A black dragon.
Darkness clung to its scales like living shadows. The light itself seemed to disappear around its body.
Ryota stared.
"Seven dragons..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Then the ground shook again.
A heavy impact echoed through the chamber.
Something larger stepped out from behind them.
Massive metal legs slammed into the stone floor.
Each step left visible dents.
A towering techno-centaur emerged from the shadows.
Its lower body resembled a mechanical warhorse forged from black steel.
Its upper body was humanoid, covered in heavy armored plating. At the center of its chest, a glowing energy core pulsed rhythmically.
In its hands rested a gigantic weapon.
Calling it a sword felt inaccurate.
It was closer to an executioner's blade.
Large enough to split buildings in half.
Ryota slowly tightened his grip on Iron Steve.
"Yeah..."
A nervous grin appeared.
"This is definitely a boss room."
The dragons lowered their heads.
The techno-centaur raised its massive weapon.
Then every enemy attacked simultaneously.
The seven dragons opened their jaws.
Energy gathered instantly.
Flames erupted.
Water compressed into high-pressure spheres.
Lightning concentrated into destructive arcs.
Ice crystallized.
Wind condensed.
Earth compressed.
Darkness deepened.
A heartbeat later, they unleashed everything.
The chamber exploded with elemental destruction.
Seven breath attacks merged into a single catastrophic wave.
Fire, water, lightning, ice, wind, earth, and darkness collided together and surged toward Ryota.
The pressure alone shattered the ground beneath him.
The air screamed.
The space around the attack visibly distorted.
Ryota's eyes widened.
"Oh..."
The wave filled his vision.
There was nowhere to run.
Nowhere to dodge.
"This is bad!"
Elsewhere within the dungeon, Rio continued through the Path of Knightmares.
The darkness there felt entirely different.
It wasn't merely an absence of light.
It was oppressive.
Ancient.
As if the darkness itself possessed awareness.
Rio walked forward calmly.
Her hand moved toward her inventory.
The Imperial Saber disappeared.
In its place appeared a crimson blade.
The Crimson Bloodmoon.
The moment the weapon materialized, the darkness reacted.
A faint red glow spread through the chamber.
The sword almost seemed alive.
In her other hand, she summoned her flintlock musket.
Loaded.
Ready.
A faint smile crossed her face.
"Now..."
Her voice echoed softly.
"Let's stop holding back."
She stepped into the next chamber.
Immediately, her instincts screamed.
Danger.
Without hesitation, she moved.
Clang!
A tremendous force slammed into her from behind.
The Crimson Bloodmoon barely intercepted the attack in time.
The impact drove her backward across the stone floor.
Cracks formed beneath her boots as she slid.
Rio quickly stabilized herself.
Then she looked up.
Flames ignited throughout the chamber.
The darkness retreated.
And her enemies revealed themselves.
A colossal phoenix stood before her.
Its wings stretched across nearly half the room.
Crimson flames covered every feather.
Yet beneath those flames, black corrupted veins spread throughout its body like a disease.
Its beak alone was larger than Rio.
"So you're the welcome party."
The phoenix shrieked.
The sound shook the entire chamber.
The spreading flames illuminated the rest of the room.
A Cerberus emerged from the shadows.
Molten lava dripped continuously from all three mouths.
Every breath distorted the air around it.
Above it hovered a gryphon.
Lightning danced across its wings.
Each flap scattered sparks throughout the chamber.
Nearby stood a unicorn.
At first glance it appeared radiant and holy.
Then Rio noticed the black blades protruding from its body.
Corruption had infected it as well.
A massive golem stood behind them.
Stone and moss covered its enormous body.
Every movement was slow.
But unstoppable.
Rio calmly counted.
"Five beasts."
Then her gaze shifted.
Three more figures stood behind the monsters.
Human-shaped.
Knights.
Their armor was black and fractured.
Corruption seeped from every crack.
The first carried twin blades.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Deadly.
The second wielded a staff already gathering magical energy.
The third held a long spear with perfect discipline.
Unlike the monsters, they were human-sized.
Yet their presence felt far more dangerous.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"Eight opponents."
A small smile appeared.
"Perfect."
The phoenix unleashed another deafening scream.
Then the entire room moved.
The Cerberus lunged.
The gryphon took flight.
The corrupted unicorn charged forward like a golden comet.
The golem advanced with unstoppable momentum.
The three knights followed in perfect synchronization.
Rio remained still.
Calm.
Watching.
Analyzing.
Waiting.
Only when they entered striking distance did she move.
The Crimson Bloodmoon shifted slightly.
Her eyes sharpened.
"Come."
And the battle began.
Back in the Crusade trial, destruction consumed everything.
The combined elemental breath reached Ryota.
Fire scorched.
Ice froze.
Lightning tore through the air.
Wind crushed.
Water drowned.
Earth shattered.
Darkness swallowed.
Seven elemental forces collided at the same time.
Any normal player would have been erased instantly.
Yet Ryota stood at the center of it all.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Heh."
He tightened his grip on Iron Steve.
"Guess there's no holding back either."
At that exact moment, the techno-centaur charged.
Its massive execution blade rose high above its head.
The seven dragons descended from every direction.
And two separate trials truly began.
One was a battle of overwhelming force.
The other was a battle of absolute precision.
Neither challenge had ever been designed to be completed.
Because the World Key was never meant to reward those who were merely strong.
It rewarded those capable of accomplishing the impossible.
And both Ryota and Rio had just stepped into trials that demanded exactly that.