Endel opened his eyes and saw a landscape that seemed to have descended from another planet — vivid, strange, and intoxicating.
Mountains soared into the sky, their peaks drowning in clouds of gold and violet, shimmering with all the hues of a sunset at once.
Giant trees with silvery leaves stretched for hundreds of kilometers, their crowns covering entire valleys, and their trunks so massive they looked like cities.
Fields, sown with tall stalks of strange wheat, glowed with golden light, radiating a soft, warm glow.
Every sway of the grass seemed like the breathing of the world itself, while the gentle wind filled the air with the music of whispers.
Waterfalls streamed down the mountains, forming transparent rivers that sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow, spilling into a lake whose surface was smooth as glass, reflecting the sky with two suns barely touching the horizon.
The sounds and colors of this place gave the sensation that space and time flowed differently here.
It felt like every breath filled the body with power, every movement of air breathed life into the soul.
"Truly beautiful," whispered the Third, unable to take his eyes off the scenery.
Endel held his breath.
It was so peaceful and mesmerizing here that his heart seemed to stop beating.
Everything around shimmered, breathed, sang — and at the same time beckoned toward adventures yet untold.
Suddenly, Leina's furious shout tore through the silence, shattering the harmony of this otherworldly realm.
She was screaming at Carlos, who now knelt guiltily, catching every word as though it were a blow.
Her words were sharp and merciless, and it was clear this was no act — her scolding was real.
Endel, too, couldn't help being angry at Carlos for recklessly stepping into the portal.
But watching Leina and Carlos clash, he realized: now was not his time to lecture.
She would handle it herself.
What mattered far more was understanding where they had ended up, and how to clear this dungeon.
And as though reading his thoughts, the system provided a detailed explanation.
Endel frowned, at first mistrusting that the system offered such clarity, but after reading to the end, he understood why it was so "kind."
The realization darkened his face and clenched his heart in pain.
"...Fuck…" he muttered through his teeth.
"Fuck," echoed the Third, his voice trembling with the same blend of horror and rage.
[You have entered the zone of an unformed F-rank dungeon]
Description: A world covered only in oceans. Inhabited by a single land-dwelling species — the Artlaps. They do not attack first unless attacked. The most adorable creatures in the universe: fluffy, kind, and defenseless… but one wrong step, and their wrath with madness will turn into the greatest horror.
Your quest: Kill 1,000 Artlaps or 10 Lords.
Time limit: One month.
Penalty for failure: Expulsion from the dungeon with no possibility of return.
[Error!]
[Dungeon reconstruction in progress!]
Note: The portal outside destabilized due to Artlaps being killed on the other side. (The system required a survival count to be determined). Now the dungeon has remained unformed.
[Reconstruction complete!]
No Lords exist here. The number of Artlaps increased 10-fold.
They have become more aggressive, hunting in packs.
They may now attack first.
Difficulty has increased from F to D rank.
Rewards fully restored.
[New quest]
Your quest: Kill 10,000 Artlaps.
Time limit: One week.
Penalty for failure: You will remain here forever.
Second note: Say thanks to one idiot…
Endel felt despair rising inside him like a wave.
This was all his fault.
His reckless plan, his stubborn decision to enter the portal for strength… all of it had led them here, to this nightmare world where the thought of killing 10,000 Artlaps in a week was unthinkable.
He collapsed to his knees under the crushing weight of hopelessness.
Over the five days spent near the portal, they had studied the Artlaps' habits and attacks.
But that meant little if now they faced hundreds, even thousands — when before, they had fought only one at a time.
As said, Artlaps did not attack first unless provoked.
They had proven this themselves, watching one appear and simply scamper off.
In all that time, they had killed maybe fifty…
And now the system demanded ten thousand.
Despair constricted his chest, and at one point he nearly fainted from the sheer weight of it.
Then — a small hand on his shoulder.
Leina and Carlos's voices reached him.
But he felt detached, as if in another reality.
"Endel, what's wrong?" Leina asked softly, but firmly.
"Read the quest…" he whispered, his gaze empty.
Leina read it.
The longer she read, the heavier her expression grew.
At the end, she sighed deeply, as if grasping the hopelessness of it all.
She looked at him and immediately understood why he seemed so hollow.
She tried to soothe him.
"Endel, we all share the blame. Don't tear yourself apart."
Though it was Endel's idea to train this way, and then his rash decision to enter, Leina — who had once insisted on careful study of their foes — now looked at him with worry.
And Carlos, who had blindly charged in, was here too.
As Leina tried to pull Endel out of his spiral, Carlos spotted movement in the distance.
Looking closer, he realized: hundreds of Artlaps.
But no longer the cute creatures they had known.
Their eyes burned red, and fangs gleamed in their muzzles.
Carlos's face hardened.
"Run!" he shouted.
He rushed toward his friends, who froze at his cry.
Activating [Common Arcana: Earth Warrior], Carlos felt armor of brown-silver stone encase his body.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Leina, tucking her under his arm despite her displeasure, and slung Endel over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Running at full tilt, he barked:
"Leina! Your blessing, now!"
She activated [High Arcana: Forest Elf] and began chanting in an alien tongue.
Her spell wrapped Carlos in green light, filling him with lightness and agility.
[Elf's Blessing — C Rank]
Description: A thin thread of light weaves into muscles and sinews, sharpening movements, easing breath, and making each step sound like the song of the forest.
Effect: Speed and agility increase by one rank.
Duration: 5 minutes.
Sweat dotted Leina's brow — the C-rank skill drained 30% of her mana. Even with her vast C+ pool, her head throbbed.
Now Carlos's status read:
[System Status]
…
User Rank: E (E+)
Strength: E (E+)
Agility: F+ (E+)
Speed: F+ (E+)
Endurance: E (E+)
Mana: F
Aura: None
Spirit: F
Mind: F
…
Arcana had boosted his strength and defense, and Leina's blessing covered his weakness — maneuverability.
Carlos shot forward like a meteor, even outpacing the pursuing Artlaps.
"They're falling behind!" Leina cried, relieved.
Carlos nodded, though inwardly adrenaline and fear churned.
Endel remained withdrawn.
He heard, saw, felt — but could not act.
Seventeen years old, and the weight of nearly dooming his friends crushed him.
"Idiot… total idiot!" the Third's voice cracked with fury. "Yes, it's your fault — but why jump straight to despair? This is just the start!"
He was seething.
"Where's your resolve? That fire you swore to yourself? Why give up without a fight?!"
Endel stared blankly.
The Third's anger spilled on.
"Do you really want to die here? And what — start over? You think it'll be easier next time? You think there is a next time?"
His laugh came sharp, almost hysterical.
"This is your third attempt, Endel! And you're already breaking! What if it's the last? Did you think of that?!"
Silence.
Even Carlos, running at full speed, noticed the pack closing in again.
Their legs struck the ground like thunder, faster than before.
Leina fired wind bullets, thinning the pack, but her mana drained fast.
And Endel… still frozen inside.
Not afraid of monsters — afraid of himself. Afraid of failing again.
Memories stabbed him: the Abyss Reaper, the failed training plan, the reckless portal dive.
Mistakes that scarred him.
A leader had no right to weakness.
"Endel! Enough sulking! Think of something!" Carlos's voice broke with strain. "Like when you figured out the Abyss Reaper's weakness!"
Though barely minutes had passed, his breath burned, muscles screamed, arms full with his friends.
The words pierced Endel's fog.
The memory flared — of trust, of risk, of victory.
And a crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"Yes… I'm back," he whispered to the Third.
"Finally," the Third exhaled. "My Depressive Wanderer returns. Took you long enough."
Endel didn't waste time on irony.
He assessed fast.
No rifle. Leina draining. Carlos nearing his limit.
One card left: synchronization. But the price was ruinous.
He rejected it for now.
Eyes scanning the forest — then he saw it: a colossal, half-rotten tree.
Its hollow yawned like fate itself.
Memory: two old grenades.
Insane plan. But it would work.
"Psychopath," chuckled the Third, delighted.
Endel's eyes glinted.
"Carlos! That tree ahead. Throw me to it."
Carlos almost stumbled.
"What?!"
"Leina, give me wind. I need maximum speed."
She gasped.
"You're… you're doing this again…"
Carlos clenched his teeth.
They knew that look.
"Faster! No time!" Endel barked, then softer: "When I say run — run."
They exchanged one glance — fear, trust, resignation.
Carlos hefted him. Leina summoned gale-force wind.
With a roar, Carlos hurled him like a cannonball.
Air tore at Endel, bones cracked on impact with the tree. Blood filled his mouth.
Still alive. Enough.
Grenades into the hollow.
One… two… three…
Boom!
The tree groaned and fell.
Endel shoved with all his might, broken arm blazing with agony, forcing its fall onto the charging horde.
Ground quaked. Dust rose.
"RUN!" he screamed, and bolted himself.
Carlos and Leina obeyed, wind blasting them forward, nearly too fast for human bodies.
They crashed through the forest, Carlos shielding Leina.
Behind them, Endel dodged aside at the Third's warning, barely avoiding being crushed.
And then —
BA-BOOM!
The rotting giant collapsed, crushing everything beneath.
System messages flared:
[You killed an F-rank Artlap]
[You killed 432 Artlaps]
[You gained 432 points]
Quest progress:
[499 / 10,000]
[Good luck]
Silence.
Carlos, panting, set Leina down.
His lips twisted.
"You crazy bastard…" he muttered.
Then laughed, raw and broken.
Leina, trembling, laughed too.