Right in front of the Adventurer’s group were hundreds of monsters ranging from tusk boars, fanged mutated wolves that were twice the size of normal wolves, along with dozens of green goblins.
However, these monsters were just the tip of the iceberg. The main thing that caught everyone’s attention was the blue sphere hovering above the ground.
"A dungeon! A newly formed dungeon!" gasps spread through the midst of the Adventurer Guild.
"Woah, who would have thought a fresh dungeon would appear during the competition?"
"What rank is it? Can anyone tell?"
"I think it should be A or B rank!"
Ragnarok99’s eyes lit up like a child on Christmas. "Finally! Points, loot, bosses—everything we need!"
BrawlerX slammed his fists together, practically shaking with excitement. "Rank A, too. The stream’s gonna love this!"
Brunt clicked his tongue, clearly unamused. "Tch. You otherworlders are always jumping around like fools. Don’t get cocky. A Rank A dungeon isn’t some beginner’s playground."
Gabriel, standing at the front, remained calm, simply staring at the dungeon entrance.
Because the others were speaking in low voices and the monsters were so engrossed with the dungeon, none of them had noticed the group’s presence.
Right at that moment, Scarlet spoke up. "Let’s clear the entrance first, then we head inside the dungeon!"
"Aye, Vice Leader!"
"Let��s do this!"
One of the benefits of dungeons was that they had a high number of monsters, especially freshly formed ones such as this.
Adventurers didn’t need to search for monsters like they did out in the wilderness.
Naturally, more monsters meant more points—hence the reason everyone seemed so excited about the dungeon.
Though Gabriel had a slight frown on his face as he asked Anna, "So far, I’ve noticed that we’ve been broadcasted and our points are recorded per kill... but would this still be possible inside the dungeon?"
"Yes, it is," Sophie answered, even though Gabriel wasn’t referring to her.
Anna didn’t take offense and simply stepped back.
"Even inside the dungeons our scores will be recorded because of this," Sophie said, pointing to the bracelet on her wrist.
Gabriel glanced down at his own wrist, finding an identical one there.
These were the wristwatches the Kingdom had provided on the first day. However, they hadn’t gone into detail about how they worked—only instructed them not to take them off.
Sophie was quite surprised Gabriel didn’t know about this, since it was something even kids on the street knew.
"Each kill we make is recorded by this watch," she explained eagerly. "As for how—it’s simple. Whenever a monster is killed, it leaves behind a fragment of its essence. Normally, that disperses into the air and vanishes. But the devices the Kingdom gave us intercept that fragment. The bracelets absorb it and automatically transmit the data to the system, recording both the kill and the point value."
Gabriel’s eyes flashed with amazement as he stared at the bracelet in a new light. "So basically, it’s like a receiver. As long as a monster dies by your hand, the essence signature confirms it."
"Yes." Sophie smiled.
When Bunny and the others overheard this, they were amazed as well.
They marveled at how far the developers of the game had gone in making the world feel realistic. Most games just bullshitted through details, but in Realm of Ascendency, attention was given even to the smallest things.
"However..." Alice chimed in. "There won’t be a way to broadcast our activity."
Most of them didn’t have any problem with this—in fact, the majority preferred not being broadcasted.
Growl! Growl!
Right then, the horde of monsters noticed the presence of the humans and immediately attacked.
Some time later, all the monsters were killed, and the entrance to the dungeon was finally left open.
To the disappointment of many, not everyone was allowed to enter. A few had to remain outside to keep watch.
Naturally, Gabriel, Scarlet, Alice, Anna, Lilly, Cassie, Brunt were chosen to explore the dungeon.
And thanks to Gabriel’s influence, Ragnarok99, Bunny, Sniperbowlegend, and BrawlerX were also allowed to enter.
When they stepped through to the other side, the entire party was greeted by a suffocating wave of noxious air.
The players were the first to react. Ragnarok99 clutched his stomach, his face pale as sweat dripped down his temple.
"Urgh... what the hell is this stench?!" he gagged, almost doubling over.
BrawlerX wasn’t much better; he pressed a fist against his mouth, clearly holding back the urge to vomit. Bunny’s eyes watered instantly, and she stumbled a step back, gasping for fresh air. Even Sniperbowlegend raised an arm to shield his nose, his expression tight.
’Why the fuck does everything need to be so realistic!’ they cursed in their minds.
The veterans in the guild grimaced as well, though they were long used to stenches like this.
Glancing down, they realized their feet were buried in shallow waters. In the distance, however, they spotted dry land.
"What kind of dungeon is this?" Alice spoke aloud, confusion written across her face.
"This is the challenge with new dungeons—it’s hard to tell what kind of terrain or monsters you’ll face." Scarlet pointed out as she ordered, "Move to high ground."
Swamp zones always hid water-type monsters. It was common knowledge, so they immediately headed toward the dry lands ahead.
Suddenly, the shallow water rippled. Then it started to boil.
"Something’s coming!" Anna shouted, her eyes flashing with danger sense.
Before anyone could react, the swamp exploded.
SPLAAAASH!
A giant fish-like monster rushed out from below. Its whole body was covered in moss, and jagged bone-like fins cut through the water. Its head was wider than three men lined shoulder to shoulder, and rows of sharp fangs glistened as it roared. Water surged like a wave, slamming into the party and drenching everyone.
"W-what the hell is that?!" Ragnarok99 shouted as he was knocked onto his back.
Meanwhile, on the outside, the Holy Church—under the lead of their summon—arrived before the dungeon.
"It’s the Holy Church!" the adventurers outside gasped in horror at their arrival. Some of them retrieving their weapons and activating skills.
Seeing their reaction, High Cardinal Alofonso smirked and gave a side glance to the monstrous entity beside him.