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＜ 12. Into the crack (2) ＞
A dungeon is a place where you have to go up one floor at a time. No matter how powerful the challenger was, no matter how powerful they were, if it was their first time climbing a dungeon, they could not break this rule and climb the dungeon .
However, there were cases where certain sections were skipped due to events that occurred in the dungeon, not the ability of the individual challenger. As far as Andrea knew, there were only two such events .
The first is the portal .
An event that allows you to skip even the 10th floor, as Andrea has already experienced. This meant that the challenger at level 25 had no choice but to go. If there was a choice, Andrea probably wouldn’t have entered the portal .
The second was that passage right in front of my eyes, the ‘crack’ .
Rifts were distinctly different from portals. First of all, the challenger could choose whether or not to enter, and rather than skipping the whole staircase, it was more like stepping into one large integrated floor .
After entering the crack in the waiting room and clearing it, the challengers will immediately face the boss monster. In other words, from Andrea’s point of view, it was like entering a space where the 41st to 49th floors were integrated into one .
As it is a space made up of
9 floors, the inside of the crack has many characteristics different from ordinary floors .
First of all, the scale did not allow comparison with other floors. Instead of following a set path, the challengers had to achieve certain goals by freely exploring a place that seemed to have been cut off from a part of the open world .
Also, there are not only NPCs in the rift, but other playable characters can also enter. So, excluding towns and waiting rooms, it was also the place where the most frequent encounter events appeared .
To sum it up in one word, ‘Crack’ was an instant dungeon in a semi-open world format .
Tricia and Marco, who had heard the entire explanation about the rift, silently nodded and looked at Andrea. Even if they heard the information, it was difficult for them to decide whether to enter there or not .
Andrea’s heart was already tilted to some extent. But I couldn’t make a quick decision. It wasn’t just his own life that depended on it, it was a matter that depended on the lives of his companions as well .
Andrea pondered the losses and gains of each choice .
‘ If you don’t enter the rift, you can proceed to the 50th floor while farming normally. It’s kind of a pity that I didn’t get a map, but I don’t think there’s any risk of being out of hand. The knowledge I know about dungeons can also be fully utilized .’
‘ But… I have no chance to meet Priest Emilia again. As long as there are no trials, the 50th floor is the end …’
‘ When you enter the crack, you have to face many variables. It’s a less predictable environment than a dungeon because combat events can happen anywhere and there are native factions. Besides, if you don’t meet the clear conditions, you won’t be able to escape .’
‘ Farming is possible, but it’s hard to reinforce the deck because they don’t give cards as rewards. Instead, it’s good to raise your kang ability… Maybe you can meet and share information with other challengers .’
‘ The most important thing… is too questionable to pass by. I don’t think Priest Emilia would have entered the rift by herself. There is also a possibility that he was compelled to go in with someone, or that it was an environment where he had no choice but to follow .’
He must have felt remorse very strongly, but Andrea was also willing to give up on Emilia if the circumstances weren’t too good. I don’t know if it was voluntary or involuntary, but Emilia was the first to break the promise anyway .
However, under the current conditions, going into the rifts was not the only loss. You’ll have to take a little more risk, but it’s a place worth it .
‘ If you just climb the dungeon, you’ll be able to raise your abilities only by leveling up. However, you can immediately raise your stats with the Rift Compensation. Only there
There are also equipment and artifacts that can be obtained .’
Andrea finally came to the conclusion that she had to enter the ‘rift’. After obtaining the consent of Tricia and Marco, of course .
Andrea added an additional explanation about the rift, then said that we should go inside. The biggest reason is, of course, the promise with Priest Emilia, but it’s a place worth visiting even aside from that .
Tricia and Marco had a brief conflict, but not for long. Trisha and Marco nodded their heads in agreement .
Andrea turned her head to face Arpan. There were things I should check before leaving .
“ Arpan, can you keep your companions together even after you return to the dungeon ?”
Rifts were almost the only space in ‘Dungeon of Infinity’ where single-player users could accompany other characters. This is because the monsters that are the goal of the quest are strong enough to match the boss monsters in the 25th level of the ordeal, so it was very difficult to hunt alone .
Accompaniment naturally ended when they left the rift, going their separate ways. Of course, multiplayer was not supported in ‘Dungeon of Infinity’ .
However, the dungeon that has now become a reality has become a space where multiplayer is possible. It was not unreasonable that Andrea was curious about this .
Arpan touched the iron cage and answered Andrea’s question .
“ In conclusion, it is possible. However, you should take into account that the next floor is based on the person on the lowest floor among the party. Ah, if the trial stage of the person who joined is different, I don’t have to tell you that all of your possessions will be reset, right ?”
Upon hearing this, Tricia’s face crumpled. It seemed that bad memories of the past days when all the cards he had collected were taken away came to mind. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Arpan’s overwhelming power, so I didn’t argue .
Andrea rested her chin on her finger and nodded. First of all, the answer was largely unexpected. Rather than that , there was something that came to my mind when I heard that .
A way to preserve Priest Emilia’s possessions intact while accepting them as part of the party .
‘ Hmm… will this really work ?’
I had my doubts, but I tried it and there was nothing wrong with it. I needed an item that can only be obtained from the rift, but I was entering the rift just in time .
The worry is over. Now was the time to act. Since we decided to go in, we had to hurry because Emilia might be in danger .
Tricia and Marco passed first, and Andrea headed for the rift last. But just before stepping in, Arpan threw a meaningful message .
“ If something unexpected happens, don’t panic, Miss Andrea. Like Andrea-sama is much stronger than when she first entered the dungeon, isn’t everything going to be different ?”
Could it be that I have a disease that I can’t get rid of if I don’t speak so broadly? Andrea let out a deep sigh .
“ That’s a good tip. Jeong – Thank you, Arfan .”
*
The wasteland is more suitable for conceiving death than life. No matter how hard they struggle, beings with mediocre survivability end up being weeded out. Like the lips of a sick man, those that took root and survived were the strongest and most tenacious of life .
Read from noble mtl dot com
None of them dare to call themselves masters of the wasteland. The wasteland teaches modesty to the proud. If anyone saw the bones of giants who could not find the shore and died, they would not be able to boast of how strong and outstanding they were .
However, despite such a harsh environment, the scenery of the wasteland soaked in the sunset that melted into a crimson color had the magic to make people fall into a sentimental mood .
Sand dust soaring along the clouds, low red hills with gentle ridges, trees swaying in the wind on their bare branches, and the fading sun hanging precariously on the horizon .
“ Wow . . .
”
“ It is a minister .”
Tricia and Marco exclaimed, overwhelmed by the scenery. After passing through Andrea, the passage into the crack narrowed as if it had been crushed from the side, and then disappeared completely .
Instead of enjoying the sunset in the wasteland with her friends, Andrea checked her status card first .
[ Name: Andrea ]
[ Class: Shadow Follower ]
[ Level : 50]
[ Max Mana : 2]
[ Strength : 52]
[ Magic Power : 60]
[ Resistance : 58 – 5]
[ Luck : 50]
[ Quirky: None ]
‘ As expected, the level is fixed at 50. ‘
Read from noble mtl dot com
Next, I checked Trisha’s status card, but it was still level 50. Perhaps the other challengers in this rift were also fixed at level 50 .
‘ Challengers from various levels flock to the rift. It must have been necessary to adjust the balance to prevent high-level challengers from indiscriminately plundering low-level challengers .’
Even so, there would be differences in decks and equipment, so situations in which conflicts with high-level challengers should be avoided as much as possible. Of course, since the challengers on the lower floors are also on the same level, it was best not to get into trouble with anyone .
Andrea belatedly looked around the landscape. It wasn’t to enjoy the scenery like the other party. He had already been here before in the game. I was just guessing where I was .
‘… It’s a place where you can see the bones of a giant with a broken skull over the hill, and there is a colony of thorns to the left .’
In order to find out where Emilia was, she would have to go to the place where there were people to ask. Fortunately, Andrea knew roughly where to go from this place to the village .
“ Tricia, Mr. Marco. Follow me. It’s dangerous at night, so you’d better get to the village quickly .”
Trisha tilted her head .
“ Why is it dangerous at night ?”
“ Monsters in the wasteland are usually nocturnal. If you don’t want to fight bloody out of sight, you’ll have to hurry .”
Marco, who had been quiet, also asked a question .
“ Is the village safe from monster attacks ?”
“ Yes. I don’t know the exact reason… Maybe even monsters are instinctively reluctant to go to places with a lot of people .”
In the game, for some reason, most of the NPCs had to leave the village before the monsters attacked the village. What I just said was a guess based on my experience at the time .
The distance to the village was not too far. Andrea and the others arrived near the village before the afterglow of the sunset disappeared .
However, something was strange. Andrea felt a sense of incongruity from the moment she saw the village surrounded by wooden fences in the distance .
It wasn’t just Andrea. Trisha opens her mouth after looking around the village .
“ Andrea, is that really a town where people live? I can’t hear anything. It’s too quiet …?”
Andrea put on a puzzled expression, but nodded. Obviously, this village is one of the starting points for various quests and scenarios. There was no way there were no people …
However, the sense of incongruity turned to certainty when I crossed the fence and entered the interior .
There was only silence in the streets lined with shacks. It didn’t make sense unless the villagers were practicing silence as a group. After the sun went down, the blue light of the early evening doubled the gloomy atmosphere .
Andrea headed to the outermost shack at the entrance of the village .
‘I’m sure the lady who lives here gave me a quest to get herbs from the wasteland .’
I knocked on the door, but I didn’t feel anyone. I asked if he was inside, but he didn’t answer. Without doing anything, Andrea opened the door and peered inside .
The sound of bugs scattering. It smelled fishy. The house was dark, but thanks to the shadow god’s blessing, Andrea was able to see clearly into the darkness .
There was something behind the table. Similar to humans, but with a slightly different shape. Tension soared. Andrea cautiously approached to see what it was. Taking one step at a time carefully, finally to the back of the table .
Blood spattered profusely. Andrea, who grasped the identity of what was hidden, had no choice but to take a deep breath and take a step back .
It was a decapitated corpse .
＜ 12. Into the Rift (2) ＞ End