CHAPTER 1181: DUNGEON WORLD

Erend stood before them, the mist curling around his boots as the cool morning air shifted with quiet tension.

Everyone had gathered. Eccar, Saeldir, Aesa, Aurdis, Aerchon, King Gulben, Arty, Adrius, Lysander, Adrien, and Billy. Those were the allies that could go with him now.

They were the chosen strike force who would venture into the training dimension. No one spoke for a while. Even the wind felt as though it held its breath.

King Gulben stepped forward first, his cloak trailing behind him like a living banner of authority. His gaze swept across the group, lingering briefly on Erend.

Even as a king, with that much time dilation in that dimension, he was certain that he had time to leave his kingdom for a while.

"Today marks the beginning of what may determine the fate of our world," the king said. "We go not only to strengthen ourselves, but to ensure that Zerathul will not devour the timeline and the world we all depend on. We all will return as warriors who can carve victory from impossibility."

Aurdis moved closer until she stood beside Erend, her hand brushing against his for a moment, barely noticeable, but full of unspoken meaning.

Erend felt that small touch like a spark, soft but grounding. He turned just enough to see Aurdis’s eyes. They were bright, worried, but steady with faith in him.

He gave her a small nod, one that promised he would return.

Aerchon stepped forward next, arms crossed, chin tilted with a familiar mix of arrogance and responsibility.

"Let’s make one thing clear," he said, his gaze sweeping over the gathered allies. "When we come back, we’re not returning as we are now. We’re returning as the force that will break Zerathul’s spine."

It was basically their purpose.

Eccar grinned. "Well said. And after we save the world, I’m demanding a month-long celebration in our honor in this palace."

Arty huffed a breath, but her smile showed her amusement. "You can celebrate all you want, Eccar. I’ll be too busy making sure my brother doesn’t overwork himself again."

Erend glanced at her. "I’ll be fine."

Adrius let out a dry laugh. "You know that you will never stop worrying about the fate of the worlds by yourself."

Saeldir adjusted his grip on his Magic sword.

"Focus. Once we enter, based on Erend’s explanation, the dimension will be very hard to pass through. That means our training will be as intense as our determination," Saeldir said in a calm but sharp voice.

Aesa stepped beside him, eyes slightly narrowed. "No one should wanders alone. Stay together unless Erend says otherwise."

King Gulben nodded in agreement. "This journey is not only for power. It is for unity. We stand stronger when we rise together."

The air shifted then.

Erend lifted his hand, and red-white energy rippled outward like a breath drawn from another reality. The air twisted, pulling itself into a vortex as a familiar, swirling portal bloomed into existence.

Crimson and ivory spiraled together, rotating in slow, heavy pulses that released an aura none of the others had ever felt before.

A strange, heavy, ancient, and vast pressure rolled over the group.

Adrien shivered. "That isn’t normal Magic."

"It’s not," Erend said. "This world has its own rules. But it’s safe for us. And it will make us stronger faster than anything else."

The swirling light reflected across their faces.

"This is the time to go," Erend said. "Enter one by one. I’ll follow after everyone."

Eccar stepped forward immediately with a broad grin because he had already been there and familiar with that world.

And without hesitation, he leaped straight into the portal. His figure vanished in a flash of red-white light.

Saeldir went next, his posture straight. Aesa followed silently, stepping through with calm eyes.

Aerchon took a deep breath. Then he strode into the portal, vanishing.

Adrien and Billy were next.

Adrius and Lysander walked in with composed determination.

King Gulben stood tall. "Let the path before us be worthy of this effort," he said. He entered the portal with dignity.

Arty paused only long enough to glance back at Erend. "Don’t take too long."

Then she stepped inside.

Aurdis held Erend’s gaze a moment more, then entered the portal without a word.

When the last of them had gone, Erend stepped forward and entered.

The world shifted.

His senses twisted. Light bending and weight dissolving around him until a calm darkness washed over him. Then the space stabilized, and Erend landed lightly on solid ground.

The Dungeon World stretched before them.

It was a vast plain of grey ash rolled beneath their feet, every grain soft and dark. The sky overhead was a perpetual night, ink-black but sprinkled with faint, drifting lights like slow-moving stars.

The air held no wind or sound, only a deep, quiet stillness that felt sacred rather than dead.

Saeldir nodded. "This place is calm... but powerful."

King Gulben turned to Erend. "So this is your dimension."

Erend looked across the silent horizon of ash and soft starless sky.

"Yes," he said. "And here... we begin."

A deep tremor rippled through the ash as something materialized ahead of them. The ground cracked open in a thin black seam and from it rose a massive gate.

Two towering doors forged from pitch-black metal, smooth and lightless like carved void. No hinges or markings.

Erend already knew that Veyrun had adjusted the Dungeon again for them. He had told him by the system prompt.

They would be starting at Level 1, but not the Level 1 he had once faced alone. The structure of the Dungeon would shift to match the size and strength of this many challengers, reshaping paths, enemies, and essence flow to accommodate them. Everything would be scaled, refined, and intensified.

Erend stepped forward with his eyes on the door.

"We will enter and start killing monsters," he said. "Their essence will merge with our bodies and strengthen us with every kill."

A silent determination rippled through the group. There was no hesitation or fear here, only readiness.

"Let’s begin."

Erend placed his hand on the cold black surface. The door groaned open, spilling a faint glow onto the grey sand.

He stepped inside first, crossing the threshold without looking back.

One by one, the others followed him into the waiting dark.

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