Haven Mine.

  It was the biggest, and also the only, cave mine in the Arkavia Kingdom. It lay to the southwest of Lua Village, carved into the rugged hills like an open maw that swallowed light.

  The mine was called “Haven” because it held an abundance of ores. Copper, iron, steel, even mythril, all could be mined from within that single cave. On top of that, the ores were said to “restock” themselves every year, as if the veins beneath the earth quietly grew back in secret. Because of that mysterious blessing, the kingdom had never suffered a shortage of ore.

  No one knew how such a thing was possible. The history books stated that the mine had existed long before the kingdom itself was founded, as if Haven Mine were an ancient relic from an age no one remembered.

  And now…

  At the entrance of Haven Mine, a massive rift shimmered in the air, its surface a pale gold that rippled like liquid light.

  It was a Legendary-rank dimensional gate.

  After the catastrophe, most dimensional gates had vanished from the world. They would only reappear later, when the non-beta version of Dream Land Online officially launched.

  However, that rule applied only to Epic-rank gates and below.

  Legendary-rank gates had never disappeared in the first place.

  For the natives, that fact was a relief. Endless swarms of monsters had once poured out of Common and Epic-rank gates, flooding the land. In comparison, there were fewer than a hundred Legendary-rank gates in the entire world, and each only spawned a small number of high ranking monsters. The natives, especially the wanderers, could simply avoid the regions where those monsters roamed.

  Low-rank monsters that filled the world, however, could not be evaded forever. Against endless waves of them, there was no rest at all, and that had been the true terror.

  For the players, on the other hand, this situation felt like terrible game design. The very first “dungeon” they encountered in the beta-version was Legendary-rank ones instead of an easy low-rank starter.

  Without being accompanied by NPCs for a “main quest,” the players could not even enter the dungeon because of their low levels.

  “To be honest… the players are complaining a lot about it right now.”

  Silica spoke with a helpless expression, shoulders slumping just a little as she sat near the campfire.

  Around her, the Starlace Order had set up camp near the dungeon entrance. Tents were pitched in a half circle, and the light of the fire flickered over polished armor, weapons, and white sky blue robes.

  “Are you complaining too, Silica?”

  Cryssa Stelluna, leader of the expedition, turned to her with a teasing glint in her blue eyes.

  Silica straightened her back on reflex.

  “W-Well… the devs said it’s because they want us players to experience the real catastrophe again during the official launch later on. So…”

  She fidgeted with the edge of her cloak as she spoke, stealing a quick glance at Cryssa’s face.

  “Fufu. Relax, I am just joking.”

  Cryssa let out a soft laugh, her tone light.

  “I-I see…”

  Silica’s voice grew small, and she lowered her head.

  Even if Cryssa said she was joking, Silica could not fully relax. Cryssa had been her idol since the very beginning of the game. Now, Cryssa was also her “employer,” even if Silica had thought that this employer was just an advanced NPC.

  A rowdy male voice cut into the quiet.

  “Who is this dev actually?”

  Another voice answered immediately, indignant.

  “Wait, that’s what you are worried about? She just said there is going to be another catastrophe!”

  A scoffing laugh followed.

  “Hah! Are you chickening out?”

  “Whaddya say?!”

  A deeper voice interjected in exasperation.

  “Oi, oi… are you seriously trying to start a fight in front of Lady Cryssa?”

  “Hmph!”

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  The troublemakers were four former A-rank mercenaries who had recently joined the Starlace Order. Their names were Balandir, Kaidos, Vorgar, and Gilbert.

  With their towering builds and battle worn muscles, all four of them wielded greatswords as their main weapons. Strangely, Kaidos was also skilled with a bow, which gave Vorgar an endless excuse to tease him whenever he had the chance.

  This time Iori and Yuki exchanged the banter.

  “I am also curious about that so-called dev. I have heard that name a few times from the players. If they can predict the future, doesn’t that make them like a goddess who gives oracles to the church?”

  “Whoa! I didn’t know you were a believer.”

  “Hmph. Of course not. I don’t believe in the goddess. I believe in Lady Cryssa. But still, it does not change the fact that the previous catastrophe was prophesied by the goddess.”

  The fires crackled as the group bantered. The night wind carried the smell of earth and metal, and the low murmur of voices blended with the occasional clink of armor and scabbards.

  Silica, hearing the Starlace Order members talk so casually and seeing Iori and Yuki relaxed as well, could not help it.

  “Haha…”

  A quiet laugh escaped her.

  Only then did she realize that everyone had turned to look at her with gentle smiles.

  “Ah, s-sorry…”

  Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she hurriedly bowed her head.

  Cryssa watched her with soft eyes.

  “Fufu. It is fine. At least you are not nervous anymore, right?”

  “Y-Yeah… Thank you…”

  Silica’s shoulders loosened a little. After taking a breath, she quickly tried to steer the conversation back.

  “R-Right, um, about the devs… If you put it that way, then yes, they can predict a kind of future. They also guide the players in this world. They are fair to everyone, giving us rewards after we clear missions, and sometimes they punish us when we do something bad that crosses the line.”

  She looked up, trying to choose her words carefully so the natives could understand.

  “They can hear our complaints, and sometimes… they grant our wishes too…”

  As she spoke it out loud, the image of the “devs” in her mind became clearer. To the natives, everything she had just described must have sounded very familiar.

  The devs were not so different from the “goddess” the people of this world believed in.

  Glacia spoke quietly, voicing the conclusion that had formed in Silica’s thoughts.

  “So dev is like a goddess for the players.”

  Silica blinked.

  “Y-Yes. Maybe you could say that.”

  Inside, she added another thought to herself.

  ‘But the dev created this world as a game. So the dev is their goddess too… right?’

  The idea made her feel strangely small beneath the night sky.

  Chika, who had been listening in silence with her arms folded, finally stood up and stretched.

  “All right. It is getting late. Let’s rest. As for the next catastrophe, we can worry about it after we clear this dungeon tomorrow.”

  She rolled her shoulders, then glanced toward the glowing golden gate.

  These ten people would be the team entering the dungeon.

  Ayla was not participating this time. This was considered the first official expedition of the Starlace Order, so the presence of its leader, Cryssa, was more important.

  For Cryssa, this was not only about responsibility, but also a chance to gain real combat experience in a high-risk environment.

  Silica, being the only thief who had managed to join the Starlace Order, would also participate. She was the weakest in direct combat, but her role in scouting, sneaking, and gathering information could be crucial. And as a player, there was no need to worry about her dying permanently.

  Because of that, the one everyone else truly worried about was Cryssa herself. Her current strength was more than enough to instantly kill C-rank monsters, and she could fight a B-rank monster head on. But in a Legendary rank dungeon, A-rank or even S-rank monsters might appear.

  Ayla and Cryssa had told them not to worry too much, but neither had given a detailed explanation of what waited inside the dungeon.

  Only Cryssa and Ayla knew the truth.

  Cryssa, having witnessed Ayla’s memories, understood that there were no truly dangerous monsters in this place. In her previous life, this dungeon had been the first and last Legendary-rank dungeon Ayla ever cleared during her two years of playtime.

  Yes. The first, and the last.

  Because it was the same dungeon that had made Ayla swear never to enter a Legendary-rank dungeon again.

  That was also one of the reasons Cryssa had taken control of the body for this expedition.

  As for what lay waiting in the depths of the dungeon… only Ayla and Cryssa knew for now.

  Cryssa nodded to herself, then turned toward one of her trusted subordinates.

  “Yes, you are right. Reina.”

  Reina stepped forward with a hand over her chest.

  “Yes, milady!”

  Cryssa smiled at her.

  “We will rest now. I will leave the night watch to you and the others, all right?”

  Reina straightened her back, her eyes firm.

  “Understood. Please rest well, milady.”

  Beyond the core team that would enter the dungeon, a dozen more Starlace Order members had formed a perimeter around the mine entrance. They would patrol through the night, watching for wandering monsters that might approach.

  They were also the safety net in case the expedition party returned injured. If that happened, the outer team would escort the wounded back to town.

  ……

  The next day.

  With Cryssa at the head of the formation, the team stepped through the golden rift and entered the dungeon.

  The world around them shifted.

  “What the…”

  Yuki’s voice trembled.

  “What is this…”

  Iori’s eyes widened, her hand unconsciously reaching for the hilt of her sword.

  The scene that spread out before them made even Glacia and Chika, usually composed no matter the situation, tense up and frown. The former mercenaries, seasoned by years of real battles, could not hide the unease twisting their expressions.

  They were standing atop a steep hill, the wind carrying the sting of smoke and ash.

  Below them, a town built by dwarves was burning.

  Buildings of stone and metal were engulfed in flames. The sound of clashing steel, shouts, and screams rose up like a storm.

  A war was raging through the streets.

  And the enemies…

  Were not monsters.

  They were humans.

  At the same time, translucent system windows appeared before Silica and Ayla, their familiar blue frames cutting through the chaos.

  ? Quest Unlocked! ?

  ? Save The Dwarves! ?

  ? Rank: Legendary ?

  ? Rewards: ?

  ? ??? ?

  ? The last stronghold of the dwarves is in your hands! ?

  ? Defend the town from the human invasion! ?

  ? Rewards will be distributed based on performance and the result of the dungeon clearance. ?

  Silica stared at the quest window.

  An instant later, another system alert appeared, this time in front of Cryssa and Ayla.

  It carried a different kind of weight.

  ? SYSTEM ALERT! ?

  ? Entered a Chronicle Dimension. ?

  ? World Record: The Last Dwarf’s Creation detected. ?

  ? Preserving World Record: The Last Dwarf’s Creation. ?

  ? Progress: 0.1% ?

  Then the quest message popped out.

  ? Exclusive Quest Unlocked! ?

  ? World Record: The Last Dwarf’s Creation ?

  ? Rank: Mythical ?

  ? Rewards: ?

  ? Meet the Administrator ?

  ? Preserve the history and obtain the World Record! ?