The sun slowly wandered over the sky. Soon it would sink beyond the horizon. A faint evening glow began to spread. Surging ocean waves sparkled mysteriously under the setting sun. A swarm of fish relaxed close to the surface, their scales shimmering dreamily.

Suddenly their peacefulness was disturbed. Enclosed in a strange bubble, a ship shot through the ocean. The fish scattered unhappily. The ocean’s surface parted. Line and his ship left the water.

It was odd to see the unfiltered sun again after over a month. Unhurriedly, Line steered his ship forward. He took out the map Quill gave him and flew towards the nearest wind channels.

Storms surrounded the ocean. They rocked Line’s ship. The young man could only advance with difficulty. Obviously, his ship was on the lower end amongst those able to traverse the storms.

Feeling the vibration in his stomach, Line did his best to stabilize his body. He made an effort to avoid flying against the storms as much as possible.

On a snaking path the young man advanced towards the nearest wind channel. A while later, as he veered far to the right, something fell into his eyes.

A strange wall of clouds remained within the storm. It wasn’t affected at all, staying in place and covering whatever laid behind it.

Tepo grew curious. Taking out the map Quill gave him, the young man tried to retrace his path. It wasn’t that easy, but Tepo guessed that the map’s end was at this wall of clouds.

The young warrior mulled over it for a second. Naturally, he wouldn’t believe that the Web didn’t know anything about this cloud layer. But since Quill’s map didn’t include the territory behind it, the veteran probably didn’t expect his protégé to go there.

Having figured this out, Line turned around nonchalantly. He was only slightly curious but of course he recognized he had no business being here.

For a few seconds the young man traveled in another direction.

But suddenly, something pricked the young warrior’s mind. A strange, mystical energy spread. It passed through its surroundings before gradually mellowing out somewhere far in front of Line’s ship.

The young man’s body barely registered it. But an odd, warm sensation came from his neck.

Frowning, Tepo put his hand on his neck. The Web’s symbol there was already vanishing again slowly.

Turning his head, the young man looked back.

What just happened? Was this some kind of distress signal? Or maybe a form of communication? Should I investigate? Are members of the Web behind this cloud wall?

Tepo sighed. Apparently, Quill and Anvil still forgot to clarify some of the Web’s methods for him…

Torn, Line contemplated his options. Should he go after this clue?

I have just begun my journey as a warrior. Why does something unexpected happen immediately? What should I do?

The ship gradually slowed down. Line shook his head. He already had an answer in his heart.

How could I grow if I falter at the slightest sign of something unforeseen? If I want to explore difficult dungeons, I have to be ready to react to any change at a moments notice. I need to stare danger in the face and brave through it!

Steeling his mindset, Line turned his ship around. His heartbeat quickened. He advanced slowly, pushing against the storm.

After a few minutes the young warrior finally arrived before the wall of clouds.

He turned his head up, down, left, and right. Everywhere it was white as snow. The cloud didn’t appear to have any special attributes. Its only purpose was to block the view.

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Storms roared, shaking the ship. Line’s eyes narrowed. He heightened his senses and plunged into the white sea before him.

Immediately Tepo’s vision shrank. He could barely see a meter around his ship. He could only travel towards the source of the earlier signal, hoping that nothing would obstruct him.

Regulating his breathing and heartbeat, Line advanced with high tension. He was ready to react at any time to turn around and leave.

After multiple minutes fraught with uncertainty the young warrior’s vision finally cleared up. But Line didn’t let the peacefulness deceive him. He surveyed his surroundings.

On the wall’s other side, billowing storms reigned as well. They whipped against a massive mountain, angry at their own incapability of displacing the heavy pile of stones.

Small and sturdy trees grew all over the mountain. Various stocky beasts roamed between them, resisting the storms.

Tepo frowned faintly. He emerged close to the mountain, not able so see much at all. A huge shadow shrouded his ship. At least this allowed him to stay somewhat camouflaged as well.

Hesitating slightly, Tepmodus stared at the marvel of nature before him.

Did the signal come from somewhere on the mountain? Is it dangerous there? So far, I have only discovered some herbivores. They shouldn’t be aggressive… I hope.

Furthermore, now that I’m here, the decision has already been made. How can I turn around now?

Having made up his mind, Tepo advanced carefully. He stayed close to the mountain, trying to keep his ship somewhat concealed.

As the young man continued slowly, he suddenly noticed a change in the storms around him. He seemed to have entered a swirl.

He stopped. What was this? Noises reached Tepo’s ears. He concentrated, trying to filter them. The rustling of leaves, the roars of beasts, and… voices?!

Tepo was sure. Although he didn’t understand any words, he was certain that the storm carried voices towards his ears.

How loud are those voices? They even reach me within the ship. Is it a fight?

The young man didn’t let the possibility of a fight unsettle him. He still advanced calmly, unhurriedly.

With strained senses Tepo circled another boulder. The massive rock hid his ship. Gradually his view cleared up more and more.

Suddenly, something grabbed the warrior’s attention. On a platform not far away stood a crowd of people. They wore fierce looking armors and carried sharp weapons with them. Their exterior was rough and their words even more so.

A fight was ongoing. Two burly figures clashed, cheered on by the other warriors.

Tepo frowned. Did the signal originate here?

The young man’s eyes roamed the platform. They stopped as soon as they passed the rowdy warriors. A swirling vortex shining in various colors entered Tepo’s view. A portal!

Stopping for a moment it took Tepo some time to avert his transfixed eyes.

He was attracted by another movement. Not far away a wind channel had been formed. New warriors still arrived from it and landed on the platform.

As there was no apparent danger, Tepo slowly advanced. He just decided to blend in. Although a few warriors threw him odd gazes since he came from the wrong direction, no one cared about one more warrior.

Tepo landed his ship on a platform. He realized that an invisible bubble kept the storms out, leading to the swirl he advanced through to get here.

With a mix of tension and curiosity the fresh warrior jumped out of his ship. Immediately a boisterous atmosphere hit him. Excited cheers filled the platform.

“Boss! Show him your might!”

“How could we lack behind others?!”

“You Turtle Mercenary losers! You boss will be beaten up so badly, he will have to hide in his shell!”

Remarks were made as dirty laughter sounded out. The two opponents were still fighting. Tepo understood that they belonged to competing groups. Did they fight over the dungeon?

New warriors landed continuously, forming their own groups. Tepo mustered them before deciding to advance towards one of the calmer looking ones.

He swaggered over, openly showing his curiosity. Tepo wanted to appear harmless, only fishing for information.

The group of warriors noticed a young man approaching. With his fine clothes and curious eyes, he appeared like a young man from an influential force out in the world for the first time. His ordinary face blended into the crowd, not drawing much attention.

“Excuse me, brother.”, addressed Tepo a warrior in leather armor.

“Hmm?”

“I was just roaming around when I noticed the commotion here. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Fortunately, the warrior had some time to kill so he wasn’t annoyed. He rose his brow, asking a question of his own:

“Are you from Winged Border City?”

Tepo’s thoughts churned. He remembered this name. It was on the very edge of Quill’s map.

“Yeah.”

“Then you should have seen the posts. The Ruws are always searching for people helping them to clear dungeons.”

“Ahh. I get it!”, exclaimed Tepo happily. Secretly the young man had no idea what the warrior was talking about. What was a Ruw? It seems his time in the library was still too short.

But suddenly an idea came to his mind as the warrior mentioned this dungeon.

“So, is this dungeon very difficult? Has it been standing for a long time, or…?”

“Hmpf. We don’t know yet. The Ruw activated this dungeon a few minutes ago and went to scout. But kid…”

Tepo’s eyes lit up. Maybe his conjecture was correct. The young man only listened halfheartedly as the warrior looked at him skeptically. Obviously, the veteran drew his own conclusions.

“… don’t think about joining in on the fun. No matter how difficult the dungeon is, it will be too much for you!”