Legendria - the ruby cave, yǔsa rerushō, squad leader, member of Wiki Editors - Legendria branch

Yusa relaxed as his crystal soldiers took down another group of monsters with a wave of arrows fired from their small, custom-made bows. He was running low on mundane arrows, and he hoped they were close to the end of the cave. The Wyvern, like all the cave bosses, was level 30. This could be valuable information for the guild as dungeon raids were quite rare based on what they had discovered so far. Across all the branches of the Wiki Editors Guild, only three other dungeon raids had been documented, and their findings were inconclusive about the rules for raids, assuming there were any.

Two of the raids had scripted sequences that caused the dungeon to be destroyed once the raid boss was defeated, while the third dungeon remained intact, with its raid boss respawning every three days—the same duration as a player's death penalty.

Yusa rotated positions with Ginburu, leaving his crystal soldiers with him for buckup. The group had encountered issues with loot distribution, so they were rotating, taking turns dispatching groups of enemies, with the loot going to whoever defeated them. Thanks to Chris and his embryo, Hestia, bad loot rolls weren't as much of a problem for their guild branch. As long as they didn’t die and lose their items, they’d be able to return to the guild house and exchange them through Hestia's abilities.

Ginburu was just finishing off a fire-breathing lizard when the cave suddenly shook around them. Everyone jumped to take cover, shielding their heads, but stood back up when they realized the cave wasn’t going to collapse.

_What kind of monster did that? Were we wrong? Was the unlock requirement for the doors not killing all of the mini-bosses?_ Yusa wondered, a hint of concern creeping into his thoughts.

Temmi called from the front, "We should hurry if we don't want to lose loot privileges!" She then whispered excitedly, "And miss seeing the Tian Sword Master in action," before revving up her embryo, Xiuhtecuhtli. In her Chariot form, Xiuhtecuhtli appeared as a solid light monowheel, she was an extremely rare type called a Maiden. While the term "Maiden" might have seemed an odd description for her short, beautiful yet savage human form, it didn’t change the fact that Temmi had a unique embryo type. Because of this, she was part of their team despite being underleveled.

"Damn it," Yusa and Ginburu exclaimed simultaneously.

"Run after her! We can't lose someone before the boss fight even starts," Yusa urged.

Yusa, Ginburu, and Bob rushed after Temmi, hoping to reach the Wyvern in time and join the raid before they were too late

~~

Legendria - the topaz cave, Prismo, Great Gunner

The cave Prismo had chosen was starting to get on his nerves. Thanks to his skills and high level compared to most of the other players who had joined, the frequent monster attacks didn’t pose much of a threat. Yet, almost as if the cave was targeting him, monsters kept spawning behind him. For the first half of the journey, he thought he might have been paranoid, but that changed when he turned around just as a raptor, fully clad in topaz armor, finished spawning and immediately lunged at him. It actually managed to penetrate his defense, which was mediocre for his level.

He responded by kicking the raptor squarely in the throat, crushing and killing it instantly. However, before he could summon Bifrost, two more raptors bit down on his arms from behind, drawing blood. They clamped their jaws with all their might, while a third raptor—hidden inside a large crack that Prismo had carefully checked earlier—joined the fight, trying to bite his hooded head. Prismo reacted immediately, stepping forward and headbutting the topaz-covered face of the raptor, shattering it and stunning the creature.

He then tore his arms free from the jaws of the other two raptors, taking more damage in the process, but pressed his advantage by summoning Bifrost. The large cannon materialized in his hands, and he instantly pulverized the skull of one of the raptors that had attacked him. After almost half a year in Infinite Dendrogram, the cannon felt comfortable in his grip. Work had been slow lately—thanks to Infinite Dendrogram—so he had spent more days in the game than in the real world over the past month.

_I should start looking for a job. The studio won’t survive for long with Dendro around,_ he thought as he continued to destroy the remaining two raptors and another four that rushed at him from up ahead. _This cave seems to have it out for me, but even if it’s just my imagination, being able to create the feeling of tailor-made content in an MMO is unthinkable. How could a company just appear out of nowhere like this? The helmets alone are worth shelves of academic papers. The AI, tested as thoroughly as possible by myself and my colleagues, was leagues above other existing models, and in the three months since release, nothing beyond articles from the Dendrogram Information Network has come from the company to their official website._

As he pondered this, Prismo continued to blast away at the raptors, killing them one by one. Just as he was about to finish off the last one, his thoughts drifted to something that had come from the company—not a public announcement, but a private message sent to their company. _On one hand, I’m thankful the CEO’s idea to have us work in Infinite Dendrogram because of the time acceleration didn’t pan out. On the other, we hadn’t spoken to the company before setting up some workstations in Dryfa, and less than a week later, the office was broken into, and the CEO received an email warning him not to abuse the game for profit. When he broke the news, I was sure he’d ignore it. But when he told us that the email was sent from his own company address, he swore off the idea. I even somewhat respect him for trying to sue the publishers for that stunt. He was doing it to make us work extra hours, though, so screw him._

Prismo then spoke out loud to the cave, "I hope this obvious targeting now isn’t because of the office thing. I want to be perfectly clear: I didn’t suggest it or support it." Nothing happened to indicate that his apology was heard, or even if it was needed, so he just kept walking until he reached the end of the tunnel, where he encountered a T-rex. _It was a giant snake with snakes for arms yesterday. Whatever._

He loaded Bifrost with a special cannonball made of perfectly cut, clear crystal and shot the T-rex right in the head before it could take a single step toward him.

The crystal exploded, shaking the cavern and releasing a green cloud that quickly dispersed. As the mist cleared, it revealed that half of the T-rex's head had melted away, and the monster began disintegrating before it even hit the ground.

~~

Legendria - the Citrine cave, Phantasm, High Summoner

Phantasm wasted dismissing his illusions after entering the cave. He didn’t need to keep up the charade for now, and it was best to save his MP for the actual boss. The three illusions he had conjured for the raid master meeting were based on his last party, which had ditched him. They left him to seek greater adventures and ignored his opinions. Better off without them, he thought, still bitter about the split. No one even noticed the illusions or asked about them, so obviously they’re still nobodies.

His thoughts continued to spiral. Useless fakers, riding on my back and then telling me what to do. I should’ve given them a death penalty for their ungratefulness. He let out a calming breath and then spoke to seemingly no one in particular as he pulled a palanquin from his garage inventory. “All of those fakers will regret how they treated me after today. Those two noobs even brought NPCs with them, so they’ll probably post about it on the DIN. Sad how blind they are if they wasted time hiring NPCs instead of joining me.”

Surprisingly, a reply came, not out loud, but in Phantasm's mind: "Yes, of course, Master. Just focus on the raid, and I’m sure things will turn out well." The tone was somehow apologetic and—at least to Phantasm—sincere.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I don’t need to focus, Wukong,” Phantasm replied immediately, “not since I got these shadows in the dungeon.” He lifted his hand, revealing the dark medium gem mounted on his glove. Its inner darkness intensified as four shadows flowed out, one after another. Thanks to his Multiple Simultaneous Summoning skill, he could duplicate his shadows up to five times, as long as he had the MP to spare. They moved without delay to lift the palanquin. So convenient, and they don’t complain.

Wukong responded again, addressing both Phantasm's words and thoughts: "Well, even if you don’t need to actually focus, maybe try to keep up appearances when you’re with the others?" His tone was as diplomatic as possible.

Phantasm accepted the suggestion dismissively, and Wukong sighed in relief to himself.

Seriously, why is he so worried? I’m twice the level of the second strongest master here. It’s not like we’d lose—not as long as I have my ultimate skill.

~~

Legendria - the Sapphire cave, Stain, Echo Boxer

Stain was feeling a bit bored as he and five other masters made their way through the cave. He found himself in an unusual position during this raid. He was invited by the other five masters just yesterday while he was grinding against some of the cave bosses. These bosses were surprisingly challenging, considering how weak the rest of the cave's monsters were. However, with Philo by his side, any advantage the mini-bosses had over him was quickly nullified.

Philo's first ability allowed him to switch the status of himself or whatever he hit by up to half, moving the exchanged status to a different attribute. This versatility meant Stain could fill just about any role in a party—from a hulking tank to a berserker, a lightning-fast melee combatant, or even a ranged fighter. With his recently unlocked Far Swing skill, he was even more flexible. And as long as he kept his wits about him, a well-timed activation of Philo against an enemy could cripple them. He wasn’t sure what Finn had discussed privately with Sheko and Mai, but he was patient enough to ask once they completed the raid.

Maybe the conversation was about them bringing Tians to the raid. The older woman, Emilia, seemed experienced, so he hoped she understood the dangers well enough. Still, a master's life was worth less than that of a Tian since they did not have second chances. Emilia could probably take care of herself, but Stain resolved to keep an eye on the younger girl. Despite her equipment being more advanced than anyone else’s, except for Emilia’s and Prismo's, she was in greater danger than everyone else fighting.

If the raid ended up surprising him, he still had his trump card. Maybe he was lucky, or perhaps the other masters he suspected of being capable of beating a UBM were hiding their rewards as well. Whatever the case, together with his partner and embryo Philo and his UBM reward, the Atmospheric Converter, Kemisuri, Stain was confident the raid would succeed.

As they progressed, Stain’s party of six began to struggle without his active contribution. It wasn’t due to a lack of power or ability from the other five masters; instead, it was a combination of the limited MP and SP reserves the newer players could call upon, and a more concerning increase in the cave's difficulty. The monsters that spawned weren't stronger than the previous day, but the encounters became more cunning, setting up ambushes through unfair spawn locations.

The monsters that spawned, while not objectively stronger than what he had expected, were far more challenging for the group by targeting their weakness.

At first, the other party members adapted their tactics after every one or two fights. But by the time they were three-quarters of the way through, the cave began focusing multiple encounters together, giving them more time to rest between much more difficult fights. By the time they finally reached the mini-boss, Stain had taken on the role of the main frontliner and had used a few potions to heal the damage he took on the way when he had to intervene saving some of the group from death.

The boss in front of them was completely different from the giant, ice-shooting bat he had fought yesterday. Instead, they were facing what looked like a large dragon skeleton made entirely of sapphire, with golden glyphs covering its entire frame.

_What the hell is a Dracolich doing here? Even if it's a small one, this is solidly in the high demi-dragon realm. Hell, it might even be in the pure dragon realm if I’m wrong... Well, maybe it’s just a special golem._

But his worries were confirmed as both of their scouts identified the monster’s name using reveal: "Lesser Sapphire Dracolich."

Anyone unfamiliar with what a Dracolich was might have felt relieved by hearing the word _"lesser,"_ but Stain knew that simply meant a difference between certain death and an uphill battle. Even for himself, he was certain they would lose at least one master, maybe they'd even suffer a total wipeout.

_What changed? What did we do wrong? Is there some timer for the challenge? Yes, that must be it. We thought we were being cautious by resting between fights, but I bet the other groups have already killed their bosses, and so the challenge increased to accommodate what it thought was appropriate._

The Dracolich raised its head and released a concentrated beam of cold, sweeping it from right to left like a knife, trying to take them all out with the opening attack. Stain, however, was ready. Already anticipating what he would need to do, he summoned Kemisuri, the green-and-black cloak covering his entire body. He leapt in front of the beam, blocking it with the arm protected by Philo, the golden gauntlet and chest piece granting him an END stat that even a dedicated tank build would envy. As the beam closed in, its color shifted to a vibrant green. The attack struck Stain, and the Dracolich halted its swaying head to focus the beam on him.

The attack continued for a whole ten seconds, but Stain remained standing. At a glance, he appeared unscathed, but beneath the cover of Kemisuri, his arm up to his shoulder was chemically burned. Even so, this was an incredible feat of endurance, made possible by Kemisuri’s exceptional chemical damage resistance and Philo's ultimate skill, which allowed him to convert the frost damage into chemical damage.

The other masters wasted no time in revealing abilities they had been holding back. _I guess it’s a universal habit of masters to keep their hands hidden. Who knows how many people have lost a fight because they were too stubborn to go all out._

Stain joined the devastating counteroffensive against the Dracolich, laughing at himself for forgetting that Infinite Dendrogram was a game like no other. There wasn’t truly a case of over-leveling. You could avoid danger, but if you sought a challenge, Dendro would accommodate you.

~~

Legendria - the Amethyst cave, Finn, greater enchanter

Finn was struggling with a headache, trying to keep up with all the information his embryo was feeding him while also following the conversations in the various chat groups he had set up. He had never led a raid in Dendro before, and he initially thought it would be like other MMOs. In reality, it felt more like trying to coordinate a game of capture the flag with strangers in the dark. Maybe if he could finally overcome his instinct to freeze during combat, things would have been simpler. But even with the game's visual filters, he still couldn't fully separate himself from the experience.

Despite the stress, he enjoyed playing with his friends and progressing, though he was beginning to wonder if the game was affecting him too much, even in real life. He had already developed a habit of instinctively reacting to any open door nearby after getting caught off-guard one too many times.

In truth, he knew managing the raid was contributing to his headache, but the main source of his frustration was GasStar. GasStar was Finn's first friend he met exclusively in Dendro. After Finn made a few more friends and joined up with some people from school, he met with GasStar less often. Still, he thought they were good friends. But this was the second time GasStar had bailed out on him. Finn didn’t know why and wasn’t sure he actually cared anymore.

GasStar was the last person to join the raid plan. Initially, Finn thought they would need to split teams to fill the last cave slot, with only six parties. But with GasStar and his other friends, they had seven parties. The night before, Finn went to sleep reassured by GasStar that everything was set, only to wake up and discover that it was all a lie at the last moment.

Never mind him. I'd be happy if he'd made it, but we haven't been in contact much lately. Maybe he does have a good reason.

In Finn's opinion, he wasn’t a particularly skilled Dendro player. He was slow to react when attacked and had chosen a support role specifically to avoid confronting this issue. All he had to do was use healing skills when others were hurt, keep everyone supplied with potions, provide buffs where needed, and track cooldowns and resources to coordinate attacks. His younger friend group would probably agree with his self-assessment. But they didn’t fault him for it because he was an alright buffer and, more importantly, a great friend.

However, his older friends saw Finn’s potential and knew he was capable of much more. Despite his doubts, since the start of the raid, Finn had been using his embryo Loki to analyze the skills and stats of each raid member, cataloging their strengths, rationing potions to the parties that needed them most, and speaking with those he felt comfortable with to devise a plan. If his friends knew that he was doing all of this while also juggling various buffs and coordinating their efforts, they would have been justifiably impressed.