Trist, Soron, Moode, Sern, and more than 500 of their guild members started the long-awaited raid. This was their most significant dungeon raid since the beginning of the dungeon era. The eyes of all the members betrayed their calm faces. The sun was about to set, but the eyes of the members showed immense stress in the last sunray. 

The dungeon appeared in a very naturally guarded location. It was located in the middle of a gorge with three sides guarded with steep hills. One side was guarded by the dense woods. As if the deities were supporting the dungeon to grow beyond measure. It was not unconquerable, but the position itself helped the dungeon to become what it was today. 

They were waiting at the edge of the forest for the preparation to be completed. The woods in front of them gave an eerie atmosphere around. Barks of the trees were shining in a cold blue aura, branches had light blue gleams, and veins in the trees were all faint blue. The gaps between the trees were too thin for two of the raiders to pass the side by side. The density of the shrubs could be compared to the grasses in a field. The ghostly silence inside the forest could only mean one thing, the lack of living creatures. Only the rustling proved the existence of life inside.

All the previous raids had collapsed inside the dungeon. The amount of mana it was leaking right now, it had become one of the most challenging dungeons in existence. The scout parties had been wiped out with little information delivered outside. This started to build the tension, as it was unprecedented. 

"Stop whining. Our country is on the verge of collapse. It is now or never. Either we will complete the raid, or the next dungeon break will destroy your precious family and all the loved ones. It is time to rise. This is the highest-ranked dungeon we have faced so far. And before us, many of the raider groups have been wiped out completely. So it will not be an easy one, to be honest. May be almost half of us will never see the sunlight again. But for our town's sake, for our sake, for this country's sake. Let's fight for our country!!!"

Trist threw his fist in the air above.

"Let's fight for our country!!!", they all threw their fists in the same way. This was their tradition for centuries. Even way before this dungeon era started. They were used to throw their fists in the air to show unity and solidarity. This was the way of fighters, who didn't know how to bow down.

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Sern was the first to draw his long sword, and shouted, "To victory".

Everyone drew their weapons and answered with a loud shout, "to victory".

A few days later...

Soron was the only one standing in front of the last boss (at least they thought so). He had a saber in his hand. His legs were trembling, his face was distorted. His full armor set was tattered, lingering over his torso. His eyes were lifeless. They thought it would not be easy to overcome this dungeon, unlike all the previous. Their team started to have casualties from the very first day. Some raiders were destined to fail because of their low skill proficiency. But losing everyone except him was too extreme. And still, they could not conquer the dungeon. 

He suddenly heard another voice, unfamiliar to him. It didn't belong to the boss.

"You have some exceptional talent. Do you wish to join my cause? I am not going to destroy your homeland. Rather I wish to help you save your world. The dungeon era contains much more profound mysteries than you think. I wish to solve the mystery. Do you wish to know the roots of the dungeon system, which is destroying planets after planets. I do wish so. You have 10 minutes to consider. Tik-Tok. Tik-Tok."

"Who are you? Why are you not helping me to defeat the boss first? We can discuss your offer later", Soron slashed towards the boss once and jumped back to stabilize himself before answering.

"Wrong answer. Tik-Tok. Tik-Tok."

"You moron!! First, tell me your name at least."

"Nah. You are not worthy to know about my journey yet. pledge your allegiance first. Then we will discuss the rest of the terms".

The strength within the voice itself convinced Soron thoroughly, that this man has power beyond his reach. But he had his family, his comrades' sacrifices, their own families, and lastly, the nation was depending on him, as he was the last one standing from the elites. The Last Survivor. He has a huge burden on his shoulder.

"How to believe your words? You might harm me or my family afterward. My comrades sacrificed for this dungeon. What will happen to their family? How will I believe you? How? HOOOWWWW?"

Soron bellowed. He had lost everything, and if he died, it was the end of all hope for his nation. He had a big dream. He wanted to achieve much. Whether he would live or die, whether his nation survived or not, it was upon his decision. With thousands of possibilities, he reached the conclusion.

Before he could respond, he discovered the boss retreated 2 steps and one magic energy shield wrapped the boss. Then he found a parchment on a stone alter like structure. After reading all the conditions, he signed it with his blood. Soon, he heard the same voice, but less intimidating.

"Hello Soron, I am Joy. I am from Earth, another world where the dungeon system started to spread its roots a few years back. I request you to follow the trail of light and reach my chamber. Before you join our cause, I will let you know what I know. This is my story."