It was now 4:10 AM.

I found myself resting for the umpteenth time in a chamber inside the dungeon containing a spring, and I was sitting there, alone and suspiciously grinning while looking at floating windows.

It's not about the progress of this exploration or how many rare items I've obtained. What I play with on my fingertips is the list of names of my friends when we used to play together. I won't forget a single one of their in-game names, even though I mostly don't know them personally in the real world.

All these names are faded white as if almost erased, they are not online. It can be said that one by one, they never came online again. That's just the cycle of meeting and parting with your comrades in the MMO community.

Just doing this alone is enough to get me excited about conquering this dungeon. After all, I've already cleared 99% of it by myself, leaving only the final boss room up ahead.

So far, I've also reached level 300, a remarkable achievement, isn't it? But unfortunately, I won't be able to reach level 301 until I break the limit.

For now, I don't feel physically or mentally tired, maybe because I take constant breaks to take care of myself or for other reasons. But who knows how much mental fatigue accumulates when I log out from here? I might sleep for a whole day if that happens.

I'll think about it later, for now, it's time to focus, me!

I step out of the safezone, in a fit and prime condition. Many things have happened that have enhanced my character's playstyle. I open a scroll in my hand, one of the many that contain information about this dungeon: The Underground of Somewhere.

The information written is fragmented, but I already have a rough idea of the background of this place. Something like a Holy Quest or as such, this place is a labyrinth that seals an angel who once betrayed heaven—Ah, how cliché, to be honest, I'm not interested, but I need information about the last boss here.

Based on the written manuscript, it is possible that this boss takes on a human form(?), an angel(?), or partially resembles a demonic aspect(?), as is often the case. As for its power type, it could be Holy or Dark Element. Alternatively, it might have separate phases and a drastically changing playstyle. I need to prepare for everything.

I can casually read these pages because I've secured this dungeon to the point where I know the respawn patterns of the mobs by heart. And I've made sure that there are no traps, monsters, or obstacles in the corridor leading to the final boss room. It's left completely empty.

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

Standing at the gate, it reaches a height that could fit around ten or eleven stacked versions of myself. If I stretch both my arms and add another one and a half hands, it might cover its width.

For a dungeon, I think the background information I've obtained is sufficient. Giving a glimpse and leaving the rest for players to explore on their own is where the excitement of playing an MMO lies.

The patterns, types, and layout of this labyrinth give me a rough idea that's hard to shake off from my mind. I feel like the last boss here is on the level of a raid boss, which honestly, I have little interest in defeating alone at the moment.

Thinking back to my past, where I spent half a day with numb and tingling palms trying to conquer a boss alone as an always-dead mage. This time is different. I'm using my head, shoulders, knees, and my own feet to conquer the dungeon. It's fun, but I can't shake the feeling of fatigue creeping in.

The darkened gate in front of me creaks with just a gentle touch as I push it open. The blinding light splits the gate perfectly in two, swallowing me whole. And then, I take a step forward.

I anticipated a sudden attack or an epic boss intro. I was prepared to even die in one hit, but I found nothing. As I stepped into the room, I found myself in a dimension without a beginning or an end. I felt the ground beneath my feet, but thanks to the bright light emanating from the only prominent object here, I couldn't see anything.

The object was quite large, resembling a sun but emitting a pure white light that floated in the middle of the room. It was likely that this object was the source of the domain's effects. Would the boss emerge if I attacked the orb? As I pondered this, the artificial sun above me shattered like glass. The hundreds of shards defied gravity, moving and converging on their own to form something even larger than before.

"Oh, uninvited guest, us denizens of the heavens welcome you, young one," a soft woman's voice spoke. It wasn't me who spoke, and I instantly knew who it was. I tilted my head up.

"I've come to bring down the heavens and everything within it, you know,"I jokingly replied.

There stood, or rather floated, a female angel. Her slightly curly hair cascaded past her shoulders, and a pair of absurdly long, white wings extended behind her back. She still kept her eyes and mouth tightly shut.

"But it is not yet your time, O' young one," it said, or she said. Like a petrified statue, I didn't see the angel's eyes or mouth open or move. "The Fifth Breaker, the heaven betrayer, lies buried in this place. You, O’ young one, are doubted to possess the necessary power."

Did this idol just underestimate me? Though she said it gently, I felt a little offended because that's exactly the case. "What should I do then? If bringing you home is all it takes, I wouldn't mind at all," I said teasingly.

"The Architect knows, he saw us all, that you have ventured this far alone in a foreign land with pride."

She just ignored me?!

"As the first one, you, O young one, the Architect bestowed upon you a blessing," she said, her voice calm and serene.

Before I could fully process her words, I was instantly transported to a completely different realm.