Trekking under the thick canopy of the forest was a group of ten players, dressed in acolyte robes and wielding all sorts of weapons. At first glance, it was clear that these players were challenging something big, something that none had ever done before.

Among them was Sean — a well-known game critic and veteran player of Magus Academy Online, famously known by his username KuroUsagi. He and his party members had gathered to dive into a brand-new dungeon called the Steelrose Order Stronghold. Sean observed the other players, noting their grit and readiness.

In this game, everyone could change roles whenever they saw fit. After all, the line between professions was quite blurred, and as long as they had the talent for it, they could switch from being a frontliner to a mage or a support with relative ease. Of course, he thought that ten individuals fighting together without clear roles would cause chaos and eventually their demise. So, before going through all this, he had discussed roles and strategies with everyone.

There were exactly two parties of five here, which were headed by him and Zero. To divide into proper roles, Sean had to first know each person's capabilities as well as their elemental affinity. He noted that Zero was best at using Electro-elemental magic, Prominence and Butterfly excelled in Pyro-elemental magic, Storm specialized in Anemo, Mike was proficient with Hydro, Lunatic wielded Cryo, Chicken had some knack over Bio and Geo quite equally, Patrick was good with Lux, and lastly SuperNova and himself were adept in Umbra. There were, naturally, other elements that they were good with, but those were secondary considerations.

Other than these criteria, he had paid extra attention to the types of weapons they were using. At the current stage of the game, only Prominence wielded a magic staff — a rare magic weapon — while the others had to make do with normal weapons. Most of them used close-range weapons like swords, axes, cutlasses, katana, and knuckles, or even fought barehanded like Butterfly. Others preferred long-range weapons, with bows and crossbows being the choice for Zero, SuperNova, and himself. Patrick, however, stood out the most. He wielded a magician’s top hat and several unknown trinkets that a magician would have. What is he, the main character of “Oz the Great and Powerful?” Talk about being the most eccentric party.

Each of them also carried a camping set crafted by life-skill players back at the academy. These sets would be useful when they needed to log out from the game to take care of daily needs or handle other chores. Even though they had all committed to spending more time in the game for this endeavor, the gaming capsule’s features — which automatically fulfilled their needs, such as sustenance and excretion — were still met with skepticism. To many, the technology seemed like something straight out of science fiction.

“But who would want to live in the real world once they experience this game?” Sean mumbled to himself as he adjusted his automatic crossbow; it was a new special weapon, courtesy of Aphrodite.

Still, they were truly equipped to the teeth. Plus, they were undoubtedly two of the crème de la crème parties currently in the game. In fact, two to three other players had reached the second stage of Initiate Attunement after Butterfly, but Sean had managed to secure a connection with Zero’s party in advance thanks to their party being the second to qualify. Not to mention Sean’s reputation and his group’s power and experience.

The group continued their trek through the dense forest, the thick canopy overhead allowing only slivers of sunlight to penetrate. The Steelrose Order Stronghold was mentioned to be located right at the chasm where the players had assaulted the bandit encampment in the past. As an expert game critic, he was able to connect the dots that there was a connection to this group of bandits with the pocket dimension. Perhaps they weren’t simply “bandits” as the game had been made out to be.

Right, the more he thought about it, the more it felt like the truth.

“We’re almost there,” Butterfly said, checking the map feature on her Shadowlink Mark. Despite her in-game appearance, she was very attentive.

Sean nodded and quickened up his pace.

Finally, the forest opened up to reveal a massive chasm below the cliff before them. Looking down gave Sean a chill down his spine; it was abysmally dark and deep, and the bottom couldn’t be seen. The more he stared, the more it felt like it was going to swallow him whole.

“Looks like we’re here,” Zero said, preparing his bow. “Kuro, why don’t we rehearse our roles? You can do the honor.”

“Ahem. Alright, let’s get this sorted one more time,” Sean began, turning at his party members. “Chicken, Butterfly, Lunatic, Mike, and Storm will be our frontliners. SuperNova, Prominence, and Patrick will be our ranged attackers and support the frontlines. Me and Zero will both operate in the rear and command the situation; we’ll intervene whenever needed. Is that clear?”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The group nodded in unison, each mentally preparing for the unknown.

There was actually no proper healer in either party. The only one with Bio elemental affinity was Chicken, but he focused more on purchasing spells to strengthen his vitality for close combat. Even though Sean had forced him to learn a healing spell, he didn’t seem particularly talented at using it compared to other players with Bio elemental affinity. If this were a game with strict professions, he would be classified as a warrior monk — good at close combat and capable of a bit of healing.

Fortunately, they had purchased healing potions from the auction. In case of emergency, they could use them. Besides, as players, they weren’t scared of dying. If they failed the first time, they could just try again. If they died again, they would come back even stronger until they conquered the dungeon. This was one of the key advantages of being a player in the game.

They clearly weren’t planning to get themselves killed inside the dungeon. Losing their belongings would be disastrous. If they encountered dangers they couldn’t face, they would turn their tail and get out of there pronto.

With that said, the group stood ready at the edge of the chasm. Sean took a deep breath and took out the key to the pocket dimension — it had the shape of a gear.

“Everyone’s ready?” he asked, looking back at his comrades.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Zero replied.

“Let’s do this,” Prominence added, gripping his magic staff tightly.

Chicken cracked his fingers and grinned. “C’mon, let’s not dilly-dally.”

The rest also voiced their readiness, a look of determination plastered on their faces.

Sean nodded his head and stepped forward. “Alright, everyone. Stay close and be ready for anything. We can do this.”

He held up the gear-shaped key, and after injecting his infused mana into it, it started to glow. Then, the space above the chasm began to quake and a faint, ethereal glow emanated from the chasm’s depths. It gradually expanded until it was large enough to step through, becoming a pathway of shimmering light that led to a portal. A small world could be seen within the portal.

“Holy shit! Is this the entrance to the pocket dimension?”

“A dungeon as large as a world… I wonder how the devs were able to create this…”

“Who cares? The most important thing is that we’ll be the first to experience this all! Oh, and don’t forget to turn your camera on!”

“Mm, let’s proceed inside, shall we?” Sean said, and with that, he led them into the portal, stepping into the unknown depths of the pocket dimension.

When the transition happened, Sean closed his eyes, only to be blinded by the piercing light on the other side and struck by a wave of nausea. Despite the pain limiter feature in the game, the disorienting sensation was quite apparent, almost enough to make him puke up his in-game breakfast.

“Ugh! My head…” Prominence groaned, rubbing his temples. “It’s like playing a teacup ride while steering the wheel nonstop until the ride stops…”

The others’ complexions weren’t much better than his either. Though Butterfly and Chicken both seemed to regain their composure faster, with the former almost not showing any sort of discomfort at all.

Looking around, Sean was perplexed by the scenery. They were standing on an open plain with a clear sky stretching as far as the eye could see. It was a stark contrast to the dark forest they had just left behind.

“Is this really the dungeon?” Chicken asked, squinting at the horizon. “Are you sure we didn’t end up in another world or something?”

“Stay alert,” Sean warned, gripping his crossbow tightly. “I’ve got a feeling that something is targeting us.”

As if on cue, the shadows at the edge of their vision began to stir. Dark figures started to materialize, taking on the shapes of wolves, bears, boars, and other wild animals. From the mana fluctuations emanating from these creatures, Sean could determine that they were about equal in strength to the group!

“Here they come!” Zero shouted, nocking an arrow and letting it loose at the nearest shadowy creature. But as the arrow was about to pierce through the creature, it passed through without hitting anything and embedded itself in the ground. “Physical attack is not effective against these creatures; we have to use magic!”

“Mamma Mia! This is like a creepy supernatural phenomenon.” Mike’s eyes were wide open, completely flummoxed.

Butterfly smirked. “Getting attacked right off the bat. This is interesting. I wonder if I can eat these creatures.”

Really, that’s what you’re thinking in this situation? Sean thought in frustration but quickly adjusted his mind to the present.

“Everyone, get into position!” Sean commanded. “Frontliners, hold the line! Ranged, prepare to cast your spells!”

Butterfly and Chicken moved to the front, ready to serve as meat shields. The other frontliners followed, brandishing their weapons to flank the enemies. SuperNova, Prominence, and Patrick took their positions at the rear, preparing to unleash their magic and provide cover. They were all clearly very experienced at this, having battled magical beasts for a long time.

“Let me handle this!” Prominence held his magic staff high and began to chant a spell. “{Prominence Flame}!” A searing cyclone of flame clashed against one of the shadowy creatures, eliminating it in a single fell swoop.

“Really, ‘Prominence Flame’?” Storm chuckled. “The name is grand, but the outcome is somewhat lacking… Sure, it’s better than most other Aleph-tier spells, I give you that, though it doesn’t do justice to the name.”

Prominence quickly refuted, “You! Just wait until I become an Elemental Adept Magus and turn this into a Bet-tier spell! I will create more powerful spells with the prefix ‘Prominence.’”

“Haha! Good luck with that.” Storm laughed, not willing to believe that his friend could accomplish it.

“Quite a far-fetched dream, I’d say.”

“Indeed.”

Even Mike and SuperNova were both skeptical about it. Only Zero was somewhat supportive but clearly not convinced either.

Sean sighed. It appeared that their parties had a habit of joking around whenever possible. Truly, birds of a feather flock together.