Chapter 29: Everything Has Gone Wrong

Chapter Twenty Nine

One could say that everything that had happened so far was completely different from what Orion had planned. He had planned to face various life-threatening dangers in this dungeon, after all.

As a Level Zero with zero backing, facing threats like the Red Ogres was something far beyond his pay grade. But did he have any other choice? The answer was no.

Since he had accepted the raid, he needed to join it. And because of that, Orion had planned extensively and prepared himself for every dangerous scenario he could imagine going wrong inside Dungeon X.

He had made countless contingencies and preparations with one sole objective in mind... Surviving the Dungeon X raid.

And yet, at the end of the day, all those contingencies and meticulously crafted plans had vanished into smoke. They had been rendered completely useless by what he had encountered in this dungeon.

The first thing was the fact that, unlike the Level 10 monsters he had expected to encounter, the monsters populating the dungeon were high-grade A-Rank monsters. And they weren’t even Level 10.

Instead, they ranged from Level 12 to Level 15. They had completely surpassed everything Orion had planned and prepared for.

Things would have definitely gone wrong for Orion from that point onward if not for the aid of Sir Dwaine. With his help, not only had Orion survived...

He had even helped him level up. It was truly a great blessing for Orion.

But once again... Things had strayed from how Orion had envisioned the Dungeon X raid going.

Orion looked at the long staircase before him. His gaze was solemn, betraying none of the countless emotions twisting inside him.

The biggest change in Dungeon X was this White Palace. And then... There was the being.

Orion didn’t even want to think about that being the wrong way. He didn’t want to risk being eradicated before he even realized what had happened.

Too many things had strayed from his original plan. Everything now lay in complete disarray.

The forty-man team had been wiped out. Only Orion and Sir Dwaine remained as the sole survivors of the forty warriors who had entered Dungeon X.

And yet... Whether they would truly live or follow their dead comrades into oblivion depended entirely on whether they could challenge and conquer this trial.

According to the memories they had received, countless beings had challenged this trial before. And yet, throughout all that time...

Not a single one had managed to conquer it. Not even one.

None had been able to get their hands on the Origin. If even mighty and powerful beings had failed to conquer the trial...

Then what would be the fate of Orion and Sir Dwaine? The answer seemed pretty clear.

They were bound to be doomed. Or so anyone would think if they found themselves in this kind of situation.

But Orion was different. He had always been different from most people.

This is a trial. Not an execution.

As long as it was a trial, there was bound to be a way to clear it. And as long as it could be cleared...

Orion would clear it.

He wasn’t covetous of the so-called Origin. No matter how powerful it promised to make him, he wasn’t tempted by it.

If possible, he wouldn’t even risk his life just to obtain it. But the being had made one thing more than clear.

If they wanted to survive, they needed to conquer the trial and wield the Origin. Any other choice... Led only to death.

Orion closed his eyes, taking a sharp, deep breath. His heart hammered violently inside his chest.

This was a tall task. Probably an impossible one.

And yet, the thought of giving up didn’t even cross his mind. If the only way to survive was to conquer the trial and wield the Origin...

Then he would just have to do exactly that.

"I like your courage, lad."

Sir Dwaine, who stood right beside Orion, complimented him with sincerity. He was a Peak Elite-Level warrior, only one step away from reaching the Master Level.

And yet, knowing just how unfathomable the trial ahead of them seemed made even him want to quit. He had nearly given up.

But ultimately, he decided against it. There was a reason he had come here in the first place.

He wanted to uncover the mysteries and secrets of this place. A secret and treasure powerful enough to help his clan.

And the Origin seemed like the perfect treasure. The secret of this place must be hidden within it.

If he could get his hands on it, then even if he died, he could pass it on to his clan and hopefully change the hopeless situation they were trapped in.

Sir Dwaine looked toward the young human who, despite his pathetic and weak power, dared to step forward.

He is even more optimistic than me.

Dwaine shook his head. When he had first seen this young man, two thoughts had crossed his mind...

He is either the bravest man I have ever come across...

Or the greatest fool.

Now, though... He believed it was the former.

"I wish you luck."

Sir Dwaine said with a small smile before walking forward.

Orion nodded. The voice of the being did not speak anymore after giving them the rules, so they took that as their signal to begin.

Remaining still would only heighten their nervousness, after all.

The duo stepped onto the first stair one after another, expecting something... Anything.

Something overwhelming and powerful enough to knock them off the stairs.

But nothing happened. If anything, it seemed and felt as though they had simply stepped onto a normal platform.

As if this were nothing more than a mundane staircase back at home.

The duo didn’t waste time being shocked. They immediately began moving through the staircase, their senses on high alert as they watched carefully for any changes.

But nothing happened.

They reached the second platform, where they could rest for some minutes before continuing. How did they know this?

The same way they knew what this trial was all about. They simply knew.

The duo wasn’t tired. Although the staircase from the ground floor to this point was several times longer than a normal staircase, consisting of around a hundred steps or so, they were still nowhere near fatigued.

And knowing that they still had to reach the 1,000th floor while they were only on the second... They couldn’t afford to rest when they weren’t even tired yet.

So they took the next staircase and continued climbing, rushing through the steps.

About a minute or so later, they arrived at the third floor. The duo exchanged glances.

Well... Sir Dwaine was blind, so he couldn’t see Orion’s expression. But somehow, they could still understand each other’s thoughts.

So far, they hadn’t faced any trial or danger apart from one thing... The number of steps they needed to climb seemed to be doubling with each floor.

There was nothing else. Still, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

If the trial was truly this simple, then those who had come before them would surely have steamrolled through it and conquered the trial.

Without taking a break, the duo headed toward the next staircase. Soon, they reached the fourth floor.

Then the fifth. Then the sixth. Then the seventh.

They faced absolutely no trouble of the kind they had been expecting. It was almost like a peaceful climb up a staircase.

But they had witnessed enough horror inside Dungeon X to believe in something as simple as peace.

If anything... The safer the stairs felt, the more worried they became.

Because they knew one thing for certain. When the difficulty finally began...

It would be over the top.

Their instincts continued tingling the higher they climbed. It seemed that they would soon face their first real trouble in this unfathomable trial.

Meanwhile, the ancient being seated atop the white throne looked at the two puny humans with his calm, emotionless face and shook his head.

Humans are really weak.

They had taken such a long time climbing the mundane and refreshing part of the trial... Something that most beings had completed with only a single step or so.

There was really no way they could survive when the trial actually began.