Chapter 78: The Final Leveling Dungeon! Entering the Brotherhood Headquarters on Hell Mode!

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Final Leveling Dungeon! Entering the Brotherhood Headquarters on Hell Mode!

Raistlin was sitting in his usual seat, holding an old, battered spellbook that no one knew where he had found.

Bladeborne sat beside him with his eyes closed, quietly resting.

Ophelia had already started eating. Three empty plates were stacked in front of her.

Arno sat at one end of the long dining table, quietly drinking a bowl of clear soup. His presence was so inconspicuous that it was almost impossible to notice him.

"Everyone’s here today."

John walked over to the head of the table and sat down, casually picking up a piece of toasted flatbread.

As he ate, he began explaining the day’s arrangements.

"First, let me go over today’s plans. The Novice Period ends tomorrow, and this entire map will be incorporated into the main territory of Godfall Continent."

The sounds around the table gradually died down.

Everyone turned their attention toward John.

"That means we’ll be carrying out a large-scale relocation."

"Even after we get there, we’ll still be outsiders at the very bottom of the hierarchy."

John finished his flatbread and continued.

"So everyone can head out as usual today, but we’ll be changing our objectives."

"Once you’re out there, prioritize gathering resources."

"Sylvie, I’ll be counting on you."

Sylvie was more than happy to help John. She nodded firmly and flicked her ponytail.

"Leave it to me!"

"Good. We’ll also change the team assignments today."

John glanced at the others before continuing.

"Raistlin, you’ll be working with Sylvie."

"Bladeborne, Ophelia, and Arno, you’re coming with me. Today, we’re tackling the final leveling dungeon."

Bladeborne raised an eyebrow.

"You’re taking me this time?"

"Yes. We should get quite a lot of rewards after clearing it, and it’ll give you a good opportunity to level up."

As for Raistlin, his level was already quite high.

Sylvie was the main force responsible for gathering resources, so she couldn’t accompany John.

Ophelia, meanwhile, was needed to transport John to the dungeon, and Arno also needed to gain experience.

Therefore, Raistlin was the only one available to accompany Sylvie.

The others exchanged glances, but nobody raised any objections.

After all, in their eyes, their Lord was practically a god.

Whatever he decided to do, there was undoubtedly a good reason behind it.

Breakfast came to an end.

John put down his utensils and stood up.

"Let’s go."

Three hours later.

John and his group stood at the edge of an enormous pit.

The pit stretched for several kilometers in every direction. Looking down, they could see nothing but darkness, except for the vague outline of a white altar at the bottom.

"There’s no portal this time?"

John glanced around.

Unlike the previous dungeons, there was no portal in sight.

However, he assumed the entrance must be through the altar.

He immediately made his decision, stepping onto the protruding rocks along the pit wall and leading the others down to the bottom.

At the center of the altar, a palm-sized crystal interface floated in midair, displaying several lines of text.

[Regional Notification: Lord "Tyrant" has come into contact with a special Ruins Instance!]

[Dungeon Requirements: Solo Lord (May bring your own Legion and Heroes)]

[Difficulty Selection: Normal / Hard / Nightmare / Hell]

John glanced at Ophelia and the others before reaching out and selecting "Hell."

"Let’s go."

Buzz—

The runes on the altar suddenly lit up.

A column of white light shot upward from its center, swallowing the entire group.

The surrounding scenery began changing violently.

BOOM!

A tremendous rumbling sound echoed in their ears as the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

Soil and rocks seemed to grow backward from the bottom of the pit, as though a video were being played in reverse.

Fragments of stone floated in midair, gradually snapping back into their original positions.

The mountains rose.

Plants and trees turned from withered yellow to vibrant green, then shrank back into seeds before the seeds themselves disappeared.

Eventually, nothing remained but bare rock formations, which were gradually consumed by layers of white crystals.

"Time is flowing backward."

Arno spoke softly, a slight flicker of emotion passing through his eyes beneath his white hood.

Within just a few breaths, all the strange phenomena disappeared.

In their place stood a towering mountain that seemed to pierce the clouds.

The entire mountain was made of translucent white crystal, reflecting the sunlight so brilliantly that it was almost blinding.

Natural crystal clusters protruded from the mountainside everywhere. Crystals of all shapes and sizes were embedded in the rock like countless lamps, illuminating the entire mountain.

At the summit stood a magnificent crystal palace.

The entire palace had been carved from massive blocks of transparent crystal. Its domes, pillars, and sweeping eaves all radiated a gentle white glow.

But the most eye-catching feature was the enormous stone pillar floating directly above the palace.

The pillar stood several dozen meters tall. Its entire surface was grayish-black, rough and weathered, completely out of place against the palace’s dazzling crystal architecture.

Its base was less than ten meters above the palace’s highest spire, as though it might come crashing down at any moment.

[Dungeon Name: Mistshadow Mountains — Brotherhood Headquarters]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Hint: This dungeon is an independent timeline generated from an open-world map. During terrain reconstruction, time flows in a reversed state.]

Listening to the system notification, John’s expression gradually became more serious.

"So this is the Mistshadow Mountains."

The very place Ophelia had mentioned as the destination her younger sister had once traveled to.

In an instant, Ophelia and Bladeborne, who had no idea about the full circumstances, both turned toward Arno.

From behind them, Arno quietly answered.

"Yes."

John turned to look at him.

Arno stood on the frozen ground, his white hood fluttering gently in the mountain breeze.

"Allow me to lead the way."

His voice was soft.

"I’m familiar with this place."

John naturally had no objections and nodded.

The group followed Arno as they began climbing along the steep mountainside.

The mountain was terrifyingly steep from the outside, with almost no flat ground suitable for deploying a large army. Crystal clusters and smooth crystalline surfaces could be found everywhere.

Bladeborne was walking at the front when his foot suddenly slipped, nearly causing him to lose his balance.

He quickly steadied himself, crouched down, and tapped the ground with the hilt of his sword.

The sound was crisp.

Solid.

Bladeborne seemed to have discovered something.

After walking a few more steps, he found a slightly darker patch of ground, drew his longsword, and thrust it downward with force.

Clang!

The sword tip penetrated less than half an inch before stopping, producing a sharp metallic clang.

Bladeborne twisted his wrist and pried upward with force.

A large piece of white crystalline shell was lifted from the ground.

"Arno, is this all crystal?"

Bladeborne raised his head and looked at the newcomer, his voice filled with curiosity.

"Has your entire home been encased in a layer of crystal? How are people supposed to live here?"

Arno was clearly the one having the easiest time navigating the terrain.

Without turning around, he continued walking slowly uphill.

"Yes."

As he walked, his voice echoed through the empty mountain path.

"It wasn’t always like this. The area we’re walking on used to be the main peak of the Mistshadow Mountains."

"Back then, the entire mountain was covered in black soil, and thick fog hung over it all year round. That fog could conceal every scent and every trace."

"Our ancestors established their headquarters here precisely because of these natural advantages."

"The cliffs, steep slopes, dense forests, and endless fog made this place the perfect training ground."

"For thousands of years, we lived in the darkness, serving the light. No injustice could ever escape our blades."

He paused briefly.

"But later, as you already know..."

...