The following morning…
Rey slowly woke up and glanced around him.
After a brief moment of confusion, he spoke lazily,
“Hey, System… what time is it now?”
System:
“It is currently 8:30 a.m.”
Rey’s eyes widened instantly.
“What?! I’m already late! We agreed to start moving at 8:30! Why didn’t you wake me up, System?!”
System:
“System detected that Host was sleeping very comfortably. Therefore, System chose not to disturb Host.”
“Damn it, you idiot… Now I have to get ready quickly!”
After a short while, Rey finished preparing himself.
Activating his incredible speed, he rushed toward the meeting point.
When he arrived, Eris, Evelyn, Melvin, Elysa, Luna, along with the high-ranking members of Clan Rose and Evelyn’s subordinates, were already there.
Rey made a heroic pose as he appeared.
The moment they saw Rey, relief spread across their faces. They had been waiting for almost thirty minutes.
“Ehemm… sorry for being late. I had something to do earlier—some light training to stretch my muscles.”
Eris:
“It’s fine, Lord Rey. We do not mind your delay.”
Rey thought to himself,
Phew… that was close. Good thing they didn’t find out I just woke up.
“So… shall we move now?”
Evelyn:
“Yes, Lord Rey. We can depart for the Adventurer Guild now. I will personally escort you there.”
Rey:
“In that case, I’ll be relying on you.”
Evelyn ordered her subordinates to move out.
They boarded a horse-drawn carriage. Inside were Rey, Evelyn, Melvin, Elysa, and Luna.
Before leaving, Rey and his party expressed their gratitude and said farewell to Eris and the other executives.
As the carriage moved farther away, one of the executives whispered to Eris.
“Hey, boss… if you look closely, Lord Rey is actually quite handsome, isn’t he?”
Eris stared blankly at the departing carriage and replied absentmindedly,
“Yeah… that’s true… I think so too—EH?! What are you all talking about?! Get back to work!”
She quickly turned away, embarrassed after letting her thoughts slip out.
The other executives laughed and dispersed.
Eris smiled softly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she recalled Rey’s overwhelming strength and heroic figure when he saved Melvin and Elysa during Clan Rose’s final counterattack.
During the journey, they discussed the major clans within the Kingdom of Christope.
There were four great clans.
The rest were merely small or mid-sized parties consisting of 4 to 20 members.
Clan Glory and Clan Rose had been rivals for a long time.
The other two clans chose to remain neutral and rarely showed themselves.
One of them, Clan Aegis, possessed a terrifying force.
Their leader was a Class S Rank 2 adventurer at Level 78.
They also had 13 Class S adventurers.
Clan Glory had 11 Class S adventurers, while Clan Obsidian had 12.
Clan Glory and Clan Rose constantly clashed because both possessed a similar number of Class S adventurers, making them nearly equal in strength.
However, the leader of Clan Glory was even more powerful than Eris—Rank 3, Level 74.
Evelyn continued explaining.
Every year, a clan tournament was held to select powerful individuals for the Inter-Nation Tournament, which occurred once every five years.
Only two out of the four major clans would be chosen to represent Christope, based on how many times they secured first place in the clan competitions.
The next Inter-Nation Tournament was only two years away.
So far:
Clan Rose: 0 wins
Clan Glory: 0 wins
Clan Obsidian: 1 win
Clan Aegis: 2 wins
Because Clan Aegis possessed many Class S adventurers, they were considered the strongest contender.
Two years ago, Clan Obsidian managed to win only because Clan Aegis’s leader was away on an external mission.
Rey and his party listened carefully to Evelyn’s long explanation.
After a moment, Rey asked,
“What benefits do you get from entering this tournament?”
Evelyn:
“There are many benefits. If we win, the Adventurer Guild will grant significant rewards to the victorious clan.”
“Ohhh… I understand now. So, is your clan already preparing for it?”
Evelyn:
“Yes. Our clan leader has already made thorough preparations and ordered all members to train seriously.”
Rey then turned toward Luna.
“Luna, are you doing alright? Don’t worry—if you have any questions, you can ask Me, or Melvin and Elysa. After we form the party, we’ll start preparing to enter dungeons to raise our levels.”
Luna:
“Yes, Lord Rey. I will do my best to support the party.”
Melvin and Elysa also understood Rey’s intentions.
Rey asked Evelyn about the exact date of the clan tournament.
Evelyn:
“There are still six months remaining.”
Rey:
“Six months… that should be enough for me to reach Level 95.”
System:
“Host. Once Host reaches Level 50, the EXP required to reach Level 51 will no longer be 50,000. It will increase to 150,000—three times higher.”
Rey stiffened.
“What?! Three times?! That makes leveling way harder! Looks like I really need to upgrade my passive skill then…”
System:
“Do not worry. After reaching Level 50, Host may upgrade the passive skill ‘Overgrowth.’ Because Host already possesses this passive, Host will continue receiving 10 stat points per level, whereas other players receive 15–20 stat points after Level 30.”
“15–20 stat points… hmm. That means I can help adjust my party members’ stat builds—if they agree, of course.”
Rey glanced toward Melvin, Elysa, and Luna.
Not long after, they arrived at the Adventurer Guild.
The area was crowded.
As they disembarked, many people turned their heads toward them.
This was because one of the great clans had appeared at the guild—something that rarely happened.
Rey’s group entered the guild to register.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from above.
A man descended from the upper floor.
He was the Vice Leader of the Adventurer Guild—
a Class S Rank 4, Level 70, with the Warrior role.
His armor was fully equipped and radiated authority.
He wielded a sword and a shield.
The sword was sheathed on his back.
His name was— Victor.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name : Victor
Level : 70
Race : Human (Origin)
Role : Warrior
Title : Vice Leader of the Adventurer Guild (Christope)
Stats:
HP : 7,984 (×79% Armor + 62% Accessory)
STR : 497 (×51% Accessory + 71% Weapon)
AGI : 411 (×55% Armor + 30% Weapon)
SPD : 455 (×87% Boots)
INT : 357 (×60% Accessory)
END : 512 (×73% Armor)
MP : 337 (×43% Accessory)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Victor’s heavy footsteps echoed through the Adventurer Guild as he descended from the upper floor.
“Evelyn… so you’ve finally arrived,” he said calmly.
“I already received information from Eris. She said you came with someone who wants to form a party. I heard this person is… rather special.”
Evelyn:
“Yes. I came here today bringing a guest from Clan Rose.”
The people around them were instantly shocked.
“A guest… from Clan Rose?”
“But isn’t that the guy with only 10 MP from the other day?”
Victor overheard the murmurs. His gaze shifted toward Rey, and he activated Appraisal.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name: Ace
Level: 15
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Role : -
Title : -
Stats:
* HP - 3030
* STR - 90
* AGI - 80
* SPD - 90
* INT - 50
* END - 50
* MP - 10
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Note: Rey Use another name to hide his identity
Victor narrowed his eyes.
Ace… the one who registered a few days ago with only 10 MP.
How did someone like him become a guest of Clan Rose?
There must be something special about this kid.
Evelyn noticed Victor’s action and frowned.
“Victor… don’t look at someone’s status secretly.”
Victor coughed lightly.
“Oh—my apologies. I didn’t mean to. But Ace… are those stats really yours? Or are you hiding your true status?”
Rey replied calmly,
“I’m here only to register a party.”
Victor stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. You can register at the counter over there. I only hope you pass the test.”
After registering at the counter, Rey and his party were informed that they would undergo a party qualification test.
The test would take place in the battle arena, where they would fight against a party chosen by the guild.
The purpose was to determine whether they could cooperate effectively as a team.
After some time, the arena was opened.
Rey’s party would face the guild-selected party, and the guild would decide pass or fail based on the match.
A large crowd gathered.
Normally, such tests attracted little attention.
But this time was different.
Because Ace had only 10 MP.
People wanted to see how he fought.
Not to mention—his party members were all below Level 20, all female, and one of them was still Rank E.
“I think this MP-10 kid’s party will lose instantly,” someone said.
“I heard their opponent is a party with Class B adventurers from Clan Glory.”
“Yeah. I also heard this Ace caused trouble in Clan Glory’s territory—so much that Vice Leader Lord Marek had to intervene.”
Another scoffed.
“This party is finished. I bet they’ll surrender early. I pity the female party members.”
Many new and veteran parties watched closely.
Especially since Clan Glory had announced yesterday that they were searching for someone named Ace.
A reward of 100 Gold Coins was offered for information.
Melvin whispered nervously,
“Lord Rey… should we surrender?”
Rey shook his head.
“Don’t worry. We’ll use the same formation as in the dungeon.”
He spoke calmly, giving clear orders.
“Melvin, stay in the center. Cast magic that can pressure the enemy’s mage and support.”
“I’ll hold their warrior and assassin.”
“Elysa, eliminate their support as fast as possible.”
“Luna—buff Elysa’s speed and Melvin’s strength. After that, stay ready to heal.”
“Melvin, stay close to Luna. Use magic shields if the enemy assassin slips past me.”
All three nodded.
They understood perfectly.
The opposing party stepped onto the stage.
They had two Class B adventurers and two Class C adventurers.
Their overall strength clearly surpassed Rey’s party.
One of them laughed loudly.
“Three Class D and one Class E? Hahaha—this’ll be easy. One minute and it’s over.”
Another sneered.
“Let’s play with them first. There are girls in that party.
We’ll have fun until they beg for mercy—then we’ll take them from that MP-10 kid.”
They burst into laughter.
The match began.
The enemy Class B Warrior and Assassin rushed forward.
Their Mage and Support stayed back, confident the two were enough.
Suddenly—
Fireballs rained down from above.
The enemy was caught completely off guard.
They hadn’t expected such an opening tactic—one that consumed massive MP.
They quickly raised defensive barriers.
The Warrior and Assassin locked onto Rey, attempting to eliminate him first.
Rey vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared before them at blinding speed.
They were shocked by his velocity.
Too fast—!
Rey kicked both of them simultaneously.
They were sent flying backward.
The arena erupted.
“Wow… that kid’s strength is insane!”
“Hahaha! Class B losing to a Class D—no wonder people say Clan Glory is useless outside their elites!”
At that moment—
Elysa appeared behind the enemy Mage and Support.
They froze as her killing aura surfaced.
She had activated Camouflage, moving through the shadows unseen.
With Melvin continuously bombarding them with magic, the two enemies were distracted.
They never noticed Elysa closing in.
Backstab.
A powerful strike landed.
Both enemies were stunned by the skill’s effect.
The battle was over.
Rey’s party had won decisively.
One of the defeated adventurers protested angrily, demanding a rematch.
The crowd erupted in anger instead.
They mocked the loser for refusing to accept defeat.
Rey’s party was officially approved.
They received a party emblem bearing the name—
“Ace Party.”
As they were about to leave, a voice called out from behind.
“Hey—Ace. Over here.”
Rey turned.
“Who is it now?”
He saw a man wearing red armor, brown-haired, accompanied by three party members.
“Ace… can we talk for a moment?”
Rey hesitated, then nodded.
“Sure.”
“Come with me.”
“Alright—but I can’t stay long. I already have plans.”
“No problem.”
After thanking Evelyn and her group, Rey followed the man.
They arrived at an inn-like building—
food downstairs, paid lodging upstairs.
It was similar to where Rey had stayed upon first arriving in Beginner City.
They ordered food and drinks.
Then the man smiled.
“Hey. I’m Alex. You’re Julian, right?”
Rey froze.
Alex—his online friend.
The one who fought a dungeon boss with him back on Earth.
“Alex?! You became a Player too?”
Alex laughed loudly.
“I can’t believe I found you here! Where did you go after we entered this world? I tried to find you everywhere!
And why are you using the name Ace?”
Rey quickly whispered,
“Shhh—don’t tell anyone. I’m hiding my identity.
I’m afraid other Players might recognize me and come after me.”
Alex laughed.
“Relax. It’s actually hard to recognize people here.
I only figured it out from how you fought and talked.”
“Besides—most Players here are obsessed with leveling.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“You don’t know about the Clan Tournament happening in six months?”
“I do—but isn’t that only for big clans?”
“Yes. But many clans recruit talented Players like us.
Players have different stats and skills compared to native residents.”
Rey frowned.
“Is that true? How do you know?”
“Because Players get higher stat growth starting at Level 30.
Natives only reach the same growth after Level 50.”
“For example—a Level 30 Player gains 20 stat points, while a native only gets 10.”
“That’s why big clans recruit Players at Level 50.
A Level 50 Player is almost equal to a Level 65 native.”
Rey nodded slowly.
“I see… I only learned this now.”
Alex grinned.
“That’s why Players like us are special.”
“But some Players also receive unique talent skills when transferred.”
“They’re called the 'Hope of the Future'.”
“Each of them can influence clans—and even nations.”
Rey’s eyes sharpened.
“You mean… every country has Players?”
“Of course. Players are spread across the world.
I even thought you were sent to another continent.”
Rey laughed.
“Hahaha—but I’m right here.”
Alex laughed too.
“True. Come—let’s eat and celebrate.”
That night, both parties celebrated together.
Before sleeping, Rey spoke quietly.
“System… how many Players are there in this world?”
System:
“They are too many to count, Host. They are spread across multiple continents.”
“Do not worry. No Player’s gifted skill surpasses the System.”
“However, Host must level up quickly to protect yourself.”
“I understand. I was thinking of buying items to boost Melvin, Elysa, and Luna’s stats—but meeting Alex made me forget.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll look for good equipment for them.”
System:
“Excellent decision, Host. That will strengthen your party.”
“System will recommend suitable items when the time comes.”
“Good. Now… I’m going to sleep.”
The night passed quietly.
The next day, Rey and the three girls went to an item shop.
Inside, Rey purchased high-grade items and expensive equipment for all three of them without hesitation.
As he was about to pay, the shopkeeper spoke enthusiastically.
“Sir, would you like to buy our newly released High Potion? It’s only 55 Gold Coins.”
Rey was about to agree when—
System:
“Host, the High Potion in the Will Stall is priced at 25 Gold Coins.”
Rey froze.
“Twenty-five…?”
He was shocked.
The price in the System Mall was almost 50% cheaper.
System:
“If Host has free time, System recommends browsing the Will Stall.”
“I see…”
After completing their purchases, Luna hesitated before speaking.
“Lord Rey… before we enter the dungeon, can we walk around Beginner City first?”
She looked slightly nervous.
“I want to prepare food supplies… since we’ll be inside the dungeon for several months.”
Before Rey could answer, Melvin and Elysa smiled.
“Don’t worry about food.”
“We already have enough supplies for several months,” Elysa added.
“And Lord Rey also has plenty of extra food and drinks.”
Luna widened her eyes in surprise and turned to Rey.
“Lord Rey… is it really okay if we don’t buy food supplies?”
Rey nodded calmly.
“Hmm… no need. We have plenty of food stock. So Luna, you don’t need to worry.”
Luna:
“O-oh… if that’s the case, then I’ll follow your decision, Lord Rey.”
Soon after, they headed toward the exit of Beginner City to continue their journey to the dungeon.
At the gate, many adventurers had gathered.
Among them—
The unmistakable emblem of Clan Glory.
Rey frowned inwardly.
Clan Glory? Why are they here? Are they heading into the dungeon too?
Just as they were about to leave—
“Hey! You there—stop!”
A familiar voice.
It was Robert.
“Lord! He’s the one who took what you gave me!”
Robert pointed toward Rey while speaking to the man standing before him—
Marek.
“You again?!” Marek snapped.
“You really love causing trouble for me. Return what you took from me. Now.”
“What item did I take from you?” Rey replied coldly.
“I gave Robert a pair of weapons and accessories worth dozens of gold coins,” Marek said.
“And he handed them to that woman.”
He pointed at Melvin.
“Didn’t Melvin already return them to Robert?” Rey asked.
“Yes,” Melvin answered calmly.
“I already returned the items to Robert.”
“Robert!” Marek shouted.
“Is what they’re saying true?”
“No, Lord!” Robert denied immediately.
“They took them. I already warned them those items belonged to Clan Glory, but they ignored me.”
Rey stepped forward.
“Hey. Do you want me to make you faint again?”
Robert trembled.
Just wait, kid… once Lord Marek makes a move, you’re done for.
Rey’s gaze sharpened as he turned to Marek.
“And you. Are you really going to believe this useless trash? Or are you still unhappy about what happened before? You want more?”
Marek swallowed hard, fear flashing across his face.
Before he could respond—
A powerful presence descended.
A man in red armor, with short silver hair, approached.
It was—
Tristan,
Leader of Clan Glory,
a Level 74 Warrior.
Clan Glory Leader Appears
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name : Tristan
Level : 74
Race : Human (Origin)
Role : Warrior
Title : Leader of Clan Glory
Stats:
HP : 8,378 (×83% Armor + 70% Accessory)
STR : 542 (×65% Accessory + 71% Weapon)
AGI : 441 (×57% Armor + 38% Weapon)
SPD : 490 (×90% Boots)
INT : 398 (×60% Accessory)
END : 537 (×82% Armor)
MP : 381 (×62% Accessory)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rey narrowed his eyes.
STR 542… that’s high.
So he’s the Class S Rank 3 Leader of Clan Glory.
He personally came here… are those items really that valuable?
“Marek,” Tristan said calmly.
“What’s going on? What about the equipment I told you to retrieve?”
“There’s a small problem, Leader,” Marek replied.
“This kid took it from my subordinate and refused to return it.”
He pointed at Rey.
“I request that you return the equipment,” Tristan said politely.
“That item is very important to me.”
“My party member already returned it to Robert,” Rey replied.
“I don’t know where Robert kept it afterward.”
“Who is Robert?” Tristan said sharply.
“Come here.”
Robert stepped forward and claimed he never kept it, instead accusing Rey of deliberately taking it and saying Rey claimed he wasn’t afraid of Clan Glory.
Tristan’s eyes turned cold.
“Is that true, boy?”
“Hey—don’t make false accusations,” Rey snapped.
“You really haven’t learned your lesson yet, Robert?”
“Leader,” Marek added quickly.
“He’s the newcomer I told you about before.”
“Oh?” Tristan smiled slightly.
“So you’re Ace—the one who stood against Clan Glory.”
“From what Marek told me, you’re quite interesting.”
“Would you like to join Clan Glory?”
Everyone froze.
Marek’s eyes widened.
“But Leader—!”
“Silence,” Tristan said firmly.
“I made my decision. So—what’s your answer?”
“I’m sorry,” Rey replied calmly.
“For now, I’m not interested in joining any clan. My goal is only to level up.”
“I see,” Tristan nodded.
“That’s fine. I’ll give you time to think.”
“But I still request the equipment.”
“Then let’s do this,” Rey said.
“Check the items Robert is carrying. If the equipment isn’t there, I’ll compensate double.”
Tristan’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh? Robert—stand there.”
Robert trembled as he stood before him.
“Marek. Check his inventory.”
Marek obeyed.
Moments later—
The missing equipment was found inside Robert’s storage.
“You—!” Tristan roared.
“You dared steal from me?!”
“Marek,” Tristan said coldly.
“I don’t want to see his face in the clan again. You know what to do.”
“Yes, Leader. I’ll handle it as usual.”
Tristan then turned to Rey.
“I apologize for the misunderstanding. If you ever need anything, come to Clan Glory. You’ll be welcomed.”
After the incident, Rey, Melvin, Elysa, and Luna continued toward the dungeon.
At the entrance, Rey asked quietly,
“Luna… have you ever entered this dungeon before?”
“Yes,” Luna replied.
“But only the uppermost floor.”
Upper floor? Rey thought.
How many floors are there?
“I already asked her before,” Melvin said.
“She’s been as far as Floor 9.”
“Oh…” Rey paused.
“Sorry—how many floors does this dungeon have, exactly?”
“Oh? You didn’t know, Lord Rey?” Elysa smiled.
“That’s because you spawned inside the dungeon.”
“This dungeon has 10 floors.”
“Floor 10 is the highest and easiest, with low-level monsters.”
“When we first met you, we were on Floor 8, but we hadn’t finished exploring it.”
“Floor 8?” Rey frowned.
“Do you know the monster levels there?”
“I heard Lady Eris and the Clan Rose executives once reached the end of Floor 8,” Luna replied.
“They faced monsters at Level 92.”
“They estimate the monsters there range up to Level 95.”
“Has anyone ever gone down to Floor 7?” Rey asked.
“When we were in Robert’s party,” Melvin answered,
“The Leader of Adventurer Guild once sent forces together with Clan Aegis and Clan Glory to Floor 7.”
“They came back severely injured—with massive losses.”
“Even Class S adventurers died.”
Rey exhaled slowly.
“Then our target is only Floor 8.”
“And only halfway.”
“The moment we encounter monsters above Level 70, we retreat.”
All three nodded in understanding.
Fully equipped.
Fully prepared.
They stepped into the dungeon.
The dungeon gate closed behind them.
A cold wind surged from the darkness below.
And somewhere deep within—
A presence stirred.
