DPGR 100

—Our master thought it would be more fun to add a time limit. A thoughtful touch, wouldn’t you say?

“What did you say?”

—If you don’t clear the final course, the third-floor trial, before the time runs out…

The butler’s eyes crinkled with a smile. He didn’t finish the sentence, but it was all too clear what he’d left unsaid.

—To proceed to the third-floor trial, the participation of every guest here is required. If even one person doesn’t join, the third-floor gate will not open. So, what will you do?

Everyone turned to Dojin. Whatever the case, he was the one with the final say in this group.

Furrowing his brow in thought, Dojin asked,

“What if we bring others from the first floor? Is that allowed?”

—Only those who have been granted the qualification may enter the third floor. The third floor is a very, very special place.

As the butler spoke, the countdown ticking above everyone’s heads steadily decreased.

At last, after some deliberation, Dojin turned to Yulchan.

“Yulchan.”

“Y-yes?”

“Once we’re on the third floor, make a safe zone right away. You can do that, right?”

What the butler wanted was simple: for everyone present to ascend to the third floor.

There didn’t seem to be a rule saying all had to participate in the battle once there—so this was the best option.

“Guide Geonwoo, Guide Sena, I’d like you two to wait with Guide Jiho inside the safe zone.”

Geonwoo and Sena exchanged slightly tense glances. Dojin didn’t wait for their answer and instead turned to Kijoon, Jihye, and Sehun.

“Vice-Captain. Do you have enough mana?”

“Yes. I should be able to last a while.”

“What about you, Jihye and Kijoon?”

“I’m good!”

“Same here. At this point, even if we can’t do it, we have to make it happen.”

Dojin gave a faint smile at Jihye’s words. That was exactly the right mindset.

“Alright. Then let’s go.”

He looked at the butler and jerked his chin.

“Lead the way. To the third floor.”

The butler, who had been grinning with a mouth stretched wide in amusement, gave a gentlemanly bow.

—Then, shall we?

Unlike the climb to the second floor, nothing happened on the stairs to the third.

—This way, please.

At the end of the third-floor hallway, the butler led them to a large door.

He knocked lightly, then stepped back and bowed his head, as if signaling that his role ended there.

Dojin gave Kijoon a look, signaling him to be on guard, then stepped forward and pushed the door open himself.

Creeeak—

The door opened with a creak—and in that moment, the scenery around them changed completely.

“Gasp!”

“What the—?!”

A vast plain under an open sky. Scattered ruins and broken structures lay all around.

Dojin’s eyes widened. This was a place familiar to him.

‘The Mars dungeon…’

But there were no grotesque birds flying above or ogres roaming the ruins like before.

Instead, wyverns (a winged two-legged dragon with a barbed tail.) soared through the skies, and all kinds of monsters—likely A-rank—filled the area between the ruins.

“No wonder the monsters on the second floor felt too easy,” Kijoon muttered to himself, realizing all the high-rank monsters meant for an S-rank dungeon had been moved here.

As the group stood speechless, the butler reappeared and spoke.

—This space was specially created by our master. They said they liked your nightmare and wished me to tell you so.

His gaze locked onto Dojin. Dojin frowned in disgust but didn’t reply.

Still, the butler kept smiling.

—If you eliminate all the monsters within the time limit, you win the game. Simple, isn’t it?

“Simple…? What part of this is simple?! How are we supposed to handle all that?!”

—Then I wish you a most enjoyable time.

Having said his piece, the butler vanished once more. Jihye grumbled and kicked the dirt where he’d stood.

But there was no time to complain.

Grrrr—

As if the butler’s departure were a signal, the monsters began to focus their attention on the group.

One of the nearest ones drooled as it extended tentacle-like arms toward them.

“Yulchan! The safe zone—quick!”

“R-right!”

Whoosh!

Dojin moved with lightning reflexes, swinging his spear.

The monster’s tentacle was severed, spilling thick black fluid across the grass.

“Kijoon! Cover Yulchan!”

“Got it!”

“Everyone else—battle formation!”

Flames ignited at the tip of Dojin’s spear. He glanced briefly at his wristwatch.

[Esper Baek Dojin’s guiding value: 32%]

[Danger. Warning. Emergency guiding required.]

His guiding level was just above 30%. At this rate, a surge was inevitable.

Dojin looked to the very back—where Jiho stood.

Though he had cried so recently, Jiho now stared blankly, still trapped in the nightmare’s echo.

Tear streaks remained on his cheeks, and vivid handprints were still imprinted on his slender neck.

Judging by the unfocused look in Jiho’s eyes, he didn’t even have the presence of mind to grasp the situation he was in.

‘Guiding would be too much for him.’

Dojin adjusted his grip on the spear. The flickering flames at the tip quieted and died down.

‘I’ll have to avoid using abilities as much as possible.’

Dealing with this many monsters was already difficult enough—if he went into a rampage on top of that, it would only lead to a greater disaster.

“The safe zone is in place!”

Right then, Yulchan’s voice rang out from behind.

Turning back, Dojin saw the three guides inside the safe zone.

Yulchan snapped his fingers, and the surrounding space dissolved into the air, turning transparent.

Relieved, Dojin turned his attention back to the battle—and so did the rest of the team.

Boom! Crash!

Kijoon, who had reinforced his shield with mana, slammed it down on the monsters’ heads with a shield that had grown larger and sturdier.

Jihye nimbly dodged incoming attacks, climbing up onto a large ruin to secure a vantage point.

As she readied her bow, Yulchan moved to her side to support her attacks.

Behind them, Sehun was preparing a wide-area spell with his staff, while Heendungi fought off the monsters trying to reach him, offering cover.

Perhaps thanks to their long time working together, their teamwork showed no weak points.

Relieved by this, Dojin began to move in earnest.

Crash!

Screeeech—!

If no one else, this space was at least familiar to him.

Since it had been constructed based on his memory, the layout and shape of the ruins were exactly as he remembered.

Tak-tak-tak!

Spear in hand, he sprinted forward and launched himself off a ruin, leaping high into the air.

Using his light movements for momentum, he drove the tip of his spear into a monster’s eye.

Screech! Screeek—!

The grotesque sound of something being pierced was drowned out by the monster’s screeching.

It thrashed its head violently and flailed its front limbs.

Still gripping the spear shaft, Dojin stepped on the monster’s brow, yanked the spear free, and flipped midair to land cleanly on the ground.

Groooar! Aagh—! Graaah—!

The enraged monster howled and whipped its head around, trying to locate Dojin on the ground.

One of its eyes was badly damaged, making its field of view limited—its head turned in broader arcs as a result.

Using this, Dojin launched a second attack from a different angle.

His spear cut through the air with a sharp swish. The monster noticed and began to turn its head—but that was a mistake.

Thwuck—!

The sharp tip of the spear plunged into the monster’s other eye. A bone-rattling scream rang in their ears.

‘Should’ve gone for the throat.’

His splitting headache worsened from the lack of guiding.

Irritated and on edge, Dojin grimaced, let go of the spear, and leapt upward, stepping on the monster’s head.

Drawing the sword at his waist, he slashed through the center of the symbol on the monster’s skull as he came down.

Crack!

Sure enough, that was its weak point—he heard the sound of a mana stone shattering.

Even after both eyes were stabbed, the monster had still flailed about, but now it finally staggered and collapsed.

“Haa…”

Panting hard, Dojin looked down at the monster’s lifeless body.

‘Still… I should be grateful I know this terrain.’

He yanked his spear from the monster’s eye and gave it a flick through the air, frowning.

There was no time to think further.

More monsters, now enraged, came charging at him.

‘I’m okay. Still okay.’

Dojin moved instinctively, relying on memory.

Using the terrain to his advantage in combat was something he’d practiced countless times.

He slipped between the ruins to dodge attacks, then struck back with spear and sword from blind spots.

Thanks to smart use of the landscape, his movements were smoother than usual—and, naturally, so was his combat efficiency.

“Oh! Captain! Nice one!”

Spurred on by Dojin’s momentum, the other team members also started using the terrain to their advantage.

Because of this, Alpha Team didn’t seem to be struggling too much at first.

But after 10, 20 minutes… the tide began to turn.

Everyone’s stamina and guiding capacity began to reach their limits.

“Ugh…!”

“Kijoon!”