Mike lay back on his bed and closed his eyes. His consciousness slipped into the Original World.

After a moment he opened his eyes to find himself in the inn from where he logged out last time.

"If I'm going to do this, I'll do my best," he said.

Instead of hunting a peak Rank 0 beast, he decided to aim higher. He would kill a peak Rank 1 beast in the Original World to complete the Quest.

Mike moved toward the Adventurers' Guild. He needed information—specifically about Rank 2 dungeons, where Rank 1 beasts were common mobs instead of bosses.

He is not idiot enough to go after an Rank 1 boss, that would be suicide.

After reaching the guild, he went straight to the information counter.

"I'm looking for details on Rank 2 dungeons," he said. "Places where Rank 1 beasts appear regularly."

The staff member looked at him for a moment, then nodded and pulled out a record crystal.

"There are three Rank 2 dungeons nearby, within a week walk" the staff member said. "In these dungeons, Rank 1 beasts appear as elite mobs. Peak Rank 1 creatures usually guard the deeper zones."

"And the boss is Rank 2," he added.

Mike nodded. "That will do."

"Your ID?" the staff member asked.

Mike handed over his B-rank Adventurer ID.

"B-rank. You're eligible to access this information," the staff member said, nodding as he handed Mike a copy of the record crystal.

Mike held the crystal and placed it against his forehead. In an instant, all the information inside it flowed into his mind.

"Thanks," Mike said, returning the crystal before leaving.

"Okay… so my options are the Red Goblin Nest, the Lanister Mansion, and finally Winter Island," Mike muttered as the new information settled in his head.

The Red Goblin Nest was a forest-type dungeon where Red Goblins were the dominant monsters. Red Goblins were fire-elemental creatures with extremely high affinity for fire. Even common mobs could possess rare-rank fire skills, not to mention their elite members.

The Lanister Mansion was an undead-type dungeon. The boss was the Duke of the Lanister Dukedom, and the entire dukedom—along with a vast surrounding area—was part of the dungeon itself.

Finally, there was Winter Island, an ice-type dungeon where the boss was a Leviathan.

Mike stopped walking and reviewed the three options carefully.

"The Red Goblin Nest is bad for me," he said. "Too much fire. My defense is good, but fire skills will burn through stamina and mana fast."

He crossed that option off in his mind.

"The Lanister Mansion is undead," Mike continued. "That means resistance to death magic, curse effects, and probably mental attacks."

His Eldritch Lich would be less effective there, and fighting undead with undead would be inefficient.

"That leaves Winter Island."

Winter Island was dangerous, but predictable. Ice-type monsters focused on slowing, freezing, and raw physical strength. Mike had high constitution, solid strength, and access to black flame techniques that worked well against ice creatures.

"Cold I can handle," he said.

The Leviathan boss was Rank 2, but he had no intention of going anywhere near the boss zone. His target was a peak Rank 1 beast from the deeper elite areas, not the final boss.

Mike adjusted his plan.

"I'll hunt one elite beast, finish it fast, and retreat."

With his decision made, Mike headed to the supply district to prepare for the journey to Winter Island.

Mike moved through the supply district without wasting time.

He bought extra mana potions, high-grade stamina potions, and two emergency teleport scrolls. He also picked up cold-resistance cloaks and reinforced boots made for icy terrain.

After that, he left the city and summoned Emperor.

The beautiful and majestic wolf appeared, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Mike stepped onto Emperor's back, and the two rushed toward the Winter Island dungeon gate.

The dungeon was located on the northern side, about two days' walk from Valor City. However, with Emperor's speed, they reached it in just half a day.

Mike and Emperor slowed down as the air grew colder.

Snow began to appear on the ground, and the wind turned sharp. After some time, a massive stone structure came into view. It was the Winter Island dungeon gate.

Even though the area around the gate was mostly summer land, the gate itself created this phenomenon. It clearly showed how dungeon gates in this world were different from those in Mike's original world.

In Mike's Original World, even if a dungeon break occurs, there are never any environmental effects. Unlike that, here each dungeon gate wraps reality around itself.

The stone structure looked like a massive snow-white slab. Occasionally, one could see figures entering and exiting it as its surface rippled like a liquid. Unlike the dungeon gates in the Original World, this one had almost nothing built around it.

Here, the monsters inside didn't have to wait for the dungeon to reach full capacity before being expelled. They could cross the gate at any time they wanted. Because of that, these structures were more like teleportation waypoints than traditional dungeon gates.

Due to this danger, there was never a city built around dungeon gates. If a powerful monster came out, the casualties could be enormous. There were some workers stationed here, but they were not normal mortals—only powerful individuals were assigned to guard and manage the area.

Mike guided Emperor closer to the dungeon gate.

As they approached, a few guards stepped forward. Their presence alone made it clear they were strong—far beyond ordinary soldiers.

'Damm, these guards are Rank 3 easily' Mike gulped as one stepped near him.

One of them raised a hand. "Identification."

Mike got down from Emperor and handed over his adventurer ID.

The guard checked it briefly, then nodded. "B-rank. You're clear."

There was no further questioning. No registration forms. No time limits.

This gate didn't work like the ones back in his Original World.

Mike put his ID away and walked past the guards.

"Good luck," one of them said calmly.

Mike stepped onto the snow-white surface of the gate. The cold sensation vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy pull.

The world twisted.

In the next moment, Mike found himself inside the dungeon.

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