3.

Fly uploaded a video to the video channel.

It was the first video since reaching level 70.

The content was simple.

"The first update is not merely the game company's consideration to provide more content to players. The game company gave us five years and adapted the players. Under the name of a tutorial, players had to throw away their lives to figure out the rules of this game, adapt to dungeons, and grow to see the end of the game and protect the peace of humanity. This update is not to bear the fruit of that time. It is merely the prelude to the prepared stage."

It was a ventilation of the overheated atmosphere.

A warning to players who were missing the point.

"Currently, most are 1-star. Before even a month has passed, the rate of 2-star dungeons breaking is increasing. players are sacrificing their own schedules to run out and block nearby breaks, and in the midst of that, civilian casualties are appearing little by little. It must never be taken lightly."

It was minor damage that didn't stand out.

Human casualties were practically nonexistent, and any damage was mostly to property.

But only those who prioritized the positive aspects spoke like that.

Wasn't it damage that shouldn't have existed in the first place?

If not for the Dungeon Break.

Even if a Dungeon Gate appeared near one's house, or even inside one's house, it used to be a toy—a mere happening where one could just marvel at it and boast to acquaintances.

However, with a single update, Dungeon Gates were no longer the safe novelty attractions people had once considered them to be. They had become ticking time bombs that could go off at any moment.

To address this very issue, Fly turned on his broadcast.

"There is no perfect solution."

Of course, his admirers revered him as a god, but he was, in the end, just another player. There was no way he could produce a definite, flawless countermeasure for the sudden changes sweeping across the globe in the span of just a few weeks. Nevertheless, the reason he spoke so firmly in a video watched by hundreds of millions—perhaps billions—was that he possessed absolute conviction in his beliefs.

"As always, just as we did five years ago when we first faced the Dungeons appearing on Earth, we have no choice but to experience it, stumble, fail, and adapt. Our only saving grace is that the players who participated in this 'game' as closed beta testers during the tutorial period can buy us some time. That is our only hope. Those who have advanced ahead must sacrifice. Do not avoid the Dungeon Breaks. Even if your personal growth slows down slightly, do not turn away. I, too, will stand on the front lines."

Sacrifice and progress. Fly had turned on the camera to convey that very message.

"Please, help the lower-level players. The overall average level of players must rise faster than the acceleration of the Dungeon Breaks if we are to prevent the apocalypse. This first update is a stage where all players can unite. We must join forces to grow."

And with those words, he ended the video.

Naturally, online communities and the entire world engaged in heated debates over the footage. There wasn't much friction between opposing views, however.

[ We have to stop the monsters coming out anyway. ]

[ Yeah. I heard the monsters from Dungeon Breaks give more experience, too. The problem is the difficulty. Right now, it's just 1-star dungeons, so any Tom, Dick, or Harry can go beat them up. But starting from 2-stars? You need players who have at least graduated from the tutorial. Once it hits 3 or 4 stars, there really isn't a clear answer. ]

[ Thinking about it that way is terrifying. Don't we need to increase the number of players? ]

[ I looked it up, and apparently, since the end of last year, the number of people Awakening has increased by more than four times the average. There were articles about it, but I guess it got buried under all the end-of-year chaos. It must all be connected to this. ]

—It really gives me goosebumps. The most influential player in the world compares this world to a game and uses the word 'game company' so naturally, without any hesitation. And people accept it without feeling uncomfortable.

Agreement and acceptance. It was the scenario everyone had anticipated since the Dungeons first appeared. No, people accustomed to fantasy novels had envisioned this scenario from the very beginning. The story had simply progressed at a slightly mitigated difficulty over the past five years.

Now, the real story was beginning.

Apocalypse and calamity. And humanity's desperate struggle to stop it.

They were grandiose words, yet few took them to heart.

—I get the situation, but why do I feel so calm about it?

—Is it because it hasn't actually happened to me yet?

—I saw players catching monsters on my way back from a trip earlier. It was more fascinating than scary. It felt like seeing celebrities in real life. Isn't this too dangerous?

They had become desensitized to the point of numbness. In any case, the conclusion was singular.

—Let's make stopping Dungeon Breaks the top priority for players.

There is no such thing as a natural sacrifice.

—Someone has to sacrifice anyway. What's the point of working hard to raid dungeons alone if the Earth gets eaten by monsters?

Nevertheless, it was a video that served as a catalyst for players to accept, at least in part, this unreasonable reality.

* * *

"Just as expected of Fly."

Kim Buja marveled at the strategy.

The Dungeon Break was certainly a double-edged sword: a crisis for Earth, but an opportunity for players. However, how many players would be willing to give up their own growth to chase after Dungeon Breaks?

They said that stopping a Dungeon Break would grant "Points" to be used via a Special Mission, but that system hadn't been revealed yet, and the competition would likely be fierce. At least for now, the number of Dungeon Breaks occurring wasn't that high, and the number of players was far greater. They would be cleaned up quickly.

Because of this, if one decided to go to a Dungeon Break location, there was a high probability it would already be cleared by nearby players. If this phenomenon repeated, players would eventually give up.

More experience points, earnings from rare monster corpses, and Points that might be useful someday. If there wasn't at least some immediate payback for their investment, it would be considered a waste of time. Unless they happened to be in a position to participate in a Dungeon Break by chance, they would turn away. They would rather enter a dungeon to hunt, level up, and promise themselves to do better later.

This, too, wasn't a problem. In fact, this was the efficient approach. There was no need for high-level players to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

However, if this phenomenon persisted—if it solidified into a custom—it would become a problem. The efficient Dungeon Break defense, utilizing only the appropriate number of personnel, would gradually develop holes, and the damage would increase.

'Someone else will do it.'

'I don't need to go.'

'It'll be over by the time I get there anyway; it's just a waste of time.'

At some point, those empty gaps would burst open all at once.

Fly had prevented that by steering the social atmosphere in a specific direction. Of course, he offered no concrete plan. He had merely suggested an abstract goal.

Yet, that was enough.

Fly, the man of action. And the people who watched him.

Benefits would naturally return to the sacrificing players, and the public perception of players who went around stopping Dungeon Breaks would improve. Corporations and guilds spent hundreds of millions, even tens of billions, just to craft that kind of image.

To summarize, he had created a justification. A justification to build a good image while earning money and Points.

"The number one ranker really is different."

Furthermore, this wasn't even a strategy where Fly sacrificed himself. He said he would stand at the forefront, but in truth, Fly likely wanted to be on the front lines more than anyone else. If Kim Buja had been in that position, he would have done the same.

"He's securing both his public image and actual profit."

This must be the benefit of being the frontrunner. He takes the people's praise and applause while simultaneously taking all the profits. Right now, looking at the community, the majority of people were saying that Fly was sacrificing his own time.

But those who knew, knew. Even if they were the minority.

"Since the preparations for challenging 8-star dungeons are incomplete or still in the testing phase, and there's nothing else to do, an event where you can farm sweet, honey-like rewards just happens to occur? If he drives the atmosphere to lead public opinion and sweeps through the Guild Breaks with the Fly Guild as the core to suck up all the Points... that would be seriously fun."

Kim Buja was overflowing with Gold, VIP Tokens, and other currencies related to the Gold Maker class, but regular players were not. For them, "Points" were the first new currency given with the first update. No one would undervalue the Points given temporarily through Special Missions for defeating monsters invading reality. Even if they didn't know what to use them for, where, or how, hoarding them was unconditionally profitable.

In Kim Buja's view, Fly's video was merely groundwork for this single conclusion. Since it was clearly a positive direction for society, he had no intention of tackling it, though.

There was no need to be envious. Kim Buja simply had to walk his own path.

"They'll take care of blocking the Dungeon Breaks on their own, so I should go to the Tower of Trials."

He had not the slightest interest in Points. He had to go to dungeons to collect Gold; he hardly had enough time as it was. Was there any reason to leave a sea where golden nuggets were floating around to jump into a "red ocean" where everyone else was diving in?

"Challenging the 1st Floor of the Tower of Trials."

[Entering the 1st Floor of the Tower of Trials.]

Leaving the noisy issues of the world behind, he stepped into a new, unknown realm.

* * *

With his vision darkened, the first thing Kim Buja did was summon his weapon.

He had the conviction that he would be safe because at least the "Gold Ring," which was bound to him, had stayed by his side even during Gold Missions where all other equipment was forcibly unequipped. As long as he had a weapon, he could manage a minimum level of response.

Gripping his weapon, he adjusted to the darkness.

Fortunately, there were no enemies attacking him. But nothing was moving, either.

The next most important thing was situational awareness. Rather than moving rashly in darkness so pitch-black he couldn't see, he chose to collect useful and definite information.

[Time remaining until 1st Floor start: 2 minutes 44 seconds]

Although the message didn't contain a single piece of the information he actually wanted, he frowned and let out a sigh. Even within that meaningless single sentence, there was definitely something to be gained. First, that he was holding his equipped gear, including his weapon, exactly as it was. And second, that he was safe for at least 2 minutes and 44 seconds.

With his remaining Gold, he purchased a few buff foods and potions. He calmed his breathing quietly and waited.

Coming to another world along with the darkness, thoughts of Dungeon Breaks and other distractions were wiped clean from his mind. Only the tension for survival remained.

[Beginning the challenge of the Tower of Trials 1st Floor.]

[Clear Condition: Defeat 2,000 Monsters]

And a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As his vision brightened, murderous gazes poured in from all directions.

* * *

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