The portal shimmered, less like a doorway and more like a tear in the fabric of reality. Iridescent colours swirled within, making Jae-Hyun's stomach churn. He'd seen countless loading screens in Elysium, but this... this was different. This was real. He swallowed hard, the weight of the world – literally – settling on his shoulders.
He wasn't a soldier, wasn't some fearless hero. He was just a guy who knew a lot about a video game that had somehow come to life. But looking at Yun-Hee, her hand resting confidently on the hilt of her sword, and Jin-Woo, calmly adjusting his spectacles, he felt a surge of something akin to bravery. He took a deep breath and stepped into the swirling vortex.
The transition was jarring. One moment he was in a sterile, white room, the next he was surrounded by a riot of colour and sound. Towering trees, unlike any he'd seen on Earth, stretched towards a sky painted in hues of purple and orange. The air hummed with an unseen energy, and the ground was a patchwork of luminous moss and strange, crystalline formations. It was like stepping into one of Elysium's more exotic zones, but with a hyper-realistic, visceral quality that the game could never replicate.
"Whoa," he breathed, his gamer instincts kicking in. "This place is amazing."
"Incredible," Jin-Woo agreed, his eyes wide with wonder. He raised a hand, and a small orb of light materialized, casting an ethereal glow over the surroundings.
Yun-Hee, ever the pragmatist, unsheathed her sword, the gleaming blade catching the strange light. "Beautiful, but let's not forget why we're here. Stay alert."
Jae-Hyun nodded, his gaze scanning their surroundings. The World Council had provided them with basic information about this dungeon: a Rank E, relatively low-level, but still potentially dangerous. His role, they'd stressed, was to use his knowledge of Elysium to guide the team, to anticipate threats and strategize. It was a lot of pressure, but a thrill of excitement coursed through him. This was the real deal.
They moved cautiously through the alien forest, the only sounds their own footsteps and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures in the undergrowth. Jae-Hyun, drawing on his years of gaming experience, kept a close eye on the terrain, looking for patterns, for clues that might hint at hidden dangers or traps. He noticed a faint shimmering in the air ahead, a distortion that reminded him of a cloaking spell from Elysium.
"Hold up!" he whispered, raising a hand. "I think there's something ahead, something cloaked."
Yun-Hee narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on her sword. "What is it? Can you tell?"
Jae-Hyun shook his head. "Not sure yet. But in Elysium, those kinds of visual distortions usually meant..."
He didn't get to finish his sentence. A guttural roar ripped through the silence, and three hulking figures materialized from the shimmering air. They were reptilian humanoids, their scales a mottled green, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger. They charged, their claws outstretched.
"Ambush!" Yun-Hee shouted, springing forward to meet the attack. Her sword flashed, a blur of motion as she parried a clawed swipe.
Jin-Woo chanted a quick incantation, and a bolt of fire erupted from his hand, striking one of the creatures in the chest. It roared in pain, but the attack didn't seem to do much damage.
"Their scales are tough!" Jin-Woo yelled. "Aim for the eyes!"
The battle was a chaotic dance of claws, steel, and magic. Jae-Hyun, though lacking in combat skills, found himself analyzing the creatures' movements, calling out their attack patterns, and directing his teammates.
"Yun-Hee, to your left! Jin-Woo, behind you!"
They fought with a desperate intensity, their teamwork slowly gaining the upper hand. Finally, with a well-aimed strike from Yun-Hee, the last creature fell. They stood panting, adrenaline coursing through their veins.
"That was..." Jae-Hyun gasped, "intense."
Jin-Woo nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "These things are tougher than they look."
Jae-Hyun examined the fallen creatures. "They remind me of the Drakonian Lurkers from Elysium. But these are... different. Stronger."
As they caught their breath, a strange feeling crept over Jae-Hyun. He scanned their surroundings, his senses on high alert. Something wasn't right.
"We're being watched," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath.
A cold voice echoed through the trees. "Impressive. But you won't get far."
A figure stepped out from behind a massive tree trunk. Tall and cloaked, their face obscured by a hood, they exuded an aura of menace.
"Shadow Guild," Yun-Hee hissed, her hand instinctively reaching for her sword.
The figure chuckled, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Jae-Hyun's spine. "You're more perceptive than I expected, little heroes. But this dungeon... it belongs to us now."