"Hmm, this is unexpected…"
Standing outside the carriage, Vincent looked up at the warped sky where streaks of red and pale white light bled together like torn fabric. A crooked smile slowly crept onto his face, though there was little humor behind it.
The air inside the gate felt heavy.
Like breathing through soaked cloth.
At most, a red gate could contain a tier 9 beast. That was the limit of its structure, the ceiling of power it could safely hold. Anything stronger would tear the dungeon apart and cause a catastrophic break.
But those words.
Higher Realm.
Vincent's eyes narrowed slightly.
That meant the creature waiting ahead had already stepped beyond the mortal boundary. Something that had crossed the final threshold.
A Transcendent.
"Liana, make sure the kids don't die," Vincent said calmly as he pulled out his chains.
The dark metal links slid across his palm with a faint scraping sound as he wrapped them tightly around his fists.
Cold.
Heavy.
He was technically already beyond tier 9. The only thing left was the ritual that would anchor him fully into that stage.
Unfortunately, that ritual had not yet been completed.
Which meant one thing.
Whether he could actually fight a Transcendent or not… was still a question even he did not know the answer to.
The party continued forward into the warped space.
The ground looked normal at first glance, but the deeper they walked, the more wrong it felt. Grass grew in strange patches and the trees twisted at unnatural angles.
A faint red mist drifted across the forest floor.
Suddenly—
Woosh.
Zeke stepped forward and pulled a round disk plate from his waist.
With a sharp motion he flung it forward like a boomerang.
The spinning weapon cut through the air with a clean whistle before slicing straight through the neck of a white tailed deer grazing between the trees.
The animal dropped instantly.
[You have slain a white tailed Deer]
Zeke caught the returning plate smoothly and clipped it back onto his belt.
He was a tier 3 warrior. Young, broad shouldered, with the sort of body that came from constant training rather than vanity. His movements were quick and efficient.
But his most dangerous trait was his eyes.
Sharp.
Observant.
Always calculating.
"Good," Vincent said with a nod of approval.
These creatures were nothing more than small fry. Beasts trapped inside the dungeon that had slowly rotted under the influence of the warp corruption.
Their eyes were dull.
Their movements sluggish.
Vincent had no interest in wasting energy on them.
That was the purpose of having a team.
As they advanced deeper into the dungeon, the group naturally began forming small formations, each member stepping in when beasts emerged from the trees.
Steel flashed.
Bodies dropped.
The lowest ranked person here was tier 3.
Under normal circumstances that alone would make them formidable fighters.
But a red gate was another matter entirely.
And slowly… doubt began creeping into their thoughts.
"You've seen the two act before, do you think they can handle this?" Wilder asked quietly.
He rode beside Victoria, keeping his voice low as their horses moved steadily along the dirt path.
Victoria looked pale as always.
Her skin had that faintly sick tone, though the life in her eyes was far stronger than before.
"When they healed me I was unconscious," she said after a moment.
"So I'm not sure."
They all knew the risk they were walking into.
A red gate was no place for amateurs.
But there was a demon hunter with them.
Demon hunters were not just respected within the kingdom.
They were feared.
They hunted creatures most soldiers wouldn't even dare look at.
And more importantly, they were valuable.
Extremely valuable.
The kingdom would never casually send one to die on a mission.
That alone gave the group some fragile confidence.
"But he seems to be much stronger than her," Victoria muttered.
Her gaze drifted toward Vincent walking ahead.
The others followed her line of sight.
Liana was a tier 6 demon hunter.
Someone like that would normally command entire squads.
Yet beside Vincent she behaved almost like a subordinate.
That alone spoke volumes.
Then suddenly—
Woosh.
Liana's figure blurred.
One moment she was walking several meters behind.
The next she appeared beside Vincent as if she had stepped through the air itself.
"It's coming towards us on its own volition," Vincent muttered.
His eyes scanned the forest.
A faint tremor ran through the ground beneath their feet.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
Dungeon raids normally followed a pattern.
Waves of monsters would emerge to slow down the raiding party, forcing them to fight through layers of resistance before reaching the dungeon boss.
That way the boss could conserve its strength.
But sometimes…
When a dungeon neared a prison break.
The rules changed.
Monsters became restless.
Erratic.
Even aggressive.
And occasionally the boss itself would move.
[Warning. A being of a higher realm has set its sights upon you]
The notification appeared in front of Vincent.
For a brief moment the forest fell silent.
Even the wind stopped moving.
Then somewhere in the distance…
Something enormous shifted.