Chapter 664 - Chapter 664. Grand Opening Of The Dungeon.

Leaders of the world stood in the evacuated areas of their cities. In the middle of the evacuated location, space was crackling, essence bolts striking the surroundings but leaving no damage behind. 

Arven, with knowledge much more developed than anyone else, explained that the events were a result of the 's magnitude and quality. Only that were dangerous treasure troves manifested in this manner. 

Flor's wings flapped gently, her ruby eyes looking at the twisting spatial layer in front of her with a worried look. "This is not normal." 

Ignatia stood by her side, her insectoid eyes scanning the crack with intrigue. "It's really not. Nevertheless, I do believe that it is not as dangerous as we are making it out to be. Arven already said that a recently formed rarely, if ever, causes trouble." 

Flor nodded and asked the nearby World Tree. "What do you think, Fortuna?"

Fortuna's voice enveloped the area, gentle and soothing, with a touch of etherealness. "As Ignatia said, there is no need to worry. If this crack is forming in every single city owned by Liu Shu, then it will probably be related to her. The only thing you can do is send a group inside once it opens and hope that they can come back." 

Ignatia asked softly. "Can you predict anything about it, Fortuna?" 

Fortuna didn't answer straight away. "I can't." She paused. "Even with the help of Little Fatebrushing, my senses are strangely fuzzy regarding this . It is clearly far beyond my strength." 

"That's a shame." 

Fortuna, a World Tree attuned to , developed future cognition abilities as her Levels grew. What she could see was vague at best, often a blur that she couldn't understand. 

"But… As I tried to peer into the , I felt something else." 

"Oh?" 

Golden Sap City's higher-ups turned to look at the secondary World Tree of the city, their eyes curious. 

Fortuna's gorgeous branches shimmered softly, illuminated by her lingering power and the gentle sunrays of the afternoon. "We have… visitors. Not close, not too far away. But, someone is coming." 

Her tone was soft, but as the words reached them, they all became serious. Flor pondered and spoke, her tone effortlessly commanding. "Prepare the spaceships. Start the spatial training for the armies. Since Liu Shu is Leveling Up, we will need to deal with the next invasion ourselves."

Her words were coated in a chill, frost gathering around her figure. "If someone wants to bother Liu Shu's peaceful ascension, we'll show them that our society is not a one World Tree army." 

"Yes, Lady Flor!"

After so many years at the top, Flor's presence had evolved. Now, her commanding nature felt innate, as if she had been born with it. Her intelligence, far evolved from her Rose Fairy Queen days, developed together with her position in the world.

Now, even without Liu Shu's backing, most would agree that Flor's position was earned. She had been basically molded by it, her growth influenced by the decades of surveying the ever-changing and evolving Golden Sap City.

Everyone began moving, while Dungeon Diving groups gathered around the world, preparing for the eventual opening of the mysterious . 

One more year passed, making six years since Liu Shu began Leveling Up. 

During all this time, Golden Sap City expanded outward, reaching the promised 100-kilometer radius. The city, now massive, formed a giant circle with a diameter of 200 kilometers. In one of the city's sections, Fortuna stood towering, her body visible from nearly the entirety of the city. 

However, compared to being in the very middle, she was nothing but an afterthought. Liu Shu's body had grown at a terrifying pace. 

From her previous 12,000 meters in height to reaching over 60,000 in just six years. Mountains were nothing but bumps on the land compared to her figure. If her body were solid instead of illusory, her shadow would overwhelm the entirety of the city at all hours. 

Even Liu Shu's family was awed each time they looked at the gargantuan creature. Especially at night, when her body's glow illuminated the skies like a second layer of blue stars. 

It was exactly six years after Liu Shu's sleep that the finally formed. 

Liu Shu could hear it, but the reported things faithfully. 

[Dungeon System: Congratulations! is now open. All monsters inside have awakened.] 

Suddenly, the stilled, looking inside the . 

She noticed that the Boss Monsters were looking around, their senses sweeping everything. Then, one of them raised her gorgeous staff. "[Eternal Barrier Collapse]." 

BOOM!!!

The world inside the shook, the dimensional walls wobbling under the brutality of her spell. 

[Danger! is trying to escape the 's confines.] 

[Sending warning…]

The suddenly saw a notification in front of her. 

[, please behave. You are now inside a . Any further attempts at breaking through its confines will be penalized.] 

The , a woman over 100 meters tall, raised her perfectly crafted eyebrow and hummed. "I see. What a surprise." 

Her gaze pierced through the dimensional layers, and she blinked. "Oh? My master is a World Tree. A gorgeous one at that." 

She chuckled and shook her head. "I can sense that she is not conscious… Hm. Well, it matters not. I'll just wait for her to wake up." 

Then, her staff gently tapped the ground, and the world around her transformed. Giant pillars formed, soaring to the sky at ridiculous speeds. Walls rose around them, everything intertwining into a complex yet imposing crystal-and-wooden structure. 

Behind her, massive steps befitting her incredible stature manifested. The blue, crystalline steps were mixed with wood, one that identically mimicked Liu Shu's root's texture and looks. 

After climbing the 20th step, the ground flattened before her, and a grand throne manifested. She walked calmly, spun with grace and elegance, and sat down. Once she did, the world's time and space seemed to shift, falling under her control. 

Her lips arched, amused. "What incredible powers… I am a , right? What is my beautiful World Tree master even thinking? With this strength… Heh." 

Her smile, regal and confident, would leave anyone looking breathless. Not speaking further, she closed her eyes, gently resting her face on her fist, waiting for the unfortunate souls that would eventually face her. 

Meanwhile, in another section of the , the was having another headache. 

The second boss monster was different from the first. If one had to compare, it would better fit the description of a natural disaster than that of an entity. 

The world it manifested in, planned by Liu Shu, soon fell under its boundless control. 

Once he took over, it tried to pierce out and devour the itself. 

Of course, once it tried, the bonked it a few times, as if spanking a naughty child, constantly flooding it with warnings. 

Eventually, it calmed and settled down. 

***

Dungeon Name: Eternal Trial Domain

Dungeon Level: 100 ~ 199.

Difficulty Rating: Normal~Corrupt Nightmare. 

Unique Traits: , , , . 

***

Outside, unaware of the disaster that the nearly caused, everyone was looking at the panel of the new . 

Arven stood in front of the magnificent blue, purple, and green portal, his gaze locked on the third line of the panel.

"...Corrupt Nightmare."

He had heard of that difficulty. If the previous difficulty, World Heart Epic, was something even veteran explorers hesitated participating in, those who tackled Corrupt Nightmare difficulty would need to have a screw loose in their heads. 

He heard that conquering such a gave rewards that would completely alter one's destiny, making them unparalleled geniuses. However, even among those successful, most ended up with their spirits broken. 

The word "Nightmare" was not used lightly, as the death rate in Corrupt Nightmare dungeons was over 99%. 

Only fools, overconfident people, and desperate ones dared challenge such difficulty. 

Flor and other important leaders stood by Arven's side, waiting for him to analyze the risks of the . 

"There is only one thing I want to say," Arven spoke, his face deathly serious. "If someone falls inside, and they ever see the difficulty changing to [Corrupt Nightmare], I want them to instantly—unhesitantly—use their escape tools." 

Everyone was confused, but Arven wanted to make his point clear. "Inside Corrupt Nightmare difficulty, there are chances of encountering monsters with S Tier strength, and perhaps something above that." 

Everyone was not unfamiliar with S Tier Boss Monsters. The Young Earth Dragon in the Rumbling Earth Dungeon had the strength of one, after all. 

However, one person suddenly caught the strangeness in Arven's words. "Wait… You said monsters. Didn't you mean Boss Monsters?" 

"No." Arven shook his head. "Normal monsters can reach the S Tier in Corrupt Nightmare difficulty." 

Everyone's stomach flipped, their faces paling. Verdantia spoke with a tense look. "We must inform everyone. No, we must make it a necessity and requirement for groups to have escape tools with them before they dive into this place. Those without it will receive a penalization, even if they later successfully complete the ."

Arven smiled wryly. 'Complete? I didn't say it because I am unsure of this information, but… I heard some Boss Monsters inside can reach the legendary SS Tier.' 

Revealing this information wouldn't be accurate, as it was just rumors he heard. Still, he knew what he had to do now. 

"Isolate the area. Lady Fortuna, please make sure no one reckless enough divines inside. We need to send an exploration group first and gather information. Lady Flor, please make a worldwide ban in the Eternal Trial Dungeon for the next two years at least." 

Everyone didn't dare take his words lightly. Arven had been nothing but compliant with their cooperation. While he wasn't really someone who would betray the Explorer's Association, as long as conflicts didn't arise, he would use everything in his power to support Liu Shu. 

He had shown it plenty of times, helping with rare materials and other knowledge that even Elyne and the others had difficulty acquiring. 

So, no one treated him badly. Perhaps he was not a friend, but he was an undeniable ally. 

It took around four months before 10 formed, ready to dive into the . 

Standing in front of the menacing portal, Arven turned and spoke with a serious tone. "Your parties have all been carefully selected and armed with A+ Tier escape scrolls. I don't want to lose any of you, so as long as you sense even a hint of danger, I want all of you to escape."

He spoke in a low tone. "Remember. Exploration is not done at once, but slowly and methodically. That's why we are called Explorers and not adventurers. We are meticulous; we explore and discover new locations, revealing their deepest information. Leave recklessness for those adventurers who search for the thrill of the unknown. We, as explorers, will be the ones who pave the way forward." 

"YES, SIR!"