Chapter 6: The First Real Challenge
Marcus gathered our new guild in front of the town's abandoned warehouse. It was the biggest building available for guilds to claim, and he'd already registered it through the system before anyone else thought to.
[New Dawn Guild Hall Established]
[Current Members: 23]
[Guild Level: 1]
Inside, the warehouse was mostly empty. Stone floors, wooden support beams, and a few NPCs that would sell basic supplies. Nothing fancy, but it was ours.
"Alright, listen up," Marcus said, standing on a crate so everyone could see him. "We're splitting into four grinding parties. Five people each, balanced composition. Jake's going to lead Party A to a hidden dungeon he knows about. I'll take Party B to the wolves. Sophia, you take Party C to the riverside. Sarah, Party D stays here and does town quests for safe experience."
People nodded. It was a solid plan.
"One more thing," Marcus continued. "Death is permanent now. That means we don't take stupid risks. If a fight looks bad, you run. I don't care if it costs you experience or pride. A dead guild member is useless. Understood?"
"Understood," everyone said in unison.
Marcus pointed at me. "Jake, pick your four."
I scanned the group. I needed people who could survive a level 10 dungeon. Emma was level 8, okay DPS. I needed a tank and a healer for sure.
"I'll take Emma," I said. She smiled. "I need a tank. You." I pointed at a guy named [David_Shield], level 7, looked competent. "A healer." I pointed at [Sarah_Healing]. "And one more DPS." My eyes landed on a rogue player, level 9, username [Alex_Shadow]. "You. You're with me."
They all nodded and joined my party.
"Where are we going?" David asked.
"The Whispering Caves. It's northeast of here, hidden in the forest. Level 10-15 dungeon. If we clear it, we'll all hit level 10 minimum, maybe higher."
"That's suicide," Alex said. "We're not high enough level."
"You're not," I said. "I am. I'll handle most of the damage. You just keep me alive and clean up what I don't one-shot."
David frowned. "You can one-shot level 10 mobs?"
"Watch and learn."
We left the guild hall and headed toward the forest. The starting town was still chaotic, but it was getting organized. Other guilds were forming. People were realizing panic wouldn't save them.
Emma walked next to me. "Hey, thanks for picking me."
"You're a good DPS," I said. Not entirely true, but she wasn't useless either.
"I know things are weird right now with the whole death game thing, but... earlier was nice. What happened between us."
I glanced at her. She was trying to read my expression, looking for reassurance that we were still something.
"Yeah," I said. "It was."
That seemed to satisfy her. She smiled and focused on the path ahead.
We reached the forest in fifteen minutes. The gray wolves were still there, prowling between trees. David raised his shield.
"I'll tank them. Jake, you—"
I raised my hand and fired.
[Arcane Missile]
The wolf exploded into pixels.
CRITICAL HIT! 2,941 DAMAGE!
Everyone stared.
"Holy shit," Alex whispered.
"What the fuck kind of damage is that?" David said.
"Enhanced Archmage skills," I said. "Now come on. We're burning daylight."
I led them deeper into the forest, one-shotting every wolf that came near us. The party just followed behind, barely doing anything. By the time we reached the cave entrance, they'd all gained half a level just from watching me work.
"This is the dungeon," I said, pushing aside the vines. "Stay close. Don't pull extra mobs. If I say run, you run. Got it?"
They nodded.
We entered the Whispering Caves.
The blue moss illuminated the tunnels. Water dripped from the ceiling. And in the first chamber, three Stone Golems turned to face us.
[Stone Golem - Level 12]
[Stone Golem - Level 12]
[Stone Golem - Level 13]
David's face went pale. "Three at once? We can't—"
"I can," I said.
I raised both hands.
"Meteor Strike."
The ceiling exploded. Four massive flaming rocks dropped from above and crushed all three golems instantly.
CRITICAL HIT! 16,284 DAMAGE!
CRITICAL HIT! 15,947 DAMAGE!
CRITICAL HIT! 16,592 DAMAGE!
All three golems crumbled to dust.
[Stone Golem] DEFEATED!
[Stone Golem] DEFEATED!
[Stone Golem] DEFEATED!
My party just stood there in stunned silence.
"What the fuck," Sarah finally said. "What the actual fuck."
Emma was smiling. Not her fake smile. A real one. She was realizing what it meant to be partied with me.
She was realizing I wasn't just strong.
I was untouchable.
"Come on," I said, walking deeper into the dungeon. "We've got a boss to kill."
They followed without question.
And for the first time since the death game announcement, I felt like I was in control.
This timeline was mine.
And no one was going to take it from me.