A heavy silence lingered between Nitish and Aaryan for a long while.
"Bro, listen... maybe you should head home now. Get some rest before logging into Celestial Domain, and don't stress about it—there's nothing wrong," Aaryan said, deeply concerned after seeing the confusion and exhaustion on his friend's face.
"Yeah... I'll get going. Bye," Nitish replied.
Once he reached home, instead of logging into Celestial Domain, Nitish lay down for a bit and soon drifted off to sleep.
As he slept, a mysterious voice began echoing through his dreams.
"Recognize yourself.You are not ordinary."
In his sleep, Nitish mumbled softly, "Who are you?"
"Recognize who you are.You are no ordinary human."
Suddenly, Nitish's eyes shot open. He saw that he had a missed call from his parents.
"Ahh..." he muttered, then quickly called his father back.
His father picked up within seconds.
Just like Nitish, his father was slim and slightly frail.
"Son, are you doing okay? It's been a while since you called or messaged," his father asked, clearly worried.
"Oh, sorry Papa... I've just been a little busy," Nitish replied apologetically.
"It's alright, beta. Actually, I was calling to ask about that new thing—what's it called—Celestial Domain?" his father's voice suddenly softened, sounding a bit sad.
"Your mother and I were thinking... we've never really given you any big gifts in life. So I was wondering if I should send you some money to buy the teleportation device for that game. We've managed to save up a little," he said gently.
Hearing those words, Nitish's eyes welled up with tears. Even now, his father only ever thought of spending money on him.
"No, Papa. Oh—I didn't tell you, did I? I was a beta tester for this world, so I already have a teleportation device. You don't need to worry about anything. And very soon, I'll buy one for you and Mom too," Nitish reassured him.
Suddenly, his father's voice lit up with pride.
"You already have one? My son, I'm so proud of you!"
"Yes, Papa. So there's no need for you to spend anything," Nitish said, smiling.
After chatting for a little while longer, Nitish said goodbye and ended the call.
There was a different kind of fire stirring in Nitish's heart.
"I don't care where these sudden changes in me are coming from. But one thing's for sure—I'll never let my parents worry because of me!" Determined, Nitish quickly drank an A-rank solution, did some light stretching and warm-up exercises, and then logged back into Celestial Domain.
As soon as he logged in, he noticed that Aaryan had already left a note with Blackstone and had departed early for Pink Blossom Town.
"Poor guy… he was so stressed because of me that he's trying to handle everything on his own," Nitish murmured with a faint smile. Without wasting any more time, he too set off toward Pink Blossom Town.
FwooooooOOOOOOOshhhh~
Nitish sprinted swiftly through the forest when he suddenly heard a low growl nearby.
"Well, guess I'll get a quick warm-up in," he said with a smirk.
Just as three Grey Wolves leapt out of the bushes toward him, Nitish blocked their attacks with his Defensive Blade and countered with a Harakiri Slash.
–50 HP, –50 HP, –50 HP, –5 HP, –5 HP...
Nitish's eyes lit up as he watched one of the wolves take seven ticks of 5 HP bleeding damage in quick succession.
Without hesitation, he struck another wolf with a powerful Draconic Strike.
BOOM!–200 HP, –5 HP, –5 HP...
Within just ten minutes, Nitish had taken down all three wolves.
You have killed Grey Wolf (Level 3). You have gained 290 EXP!
After collecting the loot from the wolves, he continued running toward his destination. Roughly an hour or two later, Nitish finally reached Pink Blossom Town.
Once there, he called Aaryan and asked him to meet in front of the town hall.
"Hey bro! How are you feeling now? Better?" Aaryan asked with concern the moment he saw Nitish.
"I'm doing great now, seriously," Nitish replied with a bright smile.
"Listen, shouldn't we sell off those common-ranked weapons? They're in pretty high demand these days," Aaryan suggested.
"No, not yet," Nitish replied firmly. "We're going to hold onto them. They'll come in handy during the upcoming dungeon raid."
"Common weapons? What would we need those for?" Aaryan asked, clearly puzzled.
"Not for us. For others," Nitish said with a calm seriousness.
Aaryan blinked, confused. For others? Since when did we open a charity?
Without lingering on the conversation, the two made their way quickly to the Pink Evernight Hall—because finally, Level 3 Party Dungeons had been unlocked in Celestial Domain!
Yes! If there was any place in Celestial Domain known as the ultimate source of loot—it was the dungeons.
Dungeons were essentially trial zones or level-based challenges where player teams participated. They had to battle through enemies, reach the boss, and defeat it. The loot dropped by these bosses was nothing short of top-tier!
Dungeons in Celestial Domain were categorized by level—and the Pink Evernight Forest was a Level 3 dungeon.
Each dungeon came with multiple difficulty settings:
Easy, Normal, Hard, and finally, Hell Mode.
Each level was significantly harder than the last—but naturally, the loot also became exponentially better at higher difficulties.
As soon as Nitish and Aaryan arrived at the Evernight Forest dungeon, their surprise grew tenfold.
The dungeon hall was bustling with people. Players were forming parties, preparing for raids, and the whole area was filled with loud chatter and excitement.
"Dude, this place is packed," Aaryan remarked, glancing around.
"Well, it's expected. It's pretty common," Nitish replied.
They stood in the middle of the hall, trying to figure out their next move.
"But bro, we need a six-member party to enter the dungeon. It's just the two of us," Aaryan pointed out.
Without hesitation, Nitish walked over to the central notice board and wrote an announcement message:
"Hiring party members for the dungeon! Pro members hiring!"
He posted the message boldly for everyone to see.
Within moments, several people noticed Nitish's announcement. Though many others had posted similar messages, this one drew more attention—not because of the message, but because of Nitish.
Nitish was still Level 1. And yet, he was calling himself a "pro player"!
"Look at this guy—how overconfident can you be? He's still Level 1 and thinks he's a pro?"
"Please! What kind of 'pro' is that? I could crush him like an insect."
It had been almost two days since Celestial Domain officially launched, and in this world, remaining at Level 1 by now was downright embarrassing. Most average players had already reached Level 2, and the experienced ones were well into Level 3.
So for someone like Nitish to declare himself a pro while still being Level 1? It was seen as pure arrogance.
Unsurprisingly, not a single person stepped forward to join his party. From everyone's perspective, joining Nitish's team would be a foolish mistake. To them, he seemed like nothing more than an overconfident, arrogant, and clueless amateur.
"What's his name? Smight?" one girl scoffed. "I'll remember that name. I'll make sure none of my friends ever even talk to someone like him."
"He's insane," someone else muttered.
People were laughing at him, mocking him openly in the hall.
Yet, there were a few among the crowd—those who read the name "Smight" and saw his face—who felt a strange sense of familiarity. As if they had seen or heard of him somewhere before…
Nitish waited for twenty minutes, but not a single person came forward to join his party. On top of that, people continued to mock and laugh at him.
Then suddenly, the crowd's attention shifted—no longer on Nitish, but on a new group of people entering the dungeon hall.
A young man stepped in, flanked by five others. The entire hall seemed to stir with excitement at their arrival.
"That's Killshot, the leader of the Assassin Creed Guild!"
"He's so handsome..."
Assassin Creed was one of the most powerful guilds in Pink Blossom Town at the moment. Their influence was unmatched, and at the center of that guild stood their leader—Killshot—a formidable assassin.
But Killshot was famous for more than just his skills.
He and his five companions had once taken down an Elite Grey Wolf, a rare and powerful creature. From that victory, Killshot had earned a bronze-ranked knife—a blade that had since become his trademark and the living proof of his strength.
Nitish looked toward Killshot, and suddenly, his heartbeat quickened. His eyes locked onto the assassin, and he couldn't look away. A strange intensity filled his gaze.
Aaryan noticed Nitish's sudden reaction and was taken aback. He leaned in, whispering with concern, "Bro, what's going on? Why are you staring at him like—"
But Aaryan's words stopped mid-sentence the moment he noticed something strange:
Killshot was staring back.
The two locked eyes—Killshot and Nitish—each observing the other in silence.
After a few seconds, Killshot finally broke the gaze and looked away.
"Boss, why were you staring at that guy?" Killshot's companion, Sheer Blade, teased him. "I mean, yeah, he looked ridiculous calling himself a pro with that dumb announcement, but still... you were seriously going to scare the poor kid."
"I don't know, man," Killshot replied, his expression turning thoughtful. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. And the moment I looked at him... something in my gut reacted—like a weird instinct."
He shook his head and brushed it off, telling his teammates not to dwell on it.
Meanwhile, Nitish tore his eyes away from Killshot and returned to waiting—hoping some new recruits might show up.
Suddenly, the dungeon hall erupted into a fresh wave of excitement—and this time, the commotion was far louder than before.
"Wait... is that—Red Snow?!"
"Holy shit! Red Snow is here?! But... the Hailstorm Guild isn't even based in this town!"
The group entering now was even more powerful than the last. Leading them was a strikingly beautiful girl, dressed in simple yet elegant red and white clothing. On her back rested a massive two-handed sword—clearly marking her as a Berserker.
"Geo Storm Sword? Impressive," Nitish murmured, recognizing the weapon immediately. Geo Storm was a bronze-ranked sword, a formidable weapon known for its power and rarity.
"Nitish, look! Red Snow herself came here! And check out her friend Blazy—she's gorgeous!" Aaryan was practically trembling with excitement.
Nitish said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on Red Snow.
"Red Snow, huh?" he whispered to himself under his breath.
As Red Snow entered the dungeon hall, she looked visibly annoyed.
"Ugh... these guys just don't learn. We walk in, and they stare at us like we're animals in a zoo," Blazy muttered, holding Snow's hand in frustration.
"It doesn't matter. We're here to clear the dungeon. There are three of us—we'll just hire three more and move on," Snow replied calmly.
Just then, her eyes caught something—Nitish's party recruitment notice... and then Nitish himself.
"What kind of idiot is this? Look—he's Level 1 and sitting here with that announcement," Blazy scoffed, laughing.
"Don't laugh. There's something... strange about him," Snow said quietly, her gaze narrowing.
Just as Nitish had recognized Snow's Geo Storm sword at a glance, Snow too had identified the weapon hanging at Nitish's waist.
She stared, eyes slightly widened.
"Who is he? Why does he have a bronze-ranked weapon? Even I only have one bronze weapon—and I'm the leader of a top guild," she thought to herself, confused and intrigued.
Still, instead of overthinking it, Snow turned back to her mission and posted her own recruitment announcement.
The moment she did, a swarm of players—especially eager young men—rushed toward her, lining up to be interviewed and hoping for a spot in her party.
"Come quickly! Don't miss this chance—join before it's too late!" Nitish shouted, trying his best to attract party members.
"Shut up, you clown! You're making me lose focus—I'm trying to watch Snow and her team! Why don't you just go die somewhere?"
"Is this guy crazy or what?"
People around him were visibly irritated.
"Snow, say what you want, but this guy is hilarious. Should we just hire him? He'd make a great court jester for the guild," Blazy joked, amused.
"Say one more word about him," Snow snapped, "and you can go join his party instead."
Blazy fell silent immediately. She had no intention of ending up in the party of this delusional loudmouth.
However, after a little while, some players finally began to approach Nitish.
But no one seemed surprised—not even a little. After all, those who came to join his party were also Level 1.
"Bro, I'm a Summoner. Can you add me?"
"I'm a Healer! An Oracle—please let me join!"
"I'm a Guardian Knight! Please hire me!"
Nitish smiled as he listened to each of them. Without hesitation, he added all three to his party. Not long after, one final player came over, completing the team.
His party now consisted of:
Iron Bear – a sturdy Guardian Knight
Blue Gem – a focused Summoner
White Jade – a young Berserker
Sparky – an energetic Oracle
Nitish looked at his new teammates and felt genuinely satisfied. Smiling with quiet confidence, he gathered them together and said, "Let's move—we're heading into the dungeon."
But the moment the new recruits joined Nitish's party, their eyes widened in disbelief. The shock wasn't because of Nitish—it was because of Aaryan's level.
"Level 3?! How is his level so high?!"
"So he must be the pro Smight-bhaiya was talking about!"
The four were suddenly filled with excitement. Whatever doubts they'd had began to fade—at least they could trust Aaryan to carry them forward.
When the rest of the players in the hall noticed Nitish's full party, they were just as surprised. But once they saw Aaryan's level, things made more sense.
Clearly, the Level 1 player with the ridiculous announcement was only gaining attention because of the powerful teammate he had.
"The clown's riding on that Cursemancer's coattails."
"If he wanted to boast, he should've used his friend's name, not his own."
Nitish didn't care about the whispers or the sarcasm. Without wasting time, he walked straight to the dungeon altar and began selecting the difficulty level.
Within just five seconds, Nitish and his entire party vanished into a flash of light.
But the moment they disappeared, shock spread across the hall.
Above the altar where Nitish had stood, a single word now glowed in red:
HELL
"Did he just choose Hell Mode?!"
"No way! He must've clicked the wrong option by mistake! Poor overconfident fool!"
So far, no one had even dared to attempt Normal Mode, let alone Hell. After all, this was everyone's first time entering the Evernight Forest Dungeon.
The dungeon was notorious. It was twisted and dangerous, filled with traps and misdirections. To reach the boss room, players had to navigate through fourteen different paths—and only three were correct. No one had figured out which ones yet.
So up to now, most teams were entering only to map out the maze.
"Boss… he chose Hell Mode," Killshot's companion muttered.
"Something's off. Let's stick to Easy Mode ourselves. We're not doing Hell Mode under any circumstances," Killshot said firmly to his squad.
"Snow? You think that guy clicked Hell Mode by accident?" Blazy asked.
"I don't know… and frankly, I don't care," Snow replied, though her eyes lingered on the glowing altar. She was curious—and definitely paying attention.
Meanwhile, inside the dungeon, panic had set in—but not for Nitish.
The rest of his team was on the verge of breaking down.
"Boss… where are we? Boss?!" Iron Bear trembled as he looked around.
They were standing in the middle of a dark, dense jungle. It was night, and the chilling air sent shivers down their spines. The trees were massive, looming overhead—and even their trunks were pitch black.
"This… is the Hell Mode of Evernight Forest Dungeon," Nitish said calmly.
"Bro, why are we here?! Did you click the wrong difficulty?" Even Aaryan sounded anxious.
"No. I chose Hell Mode. This is the one we're going to clear," Nitish said firmly.
"WHAT?! Did you bring us here to die? What kind of leader are you?!" White Jade finally snapped.
"I'm not forcing you," Nitish replied coldly. "If you want to leave—go. You're free to walk out."
"What do you really have to lose? At worst, you die and lose a level. You're all Level 1 anyway! What's there to fear?"
"If you're that afraid of risk… then get lost."
Nitish spoke with unwavering firmness. He had no interest in keeping cowards around. And besides—none of them knew that Nitish already had full knowledge of the dungeon's pathing.
After his words, the entire team fell silent.
Deep down, they knew he was right. What did they have to lose? No guild wanted them. No parties were inviting them. After all, who would willingly take on low-level nobodies like them?
"But you're also Level 1—" White Jade began, before being abruptly cut off.
"Shut it! No one questions the boss! If you've got that much of a problem, then LEAVE!" Aaryan suddenly snapped.
Everyone went completely quiet.
In their minds, Aaryan was the real pro—the reason they'd joined this party in the first place. If he trusted Nitish, then maybe they had no right to complain.
"Well done, Aaryan! You'd make a great leader—like a proper little Hitler," Nitish joked, chuckling.
"Hehe," Aaryan blushed slightly. Nitish rarely praised anyone, so even a joke meant something.
Before anyone could respond further, a bone-chilling shriek pierced through the dark jungle, followed by a wave of cold air sweeping past them. The horrifying scream sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" Iron Bear stammered, fear-struck.
"That was a Hell Scream—a special effect in Hell Mode. It's designed to scare players," Nitish explained, still smiling. "Though I won't lie, even I felt a little creeped out."
"WHAT?!" all five of them shouted in disbelief. Their own captain was afraid?
"Hu-hu-huuu," Nitish grinned, then calmly continued walking forward.
"Alright, here's the plan," he announced. "Iron Bear takes the lead. White Jade is second. Aaryan goes third. Then Blue Gem, followed by Sparky. I'll take the rear."
He laid out the formation clearly.
Upon hearing it, everyone had the same thought:What kind of leader puts himself at the very back?
Apart from Aaryan, the rest of them had already mentally labeled Nitish as a coward.
Still, with no better choice, they moved into formation and started walking forward through the dungeon.
The forest was utterly disorienting, but Nitish guided them step by step. He knew exactly which paths were traps and which were safe.
Had anyone strayed off course or gotten lost, all Nitish would've said was—
"Hehe, sowwy~"
As they continued, something caught their eye.
It was a giant rat—at least twice the size of a normal one. Its claws looked like they were made of iron, and its tail was long, sharp, and deadly.
Metal Rat (Level 2)HP: 800 / 800
"That's a LEVEL 2?!" the party members shouted in unison, nearly losing their minds.
They were all ready to bang their heads against a wall.