After hearing Nitish's warning, Snow's team didn't show much of a reaction. They simply kept their eyes on Snow, as if waiting for her command. To them, Nitish's authority meant little to nothing.
However, the moment Nitish's own team heard his words, they instantly snapped into action like trained soldiers. Sparky immediately began charging up his healing magic, while Aaryan quickly drank a mana potion to ensure he wouldn't run out of magical energy mid-battle.
Snow subtly signaled her team to remain cautious. She didn't want them to go overboard like Smight and his group—but she also didn't want them to let their guard down.
"What exactly is a corrupted dungeon?" Snow asked, seeking confirmation. "And how do you know about it?"
"It's a kind of monstrosity... something that only happens on rare occasions," Nitish replied in a low, serious voice, then began to explain further.
"Basically, there are times when, as you select the difficulty level of a dungeon, there's a small chance it gets corrupted by the monsters inside. When that happens, the dungeon reveals its true form. And once it does, it becomes more dangerous than even hell-level difficulty. The bosses, the monsters, even the items inside—everything appears in their corrupted forms.
In such dungeons, escape is impossible. You can't back out once you're in.
There's only one way out—our deaths. And if you die inside a corrupted dungeon, you don't respawn. In fact, you won't be able to log into your account for several days. At minimum, you'll be locked out for three days, and at worst, up to seven," Nitish explained, his tone deadly serious.
Nitish's explanation sent a chill down everyone's spine—quite literally. Even Snow found herself slipping into a state of anxiety.
"Wait a second… does this mean we're trapped here now?" Blazy asked nervously, turning to Snow with wide eyes.
"Hmm," Nitish nodded, stepping forward as he took a deep breath. "Until we defeat the dungeon boss, there's nothing we can do."
He paused for a moment, lifting his gaze toward the cavern ceiling. "The wind in this cave is flowing northeast… that means there's likely an opening in that direction. We'll need to head that way."
As he began moving forward, Snow suddenly called out.
"WAIT! If you know this much, then you clearly know more about this dungeon than you're letting on! You need to tell us everything. We're all in the same danger here."
She couldn't afford for her entire party to be locked out of the game for days. Not at all.
"I had some knowledge about the Purple Mountain Dungeon," Nitish admitted calmly. "When a dungeon becomes corrupted, it resets entirely—randomly. Even the bosses change. The layout, the enemies... everything."
"SHIT!" Snow's entire party began to panic. Meanwhile, Nitish's team immediately gathered around him, standing in formation like a shield, forming a tight circle of unity and discipline.
"So, what's the plan now, boss?" Bear asked, looking at Nitish with trust in his eyes.
"We clear this dungeon," Nitish said with resolve. "Are you all ready?"
"YES, SIR!" his entire team responded in unison, their voices filled with unwavering determination.
Snow couldn't help but feel a little impressed watching Nitish and his team. Somewhere deep inside, she respected the way they moved—with unity, discipline, and trust. This, she knew, was the true advantage of being an independent party. To Nitish, his teammates weren't just allies—they were his friends… his family.
But Snow was the leader of a guild. Her party members weren't friends; they were subordinates. They were guild members—employees, essentially. If there was anyone she could call a true friend among them, it was only Blazy.
"What happens next, Snow?" Blazy asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry," Snow replied with firm determination. "Nothing bad will happen as long as I'm here."
With that, she walked toward Nitish and began to speak.
"Smight, you and your team are caught in this mess because of me. For that, I just want to sa—"
Before she could finish, Smight raised his hand, signaling her to stop.
"Why are you apologizing?" he said with a smirk. "You're acting like I didn't want the loot, like I came here out of charity or something. Come on now—even your bossy, arrogant version was better than this!"
Nitish laughed at the comment, but then a mischievous grin slowly spread across his face.
"And besides," he added, eyes gleaming, "what could be more exciting than this? Just thinking about the adventure ahead is making my blood boil! Isn't that right, my champions?!"
"OF COURSE, LEADER!" Nitish's entire team shouted back with a laugh, their spirits high and unshaken.
Snow and her party were left completely stunned by Nitish's words. How could someone be excited in a moment like this? Even in the face of danger, he radiated energy as if he were about to embark on the thrill of a lifetime. Still, no one wasted more time questioning it—they all began moving forward.
Slowly but steadily, the group advanced through the dungeon. But what struck them as truly strange was the silence. Nearly an hour had passed, and yet, not a single monster had attacked them.
The quiet made everyone uneasy. Something about it didn't feel right. Even Nitish, usually calm and collected, began to grow slightly nervous. His system guide, which had always supported him with information, could no longer assist him here.
After walking a bit further, they were startled by a sudden, gut-wrenching animal scream echoing through the cave. Turning toward the sound, they saw a massive creature dragging a mountain lion across the ground like a ragdoll.
The beast was grotesquely large—a horrifying blend between a gorilla and a crocodile. Its snout resembled that of a crocodile, though not as long, and its hulking body was built like a gorilla's, covered in crocodile-like armored skin.
Luckily, the monster was still some distance away, and it hadn't noticed them yet—a small mercy in the otherwise tense atmosphere.
But then, something happened that turned everyone's stomach, especially the girls in the group, who nearly threw up on the spot.
The monstrous creature suddenly tore the mountain lion in half with its bare hands. Blood splattered in every direction. And then, without hesitation, it began devouring the lion's intestines, slurping them down like a grotesque feast.
Terrifying.
That was the one word echoing in everyone's mind.
"Now you've seen what really happens inside a corrupted dungeon," Nitish muttered, letting out a long breath.
It was now clear—this dungeon was filled entirely with corrupted creatures, and those monsters didn't just hunt players… they hunted each other. Nitish finally understood why they hadn't encountered a single enemy on the way here. The truth was simple—and horrifying: that monstrous beast they'd just seen had likely slaughtered every other creature along its path.
"So what do we do now?" Snow asked in a low voice, turning to Nitish.
"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted honestly.
"What if we follow it?" Snow suggested. "Who knows—it might lead us to the boss room."
Nitish hesitated. The thought was risky. What if the monster wasn't heading to a boss chamber, but to a nest… where more like it were waiting?
Snow sensed his doubt and pressed him.
"Unless you've got a better plan, I'm open to hearing it."
Nitish didn't respond. He simply growled softly under his breath and continued walking. That was all the signal they needed.
The group began trailing the monster in silence.
After nearly fifteen minutes of cautious pursuit, they watched the creature join four others—beasts just like it. Now there were five of them, all standing together.
Even before anyone could react, the monsters suddenly turned… and locked eyes with the group.
Their faces twisted into cruel, merciless grins.
Nitish and Snow froze in alarm. Before they could warn the team, a guttural growl echoed from behind them.
They spun around—and their hearts sank.
At least seven more of those same monsters had appeared, silently encircling them from the rear.
Twelve in total.
They were completely surrounded.
"SHIT! IT'S A TRAP! EVERYONE, GET READY!" Nitish shouted, his voice sharp with urgency.
The corrupted monsters came charging at them with terrifying speed. The sound of their stampeding feet was like a localized earthquake shaking the very ground beneath them.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Their roars tore through the cavern air, confirming what everyone already feared—this battle was going to be absolutely brutal.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The monsters attacked from both sides simultaneously. Bear and Hemant, the tanks of the team, stepped forward to block the onslaught—but even they wore expressions of panic and disbelief.
They raised their shields just in time, bracing for impact, but something was wrong.
Even though they blocked the blows, their health still dropped.
Blazy launched her Red Dragon Fist, slamming it directly into one of the beasts. But the result was shocking—it dealt only 200 damage, barely enough to make the creature flinch.
CORRUPTED LIZARMS (LEVEL 7)HP: 7900 / 7900
Twelve of these monstrous lizarms surrounded them. The pressure was overwhelming. Panic began to set in.
One of the lizarms suddenly lunged at Forest Brown, its jagged claws aimed straight for his neck. Night Ranger and Paradise froze in fear—they were supposed to be guarding him.
"NO!" Forest Brown screamed, instinctively closing his eyes, bracing for death.
CLANG! SLASH!
GAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!
Just before the claws could reach him, a massive blade came crashing down. With one powerful swing, it sent the lizarm flying several feet back.
-100 HP
"THANK YOU, LEADER!" Brown gasped as he opened his eyes.
Standing in front of him, sword drawn and unwavering, was Red Snow.
That was his leader—and in that moment, something shifted inside him.
As long as she was there, he felt safe.
Nothing could touch him.
Snow didn't wait for a single moment. Without hesitation, she surged toward the remaining monsters, her blade gleaming under the dim light of the dungeon. At the same time, Nitish continued supporting Bear, skillfully maneuvering his sword to block and retaliate.
Everyone was moving quickly, their coordination sharp despite the chaos. But before the corrupted lizarms could launch their next wave of attacks—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the ground.
Eyes widened in disbelief as one of the lizarms went flying, crashing down several meters away.
-200 HP
They all turned just in time to see Nitish retracting his blade from the follow-through of a brutal strike. The sheer power behind it was undeniable.
"Two hundred damage?!" Blazy's jaw dropped. "That's the same as my Red Dragon Fist! What the hell…?"
But what happened next shocked them even more.
Nitish charged forward like a storm unleashed, tearing through the battlefield. With fury in his eyes and terrifying speed, he began attacking three lizarms at once—his blade dancing between them with vicious precision. It was as if something had taken over him—an obsession, an urgency—like he needed to kill them now.
"BLUE GEM! NOW!" Nitish shouted without taking his eyes off his enemies.
Without a second of hesitation, Blue Gem raised his hand and summoned a glowing white eagle.
The radiant spirit creature soared through the air, streaking toward Nitish like a beam of light. Upon reaching him, the eagle merged with his armor—vanishing into his breastplate.
And then... wings appeared.
A pair of bright, feathered wings erupted from Nitish's back, spreading wide like those of a celestial warrior.
"W-What?" Snow's party could barely process what they were seeing.
First came Nitish's overwhelming strike—far stronger than they had imagined. Then, without fanfare, Blue Gem summoned a spirit capable of granting flight?
None of it made sense.
Snow watched quietly. She didn't flinch, didn't comment. Deep down, she had already begun to understand—
Nitish and his party were far from ordinary.
Using the wings that had just burst from his back, Nitish launched himself into the air and began a relentless assault on the advancing lizarms.
"HARAKIRI SLASH!CHOP!PARRY!DEFENSIVE BLADE!"
He unleashed one skill after another in rapid succession, cutting through the battlefield like he had been waiting for this very moment. Every move was clean, practiced, and brutal—his timing impeccable.
And yet, while Snow's party was stunned by Nitish's explosive power, Nitish's own team was equally surprised.
Because on the other side of the battlefield, Snow and Blazy were putting on a performance of their own.
Blazy's spellcasting speed was nothing short of astonishing. She fired off spells back to back, with almost no delay between incantations—faster even than Aaryan, the team's main mage.
But it was Snow who truly left them speechless.
The precision of her attacks, the fluidity of her movement, and the grace with which she weaved between offense and defense—it was unreal. For the first time, Nitish's team was witnessing someone who could stand on equal ground with their leader.
She wasn't just fast—she was flawless. Her sense of timing was even sharper than Nitish's. She struck exactly when she needed to, and defended with split-second perfection.
-30 HP, -35 HP, -40 HP, -120 HP-60 HP, -60 HP, -80 HP
Blow after blow, the damage dealt by both Nitish and Snow was nearly identical.
And that realization left Nitish's team in stunned silence.
They knew how powerful their leader was. They had seen him decimate enemies that others couldn't even scratch. For someone to keep up with him so effortlessly...
It could only mean one thing—Snow was no ordinary player.
But Snow didn't share the same enthusiasm as the others.
Deep down, she was feeling something else entirely—disappointment.
In her mind, Nitish had always been a tier below her. Yet here he was, dealing just as much damage as she was.
By that logic... wasn't he better?
Everyone was now fighting with renewed energy and determination. In fact, Nitish and Snow had naturally begun fighting side by side—perfectly in sync.
SLASH! SLASH! CLANG!
Whenever a blow came at Snow—one too strong or too fast for her to block—Nitish was there, parrying it without hesitation.
And when Nitish was caught off guard by an attack he couldn't dodge or deflect in time, it was Snow who intercepted it with flawless precision.
Watching their leaders fight like this—back to back, covering each other's blind spots—the rest of the team felt a surge of adrenaline. It was no longer just about survival. There was a spark now. A belief. A rhythm.
Suddenly—
"SNOW!" Nitish shouted.
He hurled a throwing knife with deadly accuracy at a charging lizarm.
BOOM!GAAAAAAAARHHHH!
The blade pierced its target, and the lizarm let out a blood-curdling roar. In that same instant, Snow dashed forward and unleashed a powerful strike on another nearby lizarm.
BOOM!
The impact was so fierce, it sent her target flying—straight into the one Nitish had just hit.
The two corrupted beasts crashed into each other, collapsing into a tangled mess of blood and fury.
"AARYAN! NOW!" Nitish shouted.
Immediately, Aaryan responded. With a swift motion, he unleashed his Black Whip skill, dark chains of magic coiling out and binding the two wounded lizarms in place.
At the same moment, Blazy leapt forward.
"RED DRAGON FIST!" she roared.
A violent explosion followed.
BOOOOOM!
The final sliver of health the lizarms had left was obliterated in a flash of red energy. Both monsters collapsed, lifeless.
"That was the last of them," Brown said, panting heavily.
Both healers were completely out of mana. Hemant was barely clinging to life with only 10% health remaining. Bear was in relatively better condition, but only because he had been skillfully mixing dodges with his blocks throughout the fight.
Blazy, Aaryan, and Blue Gem were all nearly out of mana. Night Ranger, White Jade, and Paradise were also critically wounded—just one or two hits away from collapse.
"We… we did it," Blazy said between heavy breaths, finally slumping onto a large rock.
"Yes… we all did it together," said Paradise with a rare smile—he was usually quiet, but even he couldn't hold back his relief.
Snow looked around at her exhausted team. Seeing their drained faces and trembling hands, she made a decision.
"We're resting here. All of us. No arguments," she said firmly.
The moment the words left her mouth, everyone began to relax. They dropped to the ground with sighs of relief and started pulling out whatever food and supplies they had packed in their bags.
The battlefield, moments ago filled with roars and chaos, now fell into a calm hush—broken only by the soft rustling of food packets and the occasional breath of relief.
While the others rested, Nitish didn't sit down. Instead, he quietly walked a little further ahead to scout the surrounding area.
Noticing him separating from the group, Snow followed and soon caught up beside him.
"Come on, take a break," she said, offering him a faint smile for the first time. "You fought incredibly well. I had a feeling bringing you along would be worth it."
Her tone was still casual, but there was something sincere beneath it.
"I will. Eventually," Nitish replied with a shrug. "You should go back and collect the loot from those monsters. Just leave us our 40%."
"That 40-60 split was only when we were doing the Purple Mountain Dungeon," Snow responded, her voice calm but firm. "But now, our teams are trapped together. The share will be equal. In fact, you're going to collect it."
Nitish's eyes widened slightly. He stared at her, genuinely surprised.
Since when had Snow started being generous toward him?
He kept looking at her, almost suspiciously, as if trying to figure out whether she was being sarcastic or planning something.
Snow noticed his gaze and gave a soft, fake cough to break the silence.
"Don't look so shocked," she said in a lighter tone. "Let's just say I've finally returned a favor."
Nitish let out a small laugh.
Then, without another word, the two of them turned and walked back toward the group—side by side.