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Chapter 57: Domain Instance
Aiden stared at the blue-purple vortex, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
He already had a vague guess, and a sense of resigned "I knew it" washed over him.
Subconsciously, he glanced at Robin beside him and found the astute vice-captain looking at him with a strange expression.
Clearly, they were thinking the same thing.
"If I'm not mistaken," Aiden sighed helplessly, "this... is probably my fault."
Saying this, he took a step forward and reached out, touching the mysterious vortex.
The moment his fingertips contacted the halo of light, his entire body felt pulled by a gentle force, instantly enveloped in blue-purple radiance.
In the next second, a massive and clear stream of information flooded directly into his mind.
[Domain Instance: Midsummer Courtyard]
[Type: Domain of Blessing (Artifacts)]
[Description: With the fall of the ancient civilization, the once-magnificent summer palace has been buried underground. Perhaps only the ancient trees and stones remember the glories of the past.]
[Player Limit: 1-10]
[Monsters: Lv. 1 Hilichurl x20, Lv. 1 Cryo Slime x10, Lv. 1 Electro Slime x10, Lv. 1 Hydro Slime x10, Lv. 2 Mutant Electro Slime x3, Lv. 2 Large Cryo Slime x3, Lv. 3 Cryo Abyss Mage x1, Lv. 3 Fatui Electro Cicin Mage x1.]
[Drops: Artifact Sets [Resolution of Sojourner] (3-4 Star), [Adventurer] (3 Star), [Thundering Fury] (4-5 Star), Adventurer's Experience Book (Randomly increases an adventurer's ability stats by 1-100 points)]
[Clear Condition: Annihilate all monsters]
[Entry Condition: Offer Magic Stones]
[Clear Limit: 3 times]
[Drop Restriction: The higher the level and the number of participants, the lower the drop rate.]
[The Domain Instance appears randomly and will disappear after three clears.]
At the same time, the Falna engraved on Aiden's back surged with a burning sensation, as if responding to this anomaly.
The answer was obvious. This was a hidden effect of his skill, [Abyss Gazed Back], causing a "Domain Instance" that shouldn't exist to manifest in the Dungeon.
"I even spawned a dungeon instance... this is really..." Aiden sighed deeply after digesting the information.
He stepped back and said to his companions, who were still observing, "You guys try it too. Just touch it."
Robin, Tifa, and Hyacine exchanged glances. Although filled with doubts, they chose to trust Aiden's judgment. They stepped forward one by one, carefully reaching toward the vortex.
Instantly, the same stream of information flooded their minds.
"There's actually... something like this?" Robin withdrew her hand, her beautiful brows furrowing slightly. She subconsciously pressed a hand to her forehead, her expression somewhere between laughter and tears. "Monster info, drop list, entry conditions... Isn't this exactly like playing a game?"
"The difficulty is way too high, isn't it?" Tifa's focus was entirely on the monster list. She took a deep breath, her tone grave. "Over fifty monsters? Including Lv. 2 variants and even... two powerful Lv. 3 enemies? Is this really an enemy lineup that should appear in the Upper Floors?"
Everyone present knew what this meant.
The intensity of this Domain Instance, named "Midsummer Courtyard," far exceeded the coping capacity of Upper Floor adventurers. Let alone Lv. 1s, even a standard team of Lv. 2 adventurers would likely face a total wipeout upon entering.
Fortunately, the instance's information was completely transparent. Not only were the monster types and quantities listed, but the drops were also clearly stated. To some extent, this served as a warning, preventing uninformed adventurers from rushing in and dying in vain.
But the flip side of that warning was an irresistible temptation.
The "Artifact" sets were one thing, but the [Adventurer's Experience Book] alone was enough to drive any adventurer mad.
To be able to ignore talent and potential and directly increase an adventurer's Ability Scores by 1 to 100 points—this was a priceless treasure for anyone. For those adventurers who had trained their stats to the limit and were bitterly seeking a trigger to level up, this was a miracle beyond reach.
More importantly, there was no level restriction listed for this boost.
This meant that even the top adventurers in Orario, who had been stuck at Lv. 6 for years without an inch of progress, could grow using this book. At their level, raising a stat by even a single point was as difficult as ascending to heaven. A small Adventurer's Experience Book could potentially shatter the bottlenecks they had faced for years.
It was foreseeable that once the existence of the [Adventurer's Experience Book] was leaked, it would shake all of Orario, perhaps even the world.
And to snatch up the mere three chances to enter this dungeon, the major Familias would undoubtedly fight tooth and nail, perhaps even starting a bloodbath.
"Let's go. We're going in."
Aiden made the decision almost instantly.
He was bold because he was skilled. The massive number of monsters and the two powerful Lv. 3 enemies didn't make him flinch; instead, they ignited his fighting spirit.
He understood the stakes immediately. This Domain appeared because of him, but he wasn't the only one who could see or enter it. Once the word got out, entering peacefully would become impossible.
They absolutely could not miss this first opportunity.
Robin and the others clearly understood this as well, and their eyes steeled with determination.
"Alright."
The four hesitated no longer. They immediately began pulling out the Magic Stones they had collected along their journey from their packs, tossing them one by one into the blue-purple vortex.
The halo devoured the stones. The rotation of the vortex seemed to speed up slightly, but aside from that, there was no reaction.
When they had thrown in every single Magic Stone they had—loot accumulated from killing their way from the 1st Floor down to the 12th, worth at least over a hundred thousand Valis—an awkward thing happened.
The blue-purple vortex continued to float there silently, showing no sign of opening.
Not enough Magic Stones.
"...This Domain Instance really knows how to eat," Robin said, the corner of her mouth twitching. As the Familia's treasurer, she felt the pain. Over a hundred thousand Valis worth of stones thrown in, and not even a sound to show for it.
Aiden felt a headache coming on. His [Intertwined Fate] system was already a massive consumer of Magic Stones. Now, with the addition of a Domain Instance with an equally bottomless appetite, their future financial pressure was going to be immense.
"We can't wait." Aiden made a prompt decision. "You three guard this spot. Don't let other adventurers get close. I'll go collect Magic Stones. I can move faster alone."
After all, they had already invested such a huge "sunk cost." If they left now and someone else swooped in, they would lose everything.
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