Everything changed the moment I stepped through the orange gate.
The atmosphere itself grew dense, golden light distorting into a muted bronze as I fell... no—descended, through the void.
Through my blurred vision, fragments of knowledge from eras long past flashed in my mind.
A once thriving city, established in a vast desert that stretched as far as the eye could see, camels and merchants moved through the searing sun, attempting to transport their goods.
Even though they hailed from different origins, most headed toward nearly the same destination: The grand cities.
The same flourishing cities I witnessed, they ranged from towering pyramids to expansive walls that enclosed various houses resembling medieval brickwork.
The sight was breathtaking, but almost instantly, the world seemed to fast forward, as jagged peaks that hadn't existed emerged from nothing, and the once magnificent city was reduced to cinders.
Leaving only fragments behind, and even those who survived were condemned as sustenance for drifters, while some merely perished from starvation.
But at the heart of that once majestic world stood a graceful figure, a lone queen who sat on a desolate throne bearing the weight of her people while dying of hunger—she was Nefertari, the most beautiful one.
I felt tears slip down my cheeks as my body struck the floor of an altar.
The ceiling was still intact, so I was certain I hadn't fallen from the sky directly. It was merely an illusion.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, uncertain why exactly I felt irritated, perhaps because of the world I had seen or the absurdity of my current circumstances.
"Another change in the plot," I murmured.
According to the plot, the dungeon we were meant to enter was a standard type, which meant that unlike special dungeons, which exist in alternate worlds—they were supposed to resemble any typical dungeon.
A vast rocky plain with a boss chamber and abundant mana stones, but based on the configuration of this world and the presence of a Chronicle, which are histories of a fallen world fused with the demon realms—we were unquestionably in a special dungeon.
"Just my luck." I scanned the expansive hall, gaining awareness before rising to my feet.
'It looks like I ended up in a Cathedral,' I thought, my gaze fixed on the statue-like figure that stood on the podium. 'Church, huh…?'
I wasn't a Christian nor a Muslim. Truth be told, I knew little to nothing about religion, but even then I could discern, "This is the work of the demonic cult, and from the blood everywhere, it is unmistakably the work of the Uton Order, one of the seven orders of the demonic cult."
Shaking off every unnecessary thought, I stepped out of the Cathedral, which was dimly illuminated by the black sky and pale crimson moon.
The ground beneath my feet was golden, as my face tightened into a frown.
Dismembered bodies lay scattered, decapitated heads and crushed torsos.
I felt a sudden urge to vomit, as my stomach churned, but held it in. This was what life after the academy would be, so I had to adapt.
"It's not like I can escape to my world." I balanced my trembling legs, steadied my breathing, and pressed forward.
Golden sand, tombs, and pyramids were the only features my eyes could detect, even with the aid of clairvoyance.
It was as if the world had been crudely painted by a frightened child, eerie shadows crawled up the walls as if seeking refuge.
The moon appeared haunting, as though something could emerge at any moment.
The golden sand that resembled crushed gold bars shifted slightly, as though something alive was moving beneath it, which I was certain was the case.
Letting out an exasperated sigh and nodding decisively, I returned into the Cathedral—the first priority was to gather information.
And fortune was on my side since this area wasn't entirely unfamiliar to me, as this was a dungeon that Matt and his coven had completed during their second year.
Nefertari—the most beautiful land, born from the anguish and sorrow of the Nefertarians.
But relying on that vague information would only get me killed.
To be honest, I wasn't even certain of the dungeon's clear condition, so for now the priority was survival, then a bit of trial and error.
"And to worsen the situation, no team would agree to cooperate." I covered my face with my palm, unable to comprehend the fate that awaited us.
By this point, I had already become accustomed to things not going my way, so a few shifts in the plot here and there weren't too bad, but this time was simply insane.
Why? Because I forgot to mention: this wasn't the same uncleared gate we were meant to enter. It seems both Alyan and Deerheart had used some kind of magic scroll or order to send us into a different dungeon.
Since the original gate was meant to be Tier Seven, something most first-years could handle, but now it was a Tier Six, which required a B-rank to conquer.
"First, let's find a good spot to sleep." From the stopwatch I brought with me, which was the only way to track time inside the dungeon, I could tell it was nearing nighttime already.
And one of the many rules that every living creature followed during the night in Nefertari was—never remain awake past eight.
I already knew the consequences of not complying. Honestly, just writing about it gave me nightmares for a month.
"So I have food rations to last a week and a billow bag for sleeping, along with the Arian watch to check the time." I smiled at the items I pulled from my dimensional bag, which only appeared full because I packed it beyond its limit.
------
Setting up the tent was simple since the billow bag was just a sack that, after being struck seven times, transforms into a tent that even had a formed structure around it.
I had already set a timer on the watch and placed my food and water rations for the day in the tent.
Now all that remained was a brief exploration of the Cathedral before the time ran out.
And since I couldn't light a fire due to Nefertari's rules, I had to exhaust my mana using clairvoyance, but at least I had my trump card, Fifth-Time, in case I encountered an enemy.
"Let's head off."
I summoned the Regulator and Nightwing Vestige and moved swiftly toward the door several meters away from the Cathedral's center, where my tent was stationed—today, I intended only to investigate that single room.
Because one thing I knew about churches, especially the really creepy ones—was never to wander around.
'Maybe I should have included that as a rule too,' I smiled crookedly. I really needed to learn how to behave normally in situations like this. 'Let's not jinx it.'
Just as I took a single step toward the door, my knee buckled, and I felt my limbs tear.
My voice turned hoarse, rendering me unable to even scream, my vision blurred, and only the image of the wooden door now engraved in my memory was the only thing that remained visible.
"Damnit, a drifter and a high-ranked one," I struggled to say.
Regaining composure and slowly rising to my feet, I moved in the opposite direction and headed toward my tent, it was best to leave exploration of haunted locations for when daylight returned.
I entered the tent and zipped it closed, tucked myself in, and slowly ate the dried jerky.
The wind howled and the sand sounded as if racing across the land. I could feel a hazy fog envelop the world as I slowly drifted into sleep.
Tomorrow, I needed to find allies first—