And it had begun.
The dungeon had opened itself.
It was almost as if it were giving everyone an invitation to enter the war. The sudden opening caught everyone off guard, but they quickly settled themselves and took their positions.
Communication had already been established between every kingdom.
Even the Kingdom of Loscietian was connected to the others.
The leaders of the kingdoms, along with the people in charge of their armies, the Generals immediately began discussing their next move.
After several minutes of discussion, a decision was made.
A few highly ranked scouts would enter the dungeon first.
Their task was simple. Find out what awaited them inside.
Each scout was also cast with a recall spell. The spell would immediately teleport them back to their respective camps. Not only would this save time, but it would also give them a way to escape in case of an emergency.
The scouts began moving forward.
But as they approached the entrance of the dungeon, something felt wrong.
Their senses became uneasy. Their bodies felt heavier. Each of them could feel the pressure coming from the darkness ahead. They knew they needed to prepare themselves. They had to enter with confidence.
Because the moment they stood before the entrance, it almost felt as though the darkness itself would swallow anyone who hesitated.
Soon...
One by one...
The scouts entered the dungeon.
---
Kingdom of Cero
Five people had been sent into the dungeon as scouts.
They were the members of Black Sigil.
Kael took the lead.
As soon as they entered, it felt as though they had stepped into an entirely different world.
At first... There was nothing but pitch-black darkness.
Then suddenly... A blinding light appeared.
Everyone immediately covered their eyes.
As their vision slowly returned, they were shocked by what they saw.
Before them was a massive open space. It stretched far beyond what they could see.
At the opposite end of the area, there appeared to be another opening.
But there was something strange. There was no one inside. No enemies. No monsters. No visible danger.
The feeling of danger they had experienced outside the dungeon had completely disappeared.
And somehow... That made the situation even more unsettling.
They didn't know what to make of it.
The members of Black Sigil began investigating the area.
But the space was simply too large to explore completely.
They eventually came to a conclusion. The inside of the dungeon did not exist within the same time and space as the structure visible outside.
The entrance itself was likely some form of portal.
The difference between the massive open space inside and the dungeon structure outside was simply too obvious to ignore.
They searched for anything that could trigger a mechanism.
A spell. A trap. Anything.
But they found nothing.
Not a single sign of danger.
Then they decided to use the recall spell.
But something unexpected happened.
The spell didn't teleport them back to the camp.
Instead... It only teleported them back to the entrance of the dungeon.
The entrance was the only way back. They had to physically leave through the same opening. This discovery sent chills through them. The dungeon itself didn't seem to contain anything dangerous. But the fact that their recall spell had been altered inside the dungeon was enough to make them realise how little they understood about the place.
They turned around and entered the same portal they had used to come inside.
Once again... Pitch-black darkness surrounded them.
Then... A blinding light.
When they opened their eyes, they were back at the camp.
They immediately reported everything they had discovered.
---
The scouts from every kingdom had now returned.
And surprisingly... Everyone seemed to have discovered the same thing.
In the Kingdom of Cero, the General of the Army was the Third Prince of Cero himself.
Jack Lumina.
Once all the reports had been received, another discussion began between the leaders and commanders.
Several theories were considered.
After minutes of discussion, one possibility seemed more plausible than the others.
The massive open space inside the dungeon could be the battlefield. The enemy might have created the dungeon as a place to challenge them. The opening at the opposite end could be where their enemies would eventually enter.
Perhaps the moment they entered the dungeon with their full force... The war would officially begin.
And that was when the enemy would finally reveal themselves.
It was risky.
But it was the only option they could see.
The enemy had continued surprising them at every step.
Because of that, another conclusion was made.
There might not be an easy way back this time. They needed to be prepared. The decision was finally made. The armies would enter the dungeon.
All of them.
But they would not enter at once.
Each platoon would go in one after another.
The entire army took its position.
The order of entrance was decided.
Everyone waited.
Then... The first platoon entered.
Followed by another. And then another. One by one, every platoon entered the dungeon.
Eventually... It was the turn of Platoon A-1.
The Rising Heroes stood alongside the rest of their platoon.
Together... They moved toward the entrance.
And just like the scouts before them, they stepped into the pitch-black darkness.
For a brief moment, they could see nothing.
Then... A blinding light appeared.
Everyone covered their eyes.
Slowly, their vision returned.
And when they finally opened their eyes... They froze.
What stood before them was not what they had expected.
Something unexpected had happened.
And the Dungeon War... continued.