Aurora Morwyn began to explain the details of the ninth-level dungeon.
"Actually, I don't know too much about it. The ninth layer is set in an ancient wartime era, featuring three major factions—Wei, Shu, and Wu."
Upon hearing this, Fenric's expression remained calm, but a flicker of surprise flashed through his mind.
Wei, Shu, Wu...?
Isn't that the Three Kingdoms period?
So the ninth-level dungeon was really based on the Three Kingdoms era.
Perfect.
Fenric was quite familiar with that period of history—at least, from Earth's perspective. But then he remembered that the historical timeline in this world diverged completely from Earth's.
In other words, no one here would know about the Three Kingdoms the way he did.
Aurora continued, her voice steady.
"After entering the dungeon, every three zones will form a group. Each team is assigned to one of the three factions and will engage in battle with the others. Normally, the Samsara System ensures balance by not matching vastly different power levels together."
"In our case, Area C is likely to be grouped against the Cindralock Dominion from Area E and the Winterveil from Area B."
"As for faction assignment, it's completely random. We Samsaras don't get to choose."
She paused briefly, then added, "This dungeon has strict limitations. Special items, advanced skills, combat arts, and even 27-series abilities are all disabled. You can only rely on your four basic attributes and simple foundational skills."
"The reason those foreign forces chose to strike now is because the restrictions in this dungeon severely limit your power. They think you'll be weakened here. Shura, you must be cautious."
"That's all I know. I don't even have information about the mission objectives."
Aurora finished speaking in a single breath, then took a sip from her teacup.
"I understand," Fenric replied with a slight smile. "Aurora, thank you. What you've shared is incredibly helpful."
Despite the heavy restrictions in this dungeon, Fenric wasn't worried in the slightest.
His base attributes were absurdly high. Even without his abilities, he could overpower enemies of the same tier with raw stats alone.
Aurora frowned slightly and teased, "We're still saying thanks? I thought we were past formalities."
Then her tone turned serious again. "Don't forget, the rewards for this dungeon are generous. The winning side receives double the rewards, while the losers will face punishment. Don't get careless."
Fenric nodded. "Got it."
"Well then, I won't bother you any longer."
Aurora rose and made her way out.
Watching her leave, Fenric mentally noted the favor.
Originally, he had considered giving the Black Sword Shusui to either Aurora or Belle as a token of gratitude.
Aurora probably wouldn't use it—but Belle might.
Yet something felt off.
Aurora hailed from a prominent family in the capital, and the Armand family (of One Leaf Knows Autumn) was another notable household there.
And Shusui had been seized from the Armand family.
If he gave it to Belle and the Armand family found out, things could get awkward fast.
They wouldn't act openly, of course—but they might quietly hold a grudge.
Fenric wasn't about to make enemies on someone else's behalf.
After Aurora left, Fenric remained seated in the private box.
There was no rush.
The teahouse boxes were cheap—only 10 Samsara Points per hour—so staying longer wasn't an issue.
Besides, the ninth-level dungeon only opened once per day, at 3:00 AM.
It was still early.
After lounging in the room for another two hours, Fenric finally got up and instructed the system to send him to the Samsara Tower.
At the Gates of the Samsara Tower…
A crowd of Samsaras had already gathered.
When they saw Fenric appear—still in his masked assassin form—their eyes lit up.
Some had even been preparing to leave but chose to linger instead.
"Hahaha! I knew Shura would show up for the ninth-level dungeon tonight!"
"I've been waiting for this guy for ages!"
"Hey, why are we all waiting for him? Planning to gang up?"
"You fool! Tonight's dungeon is a team-based battle. Even if we're in the same match, our tasks probably won't conflict. And with Shura on our side, we'll definitely cruise to victory!"
"Fk! That makes so much sense, bro!"
"So that's why you guys were hanging around here!"
Fenric: "..."
Listening to their whispered chatter, Fenric felt a bit speechless.
These Samsara players were really... crafty.
But as long as they didn't interfere with him, he didn't mind. The Samsara Tower didn't belong to him, after all. He couldn't exactly kick them out.
As for whether they'd actually get to ride his coattails to victory—that would be up to fate.
More irritating to Fenric were the Samsaras loitering just to spy on him—to report back to their foreign backers.
He didn't care.
If they wanted to target him, they'd better be ready to get counter-killed.
Fenric's instincts were right.
At the Samsara Tower entrances in both Area E and Area B, large crowds of Samsaras had also gathered.
News had already spread: Shura has entered the ninth-level dungeon.
Many elite Samsaras from foreign zones had come, ready to launch a preemptive strike.
Some were even famous prodigies.
"Hey, look! 007's here too!"
"God, even Tom showed up!"
"Didn't Tom already break through to B-rank?"
"Yeah. He's got Adam backing him. He's the top talent in Area E right now."
"This time, Shura from Area C is so dead!"
Interest in tonight's ninth-level dungeon was growing rapidly.
Even high-ranking officials from various nations were beginning to take notice.
With so many genius Samsaras participating, any losses would be a serious blow.
Fenric paid no attention to the growing buzz.
After the dungeon cooldown expired, he refreshed his entry card and walked straight through the gates of the Samsara Tower, entering the ninth level.
A glowing elf spirit materialized before him.
"Hello, honored Samsara Shura. What assistance do you require?"
"I'm here to enter the dungeon," Fenric replied.
"This is the confrontation-type dungeon: Three Kingdoms. Are you sure you wish to proceed?"
"I'm sure."
As soon as he confirmed, Fenric was instantly teleported into a white chamber.
It was crowded—full of people.
Very crowded.