The group entered a wide cavern shrouded in enchanted mist.
"I hate this room. I am really bad in these puzzles.," Eron groaned. "Illusions, dead-ends, and those dumb mimic wolves—"
"How do we—"
"Follow the crimson-spored mushrooms," Rai said. "They only grow near the correct exit."
Sure enough, they spotted the faint crimson glow peeking through the fog.
Halfway through, they were ambushed by the Mistborn Wolves, guardian of this level. They were fast and silent predators with phasing abilities.
"Positions!" Rai barked. "Eron, cover left flank! Alex, heal rotation every ten seconds—no more, no less!"
Eron slashed left, parried a phasing wolf, and managed a brutal counter. "How the hell—how are you even seeing them?!"
"Patterns," Rai said, pivoting mid-spin to drive his blade into a wolf emerging from shadow. "They attack in a fixed rhythm. Every eight seconds. Remember it."
By the time the mist faded and the final wolf fell, Eron was sweating and wide-eyed.
"You weren't lying," he said under his breath.
Rai didn't acknowledge it, but a smile tugged at his lips.
There was a reason why Alex remembered this dungeons details so well, it was cause in his last life, he too like other players had tried to beat this dungeon. But, he had been absolutely crushed. So, when the strategies about how this dungeon could be beaten, were released he read them and stored the information and his mind. Unlike this dungeon, he didn't know or remember any strategies about the other dungeons.
They reached the last hall—stained green from the sickly light of the the Mireborn Sentinel, , a towering mass of bark and bile and weilding a mass of thorns. Its roar echoed like the cracking of ancient trees. It was the final boss of this dungeon.
Alex gulped. "Please tell me we run now."
"No," Rai said calmly. "We win."
He turned to Eron and Aarav.
"Listen closely. This thing has three phases."
"In the first phase their are some basic wide-range halberd strikes. They are slow, but deadly. Stay mobile and keep your distance from it's attacks.In the 2nd phase, Root spike traps and poison fields. Eron, you bait the halberd near the stone columns to block its line of sight. Alex, don't heal immediately—only heal when we fall below 40%.Phase Three: Frenzy mode. It'll start attacking randomly. But that will reveal an acid pit on the left. I'll bait it into falling in it. When it's slowed, that's when we go all in and defeat it."
Alex looked awed. "Dude… how do you know all this?"
"I have info about this dungeon, haven't I already told you this."
Then the fight began.
Phase One was brutal. Eron got knocked down twice but rolled just in time to avoid decapitation. Rai stayed glued to the boss's side, striking in the gaps between it's hard swings.
Phase Two hit even harder. Roots started to burst from the ground, vines whipped through the air. Alex was panting, mana nearly gone. Rai staggered after taking a poison burst full in the chest.
"Hold on!" Alex cried and waved his staff towards Rai.
Green light bathed Rai's body. "Thanks," he said. "Get ready. Time for the final phase."
The boss roared, smashing a wall.
The acid pit was revealed.
"ERON! NOW!"
Eron darted around, waving and screaming. "Come on, you oversized salad!"
The Sentinel lunged, stepping into the acid. It shrieked in pain, momentarily slowed.
Rai surged forward, blade glowing faintly as he activated his special attack [Shadow Rend].
One final strike.
The boss fell.
[DUNGEON CLEARED – Noble's Gauntlet Difficulty]
Detected high level difference between the dungeon and the players involved.
(Giving better rewards to compensate)
+15000 XP+100 Gold
One-Time Drop: Blessed Sigil of Verdance (Bound to Rai)
Thornwoven Cloak [Rare]
Whisperfang Dagger [Uncommon]
Barkscale Bracers [Uncommon]
Vinegrip Boots [Uncommon]
Bloomseed Ring [Uncommon]
Verdant Spirit Dust ×3 [Uncommon Crafting Material]
Thanks to the exp gained here Rai gained two levels in one shot and reached level 8. Eron and Alex also gained some major EXP, but way less than him. Eron reached level 5 while Alex reached level 4. Overall Alex gained more EXP then Eron cause his healing spells very crucial to their victory,
The system began automatically distributing loot based on contribution, role synergy, and damage dealt:
Rai received the Blessed Sigil of Verdance and the Bloomseed Ring — both bolstering mana regeneration and offering hidden synergy for his passive traits.Eron was granted the Barkscale Bracers and Vinegrip Boots — sturdy, well-rounded gear pieces focused on survivability.Alex ended up with the Thornwoven Cloak and Starcust Dagger, fitting his hybrid role as a support DPS cleric.
Rai turned toward them, still catching his breath. "That cloak suits you, Alex. It's got a passive barrier that triggers below 30% health. Perfect for a cleric who doesn't know when to stay back."The room went still.
They sat, panting, staring at the steaming corpse.
"…Okay," Eron finally said. "I was wrong."
Rai raised an eyebrow.
"You're not just insane. You're a lunatic genius."
He, who had looked furious at the start of the dungeon, now examined his new boots with a quiet sense of awe. "Still think you're insane," he muttered. "But… this was worth it."
Rai gave a lopsided grin. "Told you it would be."
Alex just gave Rai a thumbs-up with a goofy grin. "That. Was. AWESOME."
And then one by one they started to review the items.
Thornwoven Cloak(Rare)
Type: CloakEffect:
+10 Vitality
+5 Agility
Passive - Thornguard: When health drops below 30%, automatically deploys a thorn barrier that absorbs 150 damage and reflects 20% of melee damage for 10 seconds.
+10% resistance to Nature-based attacks.
Starcust Dagger(Uncommon)
Type: Weapon – DaggerEffect:
+6 Agility
+12 Attack Speed
Barkscale Bracers(Uncommon)
Type: Armor – BracersEffect:
+8 Defense
+5 Strength
Vinegrip Boots(Uncommon)
Type: Armor – BootsEffect:
+5 Dexterity
+10 Movement Speed
Bloomseed Ring(Uncommon)
Type: Accessory – RingEffect:
+5 Mana Regen
+3 Healing Power
Verdant Spirit Dust ×3(Uncommon Crafting Material)
Type: Alchemical EssenceUse: Used to craft nature-aligned gear, potions, and enchantments. Required for low or mid-tier crafting involving spirit-type enhancement.
"Woah man, they seem to be very nice." said Alex in an excited tone.
"Nice? Idiot not even big guilds, have such loot right now. We have peak loot right now. Hell the level of these equipment is double than us."
"Rai show us your unique grade item too. It is a first clearance reward so no one else will be able to get it."
Rai stood and opened his inventory to inspect the Blessed Sigil of Verdance.
Blessed Sigil of Verdance (Unique – First Clear Reward)
[TRUE POWER LOCKED, DEPENDS ON PLAYER]
Type: Accessory – Sigil
Bound To: Rai (Soulbound)
Effect:
+20% Mana Regeneration
+12 Spirit
Passive – Verdant Echo: Spells that restore HP or apply buffs have a 20% chance to echo onto a second ally for 75% of the original effect.
Passive – Spiritroot Link: Grants the ability to perceive and commune with minor spirit entities aligned with nature and moonlight.
Unique Effect – Lunar Verdance: While under the moon or within night-time forest zones, healing and spirit-based spells gain +15% effectiveness.
Set Bonus (1/3 – Moonveil's Grace): Unlocks hidden synergy with the Staff of veilstone and the Mantle of the Silver Bough.
Lore:
When the moonlight bathed the world in silvery silence, the Minor Moon Goddess of Renewal weaved a triad of relics—gifts to be granted only to the one she chose. The Blessed Sigil of Verdance, the Staff of Moonveil, and the Mantle of the Silver Bough were not mere magical artifacts, but anchors of a destiny written in lunar ink.
That fate pointed toward a singular soul:A gifted purple-haired human mage, born under the dusk of twin crescents, her spirit aligned with both nature and celestial memory. She was prophesied to restore communion between the mortal realm and the slumbering spirits.
The Sigil was meant to awaken in her hands.
But something changed.
The Sigil has responded early.And not to the one written in the stars.
A different bearer has claimed it. A presence veiled in curse and shadow. A fate that was never meant to intertwine with the lunar path has now done so.
And the moon watches… uncertain.
"Woah what the truck is that lore?" Exclaimed Alex.
Eron didn't say anything. He just stood there, his mouth agape.
[System Notification]
You have equipped a Unique Artifact: Blessed Sigil of Verdance.This item is part of a sacred triad meant for a fated bearer.
Fate Divergence Detected.The rightful bond remains unfulfilled.The weave of destiny has shifted.The moon watches.
Rai blinked.
"Fate divergence?"
He felt a faint pressure in the back of his mind—like the sensation of someone watching from afar. Not a player. Not an NPC.
Something… older.
For a moment, a vision flickered behind his eyes:A forest bathed in silver light. A woman's silhouette—tall, graceful, with long violet hair drifting like silk in the wind. Her back was turned, her hands reaching for a staff planted in a pool of moonlight.Then—shattering.The vision cracked like glass, and the light collapsed into a spiral of shadows.
Rai's breath caught.
"Hey! Are you okay, man. You just froze. Are you too excited seeing this item." Said Alex.
"I am fine, I was just thinking about something."
That strange feeling passed as quickly as it came.
He clenched his fists, the sigil humming faintly against his wrist.'Guess I wasn't supposed to take this.'He smirked, eyes narrowing."Too bad."