The deep, soul-tearing whine from the Matriarch of Shadows reached a terrifying crescendo, the sound so sharp and piercing it felt like a physical nail being driven into their skulls.
The very air in the Grove of Screams vibrated with a hateful energy, and the ground began to tremble as if in fear.
For Jason's party, the world didn't just slow down, it froze solid.
Their limbs, already heavy from the dungeon's oppressive gloom, turned to unmovable lead.
Cold, sharp panic, the kind that paralyzes and suffocates, wrapped its icy claws around their hearts.
"I-I can't move my hands!" Dreamer, the usually calm Oracle, cried out, her face a mask of pure terror.
"My spells… they're locked!"
Tank, the stoic Shieldbearer, was rooted to the spot, his new Mysterious-Iron shield suddenly feeling as heavy and useless as a mountain.
"It's a fear-stun! A party-wipe skill! We're dead!"
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"
The Matriarch unleashed its ultimate ability, Gaze of the Abyss.
It wasn't just a sound, it was a physical wave of pure, concentrated dread that exploded outwards.
The skeletal trees around them shook violently, shedding their dead leaves like a cascade of black snow.
A visible ripple of purple energy tore through the air, washing over the party and encasing them in an aura of despair.
For everyone except Jason, it was as if they had been plunged into a nightmare from which they couldn't wake.
Their movements were impossible, their minds clouded with an overwhelming sense of doom.
But Jason was not just another player.
He was a veteran of a thousand such battles, a ghost from a future where this kind of terror was just another Tuesday.
He was prepared.
"STAY CALM! TRUST ME!" Jason's voice wasn't a shout of panic, but a thunderous command that cut through their fear like a lightning strike.
He wasn't frozen.
His [Might of a Thousand] title, combined with a mind forged in a decade of apocalyptic warfare, allowed him to resist the worst of the gaze's effects.
He was slowed, his body feeling like it was moving through water, but he was not incapacitated.
The instant the psychic wave hit, the Matriarch of Shadows, now a blur of berserk fury, ignored the frozen Tank and lunged straight for Jason.
It saw him as the true threat.
Its claws, each the size of a sharpened dagger, sliced through the air, leaving five trails of dark energy aimed directly at his heart.
"Child's play," Jason muttered under his breath.
He didn't even try to dodge.
He activated [Phantom Kill].
An identical, shimmering copy of himself instantly flickered into existence, standing exactly where he had been a split second before.
The Matriarch's claws tore through the illusion with a wet, ripping sound, but the phantom just dissolved into harmless particles of light, its purpose served.
The real Jason was already in motion.
With his inhuman Agility, he had slid to the side, the wind from the monster's passage shrieking past his ears.
As the gaze's slowing effect took hold, he knew he couldn't dodge the next attack with pure speed.
The Matriarch, enraged at being tricked, spun on its heel, its massive paw swiping in a wide, devastating arc meant to obliterate everything in its path.
"[Parry]!" Jason commanded in his mind, his body moving on pure instinct.
He braced himself, angling the Abyssal Blade with a precision that defied the laws of physics.
CLAAAAANG!
The sound was a deafening explosion of metal on claw that echoed through the grove like a breaking world.
A shower of brilliant sparks erupted, lighting up the gloomy forest for a split second.
The impact was titanic, a force that would have shattered the bones of any other Level 2 player and sent them flying.
Jason's feet dug deep trenches in the dirt as he was forced back several meters, his entire arm screaming in protest from the violent tremor that shot through it.
A massive -85 damage number appeared over his head from the sheer force.
But he held.
He had stopped the unstoppable.
"DREAMER! HEAL ME! NOW!" Jason roared, his voice a lifeline.
His command shattered the Oracle's terrified stupor.
Seeing her leader, her commander, still fighting, still standing against an impossible foe, ignited a desperate spark of courage within her.
She pointed her trembling staff, and a warm, verdant light enveloped Jason.
His health bar, which had dipped into the dangerous red zone, shot back up to a safe level.
The Gaze of the Abyss lasted for five agonizing seconds.
As its effects faded, the Matriarch was left panting, its berserk rage momentarily replaced by a Fatigued debuff.
Its attack and defense were temporarily lowered.
This was their only chance.
"NOW! HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! UNLEASH HELL!" Jason bellowed, his voice echoing with absolute authority.
Freed from their paralysis, the party erupted. Their fear, their panic, their desperation, it all transformed into a storm of pure, unadulterated aggression.
"EAT THIS, YOU UGLY, OVERGROWN RAT!" Jay Antonio screamed, more out of relief than anger, as he slammed his staff into the ground.
"Dark Bind!" Vicious chains of pure shadow erupted from the earth, snaking around the Matriarch's legs, slowing its already fatigued movements even further.
Solitary Blade let out a primal yell that was part fury, part exhilaration.
"[Charge]!" He became a living bullet, his sword glowing with righteous light as he slammed into the boss's side, interrupting its attempt to stomp the ground.
Tank, his confidence surging back, raised his shield and let out a defiant taunt, drawing the boss's wavering attention.
Munch's Earth Elemental, a stolid and reliable golem of rock, lumbered forward, pummeling the boss's back with heavy, rhythmic, stony fists.
Jason became the eye of their hurricane of violence.
"Focus fire on its left leg! Break its stance! Don't let up!" he commanded, his own blade becoming a blur of death.
"[Chop]! [Thundering Flash]!"
The wind howled and the air itself seemed to crackle as his sword moved.
-210!
-245!
-258!
-310!
(Critical!)
With the boss weakened and his own power now at Level 2, Jason's damage output was simply monstrous.
The numbers exploding above the Matriarch's head sent his party members into a state of awestruck disbelief.
This wasn't a player; it was a god of war in human skin.
The Matriarch roared in agony and fury, swatting blindly at the players, but their perfectly coordinated assault, directed by Jason's flawless commands, kept it completely off-balance.
Finally, with its health bar a pathetic sliver of red, Jason saw his opening.
"It's over!"
BOOM!
The ground cracked and splintered as he launched himself forward, the Abyssal Blade glowing with a terrifying, light-devouring energy.
He poured every last ounce of his strength, his will, and his reincarnated fury into one final, perfect [Thundering Flash].
Three brilliant beams of sword energy, more like solid lances of lightning than mere slashes, tore through the air.
They converged on the Matriarch's head with a sound like tearing reality.
The boss's red eyes went wide with what looked like genuine, mortal shock before the energy consumed it entirely.
A moment of absolute silence, and then the colossal beast fell, its body dissolving into a triumphant shower of golden light and loot.
System: Congratulations to party leader 'Aethel' for the First Clear of Hell Mode
Dungeon: Grove of Screams. Party will receive bonus rewards.
Announce party leader's name to the public?
"No," Jason said instantly, a ghost in the machine.
[System: You have received 8,000 EXP. You have leveled up!]
Jason felt a surge of raw power as the number above his head proudly changed from a '2' to a '3'.
He was now among the highest-leveled players in the entire game.
The rest of the party, awash with a deluge of experience points, also saw their progress bars shoot up, with Jay now tantalizingly close to Level 3.
But the real prize was the literal mountain of loot that lay where the boss had died.
There were at least ten items shimmering on the ground, a drop rate unheard of for a Level 3 dungeon.
"We… we did it…" Munch whispered, collapsing to his knees.
"I need a snack. A victory snack."
Jay ran forward, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"Holy loot! Jason, you're not a man, you're a cheat code made flesh!"
Jason smiled, a genuine, tired smile, as he began to inspect the drops.
There were several pieces of Bronze and Mysterious-Iron equipment, which he promptly distributed.
Tank received a magnificent Mysterious-Iron shield, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
Dreamer got a Bronze-ranked staff that significantly boosted her healing power.
Then, Jason saw them.
The two items that would be the cornerstone of his new empire.
The first was a forging design, its icon a simple, sturdy-looking chest plate: [Garrison Armor Forging Design].
This was the key to his early financial dominance.
The second item made his heart pound against his ribs.
It was a one-handed sword, its blade the color of freshly spilled blood, humming with a faint, sharp energy that promised swift death.
[Crimson Blade - Secret-Silver Rank] [Level 3]
This was one of the best swords available in the early stages of the game.
He couldn't equip it just yet, but he knew that once he could dual-wield it with his Abyssal Blade, his power would skyrocket into a completely different dimension.
As they exited the dungeon, blinking in the comparatively bright light of the Whispering Grove, a wave of pure shock rippled through the crowd at the entrance.
The party that had entered as a group of Level 1 and 2 rejects had emerged transformed.
They were decked out in gleaming new gear, and their leader, the once-mocked Swordsman, now proudly displayed a 'Lv. 3' above his head.
Captain Cautious and his group, who had scoffed at them earlier, stared with their mouths hanging open, their faces a comical mixture of disbelief and regret.
Just then, a different group emerged from the Hard Mode portal.
It was Aurora's party.
They looked exhausted and utterly dejected, their fine armor scratched and dented.
It was clear their run had not been successful.
Ember, the fiery mage, saw Jason's party and their new gear, and her face twisted in disbelief and outrage.
"How is that possible?!
You… you actually cleared it?
Hell Mode?"
Before Jason could reply, Aurora's Cleric ran over.
"Miss Aurora sent me! She was very impressed and would like to have a word with your leader about his strategy."
Jay puffed out his chest, beaming with pride.
This was it! The Snow Goddess herself was acknowledging them!
Jason, however, simply shook his head, his expression calm.
"I'm sorry, we're on a tight schedule. We don't have time right now."
The entire area fell silent.
Jay's jaw hit the floor.
Did his friend, his boss, his hero, just turn down the most famous, powerful, and beautiful guild leader in the entire region?
Ember's face turned a shade of crimson that matched her robes.
"You… who do you think you are?! The nerve!"
Aurora herself walked over, her expression unreadable but her icy blue eyes fixed on Jason.
"My apologies for my friend's rudeness. It is a simple request. Perhaps some compensation for your time?" She opened a trade window, placing a valuable Level 2 Bronze belt inside.
Jason knew this was a test of his character.
He calmly cancelled the trade.
Instead, he opened a trade window back to her and placed a simple, worn-looking piece of paper inside: [Recipe: Basic Strength Potion].
Ember scoffed.
"A piece of scrap paper? Are you trying to insult her?"
But Aurora's eyes widened in recognition.
She instantly understood its value.
A potion recipe this early in the game was worth more than a dozen Bronze items.
It was a strategic asset, a key that could elevate her entire guild's performance.
She accepted the trade without a moment's hesitation.
"You have my thanks," Aurora said, her voice holding a new, profound note of respect.
It seems I have underestimated you, Sir Aethel.
My guild, Seraphim, will be attempting the 20-man raid, the Crypt of the Fallen King, next week.
I would like to formally invite you and your party to join us.
Jason smiled.
This was the moment he had orchestrated.
"We accept," he said.
"On one condition. I get priority on all Swordsman equipment and any forging designs that drop."
His audacity was breathtaking.
He wasn't asking to join their raid; he was setting terms as if he were the one in charge.
Before the fuming Ember could explode, Aurora gave a single, decisive nod.
"Agreed."
As Aurora's party departed, the humiliated Captain Cautious and his friends scurried over to Jason, bowing and scraping, begging to join his workshop.
Jason simply walked past them without a word, leaving them choking on his dust.
He had conquered Hell, leveled up, equipped his team, and forged an alliance with a top-tier guild, all on his own terms.
His improved party was just the beginning.
Now, it was time to build his legend.