[Congratulations! You've cleared the Trial Dungeon: Cataclysm's Dawn (Normal). Your performance has been rated: SSS.]
[You have received the following rewards: Growth Value +20, Strength Crystal ×100, Agility Crystal ×100, Constitution Crystal ×100, Spirit Crystal ×100, Material (Common) - Essence of Flesh.]
[As the First Clear team, you've made a great contribution. You are awarded additional rewards: Strength Crystal ×70, Agility Crystal ×70, Constitution Crystal ×70, Spirit Crystal ×70, Item (Common) - Active Protein.]
"Only 20 growth value?" Tony muttered, frowning slightly as the system's mechanical voice faded.
Back when he was still at Tier 0, clearing a dungeon once granted him 50. Two clears, and he maxed out.
It was clear now—the higher the tier, the steeper the climb. Growth wasn't handed out easily anymore. He'd have to grind through far more dungeons.
Tony had already figured out the dungeon reward mechanics well. The main dungeon rewards depended solely on your performance rating. The higher your grade, the better your loot. Growth value, however, was a bit more stable. As long as you earned an A-rank or higher, you'd receive a respectable chunk.
That was why, back at Tier 0, Tony received 50 growth value from both his A-rank and SSS-rank clears. Unless someone scored a pitiful rating, the system rarely short-changed them.
Yuqing and the others had experienced that firsthand—due to their near-zero contribution in their early clears, they'd only gotten 10 growth value per run.
The rewards were calculated individually. One person's high rating wouldn't reduce others' rewards, and vice versa. As long as your performance was strong, the system gave you what you deserved.
First Clear bonuses, however, were different. They were calculated based on contribution across the entire team—the more you did, the more you got.
Tony obviously earned less this time than he did when he solo-carried a four-man squad. But he wasn't bothered.
The system wasn't built to reward the strong for dragging the weak. It encouraged elite cooperation. A team of equals was always more profitable than one powerhouse carrying dead weight.
So, Tony lost a bit. But the team? They struck gold.
"I got an A rating!" Yuqing beamed, eyes wide with excitement.
It was her first time hitting such a high rank. The loot reflected it too—while it couldn't compare to Tony's haul, it was leagues ahead of the scraps she'd earned as a Tier 0 leech. She looked like she was about to burst into a happy dance.
Wu Qianqian smirked. "I'm S rank."
Jiang Yu followed. "Double S."
Shi Tongyan added, "SS as well."
All three were satisfied. This was their first time clearing the dungeon, and they'd done it blind—no walkthroughs, no strategies, just raw teamwork. S-rank alone was impressive. SS? That was outstanding.
As for SSS?
That was a level they hadn't even dreamed of reaching.
"Alright, break time." Tony glanced at his overjoyed teammates. "Resupply while you can."
Yuqing had run out of ammunition entirely, and Wu Qianqian and Jiang Yu were running dangerously low.
"Got it."
"We'll meet again in 30 minutes," Tony said coolly. "Next run—Hard Mode."
Hard.
The four of them exchanged looks.
No fear.
Only fire.
After this run, their trust in Tony had become unshakable.
[World Announcement: Congratulations to Tony, Jiang Yu, Shi Tongyan, Wu Qianqian, and Yuqing for clearing the Trial Dungeon: Cataclysm's Dawn (Normal)!]
Like a thunderclap striking calm waters, the system broadcast echoed across the world.
World announcements were rare. So far, they'd only occurred for First Clears and Catastrophe countdowns.
Now, the forums for transcenders across the globe exploded.
"Another First Clear? Tony again?"
"What's Cataclysm's Dawn? Never heard of it... wait, it says 'Normal' difficulty."
"You probably haven't seen it because it's a Tier 1 dungeon. The rest of us are still stuck at Tier 0. Of course we can't access it. Besides, look at the names—Tony and his squad have already awakened to Tier 1. Naturally, they're clearing Tier 1 dungeons. The 'Normal' tag just means there are difficulty settings now—Easy, Normal, and Hard."
"Easy mode was cleared by Sakura Nation. Now we from Great Xian just took Normal. I wonder how long it'll take for someone to beat Hard mode… and which country will do it first?"
As the news spread, players began flooding the Sakura Nation dungeon zones.
The Transcenders Forum was global, but each country's elite teams focused on their own corner of the world. Naturally, users from different countries were most active in the dungeons their local heroes tackled.
Previously, when Amaterasu Squad from Sakura Nation took the First Clear of a Tier 1 dungeon (Easy mode), their countrymen had nearly lost their minds with joy.
Arrogant as ever, they had been bitter that no top-tier team from their country had taken a First Clear before. When they finally did, they treated it like a divine victory—and painted Tony's team as thieves who had "stolen" the rightful glory.
Now, after taking the First Clear for Easy mode, they went wild—spamming other countries' forums, especially Great Xian's, with mockery and taunts.
Great Xian's players were left fuming.
Some retaliated by scoffing at the fact that Sakura's "great achievement" was just Easy mode… but without their own First Clear, the pushback lacked weight.
Now?
Now it was different.
The world announcement had changed everything.
The Great Xian forums roared back to life, their players out for revenge.
"Where are you Sakura clowns now? Thought you were loud? Come out and dance again!"
"LMAO, all that hype for a baby-tier dungeon? You flexed over Easy mode? Pathetic."
"Didn't you say Tony was a thief? That he wasn't worthy to carry Amaterasu Squad's boots? Who's the clown now?"
"Easy mode, really? My cousin said that difficulty is hot garbage. And you guys were bragging like you conquered the world? Only Sakura Nation would flex that hard over chicken feed."
As the insults rained down, Sakura Nation's players went eerily quiet. Unable to argue, they simply pretended not to see it.
Even worse, their own people began turning on Amaterasu Squad—flaming Nobuo Miyamoto and his teammates for humiliating the nation.
Tony barely glanced at the chaos erupting online. He scrolled the forums briefly, hoping to find intel on other teams' progress.
Nothing useful.
"Wait. Why am I bothering with this?" Tony smacked his forehead. "I should just ask the official contact."
He immediately messaged Jiang Yu.
"Got it," came the reply.
With that done, Tony turned to review his loot.
Attribute crystals—no surprise there. He used them instantly, feeling his four core stats surge in sync.
Only someone like Tony would spread his points equally across all four attributes.
Most players focused on two stats max. Attribute crystals were limited, and balanced development slowed growth too much.
Jiang Yu, Shi Tongyan, and the others followed that logic, each specializing to get the most bang for their buck.
Awakened transcenders had no "class" system. They forged their own path and customized their growth to suit their goals.
Sure, dungeon rewards offered all four types of crystals, but that wasn't a problem. The trading hub on the Transcenders Forum had a booming market for crystal exchanges.
Right now, the exchange rate is 1:1 across all stats.
Tony had no need for that. He looked instead at the rest of the loot.
Compared to attribute crystals, the more exciting prizes were items, gear, and skills.
This time, while there was no new gear or skills, he'd gained a valuable material and a consumable item.