At the appearance of the unfamiliar staircase, everyone was briefly startled, but it didn’t take long for them to adjust. After all, it was a massive temple. With such a towering structure, stretching several stories high, it wasn’t unusual for the elevation of the terrain to shift. In fact, Lucian and Kane couldn’t help but burst out in laughter at the sight of the stairs.
"Haha! I was wondering why the temple was so tall—guess it’s because of this!" Lucian exclaimed.
"Are we supposed to climb all the way to the top? This is going to be tough," added Kane.
Justin clicked his tongue at their exaggerated reactions. The way they glanced at him sideways made it clear what they were thinking.
’They want to claim the high ground during a potential battle, hoping to discourage us from making any rash moves.’
Throughout history, the side with the higher ground always had the advantage in battle. From having a better view to the effects of gravity and the mental pressure of facing an uphill struggle, the higher position was superior in every aspect. With the current arrangement, Justin would be at the rear, naturally leaving him in the lower position while his rivals took the higher ground. They likely felt relieved, thinking that if an attack came from behind, they’d be able to hold out and fight back from a more advantageous position.
’What a joke,’ Justin thought, stifling a scoff.
It was laughable to see them acting as though they were the victims when it was he who should be worried about a potential ambush. He considered making a snide remark but decided against it. There was no need to let them know that he had caught onto their little scheme. Instead, he shrugged nonchalantly, pretending not to understand.
"I don’t know what’s so exciting about some stairs, but if you’re that eager, why don’t you get going?"
"Hm, we were just about to," Lucian responded.
"Impatient as always, I see," muttered Kane.
With their smiles wiped off, Lucian and Kane headed for the stairs. As their groups began disappearing one after another into the temple, Zachary approached Justin.
"Lord, something about this feels off. Were those two ever that close?"
"No, they weren’t. One saw the other as prey to devour at any time, while the other was sharpening his teeth, ready to strike first," Justin replied.
"Then... could it be...?"
"It’s probably exactly what you’re thinking. Damn, this just got complicated."
At Justin’s words, Zachary’s face paled, realizing that their situation was far more dangerous than they had initially thought.
"Is this... is this going to be okay?"
"No, it’s not."
"Right... of course, I knew you’d... wait, what?" Zachary stammered.
"I said it’s not going to be okay. You think I can prepare for every possible situation? Sometimes, unexpected things just happen."
"...!"
Zachary almost yelled but managed to keep his mouth shut. He seemed to realize that if their comrades overheard, it could cause unnecessary panic.
After taking a deep breath, Zachary finally asked in a trembling voice, "What do we do now?"
"What else? We push forward."
"You didn’t insist on taking the rear earlier just to launch a surprise attack, did you?"
"No. I chose the rear to avoid getting ambushed myself. And attacking recklessly is a bad idea. Let’s check the next quest before we make any decisions."
Depending on the next quest, the possibility of a three-way battle still loomed. Though it was merely a hope, it was the only plan Justin could cling to for now. Attacking them outright would lead to significant losses on their side as well.
"However, always be prepared for a fight. I’m not going to lie—it’s not looking good right now."
"Understood. Should I inform the others?"
"No. If you do that, they’ll all sense something is up. If the leaders show signs of worry, the whole group will know something’s wrong."
If their rivals caught wind of their unease, they might also start suspecting something. Better to keep things under wraps for now. After all, it didn’t seem like the others had shared their plans with their own pioneers either.
"For now, just be mentally prepared. That’s all I can say."
With a heavy nod, Zachary backed away. Once he was out of sight, Justin finally allowed himself to exhale deeply, hoping that the contents of the next quest would turn out to be in their favor.
The three factions—Justin’s, Lucian’s, and Kane’s—climbed the stairs with a palpable tension hanging in the air. Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, ready to shift into battle mode at any moment. But as they continued ascending, that tension gradually faded.
"Huff, huff! Just how far are we supposed to go?"
"Damn it... I feel like we’ve climbed dozens of floors already...."
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"Can’t we take a break? My legs are shaking."
The endless staircase wore everyone down, and soon the mages were the first to complain. At first, they had bitten their tongues to avoid showing weakness in front of their competitors, but that didn’t last long. No matter how hard they tried, the sight of the never-ending stairs made their legs feel like they were about to give out. Warriors clicked their tongues at the sight of the exhausted mages leaning against the walls and collapsing onto the floor.
"Tsk tsk, you should’ve worked out more."
"Yeah, I could tell from the start when they fought from a distance."
"Hey, you muscleheads aren’t any better off!"
"All you do is dump points into strength and stamina when you level up!"
Lucian stepped in, trying to mediate the bickering pioneers. "Alright, calm down, everyone. If you’re tired, let’s rest for a bit. Is that okay with you all?"
Justin nodded silently and signaled to his allies. His mages were just as worn out, so they sighed in relief as they took a break. Lucian’s eyes gleamed as he watched Justin.
"You seem to be holding up quite well for a mage yourself, Justin."
"Always had great stamina, even back in the day."
"Ah, I see."
It was an obviously flimsy excuse, and Lucian didn’t seem to believe it either, but he didn’t press the matter further. After enough rest, the three factions resumed their climb. They repeated this cycle of resting and marching three more times before finally—
"We’ve made it! We’re here! There are no more stairs!" one of Kane’s pioneers at the front shouted.
"...!"
Everyone’s eyes lit up at the announcement. Even the warriors were starting to feel the burn in their legs after the grueling climb, and the mages had already reached their limits. At this point, no one cared about their rivals anymore—they just wanted to see what the quest was about.
Rushing up the final steps, the pioneers gasped in awe.
"Wow, what a view."
"Holy... Is this a coliseum?"
"This looks just like the death arenas from those comics."
What in the world are they talking about? Justin tilted his head, confused by the comments. What coliseum? What death arena?
Curious, he climbed the final step and stepped into view. "...Now this is something."
He found himself muttering in awe as well. A death arena—it was the perfect description. They had arrived at the top of the temple, which was a circular battleground. It was vast, large enough to comfortably fit a thousand people, with no railings or barriers around the edges—just a sheer drop to the depths below. It looked as if the only choice here was to either fight to the death or fall to it.
"...They’re not going to make us fight to the death here, are they?" someone muttered, sending a chill through everyone present.
If that were the case, alliances would instantly become meaningless.
Luckily, that grim speculation was quickly proven wrong.
"Ding! You have reached your destination, and the main quest ’Final Legacy’ has concluded."
"Ding! A new main quest, ’Between Blood and Desire,’ has been added."
"Ding! May the participants make wise decisions."
"...!?"
The sudden commentary from the system startled everyone. While its voice remained as mechanical as ever, it was rare for the system to provide anything beyond parroted information. Even Justin, slightly surprised, didn’t allow himself the luxury of dwelling on it. Instead, he immediately checked the new quest.
"Between Blood and Desire"
Type: Main Quest Details: Valuable resources are always limited, and many will seek to claim them. People must always choose between peace and war. Will you strike down your fellow pioneers and claim the most resources for yourself and your allies, or will you share the spoils with everyone, receiving a smaller share for yourself? Whether you split the rewards justly like a king or seize them like a conqueror, either choice will reveal your true worth. Total Rewards: 10 Dimensional Portal Creation Scrolls, 1 High-tier Guardian Summon Scroll, 10 Mid-tier Guardian Summon Scrolls, 200 Low-tier Guardian Summon Scrolls, and 5 Skill Books.
"...You’ve got to be kidding me," Justin muttered, sighing deeply.
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The rewards were undeniably incredible: scrolls that could create semi-permanent dimensional portals, guardian summons that could protect cities until destroyed, and even skill books—rare items, difficult to obtain even from major quests or events.
’With rewards like these, it would make sense to split them peacefully and then part ways, but...’
Nobody would do that. The thought that someone they shared the spoils with could later become their enemy would prevent any such cooperation. Besides, if anyone believed they had a good chance of winning, it was obvious what they’d choose between desire and peace.
A moment later, Lucian, who had been a step behind Justin in checking the quest, glanced at him with a sly grin.
"Hey, Justin."
"I double-buffed."
Lucian, about to make some comment, froze mid-sentence at Justin’s cryptic muttering. His expression quickly shifted, his face turning pale as his eyes widened in horror.
"You crazy bastard!"
"Eldritch Flame."
As Lucian cursed, a blue flame erupted into the sky, intertwining with his words.
Fwoosh!
"What the—!?"
"Justin!?"
"Oppa!"
Cries of shock rang out from all directions as the blue flames shot upwards. Even Kane, who was standing far away, along with Justin’s allies and the others, all reacted in the same way. However, Justin remained unfazed, his gaze fixed on the blazing flames.
’Please let this finish him off in one blow,’ he thought.
If he was lucky, he could eliminate the most troublesome foe right here and now. Watching the burning flames with a mix of anticipation and tension, Justin held his breath. A few seconds later, the flames dissipated, revealing Lucian standing unscathed, glaring at him while gritting his teeth.
"Damn it. I didn’t expect you to attack so suddenly."
"Tch."
Annoyed, Justin slammed his staff into the ground. Upon closer inspection, a faint golden barrier shimmered around Lucian and his surroundings.
’So that’s how he blocked my attack.’
Whether it was a skill or an effect from his equipment, Justin had an instinctive feeling that such low-level tricks wouldn’t work anymore. As he quickly ran through several defensive skills in his mind, Lucian spoke again.
"I must say, you’re quite perceptive. How did you figure out that we’d teamed up to take you out first?"
"You’re not even trying to hide it now? Going all in, are we?"
"Well, given the quest’s nature, it’s in our best interest to eliminate as many competitors as possible. Rather than causing confusion among our allies, it’s better to make the enemy clear."
"Hey! If that’s the case, why not—!"
"Kane, shut up and get ready for battle. He already knows, which is why he attacked first."
The pioneers around them finally began to grasp what was happening, their eyes widening in shock. As Lucian kept talking, Justin’s allies were still dazed by the sudden turn of events. Without missing a beat, Lucian continued.
"Well, since things have come to this, there’s no need for any more idle talk. Now, die. I’ll take good care of your share."
"Don’t be ridiculous. Even if you’ve joined forces, it’s only 2 versus 1. Do you really think that’ll be enough to overwhelm us? I’m pretty sure I’ll at least kill you before this is over."
"Maybe you could. You’re confident, after all, and I’m sure you have a trick or two up your sleeve. But..."
At this point, Lucian’s grin widened.
"My trump card is probably stronger than yours."
"Kyuuuu!"
Justin frowned as he saw a small dragon fluttering off Lucian’s shoulder.
’That tiny thing... is his trump card? There’s no way. Even Fafnir wasn’t that powerful in its initial stages.’
As if to answer Justin’s doubts, Lucian muttered a command toward the small dragon.
"Forced Growth."
Fwoosh!
"...!"
Upon hearing the skill name, Justin finally understood Lucian’s confidence.
Forced Growth—an ability that temporarily forces pets or familiars to evolve to their next stage. Normally, powerful spirits or magical creatures required rare resources to grow, but this skill allowed them to be used in battle without any of those materials.
Using it on a dragon, however, had never been an option before. In-game, it simply didn’t work on dragons.
’But if the system has changed since the world broke itself into reality...’
Kuuung!
"Graaaah!"
There was no need to think further. A golden dragon, now several times larger than before, appeared before them, filling the sky. As Justin stood speechless, Lucian grinned smugly.
"I took a hit from your flames, so now it’s your turn. But this time, you’ll face a dragon’s fire—regular flame resistance won’t save you."
"Damn it..."
Justin’s brow twitched with irritation. He would be fine thanks to his newly acquired robe, but the others wouldn’t survive unscathed. Even accounting for the fact that Lucian had used a skill to artificially enhance the dragon, at least a third of their group would be incapacitated.
"Scatter! Don’t bunch up where the breath attack can hit you all at once!"
"It’s too late. Dragon, breathe."
"Grrr...!"
At Lucian’s command, the dragon’s maw began to glow red, signaling the imminent breath attack. Just as Justin braced himself for impact—
Graaaaaah!
"Huh*!?"
"Ugh!"
A powerful roar echoed across the battlefield, forcing everyone to cover their ears. Though it resembled the roar from earlier, the pressure behind this one was incomparable, shaking them to their core. As most of the pioneers fell to the ground, clutching their ears, Justin managed to raise his head and look toward the source of the roar.
And there, flying in the open sky, was a massive black dragon, its wings spread wide.
"...Fafnir?"