Lost in the Dungeon: Forgive Me, Kyou

Even though that number wasn’t even a quarter of the total players, the 7,000 or so players who remained were those who decided they could no longer fight. 

Some were too afraid of dying, others suffered panic attacks or various mental breakdowns.

On top of that, child players were strictly prohibited from joining the battle, and there were quite a few of them. 

Only those aged 17 and older were allowed to fight. We had to protect the younger ones and keep them safe here in Netherbyte City.

The rest were complete beginners, people who didn’t know how to fight properly. This game, after all, was mostly filled with newbies who only came for fun, for the thrill of full dive, to hang out, and never once stepped foot inside a dungeon.

We decided to build a central communications team on the surface floor near the gate leading into the Abyssal Core dungeon. 

This team consisted of players with the SystemCore: Threadweaver, an ability that allowed them to create communication networks, both long-range and short-range.

They also had the ability to establish surveillance networks that could deliver early information about the dungeon’s conditions. 

However, their power could only be used within the communication room itself. That’s why each faction sent their Threadweaver users to stay behind and support us remotely from outside the dungeon.

There was also a teleportation chamber here, which would serve as our escape route if any players were seriously injured and needed healing. Thankfully, the teleportation gates worked inside the dungeon, which would save countless lives.

After some time, we were finally ready to enter the dungeon.

But then something unexpected happened. Someone none of us anticipated arrived to meet the assembled players.

It was the NPC ruler of Netherbyte City, Mayor Lorelei Netherbyte.

I had a feeling she would show up, since she always appeared during important quests. But Mayor Lorelei didn’t come alone. 

She was accompanied by Zack Snydershoot, the leader of N-Sec, along with three of his commanders. Also accompanying her was Izanami Ayaka, the Supreme Miko, an NPC who led the Null-Shrine.

All the players were stunned by their presence.

Mayor Lorelei raised her voice and began to speak.

"Brave players, you have shown such incredible determination. I never imagined this world would end up like this, with people dying. I don’t know who or what GOD 404 is. That entity doesn’t exist in our systems, archives, or any of this world’s data," she said, her expression filled with frustration.

"I can only conclude that GOD 404 is a high-level entity that goes beyond our understanding."

Hearing those words left all of us speechless. It was shocking to hear such things coming from an NPC. They seemed truly alive, as if this world was real, a world of its own.

Some players began venting their anger at Mayor Lorelei, accusing her of working with GOD 404. But she quickly proved she was not on GOD 404’s side.

"I would never align myself with that damned GOD 404. He wants to destroy this world too. I hate him and swear to defeat him. That’s why I will support you in this dungeon raid."

"I will deploy three N-Sec lieutenant commanders Henry Raystrike, Blitz Hawkeye, and Elizabeth Lockburn along with 750 N-Sec personnel. I’ll also send my right-hand woman, Izanami Ayaka the Supreme Miko, and 64 Restorer Mikos. I believe their assistance will greatly increase your chances of success."

Hearing her words instantly lifted the players’ morale.

This was the first time NPCs had actively helped players clear a dungeon. It showed that they, too, were risking their lives. NPCs couldn’t respawn like us.

The players cheered loudly, their spirits revived.

Mayor Lorelei then approached me and the other faction leaders. She asked who would be leading this raid. Without hesitation, the leaders pointed at me. I accepted.

She smiled and said, "CrimsonAyane… I figured you’d take on a crucial role in all this. You truly deserve your title as the number one ranked player."

"I still have an important role to play outside. Zack and I will stay behind and hold off the Abyss monsters with the remaining players. That’s why I’m asking you, CrimsonAyane..please save this world, end this game, and rescue the players. Be the hero."

She looked at me with fierce determination.

I drew my sword and planted it in the ground.

"I, CrimsonAyane, accept your request. I will fight to save everyone! Together with my brave allies here… no, all of us… we will become those heroes!"

The other faction leaders smiled at my words and voiced their agreement.

Mayor Lorelei was surprised but laughed with joy. "Then I leave it to you all, our heroes of Netherbyte. Good luck."

And with that, we entered the first floor of the dungeon.

Thus began the largest and most dangerous raid dungeon in history.

...

We cleared the first, second, and third floors quickly.

No casualties. Everything went smoothly.

We took a short break before proceeding to the fourth floor.

I hated Floor 4. It brought back terrible memories, not just for me, but for many others. This floor, Graveband, was where data of the dead returned.

Previously, it only held data of deceased NPCs, resurrected as abyss monsters called “Hollows.” But now it held the data of 1,000 dead players, including Ritsu.

Once again, my faction and I came face-to-face with Ritsu and other fallen comrades. They looked normal, but their eyes had turned completely black, and they were surrounded by an aura of death.

They attacked us relentlessly.

I stood tall and fought back.

"Don’t toy with our feelings, you damn monsters!"

It was an agonizing battle for all of us. The wounds we had only just started to heal reopened even wider.

But no matter what, we had to finish this game.

After an hour, we finally defeated the Floor 4 boss and moved on to Floor 5.

This one was called Phantom Grid, filled with monsters powered by EtherCode: Umbra and packed with deadly traps.

Luckily, we had the Machina Legion Faction. They built trap detectors. And the Lunaris Vale Faction had players with EtherCode: Aether, Umbra’s natural counter.

Thanks to them, we advanced to the boss room without trouble. Within an hour, we defeated the boss.

Six hours from the surface. We were already halfway through the game. A record-breaking pace, likely because of how many people were in this raid.

But we all knew this was just the beginning.

Floor 6 was infamous for its spike in difficulty. In the past, it had taken us days to clear it.

We entered the sixth floor, and something unexpected happened.

A notification popped up, announcing that the game’s difficulty had been raised from Hard to Nightmare.

New rules were introduced, and they hit us hard.

[System Notice: Difficulty increased from HARD → NIGHTMARE]

[Teleportation: Disabled]
[Damage Limiter: Removed]
[Minimap: Disabled]
[All enemy level and stats massively increased]

"No way... we can’t teleport out of the dungeon?!" Maiko said in disbelief.

"Damage limiter removed? What the hell is that?" Kagurazaka looked confused.

"Guys... our minimap doesn’t work anymore!" Akutsu said tensely.

"The abyss monsters and floor bosses just got way stronger? This is insane..." Yukihana sounded hopeless.

Despair once again began to take hold of the factions.

Even the NPCs were confused. We asked them what was happening, but they didn’t know either.

Once again, we were faced with the impossible.

"I think GOD 404 is toying with us..." I told the faction leaders.

"That bastard pretending to be a god must be laughing at us right now..." [HollowTsukiyami] looked furious.

"No minimap... we can’t go back to the surface... we’re completely trapped," [TsukihanaBlossom] said, visibly trembling.

"In that case, we have no choice but to keep moving forward!" [GeniusKurogane] shouted, readying his weapon.

"....We were totally cheated..." [DeathZetsumei] said that while drawing his sword.

"We can’t just stand here! The monsters are coming! I’m casting a protection spell now!" Izanami Ayaka’s voice snapped us out of it.

I shouted to all the players, forcing them to focus.

"ALL OF YOU, SNAP OUT OF IT! FIGHT HERE OR DIE!!"

With trembling hands, I raised my sword again and slashed at the approaching abyss monsters.

Many players were severely injured. The monsters were far stronger now.

The removal of the damage limiter made the pain unbearable.

Because of that, hundreds of players died on this floor.

Death constantly lingered in my mind now.

Was I going to die?

I didn’t want to...

My family was still waiting for me to come home.

I hadn’t seen that person again.

I still hadn’t fulfilled my promise to Kyou...

"I’m sorry, Kyou... I guess I won’t get to see you again..."

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