"Is This Really the Sword Tomb Entrance?"

"Really...... Is this the entrance to the Sword Tomb?"

Kael stared at the crumbling underground door of the dilapidated ruins, his voice laced with disbelief.

"That's all I heard secondhand. We'll know once we go inside."

I already knew what lay within, but there was no reason to arouse his suspicions and tank my affinity with him, so I feigned ignorance and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pulled on the underground door's handle.

Kuduk......!

Kugugugugu.......

Dust billowed thickly as I opened the long-unused door. Once it settled, a staircase leading downward came into view.

"......"

Kael couldn't hide his shock, as if he truly hadn't anticipated this.

'It's fun seeing an NPC make that face.'

In games, players usually got info from NPCs and cleared quests, but here the roles were reversed—the NPC was the one questing.

His expression was so lifelike, it was hard to believe he was just an NPC. And that made sense, because in my memories, Kael had been a living person.

Not just Kael—all those following me existed as NPCs now, but to me, they didn't feel like mere programs.

"What are you doing?"

Kael snapped me out of my thoughts. He'd already descended halfway down the dark stairs and was calling me.

He didn't show it, but he was clearly more curious than anyone about whether Gullak's sword truly lay in the Sword Tomb.

'Moments like this make him feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so human.'

Sometimes in Dimension World, the NPCs' reactions and words felt too real, leaving a strange disconnect after logging out.

Choi Hyuk-su, the genius developer. His Neuron Interface delivered extreme realism through the five senses in the virtual world—but it was limited to players.

It was just a link connecting players to the virtual realm. For true perfection, the world's inhabitants needed life breathed into them too.

That life force was the NPCs.

When Choi Hyuk-su created the Neuron Interface and Dimension World, he used a special server chipset called Spiral, which programmed all NPC behaviors and granted them autonomy, or so the story went.

Many developers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scoffed when he first announced it, claiming NPCs couldn't replicate the nuances of human ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emotions.

But mocking their doubts, Choi Hyuk-su made the NPCs breathe and live in Dimension World, earning acclaim for truly creating a world.

'That's why Dimension World reached the pinnacle of VR.'

Yet their hyper-realistic humanity only made it harder for me to interact casually, overlapping with my memories of them.

'Stupid thoughts.'

I shook my head with a wry smile. It was just a game, after all.

"Let's go."

I passed the waiting Kael and headed down the underground stairs.

Ding-

The alert rang out from the darkness the moment my foot hit the final step.

A purple alert window flashed in the darkness, signaling a Heroic hidden dungeon, just as the text color indicated.

Hidden dungeons were secret spots accessible only via quests or exploration—tough, but with rewards to match.

Any Dimension World player would be desperate to find one.

Unlike regular dungeons, only the discoverer could enter, and some Legendary hidden dungeons vanished entirely upon clear, making their drops one-of-a-kind server exclusives with sky-high auction prices.

'No one would've guessed a hidden dungeon at the starting area.'

I smirked at the purple text. Starting zones were just low-level grinding spots for first job changes.

Even if found, hidden dungeons doubled difficulty for Rare rank and tripled for Heroic—practically impossible now.

'Level 10+ entry, Heroic means at least 30+, but it's not that simple. Parties are standard for clears.'

Monsters inside would likely be 40-50 at minimum.

'That lines up with the quest difficulty.'

Practically no one could solo this now.

"Why the grin?"

I glanced at Kael, who tilted his head curiously at my smile.

"Nothing."

Seeing the Level 75 beside his name made me chuckle involuntarily.

"Hm......?"

A blinding white window popped up as I opened the next door leading deeper underground.

'First discoverer privileges? Heard of 'em, but first time seeing one.'

I'd focused on arenas, so dungeon experience was limited.

'Though I grinded them endlessly in my dreams......'

No systems or privileges there.

I hit [Confirm] without hesitation.

"......Insane. What kind of broken rewards are these?"

I let out an involuntary laugh reading the privileges.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Haha, nothing."

Kael frowned slightly at me, but I bit my lip to stifle the grin.

'Arenas give top players stat scrolls or items, but this is next-level. A whole week? No wonder the Eight Clans risk it all for hidden dungeons.'

Rumors of discoverer rewards existed, but details were scarce—likely because only clan elites found them and kept quiet to hog the buffs.

This changed everything. It wasn't just about items from the Sword Tomb anymore.

With resolve in my eyes, I stepped slowly into the dungeon.

'This dungeon......'

I'll emerge from it transformed.

"Incredible......"

Opening the dank underground door revealed an entirely different space—like a mythic temple dome from ancient legends.

The aged, corroded pillars were intricately carved, engraved with weapon motifs.

"Yeon-gwang-seok—night-luminescent stone. Rare in the north...... I never imagined so much in our village."

Kael muttered, eyeing the glowing stones embedded in the pillars like lamps.

"Well, if you need it, take some, right?"

"No. If this truly holds Gullak's sword, it's sacred not just to our tribe but all northern tribes. Damaging it on a whim is absurd."

He shook his head as if my suggestion was nonsense.

'Sacred site, huh. He'd faint knowing monsters lurk here. In my dream, it was splattered with their blood after the fight.'

I gave a wry smile, recalling memories on his behalf, uncertain what lay ahead for him.

"Hoo......"

I exhaled deeply. Memories too vivid for dreams—the underground chill felt familiar.

'Time to allocate points first.'

Before the dungeon, I adjusted my leftover level-up points.

Used 37 of 45 points, leaving the rest.

'Points are finite, but stats aren't just this. New ones might unlock—better to save some.'

That's why I hadn't spent points up to level 10. Strength, agility, and vitality rose naturally with activity, easier than others.

So points went elsewhere.

'Need spares for mana if magic comes later—can't fumble spells from low mana.'

Still, dumping over half into strength and agility ensured I could deal damage and dodge.

'Big level gap means one hit could end me. Vitality won't save that.'

In parties, you needed to tag monsters for EXP share—not easy.

My agility investment barely let me dodge once.

'Have to trust my experience......'

Dream experience, but still.

"Hold."

Then Kael lowered his voice. The signal that the hunt was on.