Kaito was already planning his next move. First, he would earn another profit from Elder Faelion. before finishing the Viscount's quest. The reward from such a task would certainly be worth the effort—equipment he could make real use of.
From his past life's experience, Kaito knew the quest wouldn't be easy. Its challenges were significant, but that only meant the rewards would be better. At the very least, the equipment would be of silver grade. And while the skills gained might not be especially rare, they would still hold real value for him.
After completing his transaction with elder faelion kaito then made his way towards the town gate.
While walking towards the town gate, Kaito opened his mailbox. A notification blinked at the top of the interface, and inside he found several neatly packed bottles—the Lumina sight Potions he had asked his second uncle to prepare. With a faint smile, he stored them away. These would prove invaluable for what was coming next.
It was finally time. The first true team dungeon of Glory—the Level 15 challenge—was waiting. Unlike the solo or small-party runs so far, this was the first dungeon designed for a full squad. For most players, it would be their first taste of large-scale coordination, where one mistake could mean the downfall of the entire team.
Kaito closed the mailbox and made his way toward the town gate, where he had arranged to meet the others. He had already sent word to the core members of Genesis to gather there. One by one, they were arriving—his four cousins Daichi, Suzune, Hiroto, Kaede, Aika, Mei Rin, Raven blade, and Nina. Counting himself, that made nine.
But there was still one slot missing. A dungeon of this scale required a minimum of ten players, and their team needed proper magical firepower to balance the formation. Fortunately, Kaito had already accounted for this.
The final member of their squad soon appeared at the gate. His name was Lucien Dusk, a Fire Elemental mage Kaito had specifically chosen to fill the tenth slot. In his previous life, Lucien had grown into a renowned master, someone whose strength and skill had earned him respect across the entire realm. Recruiting him early this time was no coincidence—it was foresight.
Originally from Silvercrest City, Lucien's recruitment into Genesis had been seamless, and his steady growth during their earlier dungeon runs had only reinforced Kaito's judgment. His control over magic was sharp, his instincts reliable, and his dedication unquestionable. With Lucien, the team's formation was finally complete, fulfilling the ten-player minimum required to enter the Level 15 dungeon.
Kaito's eyes swept over his companions: Aika, Mei Rin, Raven blade, Nina, Suzune, Daichi, Hiroto, Kaede—and now Lucien Dusk. Counting himself, the Genesis squad stood ten strong.
Every one of them had reached Level 15. Their preparations were done. With their lineup secured and their roles balanced, there was nothing left to delay them.
The gates of the first true team dungeon of Glory awaited.
….
Team Dungeons in Glory shared the same core system as Party Dungeons. For example, the Echoing Deep—the very first Party Dungeon Kaito had cleared—also carried six distinct difficulty levels: Normal, Elite, Hard, Horror, Nightmare, and King. The same structure applied to Team Dungeons as well.
However, there was a crucial difference in how these dungeons were approached. In Kaito's previous life, guilds unfamiliar with a dungeon would never recklessly dive straight into the higher levels. Instead, they would begin by exploring the Normal Mode, painstakingly gathering information about the dungeon's layout, monster patterns, and hidden traps. Only after accumulating enough knowledge would they attempt the Elite or Hard Modes, gradually building strategies for the more punishing tiers. This slow but steady method was the only way most guilds survived the brutal challenges within.
Right now, however, no guild had yet discovered the Level 15 Team Dungeon. Its mysteries remained locked away, waiting for someone to uncover the entrance and claim the rights of the First Founder. To obtain that recognition, there was a very specific process: first, the Mist Illusion Formation that concealed the dungeon had to be unraveled. Then, the guardian monster protecting the gate needed to be defeated. Only after passing these trials would the dungeon truly open, granting its founders both exclusive rewards and permanent recognition in the system's records.
Unlike Party Dungeons, the maps inside Team Dungeons was much more vast, sprawling far beyond what most players imagined. Echoing Deep, with its countless twisting paths, was already infamous for causing players to lose their bearings. Compared to that, the first Team Dungeon of Glory was even more ambitious. It was known as the Misty Palace—a labyrinth full of mist and illusions with shifting corridors, home to creatures born of fog and deception. At its heart waited the Mist Demon, the dungeon's final boss and guardian of the exit.
What made Team Dungeons in Glory fundamentally different from those in other VR games was their core objective. In most games, the aim was simple: slay the final boss and collect the loot. Here, the true victory condition was finding the exit. Only by locating the exit and defeating the guardian monster stationed there could players clear the dungeon and claim their rewards. In many cases, the guardian battle itself became the final challenge, often more dangerous than the fights leading up to it.
The Misty Palace was no exception. Yet, compared to future team dungeons, its design was forgiving—if one could call it that. The System had intended for this to be the first large-scale cooperative dungeon players would encounter. Its difficulty was therefore tuned lower, focusing on one simple demand: survival. As long as the team could endure the shifting illusions, avoid being wiped out, and defeat the guardian at the exit, they would succeed.
Kaito, however, already knew the truth. In his past life, it had taken weeks before anyone uncovered the way through. Clues scattered among NPC dialogues had eventually pointed players toward a solution: the Lumina Sight Potion. Only with its enhanced vision attribute could one pierce the Mist Illusion Formation cloaking the valley where the dungeon was hidden.
With this knowledge in hand, Kaito led his squad directly toward the place that all others avoided—the Misty Valley. Thick fog clung to the landscape, the very air shimmering with the distortion of the Rank 0 Mist Illusion Formation. Most players turned back the moment they entered, their senses overwhelmed, their path lost in endless white.
After leading his party through the dense fog, Kaito finally halted at the edge of the Misty Valley. The air here was heavy with swirling mist, warping sight and sound, making it nearly impossible to tell direction. The Rank 0 Mist Illusion Formation was working exactly as intended—confusing intruders until they either turned back or perished.
Without hesitation, Kaito turned to his companions.
"Everyone, down your Lumina Sight Potions," he instructed.
One by one, the members of Genesis uncorked the vials he had provided, the faint silvery-blue liquid inside shimmering like starlight caught in water.
[ Lumina Sight Potion ]
Effect: Grants +10 Visual Range for 3 minutes.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
As the liquid settled in their systems, the difference was immediate. The oppressive haze thinned before their eyes, outlines sharpening where there had been only shifting shadows. The Path previously swallowed by fog began to emerge, faint but visible, like threads of light weaving through the valley.
For the first time since entering, they could see the way forward.