After seeing the region-wide announcement and the rewards listed, Kaito was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had ever received a Reputation reward. At first glance, it might seem insignificant, but Kaito knew better. Reputation wasn't just a number, it was the key to unlocking quests that required strict preconditions before NPCs would even acknowledge a player.
With this increase, both he and the Genesis team would now have easier access to valuable quests in the Astralis City region. More importantly, their team name would begin to spread among the NPCs themselves, making it easier to not only secure high value quests but even negotiate for higher rewards. The stronger the reputation, the greater the benefits.
As for the skill point reward, its true value lay in its flexibility. A single point could directly raise any one skill by a full level, instantly enhancing its power without the need for practice or grinding. It was the kind of prize that could tilt the balance of a future battle.
The 100 gold coins, on the other hand, were modest. Not too little, but not overly generous either. Given that this was still the early stage of the game, it was understandable why the system had capped the reward at that amount.
With the notifications fading, Kaito exhaled slowly and turned his gaze back toward the mist. Once again, it began to coil and thicken, converging in the depths of the Misty Valley where the yellow-skinned demon had fallen.
The mist was converging again because the Lumina Sight potion's effect had already worn off during the final battle between Kaito and the Yellow Weasel Demon. When Kaito had locked the demon into aerial combat, the potion's duration had ended. However, since the demon was already engaged with Kaito and pinned down by the coordination of his teammates, they hadn't lost track of it even after the effect faded. Within their normal vision range, it had been easy enough to continue the fight without issue.
But now, with the demon slain, They needed to find the entrance to the Misty Palace. The death of the guardian didn't automatically mean the gateway was nearby. In fact, in Kaito's previous life, even after guilds had defeated the Yellow Weasel Demon, it had still taken them two to three days to locate the Misty Palace's entrance.
This time, however, Kaito had the advantage of memory. He already knew exactly where the hidden entrance lay. With the cooldown of the Lumina Sight potion now over, he and his team drank another dose, their vision piercing through the thick fog once more.
Kaito turned to his companions, his expression steady.
"Alright—follow me."
The further Kaito moved inside the Mist Valley, the denser the mist became, but thanks to the Lumina Sight potion, they remained unaffected. Soon, they reached a junction where three paths spread before them. Kaito knew only the far-left path led to the Misty Palace. The middle path would send them to the valley's end, ejecting them outside into a level 13–14 monster area, while the far-right path led into a looping maze that returned travelers to the entrance.
Without hesitation, Kaito advanced along the far-left path, his teammates keeping pace. As they pressed deeper, the haze thinned slightly, and a vague silhouette emerged.
The Misty Palace loomed ahead—an immense palace-like structure wrapped in veils of shifting fog, its towering spires and vast courtyards hidden and revealed in fleeting glimpses. The mist coiled like a living guardian, giving the palace an air of mystery and foreboding, as though it belonged to another world entirely.
As the palace-like figure emerged through the mist, a crisp system prompt rang in their ears:
Ding! Congratulations! You have discovered the dungeon [Misty Palace]. You will gain +10% mana regeneration for the next 1 hour, and +50 reputation in the Astralis City region. This achievement will be broadcast throughout the region. Do you wish to hide your name?
Kaito didn't hesitate. Once again, he chose No. Through this announcement, he could not only let others know of the Misty Palace dungeon's existence within the Misty Valley but also pave the way for his next plan. With public knowledge of the dungeon spreading, he could push the sale of Lumina Sight Potions through his second uncle—turning it into another booming business alongside the Echo Core Ember Plates already under his control.
[Astralis Region Announcement]
Congratulations to player Raen and his team Genesis for discovering the dungeon [Misty Palace]. Their achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame of Astralis City, and they are awarded +50 Reputation in the Astralis City region.
The Astralis Forum instantly exploded after the region-wide announcement.
Fire Dagger: Great God Raen, please accept me as your disciple! I'll even grind a hundred levels just to follow behind you!
Pink Lotus: Wow… Raen again! Doing something that even major guilds couldn't. Till now, not a single guild had discovered a level 15 dungeon, but Genesis did it without a guild backing them. Insane!
Cherry Blossom: Great God Raen, I'm a lady with big breasts and a juicy booty—perfect for giving birth to a whole army of monkey babies for you!
Sword Fanatic: Does your thigh lack a pendant, Great God Raen? I'll cling to it forever if you let me!
Noob Crusher: Genesis is crazy strong. This will shake the entire server. Even the major guilds have been put to shame.
Silent Moon: His luck is heaven-defying.
Ice popsicle: Big Brother Raen! Please share the path! Think of us poor players who can't even clear Echoing Deep horror level difficulty properly yet.
Bloody Oath: Hah! If Genesis opens recruitment now, every player in Glory will fight to join. The queues will be longer than the dungeon itself.
Fox Spirit: I swear, Great God Raen's making system announcements with every move. Hall of Fame is about to be filled with Genesis' name.
Dragon Tail: Even without a backing, Genesis is standing on equal footing with major guilds. This is just the beginning.
Just then, when the forum was still bustling with such comments, a sudden world announcement dropped,
World Announcement: Congratulations to player Raen for discovering the Misty Palace dungeon. Our guild, Eternal Dawn, is willing to pay 1,000 gold coins for information on how to reach the dungeon.
Before players could even process what had been said, another announcement followed,
World Announcement: Congratulations to player Raen for discovering the Misty Palace dungeon. Our guild, Iron Blood Brotherhood, is willing to pay 1,100 gold coins for the information on how to reach the dungeon.
And almost immediately, another rang out:
World Announcement: Congratulations to player Raen for discovering the Misty Palace dungeon. Our guild, Celestial Vanguard, is willing to pay 1,100 gold coins for the information on how to reach the dungeon.
The flood of announcements ended with one final message:
World Announcement: Congratulations to player Raen for discovering the Misty Palace dungeon. Our guild, Ever Night Guild, is willing to pay 1,100 gold coins for the information on how to reach the dungeon.
In Glory, dungeons weren't fixed structures within the world but independent subspaces accessible from multiple entry points scattered across the land. The Misty Palace was one such dungeon a common subspace for the entire Astralis region. Its entrances were distributed among the various towns within the region, each sealed by the same hidden boss the Furious Yellow Weasel Demon, making it mandatory to defeat the guardian before stepping inside.
However, the Yellow Weasel Demon was a unique monster, meaning that once it was slain in any town, it would simultaneously vanish across the entire Astralis region. With the guardian dead, every entrance point unlocked at once, allowing players to step directly into the shared dungeon subspace after crossing the mist illusion formation, where all challengers competed within the same instance regardless of which town they entered from. It was possible that the Misty Palace extended beyond Astralis, perhaps even serving as a common dungeon for other regions as well, but Kaito had no knowledge of that.