While Balak and the other floor bosses were diligently renovating the dungeon,
chaos had erupted outside.
"O-our hope!!"
"Sob... It was a good dream."
"Senior, this guy's smiling, though?"
"Leave him be. He's probably found a hidden chest in his dream dungeon or something."
The adventurers wailed at the realization that their dreams had crumbled.
"""..."""
The heroes and their companions, who had already experienced a dungeon shutdown like this before, had their expressions harden in an instant.
A short while later. Amid the dungeon incident, and in anticipation of whatever events might follow,
the guild master, the heroes, and the leaders of the city's various factions gathered to discuss the situation.
"Is that really true, Hero?"
"Good lord... A being that can open or close the dungeon all by itself..."
"But if that boss can twist the will of the world, doesn't that make it basically a 'god'?"
"That's blasphemy. Watch your words next time."
"Ahem! Ahem! Enough of that, let's hear more from the heroes for now."
"Thank you, Mayor. The first time the dungeon closed..."
Thanks to the mayor's mediation, the heroes recounted their experiences in the dungeon, leaving everyone in the meeting room speechless.
"It's gotten harder than before?!"
"That's highly likely. According to what we heard, all the rooms we passed through were personally made by that boss called Balak."
"Hah... It's truly a trial."
"And amid that ultimate trial, one can obtain supreme treasures... Heh, there's something romantic about it."
"It's because of those treasures that the imperial capital is in an uproar right now. We need to prepare too."
The single sword the heroes had found in the dungeon before had astonished even the other races.
Dwarf kings were throwing tantrums, insisting on entering the Abyss Pit themselves, to the point where dwarf nations' administrations were paralyzed.
Rumors spread that the elves were holding heated conferences, furious at the idea that such an absurd weapon could exist in reality.
The result!
"Welcome to Herdorf, the capital of Altria."
"Hmph! As expected of humans—decked out in all this flashy nonsense!"
"Why complain when you can just accept the welcome? Such petty hearts on these little runts."
"What? You pointy-eared bitch!"
Elven and dwarven delegations had rushed to the Altria Empire, where the Abyss Pit was located!
Soon after, the two races made massive concessions to the humans, swiftly leading to an alliance agreement.
Because of that, a joint investigation team and imperial officials were heading to Raiter. The city's factions had to prepare accordingly.
The meeting in the city ended fortunately without issues. The adventurers, hearing the heroes' accounts, were greatly relieved.
And then. The promised three days that everyone awaited passed.
"Th-the dungeon's open!!!"
"Let's gooooo!!!"
"The chance of a lifetime!!! I won't miss it!!"
As soon as the dungeon reopened, adventurers hungry for overnight riches poured in.
Blinded by thoughts of supreme treasures, the adventurers charged like wild horses. But soon, at the starting point of the first room, they spotted something.
"What's this?"
"A portal? No, a rift?"
"Ugh! D-don't push!"
"Just like the heroes said, has the layout really changed?"
"But I really don't wanna go in there..."
"Y-yeah..."
What on earth had the adventurers seen to make them dawdle and block the path like this?
It was all because of one phrase written at the entrance to the mini-dungeon. That phrase was!!
｢Super Cowards' Shelter｣
─Because of that, the moment they stepped through the portal,
the adventurers felt like they'd lose something, and couldn't bring themselves to enter.
For now, the adventurers ignored this unfamiliar portal and began tackling the first room.
But they couldn't believe the reality before their eyes.
"Isn't that what the heroes said was in the third room!?"
"Insane!!!"
"Why is it flying at us!!!"
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Boom!! Boom boom!!
Before the dungeon closed again, only Herim had perfectly cleared the third room.
As a "considerate" gesture from Balak—pre-study for newbies, an invitation to experience it early—
he had downgraded the magic bullet-firing traps and placed them in the Hallucination Realm!
And right now! This "friendly" magic trap, firing white magic bullets clearly visible in the dimly lit surroundings of the Hallucination Realm,
mimicked the red magic bullets from the third room perfectly. But they were much weaker and slower, so even the weakest adventurers could slice through them easily.
However, their 360-degree flexible tracking ability remained intact. The moment they linked with other traps,
it became pure bullshit difficulty, ejecting every adventurer out of the dungeon.
And a little while later!
Too many adventurers had flooded the dungeon.
Roll roll roll roll!!!
"U, uwaaaaaah!!"
"What the hell is thaaaaat!!!"
"Hahaha..."
Thus, the adventurers who had greatly enjoyed the newly renovated Hallucination Realm, course by course,
realized this was absolutely not a difficulty they could clear right now.
Soon, their eyes turned to one portal...
｢Super Cowards' Shelter｣
""""......""""
In the end, they became super cowards.
***************
Having cast aside their pride, the adventurers threw themselves into the Super Cowards' Shelter. Looking around to figure out where they were,
they realized they had moved to some cave.
And not just any cave!
"There's no path?!"
"Just nothing at all?"
"W-wait. I didn't bring any food..."
"...No way, right?"
The place they were in was a large, square cave with absolutely no paths whatsoever.
But isn't something off about this?
Balak had said he'd provide newbies with a romantic adventure.
Was that romance supposed to be a desperate fight over scraps driven by hunger in this prison-like cave?
The adventurers who had entered this cave thought the Super Cowards' Shelter was just some shady trap, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Then, suddenly, something appeared on one wall.
｢10.｣
"N-numbers on the wall?"
"Uh... It's counting down?"
"A countdown?"
"What the hell's happening?!"
"I... I wanna go out!! Let me out of here!!!"
Amid the panic in the cave, the dwindling numbers soon reached ｢0｣.
The adventurers suddenly felt a floating sensation, as if the cave floor had vanished.
Thud!
""""Huh...?""""
But it wasn't just their imagination!
The cave floor had truly disappeared, sending the adventurers plummeting into an endless void.
"Keeeeeeeek!!"
"This is the absolute worst yaaaaah!!!"
"Just!!! Let me go hooooome!!!"
As despairing screams echoed among the endlessly falling adventurers,
suddenly, in the pitch-black depths of darkness, a brilliant light surged up from below.
The few adventurers still clinging to their sanity squinted at the dazzling light.
Soon, the quietly approaching light enveloped them.
A fresh, breezy wind carrying crisp air rushed at the adventurers, as if greeting them.
Those who had cautiously weathered the storm-like gale finally opened their eyes.
An unimaginable landscape unfolded majestically before them.
'Whoa....'
'I-is this heaven?'
'No... way....'
Vast skies stretched out. Amid the clouds, enormous sky islands revealed themselves to the adventurers.
Floating grandly like ruins from myth,
the adventurers realized they were free-falling in the infinitely high heavens.
************************
Seeing the massive sky islands around them, the adventurers shuddered with awe. They felt like birds soaring freely through the skies.
But that feeling didn't last.
"How loooong is this fall gonna goooo on!!"
"Uwaaaaaah!!!"
"It's just a mirage after aaaaall!!!"
They weren't birds right now!
The few adventurers still in their right minds grimaced, thinking they might crash into the sky islands below and lose their lives.
But soon, they had a wondrous experience.
Whiiiir!!
"Th-the wind?!"
"It's gathering?"
"Uwaaaaaah!!! What's thiiiis!!!"
The wind began swirling rapidly around the bodies of the falling adventurers.
Soon, it formed a massive cushion, protecting their bodies.
Boing!! Bounce!! Bounce bounce!!
Thanks to this magical cushion, the adventurers safely landed on the lowest sky island.
"Ugh... Ueeek!!!"
"Bleeeeh...."
"Cough!! Cough!!"
"Ugh... My head."
Of course, since the wind cushion absorbed impacts like a super bouncy ball, the adventurers vomited rainbows or felt nauseous upon arrival.
But skydiving with 100% safety in this era!
What a great experience!
Anyway, once their stomachs settled, the adventurers woke the fainted ones.
Losing all sense of reality at their location, everyone spaced out.
"Uh... Is this the heavens where the Sky God resides?"
"P-probably? And no sun, yet the sky's this blue."
"Woooow...."
"This has gotta be a d-dream, right? What am I even—"
"Maybe I'm still falling in that dark void?"
"Hey! Don't say creepy shit! Gives me chills!"
"Hey! You guys!! Stop spacing out and look here!
"I've found something here!"
At the shout of a discovery, all the adventurers on the sky island gathered at a massive rock.
"The writing here—"
"Similar to the script that Eric guy said he saw in the dungeon before?"
"So this is a riddle like that one?"
"Seems like it. Let's read what's written..."
｢Those who seek to walk upon the clouds, find the Altar of Storms.｣
｢Those blessed by the wind at that altar shall freely swim the blue skies.｣
Confirming the inscription on the rock, the adventurers fell into a cold silence.
But their hearts were far from cold.
Like true 'adventurers' true to their class, the thrill of exploring this place made their hearts race.
As a result, the super cowards began exploring the mini(?) dungeon, whose scale had ballooned disgustingly due to the rampage of the other floor bosses.