A mysterious new dungeon had been unearthed beneath the Lake of Themis. For almost a millennia, most of the lake had been covered by an enormous glacier making the area impossible to navigate or map for that matter. However, in recent years due to rising temperatures, the glacier had started to melt. Ryu didn’t want to think of the implications, chalking up the development as a mere coincidence.

Global warming doesn’t exist here! It’s just a particularly hot summer, that’s all…

As to how Jörm came to learn of the dungeon’s location and the recession of the glacier’s protection over the lake, passing conversations with merchants and the indigenous people of the Polar Expanse had led to the exchange of important information. This information had unintentionally reached his ears from drunken words.

Ever the opportunist, Jörm and his band of merry men set off on a journey to Themis in order to be the first to plunder the treasure that surely lay in wait, untouched for centuries. They scouted the area before any other parties could, carrying out a test run through the dungeon without any prior preparation.

Ryu couldn’t help but question what Jörm and his party were thinking, throwing themselves headfirst into danger like that. He glanced at the heavily tattooed, musclebound warriors, weapons at their hips and instruments slung across their backs. Oh right. Thinking wasn’t their strong suit.

The journey to the Subglacial Dungeon was long and uneventful for the most part. They took a caravan to the edge of the Polar Expanse before switching their mode of transport to dogsleds. Still, Ryu had to hold his breath, marveling at the vast stretch of blinding white as far as the eye could see in either direction.

They were shrouded in winter gear from head to toe, but after experiencing the sweltering Kaffa summer, the cold felt wonderful to Ryu, offering some much-needed respite from the heat.

The party finally arrived at the Lake of Themis. A path of ice across its frigid waters led to a stairwell surrounded by towering frozen pillars, glistening like cuts of lapis lazuli in the sunlight.

A notification appeared in front of Ryu before he could take in the sheer scope of the natural beauty before him.

[Previously unexplored dungeon discovered]

[Current level: 8]

[Skill Acquired: Sneak]

[Level Bonus: Acoustic Coupling]

Ryu was surprised by the sudden level-up, though he didn’t complain, delighted. The adventuring skills he had acquired this time around were quite interesting. His mind ran wild with ideas for potential uses for them. Sylfie took notice of his facial expression. Her eyes flashed, scanning him. She flicked his forehead sharply.

“Ow!” Ryu yelped.

“Don’t even think about it,” she scoffed. “Grandmother’s already placed anti-spy barriers in every room and bathroom at the café to ensure maximum privacy for guests, and to prevent people with dubious intentions from peeping on anyone.”

“What are you two talking about?” Wisteria asked curiously.

“See for yourself,” Sylfie replied, pointing to Ryu.

The mage scanned him as well, shaking her head. “Forget I even asked.”

Jörm, on the other hand, was greatly amused by the development. “Ha! I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. Dungeon sneaking skills are very fickle when it comes to acquiring them. They take an adventurer with certain qualities to unlock.”

Ryu frowned, reminding himself to behave. He didn’t want to be known for the incident in the Slime Forest forever. He made a promise to himself to brave the dangers of the dungeon and perform feats of heroism that would make him proud and further endear him to the public. Hopefully, if the System was willing, he would earn a modest title this time. Sylfie had explained to him that titles would only be replaced if the heroic feat in question was greater than that which earned the current title. He would need to do something of greater merit than driving off one of the Demon Lord’s Generals.

Ryu grimaced. Would he be able to pull it off? His ruminations came to a halt as the sound of a faint groan entered his ears.

“Ryu, my tummy hurts,” Aurora complained. She appeared slightly bloated, tiny bursts of flatulence occasionally propelling her through the air.

“You reap what you sow,” Ryu replied, pursing his lips. “After we clear this dungeon, I’ll take you to the vet, okay? Just sit tight.”

“I can’t! The toots are getting worse, nya!”

Ryu tried to maintain a serious attitude as he reprimanded her, though he had trouble keeping himself composed.

“Is this a joke to you, nya?!” Aurora burst, indignantly.

“N-no,” he snickered.

“All set?” Jörm asked the group in a booming voice, cutting the conversation short. They all responded in unison, eager to plunge into the depths of the dungeon.

As they set foot inside, a message popped up in front of them.

[All levels and skills learned have been scaled to 10.]

Ryu glanced around at the others, confused.

“Some dungeons have specific stipulations such as this one. The reason I encouraged you to level up is so that you could acquire more skills since this place only scales the power of skills already acquired and your current stats to [Level 10],” Jörm explained, surprisingly articulate all of a sudden. His demeanor had changed, the carefree way he carried himself now deliberate and methodical.

“Stick with us, and you’ll be fine,” Jörm’s second in command, Tyr, grinned. The large man was built like a boulder, wearing a suit of armor made of dragon bone and covered with the hide of a Snow Tailed Ursa. He brandished a sword that Ryu imagined could cleave a mountain in two.

“This dungeon is divided into three sections,” Jörm’s third in command, Freyja pointed out. The only woman on Jörm’s team, she was known for her fierce and somewhat intense personality. She wore a similar outfit to Tyr’s, though the animal hide she donned was that of a creature Ryu had never seen, its fur a shade darker than maroon.

The toned, Amazonian-like warrior proceeded to go over the layout of the dungeon. “The first level—the one we’re currently on—is a gauntlet to test reflexes. There are multiple traps, platforms, and puzzles we’ll need to get through to reach the second level. From there, we’ll have to navigate a labyrinth filled with Frost Wisps and goblins around every corner to reach the third floor where the Dungeon Master resides.”

Ryu gulped. “G-goblins?” he stammered. Unlike the fodder mobs that they represented in World of Glory, Ryu had a feeling that a real encounter with the creatures would be a lot less forgiving should things go south.

“I feel you,” Freyja replied, patting him on the shoulder. “Those fluffy b*stards are a pain in the ass to deal with.”

Fluffy?

Jörm clapped his hands together loudly before Ryu could get another question in. “Enough talk! We have all the information we need! Rushing through the first floor will be a piece of cake since we’ve set off all the traps already,” he laughed heartily. “We will press on through the second floor, striking fear into our enemies! And of course, we will have our revenge on the Dungeon Master, now that we have our friends with us! Onward!”

Jörm’s men cheered, rushing ahead through the dungeon with him, spurred by his words. Tyr and Freyja grinned following after them.

Ryu glanced at his party. Sylfie and Wisteria looked at him expectantly. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I suppose we should join them.” He grabbed Aurora out of the air, placing the gassy cat in his satchel to prevent her from jetting away. I’ll need to replace this if she gets sick in it.

Suited up and mentally prepared, Ryu implored the other two to follow him into the dungeon to rejoin Jörm’s party.

“Shall we?”