The news spread like wildfire. Those players who were out grinding levels panicked and bolted back to the safe zones. Even most of the beta players felt the heat, too unsettled to press on. Only now did the average players—the ones who'd been kept in the dark—finally understand what the elite already knew: the world had flipped on its head. This wasn't some fairy tale. It was hell. A nightmare world where monsters possessed unimaginable strength. "So… how did Nighthale hit Level 12 in just two days? Is he even human?" "Probably not. It's insane. I can't wrap my head around it. Even Level 1 slimes are a nightmare." "It's just unbelievable." As panic mounted, the true terror of the player sitting atop the leaderboard finally began to sink in. There was an old saying: no one can truly understand another person's struggle until they've walked in their shoes. When they'd first logged in, plenty of people had been impressed by Aiden reaching Level 12 so fast, but with their limited understanding, they hadn't grasped what that actually meant. Now everything had changed. Looking at Nighthale's level through the lens of Doomsday's brutal reality was a completely different experience. Facing the constant threat of permanent death, crushing monstrous creatures without breaking a sweat, and leveling up like it was nothing was enough to send chills down anyone's spine. Most importantly, everyone—including beta players like RageSlash—suddenly had the same realization: If all of them really were trapped in this game with no way back to reality, then… What was the true value of that buff Nighthale had secured for every player in Grendola? That extra hour of playtime every single day. Yes. As Doomsday's public launch unfolded, the legend of Nighthale and everything he had accomplished began to rise in value.… The Dragon Mountain Range. Verdant peaks rose into the sky, cloaked in emerald bamboo and shrouded in swirling mist. A gentle breeze drifted through now and then, rustling the leaves and casting a serene hush over the landscape. From time to time, massive birds of prey swooped through the valleys, their cries echoing off the stone. To the naked eye, the scene was breathtaking—like a magnificent scroll of nature unfurled across the horizon. But anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Dragon Mountain Range knew better. Beneath this facade of peace lay a treacherous deathtrap. Even at the very base of the range, the weakest beasts were Level 60. The higher intruders climbed, the denser the population of ferocious beasts became—including Corrupted-level bosses. That was why this colossal range, winding for thousands of miles, remained untouched by human hands. Any sane person gave this forbidden zone a wide berth. Whoosh! Whoosh!The sharp whistle of wind suddenly shattered the silence. Two figures, cloaked in a soft white glow, tore through the mountains. They moved with such blistering speed that even the powerful Corrupted-level bosses could only watch them blur past. The allure of the Fountain of Holy Spirits was undeniable. Not even a top-ranked powerhouse like Merrick could resist it. The moment he secured Aiden's promise, he rushed to Leafport with burning urgency. With their pact sealed, the duo headed straight for the Dragon Mountain Range. With Merrick—a divine-level sorcerer—clearing the path, it took them a mere half hour to cut from Leafport all the way to the mountainside. "Sure enough, raw power is everything." Aiden watched the winding peaks blur beneath his feet, unable to suppress a sigh of admiration. In his previous life, simply reaching the summit had required putting everything else on hold and planning for a full year. He hadn't dared make a move until he was absolutely certain no detail had been overlooked. The climb itself had taken three grueling months, filled with countless brushes with death. Only after all that struggle had he managed to snatch the hidden class scroll from right under the nose of an eerie Level 80 Corrupted-level boss. The bitterness and hardship of that journey were something only Aiden truly understood. As for Piper—the one who'd actually used the scroll—she never knew the price paid to retrieve it. She didn't offer a shred of gratitude. Instead, she took it like it was owed to her. "What a d*mn fool I was…" Aiden let out a self-deprecating chuckle. As the gale-force winds whipped his hair around his face, his smile slowly faded. His eyes went flat, empty of both sorrow and joy. Retracing this old path, he realized that the young man filled with burning passion and sincerity had died long ago in some dark corner of the past. "This kid…"Merrick glanced sideways at him. Even though Aiden's face was obscured and he couldn't see his expression clearly, he still sensed an inexplicable shift in the air around him. To find such weary detachment in someone so young felt unsettling. "He's barely an adult. Why does it feel like I'm standing next to some ancient freak who's lived for centuries?" Merrick muttered under his breath, thoroughly bewildered. A few minutes later, they finally reached the summit. "The highest peak of the Dragon Mountain Range is ahead. Where's the maze?" Merrick flicked his wrist, and they hovered in midair. It was a strange sight. Despite the swarm of Level 80 beasts gathering below, not a single one seemed to detect their presence.