Igris, however, didn’t join the chorus of complaints. He had bigger things on his mind.

He took the rest of the day off to prepare. He spent hours in his room, meditating on his Ashes Bloodline, feeling the faint, cold pulse of the broken mask in his inventory, and meticulously sharpening his Gratting Sword. He ran the math on his stats, his Multiplier, and his Sword Intent. If he was going into a professional dungeon, he wasn’t just going to survive—he was going to dominate.

The next morning, the sun barely peeking over the jagged peaks of the Ninth Dimension, Igris met with his assigned team outside the colossal steel gates of Marlin Fortress.

It was time to see what the pros were made of.

The five figures stood lazily at the entrance of Marlin Fortress. Even so, the oppressive aura they released could not be ignored.

Igris was slightly astonished when he felt the raw energy radiating off these people. These weren’t academy students—these were blooded, professional dungeon raiders.

He walked over and greeted the leader.

The muscular young man nodded and stepped forward. He raised his hand, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "Hello, I’m the leader of the Tiger Vanguard team, Lyon."

Igris looked up at the two-meter-tall, bulky figure. He could instantly discern that the man was releasing his aura purposely—a classic veteran move to intimidate the rookie. Igris smiled gently in response. "Hello, I’m Igris. Please take care of me in the future."

He stretched out his hand and grasped Lyon’s.

The atmosphere instantly froze.

The two people were confronting each other secretly. Although they had polite smiles on their faces, their grips were locked in a silent, crushing war.

’This brat is very strong!’ Lyon was surprised. He hadn’t used his full force, but he was close to becoming a Level 25 Player—his grip could crush steel. Yet, Igris was able to withstand his pressure without flinching.

Looking at Igris’s expression, he didn’t seem to be having any trouble at all. And he wasn’t pretending either. There was no tremor in his arm, no sweat on his brow.

’Looks like he’s really a capable person...’ Lyon thought to himself.

"Hahaha! As expected of a Marlin Academy student!" Lyon laughed heartily and released his hand.

He knew when to stop. He didn’t exert any more force.

"You’re speaking too highly of me," Igris smiled, entirely unbothered by the other party’s little test. He didn’t blame them; if he was too weak, a professional team like this might regret their decision to bring him along on the spot.

At this moment, the other four members of the Tiger Vanguard team looked at each other. They could see a hint of genuine astonishment in one another’s eyes. They knew how heavy Lyon’s grip was.

"All of you can introduce yourselves too," Lyon said to them.

"I’m Felix. Earth element talent, Guardian Class," a humble-looking, broad-shouldered young man said first.

"Jin. Fire element talent, Dark Knight Class."

"Hello, hello! I’m Yue, Healer Class."

The two who spoke next were a pair of siblings. The man was fair and quite handsome.

Igris touched his chin. ’Hmmm... he’s just a little less handsome than me.’

As for the lady, since they were siblings, she wouldn’t be any worse. She looked dainty and pretty, with an almost shy, confused aura. Igris was surprised; she didn’t look like an experienced, blood-soaked martial warrior. However, Igris knew better than to judge a book by its cover. When she wasn’t playing shy, he had briefly felt the razor-sharp aura she displayed. It was very real.

As for the last person... it was a young lady with a mature, dangerous temperament.

"Lyra. I’m a fire element martial warrior too, Gunmancer Class."

The lady smiled, revealing sparkly white teeth. She seemed bright and cheerful, the type whose energetic personality could light up a room. She patted Igris’s shoulder and told him, "Little Brother Igris, follow me in the future. I’ll protect you. Don’t worry, there will be benefits too."

She even winked at him after she spoke.

"Enough, Lyra. Don’t tease the young man anymore," Lyon shook his head helplessly. "You know my name already. Metal element, Vagabond Class."

Igris nodded his head.

While these thoughts raced in his mind, he didn’t forget to introduce himself. "My talent is Null."

"Null!"

The five people from the Tiger Vanguard team were amazed. They didn’t think they’d ever see the legendary Null Talent—a no talent so rare it was even more rare than S rank!

Igris’s eyes shifted, landing on the heavy, rune-etched rotary machine gun strapped to Lyra’s back.

Who said only men were allowed to use guns? Guns and beauties were a match made in heaven.

Lyra wore a tight-fitting battle uniform that showcased her lethal curves. Paired with the rough, industrial-looking heavy machine gun, she exuded a wild, fierce, and undeniably sexy kind of charm.

Igris shifted his gaze and stared at the two massive, oversized battleaxes resting on Lyon’s shoulders. He could only exclaim in his heart: ’Now THAT is a real man!’

Felix, the quiet giant of the group, wielded a brutal-looking mace studded with glowing mana-crystals. Meanwhile, the twin siblings, Jin and Yue, used a heavy blade and a swift sword, respectively. When they stood together, they gave off a highly capable, battle-hardened aura.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let’s move out!"

With a wave of Lyon’s hand, the team grabbed their luggage. They piled into a heavy, armor-plated off-road vehicle and sped toward the northwest.

With a wave of Lyon’s hand, the team grabbed their luggage. They piled into a heavy, armor-plated off-road vehicle and sped toward the northwest.

Half an hour later, the vehicle rumbled into a heavily fortified military camp.

"This military camp was erected right after the dimensional rift leading to the Ghadora Plains appeared," Lyon explained from the driver’s seat, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "It’s heavily guarded. There are Level 20 Players hidden in the shadows at all times to prevent any accidents or monster breaches."

At a checkpoint, the vehicle was stopped. The five veteran members pulled out their Player Guild credentials and handed them to the guard. Igris followed their example, flashing his Marlin Academy ID.

The guard used a scanning device, running it over their credentials before scanning their faces. Once the system confirmed their identities with a green beep, the heavy blast doors ground open.

"If you don’t have your credentials on you, you aren’t getting within a mile of this place," Lyon noted as they drove deeper into the camp.

They parked in a secure lot, locked the vehicle, and walked toward a massive central plaza. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The plaza wasn’t crowded. The most conspicuous object was a gigantic door frame made of black steel right in the middle. It was at least thirty meters tall and twenty meters wide, shaped like a circular arc.

In the center of the door frame was a pitch-black, deep, and impossibly long whirlpool. The moment your eyes locked onto it, your gaze was sucked in, as if the vortex was trying to pull your soul out of your body.

Honestly, anyone who saw a dimensional rift for the first time would be shaken to their core. Igris was no exception. He stood in front of the enormous door frame, his dual-colored eyes wide, unable to speak for a long time.

"What do you think? Mind blown?" Lyon smiled, turning back to look at him.

The other four members grinned. They had worn the exact same expression when they saw their first rift.

Igris nodded slowly. "That’s... one way to put it."

"Let’s go. When you actually step onto the Ghadora Plains, you’ll be even more flabbergasted," Lyon chuckled. He was the first to walk toward the door.

Large, humming machines surrounded the frame. Igris didn’t know if they were there to stabilize the rift or monitor its energy, but staff in white coats operated them, keeping a vigilant eye on the readings. They completely ignored the Tiger Vanguard team.

Igris followed closely behind his teammates. He took a deep breath and stepped through the whirlpool.

It felt like an instant, yet simultaneously like an eternity. The world spun violently, and his vision went pitch black as his body was stretched across dimensions...

Suddenly, solid ground was under his feet. Igris opened his eyes. Lyon and the others were standing a few feet away.

They had already recovered from the teleportation sickness. When they saw Igris standing perfectly upright, not even retching, their eyebrows shot up in surprise.

The first time they had passed through a rift, they had thrown up their guts and suffered migraines for half a day before they could walk straight.

’This kid is not ordinary!’ They exchanged glances, the same thought popping into their heads simultaneously.

Igris had no idea what they were thinking. At that moment, his attention was hijacked by a series of crisp, digital prompts flashing in his vision.