It was already past one in the morning by the time they left the trading center.
The USB drive Fenric had just received from Belle proved incredibly useful. It contained a powerful virus capable of infiltrating and modifying other system programs—a truly valuable tool.
"God Shura—"
Before Belle could finish, Fenric cut her off.
"Just call me Shura."
"Alright, Shura. When are we entering the dungeon?"
"Right now." Fenric smiled. "Do you have a refresh card?"
Aurora, standing nearby, quickly interjected.
"No need to worry about that. Belle, I'll send one to you immediately."
"Then I'll wait for you in the prep room," Fenric said.
"Okay, Shura! I'll be there soon!"
After parting ways with the sisters, Fenric made his way to the Samsara Tower.
Using the dungeon cooldown refresh card, he ascended to the tower's Fifth Stage. The moment he arrived, a spirit materialized before him.
"Welcome, Dear Samsara Player Shura. How may I assist you?"
"I'm here to enter the dungeon."
"This dungeon world is '2012'. Would you like to enter now?"
"I would."
The moment he confirmed, Fenric was instantly teleported into a pure white room.
By then, many people had already gathered, and more continued to arrive in waves. The room buzzed with conversation. People stood in small groups, talking animatedly. The whole place felt lively—chaotic, even.
Clearly, they were all here for the "2012" dungeon—a major instance with high participation.
A countdown displayed on the wall showed 26 minutes remaining before the dungeon opened.
Fenric found a corner and sat down to wait.
"Holy sh*t! That's Shura! Shura's here!"
As soon as he sat, someone recognized him. Instantly, the atmosphere shifted.
Dozens of heads turned in unison, eyes lighting up like kids spotting Santa Claus.
"Shura God! Can you carry me through this dungeon? Name your price!"
"Daddy Shura, please! I'll do anything! Just take me once!"
"Grandpa Shura! You're our only hope—take us with you!"
"Come on, this dungeon allows alliances, and rewards won't be affected. Please, bring us along!"
"Brother Shura! I'm a girl, will you take me?"
"What the hell, sis? I'm calling him 'Dad' and you're calling him 'Brother'? What do you want, to be my aunt?"
"Who cares what you're calling him? My grandpa called him 'ancestor', so by seniority, I should be calling her grandma!"
Fenric: "..."
He was completely speechless at the ridiculous antics around him.
"I'm not interested in carrying anyone. Please stop bothering me."
The room instantly fell into a gloomy silence. Faces dropped with disappointment.
A few persistent ones tried to say more, but when they saw Fenric close his eyes, clearly no longer interested in talking, they backed off.
Just then, another flash of red light lit the room.
A girl in the form of an elf appeared.
She glanced around the prep room, and upon spotting Fenric, she jogged over with a bright smile.
"Shura, I'm here!"
With all eyes on them, Fenric stood and said plainly, "Come on, let's form an alliance."
Everyone: "…"
You what?!
Bro… didn't you just say you weren't interested in taking anyone?
But now that a cute girl shows up, you're all in? Your standards flipped faster than a switch!
"Wait a sec… isn't she Belle Morwyn?" someone muttered.
Realization hit the crowd, and people began exchanging meaningful looks.
No doubt about it now—these two definitely had something going on.
A moment later, the system announcement rang out:
"Attention, Samsara Players: Mission world teleportation will begin in 10 minutes."
By now, nearly a hundred participants had gathered in the prep room.
In the final ten minutes, groups began forming quietly, whispering strategies and alliance terms.
Fenric stood beside Belle. Many eyes lingered on them.
He ignored the stares and turned to her.
"Once we enter, follow my every command."
Belle nodded so quickly it looked like she was pecking grains.
Even if Shura hadn't said it, she would have followed his every word.
Time ticked down.
"Teleportation countdown begins: 10… 9… 8… 3… 2… 1!"
As the countdown ended, red light enveloped the room.
Everyone vanished.
"System is generating your civilian identities…"
The voice echoed in Fenric's ears.
A moment later, his vision returned.
He found himself inside a modest roadside hotel.
There was someone else in the room—a beautiful young woman with dark hair and soft, intelligent eyes.
The moment he saw her, Fenric knew: it was Belle.
That was the benefit of forming an alliance—you could recognize your ally at first glance.
"Belle?" he asked.
"It's me!" Belle responded without hesitation.
Then, the system issued another alert:
[Mission Released!]
Main Objective: Survive for at least 24 hours.
Time Limit: Unlimited.
Note: The longer you survive, the greater the reward.
Survive 1 day → E-rank evaluation
Survive 2 days → D-rank evaluation
Survive 4 days → C-rank evaluation
Survive 8 days → B-rank evaluation
Survive 16 days → A-rank evaluation
Survive 32 days → S-rank evaluation
Important: You have 5 hours of preparation time. A global disaster will occur in 5 hours.
As soon as the notification ended, Fenric sprang into action.
"Come with me."
Belle quickly followed him outside.
Fenric headed to a public phone booth and located a nearby city map.
(Note: In 2012, smartphones were just starting to go mainstream. Public phone booths still existed.)
According to the map, they were in Salt Lake City, not far from Yellowstone Park—the very volcano about to erupt.
Fenric remembered the plot vividly.
Once Yellowstone blew, everything fell apart. Roads caved in. Skyscrapers toppled. The entire Salt Lake City would soon sink into chaos.
The system had given them only five hours to prepare. He needed to leave the city as soon as possible.
After that…
This place would become a death trap.
Anyone who stayed—would die.