Isaac, meanwhile, didn’t seem fazed. He looked at Isla, then simply nodded. "Alright then. Warn, Beatrice, Isla—you’ll be the ones joining me. The rest of you stay in camp and prepare the next batch of supplies for when we return."
"Yes, my lord!" the others said in unison.
After confirming, Warn, Beatrice, Celia, Priscilla, and Isaac began preparing to enter the dungeon.
They checked their weapons, adjusted their protective gear, and made sure their mana circulation was stable.
Celia looked hesitant as she fastened her gloves.
"Are you sure I should come along? I’m already at the max level for my rank. Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed outside and helped others?"
Isaac shook his head. "You need experience fighting monsters, not just training simulations. And since I promised to protect you, taking you with me is the safest way for you to learn."
Celia blinked, a smile forming on her lips.
She was obviously happy with his answer.
They followed the others toward the dungeon gate.
Before they could step closer, Isla cleared her throat and walked to the front.
She seemed more composed than before, though she avoided looking directly at Isaac.
"Before we enter, Lord, I’d like to explain some things about this dungeon. I heard it’s your first time entering one, so a short briefing would help."
Isaac nodded. "Go ahead."
Isla looked around at the others, then focused on him again.
"All dungeons are Hell difficulty, no matter what type they are. There are several kinds: permanent, temporary, raid dungeons, and a few rare ones that appear under special world events."
"Since all of them are Hell difficulty, every dungeon is same in terms of, well, difficulty?"
"No," She continued, "The difficulty is measured by how many people can enter together as a single group.
"The more people a dungeon allows inside as a team, the harder it usually is.
"When a group of people enters a dungeon together, they’re called a [Team].
"Normally, multiple Teams can enter the same dungeon, but each Team will be sent to a separate instance, which is basically, a copy of the main dungeon."
"So even if multiple Teams enter, they can’t see or help each other?" Celia asked.
"Exactly," Isla replied. "Think of it like different players running the same story mode in a game. Each will experience the same layout, the same bosses, but they won’t be in the same space."
Celia nodded slowly.
"Additionally," Isla went on, "the larger the Team is allowed into dungeon, the fewer Teams can attempt the dungeon simultaneously.
"But this is not always true.
"For example, this current tutorial dungeon can take up to twelve members in one Team, and only five Teams can enter it at a time.
"We can deduce that this is because this dungeon is easier compared to others, as it is a tutorial dungeon.
"Of course, this is not good news for us," Isla said.
"Not good news?" Celia asked.
"We humans are inherently at the bottom of power chain in this apocalypse.
"These Hell difficulty dungeons are dangerous even for powerful races, so for us humans, who are weak, even the easiest dungeon is deadly.
"However, we have devised a strategy to deal with dungeons," Isla explained.
By now, Celia was quite invested in the lecture, and was nodding her head like a chick.
"What is our strategy?"
"Numbers and specialized awakeners. We enter larger dungeons with a lot of awakeners who excel in difficulty fields.
"This way, any problem that appears can be solved by at least one of us.
"Our method of conquering dungeons is risky, because the specialized awakener needs to be good or everyone will die.
"Conversely, in smaller dungeons, we cannot use our number advantage, so these dungeons, which should be the easiest, are the hardest for humanity."
Isaac listened quietly, letting her finish before saying, "Understood. Anything else I should know?"
"Just one thing," Isla said, folding her arms. "The first few minutes after entering are always unstable. Some people experience dizziness or mana disorientation. Try not to use any skills until the environment settles."
"Got it," Isaac said.
Satisfied that the briefing was done, Isla stepped aside. "That’s all from me. The rest is up to you, Lord."
Isaac gave a small nod, then looked at the group. "Everyone ready?"
Warn checked his blade. "Good to go."
Beatrice slammed her shield into the ground once, testing its stability. "Ready."
Celia raised her hand with a grin. "I’m ready too."
Priscilla, calm as ever, adjusted the straps on her gloves. "Standing by, master."
Isaac turned back to the swirling distortion hovering in front of them.
The air around it rippled faintly, almost like heat waves, except this one pulsed with mana instead of warmth.
"Let’s go," he said.
The group stepped forward together.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the world shifted.
It felt like stepping through liquid glass.
There was a faint pressure for a moment, followed by a sudden weightlessness.
Then, everything snapped into focus again.
The surroundings were nothing like the wasteland they’d left behind.
They stood in a wide corridor that stretched endlessly in both directions.
The floor and walls were made of a mirrored surface that reflected light unevenly, bending and twisting reflections into distorted shapes.
The air itself shimmered faintly, and faint red cracks ran across the walls, leaking liquid light that dripped like molten glass.
Every surface reflected at strange angles, making it hard to tell what was real.
Even the reflections of the team looked slightly off.
Their faces were twisted, and colors inverted.
Celia looked around, uneasy. "This place feels... wrong."
"It’s a mirror-type dungeon," Isla said softly, her tone more serious than before. "Crimson Reflection. Everything you see here might be a trap. Some reflections will move even if you don’t. Don’t trust what you see in the mirrors."
Isaac raised his hand slightly. "Everyone, get ready. Monsters are coming."
Warn turned sharply. "What? I don’t sense any—"
Beatrice frowned. "Neither do I. Are you sure?"
Before she could finish, a faint sound echoed through the corridor.
It was soft at first—like a whistle—but it grew louder and sharper by the second.
Then, they saw them.
Shapes began forming within the mirror walls.
The figures were pushing out of the glass as if it were water.
Their bodies were humanoid but made entirely of mirror shards, each fragment reflecting red light.
Their heads were smooth, featureless, and where their eyes should have been were glowing cracks.
Warn’s grip tightened around his sword. "Constructs. They’re forming fast."
"Positions," Isaac said calmly.
Beatrice stepped in front, shield raised, and her armor glowed faintly as she activated her defensive aura.
Warn flanked her right, blade gleaming with condensed mana.
Celia stayed close to Isaac, mana flowing through her fingers, while Priscilla’s presence quietly expanded behind them like a protective barrier.
Isla stayed near the rear, pulling a small tablet-like device from her pouch.
It displayed faint red lines tracing the dungeon’s structure. Her hands trembled slightly, but she focused, her mind already analyzing.
"From what I can deduce, there is a chance they can copy our movements, or skills. Be careful," she said quickly.
Isaac nodded, already moving. "Understood."