----

If these were all seasoned veterans within the party, Kieran wouldn't be left with such a dilemma. After all, it was natural to feel fear when presented with such a terrifying situation. The piece of thin land was barely enough to allow one person to walk through, let alone many at once. And, because this was a Secret Dungeon, Kieran wouldn't be surprised if there was some odd gimmick to crossing this bridge.

"S-so.. we need to cross over this rocky bridge-like pathway?" Luna stammered while glancing over the edge. She shuddered at the thought of having to do this since it looked like she had a fear of heights, something Kieran honestly didn't expect because of the nature she presented thus far.

"Are you scared?" Kieran asked while softly tapping his foot against the base of the bridge. As he added more power to each tap, it remained sturdy. This little experiment confirmed that it should be sturdy enough for them to walk across without mishaps.

On the other hand, Luna grimaced at the question. She didn't wish to show such an unappealing side, but she couldn't help. Altering an intrinsic nature was easier said than done. Besides, this wasn't some simple one-story building; the drop was unknown. And, despite the fact this was just a game, many players described that even with the pain settings toned down to the lowest level, every death they suffered was felt on their psyche when they logged out.

Some who faced brutal deaths even revealed that they woke up in cold sweat or experienced recurring nightmares of that singular moment. It was odd, but this effect was undoubtedly related to Dr. Riley's eerie discovery regarding the reaction between the human brain and virtual technology.

The areas responsible for memory and motor function were hyperactive and exceeded normal levels for everyday activity. After comparing it to other studies, she found that Kieran's levels rivaled or, in some cases, exceeded that of highly trained war personnel primed to deal with stress.

What type of stimuli was required to reach that level with simple game mechanics?

Nevertheless, Kieran was by no means teasing or calling her out; he was merely voicing his surprise. Even Bastion, who usually exhibited the most courage in the party, was shivering with his gaze glued to the pit below.

"I agree that it's a somewhat frightening situation, but it should be a piece of cake if you can keep calm. A challenge like this is all about balance. As long as you keep your balance and find an endpoint to focus on, you can tune out the external stimuli and truly focus," Kieran said. However, it wasn't just aimed at Luna. It was aimed at everyone in the party.

The key to scenarios like this was to remain in motion. The moment you stopped was the moment you gave your mind time to process everything and possibly throw off your balance completely. Although many stopped to steady themselves when unbalanced, some freaks used that instance of imbalance to set a new pace and blaze ahead.

Of course, there were even more freakish individuals who could traverse a setting like this without a change in breathing or batting an eye. It would be like a stroll through a pleasant park with beautiful scenery.

"How about you go first then," Bastion retorted with a look in his eye that showed he was still against crossing.

"Why don't I just go first?" Alice suddenly volunteered. Everyone looked towards her, but Altair, Bastion, and Nemean had unusually comical expressions.

"See?! Didn't I tell you? That girl might just be a serial killer. How can she remain unaffected? What if she falls? That's a type of pain her mind will bask in for who knows how long. Speaking of which, what if she becomes stuck in an infinite loop of falling?" Nemean exclaimed.

The outburst earned some unusual looks as even Bastion blinked dumbfoundedly. "Bruh, have you been binging sci-fi movies again? What is up with you and this infinite loop bullcrap? What, do you think we're in a simulation as well?"historical

"I mean.. we are playing a virtual game. So.. isn't that kind of a spoiled argument?" Altair interjected.

Bastion reddened but he didn't back down. "Damn you; you know what I mean! He's just superstitious and a scaredy cat who is making us even more terrified."

"Speak for yourself; I'm quite fine," Kieran said nonchalantly.

"Ditto," Alice added.

"Tch, of course the two weirdos in the party are the ones to talk. All I'm saying is I wouldn't knock what people have been saying on the official forum. I have zero intentions of being institutionalized because a game drove me insane. Therefore, I WILL NOT BE GOING FIRST OR LAST. Nemean goes once safety is ensured," Nemean said adamantly.

"Heh, boys. Always chickens," Alice giggled before walking past. A sweet scent wafted into everyone's nose as she confidently stepped upon the bridge with zero change. After taking another step, she turned back and smiled. "See? Stop being a wimp, or will you let a girl one up you guys?"

"Sheeesh," Kieran whistled. "You guys are going to let her talk to you like that? I thought you all were my experts in the making. Now I'm having second thoughts. I've been handed a bunch of wusses!"

Kieran's instigation seemed to serve as a miraculous call to action because not only did Nemean grit his teeth but so did Bastion. After giving the matter more consideration, Bastion grumbled and flung his hands into the air.

"Ah, screw it!"

Bang!

However, after dashing forward, Bastion was met with a rude awakening. Similar to a dog running into a clear screen door, Bastion was sent flying back by a rebound force as he slammed into a type of thin film.

"Ugh.." Bastion groaned while rubbing his face and slowly standing up. "What the heck was that? It just stopped me from moving forward!"

"It's most likely some kind of restriction similar to the one that forbids us from retreating from the dungeon. But, if that's the case, then it is just as I assumed. There's possibly some gimmick to crossing this bridge-like construct," Kieran voiced.

"You mean to say you had your doubts, but you let me run forward like a mindless buffoon?" Bastion exclaimed while growling at Kieran. However, Kieran merely chuckled in response while turning to look at Alice. How was he to know that it wouldn't let Bastion enter?

"Try stepping back for a moment and see what happens."

Alice tried as Kieran said, but as she tried to return, rather than a similar restriction, Alice was greeted by a message that made her pause in her tracks.

"I can't go back. It appears that the bridge's integrity weakens by 50% for every retreat made while upon it. What's more, if the individual on the bridge doesn't clear it within a certain timeframe, its integrity will similarly decrease. Also, I think it'll weaken regardless because I've been marked as one." Alice revealed.

"Oh my lord, they're trying to forsake us," Bastion complained dramatically. He flung his hands in the air and acted as if he were on the verge of fainting, but Kieran took this information differently.

'A test of courage? How odd.. why would such a test appear here? Is this a Secret Dungeon or a Secret Trial?! I've never once come across a Secret Dungeon that incorporates inadvertent tests such as these,' Kieran thought.

A Secret Trial was a type of dungeon that was extremely difficult to come by. In fact, in Kieran's past, the number of Secret Trials known to the public numbered less than ten, and even then, they mainly were broad trials linked to different class levels.

Kieran was unsure about the presence of more unique trials, but given that so many things were different from what he recalled, he couldn't ignore the possibility. 'Could a year truly make that much of a difference? Or, am I coming across things people didn't reveal in the past due to their unimaginable worth?'

Both speculations possessed a relatively high likelihood of being true. After all, the mystery of his rebirth and this world were things Kieran found inexplicable. If he could be reborn, why couldn't other stuff inside and outside his knowledge change?

"I don't think we should idle about for long. A few separate times have appeared, and as you know, I'm not exactly the fastest person here. I need to go now," Alice reminded. As a Mage, Agility was far from her strong suit. Fortunately, she heeded Kieran's advice and added some of her loose points to the attributes.

Thus, Alice took off at a brisk pace while extending her arms to maintain her balance.

"Do you think mages can fly in the game? I mean, if they have Mana, surely they'll be able to fly, right? It's just a matter of manipulating the wind element, no?" Sithik asked off to the side after noticing that Alice used a wind spell to summon a light breeze that seemed to steady her.

"Mages? Why not everyone? I mean, isn't Mana available to every single class? It's a fundamental power in this world," Kieran answered.

"You mean game?" Luna corrected.

"That's what I said."

"No, you said world," Luna corrected again. The others softly nodded, but Kieran shrugged.

"Same difference. After all, this place is designed to be another world, is it not? Otherwise, why would it be called virtual reality?"

The others couldn't retort because that was true. Even the advertisement in the world news viewed this game as a step into a new and adventurous world. If that's how the creators and media regarded it, was Kieran wrong to view it the same way?

As they continued to talk, a distant but clear voice rang out, "I made it!"

Ding!

〈System: The next individual must step upon Walk of the Valiant within 10 seconds.〉

〈System: Failure to comply will result in the bridge losing 1% integrity per second.〉