After all the enhancement, Ethan realized something unsettling, he now had the second-lowest attack power in the party. Of course, the title of the lowest still officially belonged to Skyblade, their Shield Tank.

His recent trip to the Underworld had cost him too much time. Though he still held the highest level, his gear had completely fallen behind.

The others had been grinding non-stop, leveling up and farming loot, while he was still decked out in Starter Zone gear.

Now that their weapons had caught up to his enhancements, his damage had plummeted in comparison.

If not for his Unique Abilities, he might've been dead weight in the squad.

Luckily, the extra attribute points and growth boost kept him useful, at least as a frontline tank.

Skyblade, on the other hand, had fully embraced his role as the designated spectator and errand boy. His main job? Landing interrupts with his Heavy Strike.

As they moved forward, they ran into a few more Flame Draconians blocking the path. This time, it was effortless. Not even a full minute, and the creatures were wiped out.

At this rate, they could easily grind Draconians for XP and loot. But Ethan had a different plan. He led them north, pressing onward.

Soon, they neared the base of the Iron Mountains.

In the distance, they could see a massive Rotating Bridge, cast entirely from molten iron and forged into a spiraling structure. It led directly to an enormous iron gate, towering so high that it reached nearly halfway up the mountain.

The sheer size of the double-doored gate was overwhelming, its ancient craftsmanship exuding both power and elegance.

"This is our destination," Ethan informed the group. "Every monster inside starts at level 40."

Before stepping forward, he gave them a quick rundown of the Iron Mountains' history.

Ten thousand years ago, a catastrophic collision between Azure and Terra reshaped the land.

Mountains trembled. Vegetation withered. Flames devoured the earth, leaving only ashes in their wake.

A massive volcano erupted, carving the landscape into what they now knew as the Iron Mountains, a volatile range stretching from the Scorched Plains in the south to Fire Canyon in the north.

And right in front of them stood the volcano's mouth, the Gate of the Iron Mountains.

This gate had been forged by the Dwarves.

The entire mountain range had once been a Dwarven stronghold, with vast underground halls carved into the stone. But over time, the Dwarves lost control.

Their downfall?

Curiosity.

Like reckless miners, they dug deeper and deeper, until they unknowingly tunneled straight into another realm. From that breach, countless nightmarish creatures poured into their world.

Another great war erupted.

Only through a desperate alliance between the survivors of Terra and the natives of Azure were they able to push the invaders back.

The Dwarves, realizing their mistake, swore an oath.

Now, they remained in the depths of the Iron Mountains, acting as eternal wardens, guarding the gates to those otherworldly rifts.

"That war… the Winter Queen fought in it," Ethan said, glancing at Lyla. "She was the original owner of your bow… and your pet."

Lyla's eyes widened. "How do you know all this?"

Ethan smirked. "Did you forget? I told you before—I'm…"

He trailed off, knowing Lyla would understand.

The others, meanwhile, were too caught up in the story to question him further.

"Alright, let's move," Ethan said, waving them forward.

They crossed the Rotating Bridge, stepping into the shadow of the colossal gate.

As they neared the Gate of the Iron Mountains, they noticed something surprising.

The massive iron doors weren't actually closed.

A narrow gap had been left open, though from a distance, the sheer size of the doors created an optical illusion that made it seem fully shut.

Stepping through the opening, they were immediately hit by a wave of scorching heat.

Inside, the Iron Mountains were completely hollowed out.

Iron-forged pathways spiraled upward along the inner walls, crisscrossing through the vast cavern like veins of molten steel.

The group approached the edge and looked down.

Thousands of meters below, a sea of bubbling magma churned, glowing with an ominous red hue. Looking up, the sky was nothing more than a distant pinprick, a well-like opening at the peak of the mountain.

Their path, however, wound both upward and downward, following the spiraling structure.

In the center of the cavern, suspended above the lava, was a massive floating platform.

Thick iron chains, seven or eight of them, each as thick as a house, anchored the platform to the mountain walls.

Whether the platform itself was naturally levitating or entirely supported by these chains remained a mystery.

Ethan pointed toward it. "That's our destination."

"How the hell do we get over there?" Skyblade asked, frowning.

"Simple. We walk the chains," Ethan replied, leading them toward the nearest one.

Only now did the team realize the sheer scale of the chains, each was at least twenty meters in diameter. More than wide enough for them to cross without issue.

Once they reached the platform, everyone took a moment to look around. The sheer craftsmanship of the Dwarven engineering was astonishing.

"This thing is massive," Skyblade muttered in awe. "How the hell did they even build this? How much manpower would it take?"

"This is nothing," Ethan said with a smirk. "Once you guys level up and make it to Central Dominion, then you'll see something truly spectacular."

"How spectacular?"

"You'll find out when you get there," Ethan teased.

"Boss, are you sure you're not an insider at Aeon?" Meatball asked curiously. "You seem to know way too much about this game."

"Uh… I was involved in development at some point," Ethan replied vaguely, realizing he had already said too much.

So far, Ethereal's official website had barely revealed anything about the game's deeper lore.

He couldn't exactly tell them he was a regressed player who had already lived through this world.

Only Lyla knew the truth.

And while she had said she believed him, Ethan couldn't be sure if she actually did.

Still, thinking back to the jade pendant incident, she hadn't seemed particularly surprised.

For the first time, Ethan found himself unable to fully read her.

And then there was her conversation with Celeste Hawthorne, where she had deliberately emphasized that her surname was also Silverwood.

Why?

As Ethan pondered this, another thought struck him.

Right, Celeste had told Lyla to update him about the Ninth Division. That had been days ago, and neither of them had brought it up since.

Maybe it was time to ask her about it.

Just as that thought settled, a voice suddenly rang inside his head, an old, gruff voice.

"The Ninth Division already contacted you?"

Ethan froze.

He had been walking at the front, leading the way.

Skyblade, who had been busy admiring the surroundings, hadn't noticed and walked straight into him.

"Boss? We stopping here?" Skyblade asked.

"No, just checking our bearings," Ethan said quickly, glancing around as if surveying the area before continuing forward.

At the same time, he had already recognized the voice in his head.

It was Morzan, that old geezer.