The answer came from every corner of the dungeon.
"WE’RE READY!"
"LET’S GO!"
"I’M READY!"
"COME ON!"
"WE CAN DO THIS!"
Even the old men were shouting.
One elderly honorary member raised his walking stick toward the Sky Screen.
"I HAVE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE TO BECOME A NINJA!"
His old wolf stood beside him and barked loudly.
Another woman grabbed her young Ninken and laughed.
"I’M NOT OLD YET! I’M GOING TO BECOME STRONGER AND HELP MY FAMILY!"
A young man clenched his fist.
"I WANT TO PROVE THAT AN HONORARY MEMBER CAN ACHIEVE SOMETHING GREAT!"
Someone else shouted.
"I’M GOING TO CONQUER THIS DUNGEON AND GIVE THE TREASURES TO MY CLAN!"
The youngest members were shouting simply because everyone else was shouting.
"I’M READY!"
"ME TOO!"
"I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!"
An old man turned toward the child.
"THEN STAY BEHIND ME!"
The child immediately answered.
"NO!"
The entire group burst into laughter. They all had different reasons for entering. Some had lived long lives without ever gaining chakra and wanted one final chance to become Ninjas. Some were still young and wanted strength so they could protect their families. Some wanted to help their Ninkens grow stronger. Some wanted to prove that honorary members could stand beside true Ninjas. Others dreamed of conquering the dungeon itself and claiming the treasures within. And there were those who simply wanted to see how far they could go.
Suddenly, the Sky Screen suddenly became enormous.
PREPARE YOURSELVES!
The ground beneath the honorary members began glowing. A massive portal appeared in front of them. It was far larger than the individual portals they had seen before, stretching across the dungeon entrance like a giant gate.
The wolves barked while the people shouted.
"THERE IT IS!"
"GO!"
"MOVE!"
"DON’T PUSH!"
"WHO PUSHED ME?"
"I DIDN’T!"
"You stepped on my foot!"
"Sorry!"
"MY WOLF IS GOING FIRST!"
"LET’S GO!"
The crowd surged forward. Some entered confidently. Others hesitated for only a second before forcing themselves through. The old man with the walking stick laughed as he entered.
"IF I COME BACK AS A NINJA, I’M NEVER GOING TO HEAR THE END OF IT!"
His wolf barked beside him.
Another woman shouted toward the people behind her.
"TAKE CARE OF THE YOUNGER ONES!"
A young man answered.
"WE WILL!"
Then they disappeared through the portal. One after another, the honorary members entered.
Soon, everyone was gone. Everyone except Koga. He stood quietly beside his two transformed beasts. He watched the enormous portal.
"Well."
He took a breath.
"Let’s go."
He stepped forward.The moment he crossed through, everything changed.
There was only silence.
Koga stopped. The noisy crowd had disappeared. The Sky Screen was gone. The other honorary members were nowhere to be seen.
He stood in the middle of an enormous forest.
Trees stretched toward the sky, their branches blocking most of the light. Thick grass covered the ground, while vines hung from ancient trunks. Somewhere in the distance, something chirped.
Then another insect answered.
Koga slowly turned his head.
Nothing.
Only insect sounds.
He narrowed his eyes.
"This is too quiet."
He immediately became cautious. His excitement about becoming stronger remained, but he forced it down. Getting stronger meant nothing if he died before he had the chance.
I need to survive first.
Koga looked at his two companions. He did not speak aloud. Instead, he sent his thoughts through their spiritual connection.
Stay close.
Both beasts responded immediately.
Be alert.
Fenfyr’s ears moved.
Watch the trees.
Ignilion’s eyes scanned the surroundings.
Koga began walking. Slowly. Carefully. He avoided stepping on loose branches and constantly checked the trees around him. His eyes moved from the ground to the canopy and back again.
"This isn’t some ordinary forest."
He whispered the words. Then he noticed something. A wooden post stood beside the path.
Koga stopped.
"What is that?"
He approached it carefully. There were words carved into the wood.
IRIDIAN FOREST
BE CAREFUL ON THE NIGHT BUGS BITE
Koga froze upon reading this. His expression slowly changed.
"What in the hell?"
He stepped closer. He read the words again.
Iridian Forest.
His heart suddenly began pounding.
"No way."
He looked around.
"Iridian Forest?"
He knew that name. Not from this world. But from his past life. In his favorite game. Spiritual Beast World. Yes! The very same game from which Ignilion and Fenfyr originated.
Koga’s eyes widened.
"This is..."
He looked deeper into the forest.
"Is this actually Iridian Forest?"
He crouched and touched the soil. It felt real. The trees smelled real. The insects sounded real. Even the wind felt real.
Koga stood slowly.
"What the hell is happening?"
He had expected a random dungeon. Maybe some unknown place with strange beasts and treasures.
But this?
This was one of the first major areas from the game he had played countless times.
The first maze like forest. The place where new players learned how dangerous ordinary Spiritual Beasts could be.
He knew the routes. He knew some of the creatures. He knew which areas were dangerous. He knew that the deeper parts of the forest contained stronger beasts.
Koga swallowed.
"Could it really be?"
He looked at Fenfyr and Ignilion.
Both were watching him.
Koga smiled.
"Let’s find out."
He continued deeper into the forest. His nervousness was slowly replaced by curiosity. If this really was Iridian Forest, then something extremely important had just happened.
The game world was real. That meant the beasts were real. The treasures were real. And perhaps the knowledge Koga had gained from playing the game could actually help him.
He suddenly heard barking.
Fenfyr’s head snapped toward the sound.
Ignilion also turned.
Koga stopped.
"What is it?"
The two wolves stared into the trees.
Koga followed their gaze.
Something moved. A tiny shape crawled from behind a tree.
Koga’s breathing stopped.
Green. Small. Six legs.
A strange little body covered in hard plates.
It looked harmless. But Koga knew that appearance meant nothing.
His eyes widened.
"No..."
The creature moved its little legs and made a strange clicking sound.
Koga stared. His eyes began shining.
"Is it really..."
He took one careful step forward.
Fenfyr barked.
Ignilion growled softly.
Koga raised his hand.
"Wait."
His heart was racing. He knew that creature. He had seen hundreds of them in the game. One of the most common Spiritual Beasts found in the early part of Iridian Forest. A creature that new players often underestimated.
Koga smiled.
"It really is."
For the first time since entering the dungeon, his excitement completely overwhelmed his caution.
"One of the normal Spiritual Beasts."
He almost laughed.
"So this place really is connected to the game."
And then his eyes became sharp.
"That means, it’s going to be easy!"
...
Meanwhile, outside the dungeon, things had become much less exciting.
The villagers of Koyagakure were watching the Sky Screen.
At first, everyone was cheering. Then the screen suddenly changed. One honorary member appeared. The next moment, his figure was thrown out of the dungeon. He landed outside the dungeon entrance in a heap.
The Sky Screen immediately displayed his status.
HONORARY MEMBER OF THE INUZUZA CLAN
DUNGEON ATTEMPT ENDED. YOU WILL NOW BE EJECTED BACK TO KYOGAKORE!
The villagers gasped.
"What happened?"
Another person suddenly appeared. He was thrown out even harder. His Ninken rolled across the ground beside him.
DUNGEON ATTEMPT ENDED
The Villager Chat exploded.
"What happened to them?"
"Why are they being thrown out?"
"Did they lose?"
"Already?"
An injured looking honorary member immediately typed.
"THE BUGS!"
Another message appeared.
"THE SMALL GREEN BUGS!"
"They attacked us!"
A villager asked.
"Bugs?"
The honorary member replied.
"YES!"
"THEY LOOKED SMALL!"
"BUT THEY WERE HORRIBLE!"
Another honorary member was suddenly ejected from the dungeon. His Ninken appeared beside him, exhausted. He immediately typed.
"OUR NINKENS WERE ATTACKED!"
"THOSE LITTLE GREEN CREATURES KILLED THEM!"
The villagers became alarmed.
"Killed?"
The answer came quickly.
"THEY WERE SMALL!"
"BUT THEY COULD KILL US EASILY!"
"WE COULDN’T EVEN HURT THEM!"
A Ninja watching from the village frowned.
"Couldn’t hurt them?"
Another honorary member responded.
"WE ATTACKED THEM!"
"NOTHING HAPPENED!"
"OUR ATTACKS DID NOTHING!"
"They cannot be wounded?"
"WE DON’T KNOW WHY!"
The Ninja Chat suddenly became active.
"What kind of creatures are those?"
"How can something so small be that dangerous?"
"Are they using a defensive technique?"
"Maybe their bodies are too tough."
"But the honorary members are being defeated almost immediately."
Kuma Rai stared at the screen.
"Small insects defeating people who were given a chance to become peak Genin..."
Karasu Moira’s expression became serious.
"That is strange."
Yukiju Ken narrowed his eyes.
"If their attacks cannot even wound those creatures, then the dungeon is testing something other than simple strength."
The villagers stared at the defeated honorary members.
More people were suddenly thrown out. More Ninkens. More exhausted faces. More frightened messages.
The Villager Chat became filled with questions.
"What is happening?"
"Why are those tiny insects so strong?"
"Why can’t they hurt them?"
"What’s inside that forest?"
Nobody had an answer. And deep inside the dungeon, Koga was still staring at the tiny green Spiritual Beast.
His eyes shone with excitement. He turned his head down at Ignilion and Fenfyr and nodded. Soon the two of them launched!