Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 60: The Sealed Copy

Ethan Walker heeded Emily Johnson's invitation and headed to a hotpot restaurant. The place was bustling with patrons on the weekend, but fortunately, they had reserved a seat in advance. Both donning masks to avoid drawing too much attention, their tall statures still managed to capture many curious glances. Ethan, with his hoodie's hood pulled over his head, navigated swiftly through the crowd until they reached their reserved private room.

Once inside, Emily unhooked her mask with a finger and sighed in relief. "Good thing we weren't recognized. The vice guild would have skinned me alive if they found out."

"Would Alex be that strict?" Ethan inquired.

"I'm under house arrest, remember? The vice guild wants me to limit my interactions with you. They fear not that you might join Avalon Guild, but that I might be tempted to defect to Walker's Return." "That's out of the question," Ethan declined, "You're too valuable; my humble guild couldn't possibly afford you." Despite the improbability of the situation, Emily felt a pang of dissatisfaction at his blunt refusal. "You can't just focus on clearing dungeons. What about your guild's popularity? Your own fame is substantial, but what about the guild?"

Ethan, who had been engrossed in his phone since entering, looked up. "So, what should I do?"

"You ought to attract sponsors and initiate projects. Forget about things like youth training camps for now; you don't have the funds. But with your personal appeal, securing a few advertising deals should be feasible." "That sounds tedious... Maybe I should just hire a boss for myself."

"People usually get hired by bosses, and here you are, thinking of hiring your own," Emily retorted with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"Yep."

"You 'yep'? What have you been so busy with since we got here? You haven't looked up once."

"I'm browsing the forums, looking for a strategy guide."

"A strategy guide? You, Ethan 'the Indomitable' Walker, need a guide? What kind of guide? Maybe I can help..."

"Don't peek; it's confidential to our guild."

"Then you're paying for this meal."

"Emily told me not to mention that I'm going to tackle 'The Seventh Hospital' dungeon."

""

...

Emily, initially scoffing at Ethan's inability to keep secrets, suddenly grew serious. "You're heading to 'The Seventh Hospital'? But wasn't that dungeon sealed by Emerald Tempest Guild?" "Sealed? What does that mean?"

Seeing Ethan's confusion, Emily patiently explained to him, who was more accustomed to S-ranked dungeons, "When a dungeon is sealed, it means it's not only extremely challenging but also has been the site of severe accidents, significantly impacting the entire guild. As a result, the guild declares that they will no longer attempt that dungeon, effectively putting it under a seal."

"Big guilds might not run it, but can't ordinary players still try?"

"Listen to yourself, speaking as if everyone has your knack for conquering S-ranked dungeons. Such seals are not placed lightly; they come after thorough assessments by professional teams within the guild. Other guilds and individual players often heed these assessments and avoid the dungeon. After all, there are countless other dungeons in the White Tower to tackle. There's no need to stubbornly challenge one with a high danger rating."

At this point, Emily remembered something else. "By the way, the Hamilton dungeon you were invited to by Alex, if it weren't for Emma being trapped, would have also been a candidate for sealing by Avalon Guild." Ethan began to understand the gravity of what a "severe accident" entailed, recalling how Avalon Guild nearly suffered a collective psychological trauma in the corridors at the hands of Jane. Had it not been for his intervention, and their successful second attempt, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

In the era of the White Tower, towering structures rose and fell with equal ease. Even a guild like Avalon, which had broken into the top 20 rankings, could dissolve as quickly as it formed if mismanaged. Emily's intention was to urge Ethan to consider his actions carefully, but Ethan, ever the maverick, decided after much thought to embrace his reckless nature. Emily was left speechless by his decision.

"Next time I try to reason with you, and you're this stubborn, I might as well dive headfirst into the hotpot's spicy broth," she threatened.

Ethan lifted his phone, pointing the camera at her. "Make sure to call me then; I'll live stream it."

While they talked, the server brought the pot and various dishes to their table. The conversation soon turned back to The Seventh Hospital. Emily shared the "insider information" she knew about the dungeon with Ethan.

"The reason Emerald Tempest Guild's first attempt at The Seventh Hospital was interrupted was due to the incident with Isabella Martínez, which you already know. But even without that incident, that dungeon was notoriously peculiar." "How so?" Ethan asked, puzzled.

Leaning closer, Emily lowered her voice mysteriously. "It's said that what the audience saw during the live stream and what the team experienced firsthand were not in sync."

Ethan, who had been meticulously picking out chili peppers from the spicy pot, looked perplexed. There were countless versions of this story. The Seventh Hospital was an abandoned medical facility, famous for paranormal events even before the advent of the White Tower, attracting many bloggers to explore it alone. Though the footage was old, it was still accessible in the mobile library.

With the emergence of the White Tower, it naturally became a high-difficulty dungeon. Backed by an endless stream of eerie tales and rumors, The Seventh Hospital quickly became a hot topic among players.

Before Emerald Tempest Guild made their move, many guilds and individual players had already attempted to explore it. Each account of the dungeon was more bizarre than the last. To date, no one or team had fully mapped out this ominous and terrifying hospital, nor uncovered its many secrets.

The discrepancy between the live stream and the team's experience during Emerald Tempest Guild's attempt was the most inexplicable aspect of the dungeon. According to Emily, when Emerald Tempest began the dungeon, they connected to the live stream as usual. The audience saw the hospital's main gate, corridors, and a small garden for patients - all normal so far.

But as soon as the team entered the main door of the hospital, the live stream started experiencing interruptions, frequently buffering and blacking out. Despite various attempts by the operational staff, they couldn't ensure a smooth live stream. The audience had to constantly switch between different team members' perspectives to try and view the dungeon in its entirety.

The issue arose during these perspective switches. Henrik Jensen led the team, intending to head to the second floor. The elevator was out of order, and the staircases on either side were sealed with heavy chains, requiring a key. The corridor had consultation rooms on both sides. To save time, they split into two small teams, each opening the doors of the consultation rooms on their side to search for clues.

Though split, they progressed simultaneously to maintain full team strength. Each team would enter the rooms on their side, reconvene to share information, and then move to the next set of rooms.

The doorframes of the consultation rooms were numbered, starting from 201, with odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. After confirming this, they decided to proceed.

"The plan was for half the team to enter Room 201 and the other half to enter Room 202. But then..." Emily teased, pausing her story.

Annoyed, Ethan began dropping the chili peppers he had picked out into her bowl. "Hey, hey I'll tell you, just stop that. The thing is, the team members thought they were entering two different rooms, but the audience discovered they only entered Room 201!"