In front of the bluish shimmer of the dungeon entrance, Boris stomped his foot on the dirt. “Are you both insane? Entering a dungeon without a kingdom-issued permit is punishable by death!”
“You’re exaggerating,” Kana replied flatly. “It’s just a fine. And this is the lowest-tier dungeon anyway.”
Suri folded her arms and gave Boris a pointed look. “This is exactly why we didn’t tell you earlier. I had the same reaction at first, but—if you want to know how Kana beat you so easily, maybe you should stop whining and come see for yourself.” She tilted her head. “Or... are you scared?”
“Who said I’m scared?” Boris snapped. “No one ever said dungeon crawling makes you stronger either.”
Suri squinted at him. “That’s literally how adventurers level up. They just don’t know and don’t ever tell anyone about this, not even your closest boy friends.”
“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
Kana turned serious. “Once we’re inside, hide and stay low. Don’t do anything unless Suri or I say so. Got it?”
Boris gave a stiff nod, clearly trying to hide how nervous he was.
The three of them stood in front of the glowing entrance.
Kana stepped forward first. “Let’s go.”
….
As soon as they stepped through the shimmering veil, Kana turned to Boris.
“Select the third one—or just say [Yes].”
A translucent screen appeared in front of Boris.
[You have entered with Kana and Suri.]
[Form a party?]
[Yes] [No]
He blinked and muttered, “[Yes].”
Kana quickly checked her party window:
[Party Status:]
Kana – Lvl 7 HP: 22/22 | Mana: 20/20
Suri – Lvl 5 HP: 10/10 | Mana: 360/375
Boris – Lvl 1 HP: 15/15 | Mana: 25/25
She focused on the word Party.
[Party: Cooperative link with another inhabitant of the world. Basic stats, experience, and loot will be shared.]
[Party Bonus: EXP x6.5]
It really increased the Party bonus.
Suri activated her skill. Her summon shimmered, shifting from a humanoid form to a darker, more fluid shape, blending seamlessly with the dungeon’s shadows.
Boris’ eyes followed. “Wait—it can do that? I thought it was useless.”
“It scouts ahead,” Suri replied calmly, slightly annoyed. “We wait.”
Moments passed before she spoke again. “Looks like the goblins increased their patrols—five in a group this time.”
“Perfect,” Kana said with a grin. “We also added a member. Inexperienced member.”
She reached into the air and summoned her longbow from her inventory, the weapon appearing like it had always been there.
Boris flinched. “You—you had your bow the whole time?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“It’s a skill,” Kana said simply, not breaking eye contact with the dark corridor ahead.
They advanced cautiously through the dungeon’s twisted stone path until Suri signaled them to halt. The goblins were just ahead—five of them gathered around a flickering torch.
Kana didn’t hesitate. She loosed her arrow, and the largest goblin’s head exploded in a splash of purple blood.
Suri’s summon struck next, leaping from the shadows and weaving through the goblins. Each time they swung, Suri adapted—twisting the form of her summon mid-attack, forcing their strikes to miss.
Kana nocked another arrow. Breathe… and release. Another goblin collapsed, its body crumpling before vanishing into motes of light.
The rhythm continued: strike, distract, eliminate. Until only one goblin remained.
Suri backed away, drawing it toward them.
“It’s yours,” Kana said, patting Boris’s shoulder. “Finish it.”
Boris stepped forward, spear trembling slightly in his hands. The goblin shrieked and lunged at him.
He flinched, but reacted just in time—“Spear Strike!”
Mana surged through him as his spear shot forward like lightning. The goblin barely raised its short sword in time—then the weapon snapped, and Boris’s strike tore through the creature’s chest. The goblin split nearly in half before dissolving into the dungeon’s blue mist.
Boris stood, panting.
“I… heard a voice. Like… a god’s voice. Every time we kill.”
“It’s God,” Suri said, brushing dust from her cloak. “Kana says to remember what it says—but really, it just means you become stronger than before. You’ll feel it soon.”
Kana, nearby, was helping Suri’s summon retrieve her arrows. She turned back to the group.
“That’s enough for tonight. We’re heading back.”
…..
They thought Boris would be down the next morning but few adults who saw them actually were surprised. Boris and Kana were having a discussion as they jogged around in the early morning.
“I’m not even tired now, this is our seventh lap.” Boris said running beside Kana while another enigmatic was also running or sometimes floating along with them constantly changing form, Suri’s Summon.
“Are we going to enter tonight?” Boris asked.
“Yes, every night unless I say otherwise or some unexpected happens, remember we will not enter unless the three of us are complete.” Kana said.
“Alright, leader.” Boris said, clearly happy with the results.
“And don’t call me that.” Kana sighed.
…..
That night, they descended into the dungeon once again.
Suri was the first to notice. “Wait… they’ve changed formation again.”
Every group of goblins now numbered at least nine—almost twice what they’d encountered on their previous run.
“They’re adapting faster than I thought,” she muttered.
But it didn’t matter.
With Boris in the front line, their trio had become surprisingly efficient. Kana picked off targets before they could react, her arrows precise and lethal. Suri’s summon danced through the battlefield, bending and twisting to confuse and mislead the enemy. And Boris—despite still being relatively new—was turning into a one-man wrecking force. His spear, guided by instinct and skill, left trails of goblins falling behind them.
“Another group ahead,” Suri reported.
“We’re still early,” Kana said. “Let’s clear it.”
They advanced, and in the same practiced rhythm—strike, distract, eliminate—the last group fell.
But something was wrong.
No more footsteps. No growls. The eerie quiet of the dungeon returned.
“…That was the last one?” Boris asked, lowering his spear.
Kana scanned the dark corridors, then nodded. “Seems like it.”
They stood still for a moment, letting it sink in. They had cleared the dungeon floor.
“My skill couldn’t see any goblins.” Suri confirmed.
“Let’s head back. I will check my mother’s library—maybe there’s something there about dungeon resets or triggers.” Kana said.
She opened her status window mid-step:
[Name: Kana]
[Level: 9]
[Title: Incomplete Transcender]
[Stats:]
Strength: 17
Agility: 23
Intelligence: 22
HP: 36/36
Mana: 54/54
[Skills:]
[Marksmanship] – Level 1
[Awareness]
“I’ll look into it and send word when I learn more,” she added. “For now, lay low. We don’t want this getting out.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Before Kana left, she had a goosebump as the cold air suddenly blew.. Something unseen… was watching.
….
