Wade sat cross-legged atop the meticulously scrubbed altar, his gaze fixed blankly on the ceiling.
A new day had begun. The crystal ball nearby flickered, showing the latest misadventures of the dungeon's challengers, but Wade barely paid it any mind.
Because he had suddenly realized something—
Was his life… too monotonous?
Day after day, his only responsibility was finding flaws in the dungeon and patching them up. Yes, it was stimulating in its own way, but could a person really spend their whole life doing just that? He didn't want to become some "dungeon shut-in."
And yet, what else could he do? Leaving the dungeon wasn't an option. His only glimpse of the outside world came from overhearing adventurers' conversations and piecing together their stories in his imagination.
When he thought about it, it sounded almost tragic.
People always said life was about forming connections, about meeting others. But in all this time, he hadn't made a single friend.
"…Kinda lonely," he muttered to himself.
Boredom weighed on his expression as his eyes drifted back to the crystal ball. Familiar faces were appearing again.
There was Vilde. Back once more. He clearly thought his encounter with Giovanni Sakaki was some stroke of rare fortune, convinced the man knew secret knowledge. Determined to monopolize that advantage, Vilde had charged in alone—
Only to die in some random corner. Wade smirked faintly. Somehow, he doubted that would be the end of him.
Then there was the half-giant adventurer, showing up every single day without fail, fighting the dungeon like clockwork. Yet he still hadn't managed to reach the gargoyle.
This guy clearly just loved the thrill of combat. Even knowing the Basilisk's spray meant instant death, he'd still round them up just for the battle. Wade couldn't decide whether to laugh or admire him.
Respect. Blessings. Absolutely zero sense.
Though… Wade tilted his head. Was it his imagination, or did the man seem to be lasting a little longer against the curse each time? Could dying repeatedly actually build resistance?
And then there was Stella. This time she wasn't with her party. She'd chosen to brave the dungeon alone, carefully mapping out its dangers.
Embracing the possibility of death seemed to calm her. Even the trickiest traps barely rattled her anymore.
From experience, she'd begun cataloguing the dungeon's trap patterns:
Dense placement. Low direct damage. Heavy hindrance. Hidden mechanisms. And always—monsters lying in wait to finish the job.
Her rule of thumb: Where there are monsters, there are traps. But where there are traps, there may not be monsters.
And so far, her judgment was nearly flawless.
"This one's got potential," Wade said under his breath. He felt a growing appreciation for her. Among all the adventurers, she was advancing the quickest. She hadn't started out remarkable, but she learned—and more importantly, she applied what she learned.
Now… what would she do at that tight corner up ahead?
The narrow hallway bent sharply. Stella froze, bent down, and picked up a stone. With a flick of her wrist—
Plop, plop.
It splashed into the shallow water ahead. Nothing happened.
Safe? Of course not.
When it came to sneaky tricks, the best countermeasure was—
She pulled out a bomb, lobbed it with swift precision, and—
BOOM!
A monster's scream tore through the echoing corridor.
The acrid scent of charred flesh wafted toward her. Stella breathed in deeply, then exhaled with satisfaction.
"…Ahh. That felt good."
"Excellent!" Wade snapped his fingers, thrilled. "That deserves a reward. Let's see…"
Moments later, Stella spotted a strange zombie staggering toward her. It moved slowly, defenseless, almost pitiful—like it wanted to be slain.
Of course, this was a disposable minion Wade had sent to deliver her prize.
But Stella's eyes narrowed. She slipped into the shadows of the corridor, watching silently.
"…Too obvious. Will it explode if I strike? Or turn into something worse after death?"
The dungeon had trained her into a hardened skeptic.
"Come on," Wade groaned, exasperated. "You're overthinking. Just kill it already!"
He had the zombie shuffle directly in front of her again, arms outstretched, as if inviting a hug.
Stella gave it a disgusted look, ducked beneath its stiff arm, and briskly walked past.
"Seriously? You can resist that?" Wade muttered.
Left with no choice, he commanded the zombie to attack.
"Knew it!" Stella barked, springing back into action. "I knew you were hiding something!"
Her boot smashed the zombie's skull clean off. She instantly leapt backward, eyes sharp, waiting for the inevitable twist.
But there was no twist. The zombie disintegrated into dust, leaving two glowing items on the ground.
Stella hesitated, then cautiously approached.
The first was a weapon: a pair of hooked claws. She had never used that type before.
"…Maybe I'll just sell them."
But the moment she thought that, a flood of knowledge surged into her mind—an unfamiliar combat technique, Hound's Step, tied directly to the claws.
As its meaning sank in, her lips curled into a grin.
"This is… really strong. Wait—why did the weapon teach me this?"
She slid the claws off. Instantly, the knowledge of Hound's Step vanished, leaving her mind blank.
"…Incredible."
Amazed, she toyed with the idea of sending them to an elven craftsman for research. But that would take too long.
The second item perplexed her even more.
A small, ornate box. Inside gleamed something golden, though its exact form was obscured.
Then, as if anticipating her doubt, knowledge flowed into her mind:
[Furlcalling Finger Remedy ×5][When used, you can see the summoning mark left by a helper or challenger on the same dungeon floor. Summoning a helper will have them assist you until the floor's boss is defeated. Summoning a challenger will cause them to fight you.]
"What in the world…?"
It was the first time she'd seen an item capable of summoning people across areas.
"Will it actually work? Will the summoned person still be alive? Would they also have one of these?"
Questions piled up, excitement bubbling in her chest. The item was consumable—but with five doses, she could afford to experiment.
Her eyes glittered as she raised it high and scattered the contents into the air.
"What will happen? What will the summoning mark look like? I can't wait…"
Before her eager gaze, a golden summoning circle shimmered slowly into existence in the distance.