Panther and Eve reached the tree house and started walking toward it.
"Wait for me!"
They turned around. Dion was pedaling hard toward them on his bicycle. He finally stopped, jumped off, and bent over, catching his breath.
"I'm sure Luoice already reached there an hour ago," he said.
Eve chuckled, and the three of them continued together.
"Luoice! Where are you?" Panther shouted.
"I'm up here."
Eve looked up. Luoice was standing on the tree house platform. He climbed down quickly using the long ladder and landed in front of them.
"I've got an adventure for you guys," Luoice said, grinning.
"A dungeon."
"Dungeon?"
Everyone froze for a moment.
"This system gives me multiple dungeons to clear," Luoice continued. "I got one today. I cleared all the small fries… only the boss is left."
He paused, then added, "I thought it'd be better if we had one real battle together."
He bent slightly, catching his breath.
"So basically," Dion said, "you're asking for help."
Luoice lowered his head and rubbed his hair. "I'm tired. I have to finish this now… or else it'll finish me."
Everyone laughed.
"Alright then," Panther said. "Let's go."
Eve frowned slightly. "You mean everyone? This is a real battle. Dion doesn't have any abilities."
"Nothing will happen," Luoice said confidently. "There are three of us with blessed powers."
He looked at Dion. "You trust us, right?"
Dion swallowed, his legs shaking. "What kind of monsters are there?"
"Just tiny wolves."
"Wolves?" Dion straightened up. "Then I'm coming for sure."
What can a pack of wolves even do to this monsters? he thought.
Panther smiled. "Then let's go. The sooner we finish, the better."
Luoice swiped his screen.
Do you want to open the dungeon again?
Yes / No
He tapped YES
Dark smog formed in front of them, swirling slowly before shaping itself into a dungeon entrance.
"Let's go," Luoice said.
They followed him inside.
As the last person entered, the entrance vanished.
Inside the dungeon, they moved forward carefully.
Luoice glanced at his screen, then pulled a sword out of it and strapped it to his back.
"Hey," Panther said. "Do you have a sword for me too?"
"Of course."
Luoice reached into the screen again and handed Panther a sword.
"Where are these even coming from?" Dion asked.
"I don't know," Luoice replied. "It feels like an infinite space."
Eve glanced at him. "Where's your Dragon Slayer Sword?"
"I can't use it for more than twenty seconds," Luoice said. "It's an SSR-rank sword. My body can't handle it yet. But one day… I'll wield it properly."
The air suddenly grew heavier.
Dion looked at the dead wolf bodies scattered across the floor. "Holy crap… you cleared all this alone?"
"Yeah," Luoice replied calmly.
They stopped.
"We're here," Luoice said, placing his hand on a massive gate. "The boss is inside."
Everyone except Dion could feel the faint pressure leaking through the door.
Panther and Luoice pushed it open together.
The gate creaked slowly.
Inside was a huge chamber—silent, empty, and eerie.
"What a creepy place," Dion whispered.
Eve narrowed her eyes. "Guys… I can sense it. Keep your guard up."
In the center of the room lay a giant wolf, fast asleep.
"Everyone ready?" Luoice asked.
They nodded.
"Eve," Panther said, "stay back and protect Dion. Use ranged attacks. We'll take it head-on."
He looked at Luoice.
Luoice nodded.
"Wake it up," Luoice said.
Eve smiled slightly. She raised her hand.
"Fireball."
Flames shot forward and struck the wolf.
Its eyes snapped open.
The beast slowly rose to its feet, staring at the uninvited guests.
---