Along the way, Oliver was quiet. His parents and the maid tried to cheer him up, but it was not working. He was too devastated.
After arriving at his home at night, he immediately ran to his room and locked himself in.
"Oliver!" Irmine tried to go after him but was stopped by Arnulf, who shook his head.
"Give him some space and time first."
In his room, Oliver cried with his face buried in the pillow.
"Even in this world... I am still a failure." He continued crying until he fell asleep.
Later in the middle of the night, Oliver was woken up by the sound of his stomach.
"I did not have anything since this morning. I was too excited that I skipped breakfast. I should go to the kitchen to find something."
Oliver walked down the stairs slowly. As he reached the ground floor, he suddenly noticed the light in the kitchen was still on, and he heard a conversation. He then crept closer, trying to listen.
"Father and mom are still not sleeping?" He recognized his parents' voices.
"What will we do, Irmine? If Oliver truly cannot tame a monster, his life will be harsh in the future." Arnulf said as he covered his face with his hands. His usually tidy hair was now disheveled.
"But Josh said there is still a chance he can succeed in the future. He said the chance remains until the age of fifteen." Irmine replied.
"It is just an assumption based on theories. We all know that those who fail at ten years old rarely ever get another chance to become one. The chance is almost less than one percent." Arnulf said.
"Do you really think our son is a failure? Why are you being so negative? It is our son, Arnulf. Our son!" Irmine broke down in tears.
Arnulf immediately walked toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I know, Irmine. He is our son. Our precious one. Even if he cannot become a tamer like us, I will still love him as he is. I will try to think of something for him." Arnulf said.
They never knew that beside the room, Oliver was trembling in silence, tears streaming down his face and dripping onto the floor. His body shook uncontrollably as memories from his previous world resurfaced. His parents' faces filled with disappointment when they discovered his involvement with the mafia and illegal substances.
Back then, he had been overwhelmed with frustration toward himself. He had sunk so deep into the abyss that escaping felt impossible. Every night before sleep, he would stare at the picture of his late parents, wishing he could turn back time if only he were given another chance.
And now, he had that chance. Even though he was, in truth, older than his parents in terms of age, he had still been born as their son. Oliver vowed to make them proud, to redeem the failures of his past. But it seemed the world had no intention of letting him do so.
As he was deep in sorrow, suddenly, he heard a sound. He opened his eyes and saw a suspended message in front of him.
[Do you want to change your fate?]
It was a simple question.
But it carried a deep meaning for Oliver. He did not know who sent it or why it was sent to him. But right now, that question was exactly what he had been hoping for all this time.
"Yes!"
He answered spontaneously. The message in front of him distorted before forming another line.
[Your fate is waiting in Mooncrest Dungeon.]
The message then disappeared.
"Mooncrest Dungeon? Is it the place that Father wanted to go to with Josh?" Oliver recalled. He wiped his teary eyes, now filled with determination, and immediately ran to his room to prepare his things. While packing, suddenly, he stopped.
"Wait a minute. I have never been to a dungeon before, let alone Mooncrest Dungeon. I do not even know what to bring. And do I need to go alone? But if I ask Father, he surely will never let me go." Oliver muttered to himself.
At last, he decided to go alone. He needed to take the risk now. He had to know what exactly was waiting for him in that dungeon, or he would regret it forever. He brought out a map of the entire region of Ashville and searched for the path to Crimsonmoon Forest, where the dungeon was located.
After an hour, both his parents and the maid were already asleep. He slowly went downstairs and opened his father's chest. He planned to take a steel sword and a shield, but the sword itself was so heavy that he was forced to abandon the shield.
He then exited the house and took one last look at it before continuing on his way.
---
"Hey, Vran, is it safe to raid this dungeon tonight?" Jeff asked.
"Of course it is. I already have information that the townspeople will raid this dungeon starting tomorrow. So tonight is the only chance we have." Vran said.
Vran and Jeff were part of an illegal group that raided other dungeons without permits. In the current era, dungeon resources were so valuable and scarce that permits from rulers were required to prevent monopoly and overexploitation.
Raiding dungeons without permit has a severe penalty, including amputation and can also death penalty.
Right now, their group was planning to raid Mooncrest Dungeon to mine the Red Jewel and claim the loot from the boss. They had been preparing for this moment for months.
"Come on, guys! Let's get moving. We don't have all night." Vran ordered.
All of them then entered the blue swirling portal, vanishing into it one by one. After they were gone, a small figure emerged from the nearest bush.
"Who are those guys? Are they dungeon hunters?" Oliver asked himself. He then walked toward the portal.
"Is this the portal that teleports people into the dungeon? This is the first time I have seen it." He was amazed as he slowly extended his hand toward it. The moment he touched the portal, his body was instantly pulled in and absorbed.
Deep within the heart of the dungeon, a sleeping beast suddenly opened its eyes. Its long slumber had been disturbed by intruders. It slowly raised its massive body, its face twisting into a fierce snarl, as its red eyes pierced through the surrounding darkness.