"Haa… haa…"

Hoarse breaths flowed through his lips.

"Ngh… a-ahh…" 

His bones rattled under the pressure, his vision blurring as both eyes remained glued to a horrific event happening right in front of him.

The warmth of blood that stained his cheeks, the desperate cries that pierced the air, and the entrails that danced all around him like maggots—all of those sickening details shot into his senses at once as his weak legs nearly gave out.

With wide eyes that captured the very essence of despair, he witnessed what true Horror was like.

Everything he witnessed told him one thing, and one thing alone.

'I… am going to die here!'

************

[One Day Earlier]

"Hi! My name is Des, and it's a pleasure to be a member of this esteemed party!" 

The cheery-faced boy that didn't look any older than seventeen years of age seemed completely out of place among the adults that he was facing.

They were all taller than he was, and their bodies had scars in at least a few areas, yet his face seemed without blemish. He had a long cloak to cover his frail-looking body, and while he had a dagger displayed to his party members as his primary weapon of choice, there was little assurance that he even knew how to use it well.

Just by how he held the weapon, it was clear that he wasn't very familiar with it.

With dark brown hair, a common color for the Natives of Thra'e, he didn't seem particularly special in any way. He had dark brown eyes too, so he was without a doubt a commoner of humble birth.

And so, for someone so young and mundane, it was odd to see him among such a crowd. Such foolishness was reserved for the over-enthusiastic and naive children of Nobles or Merchants perhaps… but not a mere boy.

Still, none of the five people in the group said anything about the boy's unusual circumstances. 

They had no business with it. After all…

"You're just a temporary member." The only lady in the group said, pointing towards his dagger as soon as she made her first point known. "And put that dagger away. You won't be using it, since you're our Porter."

She looked fierce despite her slender stature. She was much taller than him, dressed very lightly with leather and bits of metal to protect her more vital parts. She had two daggers located on her waist, as well as a bow and arrows.

Unlike him, this lady appeared to be a proper Dungeon Explorer.

"There's no need to be so hard on him." A rather muscular man said with a slight sigh, before turning to look at Des. "You better do what she says, though… since she isn't wrong."

Nodding instantly, Des swiftly returned the dagger to a sheath on his waist.

He wanted nothing more than to get along with his very first comrades—albeit temporary ones.

It wasn't rare for Parties to hire temporary members for a particular job, but since this was Des' first ever day as a Dungeon Explorer, he was happy he got a Party to accept him so quickly.

Having zero experience usually made many skeptical of one's capabilities in most occupations, and Dungeon Exploration was no different.

So, he was profoundly grateful that they accepted him so easily—no questions asked.

"My name is Dredd. I'm the leader of this Party, and I'm an Adept Warrior."

Des' eyes sparkled as soon as he heard that, feeling even more grateful that a Party with such an esteemed individual would accept him.

"I-it's an honor, sir!"

"Please… there's no need to be so formal." Dredd raised his hand in weak protest, though the smile on his face showed he was somewhat pleased by the respect he received.

"Let him bow his head, Sir Dredd! You were in the Military and even fought that war in the past, so this is only natural, right?"

The 'War' being referred to was one against the Scavengers—a strange and powerful group. They were so formidable that several Nations had to ally together in order to finally put them down.

Freedom Town was established after the war, formed by the Mercenaries and retired Militants who desired their own land. Though it was only a City, this place was recognized by the surrounding Nations as a land of its own—the City of Freedom, and a land of opportunities.

Des had heard of this place since his childhood, which was why he came here to make a fortune for himself. He wasn't the only one, though.

He heard that even his parents—the ones who abandoned him so many years ago—fled from their debts in order to make a new life for themselves here. He hadn't seen them since his arrival, though, and he wasn't even searching.

To Des, they were as good as dead.

Right now, he was completely on his own. Finding a Party on his first day of exploring a Dungeon was a blessing, but if found none he would have ventured inside anyway.

That was how determined he was to achieve his goals, after all. 

The goal to become a—

"Hey, stop dilly dallying! It's time to go." The mean girl's voice brought Des back to reality, allowing him to forget all the useless information that was playing in his head during such a vital part of their Party Meeting.

They had just finished their introduction, which went thus:

"My name is Levi, and I'm a Disciple Spellcaster."

"I'm Philip, a Disciple Warrior."

"Lisa, a Novice Warrior."

"Beck, a Novice Runcecrafter and Novice Warrior."

It turned out that Lisa, despite how mean and tough she looked, was only in the Novice Stage. 

That was the lowest, yet she acted so bossy.

Still, since everyone put up with her attitude, Des saw no reason to be the odd one out. He even went ahead and reintroduced himself—just as Des, of course.

"Okay, so this is the bag you'll be carrying. It contains our supplies—food, water, some extra weapons and items we'll be using during our stay in the Dungeon. You can also add whatever you have to the bag for convenience, as long as it is marked as yours. Of course, you are free to carry it separately as well."

Dredd's explanation was smooth, and while he had a certain authoritative manner of speaking, it didn't come off as condescending. 

He seemed like a strict man with a good heart.

Des made sure to nod as he absorbed all the instructions, even going as far as carrying the massive bag so he could quickly get accustomed to the weight. 

If there was anything he was confident in, it was his ability to carry heavy loads.

It came with experience, after all…

"In case you're wondering why it is so light, there are a lot of empty compartments there where we intend to put any precious ore that we find in the Dungeon… though we don't intend on going too deep, so chances of finding anything precious are low. Still… you gotta hope, right?" Beck, the Warrior and Runecrafter whispered into his ears.

Des nodded once again, happy to see the concern that was displayed by this total stranger.

'We just met, and he's so nice. Compared to Lisa, who is just a Novice Warrior, he is both a Warrior and Runecrafter. That's impressive!'

Having two specialties was rare, so Beck was definitely as impressive as the Disciples.

"Well, as mentioned previously, we're only going to be exploring the First to Third Floors, and only for a total of one week. Let's do our best, okay?"

"Yessir!"

"Definitely!"

"Okay!"

"Absolutely!"

As he heard everyone's spirited response to the words of their leader, Des also made sure to yell in his most energetic tone.

"Yes Sir!"

*

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

I appreciate you, who picked up this novel to read. Hope you read until the fifth chapter before deciding whether or not this story is for you, since the first few chapters might seem a little slow.

I promise you, though… the payoff is good!