The deeper Tommy ventured into the Parasite Dungeon, the more out of place he felt. His rusted sword was starting to feel heavier with every swing, and his leather armor seemed like little more than a costume compared to the gear his companions wore. Despite all his training, his body was still slow, his movements unrefined, and his strikes lacked power.
The rest of the group, led by Patrick, moved like a well-oiled machine. Patrick, the level 10 adventurer, cleared Parasites with ruthless efficiency. He sliced through the mushroom creatures with precise, controlled strikes. The others in the party—new adventurers like Tommy—weren't much better than him. But they still performed far better, cutting down Parasites in a flurry of attacks.
Tommy, by contrast, only managed to kill two Parasites throughout the whole raid. He struggled to land a hit on anything that moved faster than a sluggish mushroom creature, but at least his efforts counted for something.
Meanwhile, Patrick had easily killed forty Parasites, each one falling to his massive blade with a clean cut. The rest of the group averaged twenty kills apiece. Tommy couldn't help but feel like a liability, his sword barely making a dent as the others swarmed the dungeon's monsters.
As they ventured deeper, the air became thicker with spores. The tunnel widened into a cavern where the Parasites seemed to grow larger, their spore-filled bodies pulsating ominously. The party moved with caution, but Patrick's confidence never wavered.
At the end of the cavern, the adventurers gathered, expecting a boss fight. They'd cleared out nearly every Parasite in the dungeon. But there was no towering monster, no terrifying boss creature to face. The room was quiet, eerily so.
Patrick furrowed his brow, looking around. "Huh. I thought this was a dungeon with a boss. Looks like the beginners dungeon doesn't have one. That's a surprise."
Tommy, feeling a little foolish, stood by silently. He'd been so focused on trying to keep up with the others that he hadn't even considered the possibility that the dungeon might not have a boss at all. No challenge. No epic monster. Just a long slog through waves of mushroom-like creatures.
"Well, that's a relief," one of the other adventurers said, wiping sweat from their brow. "Guess we're done here."
"Yeah," Patrick agreed. "Let's head out. No point sticking around." He turned toward the dungeon's exit, and the group followed, moving back toward the glowing portal where they'd entered.
---
Back at the Adventurer's Marketplace, the party met up again to sell the cores they'd gathered from the Parasites. These cores were the source of any valuable loot, each one containing traces of the creature's energy. As they sold them to the local vendors, the group divided the earnings. The cores were worth a good amount of money—enough for each adventurer to make a decent profit.
However, when it came time for Tommy to receive his share, he found himself handed only a small stack of bills. He had expected more, especially given how much effort he'd put into the raid. He had killed two Parasites—just two—and contributed next to nothing to the overall success of the group. The rest of the party had killed far more, and their earnings reflected that. Patrick, of course, had earned the most—well over five thousand dollars.
Tommy's share? A paltry $100.
It was a far cry from what he had hoped for when he first decided to take on dungeon raiding. Still, the payment was more than what he had worked for. Patrick had been kind, considering Tommy had no System and thus no way to gain stat boosts or rewards like the others. The others didn't seem to mind, either, though Tommy could tell they were all more experienced. They were all far more capable than he was.
As they prepared to leave the Marketplace, Patrick clapped Tommy on the back.
"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself," Patrick said, his tone surprisingly gentle for a man who'd just cleared a dungeon with ease. "You're doing fine for someone without a System. You just need more experience. Keep running the beginner dungeons for now, but…" He trailed off for a moment, as if considering his next words carefully.
"But what?" Tommy asked, unsure where this was going.
"You're going to need to step up your game soon. I'm moving on to higher-level dungeons. This is the tutorial stuff, man. You can't keep hanging around here forever. Eventually, you'll have to take on harder challenges," Patrick explained.
---
For the next few weeks, Tommy continued to run the beginner dungeon with the different group. But the raids had become repetitive. He wasn't growing as fast as he'd hoped, and his two hundred-dollar earnings from each raid weren't enough to cover the costs of food, training, and upkeep. He needed a breakthrough.
One day, when Patrick was preparing for a higher dungeon raid, he turned to Tommy with a smile.
"Alright, listen up," he said. "I'm leaving for a higher level dungeon in a few days. I'm not coming back to the tutorial dungeon. But I think I'm ready for something new. I'll be heading out for good, but you've got the chops to handle it."
Patrick waved his hand, signaling for Tommy to follow him.
"I think it's time you started guiding the new recruits. Help them with their early dungeons. You've got the experience now. It's time to pass on what you know. Don't be afraid to show them the ropes."
Tommy stared at Patrick, surprised. "You think I can do it?"
Patrick grinned. "Of course. You've been through enough raids by now. You'll make a great guide. And when you're ready, you can move on to bigger and better dungeons. I'll see you around, Glitch."
Tommy's heart sank at the thought of losing his guide. Patrick had been the only one willing to team up with him, and he had learned a lot from him. But the truth was, Tommy knew Patrick was right. The higher dungeons would be a bigger challenge, one Tommy wasn't ready for yet. He still had a long way to go.
With that, Patrick turned, leaving Tommy standing at the entrance to the Adventurer's Marketplace.
Tommy felt a surge of both excitement and fear. This was his chance—his chance to become someone more than just the guy who failed at everything. He could be the one guiding others, passing on what he had learned.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward, ready to start his new role as a guide to the next generation of adventurers.