Avin led the party through the forest, their destination supposedly chosen for Keiz's first taming attempt. Yet midway, the leader of the Red Lions offered a new suggestion.
"How about this instead?" Avin said casually, glancing at Keiz. "We head into a dungeon. You'll find better monsters there."
Keiz blinked. "A dungeon? Isn't that dangerous?"
Avin gave a confident smile. "You shouldn't worry. We're the Red Lions, a C-rank party. A dungeon like this is nothing to us. And don't you want a strong monster? Surely that would impress your father more than some weakling beast from the woods."
The words struck deep. Keiz hesitated, doubt gnawing at him, but he also felt the tug of opportunity. A stronger monster… a chance to finally silence his father's scorn.
"…Alright," he said, voice low. "But we won't go deep, right? My taming skill isn't… strong."
Avin clapped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Relax, kid. We won't put you in danger. Our party's reputation matters, after all."
With that, the destination was set. Not the forest. The dungeon.
It wasn't long before the towering gate came into view, etched with faded runes that pulsed faintly with mana. Keiz stared at it in awe.
"So we just… touch it, and we'll be warped inside?" he asked nervously. "At least, that's what I've read in books."
"If you're that afraid, you'll never tame anything worth having," Cian, the thief, said sharply, twirling a dagger between his fingers. His irritation at Keiz's unease was plain.
Keiz bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I know I'm weak. Everyone reminds me of it."
Keska, the priestess, gave a half-hearted smile. "Don't worry about it too much. Everyone has their role to play. Even the weak… can be useful."
Her words were meant to soothe, but they sounded more like pity than comfort.
One by one, they placed their hands on the gate. Light swallowed them, and in an instant, they were inside.
A chill ran down Keiz's spine as he looked around. The air was heavy with mana, the stone walls damp and ancient. Yet despite his nerves, fascination crept into him. The dungeon's stonework stretched endlessly, its construction alien and enduring.
So this is a real dungeon…
He recalled the books he had devoured, how scholars believed dungeons were remnants of the Demon King's power, structures sustained by lingering mana for countless centuries. Now he was standing in one, no longer just reading about it.
"Alright, let's move," Avin ordered, leading the way with practiced confidence.
They pressed on for nearly an hour. Monsters appeared, but each one was swiftly cut down by the Red Lions before Keiz could even react. Whenever he asked if he should attempt to tame one, Avin waved him off.
"These are worthless. Weaklings. Be patient—I'll tell you when the right one shows up."
Though Keiz reminded him his skill could only tame low-rank monsters, Avin insisted. And somehow, Keiz wanted to believe him. Their strength, their ease in handling the dungeon… surely Avin knew better than he did.
So he followed. Deeper and deeper.
Eventually, they reached a wide chamber. The air was unnervingly still. Not a single monster lurked within the shadows.
"Strange…" Keiz muttered. "Why is it so quiet?"
Cian smirked, his eyes gleaming. "Quiet's good, kid. Means we're close to the good stuff."
"The… good stuff?" Keiz frowned, scanning the empty room. "But I don't see—"
A sudden blow struck the back of his head. Pain exploded through his skull. His vision spun, collapsing into darkness before he could even raise his voice.
Cold. That was the first thing Keiz felt when he woke.
Groggily, he pushed himself up from the stone floor, the chill biting at his bare skin. His hands ran over himself—and dread set in. His armor was gone. His sword, gone. He was stripped down to nothing but his trousers.
"Avin…? Cian? Keska?!" His voice echoed against the chamber walls. Silence answered.
Then the memory slammed into him—the strike from behind, Cian's mocking grin, Avin's too-smooth reassurances.
They hadn't been guiding him. They had been waiting for this moment.
"…They betrayed me." His voice cracked, fury and disbelief twisting his face.
He had paid them. Trusted them. Believed in them. And in return, they had stolen everything.
For a moment, Keiz trembled, humiliation clawing at his chest harder than the dungeon's cold air. Was I truly so naïve? So blind?
But self-pity would not save him now.
Alone. Unarmed. Abandoned in a dungeon.
If he didn't find a way out, he wouldn't just fail his father's hopes. He would die here.
Keiz clenched his fists, his teeth gritting as he forced his legs to stand.
"This isn't where I end."