The sky was already dark when I got home. My body still ached from the last trip into the public dungeon, but something had been bothering me since this afternoon.
It started when I picked up a small, deep green crystal—a leftover drop from our last run. It didn't register in the system and couldn't be sold. But ever since I brought it back, I had been hearing... whispers.
Not actual sounds, more like a calling. A voice echoing from afar, faint and hollow.
That evening, I sat cross-legged on the floor of my room, the crystal in my hand. Godon sat silently beside me, his eyes staring blankly forward, as if he too could feel it.
"Do you feel it too?" I muttered.
Godon gave a small nod.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the sound in my mind. Then suddenly, the air in front of us began to ripple—like the surface of disturbed water. A portal appeared, glowing faintly with a greenish hue, swirling slowly.
Without thinking, I grabbed Godon's hand and stepped through.
Our feet landed on damp soil. The air here felt different—quiet, heavy, and still. No chirping birds. No wind. Just... silence.
I looked around.
A small forest stood in the middle of a vast open land. Its trees were dense, their leaves a deep, almost black green. The rest was covered in thick white fog, hiding everything beyond.
The forest wasn't large—maybe five hundred meters across. Beyond that? Nothing but mist. No monsters. No exit. No system notifications.
"What is this place...?"
Godon stood beside me. Normally, if he stayed too far from a dungeon for too long, his body would start to weaken. But here... he looked calm. His eyes weren't anxious. His body didn't tremble.
I crouched down and touched the earth. It was warm—like it had just been kissed by sunlight, though the sky above was overcast and pale.
I took my dagger and gently stabbed the ground. Soft. Fertile.
Just to test it, I planted a dry twig upright into the soil. It didn't mean anything yet—just instinct.
After a few hours of exploring the forest's boundary, I decided to leave. I returned to the spot where we entered and stepped back out through the portal. But I left Godon inside.
My heart pounded.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
No system alerts. No death warnings.
I rushed back into the portal, almost panicked.
And there he was—Godon—still standing exactly where I left him.
Alive.
He looked at me and smiled. A small smile. But it was enough to make my chest tighten.
"…You're still alive," I whispered, almost in disbelief. I ran to him and hugged his rough, cold shoulder.
Until now… I had always lost them.
Every time I left the dungeon, I had to leave them behind. And every time, they never returned. But now—this place...
Maybe I could protect them.
I looked back at the tiny forest. Not big. Not beautiful. But enough. For now.
"This place belongs to us," I murmured. "Goblin's Grove... we'll start from here."