While political chaos engulfed the Kingdom of Altoria due to the fall of the Varda family, a much quieter but tension-filled atmosphere lingered in the neighboring realm, Fellims Kingdom.
Inside a grand mansion where the architecture seamlessly blended white marble with polished ebony, Party Noiver sat in the private dining hall of Duke Hectorize Daviz Amsavedra. The Duke, a middle-aged man possessing a heavy yet welcoming aura of authority, received them as guests of honor.
The long table was laden with exquisite delicacies: various roasted meats drenched in rich sauces, mushroom cream soup, and an array of exotic fruits rarely found in common markets. However, Duke Hectorize's attention was not on the feast, but on the woman dining with him.
"Incredible..." Duke Hectorize murmured, his eyes fixed on Evaliza. "I had heard the rumors, but seeing you in person is quite different. The beauty of an Elf truly surpasses any painting I have ever collected."
Evaliza, who was trying to enjoy her soup, felt increasingly uncomfortable. She lowered her spoon slowly.
"In this Fellims Kingdom, the existence of Elves has been a myth for the last three hundred years." the Duke continued enthusiastically. "Seeing you here, Miss Evaliza, is like seeing history come back to life. Your skin, those elegant pointed ears... it is truly a miracle."
Evaliza's face tensed. She despised being treated like an exhibit. Donovan and Novalia could only exchange glances, while Keyzier remained busy chewing the meat on his plate, completely oblivious to the tension.
"Lord Duke..." Evaliza interrupted, her voice firm yet polite. "I deeply appreciate this banquet. However, could you please stop praising my physical appearance? I came here as an adventurer, not a museum artifact."
Duke Hectorize froze for a moment, realizing his lack of decorum. "Ah, forgive me, Miss Evaliza. I was swept away by the rarity of your race in this land. I apologize if my words made you uncomfortable."
The Duke cleared his throat, his expression shifting to one of gravity. The noble aura of the ruler of the Amsavedra region now became palpable.
"Let us move to the real topic of discussion." Duke Hectorize said, looking at the four members of Party Noiver one by one. "I invited you here for one reason. Are you willing to help me conquer the recently discovered Treeze Forest Dungeon?"
Silence filled the dining room. The clinking of Keyzier's fork stopped. The four members of Party Noiver looked at one another, hesitation clearly visible in their eyes.
"Treeze Forest..." Keyzier muttered. "We were indeed the ones who discovered it, but we only set foot as far as the second floor. Even then, we retreated immediately because we realized something was wrong with that place."
"Our leader is right!" Donovan added. "The information we have is extremely minimal. We don't know how many floors there are, what kind of monsters wait below, or what sort of traps are set."
Duke Hectorize nodded, understanding their reluctance. "I understand your concerns. Moreover, my research team discovered a terrifying anomaly regarding that dungeon."
"An anomaly?" Novalia asked.
"Time." the Duke replied curtly. "The flow of time inside and outside the dungeon is vastly different. One hour inside is equal to one day in the outside world."
Their eyes widened. That fact explained everything regarding the time discrepancy they had been pondering.
"That's insane!" Evaliza hissed. "If we were trapped in a week according to dungeon time, it would mean that when we emerged, nearly thirty months would have passed in the outside world?"
"Exactly!" the Duke confirmed. "That's why preparation is key. Entering without proper planning is not just suicide. It is throwing away your life in the real world. You could lose precious years in just a few days of exploration."
Keyzier placed his napkin on the table, his face solemn. "If the risk is that high, we cannot give you an answer right now. We need time to prepare ourselves, train our bodies, and upgrade our equipment. We don't want to die a foolish death or come out to find everyone in this world has grown old or passed away."
"Of course, I highly respect that decision. Do not rush." Duke Hectorize said wisely. "Once you feel completely ready to conquer that place, please contact me or come here. The gates of this mansion are always open to Party Noiver."
After the banquet ended, Party Noiver left the grand mansion. They walked through the city streets as dusk began to fall, their minds preoccupied with the Duke's heavy proposal.
"Key, what are we going to do now?" Novalia asked, breaking the silence.
Keyzier looked up at the night sky and grinned. "Obviously, we're going to train again! We need to become much stronger than we are now. Conquering that dungeon carries a massive risk, but that doesn't mean it won't be profitable."
He patted the hilt of his sword. "Just think about it. A high-level dungeon like that... there must be countless rare items, legendary weapons, and treasures never touched by human hands!"
"That's true!" Novalia agreed, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "But we must make a clear written agreement with the Duke before we set out. All items we find inside, or at least the ones we want, must belong to us entirely. We can't risk our lives only to have the loot confiscated by the kingdom."
"I'm with Nova!" Donovan chimed in excitedly. "If we're just told to conquer it without loot rights, it's like mining for gold, exhausting ourselves digging but not being allowed to take any gold home! That's a total loss!"
Keyzier nodded. "Exactly! I'm not working for nothing. Who do you think I am? A volunteer?"
Keyzier puffed out his chest, hoping his friends would respond with cool titles like 'Wise Leader' or 'Gallant Knight'.
Donovan answered instantly, "An idiot."
Novalia followed with a smirk, "A bandit robber disguised as an adventurer."
And Evaliza, still remembering a certain awkward moment at the inn, muttered coldly, "A man whose level of sensitivity is far below the normal threshold for living creatures."
Keyzier choked on his own breath. He stopped walking and looked at his three friends with a piteous face. "Hey! What do you mean? Out of all those answers, not one of you praised me! I'm the leader of this party, you know!"
"A stupid leader." Donovan repeated, laughing as he jogged ahead to dodge Keyzier's reach.
"A money-grubbing leader." Novalia added.
"A leader who is... ah, never mind," Evaliza sighed, hiding a faint smile.
....
....
From that day on, Party Noiver's routine changed drastically. They decided to postpone the dungeon conquest until they were absolutely certain of their strength.
Their days were consumed by training, training, and more training. Keyzier honed his swordsmanship and his magic. Novalia studied new support spells. Donovan increased his movement speed and the lethality of his slashes. And Evaliza focused on the precision of her arrows and her healing magic, the latter under Keyzier's direct guidance.
However, they were also cunning. They knew that if they disappeared completely, the Adventurers' Guild would grow suspicious and might send a search party to track them down, much like the previous incident.
Therefore, occasionally between their grueling training sessions, Party Noiver appeared at the Adventurers' Guild. They took on trivial Rank G to E missions just to 'show their faces'.
"Look, it's Party Noiver!" the rookies whispered. "I heard they defeated high-level monsters, so why are they taking missions to find lost pets and harvest medicinal herbs?"
Keyzier and his companions ignored the whispers. For them, appearing at the guild was a strategy to be seen as "active but taking it easy", while simultaneously hiding the massive preparations they were making so they could focus without distraction. Soon enough, the four of them would challenge the "Time Hell" of the Treeze Forest.