James trudged through the darkening streets of town, his boots scuffing against the dirt path as he approached the inn. The day had been long, and his body ached in ways he hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. Every fight, every death, every ridiculous setback—it all stacked up. He pulled open the door to the inn, letting the warmth of the tavern wash over him.

  The familiar scent of ale, roasting meat, and stale sweat filled the air. Adventurers gathered in clusters, exchanging tales of close calls and near-deaths. A few players sat alone, hunched over their meals, the glow of their UI menus reflecting in their tired eyes.

  James ordered the nightly stew and found a quiet spot in the back of the dining room. He quickly ate the salty stew with some unknown meat and a few vegetables, letting the warmth of the food settle the gnawing hunger in his gut. It wasn’t great, but after everything, he’d had worse.

  Lyra arrived a few minutes later, dropping into the seat across from him. “You look like you got run over by a cart.”

  James swallowed another spoonful of stew. “I might’ve preferred that.”

  She smirked. “Long day?”

  He sighed, leaning back against the chair. “Yeah. But hey, I didn’t wake up naked in an alley this time, so I’m calling it a win.”

  Lyra chuckled. “Progress.” She glanced around the room. “The others are already here. We’re meeting them in the morning for a quest.”

  James raised an eyebrow. “What’s the job?”

  “Straightforward one to start,” she said. “Goblins. Shouldn’t be too bad.”

  James scoffed. “You know that’s tempting fate, right?”

  Lyra grinned. “Oh, absolutely.”

  They finished their meals, chatted a little more, then eventually turned in for the night. Tomorrow, they'd see how well this new team functioned.

  The sun was barely up when James and Lyra met with Riona, Lillian, and Garrick outside the Adventurer’s Guild.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Riona greeted with a smirk. “Ready to kill some goblins?”

  James rubbed his eyes. “I feel like I just went to bed.”

  “Good,” Lillian said cheerfully. “That means you’re properly broken in for the job.”

  They made their way out of town, heading toward a small forest where the goblin infestation had gotten out of hand. The job itself was simple—wipe out a group of goblins that had been attacking trade routes. Nothing fancy, nothing elaborate. Just a straightforward hunt.

  James had to admit, fighting as a group felt smoother.

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Riona darted in and out of combat, switching weapons mid-fight as she adapted to each enemy. Lillian rained arrows from a distance, only closing in when necessary. Garrick, true to his role, absorbed damage like a walking fortress. James and Lyra held their own, working alongside the team as they methodically cut through the goblin horde.

  It was… almost easy.

  Too easy.

  James wiped his blade clean after the last goblin fell. “Alright, that was suspiciously painless. Who wants to bet that was the warm-up?”

  Riona grinned. “Oh, you catch on quick.”

  Lillian stretched. “Yeah, our real job is inside the ruins past here.” She pointed to a set of crumbling stone structures barely visible through the trees. “We have to clear out whatever’s holed up in there.”

  James exhaled. “And here I was, hoping for a relaxing afternoon.”

  “Come on,” Garrick grunted, already moving ahead. “It won’t kill you.”

  James gave him a deadpan look. “It literally might.”

  The party moved into the ruins, and almost immediately, the real challenge began.

  The entrance to the ruins was partially collapsed, leading into a series of underground tunnels. Flickering torches lined the stone walls, casting eerie shadows as the group moved deeper inside.

  They didn’t get far before the first problem appeared.

  Riona, who had taken the lead, suddenly threw out a hand to stop the group. “Hold up.”

  The floor in front of them was covered in a grid of stone tiles, each one marked with faint symbols. Some were cracked. Others looked completely untouched.

  “Great,” James muttered. “A classic ‘step on the wrong tile and die’ situation.”

  Lillian crouched down, examining the markings. “Looks like a pattern puzzle. Step on the wrong one, and—”

  She picked up a nearby rock and tossed it onto one of the tiles.

  A row of razor-sharp spikes shot up from the ground, impaling the rock with a sickening crunch.

  “—that happens.”

  James sighed. “Because of course.”

  The group studied the puzzle for a moment. The symbols looked familiar, but they weren’t immediately obvious.

  “I think it’s a sequence,” Lyra said, pointing at the wall. “These carvings match the tiles, but some are more worn down than others.”

  Garrick grunted. “So, step on the ones that match?”

  James frowned. “Or maybe avoid them. What if it’s the opposite?”

  Riona smirked. “Only one way to find out.”

  James hesitated, then glanced at his hand. He summoned a shadowy figure—a skeletal minion shrouded in darkness.

  It rattled slightly, awaiting his command.

  James grinned. “Guess we have a volunteer.”

  The summon stepped onto one of the tiles. Nothing happened.

  “Good sign,” Lillian said.

  James directed it onto another tile. A second later, a series of arrows shot from the walls, turning the skeleton into a pin cushion.

  “Well,” Riona said, “good to know we have disposable testers.”

  After some trial and error (and the sacrifice of two more summons), the group figured out the safe path across the room.

  They moved forward, only to be met with another challenge—a large stone door with five rotating dials. Each had a different set of symbols.

  Lillian groaned. “Oh, I hate these.”

  James studied the symbols. “Alright, let’s think. What do we know?”

  Riona tapped her chin. “The last puzzle used symbols from the walls. Maybe the solution is here too?”

  Lyra ran her fingers over the carvings. “Some of these markings repeat more often than others. Maybe those are the key?”

  James turned to his UI. He still had a few summons left. He conjured another shadowy minion, instructing it to turn the dials randomly.

  A grinding noise echoed through the chamber.

  Then the ceiling started lowering.

  “NOPE,” James shouted, immediately dismissing the summon. The dials reset, and the ceiling stopped.

  Lillian laughed. “Okay, so brute force is off the table.”

  After some careful thought (and a bit of arguing), the group aligned the dials correctly, causing the stone door to rumble open.

  Beyond it, more tunnels stretched into the unknown.

  James exhaled. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Riona patted his shoulder. “Welcome to dungeon crawling.”

  With no other choice, the group stepped forward into the darkness.