In a small village on the continent of Mana, there was a celebration. It was for the harvest day.
This little village was called Sunflower Village. Every season when the crops were gathered, the villagers held a festival.
Even with the fatigue of the long day, they lit a bonfire to enjoy food and drinks around it.
Night had fallen, and everyone was looking at a man standing in front of the crowd. He wore thick leather clothes and carried a sword. He was the adventurer in charge of protecting the village.
His level wasn't very high, just level 19. He had accepted a mission from the Adventurers' Guild to guard the village for a period of time.
He often returned to this village, so he was already familiar with the people there.
— Mister Smith, could you tell us one of your dungeon stories? — asked one of the villagers.
— Of course, since today is a day of celebration, I will tell you one of my adventures — Mister Smith smiled. After taking a sip of his drink, he began.
— This story is also a warning for those who want to explore the dungeon — Mister Smith's expression turned serious.
— Four years ago was the last time I entered the dungeon. I went in with three others — Mister Smith looked as if he was sinking into his memories.
...
In the story, after entering the dungeon, Mister Smith took a middle position in the group formation.
The squire went up front, and the mage and archer were in the rear. All four adventurers had similar levels between 17 and 19, with Mister Smith being the highest.
In the dungeon, when a monster died, its body disappeared. That was another strange feature of the dungeon.
That time, they had reached the 9th level of the dungeon. The monsters there were already almost the limit of what they could handle.
After a tough battle with a small horde of monsters, the group wanted to return, except for the squire.
The squire tried to convince the others to go to level 10. The mage and archer quickly refused. Smith remained silent.
They all knew that after level 10, there was a chance of encountering monsters categorized as bosses.
After a short argument and no agreement, they asked Smith for his opinion since he had the highest level and the most experience.
Truth be told, Smith also wanted to keep exploring at that time. But it was risky, especially since they didn't have a map of that level.
— At that moment, I made a bad decision — Smith said with some regret.
In the end, Smith agreed to continue. The squire was excited, while the mage and archer looked anxious.
Smith also accepted because the next level had a teleportation portal that led to the exit. In fact, there was one every five levels.
After forming a strategy to avoid taking risks, the mage and archer were a bit more at ease.
After passing through a large door and stepping into a portal, they arrived at level 10. Everyone was on high alert. They had agreed to quickly search for the exit portal, and if a boss monster appeared, they would retreat.
Level 10 was different from the others they had seen. There was a lot of space. After the mage illuminated the surroundings, they realized they were in a large cave.
If a monster appeared there, they would at least have more room to move.
They advanced slowly through the cave until they found the exit.
Upon leaving the cave, the mage and archer realized they were in a forest that resembled the outside world.
Even though Smith and the squire had explained that level 10 had this strange feature, the other two were still surprised.
Smith and the others continued searching for the portal. On the way, they encountered several monsters. The weak ones were taken down quickly, and the stronger ones were avoided. Though they suffered some minor injuries, their speed remained unaffected.
They also found some magic herbs, which were shared among the group, and magic ore — the most valuable item.
That's why many adventurers below level 20 took the risk to reach this floor.
Though exhausted, the group's spirits lifted after obtaining those items.
They kept moving through the forest until Smith suddenly stopped.
— I smell blood — Smith's expression changed.
The others quickly went on full alert and took battle positions.
They advanced a bit more, and after passing a large tree, they saw a clearing in the middle of the forest.
In this clearing was a massive red bear, at least three times the size of a grown man.
If the bear was shocking, the scene beneath it was even worse.
Under the bear lay bloodied human bodies.
They were adventurers who had just been killed by the bear. One of them was still alive, kneeling with a deep claw wound on his chest, bleeding profusely.
Upon hearing footsteps, the adventurer quickly turned.
— Help — the adventurer cried.
Even though Smith and his group had never seen a boss monster, they knew this bear was one. It would take at least a group above level 20 to subdue it.
Smith and the others were already retreating when the bear noticed them after the injured adventurer's scream.
The group broke into a cold sweat.
The bear roared at the new intruders and charged.
The injured adventurer in front was crushed by the bear's enormous weight, his skull shattered.
The squire, though on guard, was surprised by the bear's speed.
He shouted and raised his shield.
The bear swung its massive claws in a horizontal slash that easily tore through the shield and hit the squire's chest.
The impact sent the squire flying several meters with a deep, bleeding wound on his chest.
Smith, who was right behind, watched as his front line was nearly killed in one blow.
Facing this boss monster, Smith knew he had no chance of surviving. Realizing this, he prepared to do whatever he could.
The bear, about to attack Smith, was stopped by a magical arrow to the eye.
— Run — the archer shouted as he turned. The mage also fled.
Seeing a chance, Smith started running with all his might.
The bear, enraged and wounded, let out a roar as its red fur stood on end and its mane ignited into massive flames.
After this transformation, it charged at the archer. Though the archer had gained some distance, the berserk bear reached him instantly.
— What — was the last thing the archer said before being torn apart by the bear's massive claw.
From a distance, Smith turned to see the archer brutally killed. Fearing he would be next, he ran even faster.
With a heavy heart, he threw away all his equipment to gain more speed.
After an hour of running, Smith stopped, exhausted. He leaned against a tree and sat down.
Still panting and afraid, he recalled the near-death experience.
It had been a bad idea to come to this level. The squire was probably dead. The archer was definitely gone, and the mage's fate was uncertain.
Also, all the items they had collected, including food rations, were left behind during the escape.
Now, Smith had to find the portal or return to a lower level before more dangerous monsters appeared.
He walked cautiously through the forest, staying on high alert. Though the bear hadn't hurt him physically, it had left a deep fear. They had completely underestimated a boss monster's difficulty.
Eventually, night fell in that strange level. Smith was extremely tired and hungry.
He thought he might die there. He had been injured by a monster during the day, and there might be even stronger ones lurking at night.
Still, he kept going, holding onto a small hope of survival. In the end, by luck or fate, he saw a blue glow in the distance.
Seeing it, Smith ran desperately toward the blue light. As he got closer, he caught sight of the portal.
Smith had never been so happy. He checked the surroundings for danger, and seeing nothing, he approached the portal and left the dungeon.
...
After the story ended, the adult villagers were amazed and scared by the dangers of the dungeon.
Some children who had stayed to hear the story were trembling and crying as their mothers comforted them.
Mister Smith noticed that among those kids, there was one staring straight at him. There was no fear in his eyes after hearing the story. Instead, there was excitement.
Mister Smith looked curiously at this 9 or 10-year-old boy and asked his name.
— Nim — the boy replied.
— Nim... What did you think of my story? Weren't you scared? — asked Mister Smith again.
— No.
— Oh? Why not? — Smith continued.
— Because I'll be an adventurer too and explore the dungeon — Nim replied with excitement.
— An adventurer, huh... I'll be waiting to see that — after that, Mister Smith said no more.
...
After the party and the night ended, a new day began.
In the morning, Nim woke up. After making his bed and changing his clothes, he opened his window and looked at the sunrise with a smile.