Later that day, Travis returned to the Guild, his new supplies tucked away and his thoughts focused on the promotion results. The Guild hall was lively as always, filled with adventurers chatting, sharing stories, and planning their next missions. He found a seat near the edge of the room and leaned back, watching the scene unfold around him.

Groups of young adventurers laughed and joked with their friends, their camaraderie filling the air. Travis smiled faintly, a bittersweet warmth in his chest.

' This kind of life... I always wanted it back on Earth,' he thought, his gaze distant.

But the memories of Earth weren’t as kind. For reasons he never understood, he had been an outcast, treated with disdain by those around him. No matter how hard he tried to fit in, he always seemed to fall short. The thought lingered, but he shook it off.

' The answer doesn’t matter anymore, ' he thought

Minutes passed before his name was called. He stood and approached the counter, where a Guild clerk greeted him with a wide smile.

"Congratulations, sir," the clerk announced.

"You are now a C-rank adventurer! This means you can accept both C and D-ranked jobs. Additionally, you’re eligible to explore the first two floors of the Dungeon. For your next promotion, you’ll need to complete five C-ranked jobs. Good luck, and safe adventuring!"

The clerk handed him a shiny new card with "C-Rank" embossed in silver lettering. Travis took it with a nod of thanks, tucking it into his pouch before turning to the mission board.

The C-rank board was noticeably different from the D-rank one—more tasks, each one seemed more challenging. The rewards were also significantly better. Travis scanned the available jobs, his eyes landing on a straightforward mission: kill five goblins and bring back their ears as proof.

He grabbed the request slip, letting out a quiet chuckle. 'Goblins, huh? Well, it’s a step up from delivering packages.'

Without wasting any more time, he exited the Guild and headed out toward the outskirts of town. The forest loomed ahead, its dense trees shrouded in an eerie calm. Travis adjusted the strap of his bag, his focus sharpening as he prepared for his first C-rank mission.

' Time to get to work,' he thought, his steps quickening as the excitement of the hunt began to stir within him.

.....

Travis returned an hour later, his hands heavy with a bloodied sack filled with goblin ears. He had gone out intending to hunt only what was needed, but his thoughts had wandered as he moved through the dense forest. Each kill seemed to silence the restless chatter in his mind, and before he realized it, he had amassed more trophies than intended. No matter—it meant more coin in his pocket.

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As he approached the town gates, he raised a hand in greeting to the guards stationed there. They responded with familiar nods and smiles, a mark of the camaraderie that had grown between them during his stay.

“This town really is something else,” Travis mused silently, his eyes scanning the bustling streets beyond the gate. If I didn’t have bigger plans, I could see myself settling here.

At the Adventurer’s Guild, the clerk behind the counter barely flinched at the impressive haul he dumped on the table. After a quick count and some scribbling on her ledger, she slid a pouch of coins across the counter.

"Good haul today," she remarked casually, eyeing him with mild curiosity.

Travis pocketed the reward with a nod and stepped back out into the sunlit street. The pouch jingled faintly with each step, a reminder of his small but steady progress.

' What now?' he thought, pausing on the cobblestone street. His gaze drifted toward the distant hills where the Dungeon entrance was rumored to lie.

' You know, I’ve been hearing all kinds of stories about that place. Maybe I should take a look. Just for peace of mind.'

The idea gnawed at him as he made his way toward the Dungeon. His curiosity burned hotter with every step. People in town spoke of it with a mix of awe and dread—monsters that could kill you in the blink of an eye, traps designed to crush the unwary, and treasures that lured adventurers to their doom. Travis wasn’t foolish enough to think he could face such dangers yet, but he couldn’t shake the urge to see it for himself.

The guards stationed at the gate leading to the Dungeon’s perimeter gave him a cursory glance before requesting his Adventurer Card. They inspected it briefly, then waved him through.

The path to the Dungeon entrance felt eerily quiet, the air heavy with an unnatural stillness. As the cave’s massive opening loomed ahead, a faint pulse ran through him. It wasn’t fear—at least, not entirely—but something deeper. His mana seemed to hum faintly, resonating with the ominous energy radiating from the Dungeon.

A shiver coursed through his spine, leaving his skin prickling. ' That's weird '

The descent was slow and deliberate. The stone stairs spiraled downward, the air growing cooler and thicker with each step. By the time he reached the first level floor, his breaths felt heavier, his senses sharper.

' Is there nobody here? ' he thought, scanning the dimly lit expanse. Shadows flickered across jagged walls, and faint, distant echoes hinted at movement deeper within.

He moved cautiously, every step calculated. The oppressive silence felt as though it were watching him, waiting for him to falter.

Suddenly, the faint stillness shattered. An arrow, swift and precise, sliced through the air toward Travis. It moved with blinding speed, almost too fast to see. Instinct surged through him—he twisted his body at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the projectile.

CRACK!

The arrow buried itself deep into the stone wall behind him, leaving a jagged dent that radiated tiny fractures. Dust and debris spilled onto the floor, the sharp sound reverberating through the cavern.

Travis spun on his heel, his heart pounding as his eyes scanned for the source. In the dim light, he caught sight of a dark, yawning cave in the distance. Its jagged entrance seemed to breathe shadows, the void within practically daring him to approach.

"That’s inviting," he muttered under his breath, sarcasm barely masking his unease. His hand drifted to the hilt of his weapon, fingers tightening around it as his mind raced.

' I guess that’s where I’m supposed to go, right? ' he thought, his curiosity battling with caution.

Step by step, Travis moved closer, the air around him thickening with an almost palpable tension. The closer he got, the stronger he felt it—a strange, invisible pull deep within him. It wasn’t physical, but a gnawing force that seemed to bypass his body and tug directly at his very essence.

He stopped just short of the entrance, his breath hitching as the sensation intensified. It was as though the cavern itself were alive, its silent whispers calling to him, demanding his presence.

"What the hell is this?" he whispered, his voice swallowed instantly by the oppressive void ahead.

And then, without warning, the force overwhelmed him. His surroundings blurred and twisted, the dim light of the cave collapsing into an inky darkness.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone—pulled violently into the shadows as if the cave had swallowed him whole. The last thing he felt was the sensation of falling, weightless and unmoored, into the unknown.

TO BE CONTINUED