To say everyone was surprised at what they saw on the next floor was an understatement. Kaiden’s eyes went wide as he took in the scene around them. They had just stepped from a stone-walled, monster-filled dungeon chamber into what looked like a cozy inn. In the center of the room sat a wooden table with four chairs, a staircase led up to a second level, and a bar with four stools stood off to one side. Behind the counter, a slim man with a handlebar mustache polished a glass, looking as ordinary as if he were in any tavern outside the dungeon.

What the hell is going on? Kaiden thought, his mind struggling to process the sudden shift.

Beside him, Davick muttered, “Huh,” while Tybalt let out a dry snort.

“It’s the recess floor,” Tybalt said, already heading toward the table.

Coren nodded, shrugging off his pack as he sat down at the table and stretched. “Seems so.”

Kaiden scanned the room again, noting a shimmering portal against the far wall and a door tucked under the staircase. The bartender gave them a polite nod before speaking, his voice smooth and detached. “Feel free to enjoy your time here. You’re limited to 24 hours on this floor. When you’re ready to proceed, simply go through the portal,” he said, gesturing to the shimmering gateway. “There are baths through there,” he added, pointing to the doors beneath the staircase, “and rooms upstairs. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Kaiden opened his mouth to ask a question, but before he could get a word out, the bartender vanished in the blink of an eye. He had so many questions. How was there a sentient being in the dungeon? Who was he, and do all recess floors look like an inn?

Tybalt, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed, though Kaiden could tell he was just masking his own curiosity, keeping up his noble composure. Ignoring his questions for now, Kaiden followed the others and dropped into a chair, finally allowing himself to relax.

Davick let out a satisfied groan, leaning back in his chair. “A bath sounds perfect right about now.”

Kaiden nodded, glancing around with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. “I guess this is where we catch our breath,” he said.

“Rations first,” Tybalt announced, pulling out his dimensional bag and setting four military rations on the table. He followed with four canteens of water, placing one beside each meal. It wasn’t fancy by any means, but no one complained—they’d grown used to the dry, simple fare of hardened bread and dried meat. They ate in silence, the day’s exhaustion finally catching up to each of them.

Davick finished first, sighing as he stood. “I’m hitting the bath first.”

“After a night’s rest, we’ll move to the next floor together,” Tybalt said, his tone final. The others nodded in agreement, and Davick headed off to the bath. Kaiden soon followed.

The bath was plain, which was pretty much what he was used to back on base. The biggest difference was the size, it was built to accommodate four people at most, but everything else was similar—practical, clean, and enough to get the job done. Kaiden let the warm water ease the aches in his muscles, savoring a rare moment of comfort before he returned upstairs.

Each of them had a room to themselves, identical except for a single symbol engraved above each door, marking their role. Kaiden noticed the symbols: a sword for Striker, a shield for Defender, a fireball for Caster. When he reached his own room, he found an hourglass etched into the wood.

Inside, the room was modest—a bed, a small nightstand with a candle already lit, and a surprising sense of peace. He hadn’t expected to be sleeping in a bed in the middle of a dungeon, but he wasn’t about to complain. After leaving his armor in a pile by the door, he slipped into bed. The comfort of the mattress pulled him under almost instantly, and sleep claimed him before he had time to think of what lay ahead.

The next morning, everyone gathered downstairs, refreshed and waiting at the portal as Kaiden arrived last.

“Sorry for the wait,” Kaiden said, a bit sheepishly.

Davick waved it off. “We just got here, no worries,” he replied, smiling.

Kaiden appreciated the easygoing response. He wasn’t sure if they’d really just arrived or if they’d been waiting longer, but considering no one had come banging on his door, he figured he was in the clear. Davick seemed his usual cheerful self, Coren gave a quick nod, and Tybalt, already impatient, simply said, “Let’s go,” before stepping into the portal first.

Kaiden was last to enter, and as he did, he wondered what would be next. The surroundings shifted, expectedly revealing yet another change of scenery. This time, they stood in a vast, dense forest, towering trees and underbrush stretching out endlessly before them. A distant howl broke the silence, drawing the party’s attention. The sound was unmistakable.

“Wolves,” Kaiden muttered, gripping his sword a little tighter.

“Hopefully just red-eye wolves,” Davick said, glancing around warily. “Not some new breed we’ve never encountered.”

“Agreed,” Coren added, scanning the trees.

“Formation,” Tybalt ordered, gesturing toward the direction of the sound. “We’re heading toward the noise.”

The group fell into their practiced formation, moving cautiously through the woods. After about fifteen minutes of marching, they encountered their first foes: a pack of five red-eyed wolves emerging from the underbrush, their bloodshot eyes fixated on the group.

Yup, they’re scary looking, Kaiden thought to himself.

The wolves charged, but they were still far enough away for Tybalt to fire off several Ice Shards. One wolf fell after a few well-aimed shots, while another staggered back, wounded. The remaining three wolves closed in fast—two darted straight for Davick’s shield, while the third, quicker and more agile, broke away and lunged at Coren.

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The wolves were the fastest creatures they’d faced so far, making it hard for Coren to get a clean swing on his opponent. Tybalt called out, “Kaiden, back up Coren!”

Kaiden didn’t hesitate, flanking the wolf and plunging his sword into its side. The stab wasn’t enough to take it down, but it staggered the wolf just long enough for Coren to unleash a powerful strike. Kaiden recognized the move as Coren’s Crushing Blow, a heavy attack he’d relied heavily on throughout the dungeon. The wolf, though injured, reared back, readying itself to pounce on Coren again.

Kaiden moved in, intercepting with his forearm shield, catching the wolf’s jaw and pinning it. Coren seized the opening, swinging down with another heavy blow that finally felled the creature.

They had barely caught their breath when the last wolf, the one Tybalt had injured earlier, lunged back into the fray. Tybalt had killed another beast when the last joined, making it four against two, so they didn’t last long, and the group put them down quickly. Thankfully, they’d sustained no injuries this time.

Before they could celebrate, Tybalt turned sharply to Davick. “Why didn’t you do your job and draw all the wolves to you?” he snapped. “You let one go.”

Davick, rather than reacting with anger, frowned in confusion. “It wasn’t me. The taunt isn’t foolproof,” he admitted. “It’s less effective against stronger monsters. If this is what we’re dealing with from now on, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to get them all.”

Tybalt’s eyebrows shot up as he cursed under his breath, his expression darkening. This was a serious development. Up until now, Davick’s taunt had been one of their biggest assets, allowing them to control the flow of battle. Kaiden himself had thought it was almost overpowered, an ability not everyone would have access to in the field. But they were seeing its limitations now.

“That makes sense,” Kaiden said aloud, echoing what their instructors had told them. “That’s why they warned us not to rely on enchanted items alone.”

Coren and Davick nodded in agreement, while Tybalt remained silent, clearly deep in thought. This shift meant they’d have to adapt their strategy going forward—but thankfully, they’d trained for dungeon scenarios without even knowing about a taunt ability to begin with.

After a moment, Tybalt looked up. “All right,” he said, his voice steely. “From here on, assume Davick’s taunt might not draw everything. We’ll assume our regular strategies.”

The group pressed deeper into the forest, but this time Tybalt took the lead. His longer range gave him the advantage of picking off wolves from a distance before falling back into formation as the enemies approached. With this setup, Tybalt could thin out the monsters better before they reached Davick’s defensive line, hopefully making each fight a bit more manageable.

Soon enough, they encountered another pack of red-eyed wolves. This one was another five, but with the new strategy, Tybalt managed to kill two and injure a third before the wolves reached Davick. This time, Davick chose not to use his taunt but engaged two of the lead wolves head-on.

One of the wolves, however, broke away, lunging toward Coren. Ready for it this time, Coren landed a Crushing Blow to the wolf, taking it down with a single strike, and quickly followed up with a finishing slash to ensure it stayed down. Meanwhile, Tybalt fired Ice Shards at the injured wolf as it came into range, and Kaiden flanked the last remaining wolf trying to dodge around Davick’s shield. Within moments, they had finished off the pack, again without any injuries.

The team exchanged nods, the fight feeling almost too smooth.

But then things escalated. As they proceeded, the packs grew in size and intensity: first seven wolves, then nine, then ten. Each fight left them a bit more worn, and by the time they faced the last pack—the boss fight with an alpha wolf leading ten others—they were already feeling the strain. The alpha was larger, its eyes a more intense red, and it fought ferociously. While there were no magic abilities from the wolves or new dungeon mechanics to contend with, the sheer numbers, speed, and strength of the wolves pushed them to their limits.

The fight became a blur of flashing teeth and claws, a scramble to block, counter, and strike. By the end, all four of them were breathing hard, nursing a fresh series of bites and claw marks. They had used up three more health potions, along with one mana and one stamina potion to keep everyone in the fight. Kaiden, however, hadn’t used a single health potion himself, relying solely on his Regeneration ability, even though he’d taken more bites than anyone else. The healing effect wasn’t as fast as healing potion by any means, but it kept him steady, allowing the others to conserve resources.

“How many potions do we have left?” Tybalt asked, breaking the tense silence as they caught their breath.

Kaiden did a quick count, opeing the puch at his side. “Two health, one mana, and one stamina.”

Tybalt nodded, his expression serious as he took stock of their supplies. Then he turned his attention to the chest that had appeared after the alpha’s defeat, its polished wood gleaming beside the newly formed portal. Without a word, he began collecting the items, placing them into his dimensional bag as he went. Each piece disappeared into the enchanted pouch.

“Let’s rest here awhile until everyone’s at one hundred percent,” Tybalt said, his voice steady but carrying a hint of fatigue. The others nodded, understanding the necessity of it. They’d been battling through packs of wolves for hours. A reprieve was essential, especially with the next floor being the last.

They gathered around, sinking to the forest floor in a circle, backs resting against the rough tree trunks, listening to the silence settling over the area now that the wolves had been cleared. Kaiden relaxed, the adrenaline ebbing away, leaving only a pleasant exhaustion in its wake as his health and stamina bars moved their way up to full.

None of them spoke much, conserving their energy and letting their bodies recover. Tybalt closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought, while Davick casually inspected his shield, wiping off streaks of blood and dirt with the forest floor. Coren sat quietly beside Kaiden, his face reflecting a focus that Kaiden had come to respect—Coren was steady, always mentally preparing for the next fight even as he rested.

Kaiden found himself studying the portal that had appeared. He activated his Arcane Vision to continue his study in runes.

“What kinda monster you think is next?” Davick asked suddenly, breaking the quiet as he glanced around.

Tybalt opened his eyes, frowning slightly. “It could be anything. Another beast, maybe something undead. But expect it to be strong, with abilities we haven’t faced yet.”

Coren nodded, stretching his arms. “I’m betting on something magical.”

“What makes you say that?” Kaiden asked.

“For the simple fact that everything we’ve fought so far was physical damage except for the one mage.”

“Possibly, but not necessarily,” Tybalt said. “There doesn’t have to be rhyme or reason in a dungeon. One could be all physical monsters, one could be all magical, or it could be an uneven mix. It’s random.”

“Tybalt’s right,” Coren said, which made the noble frown. “We have no way.”

"Anyhow, we don’t know what to expect," Tybalt said, once again choosing not to correct someone for using his first name.

Coren nodded.

“I’m guessing magical too, but only because this is considered a trial dungeon. Don’t those challenge you on everything?” Kaiden said, throwing his opinion into the ring. He was just guessing since they didn’t really learn about trial dungeons, except for the fact that they were supposed to be run solo.

Everyone looked thoughtful and then Davick grinned. “Well find out soon enough. Be prepared to not be prepared and all that.”

They sat a little while longer, letting their strength return, checking their gear, and mentally steeling themselves for what awaited. After one final equipment check, they gathered before the portal, their expressions set with determination.

They didn’t know what to expect for the final floor, but one thing was a certainty: the last boss.