The dungeon is a straight line.

To be exact, it's a staircase that leads downwards to a hallway that goes into a straight line. Every part of the dungeon is seemingly made of the same green things that reformed the bark of the entrance, but they aren't moving that much anymore. I really expected the walls to close in on us--we'd certainly be at their mercy right now--but it's like all the maggots were squished flat to form that hallway, so maybe they aren't 'alive' anymore. We also still haven't met a single monster for this entire trip, it reminds me of my first dungeon, the one I explored when I only had Lexia around.

I kind of miss that time for some reason, I can't say it was great, Liexa was putting me through a lot of pain, but things felt simpler back then. I've read that people often remember the past most fondly than the present, even if that past was just as good if not worse than the present. But when I look back to the past I-

Eda bumps into me as I halt to a stop. "Mhh? What's going on?" Eda asks as she looks over my shoulder.

"This isn't going to last," I say.

"Uh?" Eda walks in front of me to get a better look at my face.

"People still die here. Dying of old age, you'll all be gone when that happens." It's hitting me all at once. Everything here is going to end all the same, even if I find happiness here it'll be taken away from me. My hands are trembling. it's not fair, none of this is fair.

"I...I guess? B-but that'll be in a long, long time, why are you thinking about that now?" Eda fidgets, her gaze fixed on the green floor.

"She said that too, it still happened."

Cayden unsheathes his sword, an audible 'shing' sound can be heard as he does so. "Then I just have to not let that happen." He turns to us with a smile. "I swore I would protect the people dear to me, and if I have to protect them from old age, then that's what I'll do." He swings his sword around before sheating it back. "I can't die either, otherwise who will protect you two?"

"You can't protect someone from time" I retort. Although I'm not sure myself, I don't know enough to be absolutely sure. I hope I'm wrong.

"But you two are still here, aren't you? So I'm doing something right." He chuckles. It's a little bit forced, I can feel it. I don't think he believes anything he's saying, but I don't care. I'll trust him, even if it's a naive hope, I want to at least believe it's possible to keep this happiness forever.

Eda scrunches up her eyebrows, but her lips form a soft smile, this is not an expression I recognize. "I'm a priestess of growth, and you stop growing when you're old. That means that old age is an antithesis to my god. If anyone can do something about stopping old age, it'd be me," she announces proudly.

Cayden flashes her a thumbs up. "Yeah! So don't really worry about it, okay? As long as we all do our best, everything will turn out fine."

I nod. I'm still worried, but maybe it will be fine; the reason why things didn't work out last time is because I didn't know anything, I didn't TRY anything, but if I do my best then things will change, I have to believe that. If I didn't talk to Lexia back then, none of this would've happened, I would've killed slimes for this entire life and learned nothing. I'm really glad things turned out this way. I just have to keep on making the right decisions, and ask others when I'm not sure; the more I learn, the fewer mistakes I'll do, and the happier I'll be.

We continue walking with renewed vigor--although there still isn't much to talk about, it's still an endless green hallway that goes in only one direction, I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a dungeon anymore--but the rancid smell is only getting stronger the further we go in, so there must be a core somewhere in there.

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Eda suddenly speaks up, "maybe we should go back." Cayden turns and give her a quizzical look. "It's just... if this dungeon only goes in one direction, then that means we're going for the core. And if there's no monster, then that means it has invested all its resources in one singular monster to protect said core. I don't think it's a good idea to fight unprepared like this."

Cayden nods. "That's a good point. But I'm sure we can retreat if things go badly, right? Guardians rarely go very far from their core anyway."

"Maybe... James, what do you think?"

"As long as we do our best, everything will be fine," I answer.

Cayden throws a fist in the air. "That's the spirit!"

"I'm just worrie-" Eda cuts her sentence short when she notices a black wooden door in the distance. "That was fast. Dungeons delving usually takes a lot longer."

When all three of us reach the door, we make a quick battle plan--and by 'we' I mean Cayden. It might look like he just goes in without a thought in every fight, but he's actually the best strategist among us. Although in that case the strategy is rather simple, Eda and I will stay close to the door while Cayden takes the first steps, we'll test what the guardian is capable of, and we'll make our escape if it's beyond what we can handle. Eda will have a skill prepared to yank Cayden out of danger if necessary, and I...

I'll be useless, all I need to do is hit the enemy once for me to get the buffs from their cooked remains, so I often end up doing not much during an actual fight. I really wish I could do more, but I have to believe the buffs I give them through my cooking are enough to make up for my pitiful utility in combat.

Cayden gently opens the door, revealing...another hallway, there's another black door at the end of it, and most notably, a man leaning against it.

The man is not unlike Cayden, he is wearing light armor with a sword strapped to his waist, his black hair covers his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he's looking at.

The man raises his head, and he waves in our direction. "Not often we get visitors," he says. "I assume you're not here for tea? If you're here for the core, that'll be a problem."

We all stay silent, Cel told us there were trees passing as people, so there's no reason to believe this person is real. The man raises his hand, and the sword lifts itself out of his scabbard and lands directly into his open hand. "You guys must think I'm a monster, huh? I guess you're not too far off..."

Cayden speaks up, "Sorry, are you the guardian of this place, or just a lost adventurer?" Cayden's voice tremble as he asks this, I think it's the first time I ever saw him show any kind of fear.

"A guardian is what I am. But I used to be an adventurer, so you can call me whatever." He points his sword towards Cayden. "I'll make it clear. This dungeon saved my daughter, and it has been nothing but beneficial for its surroundings. So if you take another step, I'll cut you into pieces."

Cayden protests, "You can't trust dungeons. They might seem friendly at first, but it's always to their own benefit, they have no empathy, only greed."

The man laughs. "You can't trust people. They might seem friendly at first, but it's always to their own benefit, they have no empathy, only greed." He takes a single step forward. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I'll protect what's dear to me."

I butt in, "I think we should leave."

Cayden turns to me. "But we can't- Maybe a tactical retreat? But there's no telling where the dungeon will go then."

"This dungeon isn't hurting anyone. I don't see why we have to kill it."

"It hasn't hurt anyone yet. We can't just let it go free like this!" Cayden shouts, It's also the first time I saw him this angry.

The man takes another step. "You might lose your friends trying to do something that makes the world worse, is that really what you want?"

Cayden slumps his shoulder, his hand clenching his sword tight--I didn't even notice he drew out his sword during the conversation.

I carefully walk up to Cayden, grab him by the shoulders, and spin him around to face me. "We can always find another dungeon that deserves it."

His face soften, and after a long pause, he quietly sheathes his sword. "I... I'll trust you."

I don't like getting in the way of others, but I really don't like the idea of taking someone's life for no reason either. I think it's because I'm afraid of losing people again, I don't want that to happen to others too. I don't know if it's empathy, or if it's just because I want people to treat me the same way I treat them, but I would really feel bad if we took that man down.

"Well, aren't you the reasonable one," the man says. He swings his sword four times to the green wall at his side. "It was a nice trick you used to get inside, but I can do one better." He sheathes his sword, and a deafening sound erupts from the wall, as a massive shockwave destroys whatever material this entire dungeon is made of. Green mucus flows from the massive hole he left on his side--no, not a hole. It's a staircase, a perfectly cut staircase leading upward. This wasn't a blind, powerful slice, it was a swing with so much technique behind it that it sculpted its target better than any professional craftsman.

"Alright, get out." He points at the staircase. "Otherwise, I'll show you what this blade can really do."