He went to the forest at dawn, killed some monsters as usual, extracted the gems from them, and by noon, headed to the city to sell what he had harvested from the hunt. He received a silver coin and two copper coins, which he pocketed as he headed to a store that sold baby supplies. Upon entering, he was greeted by an old woman who asked what his wife needed for their baby girl. He replied, "Everything a little baby needs." Surprised by his answer, she smiled and said, "It seems this is your first child. Let me show you what you need." She picked out some clothes, a bottle, and other necessities like diapers. She then informed him that this was all he needed for a girl her age. He paid for everything he bought, intending to head to the infamous tavern, which he called the cursed tavern.

He arrived at sunset and, as he approached the tavern, did not hear the usual noise. Fearing something had happened, he rushed in. As he opened the door, he found it as usual, the same people, the same bartender, but everyone was silent. He entered the tavern, and one of them quietly told him to be silent. He ignored it and approached the bartender to check on the girl.

Sitting in front of the bartender, he inquired about the girl's condition. The bartender, looking exhausted as if he had returned from a war, laughed and said, "Do not wake her up, or she will kill you." Our hero smiled, understanding what had happened. He went to his room, finding the baby sleeping on the bed. He quietly removed his armor, then his clothes, heading to the bathroom to bathe. After finishing, he dressed and aimed for the bed to sleep. Seeing the baby had taken over, he feared waking her if he moved her, so he took his pillow to sleep on the floor. He fell asleep easily, as he was used to it, but the nightmares from his past memories, which came every night, were something he wasn't accustomed to.

He woke to the baby's cries, held her until she calmed down, and went downstairs, sitting in his usual spot and ordering a glass of milk. He began feeding the hungry baby, who burped when she finished. Our hero was startled, and the bartender laughed at the sight.

After finishing his breakfast, he asked the bartender, while playing with the baby, "Do you have any work?" The bartender hummed and then said, "I do have work, but I don't recommend it. A dungeon has appeared in the western part, and it seems to have a magical aura. But a gang known as the Hyena has taken over, looking for hunters. However, it's a dubious matter."

Our hero asked, "Why is this job not recommended?"

The bartender replied, "The leader of this gang is not trustworthy. He is as cunning as a fox, and although his bright smile seems welcoming, it hides great deceptions. I advise you to stay away from him if you ever meet him."

Our hero, still playing with the baby who tried to climb onto the table, replied, "It seems I'll take this job. I've never entered a dungeon before, and it sounds tempting."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The bartender looked at him with disgust, "It seems you didn't hear me well. Since you started talking, it seems you lost the ability to listen. It seems there's something wrong with your brain that prevents all your senses from working together."

Our hero, struggling with the baby who tried to pull his ear, said, "The number of monsters in the hunting grounds has decreased, and there are only six years left until the cyclone arrives. Resources have become scarce, and the continent is slowly becoming a graveyard for humans, as if it is telling us it no longer wants us on it. I will leave tomorrow."

He rose from the table, but the bartender stopped him, saying, "Damn, your head is harder than rock. At least take these potions with you, one for endurance and the other for healing. No need to pay for them; their expiration date is near anyway."

Our hero handed the baby to the bartender, asking him to take care of her, took the potions, wore his armor, and headed to the dungeon.

The journey took a day and a night. He reached the place and approached the gate to meet the leader. There were also other participants in the mission. When he presented the request he got from the bartender, the leader quickly accepted him into the team. At noon, they headed to the dungeon.

There were seven of them, and our hero made the eighth. They passed through the gate and were transported to a strange place, an abandoned village with a giant black cube in the middle, seemingly from an ancient civilization. They searched the houses and found only the corpses of the inhabitants, as if they had all died at the same moment. The strangeness did not end there, as they discovered that the sun set quickly. Ignoring it, they searched the houses and gathered to analyse their situation, concluding the following:

- The day here lasts only an hour, and so does the night.

- The color of the cube changes with the time, turning pitch black during the day and white at night.

- There are ninety-nine doors to the cube.

- There is an invisible barrier preventing them from leaving the village.

- There are no living creatures in the area, only skeletons of children, women, and even birds.

After lengthy discussions, they decided to enter the cube together through the same door. They drew lots to choose the door, and it fell on door number forty-four. They prepared their gear and entered together to face the unknown.

As they passed through the door, it closed. One of them struck it with his sword, but it did not budge. There was no way back, only forward, whether facing a mere rat or a dragon.

A girl in the team cast a light spell to illuminate the passage, which was very long and covered with moss everywhere. After a while, they passed by a stone monument inscribed in an ancient language. Luckily, they had a translator who understood old languages with them. He read the text, which went as follows:

{Seven to avoid punishment}

A fair confrontation for forty-four rounds

Escape is only possible in death

Be proud for you will die

Touch nothing unless you pay the price

Be ready to meet the king

The king accepts only blood

No freedom without a sacrifice to the

king

They understood little of it and continued walking until they reached a vast battlefield-like area surrounded by four headless statues, three kneeling and one sitting on a throne. They were shocked by the sight, but it didn't last long as the door behind them closed again and another door opened in front of them, emitting a dense, repulsive killing aura. They prepared for battle, waiting for what would come out of the door.

(to be continued)