The first thing that James noticed when he woke up was the dull pain in the back of his head. Soon after, he noticed the shaking of the thing that he was sitting on.

James slowly squinted his eyes open and looked around. He, along with five other people, all had their hands tied to their backs and were sitting on a cart. All around them were guards escorting them somewhere.

It didn’t take James very long to realize that they happened to be captured.

“You finally awake, coward?” asked one of the men that was sitting across from him. James remembered that this was the same person that kept complaining from earlier. “Must have thought you got away, din’t chua?” His eyes were narrowed and his voice still held a lot of anger from the events that occurred a few hours ago.

It seemed like they noticed that James ran away right after the battle started. Most likely they didn’t notice while they were fighting, instead, they found out when he was dragged back. Although they weren’t geniuses by any means, they probably connected the dots.

“Would’ve, if you idiots didn’t go down so quickly. How does it feel as grown men to lose against a single woman?” James replied back as he tested his binds. What he said was a hundred percent true and so he didn’t hold back at all.

“You, brat!” The other man shouted and leaned forwards trying to reach James. They were sitting down on their butts with their legs in front of them, so leaning forwards was a difficult task.

James wasn’t sure what the man was trying to do, since it wasn’t like he could get bitten to death, but James didn’t have to find out as one of the guards noticed and put an end to it before it even began.

“Get back on your ass, unless you want to get dragged the entire way,” shouted a guard to their right.

The man slowly got back, not wanting willing to risk it just to get back to James. Although he no longer tried to get closer to James, the looks he was giving him weren’t less lethal.

“Where are we going?” James quietly whispered so that the guards didn’t hear.

It seemed like his comment had irritated a few more people than just the short man since a reply took a while to come. “The dungeon,” said a man to James right. As he finished speaking, all of the men’s faces darkened as they remembered what that meant. The already depressing mood of the men in the carriage got even worse.

“What? They can’t just toss us into the dungeon, we haven’t done anything that bad.” James started to feel anxious and confused. From the look on the other’s faces, it was obvious that they had already accepted their fate and had no hope left. Even the man across James forgot all about his anger and a look of despair flashed across his face.

“It doesn’t matter. That girl knocked all of us out and tied us up and then the two carts continued on their way. Probably reported it to the guards since they showed up an hour later, freed Pit and his men after he promised them a bribe. Shoving us into the dungeon for being bandits is just an excuse so that they had something to show for their superiors and also that we stay quiet about their little deal with Pit and his men.” A few curses involving Pit were thrown out as the man finished speaking.

As James listened, he tried to calm himself down by counting the number of guards around them. If they had a chance at escape before they were thrown into the dungeon, it was better than letting themselves get thrown into a place where they had no hope of surviving.

The carriage that they were being carried in had no top, so the outside, as well as the inside, was visible. James could lookout and the guards could look in very easily.

In front of the carriage was a man in full armor riding a horse and all around them were 10 guards that had partial armor on.

Using his senses, he could figure out that the person he assumed to be a knight was very strong. He was around Pits level and the weapons and armor that he had on looked far better than Pit’s own equipment.

The guards, on the other hand, were much weaker. They were stronger than he was, but not by much. But this wasn’t considering the fact that they had weapons and he was tied down.

James looked back at the guys in the cart and took a guess at what their actual levels were. There was another person the same age as him at the front of the cart so he figured that they were the same level. Even one else was either twenty or something very close to it. It made sense because they were here for Max crystals, and so the people that actually needed them were present.

With them being tied up and unarmed, they had no chance even if the man in full armor wasn’t present. They could always try, but James couldn’t see a possible scenario where even one of them survived.

The other men were already aware of this face and so their hope was long gone.

The dungeon near the city of Ru was very special. Unlike many of the other dungeons, once someone entered it, they never came out. Over the years, it gained the name, Dungeon Noni.

No one was exactly sure what changed but a long time ago, once someone went in, they stopped coming out. At first, it caught the attention of various adventures. Powerful ones that believed that they could figure out the mystery behind it and come out.

But no one did.

After a few hundred years of existence, it changed from a place where adventures entered to a place where people were sent to die. It was a clean method as no bodies were left behind to bury and no blood to clean.

And without bodies, there was zero chance of an undead being created or disease being formed.

Usually, only criminals that committed grave crimes were sent in, but, like this time, it wasn’t always the case.

Sometimes people were just killed on the spot instead of being forced in but weren’t common. Once someone was caught, the amount of experience that they provided when they were killed was very little.

So, Nori was the perfect place for criminals to be executed.

The others stayed silent as the cart continued on its path. Most of them didn’t want to die but didn’t have much of a choice but to continue to sit there.

Although James didn’t want to die, he thought it would be fair if he did. He didn’t come here wanting to kill someone and he most likely wouldn’t have given his low level, but he would have still supported it. After all, the guards that were supposed to guard the Max Crystals wouldn’t have just stayed still as they stole the things that they were told to protect.

As someone that lived close to death, he wasn’t scared of it.

Lost in his own thoughts, time passed quickly and they reached their destination, which was a small clearing with a fence, a few guards, and tents surrounding a large circle-shaped rock. The rock was a few feet taller than James was and had a dark blue hue.

There was a foreboding aura around it that caused people to remain far away from it at all times. The smooth surface of it was so very detailed that it would have been impossible for it to have been created by man. Every since part of it was the exact replica of a different part.

Although he had never seen it before, it only took James a few moments to realize that it was the entrance to Nori.

The guards in the small camp made their way as they entered. As the person on the horse rode towards the large rock, no one made any moves to stop him. He stopped a few meters away from the rock and got off of his horse.

As he stepped down, James got a good look at his face. This would be the person that would be responsible for killing him, so if there was an afterlife, James would need someone to haunt.

The knight looked young, older than him but still younger than what he expected, maybe around 20 years old. Blond hair and a handsome face with dark blue eyes. The way that he held himself showed that he was someone important.

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James was yanked out of the cart and forced to stand. With a nod of the knight’s head, they were dragged forward by the other guards.

They came closer and closer to the rock and any last-minute resistance was quickly put out. Weapons were all drawn out and the guards were all tense.

When they were within a few feet from the rock, the guards let go of them and forced them to form a line. James didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he ended up being the last person in the line.

Surrounded on all sides by armor and weapons, they had no choice but to go forward, towards the rock.

When none of the 6 men moved forward, James felt a kick on his back. Unable to maintain his balance with his hands tied, he fell forward, forcing the person in front of him to take a step forward.

When he got back up, the same thing repeated again. And again.

Kick by kick, they were forced to touch the rock, and one by one, they disappeared.

When James looked back up after being kicked for the 6th time, he saw that there was no one separating him from the rock. The other members of the team were gone, and it was his turn next.

James took one last look around him and saw the long spears pointed at him from the sides.

Not wanting to get shoved in, James took a step closer. The rock now was closer enough that all he needed to do was lean forward to come in contact with the rock.

James forced a smile onto his face and took a deep breath in. Unable to resist, he closed his eyes and took the final step forward.

A few seconds passed and James didn’t feel anything. He didn’t even feel the rock touching him, but knew what he must have because he was too close to not touch it.

A few seconds later, he realized that he couldn’t feel the other guards anymore. In fact, he couldn’t feel anyone.

Preparing for anything, James slowly opened his eyes. His heart pounded and his arms, which were still tied, started to sweat. He was nervous, more nervous than he had ever been before in his life.

A vast mountain range stretched out before him. As far as James could see, there were mountain tops covered in snow all around him. Each mountain was dry of any life. There were no trees, bushes, or even grass that James could see. Each of the mountains was the same dull color of brown dirt and white snow.

James was currently standing on a small flat area to the side of a mountain. To his backside, a few meters away, was a cliff, the ground below was completely hidden from his view. The cliff continued stretched to both of his sides, leaving him with only one direction to go.

A few meters in front of him stood a man. He certainly wasn’t human as he had a large red horn sticking out of his short black hair. The rest of his tall body was hidden behind a black cloak. His face would have been normal if the horn wasn’t there.

James was sure that he never met this man before but something about him seemed very familiar. It wasn’t his appearance, instead, it was something else. It was like James could remember the feeling that he gave off.

They stood still for a few seconds as they watched each other. James couldn’t feel the other man’s strength and that was what worried him. With a cliff to his back, there was nowhere for him to run. If the man was strong and decided to attack him… it didn’t take a genius to figure out that James would be killed, one way or another.

It was also very unusual for him to not be able to feel other people’s strength.

He was also in Nori, so there was a high chance that he would get killed by something soon, even if it wasn’t because of the other man.

With a few more seconds of nothing happening, James forced himself to calm down and his heart began to slow and he was starting to get a hold of himself, the other man started to speak.

“You don’t know me, but I know you very well, James Ignis.” The man started to speak with a rich voice that carried a strange accent. Again, a feeling of familiarity hit James as soon as heard the other mean speak. Not knowing what he should say, he stayed quiet. Although the last name was a bit strange as he didn't have one, names could be easily found with an insecept skill.

“I guess I can start off by introducing myself. I am Crimonus and I’m the god of Fate. Fourteen years ago, I took you from your mother and placed you in the human city of Ru. And for a bit, I have been occupying this dungeon, waiting for you to show up.”

The first thing that James felt when he heard that the other person was confusing, then it turned into humor.

“Hahahahah, ya right. And I’m Jameious, god of sarcasm. Hahaha,” James continued to laugh, even after he lost his balance and fell onto his butt. The worry and anxiety from before completely disappeared and James felt a lot lighter when he finally stopped to catch his breath.

A god was waiting for him to show up in a cursed dungeon. Even in his craziest dreams, James wouldn’t believe that for a second.

“I expected that you might not believe me. It is understandable for a mortal to be unable to comprehend the extent of my power if I’m not using it.” The man paused for a moment before continuing on, “It doesn't really matter much anyway. A thousand years of preparations are coming to fruition. The next Calamity is near and the other gods and mortals are severely unprepared for it. Without you, there is certainly no hope of surviving it.”

James decided to temporarily stop laughing and listening to the other man, mostly due to wanting to hear more funny things than anything.

“Fourteen years ago, you were born a hybrid, but I sealed away your other side so that you may develop faster. As a full human, you reached adulthood very quickly, but that would have never happened if you were a hybrid. Half a century of delicate care would have been needed for you to fully grow up, and it would have been too late by then.

I’m not too sure myself what would happen when I release that seal as I can’t see further than my demise. But I believe that the results wouldn’t be too bad.

The seal would be automatically broken with my death, but before then, I have to tell you a few very important things to pass on to you.

Don’t trust any of the other gods. The only reason that we are in this mess is because of them and the thing that they did two thousand years ago. The only one that you can trust is your mother, but I can’t risk the other gods finding out about it so she must remain unnamed. Other than her, Dermis, the God of Hunger, might help you, but there is also a good chance that she eats you.

I wish that I could say more, but without tipping the balance too much, I can’t say any more. Now, before we move on, any questions?”

Just for the sake of the other man, James decided to pretend that everything was real. He remembered everything that the man had told him and tried to think if there was anything missing.

“What happened two thousand years ago?”

“Can’t tell you,” the man replied in the same flat voice.

“Why?”

“Because as the god of Fate, every change that I make will have consequences. The reason that this dungeon is cursed, as you said, is because I have been absorbing the positive energy so that on this day, my actions wouldn’t have any dire results.”

“What did my mother sleep with to create a hybrid?” James tried hard to think of that one. Assuming his ‘mother’ was human, then his ‘father’ just be something completely different for a hybrid to be born. It only made sense, since his other half had to have come from somewhere.

As an orphan, James had long given up on his parents. Someone else might have been more sensitive about this topic, but he didn’t really mind that much. It was only fair since they had given up on him much earlier than he did.

“Nothing, she created you from mana.”

“Like a monster?”

“Yes”

Interesting, it seemed like the other man had put some thought into this as James never heard of monster-human before. Of course, he was a thief that never went outside of the wall of Ru so he wasn’t the most knowledgeable person ever.

“How do I leave this dungeon?” James asked. From what he could guess, the other man had been here for a long time and perhaps knew of a way to escape. As small of a chance that was, it was still a chance.

“Once I die, it will collapse after a while on its own.” So in sane words, there was no escape.

“So, where are the others that came before me?” James was referring to the five men that were in line before him. They did come through to here, but James couldn’t spot any of them.

“Dead. As I said before, I have been collecting positive energy here from the various people that enter it so that the balance is kept.”

James took another look at the cliff behind him. There was no way that he would survive if he lept, but it would certainly be a lot quicker than whatever the man had in store for him. From what ‘Crimonus’ said, it sounded like he was a murder. A very good one at that to be able to kill them all so quickly and make their bodies disappear.

“It seems as if you are done with your questions. Now, take this and kill me.” The man stretched out of hand as he held a small dagger by its blade with the grip facing James. As soon as the man finished speaking, something snapped behind James and his wrists were free of the rope. When he brought his hands in front of him, he didn’t see a single thread of the rope that was just holding his hands together.

James' eyes widened as he stared at his hands and the dagger. His mind was frozen with shock. For a split second there, his sense told him something unbelievable. For less than a second, the man in front of him became the strongest person that James ever felt before in his life. And this included the adventure that got him here in the first place.

For what seemed to be like the hundredth time today, he started to lose control of himself as his body began to panic.

Without being aware of it, he took a few hesitant steps forwards. As he got closer, he noticed that the dagger was the exact same as the one that he used regularly. The one that was taken from him when he got captured.

With a shaking hand, he reached up to take his dagger. “You… you seriously want me to kill you?” His voice was shaking as he stared at the other man into the eye. They were only separated by two or three feet and it wouldn’t be easy to dodge for either of them.

It just hit him then, how close they were. The mess that was in his mind continued to get messier as he realized that he walked forward. Why would he do that to himself?

“Yes. I’ve suppressed almost all of my power so even a little poke somewhere will work.” The man’s face was unchanging the entire time. The same lack of expression was present ever since the beginning and it hasn’t changed a slight bit even now. It was as if he didn’t think or care that James could hurt him with his dagger.

Now, James wasn’t sure what to think. None of the things said by the man were remotely believable, but the rope completely disappeared, no ash or anything was left behind, and his sense had never been wrong, and his dagger. James didn’t even think that dreams were this detailed or scary.

Maybe this was heaven and he already died. That was one explanation.

But, before he even realized it, his hand that was clutching the dagger as hard as possible began to move.