Kana skipped the morning exercise.
She didn’t see the point anymore. The gain—one point in agility after weeks of effort—hardly felt worth the sweat. Instead, she spent her time in the library, surrounded by scattered books and scrolls on dungeon theory. Dust filled the air. The table creaked under the weight of volumes stacked haphazardly.
She flipped through pages, her brows furrowed.
"Dungeons do not reset unless the core is disrupted or the dungeon boss is defeated."
So that was it.
Unless the boss fell, no new monsters would appear.
She leaned back in her chair, chewing on the edge of her thumbnail. They’d cleared the floor—but hadn’t even seen a hint of the boss yet. And if what she read was right, dungeon bosses weren’t just tougher—they were killers. Historical records often came with names… and casualty lists.
Kana sighed.
They weren’t ready. Not yet. If they faced a boss, she needed a strategy—an escape plan, or a safeguard to prevent things from going horribly wrong.
Her eyes moved back to the page.
She was about to flip to the next chapter when the village bell rang out, its tone sharp and urgent.
DING. DING. DING.
Kana’s head shot up.
“An announcement?”
She stood, heart thudding faintly. The bell only rang like that when something unusual happened.
And in a village this quiet, unusual usually meant trouble.
…….
Kana pushed through the growing crowd in front of the village house, drawn by the murmuring voices and the echo of the bell that had summoned them all.
“Suri!” she called as soon as she spotted her.
Suri turned. “Kana, you’re late.”
“What’s going on?” Kana asked.
“We’re not sure. I think the chief’s about to say something.”
Just then, the village chief stepped out onto the wooden platform in front of his home. His face was serious as he looked over the gathered villagers.
“In a few days,” he began, “the Duke of the Eastern City and his family will be passing through. They won’t be heading to the main town—their route will bring them directly here to rest and resupply.”
A wave of surprised whispers swept through the crowd.
“To prepare for their visit,” he continued, “my home will be renovated and cleaned for their temporary stay. I expect everyone to cooperate. This is an important visitor for a short stop.”
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Kana blinked. A Duke? That was far above any noble who’d ever visited the village. The last time had just been a Baron, and even then, only minor preparations were made because he was an old friend of the chief.
But a Duke’s family? That was different.
She glanced at Suri. Their expressions mirrored one another: tension and curiosity.
Most of the adult villagers were immediately roped into assignments. Kana and the others her age—deemed too young or too clumsy—were left alone.
That suited them just fine.
Later that day, they gathered behind the abandoned storage shed for their usual “planning session.”
Boris leaned forward. “So, what’s the verdict from your dungeon research?”
Kana sighed. “We have to defeat the dungeon boss. That’s the only way to reset the dungeon and get more monsters.”
Boris grimaced. “We’re not ready for that, though.”
“Exactly,” Kana said. “Fighting the boss is dangerous. If we go in unprepared, we might not make it out.”
Suri raised her hand slightly. “My skill found something strange last night. At the far end of a tunnel—there was a door.”
Kana’s eyes lit up. “That must be the boss room.”
“We could scout it first,” Suri suggested. “I’ll send my summon inside. Maybe it can sneak a look and report back.”
“That’s a good idea,” Kana nodded. “Let’s find out what we’re up against before we make a move.”
“And if we do fight,” she added, “we’ll need a backup plan—something to help us escape if things go south.”
Boris snapped his fingers. “My father keeps some smoke explosive in the armory. They’re meant for training, but they create thick clouds. It might help us run.”
“Perfect,” Kana said. “Bring as many as you can tonight.”
They nodded to each other that it would be executed tonight.
…….
Deep within the dungeon’s winding tunnels, Kana and her party stood before a massive door. It towered over them, forged from dark, unfamiliar metal that shimmered faintly in the torchlight.
“Is this really it?” Boris asked, his voice low.
Kana nodded. “No doubt. This must be the boss room.”
Without hesitation, Suri stepped forward and summoned her shadow-creature. It rippled into existence and shifted shape, flattening and slithering through the narrow seams of the door.
A pause. Then Suri closed her eyes. “It got in.”
They waited in silence until she spoke again.
“There’s only one goblin... but it’s huge. At least three times the size of an adult. It’s sitting cross-legged, and there’s a massive greatsword resting beside it. Its eyes are closed—maybe asleep?”
Kana frowned. “If we open the door, that thing will wake up.”
A beat passed.
“Let’s give it a try,” she said at last. “But we’re doing this smart.”
She glanced at each of them. “Suri, keep your summon visible to it—distract it, make it focus on you as much as possible. If it starts to ignore you, change tactics fast.”
Suri nodded with a grim expression.
“Boris,” Kana continued, “when the smoke goes off, circle to its back. Target the heels—cripple its movement. Don’t try to go for anything flashy.”
“Got it,” Boris said, gripping his spear tightly.
Kana reached into her inventory and summoned her bow. “I’ll shoot from range. It’s a big target, so I’ll make my shots count.”
Then her expression turned serious. “Ten arrows is my current limit. If I fire nine, we flee. No questions asked.”
She turned to Boris again. “If that happens, throw every smoke bomb you’ve got. We’ll vanish and get out.”
Boris nodded once, jaw tight.
Kana looked at both of them. “If something feels wrong—really wrong—we fall back immediately. No one plays hero. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” said Suri and Boris in unison.
The door loomed ahead like the mouth of a beast.
Kana took a breath, nocked her first arrow, and nodded.
“Let’s wake it up.”
