I walked back into the boss room and found my companions casually chatting about our brush with death like it was some kind of camping trip mishap. Something felt fundamentally wrong about the scene—as if someone had rearranged all the furniture in a familiar room just enough to make it unsettling.

  "Level 40!" Duncan was saying, his voice carrying a cheerfulness which felt as unnatural as his wide smile. "I've never leveled up three times in a single fight before."

  Hellene nodded, her usual scowl replaced by an expression of satisfaction, making her look decades younger. "40 for me as well," she said, examining her System window display with appreciation. "I'll be able to access the spell we found here. I’m eager to see how well it works."

  Eva stood nearby, one hand still resting on Hellene's arm for support. Her eyes flashed with something darker when she said, "Still 37 for me." The shame in her voice was unmistakable.

  I knew why. She'd died. You can’t very well collect experience when you’re a corpse. I was lucky to level up once before I was killed.

  The backpacks hanging from my hook hand were depressingly light. We had dropped them off right before entering the dungeon boss room. Most of our rations had been used up during our stay in this watery hell. But at least we were near the end of our journey here.

  They all turned as I entered, their expressions brightening. The dissonance between their cheerfulness and what I'd just witnessed made my skin crawl. Perth's memory magic was strong enough that they remembered fighting and winning, but not anyone dying. Noone being brought back from the void.

  "Will!" Duncan called out. "There you are. Where's Perth?"

  I froze. They'd seen Perth follow me out, but apparently hadn't heard the thunderous arrival of a literal god. Hadn't felt the floor vibrate beneath their feet when Korvath spoke. Hadn't sensed the overwhelming presence of divinity which had nearly crushed my soul with terror.

  Is this because of Perth’s mind altering abilities or did Korvath do something to keep our meeting quiet?

  I swallowed hard, looking at their expectant faces. Part of me wanted to scream the truth at them. To grab Duncan by his shoulders and shake him while explaining how Perth was a Hero from three centuries ago who had literally brought Eva and myself back from the dead. That a divine god had just kidnapped him to an island prison for the next hundred years because he'd broken a rule to give me a stupid tattoo.

  But Perth had his reasons for everything. If he'd wanted them to know who and what he was, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to alter their memories. Maybe revealing the truth would lead to Perth breaking another System Rule, one where the punishment was death. I wasn't willing to take that chance.

  "Perth had to go," I said finally, the half-truth sticking in my throat. "But he wished you all the best."

  They nodded in unison, accepting this vague explanation without question. None of them seemed even slightly curious about why Perth had followed us secretly or why he wasn't joining us to enter the portal. The memory alteration had done more than just erase my death—it had dampened their natural curiosity about anything related to Perth.

  I gestured toward the shimmering portal which had appeared on the far wall. "Everyone ready to move on?"

  They all nodded, their expressions a strange mix of triumph and that unsettling artificial calmness. I handed each of them their backpacks, the weight barely noticeable compared to when we'd first entered this dungeon.

  "Let me go first," I said, not waiting for their agreement. If there was something nasty waiting on the other side, I had the best chance of reacting quickly. The others were still under Perth's influence, their minds likely foggy around the edges.

  I stepped through the portal without hesitation. The familiar sensation of weightlessness enveloped me as my vision went completely white, the brief moment of nothingness between here and there. Then reality reasserted itself with jarring suddenness.

  I found myself standing in another cavern, but this one was different from the one I’d just left. The air felt lighter, fresher somehow. No bricks this time, but back to the natural cavern like architecture.

  A massive underground pond dominated the center of the space, its surface unnaturally still and reflective like polished glass.

  My eyes were immediately drawn to an inscription carved into the wall to my right. The letters were deeply etched into the stone and filled with some kind of luminescent material which made them glow faintly in the dim light- ‘Divine Gift For The Poor and Meager.’

  To my left, a set of rough-hewn stone stairs led upward into darkness—presumably an exit from this underground complex. But what truly captured my attention was at the center of the pond itself.

  A spiral of water defied all natural laws, flowing upward in a perfect column to a hole in the ceiling. It moved with hypnotic grace, twisting and turning yet maintaining its perfect shape. The water didn't splash or spray; it simply flowed as if gravity had decided to work in reverse for this one phenomenon.

  I'd been wrong in my assumption about the healing fountain in Zephyria. There weren't pipes connecting it to this source, but the dungeon’s magic created the connection.

  As I took a few cautious steps forward, I heard a sizzling sound, like water hitting hot metal. I glanced over my shoulder to see my companions stepping through the portal one by one, their expressions shifting from disorientation to awe as they took in our surroundings.

  We all moved toward the pond, drawn by its strange beauty. Neither Duncan nor I drew our weapons, but I noticed we both kept our hands close to our hilts. The water looked peaceful enough, but this was still a dungeon, and dungeons loved to get the jump on you just when you let your guard down.

  Eva suddenly gasped, her hand flying to her mouth above her scarf. Following her gaze, my eyes widened as I spotted what had caused her reaction.

  There in the crystal-clear water swam a goldfish unlike anything I'd ever seen. I'd expected something regular sized that could be found at an aquarium in my world. But this creature was massive. Its scales gleamed with a metallic luster which wasn't just gold-colored—they were literally the color of pure gold bullion, reflecting light in shimmering waves across the cavern ceiling.

  I activated Scan immediately.

  [Scan Results] Name: &*$#@% Race: Restoration Goldfish Level: XX Stats: Str XX, Con XX, Dex XX, Wis XX, Int XX HP: XXX/XXX MP: XXX/XXX

  My eyebrows wrinkled together, outside of knowing its race, I was only getting gibberish from my scan ability. Looks like Perth wasn’t the only one who could hide their info from a scan.

  This thing had to weigh at least two hundred pounds, its body as long as Duncan was tall. When I'd read accounts of the Silver Swords consuming the goldfish for magic properties, I'd imagined four adventurers huddled around a cooking pot, each taking a few meager bites of ordinary fish meat. But this behemoth could have fed a dozen adventurers with plenty left over.

  Not that I was considering that option. Besides not wanting to put the fountain at risk, we just learned those adventurers didn’t get a happy ending for what they did.

  “Thank you for being polite enough not to eat me.”

  The voice materialized in my mind like a bubble popping—suddenly there and undeniably real. I spun around, scanning the chamber for the source, but saw only my companions staring at the goldfish with the same awestruck expressions.

  "Did anyone else hear that?" I asked, my hand instinctively moving to Blood Thirst's hilt.

  “Hearing isn't quite accurate,” the voice continued, distinctly feminine and carrying an amused lilt. “Your ears aren't being used at all. You're receiving a thought from another mind.”

  "Is this telepathy?" I asked aloud, feeling slightly ridiculous talking to the empty air.

  There was a pause, then what felt like a chuckle rippling through my consciousness. “Telepathy! Yes, that's exactly right. Earth really does have such a wonderful vocabulary for these things.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I found myself staring directly at the goldfish, whose large eyes seemed to be focused intently on me. The creature moved closer to the edge of the pond, its massive fins propelling it through the water with unexpected grace for something so large.

  "I didn't realize you were sentient," I said, feeling oddly self-conscious. "Or you could talk."

  “I didn't think the Silver Swords deserved the privilege of hearing my voice,” the goldfish replied, her mental tone carrying a hint of disdain. “Not when they made plans to eat me.”

  I almost opened my mouth to ask what happened to them. To ask how adventurers from ages ago were now boss monsters for a dungeon. Then I changed my mind, it really wasn’t relevant for why I was here.

  And I was reaching my limit on learning crazy stuff today.

  “It’s been so long since I had visitors I enjoyed speaking to. Apologies for it being so difficult to get here.”

  Her friendly attitude reminded me of Osirus. I couldn’t help but wonder if their was a relation between them. Talking animals located at old important places.

  Before I could voice the comparison, the goldfish beat me to it.

  “My name is Glimmerdeep, and yes, I do know Osirus.”

  A spike of fear shot through me. How easily could this creature read my thoughts? Could she learn of my conversation with Perth?

  “I can dive quite deep into your mind if I wanted to,” Glimmerdeep replied to my unspoken question, her mental voice carrying the same playful tone. “But don't worry, I like you, so I won't be too invasive.”

  "Like me?" I repeated, caught off guard by the strange familiarity this massive talking goldfish seemed to have with me.

  "Osirus is a friend I haven't seen in eons," Glimmerdeep responded warmly, her mental voice carrying a hint of nostalgia. "And any friend of his is a friend of mine as well."

  I waited for Duncan or the others to comment on this bizarre revelation, but heard nothing. Turning to get their reactions, I was startled to find myself completely alone in the chamber.

  "Eva? Duncan? Hellene?" I called out, panic rising in my chest as I spun around searching for them. They'd been right beside me just seconds ago. "Where did everyone go?"

  "Don't worry," Glimmerdeep's voice soothed in my mind. "We're all still together. I'm simply having individual conversations with each of you simultaneously. My attention is divided four ways at this moment."

  I frowned, trying to process what she was saying. "What do you mean? Where are they physically?"

  "What you're seeing right now isn't the actual chamber," she explained. "It's a mental construct I've created for our conversation."

  Before I could question this further, Glimmerdeep demonstrated her point in a bizarre fashion. The massive golden fish suddenly leapt from the water, her body arcing gracefully through the air. As she reached the apex of her jump, her form began to shimmer and transform.

  Where the fish had been, a woman now descended. She appeared to be in her thirties, with raven-dark hair which cascaded down her back and skin that gleamed with a subtle golden sheen. She wore a flowing gown made entirely of golden fish scales that caught the light with every movement. Her feet touched the surface of the water, but instead of sinking, she stood upon it as if it were solid ground.

  She smiled at me as she walked across the water's surface, her movements fluid and elegant. Even with magic, it was hard to believe all that had been done. And thinking of her words ‘mental construct’, I think I finally had an idea of what was going on.

  "I understand now," I said, the pieces clicking together. "None of this is real. It's all happening in our minds."

  "Correct," Glimmerdeep confirmed, her actual voice matching the melodic quality of her mental one. "You're quite quick to grasp the situation."

  She stopped a few feet away from me, her golden eyes studying me with interest. "And now, it's time for your award."

  I stared at her stupidly. "My what? I didn't know there was a reward."

  Glimmerdeep laughed, the sound like small bells chiming. "You just literally died to beat a Four Sigil Dungeon. I think you should definitely get something for such commitment."

  Before I could respond, a System notification appeared in my field of vision-

  [Special Ability Exchange: You are granted the opportunity to exchange one Ability for another. Choose wisely.]

  I blinked at the System window, not quite sure if I was understanding this correctly. A dungeon reward had NEVER involved affecting our abilities. It was always some magic item or valuable materials.

  Then again most dungeons didn’t have a talking, telepathic goldfish…

  Tentatively, I tapped the window with a finger.

  Another window immediately followed-

  [Say aloud the Ability you wish to replace]

  I didn't even need a minute to think about it. There was one ability I could never use now thanks to my missing hand.

  "Acrobatics Dodging," I said firmly.

  The System window disappeared, replaced immediately by a new one displaying a list of three abilities with "Choose One" at the bottom. I leaned forward, studying each option carefully.

  I stared at the list for a full minute before laughing out loud. The realization hit me suddenly - each ability was related to one of my companions. "Sprint Step" was essentially a version of Duncan's "Vanguard Thrust." "Poison Alchemy" mirrored Hellene's "General Crafting Ability." And "Mana Web Trap" was unmistakably similar to Eva's "Mana Web Arrow."

  Glimmerdeep smiled knowingly. "I thought you might appreciate that. But remember, you can only choose one, so choose wisely."

  I immediately discarded "Poison Alchemy" from consideration. The ability wouldn't actually tell me what recipes to use - it would only allow me to create poisons if I figured out the formulas myself. I didn't have time for that kind of research right now.

  Which left "Sprint Step" and "Mana Web Trap." I weighed the options carefully. While the burst of speed would be useful, I was already fairly quick on my feet. The trap, on the other hand...

  "Mana Web Trap," I decided. What sealed the deal was a crucial detail - the description didn't specify that the ability could only be used on monsters. Which meant it would work just as well on people. Perfect for what I had planned.

  "An excellent choice," Glimmerdeep said as I tapped the selection.

  [Ability Lost- Acrobatics Dodging]

  [Ability Gained- Mana Web Trap]

  “You said you were friends with Osirus,” I said, more reminded now than ever of how little I knew about the Moon Raven. I could remember Osirus teaching me to sense people with my Wisdom stat. I could remember the time Osirus talked about Zephyria as if he had seen it built. I could remember the story Duncan told me about the Night Raven turned into a Moon Raven who aided Liora.

  But I never really asked Osirus anything about his past. I didn’t know how he could be friends with an ancient goldfish hundreds of miles from the Shrine of Heroes. Why?

  Because you were afraid snooping would affect your friendship.

  I wasn’t good at making friends or keeping them. Osirus was pretty much the first friend I made since coming to this world. No one from the Heroes Party really counted as a friend. Patrick wasn’t a friend, just someone I tricked myself into thinking was one. And Elane was too much under the control of Heather for us to form a real bound.

  Now I had four friends, but Osirus was the first. And every time I thought about opening my mouth to ask him about his past, I got scared. What if I asked a question about something too personal? What if I mess up our dynamic? It wasn’t just with Osirus, I had those same fears when I thought about getting to know anyone in Hidden Heroism better.

  “You should have more faith in Osirus.”

  I could see Glimmerdeep smiling again, it reminded me of the last smile Perth gave, a tinge of sadness to it.

  “If you ask about something he doesn’t want to share, he’ll tell you. And being the good friend you are, you’ll respect his wishes. He knows this,” Glimmerdeep said, tapping my forehead. I rubbed the place she poked, pretty sure my cheeks were flushing.

  Then her expression changed, the smile disappeared and her eyes turned sharper.

  "Tell me, Will Walton, do you believe you're ready for what's to come?"

  The question caught me off guard, and before I could think on my response, my honest answer tumbled out.

  "No, I don't think I am. I think there’s a good chance I’ll die again."

  I was surprised at how brutally honest I was with the words, it was like there was no filter between my mouth and brain.

  Glimmerdeep crossed her arms, her expression turning hard. "What are you going to do about it then? Are you just going to accept that you aren't enough?"

  Her question hit me like one of Jesse's arrows, precise and painful. It reminded me of Osirus’s lecture after I'd barely escaped those zombies a month ago.

  Adapt. Find new ways. The path to greatness isn’t a straight line—it’s a messy, winding road paved with mistakes and lessons.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting the weight of everything settle over me. Death had a way of clarifying things. It stripped away pretense and forced honesty.

  "No," I said finally. "I'm not accepting it."

  My original plan seemed laughably simple now. I'd upgrade Disguise Self to 1st Class, use it to trick Andy into giving me Fire-Friend, then head into the Five Sigil Dungeon with my companions. But that plan had gaping holes. It didn't account for Eva still being level 37 after dying. It didn't consider how the Heroes Party had accumulated vastly more magical items than our measly collection from this dungeon.

  We were outmatched in every possible way.

  I opened my eyes and met Glimmerdeep's golden gaze. "I'll adapt."

  "And how will you adapt?" she asked, her voice gentle but insistent.

  "I'm going to fight dirty," I said, the words tasting strangely liberating on my tongue. "I'm going to lie. I'm going to cheat. And I'm going to steal." I leaned forward, my voice hardening. "Not just Fire-Friend, but anything else I can get my hands on which will help Hidden Heroism."

  The certainty in my voice surprised even me. I'd spent so much time pretending to be one of the good guys, but the truth was, I'd never been good. I'd just been cautious.

  "I'm throwing morality out the window," I continued. "I can't afford to be good. I need to be effective. It's the only way to make sure my friends survive."

  Glimmerdeep's lips curved into a smile, and she nodded slowly. Then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

  The mental construct dissolved instantly. The woman standing on water vanished, replaced by the massive golden fish lazily swimming away in the pond. My companions stood beside me, looking slightly dazed, as if waking from a vivid dream.

  I didn't speak to them immediately. Instead, I pulled up my System window, checking my status. The level-up notification from right before my death was still there—level 41. It gave me just enough skill points for what I needed most.

  The choice was obvious. If I was going to win by being underhanded, I needed my best tool sharpened to its finest edge.

  [Disguise Self has been upgraded to 1st Class]

  The System notification glowed briefly before fading. I felt the change immediately—like a door unlocking in my mind, revealing new possibilities for my ability. It was time to follow the messy, winding road.