Vivian sat with her arms crossed, and Elias withered under her narrow-eyed stare.
His dad’s posture was far more relaxed, but Elias knew better than to expect any support from him.
Taking a deep breath to brace himself, Elias walked over and sat where his parents had indicated. They remained silent for several long seconds.
“Do you know how worried I was?” Vivian asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Yes,” Elias replied, trying his best to sound apologetic.
“Oh, you did? Then I guess you just didn’t care that I stayed up all night waiting for you. Is that it?” she pressed.
Elias grimaced. Clearly, looking regretful wasn’t going to cut it this time.
“That’s not it, Mom. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry, I just—”
“Like hell you didn’t!” Vivian snapped, cutting him off. “I don’t see any other reason you’d come back so late on your very first day, looking like you rolled off a cliff to boot.”
“Speaking of boots,” Peter interjected, sounding mildly amused in contrast to his wife’s icy fury, “where are yours? Actually… where’s the rest of your stuff?”
Vivian turned to him then, somehow managing to narrow her eyes even further—prompting a fit of clearly forced coughs from Peter.
Thankfully, the interruption seemed to take the edge off her glare. She turned back to Elias and simply looked at him for a long moment.
“Just tell us what happened,” Vivian said at last, sighing, her voice weary and resigned.
Not one to waste an opportunity, Elias immediately launched into a recounting of his first dungeon delve.
He spoke hesitantly at first, but the words began to flow as his nervousness faded. He told his parents about the giddy excitement he’d felt at finally beginning to chase his dream of becoming an adventurer—of fighting monsters and exploring the dungeon. He explained how he’d stuck to the plan, staying in the outskirts of the jungle and relying solely on his own body to defeat the monsters he encountered.
His voice nearly broke when he recounted how proud and hopeful he’d felt upon leveling his Vitality. He had to blink back tears.
Peter and Vivian listened attentively, some of Elias' emotions mirrored in their eyes as he spoke. At times, they interrupted to ask clarifying questions; at others, they simply offered a comforting hug or a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
To his relief, his mom seemed to calm down significantly as he told his story. However, he paused when he reached the part about the robber, taking a deep, steadying breath before continuing.
“Right when I was about to reach the clearing, I heard someone approaching from behind—dressed in all black. I didn’t know how strong he was, so I tried to run for the clearing instead of fighting, but he was way faster than me,” Elias said, his voice lowering. “He used the Bind (Common) Skill and beat me until I passed out. When I woke up… all of my stuff was gone.”
His head hung lower with every word.
His mom took his hands in hers but said nothing, letting him continue—and he did, pushing through the tight lump in his throat.
“I guess I hadn’t realized just how much I’d built up my expectations for today. But this setback… it felt like an omen. Like a mockery of everything I’ve worked for, and a reminder that I’m still weak,” he said, grinding his teeth, frustration bleeding through.If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“All I’ve ever wanted was to become an adventurer. To delve deep into the dungeon and live out epic stories. I trained my whole life for this. And after what happened… I felt like a failure.”
He looked up, eyes burning with conviction. “I couldn’t accept it.”
Elias told his parents about the resolution he’d made in the rain, about the path he’d chosen for himself. It sounded a bit silly to his ears now, saying it out loud, but all he saw in their eyes was pride and respect.
His father, in particular, gave him a wide grin that radiated unshakable will—speaking of dedication and perseverance. His mother merely smirked, a hint of bloodthirst in her expression and an unspoken promise of pain and strength glinting in her eyes.
A shiver ran through Elias at his parents’ reaction.
It was a stark reminder that, no matter how they acted at home, both were seasoned adventurers in their own right. Reaching the peak of the Expert rank had taken an ocean of blood, pain, and unrelenting grit. They respected his choice because, once, they had stood at the same crossroads—and chosen the same path.
Knowing that both his parents, his mentors, supported him and his choices, Elias continued telling his story with renewed confidence. That was likely why he didn’t notice their encouraging expressions slowly shifting into ones of quiet displeasure.
By the time Elias finally regained enough self-awareness to realize something was wrong, Vivian looked like a storm cloud ready to burst. Even Peter was staring at him in disbelief, hands clasped in front of his mouth.
“Let me see if I’ve got this right, Eli,” Vivian said, her tone far too sweet to mean anything good. “Contrary to everything your father and I ever taught you, you thought it was a good idea to re-enter the dungeon while tired, injured, and emotional. Then you decided to push deeper than you should have—with a rock as a weapon, of all things. And to top it all off, you did all of that without telling anyone.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Is that about right?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” Elias said hesitantly, silently cursing himself for letting his guard down.
He should’ve known better.
“There is no other way to put it!” Vivian snapped, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
Elias winced, pressing his lips together to stop himself from making things worse. He and his mother locked eyes in tense silence until, thankfully, his father interjected, breaking the standoff and sparing him from the growing awkwardness.
“What your mother and I are trying to say, Elias,” Peter began in a conciliatory tone, “is that while we are proud of you for staying resolute in the face of a setback, your execution was—well, it was stupid. There’s really no other way to put it.
The dungeon isn’t a playground. If you want to be a successful adventurer, you need to treat it with the seriousness it demands. That means thinking analytically—not emotionally. You went back in there while tired, injured, and angry. That’s exactly how accidents happen.”
“Exactly! The unranked zone is where you’re supposed to build good habits and get used to delving properly. Mistakes like that could easily cost you your life in the deeper levels,” Vivian said, her voice softening. “We would be devastated if something happened to you, Eli. Please… be more careful.”
Elias' shoulders slumped at his mother’s words, his eyes dropping to the floor. Guilt swept over him as the full weight of his recklessness settled in. Only now did he truly begin to regret his actions.
His family didn’t deserve to live in fear every time he stepped into the dungeon, worrying he’d do something stupid.
He needed to do better.
“I’ll be more careful,” Elias promised, infusing as much conviction into his words as he could.
“Thank you, Eli. That’s all we ask,” Peter said warmly, giving his son’s back a comforting double pat before rising from the bed. “Well, you must be tired, so we’ll let you sleep. Good night. Or… good morning, I guess?”
Vivian gave Elias one last brief hug before she, too, rose. Then, just as he was stepping through the door, she stopped and snapped her fingers.
“Right, I almost forgot,” she said, flicking her finger toward Elias.
The motion was casual—almost an afterthought. Yet a spark of light shot from her fingertip, striking his chest faster than he could react. His body glowed gold for a split second, and when the light faded, all his wounds were gone.
As soon as the door clicked shut, he collapsed onto his bed, exhausted both emotionally and physically. Despite the heartfelt conversation, he didn’t even remember falling asleep.
In his dreams, rain fell softly on his face.