“Hey, are you alone? Mind if I join you?” Elias asked.
“Oh, hey. Yeah,” the man replied, clearly pulled out of deep thought by Elias' voice.
He blinked a few times, processing the question, then gave a calm smile. “Er, I mean—yes, I’m alone. And sure, grab a seat, man. I wouldn’t mind some company.”
“Thanks. I just turned eighteen, and I don’t really know anyone here,” Elias said, returning the smile. “I’m Elias, by the way.”
“Heh, same here. I actually just moved to this town with my dad, so I don’t really know anyone either. And nice to meet you, Elias—I’m Marco,” he said, raising his beer in a toast.
Elias grinned, lifted his own bottle in response, and took a swig.
Marco had short-cropped, curly black hair, dark brown skin, and stood slightly above average height. He wore an easy smile and had a peaceful expression, his eyes radiating calm.
He was dressed in the standard adventurer uniform: a shirt and vest lined with pockets, military-style pants, and sturdy boots.
Even so, Elias could clearly see the bulging, well-defined muscles beneath his black shirt—evidence of a well-developed foundation. Resting against the table was a sleek, curved sword with an ebony-black handle, secured in a black-and-white sheath.
“So, where were you before moving to Vinesgrove? And how was the dungeon there? Did you get to go dungeon delving before you moved?” Elias asked eagerly.
He’d traveled before, of course, and had even visited other Temples—but he’d never entered a dungeon through a different one.
“I was living in Rio de Janeiro, but I didn’t get the chance to go dungeon delving before I moved here,” Marco said wistfully. “Man, I wish I had. The dungeons there were almost all beach-themed. I’m definitely going back someday just for that.”
“That sounds awesome! I really want to travel the world someday just to explore different dungeons,” Elias said with a dreamy smile. Then he grew pensive and amended, “Well, I know it’s technically the same dungeon and all—you know what I mean. I just don’t think I can wait until I reach Expert rank to start exploring the different themed zones.”
“I know, right? There are so many incredible places to explore, and some of them sound downright fantastical. I get why staying in one place until reaching Novice rank makes sense, since traveling can get pretty expensive. But after that?” Marco threw his hands up. “The best part of being an adventurer is going on adventures, damn it!”
He took an enthusiastic swig of his beer and slammed the bottle down on the table with gusto.
His passionate speech drew a cheer from Elias, who couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement.
“I actually have a whole list of dungeons I want to visit at home. My dad has this guide on surface Temples and the dungeons beneath them. It even has pictures of the zones all the way up to Journeyman rank. One of the places at the top of my list is actually a beach-themed dungeon. It’s the—”
“Wait! Let me guess,” Marco said, cutting him off mid-sentence. “It’s the Shifting Isle Temple, isn’t it?”
Far from upset, Elias just stared at him, mouth agape in shock that he’d guessed correctly.
Apparently, his reaction was all the confirmation Marco needed.
“I knew it! I think my dad might have the same book as yours. It’s called Surface Dungeons, isn’t it?” Marco asked with a cheeky grin.
Elias laughed. “Yeah, but how did you guess the name of the Temple?”
The Shifting Isle Temple was a stunning island in the middle of the Indian Ocean—an island that hadn’t existed until the dungeon appeared. In fact, the entire island was the Temple, with visitors either camping in tents or staying on cruise ships anchored just offshore.
“That one’s at the top of my list too,” Marco said.
That sparked a lively—and occasionally heated—debate about which dungeons seemed the most exciting. The two compared their must-visit lists with growing enthusiasm, trading stories and theories until Elias' food finally arrived.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
He barely suppressed a groan of delight as he took his first bite of the cheeseburger, convinced the cook had used a Skill to make the cheese melt that perfectly in his mouth. It was still expensive, but he had to begrudgingly admit that it was worth the price.
While Elias ate, Marco ordered another round of beers for the both of them, earning a grateful grin and nod from Elias. He figured he’d cover the next round—it would be rude not to.
And so, they kept drinking and talking well into the night.
As it turned out, Marco’s father was also a trainer, much like Elias' parents, though he specialized in swordsmanship. In fact, he’d been a swordsmanship instructor for most of the past few decades, and Marco had taken full advantage of that, becoming a skilled swordsman in his own right.
Elias was thrilled to discover they had another thing in common: a shared love of martial arts. By the end of the night, they’d even promised to spar together sometime.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask—where’s your weapon?” Marco asked.
“I’m a pugilist, so I don’t actually have one,” Elias replied with an awkward laugh.
Marco’s eyes widened comically before he burst out laughing.
Elias just sighed, not even blaming him for the reaction. Even among unarmed fighters, it was rare to enter the dungeon without some kind of weapon before obtaining Skills.
Without Skills, pugilists were at a massive disadvantage compared to weapon users—because, well, they didn’t have weapons. That stopped mattering as much later on, once Skills became the great equalizer. After that, fighting ability and Skill rarity played a bigger role.
But Elias didn’t have any Skills yet, so for now, he had to make do with bleeding knuckles and avoiding monsters that might damage his oh-so-delicate hands.
“My dad says that fighting unarmed in the dungeon now will be great training,” Elias explained. “He always says, ‘The newbie zone is where you learn how to dungeon delve.’ Since I’ll be an unarmed fighter at higher levels, he’s making me fight unarmed now too.”
“Ha! Oh man, that’s exactly the kind of thing my dad would say,” Marco said, wiping a tear from his eye after laughing so hard. “Seriously though, that’s the kind of mindset that’ll take you far as an adventurer.”
“That’s the plan, at least. I’ve wanted to be an adventurer for as long as I can remember. I mean, really be an adventurer, and climb the ranks all the way to the top,” Elias said, his eyes shining with determination. “I’m actually surprised how few people feel the same. I thought more people would dream of adventure.”
“Yeah… I don’t get it either. I mean, I understand why some people choose to be craftsmen, because that’s a passion too, but why would anyone become an office worker or something when they could make a living going on adventures? It makes no sense!” Marco exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air to emphasize the absurdity of such choices.
Elias nodded emphatically, fully agreeing with his new friend.
“I know, right? I swear, I just don’t get people sometimes!” Elias said with a laugh. “Anyway, I should probably get going. I’ve got training tomorrow morning. It’s not easy getting a body like this, you know?”
He struck a biceps pose, clearly joking.
With his thin arms, it probably looked ridiculous, but it earned another laugh from Marco.
“Plus, if I order another round, I might actually go broke.”
Elias had already explained that he was born with low attributes when their conversation first touched on becoming an adventurer. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for him to seriously aim for that path without having trained his body up until now.
And he wanted Marco to know he was serious. They’d gotten along well, and they had a lot in common besides. Right now, Marco seemed like his best prospect for forming a party.
“Yeah, these prices really are kind of ridiculous. Anyway, let’s meet up for lunch sometime. What time do you usually get to the dungeon?” Marco asked.
“Sure, let’s do it! I’m usually at the clearing around noon every other day, so we can just meet up then,” Elias said with a smile.
They exchanged contact information and agreed to meet in the clearing for lunch the day after tomorrow.
“There are some really good food stalls around here. You’ve got to try this one that serves meat skewers—it’s amazing. Have you ever had chicken heart skewers?” Marco asked.
Elias laughed, thinking it was a joke, but his laughter turned a bit strained when he realized Marco was serious.
“I haven’t, but I’ll try it out,” Elias replied coolly.
He didn’t want to, but he also wasn’t about to back down and look like a punk.
After saying his goodbyes, Elias left the dungeon and walked home in a mostly straight line. When he arrived, he found his mom waiting out front again, though this time she seemed satisfied that he’d actually made it back on time.
She raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused look.
“Did you have fun?” she asked, clearly noticing the faint traces of inebriation in his expression.
Prompted by her tone, Elias gave a brief recounting of his meeting with Marco to satisfy her curiosity. She nodded along with a smile, seeming genuinely pleased.
Just as he was about to head up to his room, her voice stopped him cold—sending a shiver down his spine.
“While I’m glad you made a new friend, you do know I’m not going easy on you tomorrow, even if you’re hungover, right?”