"Girl! Ugh! I finally made it!"
It felt like a nightmare that never ended.
I'd trekked all the way from Crauester Dungeon—imagine walking from Japan all the way to Seoul, South Korea. Forty damn days, no vehicle, no shortcuts. Just me. Alone. Like Moses wandering the desert with the Israelites... except no one was by my side.
I went in just to make a living—an adventurer on a quest to scout the dungeon, investigate a shadowy syndicate lurking somewhere inside. We didn't even know their name, but something about them screamed sus. I had a partner at first. Two of us went left while the rest split right. She fought goblins with me at first, but then she left early to find the exit. We were stranded. I don't know where she disappeared to. That's why I was left completely alone.
Then the goblins came—an army, like something straight out of Goblin Slayer. But I wasn't about to go down easy. Luckily, I had the skills to take them all out.
Oh, and that syndicate? I found them myself, sneaky bastards. Didn't know what the others found on their side, and my only partner? Left me in the dust. So yeah, I fought those creeps solo, and it was hell.
Sigh... I felt like I was drifting, floating on exhaustion. But I was finally here—right in front of the city gate. Home was just beyond those massive iron doors.
Then, of course, some idiots had to ruin the moment.
Two guys, two girls—all heading the same way—just wouldn't shut up. They kept yakking about a terrible smell, claiming it was so bad people were fainting.
What the hell?!
I ignored them and kept walking, but yeah… people behind me actually started collapsing. Didn't stop me—I kept moving toward the gate.
Then I started wondering—why the hell was no one guarding the gate? People were coming and going like it was a free festival. The guards were slouched off to the side, gossiping and ignoring everything. That's dangerous.
They were too busy whispering about Prince Gabrielle Graaswell—always being chased by his little sister, Astley Graaswell. Apparently, Astley was obsessed with her big brother, treating him like more than family. Like, really obsessed. But they were siblings, blood-related. And that kid? No older than five, I guessed. Though honestly, I'd never even met either of them.
The two guards, Amiria and Watoson, were chatting about this when I sneaked up behind them to listen.
"Did someone just fart? Smells like a dead rat got run over. I'm gonna puke," Amiria complained.
"That wasn't me! I showered before duty," Watoson shot back.
They spun around—and froze when they saw me.
Recognized me, too. We used to work together.
"You're alive?! People have been looking everywhere for you!" they exclaimed.
Then, mid-conversation, they both said it with brutal honesty—
"You stink."
I sniffed myself, and yeah. They were right. I smelled like a dead rat—no, worse—like surströmming. You know, that Swedish fermented sardine? Tastes amazing, but smells like hell. Made me hungry and want to puke at the same time.
So what did I do?
I summoned water with my palms, wrapping myself in a shimmering veil to clean off every trace of filth. Then I drew essence from nearby flowers to erase the stench and replace it with a soft, sweet fragrance. All in seconds. Sure, I was basically bathing in public surrounded by gawking people—but I didn't care. At least I didn't smell like roadkill anymore.
Amiria and Watoson noticed the change and stopped complaining, so I took off toward the gate.
The gate itself was colossal—like the Roman Colosseum, but painted red and forged from iron. The way it slid open and shut, moving up and down—it was almost majestic. So cool, it even had a theme song.
Yeah, I left those two behind. I'm not their mom. Not here to lecture grown-ups.
Goodbye, Amiria and Watoson.
Now…
let's just sing that song about the Gate of Graaswell City.