"Ugh... there's so many people here," Ashley groaned, glancing around at the bustling crowd of explorers on the first floor.
"It's always crowded around this time," Ray added, weaving between a few slower-moving groups.
"This is why I hate the first floor," Leon muttered, clearly annoyed by the noise and chaos.
Ray looked over at them, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Then why don't we just go to the second floor?"
He'd brought it up before—more than once—but no one ever really followed through. It was starting to feel like they were dodging the idea.
Roomba gave him a sidelong glance. "We will. Just not today."
"Why not?" Ray pressed. "You guys keep saying it's better, less crowded, more rewarding…"
"Because," Elisa said firmly, "you're still not geared up. We already talked about this."
Ray let out a small sigh, accepting the answer but still itching to see what was beyond the chaos of the first floor.
"I saw it first!"
"No way! I'm the one who spotted it!"
Two men stood in the middle of a narrow clearing, voices rising as they argued over who had the right to claim the crystal-horned boar. Neither seemed willing to back down, too focused on out-shouting the other to notice the danger right in front of them.
The boar, unimpressed by their bickering, suddenly let out a sharp snort and charged.
By the time the men realized what was happening, it was already too late to run. One of them panicked, raising his sword on instinct. The blade burst into flames the moment he gripped it tightly—his skill activating just in time. With a desperate shout, he swung downward.
The flaming blade cleaved through the boar in a single strike. The monster let out a distorted squeal before dissolving into black mist, leaving no trace behind. No crystal horn.
The man stood frozen for a second, panting. Then—
"Are you stupid?!" the other man yelled, furious. "You just wasted it!"
"What was I supposed to do, let it gore me?!"
And just like that, the argument resumed, louder than before.
Ray glanced at his party members. They were all silently watching the two men still arguing in the distance. No one said a word, and their expressions were unreadable.
Ray frowned slightly.
Were they... jealous?
The thought crept into his mind before he could stop it. After all, that man had just used a flashy fire skill to take down a crystal-horned boar in a single strike. For someone like Ray—skill-less and still low-level—it was hard not to feel a stab of envy. Maybe his party felt the same. Maybe deep down, they were all wishing they had something like that too.
Ray looked down at his hands. That fire slash was powerful. Efficient. Clean.
He sighed quietly.
"I changed my mind," Ashley suddenly said, breaking the silence. "The first floor's actually kind of fun."
"Yeah," Leon chimed in, clearly amused. "This is way more entertaining than I expected. Drama, shouting, people making fools of themselves…"
Roomba laughed. "It's like watching a live soap opera. Been a while since I've seen people argue like that over a single monster."
"I wonder how long they'll keep going," Elisa added, her voice cool and dry. "They've already wasted more energy yelling than they would've spent agreeing splitting the reward."
Ray stared at them for a moment—then chuckled under his breath.
He didn't know why it hadn't crossed his mind earlier. Of course they weren't impressed or jealous—they'd all been exploring dungeons longer than he had, except for Ashley. They'd probably seen skills used dozens of times. Flashy moves and big attacks weren't new to them anymore.
Maybe he was still the only one stuck thinking that having a skill meant everything.
After wandering the dungeon for a while—dodging crowds and watching a few more petty squabbles—they finally came across an unclaimed crystal-horned boar.
"Finally, found one," Roomba said, letting out a relieved sigh as he rested his greatsword on his shoulder.
The boar stood in the distance, pawing at the ground and snorting, its crystal horn glowing faintly.
Ray narrowed his eyes at it. "So… what now? Do the five of us gang up on it?"
"Nope," Roomba replied, grinning. "You fight it."
Ray blinked. "Me?"
"We want to see how you handle it," Leon added, folding his arms. "You've got a bit of a reputation now, remember?"
Ashley nodded eagerly. "Yeah! C'mon, I wanna see you kill that thing."
Ray sighed, but a faint smirk played on his lips. Of course they'd want a show.
"Alright," he said, stepping forward and loosening his shoulders. "Just don't get mad when I make it look too easy."
"Please," Elisa muttered, watching with her usual cool expression. "Just don't get hit."
"Hold my bag."
Ray handed his bag over to Leon and stepped forward, drawing his short sword with a quiet rasp. The familiar weight settled into his hand as he moved closer to the boar.
The moment he got within range, the creature snapped its head toward him. Its crystal horn glinted under the dungeon's pale light, and its hooves scraped against the ground in warning.
Ray could feel the others watching.
He understood why they wanted to see this.
His stats were the lowest in the group—by a wide margin. And the reason they were limiting themselves to the first floor today was because of him. It made sense they'd want to see if he was really worth that compromise.
They want to see it with their own eyes, Ray thought. Whether someone like me—level 6, with no skill, and weak stats—can really beat a red crystal-horned boar.
According to TCT, most people needed to be at least level 20 to take one down solo. For someone like him, it should've been impossible.
Kind of suspicious, isn't it?
They probably wanted to find out if Ray was hiding something—maybe falsifying his status to appear average on his Dungeon Explorer profile, just to avoid standing out. Or perhaps he had a secret, overpowered skill that he was keeping to himself.
Ray wouldn't blame them for thinking that. After all, no one with stats like his should be able to take down a red crystal-horned boar. Not alone. Not at level 6.
But the truth?
That was his real status.
No secret skill. No hidden strength. No tricks.
As Ray faced the boar, an idea crossed his mind.
Alright… I'll give them some entertainment.
A faint smirk played on his lips as he relaxed his shoulders, letting his grip on the sword grow loose and natural. No tension. No fear.
The boar stood a few meters away, its vibrant crystal horn glowing faintly with a soft white light—strangely beautiful for such a dangerous creature.
It snorted, its breath heavy, muscles tensing beneath bristled fur.
Ray didn't move.
He stood his ground, eyes sharp and focused, waiting.
Then, with a sudden grunt, the boar lunged forward—just as he expected.
Then, with a sudden grunt, the boar lunged forward—just as Ray expected.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Wearing a plain black T-shirt and dark long pants made for easy movement, Ray looked like someone who accidentally wandered into a dungeon on the way to the gym. No armor. No flashy gear. Just calm confidence and a cheap-looking short sword.
"Watch out!"
Elisa's voice cut through the air, panic clear. She took a step forward, genuinely thinking he was frozen in fear.
But Ray wasn't frozen.
He was waiting.
And just before impact—he moved.
A clean, effortless sidestep, just inches to the left. The boar's crystal horn missed him by a hair, brushing past his shirt as it thundered by. Ray's movement was smooth, precise, like a breeze slipping through a crack in the wall. No wasted motion.
He turned with the boar's momentum, his body low and relaxed, and slashed with his short sword.
A single, deliberate cut. Shallow, but expertly placed.
The boar squealed in surprise, stumbling as blood trailed from its flank.
Ray straightened slowly, exhaling like he'd just finished a warm-up. The light of the dungeon shimmered faintly on his blade—and on the faint sweat along his neck.
He ran a hand through his hair like it was part of the choreography and glanced back at his party.
"...Still think I need armor?"
Yeah.
He was really trying to look cool.
The others just gave him a straight face with no other expression.
But Ray wasn't done yet.
As the boar turned and let out another angry grunt, charging at him a second time, Ray kicked off the ground and ran straight toward it.
Their paths closed fast.
Ashley leaned forward slightly, half-interested.
Leon blinked once.
Roomba crossed his arms.
Elisa raised an eyebrow.
Just as they were about to collide, Ray dropped low and pivoted to the side with practiced ease, letting the boar's momentum rush past him. In that split-second, his short sword flashed again—another shallow, clean cut on the opposite flank.
He landed in a crouch, exhaled slowly, and looked over his shoulder, trying to strike a cinematic pose.
"Now," he murmured, just loud enough for the others to hear, "the real battle begins."
The boar snarled and stomped the ground, its crystal horn suddenly pulsing with light. The glow shifted—from soft white to an intense electric blue.
Ray's eyes lit up. He smiled.
Perfect.
The boar charged again—faster this time, its hooves thundering against the floor.
Ray didn't flinch.
At the last second, he pivoted to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly charge. In one smooth motion, he jumped to the boar's flank, drove his short sword deep into its side, and released the hilt mid-motion.
He spun once in the air—gracefully, theatrically—and landed with his back to the boar, one hand in his pocket, the other raised casually.
Snap.
His fingers clicked.
And as if obeying his cue, the boar froze—then burst into black mist.
Only the vibrant blue crystal horn and Ray's short sword clattered to the ground behind him.
He didn't look back.
"…Nailed it," he whispered to himself.
The others stood in stunned silence.
Not because of awe.
But because they weren't sure what they had just witnessed.
Ray had been fighting this type of boar for the last three months. Most of them had blue crystals, so he already memorized the pattern—the exact timing before they vanished.
That last snap? Pure dramatics.
He casually walked over, plucked his sword from the ground, and picked up the faintly glowing blue crystal. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he sheathed the sword, then turned back to the group with a self-satisfied smirk.
"What do you guys think?" he asked, clearly fishing for a reaction.
There was a beat of silence.
"…Did you seriously time your finger snap with the monster's death?" Elisa asked, expression blank.
Roomba tilted his head. "You practiced that, didn't you?"
Ashley blinked. "Wait… was that choreographed?"
Leon slowly nodded, arms crossed. "Respect for the commitment. But I'm docking points for the spin."
Ray's smirk wavered slightly. "No appreciation for flair, huh?"
"Oh no, there was flair," Roomba said. "It's just… we're still processing it."
Ashley snorted. "He's been watching too many anime."
Ray just sighed,
"…Tough crowd."
Leon handed Ray's bag back to him. Ray took it without a word, slipping the blue crystal inside.
"Should we go to the second floor?" he asked.
""No.""
Elisa and Roomba replied in perfect sync, deadpan.