The morning sun had barely risen above the stone walls of Drakenridge when Eren Thorne stepped through the gates of the Adventurer Guild once again. Normally the guild was loud and chaotic at this hour, filled with adventurers grabbing quests before heading out for the day. But today the atmosphere inside the hall felt different.
Quiet.
Expectant.
Almost tense.
The moment Eren pushed open the guild doors, dozens of eyes turned toward him.
News had already spread.
The weakest adventurer in the guild had entered the eastern dungeon alone the night before. Most people expected him to come crawling back out injured… if he came back at all.
Instead, he had returned claiming the dungeon was cleared.
Bram Calder leaned back in his chair near the center of the room and smirked when he saw Eren enter.
"Well look who survived the night," Bram said loudly.
A few adventurers chuckled.
Eren walked calmly across the room toward the counter where Lyra Daven stood organizing quest records. Unlike the others, she didn't look amused.
She looked concerned.
"You really went into the dungeon alone?" she asked quietly.
Eren nodded.
"Yes."
Lyra studied his face carefully. "And you cleared it?"
"Yes."
The room erupted into murmurs.
Bram stood up and walked closer, folding his arms across his broad chest. "That dungeon has traps, beasts, and an alpha monster guarding the final chamber," he said. "You expect us to believe you handled all of that by yourself?"
Eren shrugged casually.
"I did."
Bram stared at him for several seconds before turning toward the guild master's office door.
"Looks like we need a witness," Bram muttered.
Almost as if summoned by the comment, the heavy wooden door opened.
The guild master stepped out.
His long grey beard swayed slightly as he walked forward, his sharp eyes scanning the room before settling on Eren.
"So," the old man said slowly, "you've returned."
Eren nodded.
"I cleared the dungeon."
The guild master studied him for a moment before speaking again.
"You understand what you're claiming, correct?"
"Yes."
"If your claim is true," the guild master continued, "then you have completed the official rank trial."
The room grew quiet again.
Even the adventurers who had been laughing earlier now looked interested.
Bram frowned slightly.
"Rank trial?" he repeated.
The guild master nodded.
"That dungeon was built decades ago for the purpose of testing adventurers."
His eyes returned to Eren.
"If someone clears it alone… they automatically qualify for promotion."
A few adventurers exchanged surprised looks.
Bram crossed his arms.
"That dungeon isn't easy," he said. "Even experienced fighters struggle with the traps."
The guild master nodded again.
"Which is why I want confirmation."
He turned toward one of the guild employees standing near the wall.
"Send two scouts to the dungeon immediately," he ordered.
The man nodded and hurried out the door.
The guild master then looked back at Eren.
"Until they return, we wait."
Eren leaned casually against the counter.
"Fine with me."
The next hour passed slowly.
Adventurers whispered among themselves while occasionally glancing toward Eren. Some looked skeptical. Others looked curious.
Cassian Voss entered the guild midway through the wait and leaned against a pillar with his usual relaxed posture.
"You caused quite a scene," Cassian said with a small smile.
Eren shrugged.
"I'm used to that."
Cassian chuckled quietly.
"I'm starting to see why."
Finally the guild doors burst open again.
Two scouts rushed inside, breathing heavily from the run.
The room fell silent.
The guild master stepped forward.
"Well?" he asked.
The first scout nodded quickly.
"The dungeon has been cleared."
A wave of murmurs spread through the guild hall.
The scout continued.
"The wolves are dead. The traps have been triggered or disabled. And the alpha beast in the final chamber…"
He paused for a moment.
"…is also dead."
The room exploded into noise.
Bram stared at Eren with disbelief.
"You're serious?"
The scout nodded.
"We checked the entire dungeon."
The guild master slowly stroked his beard.
"Well," he said calmly, "that settles the matter."
He turned toward Eren.
"Congratulations."
Eren tilted his head.
"For what?"
The guild master smiled faintly.
"You are no longer an F-rank adventurer."
The room fell silent again.
Bram blinked.
"…what?"
The guild master continued speaking.
"Effective immediately, Eren Thorne is promoted to D-rank."
The entire guild erupted into shocked voices.
"D-rank?!"
"That's two ranks up!"
"Impossible!"
Lyra looked just as surprised as everyone else.
"D-rank?" she repeated.
The guild master nodded.
"Clearing that dungeon alone qualifies for it."
Eren raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds good to me."
Bram stepped closer with a serious expression.
"You're telling me the weakest adventurer in this guild just jumped to D-rank overnight?"
Eren smiled slightly.
"Looks that way."
Bram stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.
"I don't understand you."
Cassian laughed softly from across the room.
"Neither do I," he said.
The guild master walked back toward his office before stopping near Eren again.
"There is something else," he said.
Eren looked at him.
"What?"
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Power like yours attracts attention."
Eren frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The guild master gestured toward the city outside.
"Drakenridge sits on the edge of monster territory," he explained. "Stronger monsters appear every year."
He paused.
"And rumors have been spreading recently."
Eren crossed his arms.
"What kind of rumors?"
The guild master's voice lowered slightly.
"Something powerful has awakened in the mountains north of the city."
The room grew quiet again.
Cassian's expression shifted slightly.
"I heard those rumors," he said.
Eren looked between them.
"And?"
The guild master spoke carefully.
"Several scouting parties never returned."
A cold feeling crept into Eren's chest.
"That sounds bad."
The guild master nodded.
"It is."
He studied Eren carefully.
"Which is why we will likely need stronger adventurers soon."
Eren thought about that for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Well," he said, "good thing I'm getting stronger."
Bram shook his head again.
"You say that like it's easy."
Eren glanced at him.
"For me?"
His smile widened slightly.
"It kind of is."
Because the truth was something none of them understood.
If the monsters in those mountains were strong…
That only meant one thing.
More challenges.
More fights.
More deaths.
And more chances to grow stronger.
Eren turned toward the guild doors and stretched his shoulders slightly.
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"You're leaving already?"
Eren nodded.
"Training."
Cassian chuckled.
"You just cleared a dungeon."
Eren shrugged.
"There's always something stronger out there."
He pushed open the guild doors and stepped back into the sunlight.
Somewhere beyond the distant mountains, something dangerous was waiting.
And for the first time since gaining his strange curse…
Eren felt excited about it.
Because if death only meant another chance to try again…
Then there was no enemy in the world he couldn't eventually defeat.