---
The dining hall was warm and alive — too alive.
Dozens of voices mixed with the clinking of dishes and the faint hum of magic as enchanted trays floated from table to table, refilling plates before anyone could even ask.
It was comfortable, almost… homey.
And yet, I couldn't relax.
Because I already knew what was coming.
Lady Seraphina's voice rang clear from the far end of the hall, calm and measured as always.
"The party assignments have been finalized."
The chatter died down.
A low tension spread across the room.
"The first exploration unit," she said, "will be led by Ryo Kisaragi — bearer of the Sword Saint's Blessing."
Of course it would be him.
I didn't even need to look to know Ryo was already standing, hand raised, grinning like he'd been expecting it all along.
Figures.
He was born to stand in front — confident, composed, the type people naturally followed.
And he wasn't alone. Beside him, Daichi smiled easily, Haruka clapped like a proud friend, Aki gave a short, sharp whistle, and Tsubasa just… nodded. Calm and collected as ever.
It was a complete party already.
Perfectly balanced.
And then—
"…and Satoru Inoue will join them."
For a moment, even the floating trays stopped moving.
The silence that followed wasn't loud, but it felt loud.
I could feel their eyes on me — not just my classmates, but the whole hall.
Me.
The guy with Box Opener Lv.10.
I stood slowly, pretending my chair hadn't scraped awkwardly against the floor, and gave a small bow. I didn't even know why I did that. Habit, maybe. Or just… panic.
Seraphina gave me a kind smile — too kind. "Though your blessing may not be one of battle, Satoru, remember this: the rarest treasures are not always born from strength. You may yet surprise yourself — and others."
Her words sounded nice, but all I could think was:
Translation: you're dead weight, but maybe not forever.
---
When I reached their table, everyone was already seated.
There was one empty chair. Mine.
"Yo, Satoru."
Ryo was the first to speak, flashing his usual grin. "Guess you're with us. Welcome to the hero squad."
"Yeah… lucky me." I muttered before realizing I'd said it out loud.
Aki raised an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching into a faint smirk. "Hah. Lucky box, lucky guy — fitting enough."
Her tone wasn't mocking, but dry — like she couldn't help the jab.
Daichi laughed, shaking his head. "Don't mind her, man. She just says what everyone's thinking. We're all figuring this out together, anyway."
"Yeah," Aki said, glancing away, arms crossed. "Don't get used to me complimenting you, though."
I blinked. "That… wasn't a compliment."
She shrugged. "Then it's easier to live up to."
Daichi snorted into his drink, and even Ryo cracked a grin.
Haruka, sitting beside me, leaned forward slightly. "It's okay, Satoru. Everyone's still learning. Even me. I still can't tell how to properly use my spirits yet."
I managed a weak smile. "Yeah… thanks."
She meant well, but somehow that only made me feel smaller.
---
Ryo straightened, setting his plate aside. "Alright, so we'll be heading to the Dungeon of Lumina tomorrow. Seraphina said it's good for first-timers — whatever that means."
"It's the easy one," Daichi said between bites. "She mentioned goblins and weak monsters near the surface."
Tsubasa finally spoke, voice calm and measured. "Only for the upper floors. It's supposed to scale in difficulty as you go deeper."
"Like difficulty scaling in games," Aki added, resting her chin on one hand. "Tutorial floors, then pain. Classic setup."
Haruka tilted her head. "Eh? I thought dungeons were just… caves with monsters."
"Pretty much," Aki said dryly. "Except caves don't usually respawn and stab you when you blink."
Ryo nodded, rubbing his chin. "Alright, let's plan this like a game party then. I'll take front. Daichi, rear guard and defense. Haruka covers long range and support. Aki handles coordination and buffs. Tsubasa scouts and analyzes routes."
Then his gaze turned to me.
"And Satoru…"
I stiffened.
"You've got good awareness, right? You notice things others miss. You'll be our lookout and secondary strategist. Any thoughts?"
I blinked. He was serious.
"Uh… well, if we go by game logic, we should stay close near corners and choke points. Goblins usually swarm, so we should avoid fighting in tight spots where we can't reposition—"
"Hold up," Aki interrupted, tapping her fork against her plate. "That only works if the goblins here are dumb. What if they're not? What if they actually think?"
"That's… possible," I admitted, lowering my gaze. "Didn't really think that far."
She shrugged. "Just don't assume this world runs on player logic. That's all."
Ryo chuckled, unbothered. "Still solid thinking. We'll take both suggestions. Careful movement, but stay adaptable."
He looked around the table, grin widening.
Daichi leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. "Guess we'll figure it out once we mess up, huh?"
The table went quiet.
Haruka glanced down, her voice soft but steady. "…We can't really mess up, though, can we?"
No one said anything for a moment. The weight of it hung in the air — the reminder that this wasn't just training or a game. If we failed, we wouldn't get a retry.
Daichi forced a laugh. "Then we just won't mess up. Easy as that."
Ryo chuckled and stood, resting a hand on his sword. "He's right. We'll cover each other's backs. That's how we'll make it through."
Everyone nodded. Even Aki gave a faint grin.
And me? I nodded too. But deep down, I couldn't shake the thought — they were all heroes in their own stories. I was just the extra line in the background, hoping not to slow them down.
---
A few days quickly passed and we were all ready for the expedition.
We were all collected in the hall, waiting for Seraphina magic.
The air shimmered faintly as Seraphina's magic circle expanded beneath our feet.
In the next instant, light swallowed everything.
When the glow faded, the warmth of the castle hall was gone.
Before us stood a massive gate carved into the side of a jagged cliff — its black stone veined with pale blue light, humming like a heartbeat.
The Dungeon of Lumina.
Even just standing in front of it, I could feel the pressure in the air.
Thick mana, heavy and cold.
It didn't feel like a place humans were meant to walk into.
"Woah…" Haruka whispered beside me, eyes wide. "It's… kinda pretty."
Ryo laughed lightly. "Pretty isn't the word I'd use, but yeah — it's something."
Daichi grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Man, I can't wait to test my strength for real."
Aki crossed her arms, the corner of her mouth lifting. "Try not to die in the tutorial level."
"Ha. Very funny," Daichi shot back.
Their voices helped.
It was easy to forget, for a second, that this wasn't some field trip.
But as I looked at the gate, that illusion broke quickly.
Tutorial level, huh.
I hoped she was right.
Seraphina floated a few inches above the ground, her robes billowing softly.
"Remember," she said, her voice calm but firm. "You are to explore only the first three layers today. Do not go deeper. The Dungeon adapts — the further you descend, the more intelligent the monsters become."
She turned her gaze to Ryo.
"As leader, your task is not victory, but survival. Bring them all back."
Ryo nodded. "Understood, Lady Seraphina."
Her eyes lingered on us a moment longer, then softened. "And Satoru… trust your instincts. You may find that your power answers to more than what you see."
I didn't know what she meant, and I didn't have time to ask.
The gate creaked open, and the dungeon's breath rolled over us — damp, cold, metallic.
Then, we stepped inside.
---
The first layer was… quieter than I expected.
A dim blue light seeped from the walls, enough to see but not enough to feel safe. The air was heavy with dust, and the only sound was the steady echo of boots and steel.
"Nothing yet," Tsubasa murmured, crouching low. His eyes scanned the shadows. "No signs of movement."
Ryo nodded. "Good. We'll take it slow."
We advanced carefully, the formation just like we'd planned at dinner:
Ryo in front, Daichi close behind, Aki and Haruka at the center, Tsubasa scouting just ahead — and me, bringing up the rear.
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, exactly.
My "job" was to watch our surroundings, but that just meant staring into darkness and imagining things moving.
When the first goblin jumped from the shadows, I froze.
"Front!" Ryo barked.
Daichi stepped up instantly, shield raised as the creature's crude blade sparked against it.
Ryo's sword followed a clean arc — one swing, one kill.
The goblin fell, dissolving into particles of mana.
…And that was it.
A fight that lasted barely a few seconds.
"Ha! That's it?" Daichi laughed. "Thought it'd be harder."
"Don't jinx it," Aki muttered, but she smirked anyway. "Still, not bad for a first run."
Ryo sheathed his sword, glancing back at us. "Everyone okay?"
Haruka nodded nervously. "Y-yeah. I was ready to summon a spirit, but it ended too fast."
I stayed quiet, staring at the fading light where the goblin vanished.
That wasn't fear I felt — it was something else.
A dull, bitter weight.
They didn't even need me.
---
We kept going.
More goblins appeared — sometimes in pairs, sometimes small packs.
Each time, Ryo's sword and Daichi's shield carried us through without much effort. Aki coordinated their attacks, calling out positions; Haruka tried her best to assist with spirit bolts, though most missed their mark.
Tsubasa handled scouting perfectly, catching ambushes before they happened.
Me?
I watched.
I watched and tried not to get in the way.
Still… I noticed things.
The goblins always came from the left passages.
The broken tiles had faint rune marks beneath them.
The glowing moss was brighter near mana veins — maybe a sign of traps.
So I spoke up.
Quietly, just enough for Ryo to hear.
"Hey, uh, we should probably avoid the cracked stones. I think they're rune-trapped."
He blinked at me. "You sure?"
"Not completely," I admitted, "but the last two goblin ambushes came from near those tiles."
Aki glanced back, raising a brow. "Huh. Sharp eyes, Box Boy."
I tried not to show it, but that small acknowledgment felt… nice.
Briefly.
---
After a few more battles, we took a break.
The corridor opened into a cavern lit by glowing crystals, forming what almost looked like a rest stop. We sat in a circle, eating rations that tasted like cardboard.
"Man," Daichi said with his mouth full, "this world seriously needs ketchup."
Ryo chuckled. "Eat fast. We'll move to the next level soon."
"Shouldn't we rest longer?" Haruka asked quietly. "We've been walking for hours."
Aki nodded. "She's right. Even heroes need stamina."
Ryo exhaled. "Fine. Ten minutes."
Silence followed.
I leaned against the cold wall, tracing the runes faintly etched into it. The markings pulsed every few seconds, almost like… breathing.
It was subtle, but wrong.
The light flickered once in an odd pattern.
Like something was waiting.
"Hey," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. "Does this dungeon feel… alive to you?"
Tsubasa looked over, thoughtful. "You mean like an entity?"
"More like it's watching."
He didn't answer, but his gaze lingered on the walls too.
Guess I wasn't the only one who felt it.
---
We descended to the second layer.
The air grew colder.
The tunnels twisted tighter.
The blue glow dimmed to green, and faint whispers seemed to echo somewhere far behind us.
It was subtle, but the tension started to show — even Ryo's voice lowered.
"Alright, eyes open. Stick close."
We kept a tighter formation this time, weapons drawn.
Every sound felt sharper — the scrape of boots, the hum of mana, even our own breathing.
That's when it happened.
Aki was walking just ahead of me, scanning the right passage.
She was calm, composed, her hand hovering over her grimoire.
Then I saw it — the faintest shimmer beneath her feet.
A circle etched into the stone, glowing pale white.
Barely visible, unless you were looking for it.
My heart dropped.
"Aki—!"
She turned, confused. "Huh—?"
I didn't think.
I just moved.
I shoved her hard — harder than I meant to — just as the circle flared to life.
A blinding flash swallowed me whole.
The last thing I heard before everything went silent…
was Aki shouting my name.
And then, nothing.
---