Theo pushed open the door to the dungeon, his expression determined. He stepped cautiously into the dimly lit passage, the cool air brushing against his skin. Dayana followed closely behind, her eyes darting around nervously, her fingers twitching as if anticipating danger. Jonathan hesitated for a moment before stepping through the threshold, unsure of what lay ahead but knowing there was no turning back.

  The door creaked shut behind them, sealing them into the dungeon’s first floor.

  They found themselves in a small, sparse room with no windows, only a few torch sconces flickering along the stone walls. The room smelled faintly of dampness and earth. Ahead, three goblins stood in a ragged line. Their green, bumpy skin glistened under the torchlight, and their sharp teeth gleamed as they snarled at the intruders. Despite their threatening appearance, the goblins seemed weaker than expected—sluggish and barely aware of the group’s presence.

  Theo wasted no time. “Goblins. Easy,” he muttered under his breath, stepping forward as flames began to coil around his hands. His fire magic flared brightly, a sizzling heat radiating off him as he moved to engage. His spell, Engulf Hands, was a close-range attack that could burn anything it touched. He dashed forward, swiping his hands at the first goblin, sending flames roaring across its body. The goblin screeched as the fire consumed it, and in moments, it crumpled to the floor, reduced to ashes.

  Dayana wasn’t far behind. She raised her hand, chanting the incantation for her spell. “Constrict!” she called out. Her magic lashed out in thin tendrils of energy, wrapping around the second goblin’s legs. It yelped in surprise, struggling against the invisible force that held it in place. The creature’s limbs spasmed as the constricting magic tightened, slowly draining its strength.

  Jonathan, still fumbling with the new abilities at his disposal, focused on the third goblin. He raised his hand toward it, murmuring the incantation for Water Bolt. His mana pool surged, and the spell materialized in his palm—a burst of water shaped like a bolt. He hurled it at the goblin, the water streaking through the air. The goblin barely had time to react before the bolt hit it in the chest, sending it flying backward into the stone wall. As the bolt made contact, a message popped up in Jonathan's vision:

  "Water Bolt has crit: 10 damage."

  The goblin vanished in a puff of smoke, its body disintegrating into the ether as if it had never been there. Jonathan’s breath hitched. He had scored a critical hit. A rush of excitement coursed through him, though he still wasn’t fully used to the strange mechanics of this world.

  With the goblins defeated, Theo looked over his shoulder at the group, a satisfied grin on his face. “That was too easy. Let’s keep going.”

  Dayana nodded silently, though there was a nervousness in her eyes. She wasn’t as confident as Theo, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something worse was coming.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  The group continued forward, the hallway narrowing until it led to a sturdy wooden door. On the door, in bold letters, was the inscription: Floor Boss.

  Theo’s grin faltered. “Here we go. Brace yourselves,” he muttered, pushing open the door with a creak.

  Inside, the room was vast, much larger than the one they had just cleared. It was lit by flickering sconces and filled with shadows that stretched across the stone floor. And in the center of the room, an archer stood on a raised platform, a longbow in hand. His eyes glinted with malice, and his posture was relaxed, as if he were expecting them.

  Before any of them could react, the archer drew his bowstring with expert precision, aiming directly at Theo, who was leading the charge. The tension in the air seemed to thicken as the archer’s arrow flew with deadly accuracy.

  Thwip! The sound of the bowstring snapping echoed through the chamber.

  The arrow struck Theo in the neck, the force of the impact snapping his head back as he gasped for air. Blood pooled quickly around the wound as Theo staggered, his hand reaching instinctively to clutch at the fatal injury. His eyes widened in shock, but before he could make another move, his body crumpled to the ground, his form disintegrating into nothingness, just like the goblins.

  Jonathan’s stomach turned. He had barely registered what had happened before the scene shifted again.

  Dayana screamed, her hands trembling as she immediately reacted. “Constrict!” she shouted, focusing on the archer. Her magic lashed out, tendrils of energy shooting toward him. The archer tried to dodge, but the constricting magic wrapped around his arms and legs, pulling him down into a kneeling position.

  Jonathan was still in shock at Theo’s sudden death, but he quickly regained focus. The archer, though bound by Dayana’s spell, was far from defenseless. Jonathan didn’t have much time to waste.

  “Water Bolt!” Jonathan yelled, summoning his spell once more. He hurled the bolt of water at the archer, watching as it collided with his chest, the force of the attack knocking him back. The archer was clearly stunned, but he wasn’t out of the fight yet.

  Dayana, sensing her magic might not hold him for long, prepared to act again. “Hold him down! I’ll finish this!” she cried.

  The archer, still struggling in the grip of her spell, tried to reload his bow, his fingers fumbling with the arrows. But Jonathan wasn’t about to let him. He summoned another Water Bolt and aimed it carefully. This time, his aim was true. The bolt hit the archer square in the chest, and with a sickening crack, the archer fell forward, disappearing into nothingness, his body dissolving into thin air like the goblins before him.

  The room fell eerily silent.

  Jonathan and Dayana stood there for a long moment, catching their breath, the weight of what had just happened settling in.

  Theo was gone—just like that. The first casualty of their journey. They hadn’t even had time to react before it was too late.

  Dayana slowly sank to her knees, her face pale. “He... he’s really gone?” she whispered, disbelief written all over her face. Her hands trembled as she looked down at the spot where Theo had fallen.

  Jonathan nodded grimly, unable to speak. He had barely known Theo, but the loss still hit hard. It was a reminder that their lives were no longer their own. They were part of something much larger, much more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.

  “We need to keep going,” Jonathan said after a long pause, his voice steadying as he forced himself to move past the shock. “For Theo. We can’t let his death be in vain.”

  Dayana nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Right... Let’s go.”

  They pressed forward, knowing that there was no turning back. The dungeon was unforgiving, and they had no idea what awaited them next. But one thing was certain: they wouldn’t be the same after this. Theo’s death had marked the beginning of something far more dangerous.