“I need to get home and rest,” Enzo muttered to himself, walking through the quiet streets. But then he stopped. He smelled a delicious aroma coming from the tavern, and his stomach growled. He turned on his heel and headed inside.

  The chatter of the tavern quieted for a moment as a man at the bar leaned toward the group, lowering his voice. “Did you hear? A Goblin King’s been sighted.”

  “A Goblin King?” Enzo blurted out before he could stop himself.

  The man grunted. “Yeah. That’s why goblins are so damn strong lately. Orcs, too—they’re crawling up the floors. Things are getting bad out there.”

  Enzo proceeded to walk to the counter while eavesdropping. A woman asked, “What’ll it be?” she asked, tapping a spoon against the counter, her gaze drifting toward the noisy tavern door. “You look like you’ve had a long day.”

  Enzo replied, "Can I have chicken and pasta, please?"

  “Oh, you’re telling me? The Goblin King’s got a skill that’s making the goblins stronger. Even a level 2 adventurer would be hard-pressed against those guys.”

  "Is that true?!"

  "I heard they’re putting together an expedition for the Goblin King."

  "Let’s sign up. We’ll earn a hefty sum of money."

  A woman spoke to Enzo, "Sir, why are you spacing out?"

  Enzo, startled by the woman’s voice, cleared his throat and quickly straightened up. "Oh, sorry. I was just... thinking about what they said." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

  The woman let out a soft giggle, her lips curling into a teasing smile. "Guess I caught you daydreaming, huh? You looked like you were off in another world for a second there." She handed him the food he ordered.

  Enzo scratched his finger on his temple, his brow slightly sweating as he gave a shy smile. "Hehe, thank you for the food."

  After Enzo finished his meal, he rushed toward the adventurer guild to sign up for the expedition.

  As Enzo entered the guild, he bumped into a girl and reacted awkwardly. "Oh, sorry!" Enzo stumbled back, his hand instinctively reaching out to steady himself. "Aren’t you... Miss Edith?"

  Edith blinked in surprise. "Wait… you're the one we saved, right? What are you doing here, Lorenzo?"

  Enzo winced. "It’s actually Enzo." He forced a smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

  Edith waved it off with a grin. "Yeah, sure, Vincenzo. I gotta go—catch you later!"

  Flustered, Enzo nodded quickly, mumbling, "Right. Bye, Miss Edith..."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  A girl spoke, "Enzo, it's been a while. What are you doing here? Is there something I can help with?"

  Enzo smiled. "Miss Eloise, I want to register for the expedition."

  "Come here and fill out this paper. The expedition will start at 8 o'clock in the morning."

  Thanks, Miss Eloise. I’m going to head out now. It's getting late, and the sun’s almost down.

  "Alright, take care. Bye."

  Since it was already getting dark, Enzo decided to sleep so he could prepare early for tomorrow's expedition.

  Enzo woke up from the nightmare, his eyes wide open, his heart racing, his breath coming in short gasps, and his whole body shaking.

  He was back in the Dungeon—the very same one where everything went wrong.

  The sounds of distant howling from monsters, birds chirping, and falling leaves flooded his ears. The memories of that day came rushing back. The ambush. The monsters. The screams. The dead.

  Enzo heard Iris’s voice screaming, "Enzo! Help! Help!" He turned around to find the source of the voice, but it felt like his feet were glued to the ground. His body refused to move. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He couldn’t move.

  Why can't I move?!

  The battle unfolded before him like a nightmare on repeat. He saw Carl, Jayce, Reuben, and Helen fighting bravely, but in the blink of an eye, they fell like pieces on a chessboard.

  No... No! Enzo screamed in his mind, but his mouth wouldn’t form the words. His body was paralyzed.

  Then he saw his party leader, Robert, who had pushed Enzo away so that he could survive. His face was covered in blood, but he kept fighting, slicing through goblins like meat. But Robert reached his limit and fell to his knees, losing his grip on his sword.

  Enzo screamed in his mind, No! No! No! If only I were stronger, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.

  It’s my fault. I led them to their deaths. If only I hadn't lost control when I panicked at the sight of those dead adventurers.

  Enzo closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, feeling the deep ache of guilt burn through him. The faces of his friends—their screams, their final moments—were still so real, so vivid. They hadn’t left him. They never would.

  How do I move forward from this?

  Enzo sat up in bed and pulled back the curtains. The sunlight streamed in, bright and warm. "It's almost time for the expedition," he muttered to himself.