"I'm here to report that there has been a strange fluctuation of mana near Tuver City..."

Cold sweat trickled down the man's forehead. In front of him was the guild master of the Undine Guild, Lydia Swan.

Her soft, yet cold eyes stared right into his soul. Even though the man had his head lowered, he could still feel the pressure put on him.

"And?"

The blue-haired woman looked down on him with an indifferent expression that could shatter a man's dream in a second.

"We're afraid that there might be a dungeon in Tuver City..."

The man nervously gulped before continuing.

"I believe we should check to see what's going on... If we leave Tuver City unattended, the dungeon might crack and release all the monsters within it. Not to mention we are also close to Tuver City..."

"Stop."

The man immediately stopped as he felt the pressure pushing down his body.

Lydia slightly gazed to the side and thought deeply.

"Hm... Alright then. I'll dispatch a group."

"Th-thank you!"

Lydia took off the pressure from the man and watched as he left the room nervously.

"...Call Jefferson to my office right now."

She ordered the man beside her.

The man in a suit beside her immediately nodded in response and pulled out a phone from his pocket.

"Haa..."

Lydia gently leaned her head on the chair and looked at the marble ceiling with an exhausted sigh.

It's unusual for a dungeon to appear in a ruined city... She wondered curiously. Could it be that—

"...."

Suddenly, her exhausted expression turned into interest. 

"Quickly, guide me to the Research Department."

She stood up from her chair with a smirk.

***

Crackle— The sound of a campfire lit up the silent city.

"How does it taste?"

I asked in a curious tone as I watched Mr, Transmigrator's face turn pale.

"...It tastes good."

He said with a stoic expression.

[Dear Host, you are truly shameless.]

"Really? You're the first to ever say that."

I ignored Moderator's blabbing and smiled gently at Rai. Obviously, I'm not the type who can cook. I chuckled deep inside as I watched the young man trying to force himself to take a sip of the soup.

"...."

Rai stared blankly at the bowl of soup. He eats this every day?  His lips started to form a frown.

"...Do you eat this every day?"

He asked out of concern.

"Hm? Yea. Does it not taste good after all?"

I pretended to be concerned and tilted my head slightly. Rai paused for a second as he noticed my expression and felt guilty.

"...That's not what I mean. I just wish I could eat this every day."

He said with a freaky smile, which creeped me out a little. Mr. Transmigrator, please try to work on your smile. And especially your acting skills too.

"Really? That's good to hear."

I "rejoiced" as I took a sip of the soup. I had gained immunity to my cooking after eating it every day for a month, so I was able to look as if I was happy eating the almost unedible soup. Although to be honest, It tasted like dog poop.

Rai's eyes widened slightly. He's not fazed at all... His frown became bigger. It's as if he's used to it...

"...Johan."

Rai's low voice startled me. Gosh, could you please stop saying my name like that?

"Yes?"

I looked towards him and noticed his concerned expression.

"If you don't mind telling me... What was your past like?"

"...."

'What the hell?' Is he asking me that because my cooking sucked?

I paused for a few seconds.

"...It was so-so."

I said with a smile, but Rai looked back at me with a worried expression.

Is his past too sad for him to talk about?  He looked at the young man's smile that was full of sorrow.

'...I feel like he misunderstood something.'

For some reason, I had a hunch that both of us had different thoughts.

"...."

"...."

Shortly after that, only silence remained and a strange atmosphere developed.

'...Why the hell isn't he saying anything?'

Rai stared at me blankly without saying a word. Please say something. I'm dying of awkwardness over here...

"Uhh..."

Due to the atmosphere being too awkward, I decided to break the ice.

"What about you? What was your past like?"

"...My past?"

He widened his eyes slightly and pointed to himself with a confused expression. Yes, you. Who else do you think I'm talking to? The ghosts?

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

His eyes suddenly turned dull and empty, which worried me a little.

'...Did I ask him the wrong question?'

"My past..."

He cracked a smile. He recalled his previous world and his friends there.

"It was fun. I had many friends... But, we can't meet each other now."

His voice had a hint of grief in it. I wish they were also transported to this world... He wished bitterly.

"...I'm sorry for asking."

I lowered my head slightly, filled with guilt. Fuck, I just made him depressed.

"It's fine."

...

...After that, another awkward atmosphere was made, with only the talkative silence remaining once again. 

Crackle—

Only the sound of crackling fire filled the silence between us.

"...How about I tell you a story about my past?"

"Huh...?"

He suddenly suggested, making me raise my head in surprise.

"...."

"Sure..."

After pausing for a moment, I nodded my head a few times.

'I am indeed a little bit curious about his previous world...'

"You see... I had a friend, who was sickly and couldn't even go outside for a minute."

Rai stared at the bowl of soup he was holding with a melancholic smile.

"He was very supportive of me... We played a lot together, and day by day, he was starting to get better. Soon after, he was fully recovered."

"Our bond grew stronger, but one day, we were separated from each other for a long time. But after 3 years, I finally reunited with him... But then I realized that he had changed completely... For the worse."

'...Oh?' My eyes widened slightly. What a plot twist.

"My friend, who was always supportive and kind to me became jealous and blackened. He swore to destroy me, and I became very disheartened."

His smile slowly turned into a frown.

"We fought each other a lot, but in the end, I won."

"...I still wish he didn't let his jealousy overcome him. Maybe then we would've been able to drink beer at night and talk about our troubles... Haha..."

He laughed at his own pain, which made me frown slightly.

"...It must've been hard."

I replicated the words he said to me earlier and patted his shoulder lightly.

"Yeah..."

Tears started to fall down his stoic face, and onto the soup.

'....I really messed up, didn't I?'

It was like accidentally stepping on your dog's paw. I felt incredibly guilty watching him trying to wipe off his tears.

"Sorry... I just ruined the mood, didn't I?"

Rai apologized with a weak voice.

"No, It's fine... Take your time..."

'I should be the one apologizing in the first place...'

[...Dear Host, you are too shameless. Making a young man cry... You've crossed the line.]

The blue screen sighed in disappointment.

'I didn't mean to...'

[In fact, you made him cry two times. So shameless...]

'....'

The feeling of guiltiness swallowed me. The first time wasn't even my fault!

I quietly looked at the man crying buckets of tears beside me. I'm sorry for treating you like shit earlier, Mr. Transmigrator.

"Um... Here. Have some water."

I hand him a cup of filtered water from the forest's river.

"...Thanks."

He gently took the cup of water from me and drank all it all in one big gulp.

"Haa..."

He wiped off the excess water left on his lips.

"....Johan."

As if he didn't cry just a second ago, his expression became stoic again.

"Yes...?"

I tilted my head slightly in response.

"I'm thinking of getting out of this city tomorrow. It's too dangerous to stay here."

My eyes widened subconsciously. Really? Are you really gonna leave tomorrow?! I rejoiced internally. Hallelujah!

'I didn't think it'd be this soon...'

I sighed in relief. Well, that was a piece of cake.

"...Would you like to join me?"

Flinch.

I froze at his sudden remark.

"...Huh?" What the hell did you just say?

"This place is too dangerous for you. We'll get out of here tomorrow morning, what do you think?"

He asked me with an impassive expression.

"...."

'What do I think? I think you should leave me alone!'

I cried helplessly in my heart. Just why did the most unexpected scenario have to happen...

[Called it.]

The blue screen snorted with pride.

"So?"

Rai tilted his head like a puppy waiting for its owner's command.

"...."

If I say no, he will get suspicious of me. If I say yes, my peaceful life will vanish like thin air and I'll be involved with a dangerous man. Sure, we might be comrades right now but I still don't want to involve him in my life!

Imaginary tears start to fall down my face. How could you do this to me, oh dear fate?

[Dear Host, I want to watch this interesting human a little bit more... So say yes, will you?]

The robotic voice suggested.

"Johan?"

[There's no way out, Dear Host. Just give in.]

"It's alright if you don't want to."

[Say yes. Come on, do it. You have no choice but to.]

Their overlapping voices muddled my head, making me unable to think properly.

"I...."

Both Rai and the blue screen stared at me with anticipation.

"...Sure."

"Great."

Rai smiled freakily. (cheerfully)

[Good choice, Dear Host.]

"...."

I lowered my head in defeat.

'In the end, I gave in to peer pressure...'

***

"So, what did you call me for?"

Jefferson curiously asked the woman smiling in front of him.

"A dungeon has appeared in Tuver City. I need you and your group to deal with it."

"...What? You mean that ruined city?"

Jefferson raised a brow. Why would a dungeon suddenly appear in a ruined city? That's weird.

"Yes. I'm sure that it's not just a simple matter, so I've called you here to talk about it."

Lydia smirked at the muscular man.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, right?"

"Yup. I know the basic rules of a dungeon, Miss Swan."

He chuckled lightly before asking,

"What rank is the dungeon?"

"It's estimated to be around Rank-A to S."

Jefferson froze for a second at her unexpected response.

"Rank-S...?"

Slowly, his stunned face turned into a grin.

"Ho..."

Stroking his chin playfully, he smirked back at the blue-haired woman.

"You're telling me to go recruit that Rank-A or S?"

"...I'm sure you already know the answer."

She vaguely answered with a mischievous smile.

***

Basic rules of a dungeon.

A dungeon only appears when two conditions are met.

1. A certain amount of mana has to be met.
2. A minimum amount of monsters has to be met.

The rank of the dungeon depends on the amount of mana around its surroundings. For example, if someone had an amount of mana to that of an S-Rank, then a Rank-A or Rank-S dungeon will appear.

If the dungeon is left alone, then it will get bigger and crack. Cracking will then result in monsters escaping the dungeon, making it especially important to immediately clear dungeons once they appear.