As Zero sat silently on the ground, he heard a soft whoosh and the three appeared in front of him.

"Here, take this," Kai said as he threw a sturdy-looking bow over to Zero. "This was the reward received for clearing that room. This was the only thing that was in the treasure room."

"Yeah," Anun chimed in from the side. "None of us uses a bow anyways so it's all yours. Also, I'm pretty sure that thing's enchanted, so look over it properly."

Zero glanced down at the bow in his hands to be met with countless inscriptions carved into the handle of the bow. The string was also made with a soft-looking white material, although when Zero plucked it, the string seemed extremely taut and durable.

"Thanks," Zero answered as he slung his new bow over his shoulders. "Do you know what the runes on this thing mean?"

"Hmm," Anun replied. "I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with fire? You'll have to input mana into the bow and fire it yourself later to find out."

"Got it."

As the four of them continued walking, they were eventually met with another Room.

"The monsters in this Room have not yet respawned so we can just skip this one," Kai said and he stepped forward to the podium.

"Three more rooms after this and I'll finally be back out!" Harry rejoiced from behind them.

"Alright, let's keep moving."

As they eventually reached the next Room, Kai stopped them and said, "This Room is full of ragtag unarmed goblins and some rats. It won't be much of a threat so you can test out your new weapon, Zero."

Zero nodded in agreement.

Before long, they walked inside the Room to be met with a clearing surrounded by trees. Goblins slowly emerged from the foliage followed by giant rats, all looking bloodthirsty.

Let's try this out.

Zero notched an arrow onto his newly acquired bow. He slowly breathed out and remembered the feeling of when he cast magic, and let the MP gently flow from his hand into his bow. The inscriptions on the bow glowed an angry red as Zero drew the bowstring back.

As Zero released the arrow, it struck straight into the shoulder of a goblin running at the four. The arrow glowed an eerie red before exploding, ripping away the goblin's shoulder and half of its face. The goblin swayed as it tried to stand, but eventually collapsed.

[You have slain a Goblin. +5 Experience Points.]

Kai whistled as he watched from the side.

"I should've kept it for myself," he jokingly laughed. "Now let's hurry up and get out of here. I'm getting hungry for some actual food."

 

---

 

"Statu-"

[Host, you have no need to say it out loud. Repeating the words in your mind is enough.]

Alright. Status.

125/1000 EXP
Name: Zero
Title:
Race: Human
Class:
Level: 7
HP: 330/360
MP: 20/41
STR: 7
END: 7
INT: 7
AGI: 7

"Zero, we've got the last rat," Harry called from the distance. "You ready to leave this place?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Zero was extremely excited to be able to see and feel the sunlight on his face again although he tried not to show it to avoid being any more suspicious than he already was.

"Room cleared. All monsters were defeated. No rewards are available. Granting exit to all survivors."

The familiar voice rang out, and the four were shifted to the entrance of the first Room. As they walked down the dark corridor, Zero could see the faint lines of a rift floating above the ground.

Finally, freedom.

As the four of them stepped through the rift, they were dumped on the outside world. Zero took a refreshing breath and took in the scent of the trees surrounding him with the faint moonlight shining down.

Although the dungeon also had nature in its rooms, it seemed extremely artificial. As Zero looked around in amazement, he spotted two moons floating in the sky, as if to remind him that he truly was not on Earth anymore.

Kai followed Zero's gaze and said, "The twin goddesses of the moon. It's said that they bring protection in the darkness and banish all evil."

[...]

"Interesting," Zero replied. "Where are you guys headed to?"

"We're going back to town to report the situation of this dungeon," Anun replied. "What about you?"

"I- can I come with you guys? Right now I need a place to rest and settle down."

"Fine by me," Kai shrugged.

"You guys go ahead first," Anun said as he waved them off. "I have to take some final measurements with the rift."

"Alright."

As Zero, Kai, and Harry slowly disappeared from his sight, Anun took out a piece of rune paper resembling a bird.

"May the White Light shine bright. I suspect the Hero has appeared," Anun whispered softly into the paper. "I fear we have to speed up our preparations for the invasion."

Anun then injected his mana into the bird, causing it to glow a faint red, before it took off from his hands and soared into the night sky to an unknown location. He then took the final measurements for the rift and hurried off to catch up with the other three.

 

---

 

"When we arrive at the gate, you'll have to show your identification to be allowed entry," Kai remarked from beside Zero. "After 6 pm, everyone must be identified before entering Sunshine Town."

"Uh, about that," Zero scratched his head sheepishly.

"Don't tell me you don't even have an identification card on you?" Kai asked in surprise. "How have you survived this long?"

Zero shrugged, and Kai sighed before saying, "Well, I know one of the gate guards. He'll make an exception for us."

"Thanks."

After a while, Zero saw the beginning of a massive stone wall that curved inwards into a circle, protecting the townspeople within. As the four walked up to the gate, they were stopped by an extremely tall bald man whose face was adjourned with scars of different lengths.

Just by his presence alone, one could tell he was a seasoned veteran who had been in many battles.

"Hey Kai, Anun, Harry." The man spoke in a gruff voice. "Who's your friend? I've never seen him around before."

"You remember me?" Harry exclaimed in shock. "I only met you once before!"

"Well," The bald man replied slowly. "You were leaving town with Adam and his group. I'm surprised you came back alive."

The bald man laughed as Harry's face turned red in embarrassment.

"Enough chit-chat Gato," Kai said as he stepped forward. "I need you to do me a favor."

"He," Kai gestured at Zero. "Doesn't have an identification card. Could you make an exception and let him in?"

The moonlight reflected off of Gato's head and he rubbed it while thinking.

"Alright, fine. Make sure he gets one first thing in the morning though. And you owe me a drink!"

"Thanks," Kai answered as he led the group inside the town.

As Zero glanced around, he could see many shops and buildings lining the town. There were also many beautiful trees planted on the roadside, giving the town a sense of tranquility.

"Welcome to Sunshine Town," Anun said as he opened his arms as if embracing the atmosphere.

"Meet me at the Mercenary Guild first thing in the morning," Kai said as he patted Zero on the shoulder. "And here."

Kai handed Zero a pouch of silver coins that jingled in his hand.

"Book a night at the inn. Don't tell me you were going to sleep on a bench?"

"Can I also come along..?" Harry timidly asked from the side. "I'm out of money... and I'm relatively new to this town as well."

"There's enough coins in there to last a few days at the inn," Kai replied. "It'll support you two until you can start making your own money."

"Thanks," Zero said. "I'll make sure to pay you back."

"No worries," Kai laughed as he and Anun walked away.

"Well, let's go find the inn," Zero said to Harry as they began walking around.

Before long, they reached a cozy-looking building named 'Sunshine Inn'.

How original.

As Zero and Harry walked toward the door, a boy who looked like he was in his early teens suddenly bumped into Zero in a hurry.

"Sorry," The boy murmured before speedily walking away.

Zero and Harry glanced at each other in confusion before paying it no attention and walking inside the inn.

"Welcome to the 'Sunshine Inn," A middle-aged woman working the front counter said. "How many nights?"

"Just one for each of us right now," Zero answered her as he glanced around the surroundings.

The inn was decorated plainly, although it still had a sense of homeliness to it. The building was mostly made from brick with a few wooden beams holding up the second story of the inn.

"Alright, that'll be five silvers in total," The woman sweetly said. "An extra silver for breakfast and dinner during your stay."

"I'll take it," Zero said as he reached into his pocket to grab the pouch.

"Huh?" Zero exclaimed as he wildly patted around his body. "Where did it g-"

Zero then remembered the boy who had bumped into them earlier and left in a hurry.

That little shit.

"Never mind," Zero said as he pulled Harry with him out of the inn under the confused gaze of the lady. "Thanks for your time."

"Why are we leaving?" Harry asked confusedly. "I'm pretty sure this is the only inn in town."

"That kid from earlier pickpocketed me," Zero answered while angrily smiling. "That brat better hope I don't find him."

"So now what do we do?"

Zero sighed and pointed to a few benches in the distance.

"We go to sleep."