CHAPTER 128: 128 - TUTORIAL DUNGEON NUMBER ONE

Fwip-

"...!"

Keara froze in shock when Raven suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Her entire body stiffened at first, but then her heart began hammering wildly inside her chest, beating faster and faster as if it wanted to break free.

Thump- thump- thump—

A wave of warmth rushed to her cheeks, spreading up to her ears until her face burned red.

"I love you."

"...!"

The moment those words left Raven’s lips, Keara’s breath hitched. She flinched slightly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

It was the very first time Raven had ever said those words to her!

(And to be exact, it was also Raven’s first time saying those words again to anyone, after such a painfully long silence in his life.)

"..."

For a moment Keara just stared at Raven, stunned beyond reason.

Then, like a dam breaking, her lips slowly curved upward until she was grinning like a fool, ear to ear, unable to stop herself. She felt her entire chest tighten, overwhelmed with a joy that almost brought her to tears.

"Keara..."

Raven’s voice reached her again, calm yet heavy with sincerity. Hearing him call her name made her heart skip another beat, but she hurriedly tried to compose herself, to steady her expression so she wouldn’t look like some lovestruck idiot.

She opened her mouth, ready to respond, to say something.

But Raven spoke first.

"I ended up liking you a lot..."

He paused, his tone low but firm, carrying weight in every word.

"More than I originally planned."

Those words hit Keara harder than anything else so far.

Her lips trembled slightly as her voice died in her throat. She was speechless.

"..."

No words came to her mind, her head was an absolute mess, her emotions twisting together in a storm.

And while Keara was trapped in that state, Raven slowly pulled away from her arms. His warmth left her, and in that instant she felt a sting of emptiness, but she could only watch helplessly.

"I really better get going now, see ya."

Raven said those words simply, as if nothing special had happened, but they sank deep into Keara’s heart.

SWOOSH~

Then, just like that, his figure blurred and vanished from her sight.

In the very next heartbeat, he was already back with Alec and the others.

"..."

Keara stood frozen in the exact spot where Raven left her. She was utterly motionless, like a statue, her wide eyes locked on the empty space where he had been a moment ago.

Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t even been able to respond, hadn’t even managed to let out a single word.

And yet his voice, his confession, still echoed in her mind as clear as if he had whispered it into her ear again.

Her cheeks flushed even redder, her heart still pounding out of control. Her hands trembled slightly, and she pressed them against her chest as if to hold her racing heart in place.

Then, without warning, old memories resurfaced—

The first time she had met Raven. The way their relationship began.

’It happened really fast too...’

She thought, her lips curving into a faint, almost nostalgic smile.

She remembered how she and Raven had entered into a relationship only hours after meeting. At the time, it wasn’t about romance or fate or some grand story.

She had just wanted—no, desperately needed—someone she could rely on.

And Raven had been there.

So when their relationship began, she was simply grateful. She was relieved. She felt like she had finally found an anchor in the middle of her storm.

From then on, Raven supported her countless times, stood by her side whenever she wavered. He took care of her in little ways, showed his interest in her, and gave her strength she didn’t even know she was searching for.

Because of him, she met new people. She laughed more. She experienced things she never would have dared on her own.

Every single memory since meeting Raven had become precious to her.

And without realizing it, without ever planning it, she had grown to love every single thing about him.

But despite all that joy, a quiet fear always lingered in the back of her heart.

A fear that someday, sooner or later, Raven might leave her.

She believed it was only natural. After all, he was someone extraordinary, someone far greater than she was. She told herself that even if that day came, she would accept it.

That even if she got hurt in the future, she didn’t care.

’I just want to be with him, even for one second longer.’

That thought had always been at the center of her heart, every time she was with him.

But now...

After hearing Raven’s words just moments ago...

Those dark thoughts vanished.

They were swept away, erased as if they had never existed in the first place.

Keara’s eyes grew moist, shimmering with unshed tears, while a sweet, radiant smile bloomed on her lips.

At that moment, she didn’t care that Levina was right beside her. She didn’t care about anything around her. She was completely lost in her happiness.

"I’ll see you later!"

She shouted out toward Raven’s back, her voice overflowing with warmth and emotion as she waved at him with all her might.

Raven turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze. His expression softened.

And with the faintest of smiles, he replied—

"Take care."

F W O O S H~

Then Raven disappeared once more, stepping into the dungeon alongside Alec and the others.

-...

Levina stayed silent. She didn’t know why, but she felt instinctively that she shouldn’t say anything right now.

That this was Keara’s moment, and hers alone.

*****

A bit earlier...

...

(Raven’s POV)

SWOOSH~

After parting with Keara, I returned to Alec and the others in an instant.

"..."

The moment I arrived, I could feel their eyes on me. Every single one of them was staring as if demanding an explanation.

So I looked back at them, unfazed.

"What?"

I asked flatly.

For a moment, none of them answered. Then, almost in unison—

"What was that just now?"

[What was that just now?]

Curtis and Sariel asked at the same time, their tones sharp, though filled with curiosity rather than hostility.

Of course I understood what they were referring to.

I let my gaze drift toward Keara in the distance for just a heartbeat, then back to Curtis.

And with a sly grin tugging at my lips, I answered simply—

"A confession."

"Wha–"

Curtis’s eyes widened, and he started to respond.

"Let’s go."

But I cut him off immediately.

Alec and the others exchanged looks, clearly curious as well, but they chose not to press further. I had no reason to tell them the details anyway.

Eve was the first to speak.

"Yeah, let’s go."

And with that, we all began walking toward the dungeon’s entrance.

Just before stepping inside—

"I’ll see you later!"

Keara’s voice rang out behind us.

I turned my head along with the others, and there she was— waving energetically, her smile radiant, almost blinding.

For a second, I just stared.

Then I allowed myself a small smile of my own.

"Take care."

I muttered softly.

F W O O S H~

And then we finally entered the dungeon.

*****

SWIISH~

The moment we stepped inside, the world shifted.

Darkness wrapped around us, thick and suffocating, and a wave of nausea struck our bodies, the kind of sensation we were already familiar with from other dungeon entries.

"..."

But none of us flinched. Not even once.

Instead, every single person instantly scanned their surroundings, eyes sharp, hands ready.

The entrance was a few steps behind us, but no light came from it anymore. The moment we crossed, it was as if the outside world had ceased to exist.

This place was cut off, isolated, its own dimension.

And as for why dungeons were like that—no one really knew. Not humans, not even the otherworlders.

"A staircase, huh..."

I muttered as my eyes adjusted.

Just as I said, the group stood at the top of a wide staircase. It was broad enough for all of us to move without issue, but it stretched downward endlessly.

We couldn’t even see the bottom.

The walls and ceiling were smooth, carved out like some tunnel in an old movie, their color a dull natural brown.

Only torches lined the walls at intervals, burning steadily, their flames the only source of light.

"We’re the only ones here."

Aoi’s calm voice broke the silence.

"I don’t sense any danger either. No traps around."

Adelle followed, her tone confident.

They had both used their skills.

Aoi’s level 4 Presence Detection.

Adelle’s level 3 Danger Sense.

Their judgments were solid.

"Okay then, let’s go."

Eve said without hesitation. She trusted them completely, and the rest of us did too.

So we began our descent down the staircase.

Step. Step. Step.

The air was still, the sound of our footsteps echoing faintly.

I hung back, taking the rear as usual.

’Sariel...’

I called out in my mind.

[Got it.]

She responded instantly.

=====

[Labyrinth Of The Nurturer]

Difficulty: D

[Description]

A mysterious and confusing underground dungeon.

This dungeon was created by god to help humans become stronger.

It boosts one’s growth by 50% for a week.

The boost is effective only when inside the dungeon.

The boost begins upon entry and ends exactly after a week, regardless of location.

=====

The description appeared clearly before my eyes.

I skimmed it once, and a smile tugged at my lips.

’Good. It hasn’t changed.’

’I was worried the Higher Being might have altered something about it.’

Relief washed over me, quickly replaced by determination.

’With this, I’ll be much stronger after a week.’

[Labyrinth of the Nurturer].

In the novel, Alec and the others had raided this place in their sophomore year. They had grown considerably after clearing it, but they never realized the true reason.

They never knew about the growth boost.

So in the end, they wasted the opportunity, unable to take full advantage.

But me?

I knew.

And I wasn’t about to waste a single second.

This was my chance.

And if I had to call it something...

"The tutorial dungeon number one."

I muttered under my breath, low enough that no one else could hear.