The dungeon core room. Blikin was waiting for Aurelia, who came running into the entrance of the dungeon, panting for breath, praying not to be late. She picked up the pace with her weight training bag—which weighed a full 100 tons—rushing to meet Blikin, who stood in a lazy stance, playing with his sword to relieve boredom. Aurelia called out to him, "I'm here! So, what's the training?"
Blikin laughed at her. "It was just a prank. Since I can't punish you for putting me into trouble with Tara, this is my vengeance. The god of war always pays his debts. Ha ha ha..."
Aurelia, angry, dropped the weights with a loud crash. "Tara!" she shouted, summoning her. "Come to the dungeon core room! Your assistant teacher is misbehaving with me!"
Aurelia teleported behind Blikin. Using a rope given to her courtesy of Tara, Aurelia bound him and held him hostage until Tara arrived. She then left him in Tara's hands and stormed out of the room, heading home for a long, well-earned nap.
In the kingdom of Lagrange, where the E-class dungeon Tara stayed in was located, the adventurer guild called for a meeting about that dungeon. The headmaster started with greetings and dove into the main agenda. Headmaster Sargodha presented the dungeon report: low monster spawn rate, lack of resources—but unusually high-level monsters. This, he explained, was typically a sign of a high-level dungeon boss being born. "So I propose we reclassify it as a C-rank dungeon," he declared. "It poses a danger to E-rankers. Only C-rank and above should be allowed entry from now on."
A muscular man with a scarred face responded, "Is that intel reliable?"
The team that met Aurelia stood up. "We saw the monster. We suspect it can shape-shift. But most of the time, you can feel powerful auras—especially on the day of the three moons. Some adventurers were killed when they challenged the highest level during that night. A survivor described a monster with cursed energy, matching legends of the creature bound by the gods."
The scar-faced man scoffed. "These are nothing but rumors. Why cut off a great training ground for beginners over rumors with no evidence? We don't need meetings for that. We should focus on training more E-rank adventurers. Who knows? We might raise an S-rank in the making."
Some board members nodded in agreement, while others disagreed. Jaeger, an S-class adventurer, listened with interest. He decided to check the dungeon himself before leaving for another city—hoping to earn some easy money, praise, and slay the dungeon boss. In his mind, it would be a quick win.
After the meeting, the guild master sighed. "I hope this doesn't end in a dungeon breakout… but I shouldn't worry. We have two S-rank adventurers in the city. We should prep for anything, anyway."
Gaius' POV: I waited to serve my master, who was tired after a long day of training with her teachers—gods, shockingly enough. Who would've thought that I, a humble monster, would one day work with gods? One has a sweet, childish personality, while the other is obsessed with flaunting his status as a god. Honestly, I thought he was the god of books... but the god of war? I'm not sure. His aura screams army drill sergeant, and he always wears a strict face that doesn't match his youthful appearance. I guess that's the burden of the problems they face daily.
I kind of pity them—but they're older in existence than me. My thoughts were interrupted by Aurelia, who stared at me. "Are you listening?"
I bowed. "Sorry, madam, I was thinking. Anyway, it's time to rest. Please go to your room."
Aurelia rushed off, opened her door, and jumped into bed. She was asleep in seconds, snoring. I smiled. She reminds me of my child, Gavi. If he were alive, he would be her age. I remembered the past—when humans discovered this dungeon, the monsters lived peacefully. Their leaders negotiated with humans, offering them dungeon resources in exchange for peace.
But the humans, greedy as always, betrayed them—killed our leaders and slaughtered our people for monster cores. My wife and son were killed that day. I clenched my fist.
But Aurelia is different. Kind. Sweet. She's worth protecting. I'll be the parent she never had. I wonder how other humans would treat someone as good as her. I pray to the gods that her wounds will heal.
I pulled her blanket to keep her warm and tucked her in properly. Then I dimmed the candlelight, gently closed the door, and returned to my room.
The gods were waiting. Tara asked seriously, "Is she sleeping?"
I nodded in relief.
Tara said to Blikin and me, "I thought she'd break under all that training, but she's stronger than we expected."
Blikin nodded. "She holds no grudge against anyone. I wonder... has she truly healed from her trauma?"
I offered a suggestion. "We could give her a break. She's still a child. She needs joy, too. You can't expect her to train forever and remain healthy. I don't want her to lose her humanity—or worse, fall to hate. That would give the demon goddess a chance to control her."
"So we need to plan something fun for Aurelia," Tara agreed. "Who should we bring? We all lack... fun."
Tara brightened. "Give me a minute. I'll call my friends—Lazara, Sironia, and Doveinlus, the god of peace."
Blikin laughed. "Finally, someone I can hide behind when these monsters arrive tomorrow. My savior!"
Tara giggled. "I have to look good tomorrow. Doveinlus is the most handsome god—I want him as my boyfriend." She blushed and hid her face.
Blikin groaned internally. "Damn, even my enemy enjoy goddess love. I'm jealous."
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. A massive syringe was lodged in it. Panicked, he begged, "Tara! Please, I'm sorry! Mercy, please! For your student's sake!"
Tara smiled darkly. "If you can beg like that, maybe you shouldn't tease me so much."
Blikin exhaled. "Thank the gods."
"Wait—damn it, I am the god of war!" he shouted. "I'm gonna punish that so-called peace god!"
Tara tapped him on the back, grinning. "Whatcha thinking about, Doveinlus, my assistant? Better not be harming him." She flashed a bigger syringe and laughed maniacally.
Blikin paled, teleporting away in terror. Tara chased him around the dungeon. Gaius laughed. "I've never seen such close friends. I hope it stays that way."
In the realm of the gods, Merdron watched through a portal, seeing Blikin's suffering. Feeling pity, he summoned his best friend—someone so mischievous they had to be separated. But Blikin would be outnumbered now, so he needed backup.
Tapping a divine communication seal, he summoned Nikon—the god of poverty. As mortals say, where there's war, poverty follows. Nikon, dressed in ragged robes and worn-out sandals, appeared.
Merdron gave him the rundown and asked him to visit Blikin.
Nikon's eyes sparkled. "Your wish is my command, my lord."
He vanished, leaving Merdron's presence.
Lazara and Sironia entered, requesting permission to visit the mortal realm.
Merdron agreed, but with strict warnings. They accepted happily. Lazara called Tara to spill the details. Sironia asked, "Will there be food?"
Tara grinned. "A lot. You'll love it."
Sironia accepted the challenge with deadly seriousness.
Meanwhile, Nikon asked Lazara, "Is this a party? Why host it in a dungeon? And why go as children?"
Lazara replied, "We don't want to scare the humans. If they sense our divine auras, they might have heart attacks. So, for everyone's sake—act mortal." She yawned.
Nikon nodded. "Got it. As long as I see Blikin."
Lazara sighed. "Why do you have to ruin every moment?"
"Sorry," Nikon said. "I'm just excited."
"I need to get a gift for Blikin. See you tomorrow." He vanished. Lazara waved lazily and fell asleep.
That night, Aurelia dreamed. Casimir appeared, walking toward her. She ran to hug him, but he stopped her.
"The time to reunite isn't now," he said. "But I want you to live a happy life. I used a favor from the god of the underworld to talk to you—just to say happy birthday."
Even in the face of pain, his voice was warm. "When life beats you down, rise up. Conquer it. Take it by the horns and bring it to its knees. Don't lose hope. I'll always look for you, even if it takes a hundred lifetime."
"I love you, always. Bye for now."
Aurelia cried in her sleep. "I love you too, Casimir…"
The next morning, Gaius prepped a healthy breakfast for the guests. He delivered it to Aurelia in bed.
Meanwhile, Blikin was training with his sword. Nikon was messing with a family's finances. Suddenly, the aroma of delicious food hit their noses. Without hesitation, they grabbed spoons and forks and dashed toward the dungeon like wild, uninvited guests.
Aurelia sensed someone coming. She peeked out the window and groaned.
"Oh no... not again."
The next moment, her food vanished—stolen by two familiar gods running for their lives.
"GET BACK HERE!" Aurelia shouted, chasing them down with a pitchfork.