Ben had spent hours studying the door.

The work level was lower than some stuff he had worked on prior, but he still got stuck.

"Is this some retribution for going against the lucky child? It's so simple, but it takes so long!"

Having only one working arm was also not helping Ben in any way.

'At least no one should find me here.'

The dungeon Ben chose was abandoned. However, this wasn't a restricted area since there was nothing to harvest here nor some energy source.

But it wasn't always like this. Ben had worked here before when he was still young. Straight after he failed his path of cultivation, he ended up working here for a couple of years.

However, unfortunately, his memories of this place weren't sweet as he lost a good friend of his inside.

After such tragedy, Ben went home and grew old there, and it was only later that he somehow refined his soul.

It had been a long time since then, but he never forgot his friend, Pel. And that was more than four thousand years ago. But he still regretted that despite his vigilance, they could still not avoid the worst.

Ben searched for info on this site after he left his hometown again. He discovered then that the dungeon eventually closed around two hundred years later once the organization finally swept the place clean.

And today, this was only a boring hole. The only thing that happened here from time to time was the neighboring Sects that would come to do pest control.

'No wonder they gave up at that time. Keeping it closed and using the other entrance, despite it being further, is much better. And it's one less place for monsters to use, too.'

"Got it!"

As Ben finished his work, the wall turned viscous, and some metal-like poles got out of the way.

After poking it and doing some tests, Ben eventually walked in.

The experience left a grimace on Ben's face. Yet, despite being so fluidly, his body wasn't wet after passing the door.

As soon as he entered, the wall solidified again, and the poles went to their earlier place, locking the narrow path.

The clicking of the locking sent shivers down Ben's spine.

'I don't feel so good about this. Maybe I should've turned around. But going through the same place is even more idiotic. On the other hand, this passage is long, and the other exit is perfect since it's under the protection of a good middle-sized organization.'

The narrow path on the other side was curved. But the corridor remained with only enough space for a single person to pass.

But Ben remembered this place well because he worked around this area. He had walked the path ahead so much when he worked here that he lost count.

So he knew that, forward, he would find the main hall, which was the spine of the first underground level of this dungeon.

'This takes me back. Holy molly.'

---

"Ben, why do you like this place so much?"

"It feels nostalgic. I like it." Ben replied after taking a look at the architecture of this dungeon.

"It looks weird, though. And I'm sad you don't want to help me. I'm making a lot. But if you helped me, we could likely retire early."

"You're too daring. And while I'm not completely useless, I'm close to that. Our supervisor almost didn't allow me to roam around here alone. And you know, that's the only way we can make something. If we are under someone else tutelage, they suck us dry."

"If you come under my tutelage, I'll not treat you like that."

"Baby boy, what can you even teach me? Know your place. You can barely protect yourself. I can't imagine if you need to carry my weight around too. And I already taught you everything I knew. What use would I have?"

"Did you know they were surprised you spent so much time teaching me?"

"I don't want to be the bringer of bad news. Please, take care of yourself."

"I know you love me very much, so I'll always come back whole."

"Sure, sure. Says the overconfident kid that lost two fingers last month."

"I'm not a kid anymore! I'm 21! And they were useless anyway."

Ben could only laugh at it. He could only laugh in the face of danger while trying to stay sane. He just hoped that the next three years would pass fast, so he could finish saving money and return home.

---

Looking at the narrow path, Ben laughed.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the dissonance.

'It was not the main memory, though. But still, am I truly screwed? If I lose memories at this pace, I won't be able to pinpoint everything next time I meditate.'

The only good news is that his daydreams seem shorter, so he stopped staring at nothing for hours.

'It was even shorter, but I bet I lost the same amount of memory. That has been the trend, at least. But I don't know if I should be happy about it.'

Ben pushed his inquietude deep inside. Given the rate of his losses, he would need to learn to live with this anxiety anyway. And he had to start somewhere.

After composing himself, Ben removed a small stone from his chest and tried to light it up.

He slowly walked out of the narrow path and into the hall. But it was too dark since no one was maintaining this place anymore.

He struggled a bit, but after a few times, he finally lit it up. But as soon as he could see around him again, he heard a whisper of a familiar voice.

"Noooo. Be careful."

---

"NO! BE CAREFUL!"

Ben heard Pel yelling.

Today was special as they were together at the dungeon's second level.

They were working with a team to complete an analysis mission. Ben had followed after considering the dangers. And his job was to make some careful documentation of unusual changes to patterns on the wall.

But Ben knew that if he had another chance, he would likely not descend into this hell again.

"Two deaths, fuck. Pel, are you alright?"

"Yes. But it was close. We should retreat."

"Retreat? We haven't finished our job!"

"YOU ARE NOT PAYING ME ENOUGH TO DICTATE MY DEATH!" Ben yelled out of control.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? THAT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOUR WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!"

"Ben, calm down," Pel whispered.

"No, Pel. If she's crazy enough, she should kill me now. I'll not be a shield to someone like her! And I don't care anymore! We must leave."

"Who allowed you to go?"

"I WILL GO BACK OR DIE RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE!"

"Priscilla, let them go. We can take care of this and finish the job. They'll earn nothing, and we can tell Leo about this later."

"Do they not understand how important this is?"

"Pel, come, let's go. You said you were going to protect me!"

"Alright, I'll not let you go alone. We can take care of the consequences later."

Despite the heated argument, the duo abandoned the mission without further infighting.

However, the team left behind was not happy since they were still very confident in the success of this mission.

But the truth was just that the group didn't want to waste another week or two in the middle of nowhere while waiting for further preparations. So since they had plenty of experience in the field and were strong, they chose to take this risk.

"Ben, that was too much." After leaving, Pel showed an even more worried face.

"Do you think they will have time to worry about us?"

"What do you mean? Why are you so confident?"

"It may sound crazy, but I think they were too strong for this place. It was a mistake from Leo. They're so confident that they've become blind."

"I heard they shouldn't be here either. But I don't get it."

"They're likely under some important figure. And circumstances aligned for them to come here despite initially not being their job. But who knows, and I don't care either."

"That's even worse!"

"Sure. But if we stay, we would die too. It's better to suffer later than to stay here."

Ben stopped and looked at Pel's eyes.

His pupils were shaking, and he was very pale. Pel could clearly see the fear of death in his friend's eye.

"I'm by no means special. But I can feel it when someone has lost it. And I rather play it safe."

"And what if we were wrong?"

"Even if they're strong enough to return alive. You or I would likely be the next to die. I have turned down orders two times already. And they weren't happy. That would've been me if I wasn't overly careful."

"Oh!" As if realizing it, Pel's face contracted in anger.

"Adrenaline is a vicious thing."

"Sorry, I..."

"I get it, don't worry about it. And like I said, I bet no one will come back alive. So let's go and make a formal complaint. And on top, let's call for reinforcement."

"But will they even listen?"

"Nope. But the fault won't be on our shoulders only. We're too weak to carry this hot potato alone."

"Alright, I'll follow your plan. I trust you."

And like Ben guessed, they didn't believe his warning. However, they registered the documentation anyway. The mission's overseer was happy to have their offense registered.

But they regretted it later when the group showed no sign of returning. And even more later when that group master arrived.

The following storm was terrifying. And Ben and Pel did suffer a lot of flak for it. However, they were still alive, and no one could say the same about those who stayed behind.

---

The whispers alerted Ben, but he didn't have enough time to react. And his wavering mood didn't help either.

Due to the attack, the light Ben held stopped working and fell to the ground. And at the side, unable to suppress it, the young voice that warned Ben yelled in terror.

Ben was tired, and the prior overexertion damaged his soul too much. So, he couldn't sense well what was ahead in the hall. But he could notice that the monster in front of him was outlandish at staying hidden in the dark, that even now, he could barely sense it.

And he was glued to the wall by it, his head held by a large palm, while sounds of bones cracking filled the hall. Yet, Ben could barely make sense of the creature's shape in front of him.

'A taste of my own medicine? I'm so tired of this shit.' Ben thought.