## **"Confidence"**
Arthur's breathing suddenly quickened.
His heart began to pound loudly in his chest.
He glanced to both sides at once.
Karaku and Joseph were in the same state.
Both had tightened their grip around the handles of their swords.
Arthur was just about to draw his own blade when—
"Durk… get ready. Prepare to fight."
The moment those words were spoken,
a whole swarm of monsters rushed toward them at once.
They were slightly shorter than a man,
with thin bodies and hunched backs.
Their eyes were yellow—
filled with hunger and madness.
In place of hands were twisted claws,
cutting through the air as they lunged forward.
Arthur didn't even have time to blink
before the monsters crashed into them all at once.
For a brief moment—
everything fell into chaos.
Someone screamed.
Someone swung their sword wildly in panic.
As if no one had truly prepared themselves, mentally,
for an encounter like this.
For a while, there was nothing but panic.
When monsters leapt straight at Arthur,
he drew his sword without thinking.
In a single strike,
he split the monster in front of him cleanly in two.
"Guys! Stop panicking!" Durk shouted.
Hearing his voice,
the other adventurers finally began to regain control.
And then—
Blood flew everywhere.
Blood rained down from both sides of Arthur.
He himself was soaked in that crimson downpour.
But the rain of blood showed no sign of stopping.
For nearly ten minutes,
only flashing blades and blood filled the air.
Then, slowly…
the red rain began to fade.
---
After a while, everything finally grew quiet.
Everyone was exhausted.
Luckily, there were no casualties—
only a few adventurers had suffered minor injuries.
Arthur, Joseph, and Karaku looked around.
The three of them were tired as well,
breathing heavily.
Everyone was drenched in blood.
They returned to the spot where they had rested earlier
and sat down once again.
A priest moved among them,
using water magic to clean the blood away
and healing those who were injured.
Arthur, Joseph, and Karaku sat with the rest.
A short distance away, Durk sat alone.
Arthur noticed it—
Durk looked more serious than before.
After a moment, a priest approached Arthur,
washed the blood from him with water magic, and asked,
"Are you injured anywhere?"
Arthur took a moment to calm himself,
then replied, "No."
Joseph and Karaku were uninjured as well.
After a short rest—
"All right. Let's move forward," Durk called out.
Everyone stood, adjusted their armor and weapons,
and continued deeper into the dungeon.
Monster corpses lay scattered ahead.
Though everyone saw them,
no one stepped on the bodies.
As they walked, the adventurers spoke to each other in low voices.
"Man… for a second, I really thought I was going to die,"
one of them said.
"Yeah, same," another laughed.
"But those monsters turned out to be a joke."
Arthur heard everything.
He slowed his pace slightly and looked at Joseph and Karaku.
"I don't know why," Arthur said quietly,
"but something doesn't feel right."
Joseph and Karaku exchanged glances.
Then, almost together, they replied,
"Same here."
Arthur looked ahead.
"My instincts are telling me… something dangerous is coming.
Stay alert. Anything could happen."
Joseph glanced at Karaku while walking.
"Hey… are you okay?"
Karaku answered immediately,
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Then his voice grew heavier.
"I'm just angry."
Arthur looked at him.
"My life's greatest enemy is walking somewhere ahead of us,"
Karaku said quietly,
"and I can't do anything about it."
For a moment, Karaku fell silent.
Sadness and anger burned together in his eyes.
---
As they continued walking,
Arthur suddenly sensed something.
The smell they had noticed when entering the dungeon—
that same scent began to fill the air again.
But this time…
it was heavier.
Sharper.
As if something ahead was quietly telling them—
*I'm right here.*
Suddenly, everyone stopped along with Durk.
Near the wall ahead,
there was a massive pile of bones and skulls.
For a moment, the entire line froze.
A few people unconsciously took a step back.
Durk's voice was cold and serious—
"Stay alert. Everyone."
They moved forward again.
After walking a little farther,
the same monsters as before appeared in front of them.
The same thin bodies.
The same hunched backs.
Only this time—
their numbers were fewer.
"Hurry," Durk ordered.
"Prepare to fight."
Seeing the familiar monsters,
some adventurers didn't take them seriously this time.
Still,
everyone drew their weapons.
Arthur, Joseph, and Karaku readied themselves as well.
But inside Arthur, something suddenly tightened.
A strange sensation—
**Danger.**
And in the blink of an eye—
---