Chapter — Instructions Not Included
The hidden floor opened into a circular chamber.
Pillars lined the walls. Mana flowed thick and slow, like syrup.
At the center—
a raised platform.
Five artifacts rested there.
Lucien stared.
"…We are absolutely not supposed to be here."
Seraphine stepped forward immediately. "Mine's glowing."
Elarion's bracelet pulsed gently with green light.
Bron squinted at a heavy metallic fragment. "Rock."
Kael picked up a crown-shaped relic and frowned. "Why is it staring at me?"
Lucien clapped his hands. "Alright, artifact distribution time. Rule one—don't break reality."
ELARION — NATURAL TALENT (OF COURSE)
Elarion slipped the Sylvan Resonance Band onto her wrist.
Instantly, green mana bloomed.
Vines shimmered beneath her feet. The room felt… calmer.
"Oh," she said softly. "It responds to harmony."
Lucien nodded approvingly. "As expected."
Seraphine smiled. "You didn't even struggle."
Elarion blushed. "It feels… familiar."
Bron stared. "Cheating."
SERAPHINE — EFFORTLESS MENACE
Seraphine placed the Crimson Fang Ring on her finger.
The ring drank in her mana eagerly.
Her eyes glowed crimson for a moment.
"…Ah," she murmured. "It likes me."
Lucien took a step back. "Please don't let it like you too much."
She flexed her hand.
A nearby stone cracked.
Seraphine smiled sweetly. "Oops."
Kael frowned. "That's unfair."
Lucien shrugged. "Vampire privilege."
KAEL — USER ERROR
Kael picked up the Crown of Tempered Will.
He stared at it.
It stared back.
He put it on.
Nothing happened.
Kael scowled. "It's broken."
Lucien tilted his head. "Did you synchronize?"
Kael blinked. "…What."
Seraphine laughed. "You have to accept it."
Kael crossed his arms. "I don't accept things."
The crown suddenly flared—
Then vanished.
Kael yelped. "Where did it go?!"
Lucien pointed at his head.
A faint red outline hovered inside Kael's aura.
"…It embedded itself," Lucien said slowly. "Congratulations. You skipped the tutorial."
Elarion covered her mouth. "Is that safe?"
Lucien winced. "Define safe."
Kael gritted his teeth. "It's yelling at me."
Seraphine grinned. "What's it saying?"
Kael muttered, "…'Control your emotions, idiot.'"
Lucien burst out laughing.
BRON — DWARF VS ARTIFACT
Bron grabbed the Forgeheart Core Fragment.
He squeezed it.
Nothing happened.
He squeezed harder.
Still nothing.
Bron frowned deeply.
He hit it with his hammer.
CLANG.
The fragment vibrated angrily.
Lucien shouted, "STOP HITTING IT!"
Bron paused. "It is metal."
The fragment suddenly heated up.
Bron dropped it.
"…Hot."
Seraphine laughed. "You offended it."
Elarion tried gently placing it in Bron's gauntlet.
The fragment pulsed… then sank into his chest armor.
Bron froze.
"…It entered me."
Lucien sighed. "Why does everything enter people today."
Bron flexed.
His armor gleamed brighter.
"…Good rock."
TEASING TIME
Seraphine leaned against Lucien. "You didn't even touch yours."
Lucien smiled. "Mine doesn't like attention."
A faint shimmer near his chest pulsed once.
Everyone pretended not to notice.
Elarion smiled gently. "You're used to strange things."
Lucien nodded. "Occupational hazard."
Kael crossed his arms, still scowling. "It keeps correcting my posture."
Seraphine laughed. "You needed that."
Bron nodded. "You stand angry."
Kael growled. "Say that again."
Lucien wiped a tear from his eye.
"This is the best dungeon run I've ever had."
IMMEDIATE FIELD TEST
Monsters emerged from the shadows.
Elarion raised her hand—
mana flowed through everyone.
Seraphine moved faster than before.
Bron's hammer strike cracked the floor.
Kael's aura stabilized—cleaner, sharper.
Kael paused mid-swing.
"…I feel calmer."
Lucien smiled.
"Yeah," he said softly. "That's what artifacts do when they like you."
ENDING NOTE
They stood victorious among shattered stone.
Artifacts humming.
Team intact.
Lucien looked at them, warmth stirring.
This wasn't in the novel, he thought.
But it's better.
Seraphine smirked. "You're smiling again."
Lucien shrugged. "Must be the loot."
Kael scoffed. "Next dungeon, I'll master this thing."
Bron nodded. "I will not drop hammer."
Everyone stared at him.
Bron added, "…Probably."