Then—
Slam!
The door to Zachary's apartment flew open so hard it bounced slightly off the wall.
"Cole..?" Zachary called out, turning his head toward the entrance.
Cole stood there, slightly out of breath—but grinning. Not a normal smile either.
The kind that meant he found something big.
"I just found a dungeon in a nearby mountain," Cole said quickly, barely holding back his excitement.
"And nobody discovered it… except me, of course."
Zachary blinked.
"A dungeon?" he repeated, like he was making sure he heard that right.
Then—
"Let's go!" Cole said immediately, already turning and running back into the hallway.
His footsteps echoed for a few seconds.
Then stopped.
He came back, leaning slightly into the doorway, one eyebrow raised.
"You coming or what?"
"Oh—Oh!" Zachary snapped out of it, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I… kinda daydreamed a bit, hehe…"
He laughed lightly, but it didn't last long.
Because he was already moving.
The two of them ran.
Down the streets.
Past people.
Through intersections.
The mountain wasn't that far—but they didn't slow down anyway.
When they finally arrived—
They both stopped.
At the same time.
"…Huh?" Cole muttered.
"…What?" Zachary added.
The dungeon entrance was there…
But so were a lot of other people.
A crowd had already formed—phones out, cameras flashing, voices overlapping.
"I'm gonna report this dungeon immediately!" one guy said, rapidly tapping on his phone.
Cole frowned.
"…How?" he muttered under his breath.
He pushed forward, weaving through the crowd carefully.
Zachary, on the other hand—
Didn't bother.
He walked straight through, unintentionally bumping into people as he passed.
"Hey—watch it!"
"Dude—!"
He didn't stop.
Cole stopped in front of someone.
A random girl in a gray hoodie and short skirt.
"How'd you find this place!?" he asked, clearly confused.
The girl blinked.
Then her face lit up.
"Oh! It's you," she said, smiling. "Aren't you Cole?"
She said his name casually.
Like she'd known him for a while.
Cole froze.
"…How do you know my name?"
The girl didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes shifted.
Past him.
To Zachary.
There was a pause.
A moment of recognition.
On both sides.
"Eleora..!"
"Zachary..!"
They said it at the same time.
Before Cole could react—
They stepped forward.
And hugged.
Cole just stood there.
Processing.
Slowly.
"…You guys know each other?" he finally asked.
They pulled away after a second.
Zachary smiled slightly, patting her shoulder.
"She's my best friend since high school," he said. "She was the one who stood up for me when Ben bullied me."
His voice lowered a bit at the end.
Like it was something he didn't talk about often.
Eleora didn't say anything about that.
She just smiled.
"Anyway," Zachary continued, "what are you doing here?"
Eleora crossed her arms slightly.
"I'm a hunter now," she said confidently.
She grinned.
Wide.
Proud.
Zachary's expression changed instantly.
His body stiffened.
"…What?" he said.
Then louder—
"What!? This job is extremely dangerous" he expressed in worry "You could die!"
Eleora didn't flinch.
"Don't worry, Zachary," she said casually. "I'm a level 15 Support."
"But it's still dangerous!" he shot back immediately.
They went back and forth.
Not yelling.
But not calm either.
"Guys—guys, calm down," Cole stepped in, raising his hands slightly.
Zachary exhaled sharply.
Crossed his arms.
"…Guess there's no changing your mind," he muttered, shaking his head.
Then he looked at her again.
"You want to head in?"
Eleora's face lit up instantly.
"You're a hunter after all," Zachary added, a small chuckle escaping him.
She stepped closer.
Pinched his cheeks.
Hard.
"Don't worry, Zach," she said, her tone playful—but there was something real underneath it. "I'll protect you."
She smiled.
"Since you're a level 1 mage."
Cole looked at Zachary.
Then at her.
Then back at Zachary.
Both of them—
Shook their heads at the same time.
"Let's enter!" Eleora said, already turning toward the dungeon.
The three of them walked forward.
Together.
Into the entrance.
Behind them—
The crowd watched.
"What are they doing!?"
"They think they can take on a dungeon!?"
"Kids these days…"