Hello, Eric.

Hello, Eric.

If you're seeing this message, then I must have died during the Botanical Garden Dungeon Raid. And if you're seeing this, I hope it means that Edward had kept his promise and showed you this message when he believed you were ready to see it. If so, thank you from the bottom of my heart, my friend.

First things first, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that I left your mum all alone to raise you, and I'm sorry that I'm not around to watch you grow up to be the fine young man I believe you would be.

I really am sorry.

I want you to know that if I am in fact dead, it's not your fault. It's not your mother's fault. It's nobody's fault but my own. You and your mother should move forward in life without any regrets. That is what I wish for both of you, but know that both of you were always in my heart and in my thoughts till the very end.

I don't know how old you would be when you see this message but know that both your mother and I believe that you are destined for great things. It could be a silly, biased, stereotypical parental belief that all parents have for their children, but we really believe that you will be able to achieve whatever you put your mind to.

Believe me, if you're anything like me or your mother, then anything is possible.

One of the most cherished memories I have of you is of your fifth birthday when you ran out of your room with a makeshift cape tied around your neck. You stomped into the kitchen with a loud, vocal fanfare and you declared that your dream was to grow up to be like me.

Strong, brave, and awesome, you said, and for a split-second, I was so chuffed. What father wouldn't be proud to hear that their child wishes to follow in their footsteps? But then I was overcome with a sense of dread. It's been four years since the Event happened and all of us Gen-1 Players returned to Earth, there seems to be no end to the Dungeons, and the System has been implying that new Players will come soon. A second generation.

And I'm scared.

I don't know what I'd do if you or your mother were brought into the System as Players. All I know is that I don't want you to experience what I've had to experience over the years as a Player — as a Dungeon Clearer.

There is more to this world than the System. There is more to this world than Players and Dungeons.

My greatest wish is that you and your mother are spared from this fate, and that is why I clear Dungeons. That is why I need to go to the Botanical Garden Dungeon.

And if I indeed die during the Raid, as Madame Yu has foreseen, then my greatest hope is that you and your mother have nothing to do with the System or the Dungeons. However, if that's not possible, then I hope you DIDN'T follow in my footsteps and DIDN'T become a Dungeon Clearer.

Stay safe and be there for your mother. Keep yourself and her safe. Live freely and do great things like I believe you would.

I've left your mother her own message and left my portion of the ownership of the Hero's Stand guild to her to ensure that you both will always have a roof over your head and are able to live comfortably should I die.

For you, I leave my wedding ring. I know that, usually, the wedding ring is left for the spouse, but I've never been an accessory kind of guy and never really had any keepsakes to hand down to you. So, I would like you to have my ring. The ring also has a low-level barrier spell that is designed to protect the wearer if anything happens, so it's a good ring to keep near.

Lastly, I'd like to say that I love you, son. Don't ever forget that.

Don't tell your mother this, but the day that you were born and I was able to hold you for the very first time is the best day of my life. Way better than my wedding day, so don't tell her.

I hope you never get to see this message. I really do.

How was that, Edward? Any goo—?

***

My father's projection abruptly disappeared. I don't know when I started crying, but I wiped my eyes and breathed a shuddering breath in.

Dad looked older than I remembered him to be. He and Mum had me a bit later in life when they were both in their early to mid-thirties. I'm not sure whether it was because parenting is really difficult (that's what everyone with children usually tells me), or the stress of being a Dungeon Clearer, or both at once, but his light brown hair had wisps of silver already in the projection.

From what I could see in the projection, he actually had a similar sense of style as I do currently, and I was able to see a few massive scars on his forearms and hands underneath the plain white tee shirt that he wore while recording the message.

His bright blue eyes were almost as stark as Edward's and Penny's, and though it's been over twenty years since the message was recorded, his face looked more drained and exhausted than Edward's now. I wondered what happened when he recorded the message.

I heard a bolt shift loudly behind me and realised that the lock to the sole entrance of the training room was now unlocked.

After I made sure that my eyes were dry, I made my way towards the door and walked through. I walked into the control room and Edward was standing by the console. Dad's wedding ring in his hand. He held the ring out towards me and I silently took it from him.

"Why'd you show the message to me now?" I asked him. My voice was still a little strained from the sobbing I had done while watching Dad's message.

"Because," Edward sighed. Strangely, his voice didn't sound as nasally or pretentious as the previous times we spoke. In fact, it sounded like he was slightly emotional from also watching Dad's message, "You're now strong enough to join a Dungeon Clearing team."

"Oh?"

"It's been over six months since you joined our guild as a Dungeon Clearer," Edward explained, "Thanks to Penny's and Alan's efforts, they had convinced the other board members to keep you inactive from Dungeon Clearing for a while since you were, historically, the weakest Registered Player ever."

I winced internally. The label that was given to me the first time around still affected me now after all the work I'd done to improve.

"However, some of the board members have had enough of Penny's and Alan's stalling and they have demanded that you start to pull your weight for the good of the guild. So, your first Dungeon Clearing Quest has been confirmed," Edward said.

A notification appeared in front of me:

[NOTICE!

The Player has been assigned a Dungeon Clearing Quest by GUILD: HERO'S STAND.

DUNGEON: Falcon Plains Dungeon.

LOCATION: Morialta Conservation Park, Adelaide, South Australia.

DUNGEON TIER: D.

DUNGEON SIZE: Small.

RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 5.

TIME LEFT TILL DUNGEON BREAK: 192 Hours.]

I've lived my whole life in Melbourne, and never travelled out of state, so the fact that my first Dungeon is in Adelaide was a surprise to me.

"I'm going to Adelaide?" I asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, because of bad timing, there are no low-tiered Dungeons that are open for clearing in Victoria, so we had to look out of state for one. The closest was the Falcon Plains," Edward said as he stepped aside to let me exit the AR Training room.

"How long does it usually take to clear the Dungeon?" I asked.

"Three days."

"192 hours is…" I mumbled as I struggled to work out how much time was left.

"Just over a week. 8 days."

I nodded silently.

"When do I—?"

"Mr Pitcher! How are you today?" a bright voice surprisingly yelled from behind us.

Edward didn't seem to have gotten scared by the loud voice, but I jumped so hard, that my feet almost left the ground.

"Ah, Anna, we were just about to look for you," Edward greeted the owner of the bright voice.

When I turned around, I was surprised to see a short young woman standing behind us. Her hair was dark brown and was in a short, pixie cut and she wore big, round glasses on a thin frame. She looked about what I would imagine five-foot people to look like, though I was never really good at accurately telling how short or tall people were.

Even though she wore baggy clothes that looked like they were three sizes too big for her, I could tell that Anna was tiny and petite.

"Is this the newbie for the Falcon Plains Quest?" Anna asked brightly.

"Anna, this is Eric. Eric Stoller," Edward calmly said, "Eric, meet Anna Torren. Anna is the Raid team leader for the Falcon Plains."

I nodded anxiously as I looked down at Anna's beaming smile.