Endless Dungeon: The Misadventures of a Gunslinger Who Can’t Shut Up [LitRPG/Dungeon] Chapter 19: The Party Nobody Wanted—Until Now

Inside the Dungeon Center, the mood was a strange mix of cafeteria, tavern, and post-quest hangout. The air carried the faint sll of roasted at and sothing slightly burnt—probably soone’s enchanted cloak that didn’t survive the last fire trap.

Torches lined the walls, their orange glow flickering lazily, throwing light that made shadows stretch and twitch across the floor.

It wasn’t exactly cozy, but it was familiar—the kind of lighting players didn’t really notice until it flickered out mid-conversation.

Tables were packed with players—so digging into hot als like they hadn’t eaten in days, others sipping drinks while retelling stories way louder than they needed to.

Off to one side of the hall stood the Leader Board. It looked like soone slamd a glowing tablet into the wall and surrounded it with enough magic and tal to make it feel important.

Nas shimred across the surface—big nas. The kind of players people whispered about or tried to avoid in PvP zones.

Noah stood with the rest of the group—arms relaxed, eyes scanning the nas like he was window-shopping for a future version of himself.

Dimitri had that calm look like he was already planning their path to the top.

June gave the list a quick once-over and looked unimpressed, as if she’d expected to already be on it.

Fiona stood a little closer to the board than the others, her eyes full of quiet awe, like she was seeing sothing magical rather than just a bunch of nas floating on crystal.

The Leader Board pulsed gently with magical light, displaying the nas of the top 100 players like a monunt carved out of code and ego.

Each entry glowed with a faint silver hue, listed alongside the highest floor they’d reached in the Endless Dungeon.

So nas flickered in and out of the rankings as updates rolled in. Others had held their position so long it was like they’d grown roots.

But all eyes—Noah’s included—inevitably drifted to the very top.

His gaze locked on the number one spot, and the na beside it.

“Takahashi Haruna. There’s always a Japanese player dominating the leaderboard in dungeon gas, huh?”

Dimitri nodded with a kind of respectful awe, eyes lingering on the number next to her na.

“She is on floor two hundred sixty-three now. That is… very far, my friend.”

“I’ve heard whispers she only set foot in Endless Dungeon three years ago. Quite the impressive little climb, isn’t it? A prodigy, they call her. How sweet. Truly.”

She flipped her hair with perfect timing.

“Too bad another prodigy has entered the scene... and surprise, surprise—it’s .”

“Okay, cool, enough monologuing. Let’s go. It’s ti to crawl a dungeon.”

Noah turned with a grin, already heading for the nearest exit like he was ready to start rewriting the rankings himself.

Dimitri followed with his usual relaxed pace.

Fiona happily trailed behind, glancing back once at the shimring nas like they were storybook legends.

Behind them, June stayed still for a beat too long.

“Hmp!”

She tossed her hair with the kind of flair that didn’t just ask for attention—it expected it. Then she marched after the group, not too fast, not too slow, like the hallway was her personal runway.

Noah was already approaching the edge of the hall, just a few steps from the arched exit, when sothing bumped into him.

Not a stumble. Not an accident. It was light but purposeful—like soone had aid for him on purpose.

He stopped.

The girl didn’t move past him. She just stood there, planted right in front of him, blocking the way like she didn’t know what to do next but also couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

Then, just above a whisper—

“A-ano…”

The girl slowly lifted her head, almost like she was still debating if she should’ve just turned around and pretended it never happened. Her black eyes flicked up to et Noah’s, wavering but steadying just enough to show she was trying—even if everything in her body language scread shy.

Her hands fidgeted slightly by her sides, and her shoulders stayed just a little too tense. It wasn’t fear. It was more like soone forcing themselves out of their shell for a reason they believed in.

Noah’s gaze softened. He recognized her almost instantly—the sa girl from the inn earlier. Quiet. Polite. Almost invisible, if not for the way she seed to carry herself like she didn’t want to bother anyone.

“Do you need anything, miss?”

There was a pause. Then a quiet voice slipped out, barely louder than a whisper.

“My na is Tanaka Aiko… Main class is Warrior. Subclass… Samurai. My guide, Yanagi, she overheard… um, outside. You were talking about recruiting party mbers…”

Her words trailed off at the end like she wasn’t sure if she was being too forward just by existing.

But there was sothing in her voice—quiet hope, maybe. The kind that showed up only when soone was finally brave enough to reach out.

“My na is Noah Smith. Yeah, we were looking for party mbers earlier. But we’ve already filled all the slots.”

Aiko’s head dropped low in a deep bow, her posture so formal it almost felt out of place among all the noise and casual chaos of the Dungeon Center.

“Please… let join your party.”

Noah blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift. He scratched the back of his head, gaze drifting to the crowd behind her.

“There are a bunch of groups recruiting over there. Maybe try asking one of them?”

Aiko hesitated. Her hands clenched lightly at her sides, and her eyes turned away, fixing on a spot on the floor like it had personally disappointed her.

“They already rejected … after I explained my situation.”

Her voice ca softer than before. Not just quiet—fragile. Like the words themselves were being forced out one at a ti, each one wrapped in sothing she didn’t want to share.

“What situation?”

Aiko hesitated, her fingers tightening around the hem of her sleeve before she answered.

“I’ve been here for three months already… and I’m still level two.”

Noah blinked. Once. Twice.

“How have you even survived this long?”

Her voice was soft, but there was sothing steady underneath it—like soone who’d quietly pushed through things no one ever bothered to ask about.

“I take quests that don’t need fighting. Gathering mushrooms… collecting flowers… sotis harvesting vegetables in the farming zones. After reaching level two, the quests on the first floor and the marketplace don’t give experience anymore. But… they still give gold. And sotis food.”

She looked down again, her gaze distant like she was rembering each slow day, one by one.

Noah stared at her, completely thrown off.

“Okay… that’s… wow. I don’t even know what to say. That’s way too much information for a first conversation, don’t you think?”

“I barely survived the tutorial… the sli was too strong. I couldn’t move properly, and I almost cried.”

Aiko’s voice trembled a little, but she kept speaking, words unfolding like soone finally letting go of thoughts they’d carried too long.

“I don’t talk to people much back ho. I’m a bit of a… hermit. Talking like this is already a challenge.”

Dimitri, standing just to the side, smiled gently. It wasn’t the kind of smile that asked questions or expected anything. It was warm, easy, and quiet—the kind of smile that made you feel like maybe you weren’t as strange as you thought.

“And you decided to explore now?”

Aiko glanced up at him. Her lips parted slightly, surprised by the softness in his tone.

“Yes… I found out the NPCs only refresh their quests when you finish one. I didn’t know that at first… I just kept doing the sa ones. But now, all the quests left need to fight. Even the vegetable lady started asking to chase off goblins.”

Her fingers curled into loose fists. She swallowed, then added,

“If I don’t go out now… I’ll run out of gold. And food. So, I have no choice. I have to fight. Even if I’m scared.”

The way she said it wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t so emotional declaration. It was quiet. Real. The kind of honesty you couldn’t fake, no matter how many tis you rehearsed it in your head.

The air felt a little heavier, not because of tension, but because none of them knew exactly what to say.

Silence spread between the four, their gazes flicking from one face to another like they were waiting for soone else to say the first thing.

No one moved. No one dared to breathe too loud. It was that kind of silence—the awkward kind that hovered when things got just a little too real.

June folded her arms, her posture a subtle shield against whatever thoughts she didn’t want slipping through.

"Well, I suppose I’ll give her credit where it’s due. Brutal honesty and all that... though honestly, a touch of subtlety wouldn’t kill her."

Fiona’s expression softened as if her heart had just gently cracked open.

"Aw, poor lass... sounds like she's been through the wringer. Must've been rough—really rough. I dunnae even want tae imagine it."

Dimitri shifted his gaze to Noah, a thoughtful glint lighting up his eyes.

"My friend, maybe... just maybe, we make little room, da? One more heartbeat in team—could be good."

Noah lifted his hand, smooth and deliberate, like a conductor about to begin a symphony.

It was subtle, yet enough to pull every wandering eye toward him. The conversation quieted, breaths stilled, and the unspoken question hovered in the air.

"Alright, we’ll let you join the team. But there’s a catch—you’ve got to answer one question first. And I expect the truth. No dodging, no filters."

"I’ll listen, Smith-san."

Noah blinked, his brow pulling together as if he’d tasted sothing slightly off.

"First off, don’t call that. Just Noah’s fine. Now... here’s your question."

Everyone leaned in slightly—not physically, but in presence. The mont gained gravity, like sothing sacred was about to unfold.

"What are the new Big Three of ani?"

Aiko didn’t hesitate. Her reply ca like a gentle breeze across a still pond.

"There is only one Big Three. Always has been, always will be."

Noah's grin exploded across his face like a firework going off behind his eyes.

"You’re in. Welco to the party."

Aiko turned toward the tiny orb of light fluttering beside her, glowing faintly like a curious star.

"Did you hear that, Yanagi? They said yes!"

The light bobbed up and down as if it were celebrating too.

Claps echoed from both sides—Fiona’s were soft and warm, while Dimitri’s were hearty, like a man clapping for the end of a good story. Their smiles were mirrors of joy, wide and bright.

"Really? That was the question?"

June tossed a shrug, her tone half amused, half resigned.

"Honestly, I’ve no idea what you lot are on about, but I suppose if that’s the bar, we’ll have chaos before sundown."

She glanced at Aiko, a rare curve tugging at her lips.

"But welco, darling. Let’s try not to get each other killed, hmm?"