The front of the portal glowed in bluish-green.
It was different from the ethereal hue of Rank E portals.
Denser. More unstable.
And that's where we were going.
[Surface analysis...]
With the achievement points, Luxxion had obtained some interesting functions.
[7% more unstable than the average portals of the same rank.]
Even so, was this AI rooting for disaster?
''Is that your subtle way of saying "good luck, you're gonna die?"
[Just a statistical observation.]
''Uh-huh. Remind me never to invite you to parties.''
[You don't host parties. Socializing is still marked as "unnecessary activity."]
I sighed.
''Just keep running those numbers, Luxxion.''
[Already doing it. Good luck.]
''That was... almost human of you.''
[Temporary bug. Please disregard.]
I looked around.
The area had been blocked off to civilians.
As hunters, however, we'd received permission from the Association to enter.
Kang Jisoo stood a bit ahead, arms crossed, watching the magic flow dance like liquid smoke in the air.
Choi Doyun stretched his shoulders, sword sheathed at his waist.
Meanwhile, Song Hana adjusted the ribbons on the magical bracelets she wore on her wrists.
The sleeves of her wrinkled coat reached all the way to her hands.
And there I was, standing there in my oversized gray jacket.
Hands in pockets, mind burning.
Behind us, the temporary porter fidgeted with the strap of his backpack.
Rank D.
Mosquito physique.
Face of a lost intern on the wrong subway line.
He looked like he came straight out of a cannon-fodder character checklist.
Didn't bother learning his name. Not planning to.
It was just temp work anyway.
''Alright.''Jisoo clapped his hands together to get our attention. ''Gather up.''
We stepped closer, forming a slightly crooked circle.
''Liam.''
Jisoo turned to me with that half-casual, half-serious tone he always used.
He gestured with his hand.
This role used to be held by Park Ilhoon.
And honestly, without Luxxion I wouldn't be anywhere near being able to do it properly.
Nevertheless, Istepped forward.
''Brief the mission. Did the Association leave anything useful?''
I nodded and pulled the crumpled paper from my jacket pocket.
''The dungeon is ranked D, little unstable, with potential environmental shift.''
''So?'' Doyun asked, scratching his neck.
''Things might change midway. Weather, terrain, monster distribution... that kind of delightful surprise.''
''Great.'' he huffed. ''As if we didn't already have enough trauma.''
The porter swept his eyes over all the members of the group.
I continued the speech:
''Enemy estimate is medium, with pack-attack patterns. Possibly subterranean predators or territorial creatures.'' I went on. ''Nothing confirmed. No visual records collected so far.''
''What about formation?''
Jisoo asked.
The others turned their eyes straight to me.
I opened a specific tab on my phone.
Luxxion's voice started feeding me everything I needed to say.
[Formation analysis complete.]
[Combat simulations against projected patterns: 62% success rate.]
[Reminder: maintaining current composition is recommended.]
Luxxion had helped me revise it last night.
I had taken into account Minseok's absence.
Ilhoon's death, the need for ranged defense.
My new role.
Everything.
No exceptions.
''Choi Doyun will take the front with me'' I said. ''We'll form a dual forward line, with Jisoo one step behind for support and area control. Hana stays in the rear, obviously, with the porter as an emergency shield.''
''Shield?!'' the porter choked.
''Just kidding.'' I replied with a crooked smile. ''Kind of.''
Hana let out a quiet laugh.
Jisoo gave me a light punch on the shoulder.
Doyun just nodded.
''I read that formation last night.'' he said. ''Solid analysis. Surprisingly solid.''
''Thanks.''
''Rank E, huh?'' the porter muttered behind me. ''You're a Rank E, right?''
''Yep.'' I answered without turning around.
''But… how do you know all this stuff?''
''Knowing isn't illegal.''
I shrugged.
Jisoo raised his hand.
All attention shifted to his massive frame.
''Alright. Let's move.''
And one by one, we stepped through.
The portal swallowed our vision.
The blue light shifted into an emerald blur, like diving into a murky sea.
The scene changed instantly.
The ground beneath our feet was damp.
Rocky.
But flatter than I expected.
The dungeon's ceiling was high, with thin stalactites dripping sporadically.
The environment still resembled a cave, but the walls were made of an opaque, almost metallic rock.
Purple and bluish striations pulsed faintly along the cracks.
The air was warm.
And strange.
[Environment: Detected presence of low-category magical essence.]
[Climate conditions: Relatively stable.]
[Analysis complete.]
''Pretty place to die, at least.'' I muttered.
''What was that?'' Doyun asked, having heard me.
''Nothing. Just talking to myself. I like solo conversations.''
''Ah, so that's why you're always muttering like a lunatic. Thought it was anxiety.''
''Could be both. Who knows.''
Jisoo rolled the axe across his shoulders.
''If there are monsters, they'll show up soon. Stay sharp.''
Everyone nodded.
This time, I was at the front line.
Not dead center, of course.
Jisoo still held the lead, with Doyun at his side.
I followed slightly to the right, matching their pace with silent steps.
Hana stayed a bit behind, in the center, and the porter trailed at the rear.
It was strange.
Different from the last time I stepped into a dungeon like this.
But strange in a good way.
The surrounding walls were less damp than the previous cave.
Still jagged, made of dark stone and carrying a strong mineral scent.
But there was something else this time: mana crystals, rooted in the rock, glowed blue from the crevices.
We walked a few more meters.
[You're more relaxed than usual.]
''Yeah.'' I said. ''Maybe I'm starting to like this.''
[Unusual for a human in your position.]
''Or maybe I just hit my head too hard. Hard to tell.''
Jisoo glanced over his shoulder but said nothing.
They'd already accepted that I talked to myself.
Or something close to that.
That's when I stopped.
''Up ahead.'' I whispered. ''About twenty meters. Near that big crystal, there's something. Three… no, four presences.''
''You sure?'' Doyun asked, raising his sword.
''I think so.''
My Perception stat had gone up.
But that wasn't the thing that gave away the presence of whatever was there.
[Signal reading — mana instability detected.]
''Hmm...'' Jisoo growled. ''Let's see if your nose is sharper than your arm.''
The answer came fast.
The mana crystals began to glow brighter.
And it was there, between the blue reflections and jagged shadows, that the creatures emerged.
Four of them.
Elongated bodies, red scaly skin.
Exposed teeth, claws dragging on the rocks.
They looked like lizards corrupted by some kind of disease.
Eyes red and feverish. Black saliva dripping.
And the stench.
Rotten. Chemical.
''Pestivores.'' Jisoo growled. ''Necrosis if they bite straight. Don't let them get close.''
The first one lunged.
It leapt straight at Jisoo, who spun his body and crushed the thing with a single swing of his axe.
A crack.
Shattered bones.
Dark blood on the ground.
The second one came at me.
I was already moving before it even left its spot.
My spear pierced the creature's eye.
It screamed, twisted, and tried to bite me.
I yanked the weapon back, spun, and drove the tip into the base of its skull.
The body dropped limp at my feet.
The third beast ran in a zigzag, heading straight for Hana.
Doyun got in its way.
His sword slashed diagonally, splitting the creature's flank in a burst of blood.
He spun the blade and finished it with a clean strike to the neck.
Only one left.
That one tried to run. It sprinted along the side of the cave, claws scraping stone.
But I was already in motion.
My legs launched me forward.
The spear cut through the air and drove straight into the creature's chest before it could take a third step.
The impact slammed it into the wall, where it thrashed for two seconds before going still.
Silence.
''…That it?'' Doyun broke the tension, panting. ''Just those?''
''For now.'' Jisoo wiped the axe on the ground. ''Clean execution. Fast and smooth.''
He walked over and gave me two light pats on the back.
''Not bad, toothpick. You're turning into a proper skewer.''
''It's the caffeine-and-despair diet.''
Jisoo laughed loud.
Hana just watched. Eyes narrowed, analyzing.
''Any injuries?'' she asked.
''Just a bruised ego.'' I spun the spear to clean it.
The fight was easy.
Too easy.
Nothing like before.
Now…
I didn't need much help.
I could handle it.
[Combat status: stable.]
''See, Luxxion? Not everything is a tragedy.''
[For now.]
''Stop being so dramatic, you lunatic.''
The group took a short break after that.
We sat near the wall, taking turns sipping water and catching our breath.
While the others rested, I went over to the corpses.
The porter was already working on extracting the mana stones.
''You doing it right?'' I asked, crouching next to him.
''I… I think so…''
''Drive the blade into the sternum. Then pull diagonally.''
''Ah… got it. Thanks.''
I crouched beside the bodies and helped him.
Cut. Pulled the mana stone.
Repeated with another.
''Thanks for the help'' he said again, a bit louder.
''Don't get used to it. I'm just feeling generous today.''
[You're displaying unusually collaborative behavior.]
''Shh. I'm trying to be polite.''
We went on for another twenty minutes.
More monsters showed up.
Two. Three.
Then five at once.
Variants of pestivores and other small creatures.
But nothing could stop us.
Even with my movements still a bit stiff, my spear danced.
Doyun moved like a ghost beside me.
Jisoo charged like a bull.
At one point, a creature tried to hide.
I saw it first.
And I moved.
One strike.
Fast. Precise.
The spear drove through its skull.
The creature dropped.
No resistance.
No time to scream.
Just the sound of a body collapsing and one final breath stuck in its throat.
I stood, twirling the handle, wiping the blade with a quick motion.
My eyes were already searching for the next one.
But there was no next one.
''Holy shit…'' Doyun broke the silence. ''Did you guys see that?''
''Yeah, we did'' Jisoo replied, still staring at the fallen body. ''And that's why I'm gonna pretend this kid isn't just an E-rank.''
Song Hana crossed her arms.
''It's strange. This isn't normal. Maybe a re-awakening?''
''Is that a problem?'' I asked, raising an eyebrow.
''No, no'' she replied, still watching me. ''Just… trying to make sense of it.''
She wasn't the only one.
But no one said anything else.
I didn't bother to explain. Didn't want to too.
The silence was filled only by the sound of boots over shards of stone and blood.
We moved deeper in.
The rest of the path was… calm.
No creatures waiting to ambush us.
No surprises.
Just suffocating corridors and the dry scent of old blood mixing with the dampness of the walls.
It had been over thirty monsters by that point.
And I'd killed most of them.
[Growth recorded in primary stats.]
[Current offensive performance exceeds average E-Rank parameters.]
[Analysis still in progress.]
Luxxion.
Always so timely.
''So, how many more bodies till you give me another star already?''
[Keep killing. You'll know soon enough.]
Nothing like motivational support from a sarcastic AI.
The path led us to a circular room, with a large stone double door up ahead.
It had cracks in it.
Old marks.
As if something on the other side had already tried to break out.
A heavy aura leaked from the gap.
Like heat from a furnace about to blow.
Jisoo stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath.
''Formation, everyone. This is it.''
Doyun tightened his grip on the sword. Hana whispered a soft protection spell.
The porter hid behind everyone, shaking like a leaf.
I rolled my shoulders, adjusted my grip on the spear.
We were ready.
Jisoo pushed the doors open.
They groaned loudly, like they didn't want to give way.
The air grew heavier.
The light in the boss room was dim, filtered through red crystals embedded in the ceiling, pulsing like living hearts.
And there, in the center of the room, it stood.
A massive lizard, with scales black as obsidian and slit golden eyes.
Its body was long and muscular, its thick tail coiled around broken bones — some still with bits of flesh hanging on.
It breathed heavily. Deeply.
Its chest rose and fell with the slow rhythm of a satisfied predator.
Each exhale released a wave of heat that spread across the floor like a crawling mist.
But as soon as the light from the crystals hit it...
...its eyes opened.
It raised its head, nostrils flaring, sniffing the air.
Then slowly, a sinister grin spread across its long snout, revealing rows of thin, curved teeth.
As if it had just realized…
...that dinner had finally arrived.