Chapter 2 : The E-Rank Raid Team
980 Words
The day of the dungeon raid arrived.
For most hunters, an E-rank dungeon was nothing special.
It was the kind of mission that experienced hunters ignored because the rewards were too small and the monsters inside were considered too weak.
But for Ethan Ardent, every dungeon mattered.
Every battle was another chance to prove that he belonged.
Standing outside the Redfall District dungeon entrance, Ethan looked up at the massive black portal floating between several reinforced structures.
The portal moved like a living thing.
A dark energy flowed across its surface, and every few seconds, faint waves of mana spread through the area.
Even after twenty years, humanity still had not fully understood dungeons.
They appeared without warning.
They contained monsters that shouldn't exist.
And sometimes...
They changed.
"Ethan."
A voice called out.
Ethan turned.
A group of hunters were walking toward him.
There were ten people in total.
The raid team assigned to the dungeon.
At the front was Victor Hale, a C-rank swordsman and the leader of the team.
He carried a large sword on his back and wore reinforced armor covered with marks from previous battles.
Beside him was Lena Frost, a D-rank healer.
Unlike many healers who stayed away from dangerous raids, Lena was known for entering difficult situations to save injured hunters.
Next was Aaron Cole, a D-rank shield warrior.
A large man with a calm personality, he carried a shield almost as tall as himself.
Then there was Mira Voss, a D-rank mage who specialized in wind magic.
The remaining members were:
Daniel Cross, a ranged hunter who used a bow.
Ryan Blake, a dual dagger user.
Sophia Vale, a support hunter who strengthened teammates.
Lucas Reed, a trap specialist.
Noah Grant, a spear user.
And finally Ethan.
The weakest member of the team.
Victor looked over everyone.
"Listen carefully."
The group became quiet.
"Even though this is classified as an E-rank dungeon, we follow proper procedures."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"It's only E-rank. Do we really need to be this serious?"
Victor glanced at him.
"People die when they become careless."
The words immediately changed the mood.
Everyone knew that.
Rank did not guarantee safety.
Many hunters had died inside supposedly easy dungeons.
A dungeon was only considered safe until something went wrong.
Victor looked at Ethan.
"Ethan."
"Yes?"
"You stay near the middle of the formation."
Ethan nodded.
He expected that.
The weakest person was always protected.
It was one of the reasons many hunters hated working with low-ranks.
They saw them as extra responsibility.
But Victor's expression was different.
He wasn't looking down on Ethan.
He was simply being careful.
"Don't try to act like a hero," Victor said.
Ethan smiled slightly.
"I wasn't planning to."
Everyone laughed quietly.
Even Ethan.
For a moment, he felt like he was just another hunter.
Not the weakest.
Not the person everyone pitied.
Just Ethan.
The team entered the dungeon.
The moment they passed through the portal, the temperature dropped.
The outside world disappeared.
They were surrounded by a dark forest.
The trees were enormous, their branches blocking most of the light above.
The ground was covered with strange plants that glowed faintly.
Daniel looked around.
"Interesting."
Mira touched one of the plants carefully.
"This doesn't look like a normal E-rank environment."
Victor frowned.
"E-rank dungeons can have different appearances."
"But this..."
Mira looked deeper into the forest.
"It feels old."
Nobody responded.
Because everyone felt it.
Something about this place was strange.
Too quiet.
Usually, monsters attacked immediately after hunters entered.
But there were no sounds.
No movement.
No signs of life.
Only silence.
They continued forward.
After nearly thirty minutes, they encountered their first monsters.
A group of small creatures rushed from behind the trees.
Low-level dungeon beasts.
Normally, they would have been a threat to ordinary people.
But against trained hunters...
They barely lasted.
Victor cut through them quickly.
Aaron blocked their attacks.
Mira's magic eliminated several at once.
Ethan fought beside them.
His ability activated.
Energy Reinforcement.
His muscles strengthened slightly.
He moved faster.
Struck harder.
But compared to the others...
The difference was obvious.
While Victor defeated monsters with one strike, Ethan needed several attacks.
Still...
He kept fighting.
He refused to become useless.
After the battle, Ethan wiped his blade clean.
Ryan glanced at him.
"You really don't give up, do you?"
Ethan looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"You know you're the weakest here."
Ethan smiled.
"I know."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
Ethan looked ahead.
"Being weak bothers me."
He paused.
"But giving up bothers me more."
Ryan became quiet.
For the first time, he didn't know how to respond.
Hours passed.
The deeper they went...
The stranger the dungeon became.
The monsters became stronger.
The environment changed.
The forest slowly disappeared.
The walls transformed into ancient stone.
Old symbols covered the surfaces.
Mira stopped walking.
"Everyone..."
She touched the wall.
"This isn't an E-rank dungeon."
The group froze.
Victor stepped forward.
"What?"
Mira looked nervous.
"The structure."
"The energy."
"This place..."
She swallowed.
"It feels like an ancient dungeon."
Nobody spoke.
An ancient dungeon.
Those words carried fear.
Because ancient dungeons were unpredictable.
Their difficulty could change.
Their monsters could be far stronger than their classification.
Victor looked at the team.
"We continue carefully."
Everyone nodded.
But deep inside...
Everyone had the same thought.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
As they continued deeper, Ethan suddenly stopped.
"What is it?"
Lena asked.
Ethan stared into the darkness ahead.
"I don't know."
He placed a hand on his chest.
"But I feel like something is watching us."
The group became silent.
Then...
From deep inside the dungeon...
A strange sound echoed.
Not a roar.
Not a monster cry.
Something else.
Something that sounded almost like...
A warning.
And somewhere far beyond their sight...
An ancient presence opened its eyes.
The dungeon had finally received new visitors.
- Writer
