Chapter 3: The First Dungeon
2171 Words
The sun was rising over Elarion when Kael finally reached the city gates.
He had spent the entire night walking back from the Eastern Forest.
Normally, the journey would have taken several hours.
But after the battle with the mysterious C+ Rank monster, Kael had stopped several times to examine his new abilities.
He still couldn't believe it.
His summon had evolved.
Not just evolved—but jumped from an F-Rank creature to an E+ Rank monster.
Kael glanced at the creature walking beside him.
The Azure Fang Wolf looked completely different now.
Its body was almost as tall as Kael's waist.
Its dark-gray fur shimmered faintly with blue light whenever sunlight touched it.
People at the city gate stared.
Some moved away.
Others whispered.
“What kind of wolf is that?”
“That's not a normal monster.”
“Is that guy a Beast Tamer?”
“No. Look at the summoning mark.”
“He's a Summoner?”
Kael lowered his hood.
He wasn't used to receiving attention.
Yesterday, people had laughed at him.
Now they were afraid of his companion.
He wasn't sure which was worse.
The Azure Fang Wolf suddenly stopped.
Kael looked at it.
“What?”
The wolf stared toward the northern road.
Its ears stood upright.
“Something there?”
The wolf growled softly.
Kael followed its gaze.
Nothing.
Just merchants, travelers, and soldiers entering the city.
Yet the strange feeling remained.
Someone was watching him.
Kael continued walking.
Maybe I'm imagining things.
He entered the city.
---
Adventurer's Guild
The guild was already crowded.
Adventurers filled the main hall.
Some were preparing for morning quests.
Others were returning from overnight expeditions.
Kael walked toward the registration counter.
The receptionist from yesterday recognized him.
Her eyes immediately went to the wolf beside him.
She froze.
“Is that…”
Kael smiled awkwardly.
“Yes.”
The woman stood.
“Where did you get that creature?”
“It evolved.”
“Evolved?”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“You mean your F-Rank wolf?”
Kael nodded.
The receptionist looked at the wolf again.
She slowly activated her identification skill.
A blue window appeared.
Her expression changed.
“E+…”
Kael nodded.
The receptionist looked at him.
Then at the wolf.
Then back at him.
“You're an F-Rank Summoner.”
“Yes.”
“And this creature was originally an F-Rank Lesser Wolf Pup.”
“Yes.”
“And now it's E+.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she whispered:
“How?”
Kael hesitated.
“I don't know.”
That wasn't entirely true.
He knew the system had something to do with it.
But he wasn't about to tell anyone.
The receptionist seemed unconvinced.
Before she could ask anything else, a loud voice came from behind him.
“Well, well.”
Kael turned.
His expression immediately hardened.
Darius Valen stood at the entrance.
Several young adventurers surrounded him.
His expensive armor reflected the morning light.
Behind him was the C-Rank Silverfang Drake from yesterday.
Darius looked at Kael's wolf.
His confident expression disappeared.
“What happened to your pet?”
Kael said nothing.
Darius stepped closer.
“That isn't the same creature.”
Kael smiled.
“It evolved.”
“Evolved?”
Darius laughed.
“You expect me to believe an F-Rank Summoner evolved an F-Rank monster overnight?”
Kael shrugged.
“Believe whatever you want.”
The surrounding adventurers began whispering.
Darius's face darkened.
“You're still an F-Rank.”
Kael looked at his status.
He was still F-Rank.
But something about him had changed.
Yesterday, that label had embarrassed him.
Today, it didn't.
“Maybe.”
Darius smirked.
“Then you shouldn't get too confident.”
He pointed toward the quest board.
“An F-Rank like you should stick to gathering herbs.”
Kael looked at the board.
“I already finished that quest.”
Darius laughed.
“In one night?”
Kael nodded.
The receptionist quickly interrupted.
“He completed the quest.”
Everyone looked at her.
She checked the records.
“Twenty Moonleaf Herbs.”
A few adventurers nodded.
“That isn't impressive.”
“Any F-Rank can do that.”
The receptionist continued.
“There is something else.”
She looked at Kael.
“His quest completion report includes a monster core.”
Darius frowned.
“What monster?”
The receptionist hesitated.
“C+ Rank.”
The entire guild became silent.
Kael felt dozens of eyes turn toward him.
Darius's smile disappeared.
“You're lying.”
The receptionist shook her head.
“The guild's identification crystal confirms it.”
Darius stared at Kael.
“You killed a C+ Rank monster?”
Kael looked at his wolf.
“No.”
Darius's expression relaxed.
Then Kael continued.
“My summon did.”
Silence.
The Azure Fang Wolf stood beside him.
Its blue eyes glowed.
For the first time, Darius looked genuinely unsettled.
---
Guild Examination
Within minutes, Kael found himself inside a private examination room.
Three guild officials stood around a large magic crystal.
The receptionist placed Kael's monster core on the table.
“This is definitely a C+ Rank core.”
One official frowned.
“But an E+ Rank summon shouldn't be capable of defeating a C+ monster.”
Another official examined the core.
“Unless the creature has an unusual skill.”
Kael remained silent.
The officials looked at him.
“Kael.”
“Yes?”
“Tell us exactly what happened.”
Kael thought carefully.
“I encountered the monster.”
“And?”
“My summon fought it.”
“You assisted?”
“A little.”
“How?”
Kael shrugged.
“Mostly by giving instructions.”
The officials exchanged looks.
The receptionist sighed.
“You're hiding something.”
Kael smiled.
“I survived.”
That was all he said.
The guild official studied him.
Finally, he nodded.
“Very well.”
He placed a hand on the crystal.
“Your contribution to the defeat of the C+ monster has been recorded.”
A notification appeared.
---
Guild Achievement Recorded
Achievement: C+ Rank Monster Slayer
Reward: 1,000 Guild Points
Bonus: 1,000 Gold
---
Kael stared.
One thousand guild points?
He had expected a few dozen.
The official continued.
“Your adventurer rank remains F for now.”
Kael nodded.
“However, because of the unusual circumstances surrounding your battle, the guild will allow you to participate in a special evaluation.”
“What kind of evaluation?”
“A dungeon.”
Kael's eyes widened.
“A dungeon?”
The official nodded.
“Tomorrow morning.”
He placed a document on the table.
“The Ironroot Dungeon.”
Kael looked at it.
“Isn't that a D-Rank dungeon?”
“It is.”
Kael hesitated.
“I'm F-Rank.”
“You defeated a C+ monster.”
“That was my summon.”
“And you're a Summoner.”
The official leaned forward.
“Your strength isn't necessarily measured by your own body.”
Kael looked at the Azure Fang Wolf.
The creature wagged its tail.
The official continued.
“If you clear the dungeon's first floor, your rank will be reevaluated.”
Kael stared at the document.
A dungeon.
His first real dungeon.
This was exactly what he had dreamed about.
But something bothered him.
“Why me?”
The official smiled.
“Because someone has already requested that we observe you.”
Kael's expression changed.
“Who?”
The official didn't answer.
Instead, he closed the folder.
“Be at the western gate tomorrow morning.”
---
The Strange Mark
That afternoon, Kael returned home.
His mother was waiting at the door.
The moment she saw him, she ran forward.
“Kael!”
She hugged him.
“You were gone all night!”
“Sorry.”
“I was worried!”
Kael smiled.
“I completed my first quest.”
His mother looked at the wolf beside him.
She froze.
“What is that?”
“My summon.”
She stared.
“That wasn't the creature you showed me yesterday.”
“It evolved.”
His mother blinked.
“Already?”
Kael nodded.
She touched the wolf's head.
The Azure Fang Wolf immediately lowered itself.
His mother's expression softened.
“It's beautiful.”
Kael smiled.
“His name is…”
He paused.
He hadn't given the wolf a name.
The system still identified it as Azure Fang Wolf.
His mother looked at him.
“You should give him a name.”
Kael thought.
He looked into the wolf's blue eyes.
“Luna.”
The wolf's ears moved.
“Do you like that?”
The wolf barked.
His mother smiled.
“Then Luna it is.”
Kael laughed.
“Luna.”
The wolf's tail wagged.
Kael felt the bond between them strengthen.
A notification appeared.
---
Bond Level Increased.
17% → 20%
New effect unlocked.
Shared Senses
The Summoner may temporarily perceive through the senses of the contracted creature.
---
Kael blinked.
Shared Senses.
He looked at Luna.
The wolf stared back.
Suddenly—
The world changed.
Kael's vision disappeared.
Instead, he saw the room from Luna's perspective.
Colors were different.
Sounds were sharper.
He could hear his mother's heartbeat.
He could smell the food cooking in the kitchen.
He could even hear something outside.
A faint scratching sound.
Kael immediately returned to his own senses.
He looked toward the window.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“Don't go outside tonight.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“I…”
Kael didn't know how to explain it.
Something was wrong.
Luna was staring toward the window.
Her fur stood on end.
Then Kael heard it.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Something was dragging its claws along the outside wall.
His mother became frightened.
“What was that?”
Kael stood.
“Stay here.”
He opened the door.
Nothing.
The street was empty.
He walked around the house.
Luna followed.
Then she suddenly growled.
Kael looked down.
A black feather lay on the ground.
He picked it up.
The moment he touched it—
DING!
---
Unknown object detected.
Origin: Unknown
Warning: High-level mana residue detected.
---
Kael's expression changed.
Someone had been here.
Someone powerful.
He looked around.
Nothing.
But then he noticed something carved into the wall.
A symbol.
A black circle surrounded by three claw marks.
Kael's eyes widened.
He had seen that symbol before.
Inside the ancient chamber.
In the vision from the previous night.
The symbol belonged to the people searching for the Summoner.
Kael stepped backward.
“Who are you?”
No answer.
Then a voice came from the rooftop.
“You shouldn't have survived.”
Kael looked up.
A hooded figure stood above him.
His face was hidden.
Luna immediately moved in front of Kael.
The stranger laughed.
“Interesting.”
Kael's hand moved toward his dagger.
The stranger raised one hand.
Dark magic gathered around his fingers.
“Don't worry.”
His voice was calm.
“I'm not here to kill you.”
Kael frowned.
“Then why are you here?”
“To deliver a message.”
“What message?”
The stranger looked directly at him.
“Do not enter the Ironroot Dungeon.”
Kael's expression hardened.
“Why?”
The stranger smiled.
“Because something inside is waiting for you.”
Kael's heart began pounding.
“What?”
The stranger disappeared.
Only his voice remained.
“The first dungeon will reveal what you really are.”
Then everything became silent.
Kael stared at the empty rooftop.
Luna growled.
Kael slowly clenched his fist.
Instead of fear, something else began rising inside him.
Determination.
If someone wanted him to stay away from the dungeon, there was only one possible reason.
Something important was inside.
Kael looked toward the western horizon.
Tomorrow, he would enter the Ironroot Dungeon.
Whatever was waiting for him—
He would face it.
---
The Next Morning
Kael stood at the western gate before sunrise.
Three adventurers waited for him.
The first was a tall swordsman carrying a massive shield.
The second was a young woman wearing a blue mage robe.
The third was an older man with a bow.
The swordsman looked at Kael.
“You're the F-Rank Summoner?”
“Yes.”
He looked at Luna.
“That's your summon?”
“Yes.”
The swordsman laughed.
“Interesting.”
The mage stared at Luna.
“That's an E+ Rank creature.”
The archer narrowed his eyes.
“An E+ Rank summon accompanying an F-Rank Summoner…”
He looked at Kael.
“You're unusual.”
Kael smiled.
“I get that a lot.”
The guild official approached.
“Everyone ready?”
They nodded.
The massive gate opened.
Beyond it was the road leading toward the Ironroot Dungeon.
Kael took his first step.
Luna walked beside him.
And somewhere deep beneath the earth—
something opened its eyes.
A voice whispered through the darkness.
“Finally…”
A pair of crimson eyes appeared.
“The successor has come.”
.....
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