Renji tightened the straps of his gauntlet—a final check of his equipment before heading into the dungeon.
Confident in his preparations, he walked up to the glowing blue Gate and waited for the others to complete theirs. He scanned the faces of the twenty people who would be entering the Gate with him and realized he recognized none of them.
That was to be expected. This was a low D-rank Gate, so naturally, none of the major guilds had claimed ownership. Only low-rank independent hunters or those from small, local guilds would bother with this kind of raid.
"Are you ready?" Saburo asked.
Renji turned to the middle-aged man beside him. Half the hair on his head had turned gray, and a few deep wrinkles had settled into his face—evidence of age creeping in. But his posture was straight, and every movement of his was measured and efficient. He was the leader of this group, the only C-rank hunter present, and from what Renji had gathered through gossip and brief conversations, he was an experienced ice mage.
Renji felt reassured. The leader seemed capable and unlikely to lead them to their deaths—a major concern for an independent hunter like himself.
"Yes. Arata Renji, D-rank dealer," Renji said, bowing slightly in respect.
"Tachibana Saburo, C-rank mage. Follow my lead and we'll be home before evening," the man replied with a nod.
Saburo turned to the rest of the group and announced, "We leave in five minutes. Be ready by then."
Saburo stepped into the Gate first, followed by the tanks. Though calling them "tanks" was generous, their only distinguishing feature was the medium-sized shields they carried. Renji and the other dealers followed close behind, entering the dungeon.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Renji's spine as an ominous premonition swept over him.
He wasn't a particularly skilled hunter, but if there was one thing he trusted, it was his instincts. They had saved his life more than once.
He considered turning back but realized the moment to do so had already passed. If he quit now, he'd be labeled as unreliable—someone who bails mid-raid. That kind of reputation could get him blacklisted from future dungeon parties.
He took a deep breath. It was still just a D-rank Gate. Maybe his instincts were reacting to a slightly stronger boss monster—nothing more. Swallowing his fear, he kept pace with the group.
The mage conjured a small fireball, reducing the goblin to ashes. He paused for breath, beginning the chant for his next spell—unaware of the goblin assassin sneaking up behind him.
With a leap, the goblin launched itself, dagger aimed straight for the mage's back—
—But in the blink of an eye, a force seized it by the neck. Before it could process what was happening, its head was ripped clean from its shoulders.
"Be more aware of your surroundings next time," Renji said. The mage jumped in shock, only now noticing the assassin's corpse.
Renji dropped the lifeless head and wiped the blood from his gauntlets. He hated doing this after every fight, but it was necessary—dried blood could cause his equipment to rust. The more rusted his gear, the easier it broke. And on the pitiful pay from low-rank dungeons, replacing gear regularly was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Seeing that the goblins had all been cleared and the group had made decent progress into the dungeon, Saburo ordered a five-minute break. His experience told him that the boss wasn't far off, and he wanted the team at full strength.
The pause also gave the E-rank hunters—those too weak to fight—something to do, as they scraped a few mana stones from the surrounding cave walls.
Renji exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. So far, so good. His guess seemed right—it was probably just a tougher-than-average D-rank boss.
Saburo looked around. Almost everyone had recovered their stamina. He was just about to give the signal to move out when it hit him.
The mages—more sensitive to mana—felt it first: a crushing wave of energy that sent most of them to their knees, vomiting from the intensity.
The others stared in confusion, but their bewilderment didn't last long. Seconds later, the same overwhelming pressure washed over them.
Saburo could tell—the mana was coming from below. But what could be radiating such power?
Suddenly, he remembered. Years ago, he'd been part of a major guild and had entered an A-rank dungeon. The boss had been an Orc Warlord.
The first time he saw that creature, it had been terrifying. The pressure it gave off had made him tremble. That image still haunted his nightmares, even though the beast had been defeated by a combined assault of A-rank hunters and their S-rank guild leader.
But this pressure?
It made the Orc Warlord feel like a puppy in comparison. Whatever was beneath them now… was dozens of times stronger.
"We need an S-rank here, right no—!"
Before he could finish, the dungeon floor gave way.
Everyone plummeted into darkness.
Renji curled into a fetal position, arms wrapped around his head, relying on his enhanced body to survive the fall.
Nearly half the hunters—mostly mages and healers—were killed on impact or crushed by falling rubble. The survivors lay unconscious for a few moments.
Those who came to first… froze.
Renji shook his head, trying to stop the ringing in his ears and clear his blurred vision. Once he could see clearly, he looked around and froze like the others.
Before them stood one of the most infamous monsters in the world.
Just a single one of these beasts had once brought several nations' armies to their knees.
It was so massive that only its head was visible, the rest hidden in the shadows.
Its yellow, serpentine eyes scanned each hunter, as though appraising them.
The dragon let out a low growl and said something, though unsurprisingly, no one understood. No human could speak the monster tongue.
Saburo, thinking quickly, signaled everyone with a subtle hand motion behind his back: stay completely still.
He began inching backward with careful, measured steps. The rest of the group tried to mimic him.
Then the dragon lunged, and chaos exploded.
Two hunters didn't even realize what happened. One moment, they were trying to step back, and the next, they were in the dragon's jaws, crushed into paste.
A few seconds later, it surged forward again… and bit down once more.