Monster Cores were the only loot monsters dropped inside a Dungeon.
Miraculously, they weren't hard to find — once a monster was slain, the core would emit a mana wave, glowing with a soft bioluminescence.
The glow was always bright enough to guide the slayer straight to the spot where it was lodged in the carcass.
But cores weren't the only treasures inside a Dungeon. The Dungeon hid plenty more.
The monster carcasses which have a variety of uses, and the huge mana crystals, those glowing stones that lit up cave systems like eerie lanterns.
All of it belonged to the government by law, unless a private Awakened Guild had purchased the Dungeon rights outright. In that case, every spoil was theirs alone.
As Rain stepped out of the cab, he sifted through the memories this body carried about Dungeons.
After all, he was about to enter into one for the first time — at least, for him.
His mind flickered back to half-formed images and facts he didn't remember living himself.
Rain felt a little bit nervous despite his best efforts in leveling up.
Ahead, he spotted a group of people he recognized gathered sparsely near an abandoned construction site, half-built towers jutting into the sky like broken teeth.
Maybe the Gate had forced the site workers to flee. Rain frowned as he scanned the vicinity.
An E-rank Gate was enough reason for them to drop everything, those mana waves alone could knock an ordinary man unconscious.
"Oh, Rain, it's been a while."
A man in his early thirties turned back from the group of men.
His voice was calm but his eyes narrowed, taking in the sight of Rain.
One by one, the others turned too, sizing Rain up like he was some new exhibit.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Liu."
Rain rubbed the back of his head, forcing a crooked smile.
He could tell what they were thinking. The change in his body was too obvious to hide.
At the last raid, he was just a frail-looking guy, now he had developed muscles, how many days had it even been for such noticeable changes to have taken place?
Mr. Liu turned to the others, his puzzled expression begging for confirmation.
One of them stepped forward and clapped Rain's shoulder.
His hand lingered a moment, he pressed his fingers on Rain's muscle like he didn't trust his eyes.
"So you have been working out," Mr. Wei barked out a laugh, clearly fake, before patting my shoulder again like he owned it.
Rain felt like brushing the hands off but he thought about the original body attitude, he was like a meek lamb, so he just returned the gesture with an awkward grin.
"That's good to see. Maybe you won't drag anyone back this time, huh?"
"Mr. Wei, that's unfair. It's not like Rain ever dragged anyone back. Don't you remember how he used to hide behind Rouxin?"
Mr. Wei's mouth made an exaggerated O. He stifled a chuckle, his lips twitched under the resistance.
"Right, right. Maybe I should tell my boy to hit the gym too."
Mr. Park, who'd been silent, finally spoke up, voice dripping with pride. Perhaps it was due to Rain's heightened sense, he could sense the hint of envy under it too.
"You mean your son who just got ranked C?"
"Yeah, he awakened as a tank. Smart idea, don't you think? A tank needs to have a muscular build"
Mr Park smiled satisfactorily, If one were to describe this smile, then it resembled one shown after a show off, the hopeless geezer was really having his best moment.
Anger flared up within Rain at once. But again, the thought of the C-rank Gate he saw slipped into his mind.
Compared to a C-rank Awakener, he was still nobody. For now.
"Mr. Park, you sound like a kid bragging about his toy," Mr. Liu scoffed. Mr. Park just gazed sideways and scratched his head, pretending innocence.
"Even my boy's started showing mana aptitude."
That shut the others up for a second.
Mr Park who seemed to be looking at another side quickly turned his head back to the group, his expression completely surprised.
"You're saying little Fang already developed mana veins?! He's three, isn't he?!"
Mr. Park's eyes went wide, he was quite surprised at what his friend had just revealed.
Mr. Liu quickly shushed him, like he hadn't planned to drop that bomb himself.
"Tsk." Rain clicked his tongue and stepped past the group. Impressive or not, the way they flaunted it made his skin crawl.
According to experts, humans developed veins called mana veins in their teenage years, which attune them to different magical affinities, for a child to have mana aptitude at such an age, it means they had develop mana veins.
"So much for not showing off, huh, Mr. Liu?" Mr. Wei laughed, elbowing him.
"I'm counting on you today, Let's hope this Dungeon is generous — I need some nice gifts for my boy."
"Damn old geezers,"
But Rain couldn't really blame them. It was this body's old self that made him an easy target. Weakness leaves a mark that's hard to scrub off.
He ignored them and walked over to Rouxin. She was standing next to Feng.
The guy was the E-rank tank class awakener of the team and didn't participate in much talk in the group.
Just like him, Feng was dressed in casual clothing, unbelievable for a tank who was just about to enter a dungeon. With headset on, he focused on his phone.
But then Rain remembered, he could create a magic shield, and with his Taunt skill, he made up for a good tank in the group.
Feng didn't talk much, he was all about earning and leaving, Rain gave him a look before turning to Rouxin.
When Rain looked his way, Feng lifted his eyes just enough to flick over him.
A smirk curled his lips, then he dropped his gaze back to his phone.
Rain jaw twitched, but he forced himself to breathe it out.
"Rouxin. Why haven't we started yet? I thought the Dungeon was unstable."
She jolted, cheeks flushing pink, probably still rattled by those idiots dragging up old memories of Rain clinging to her shadow.
"U-um… the Monitor Team isn't here yet."
That was enough of an answer.
To enter a dungeon, the raid team must sign in, and this action was overseen by the monitoring team from Awakened League.
This team would also stand by until the raid was completed and the Gate closed to sign the members out and record any casualties.
Rouxin refused to meet Rain's eyes. Her long lashes brushed her cheeks as she stared at the ground.
Her blond hair spilled down her shoulder like a sheet of silk.
Rain chuckled inwardly, How many times had he interacted socially with girls?
Always engrossed with work and trying to get promoted until he died of overwork.
If it hadn't been for this situation, he wouldn't have had a chance to meet this beauty.
"It seems they're here," Feng said, glancing up at the distant hum of an engine.
Everyone turned as a car rolled into the site and parked near the rusted scaffolding.
The doors opened, and a few men in crisp black suits and shades stepped out.
Rain breathed in and out and thought in his mind.
Time to see if the new me would drag anyone back — or leave them behind.