Shadow and Leon made their way toward the massive board stationed at the center of the guild hall. It was surrounded by a dense crowd of hunters—some scanning quests, others forming groups, their voices overlapping into a constant hum of deals and negotiations.
The moment the two stepped into the area, a subtle shift passed through the crowd.
A few heads turned.
Then more.
It didn't take long before several hunters began approaching them.
"Hey, you two—looking for quests?" a man in his twenties called out as he made his way toward them.
"Yes," Shadow replied.
"Perfect. Our group's about to head into a dungeon. We needed one more, but if both of you join, even better," the man said with a grin.
Shadow glanced at Leon briefly.
Convenient.
A little too convenient.
"We're both F-rank mages," Shadow said, his tone casual but sharp. "So unless your plan is to have us scare whatever's inside with good looks, you might want to explain the details."
A couple of nearby hunters snorted.
Leon didn't react—but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
The man laughed awkwardly. "Nothing complicated. We're seven right now—add you, makes nine. F-rank dungeon."
Shadow tilted his head slightly. "Nine people for an F-rank dungeon?"
A pause.
"…What, you expecting it to fight back intelligently?"
This time, even Leon let out a quiet breath that almost passed for a laugh.
The man scratched his cheek. "Just being careful."
"Careful is good," Shadow said. "Overkill is better. As long as no one trips over each other."
Leon added calmly, "Or overestimates themselves."
Shadow glanced sideways at him. "That sounds like experience talking."
Leon shrugged. "Observation."
Shadow let out a faint breath. "Sure."
"Alright," he added, looking back at the man. "We're in."
"Good choice," the man said quickly. "I'm Mike, by the way. E-rank knight. Come on, I'll introduce you."
He led them through the crowd to a group waiting off to the side.
"This is everyone—two mages, a healer, a scout, an assassin, and another knight," Mike said.
Before anything else, a tall, lean guy with messy brown hair raised a hand lazily.
"Scout," he said. "I walk ahead and hope I don't die first."
Shadow looked at him for a second.
"…Bold strategy," he said. "Let me know how dying goes."
A few of them laughed.
The assassin—a woman with sharp eyes—smirked. "If he dies, it just means the trap worked."
"See?" the scout added. "Teamwork."
Shadow nodded slowly. "I like this team already. Everyone's very honest about their chances."
Leon spoke beside him, voice calm. "It saves time."
"I'm Leon. This is Shadow," he added simply. "Both F-rank mages."
"Another mage?" one of them groaned. "Great, more people hiding in the back."
Shadow raised a brow. "Relax. I don't hide."
A brief pause.
"I just don't miss."
That line landed.
Even the complaining mage shut up.
Leon glanced at him. "…That sounded confident."
"It wasn't," Shadow replied. "It was accurate."
A small chuckle spread through the group.
Then—
"Hi."
A softer voice cut through.
Shadow turned his gaze toward the speaker.
A girl stepped slightly forward. She looked to be around the same age as Shadow and Leon, her expression gentle and open.
"I'm Lara, the healer," she said. "So try not to die, okay?"
Shadow studied her for a moment.
Then spoke.
"I'll try," he said. "But if things go wrong, I'll make sure to look like I fought bravely."
She blinked—then laughed.
"That's not very reassuring."
"It's honest," Shadow replied.
Leon added quietly, "That's the theme of this team."
More laughter.
The girl smiled again, clearly more at ease now. "Then I'll make sure you don't die before I get the chance to complain about you."
Shadow gave a faint smirk. "Looking forward to it."
His gaze shifted away first.
Leon watched that for half a second—then said nothing.
Shadow's attention moved back to the group.
Positions.
Spacing.
Behavior.
'Nine people for an F-rank dungeon…'
His eyes briefly flickered toward Mike this time.
Then the rest.
'…We'll see.'
A faint smirk appeared.
'If they keep up.'
After a brief discussion, the group decided to proceed with the dungeon raid.
They left the guild hall and moved toward a restricted section behind it, where only registered hunters were allowed to enter. Unlike the busy main hall, this area was quiet, heavily guarded, and lined with engraved stone platforms.
In the center of the chamber stood a large circular array built into the floor.
Runes were carved in precise layers across its surface, glowing faintly with controlled mana.
"This is the transfer gate," Mike said as they approached.
Shadow glanced down at it. "So this is how you send people to dungeons."
Leon nodded slightly. "Spatial transfer array. It connects to pre-marked dungeon coordinates."
Shadow looked at him. "You sound way too comfortable explaining something that bends space."
Leon replied flatly, "Reading helps."
Shadow nodded. "Noted. I'll avoid it."
A few of the nearby hunters chuckled.
Mike stepped onto the edge of the array. "Guild-controlled teleportation system. Since dungeons can appear anywhere in the world, the guild marks their locations and anchors them with spatial coordinates."
He pointed toward the glowing lines. "This lets us send teams directly to the dungeon gate without travel."
The scout stretched his arms. "So basically—step here, skip the journey, maybe skip dying on the road too."
"That's one way to put it," Mike said.
The healer looked down at the array. "The mana flow is stable… but it feels dense."
"The larger or more dangerous the dungeon, the stronger the anchor resonance," Mike explained. "You'll feel it more once we arrive."
Shadow stepped closer, observing the glowing structure.
"…So we're just trusting glowing floor magic to not scatter us across space," he said.
The assassin smirked. "If it does, you won't have to worry about the dungeon anyway."
"Comforting," Leon said deadpan.
Shadow glanced at the array again. "I've seen worse plans."
Mike raised his hand. "Alright. Everyone stand on the circle. We go in sequence."
The group stepped onto the array, forming a loose formation.
Shadow stood slightly to the side, arms relaxed, eyes half-lidded as he studied everything.
Leon stood beside him.
"Any last thoughts?" Leon asked.
Shadow thought for a second.
"If this breaks," he said, "I'm blaming the floor."
Leon nodded. "Fair."
The healer gave them a small glance. "Try not to get separated."
Shadow looked at her. "That sounds like something that becomes a problem immediately."
She blinked.
Then smiled slightly. "Then don't let it."
A short pause.
Shadow didn't answer.
Mike exhaled. "Alright. Transfer starting."
He placed his hand forward.
Mana erupted through the runes.
The entire array lit up instantly, lines of light spreading outward in a perfect circle.
The air distorted.
Space bent.
The world began to dissolve into brightness.
The scout muttered, "Here we go again…"
The assassin cracked her neck. "Try not to scream."
Leon looked forward. "That's statistically unlikely."
Shadow added quietly, "Depends on what's on the other side."
The light swallowed everything.
And then—
Silence.