Time flew by like clockwork. Everything felt like it was moving too fast, while I got mixed up with several tasks for the next few days—accompanying hunters, guild officials and preparing for the upcoming raid, giving me minimal time to go to Rachael’s shop unlike before.
I buried my hands inside the pockets of my coat, feeling the surroundings cold which encompassed London’s streets, making a cold shiver run down my spine.
My eyes slowly fled up toward the sky, the usual azure sky was currently laden with dark clouds which seem to add a sombre hue to the environment as snow fell down and blanketed the ground, spilled over everything around me, casting a shadow of dull white intensity over the borough.
I straightened my posture, aimlessly looking through the sky, my breath came out in the form of a sigh—the memories of just a few days ago continued to play inside my mind like a broken tape.
The moment madam Asteria had given Rachael the diary, Iris—her mother—had left her behind, I was fearful—whether the truth might break her.
I took in a breath and slowly released it—puffed out in uneven white clouds as I looked ahead at the moving crowd, my steps deliberately slow as I approached the main road.
Since that day, Rachael seem to carry some burden quietly. The truth didn’t just free her from being Maximus’s daughter, it gave her a new perspective over how she should move forward from hence forth.
I had given Rachael time—to understand these new discoveries, to accept this truth and being there for her when she needed me, without overwhelming her to take some drastic decision that she might regret later.
She had told me everything, every word that her mother had shared with her through that diary.
How her parents met. How they gradually feel in love, and when their love bore fruit—giving birth to her. How everything still burdened on her mother to leave her in this world without the care she deserved.
That day, when Rachael had called me, I had rushed to her without a care to anything.
I clenched my hand into a fist, remembering how she had wept in my arms, how the truth had hurt her more than being left ignorant all her life.
I wanted to do more, I wish I could do more for her. But...I couldn’t.
This was something she had to accept on her own. And, I would be there for her at any point of that, being a shield to protect her—someone she can lean on when things get to hard to bear on her own.
How she has been there for me...to help me accept the things I was doing wrong, by pushing the people around me away. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I had promised.
I continued my slow jog from the main street to the area where her shop was. Along the way, I heard several people murmuring a little to loud.
The talk of the town for the past few days had been the upcoming dungeon subjugation. It wasn’t hidden from the general public that the dungeon raid was going to happen and when exactly—the civilians had been evacuated from where the dungeon gate had appeared, and now that the raid was approaching, with the threat of an
Everything was at its final phase and it was just about when they wanted to give the order to commence the raid. That’s why I was stuck for the past few days, and now, I wanted to spend some time with Rachael before I went inside the dungeon.
But hopefully, with the team line-up looking pretty good this once, we might be able to clear this dungeon.
But, my mind, still occupied by the things which had happened a few days ago, made me carry this anxiety all over the place.
After a few minutes, I stood just outside the doors which led to the inside of the shop—Rachael’s sanctuary.
This place looked so peaceful from the outside, the lights inside illuminating the flowers, pots and the fragrance of the flower made a humid atmosphere.
And amongst all of those things, Rachael stood as the centre of it all. It wasn’t the shop’s warmth that pulled me toward it each time whenever I found myself stuck on something, it was her—Rachael’s—presence that always pulled me toward this place, where I knew I could rest without being subjected to any questions or expectations. I was free from it all here.
I could be myself here. Just myself, in her presence and she didn’t judge me for being a hunter, a pillar in the hunter society where I needed to prove myself to others.
I stood there for a while, just observing, just taking in the moment, the cold didn’t feel as cold when I looked at her, moving effortlessly through the shelves, taking care of each petal with such care that baffled me each time.
After a few minutes, I decided to enter azure blooms, the bell over the door chimed slowly, alerting her of my entry as her head bobbed in my direction, her azure eyes looking at me with such warmth that made my heart melt.
Without a word, Rachael walked toward me, her apron a bit soiled with dirt and water, and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug.
I felt heat rise from my neck on the gesture—thinking back on how far our relationship had now come.
I took my hands out of my coat’s pockets and took her fully in my embrace, her head resting gently against my chest as I felt her rhythmic breath matching mine.
She kept me in her embrace, and I went along.
After a moment, I spoke. “The shop’s warm enough.”
She bobbed her head up at me and gave me a wide smirk. “So what? I haven’t been able to spend as much time with you in the past few days, this isn’t even enough to compensate for that.”
I felt a smile stretch my lips as I brought my forehead to hers and made our lips touch each other.
Rachael’s eyes flew open by my sudden gesture as she loosened her grip around me and pulled away a little, her face in shock and hand brought up to hide her face.
My smile widened even more as I saw her sorry of an attempt to hide her embarrassed face behind her hand, cheeks burning red to her ears as I pulled her closer once again, my grip firm but gentle around her.
“Then, I think I’m due on a lot of time I lost without you.” I said, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
Rachael was almost all the time composed, playful and confident, so seeing this side of her made me realise just how cute she could be at times.
“So, what made you come by unannounced after so many days?” She asked, almost like teasing me, fighting through her embarrassment.
I firmed my grip around her, and she fell deeper into my embrace, Rachael commented on how cold my hands were as I answered. “Well, I missed you so much that I just wanted to take a breather for once.” I cupped her cheeks in my hands, she squeaked as my cold hands touched her skin. “You don’t like it now that I come unannounced after all this time.”
“No. I really wanted to see you to.” She spoke immediately, her face looked so honest that I almost chuckled.
And after she realized just how abruptly she had answered, her face flummoxed in embarrassment.
I finally let go of her and she turned, cupping her face in her hands, fidgeting to a pot nearby, observing the petals to distract herself in an attempt to compose herself, as I veered to the table nearby and took my coat off, feeling the warmth seep in.
The smile encompassing my face didn’t leave once. I felt truly happy right now, wanting to cherish every second with her.
I pulled the seat back and sat down, resting my elbows over the table, my right thumb and index finger grazing the edges of my round dimensional artifact resting on my left hand’s thumb.
My gaze once again went to Rachael, now tending to some hellebores sitting in a pot nearby, her hands gently touching their roots sticking out as she buried them in the soil and watered the pot.
I couldn’t help the smile widening on my lips, stretching wide enough that it reached my eyes.
At first I wasn’t that interested in flowers at all, I found their existence insignificant and meaningless. But now, I felt differently about them, like before I only saw them as bleak and uninteresting, but now, I saw their colour, recognised their scent, feeling their presence seep something bright and refreshing into my own mundane life.
And at the centre of it all was her. She had inexplicably become a part of my life I wasn’t ready for. But, I didn’t hate this change, in fact.
And, Rachael had diligently taught me the language of the flowers with each visit I had made.
At first it was hard for me to even remember their names properly, but she taught me the trick to it. Like every human being had a distinct personality, voice, shape; flowers were similar in that aspect.
Each on had something different about them, their names, shapes, colours or even scent, everyone represented different aspects which made them peculiar.
But now, I was getting better at remembering what each flower represented, and the meaning hidden in their petals.
Rachael, after taking care of the hellebores, went to take care of a pot in which a pair grew—linnaea borealis—, a flower which was as delicate as its name suggested.
If I remembered correctly, it symbolised humility, resilience, and quiet beauty, much like the person taking care of them.
“Ehem,” Rachael coughed once, her hand fisted and brought close to her mouth. She gave me a sideways glance and spoke. “You’re staring too much.” A smile following right after her words.
My heart melted at that moment, my chin rested over my palm as I exhaled slowly. “Does it bother you?” I asked, a teasing edge laced on my words. “It’s just the way you look when you take care of the flowers makes it such a mesmerising scene. I can’t take my eyes off you.”
She inclined her head in good humour, her cheeks taking a brighter tone. “How can you say something so embarrassing so openly. Gosh, I didn’t know you were so romantic. How many girls did you use this line on?”
I chuckled, a genuine smile palpable over my face as I gave her a wry look. “If I said you’re the first, would you believe me?”
She straightened, wiping her fingers clean off of the apron, taking a striding step in my direction and taking a seat opposite me. “Well, I have no choice but to believe you, don’t I?” Her lips pressed into a teasing smirk, taking my hand in hers. “And, the way you were, all gloomy and Mr. Nonchalant, I don’t think any girls would have approached you in the first place.” Her laughter rang inside the shop, filling the empty space with warmth.
I made an almost offended expression, looking at her with my eyes squinted. “Doesn’t matter, even if they did I would have rejected them. Because, I only have eyes for you.”
And there it was, her embarrassed face. She had the upper hand just a moment ago, but ultimately she was also at a loss for words in the end.
But somehow, my heart felt like it had finally found the place it belonged to.
And these were my real feelings. I didn’t want to betray myself or the others anymore. So, I had promised myself I’ll continue to walk this path without any regrets.
Before she could bolt again from her seat, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, I held her hand firmly, keeping my grip gentle as I finally withdrew something from my dimensional artifact.
Rachael gave it a look, curiosity slowly taking over the embarrassment from earlier.
I laid the small box down and opened it with a hesitant expression. I didn’t know if she would like it or not, but I wasn’t one to pick gifts for other.
Just as I opened the jewellery box, an emerald necklace revealed itself, the light from the inside of the shop reflecting on its clean surface.
Rachael gave it a glance, her eyes were locked on the gem and the first word to come out of her mouth was: “Pretty”.
I swallowed hard, feeling a weight finally released from my shoulders as I pushed the box closer to her and urged her to take it.
Rachael hesitated for a moment, her eyes veered to mine and she could probably tell how nervous I was in this moment. My brows were probably knitted, but I couldn’t tell what kind of expression I had on my face.
“I’m not really good when gifts,” I said, voice low. “I just…wanted to give you something that mattered.”
I held out the necklace for her, the silver chain felt cold to the touch. “If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back.”
Rachael shook her head slowly, her fingers gently touching the gem. “No, it’s beautiful…” she paused for a quick second, her eyes admiring the jewellery. “And it reminds me of you.”
Rachael’s smile turned softer and quiet.
“I like it,” she whispered. “Because it’s yours. It reminds me of your eyes. It’s like having a part of you.”
I felt my chest burn, looking at the gentle expression over her face. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe, feeling warmth climb up my neck to my cheeks.
I hadn’t brought this necklace with that meaning in mind, it just felt like this piece of jewellery would look good on her.
Without another word, she took the chain from my hand, brought the necklace closer to her neck and connected both ends.
“Thank you, Shun.” That’s all she said, but I couldn’t help but smile like a fool.
She looked beautiful. It wasn’t just the necklace. Her long locks, her eyes, everything about her. I was barely able to hold myself back from taking her into my arms and refusing to let her go.
After a moment passed, allowing both of us to breathe, Rachael looked at me, as if she had remembered something important.
“Ah, I almost forgot. Auntie Asteria got us a reservation at Lumière.” She said, the enthusiasm in her voice infectious.
She interlocked her fingers together, elbows resting on the table as I turned all my attention at her.
“She has a friend there and she made a reservation.” She continued, a knowing look palpable over her face. “After everything that happened, she said she never got the chance to congratulate us properly.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
A slight blush brushed her cheeks, her interlocked fingers brought close to her face, a little hesitant as she spoke. “If you want...” another pause, “do you...want to go on a date?”
I was at a loss for words. It was unexpected, but it wasn’t something I wasn’t planning for the coming days.
I wanted to be the one to ask her on a date, but she beat me to it. I brought my hand to my mouth, her smile had already infected me, to the point that I couldn’t stop myself.
“Of course,” I replied back, my voice lively.
Her eyes gleamed in excitement as she smiled silently, her expression so blissful that it pulled at my heart’s strings. I couldn’t help but bring my hand forward, my fingers gently touching her cheek.
But just then, my phone buzzed inside my coat’s pocket. I fetched it from my coat and saw the message delivered to me.
My brows knitted in panic, the words I read etched into my mind like a blade moving too cleanly, leaving me in a cold sweat. My brows furrowed further, and Rachael noticed my change in expression immediately.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, her eyes displayed a tinge of panic which was barely held back, but my eyes were glued to the screen.
The emergency notification labelling the message, the dungeon subjugation date had been moved suddenly to tomorrow—no...this development wasn’t a coincidence.
Somewhere inside my mind, I already knew this could probably happen, and now the worst case scenario had happened.
The words Gabriel had said to me back when he had visited the guild repeated inside my head. And even before, when I had went to inspect the dungeon gate with the guild executives and other hunters, I could already feel it in the air, the dungeon gate was evolving, the mana around it was in turmoil, and now, it had surpassed the initial threshold and was on the verge of becoming a
This was bad. Because, the chances of an
We needed to move, and move fast. With the way things are, we might even need help from outside guilds, now that the danger level had exceeded the initial expectations.
“Shun?” Rachael asked again, her words filled with panic and concern.
I tried to mask the trepidation over my face, taking a breath to compose myself. I looked back at Rachael and spoke.
“The date of the dungeon subjugation was moved to tomorrow.” My voice came out slow and calm, trying not to worry her more than she needed to be. “The guild is requesting every hunter to return immediately.”
Rachael looked distressed on the surface, her eyes squinted by the slightest, her expression masking something she didn’t wanted to put into words.
I grabbed her hand, holding it gently but firmly, reassuring her through the touch that everything was going to be fine, even when I wasn’t sure myself.
I touched her cheek again, giving her a soft smile, and she melted into my touch, gently rubbing her cheek against my palm.
“Everything’s going to alright. All of this was bound to happen, everything is just happening a few days earlier, but it’s fine. “ I spoke kind words to her, and I could clearly see it in her eyes, my words barely assured her, knowing that I wasn’t sure myself.
I pinched her cheek gently, getting a light squeak out of her as I chuckled and spoke. “Don’t worry. I will come back as soon as possible and then, let’s go on that date.”
She held my hand caressing her cheek, the warmth of her hand, the care and love perfectly conveyed through her touch, humming a yes under her breath.
I smiled in that moment, feeling less anxious about the sudden mountain dropped over me.
“You better come back. Or I’ll be mad. You promised.” She said, finally a thin smile graced her lips and I nodded.
“I promise.”
***
The next day arrived like a thief, stealing away all the comfort and rest from me. Right after my conversation with Rachael, I had rushed to the Dexus guild, protocol was invoked. Every hunter arrived as fast as they could after the message had been sent to them.
Since yesterday, all of us were busy with strategic meetings—how the subjugation would carry on, clearly filling everyone on their individual roles and team based matchmaking—how the strike squads on the frontline needed to move with the rest following in their trail.
But, despite all the preparations and precautions we had prepared, I felt uncertain, unsure, yet somewhere in my heart, I had already come to a decision. It lingered in the shadows of my doubts that I couldn’t shake off no matter how much I tried.
Maybe it was my nature as a hunter to doubt everything. Because, anything could happen. No matter how much we prepared, a dungeon always threw something unexpected at us.
I looked around the ruins of the once bustling city that it used to be. Hunters were gathered here, filling the streets like an army ready to advance at any moment.
The conditions of the buildings had worsened over the course of a few days. The mould and rust on the houses and objects made this place look like a scene right out of an apocalypse.
A few pace away from me stood Zhao Wenkai, the Chinese
He took a step closer to me, his stride determined and cool. His hair hung loose against his back, but his eyes were fixed on the dungeon gate crackling just up ahead.
“Standing this close to the gate is literally giving me chills.” He said, humour laced into his tone. He sounded carefree, but his demeanour said something else. “Are you ready, Shun?”
I turned my head in his direction, my gaze moving from him to the gate up ahead. I breathed heavily, the air thick with the writhing mana around us.
“I could ask you the same question.” I repeated his question back at him, earning a smile from him.
He crossed his arms, eyes squinting with a playful look. “Honestly...I would like to go back home right this moment and slack away, but, somethings take priority.” Wenkai gave a quiet, almost imperceptible exhale—something between a sigh and a chuckle.
I gave him a smirk and he returned it, we both stayed silent, listening to the executives barking orders around, the hunters preparing their weapons and necessary items for this expedition.
Amongst the crowd, I recognised two hunters who had left an impression over me. Youssef and Anya.
They both helped others with their preparations and assuring the weaker hunters. They were placed in the frontline strike squad alongside with me and Wenkai, so, we will be the first ones to enter the dungeon gate.
“Hey, Shun,” Wenkai called, breaking the silence.
I looked at him, giving him a side glance. “What?”
He adjusted the gloves over his hand, fastening the strap tighter. “After this is over, why don’t you visit the Zhao clan in China. I’m not trying to recruit you, but, just inviting you as a fellow colleague and friend.”
I raised a brow, clearly amused by his proposition. “That’s a story of when we clear the gate.” My lips pulled just enough to show him a genuine smile, and his reaction was really amusing to look at. “And, I wouldn’t mind visiting. I hear the Chinese serve some good liquor.”
His brows rose faster anything I had seen. He looked at me with a funny expression. “Then we better clear this dungeon quickly, so I can serve you some of the best liquor we have at the Zhao clan.” Wenkai gave me an approving nod.
I huffed out a dry laugh, giving him a knowing look. “You better hold your liquor well. I don’t get drunk from a few bottles alone. I wouldn’t want to empty your inventory.”
“Of course. But, are you sure? We have elixirs strong enough to even knock out
I shared his expression, Wenkai who was clearly amused brought his hand forward, closed into a fist. I exhaled slowly, striking fists with him as he stepped away and went back to his assigned group.
For the time being, I stood alone, looking at the executives being questioned by several reporters present on the scene, throwing a barrage of curiosities at the hunters, while the executives tried their best to control the crowd.
After a few minutes, I saw someone approaching in my direction.
Gabriel strode closer in my direction, his eyes still as condescending as ever and for someone reason I wanted to give him a good old punch to his guts.
But I don’t think I was strong enough to do so. Despite how he was, both arrogant and a loudmouth, did I mention arrogant? He was the reason I was relieved to a certain point.
He was the only
“Hey kid,” He said, his voice still as arrogant as were, but hearing it made the weight over my chest ease. “You look like shit. No, let me rephrase that, you look a little less like shit now.”
I rolled my eyes which he clearly noticed, giving me a playful smirk. “So, did your negotiations with Alger work out in the end? You must have pressured him after the dungeon wavelength changed a few day after.”
His smirk widened into something mischievous, and for god sake, I wanted to really punch right now for how insufferable he was.
“Of course. Got him to give me twenty-five percent of all the spoils collected from the dungeon subjugation.” Seriously, he wasn’t any better than a crook who was stealing someone in broad daylight.
But, getting a quarter shares of all the spoils that will be retrieved from the dungeon raid was something that wasn’t easily given. With the different guilds and organizations involved in this dungeon subjugation, Dexus had to divide the spoils as equally as possible to seem fair, because this had now turned into something bigger than Alger had expected.
Plus, the
But, this guy alone had robbed Dexus enough. But, undoubtedly, even this amount wasn’t enough for someone of this stature and prestige.
Because, Gabriel Katz wasn’t someone simple, he was a man sought after by every organization in the world, so him demanding this was as easy as a walk in the park.
Plus, being a
I sighed, knowing Gabriel and how he was, but I already knew he wouldn’t be satisfied just yet.
I raised a brow, knowing that wasn’t all he was getting out of this. “You wouldn’t let him go that easily would you?” A smirk followed, accompanied with a knowing look.
“Of course, who do you think I am,” he scoffed. “Money’s boring when you already have enough of it. I took priority claim over anything the dungeon yields—and partial ownership of the gate itself once the raid is successful. Alger didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t afford to.”
“So, basically you’re a thief who exploits people however he likes.” I jabbed, and Gabriel’s expression turned cold for a second before he shrugged.
“Shun, you looking for a beating?” He said, mana crackling between his fingers as I saw a vein protrude over his forehead. “Ehem,” he coughed dryly. “Anyway, are you done with your preparations?” He asked, tone levelled as his gaze scrutinized me for a moment.
I nodded, empowering mana into my dimensional artifact and feeling the items inside. Everything was ready.
“Yeah. I am ready.” I replied back.
Just then, Gabriel took something out his dimensional artifact and threw it in my direction. I caught it effortlessly in a single sweep, and looked at the flask resting in my palm.
He gave me a serious look, his hardened eyes softened for just a moment, something he seldom did. “This is the highest grade potion I could find on the market. Use it well.”
I kept looking at the potion, my gaze swiftly shifting between the flask and Gabriel so fast that even he was surprised.
“What?” He asked, almost offended.
“No. It’s just that...” I didn’t know what kind of expression I was making, but, I think it was close to bewilderment. “Never mind. Thanks for the potion.” I think if I pushed him any further he might really hit me.
He huffed a breath and gave me nod. “Where’s Alger anyway?” I suddenly asked.
Upon my question, Gabriel pointed ahead, and there I saw the guild master of the Dexus guild. He was draped in blue armour from his shoulders to his feet—it complemented him like a second skin, accentuating his physique.
But, he looked rugged. His beard seemed a little unkempt, maybe the past few days hadn’t been kind to him. Being the leader of an organisation did bring its inherited challenges.
He was surrounded by hunters around him, but the reporter trying to tear their way forward looked more like savages than normal civilians.
My gaze went to a few individuals close to the barricades separating the dungeon gate from the others—feeling their mana signatures even from this distance.
They were individuals whose mana was recognizable even from a distance. One of the few strongest hunters present.
I recognised one of them, Amanda Waston. Her auburn hair tied neatly into a ponytail, wearing a protective suit which had vein like tiny lines marked on its surface which upon receiving damage activated the safety mechanism of conjuring a barrier around the wearer.
She was an
But the other two that were close by, I didn’t recognise. I pointed at the two and Gabriel gave me an answer right away.
He first told me about the woman with brunette hair.
Her long brunette hair shimmered under the light, soft waves cascading down her back with a few loose strands framing her face. It wasn’t overly styled, just natural and effortless, but there was a certain charm to how it caught the light, like threads of gold were hidden among the brown.
Her hazel eyes were something else entirely—sharp, like she could see right through you, but warm enough to make you feel like you weren’t being judged. They reminded me of sunlight filtering through autumn leaves, shifting between brown and green, depending on how she tilted her head.
“The woman on the left is Kathlyn Evrynn.” Gabriel acknowledged. “She is ranked 72nd in the world union
rankings and she is a hunter from the Icarion guild.” Gabriel paused, his voice sounded disinterested talking about the hunters I had pointed at. “She is quite fierce in battle, a dual elemental augmenter just like you—she is closer to a mage than a swordswoman. I heard the guild master of Icarion, Mikhail, personally sent her.”
I nodded along as his gaze shifted from Kathlyn and then went to a lanky tall man standing beside Amanda.
His black hair, streaked with white, hung messily around his face, strands falling over tired grey eyes that stared blankly into the distance. Those eyes—half-lidded and glassy—were the kind that screamed, I’ve had enough of everything.
He was tall, probably six foot three, but his slight hunch made him seem smaller, like he was trying to fold in on himself to avoid existing entirely. His skin was so pale it almost glowed under the sunlight, the kind of white that made alabaster look tanned. The dark circles under his eyes were deep enough to make me wonder if he’d ever slept in his entire life.
“That’s Alaric Solvain. His codename is Hawkeye, the 41st ranked Hunter.” Gabriel shifted his weight from one leg to the other, crossing his arms, a playful smirk—or if you could call it that—on his face now. “He is someone working with the World Union as an executive—quite well known by many organisations across the world. And he seems to have close ties with Mikhail Crane and the Icarion guild members.”
I nodded along to his each words, my arms crossed, my hand found its way to my chin in thought.
“What do you think are our chances of clearing this gate, Gabriel?” I said, my tone slightly ominous. “With this many high-ranking hunters and teams?”
Gabriel fell into deep contemplation, humming slightly as he looked at each hunter present, eyes moving like a hawk, then they came to rest on me.
“I can’t say anything for sure right now, but with the way this dungeon is looking...” he trailed off, a pausing touching his lips. “There is a chance of failure even with these numbers on hand.” His expression became grim for a split-second.
But just then, he smacked my back and with an infectious smirk spoke. “Don’t worry about that kind of thing. I’m with you this time around. Just by me being here, your chances of success are looking good.”
I rolled my eyes, returning his smirk as we shared a short knowing look.
Despite everything pressing on me right now, having Gabriel here was truly helping my nerves.
After a few minutes of silence, Gabriel and I turned and saw Alger approaching the front of the dungeon gate.
Every hunter gave him way, forming a barricade around, separating the hunters from the reporters and executives.
Alger stood as the forefront, looked composed on the outside, calm and everything a good leader should look like before plunging into a harsh battle.
But even from this distance, I could see the slightest twitch of his lips, barely showing his nervousness.
Alger turned to face the hunters, the cameras and their heavy flashes shuttering like gunfire.
“I wouldn’t make this a big speech. Just...” he paused, looking around the masses. “Come back alive.”
That’s all he said and some gave him a nervous look, some smiled, some showing a grimace.
I inhaled, and for a second my eyes seemed to lock with Alger’s. Despite how pragmatic he seemed to be, his track record for taking care of his hunters was actually pretty good. And his eyes seemed nervous and excited at the same time.
Gabriel gave me a pat, indicating to approach as it was time. Both of us were in the first strike squad—while Gabriel and I both were going solo, we were supposed to collaborate with the teams in the strike squads.
As we approached the dungeon gate, the cameras turned in our direction. I had to close my eyes for a moment to adjust to the rapid flash.
Gabriel and I moved with measured steps, our stride not to fast nor slow.
The crowd of reporter seems to recognise us in an instant. Questions were thrown in the air like grenades.
“—Mr. Gabriel Katz, what is the probability of success for this
Another one came like live-ammunition being fired.
“—is it true as per the information shared with the public, that this dungeon has a high chance of evolving?”
The executives tried their best to stop the reporter from rushing in our direction.
“—hunter Shun, executives claim this dungeon is ‘manageable.’ Do you agree with that assessment?”
“—several analysts called the Singapore clear ‘reckless but effective.’ Do you agree with that assessment?”
The moment they brought up Singapore, my jaw tightened before I could stop it.
I felt it first in my chest—sharp, familiar. Like someone pressing a thumb into an old bruise and pretending it was an accident. The flashes didn’t help. Neither did the way their voices sharpened, like they’d finally found something worth digging into.
Singapore.
Percy’s face flickered in my mind, just for a second. That was all it took. Even now, the taste of his death, and my failure, it didn’t sit right with me.
I didn’t answer. I didn’t look at them either. My eyes stayed forward, but I knew my expression had shifted. I could feel it—my mouth pulling into a grim line, my breath slowing too much.
Then Gabriel moved.
I didn’t even have time to turn my head before the air changed.
It wasn’t violent at first. Just a subtle pressure, like the world leaning inward. His gravity magic threaded itself through the space, precise and quiet. At the same time, I felt the shift in mana—his wavelength sliding out of harmony, brushing against the electronics clustered in front of us.
The cameras imploded.
Not exploded—collapsed.
Metal groaned. Glass folded in on itself with a muted crunch. Lenses shattered inward, flashes dying mid-burst. One by one, the tools in their hands turned into useless wreckage, sparks coughing out and fading.
The shouting stopped.
For a heartbeat, there was only silence and the faint hum of mana settling back into place.
Gabriel’s hand landed on my shoulder, light but deliberate.
“Careful,” he said casually, like he’d just swatted a fly. “Some topics aren’t for public consumption.”
I exhaled slowly, the tension loosening its grip.
…Yeah.
I was glad he was here.
The reporter stepped back, fearful for their lives, as Gabriel and I finally reached the gate.
Alger gave us a nod, and from the side, I saw Amanda wave a greeting at me. I returned it back as I saw hunters moving and entering the dungeon gate now.
“Let’s go, kid.” Gabriel said, as I followed him and entered the gate right beside him.
The moment we crossed the threshold, the air changed.
We were lunged through space, the space constricted and then expanded so rapidly that I felt like I needed to hold my breath.
My nerves felt like they could explode under the pressure. I heard noises, heavy, grunting, slow and then there was nothing. The space went silent, so quiet that I could even hear the beating of my heart pounding in my ears like a drum.
The world around me seem to burst into colour. Red, yellow, green, blues and then crimson and then with a shift everything dissolved and all of them appeared once again with a pulse of iridescent wrapped around them. Everything happened so rapidly that I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. The colours appeared like tiny motes, like fireflies that appeared too alive and complex to be understood.
But before anything could change, the world shifted, the space opened and closed again, as if compelling me to something.
And I was jerked through space, my body free falling one second and then crashing on to solid ground the next.
My insides seethed from the vertigo of the shift as I pushed my body up, my knees weak, my mind still reeling on the things I had just witnessed a few seconds ago as I turned my attention to the inside of the dungeon.