Chapter 73: Enter dungeon

’It appeared so close to our house.’

After leaving Blue Mountain, it had taken Kai barely five minutes to reach the dungeon site. Once again, it reminded him just wherever these dungeons could appear.

As he approached, he saw disaster management personnel barricading the area, even though there were no reporters or civilians anywhere nearby.

Well, this was only a low-ranked dungeon. There was little reason for the media to take an interest.

A group of people stood nearby, and their outfits alone were enough for Kai to recognize them as hunters.

He pulled out his phone and called the number Adam had given him.

A moment later, Kai noticed a short, bespectacled man pull out his own phone. He glanced at the screen before looking around.

Kai raised a hand to signal that he was the person he was looking for.

The man immediately spotted him, nodded, and lifted the barricade tape so he could approach.

He extended his hand.

"Myself, Steve. And you must be Kai."

Kai nodded and shook his hand.

"Have you been on a raid before?" Steve asked.

Kai nodded again. "But never as a hunter."

"I was told you wouldn’t be participating as a hunter today either." Steve paused, looking slightly uneasy, as though he was worried Kai might take offense. "The next best position I could think of was porter."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"You see, this group of low-ranked hunters couldn’t afford an assistant, nor did they see much use in bringing a medic along for this particular raid."

Kai nodded in understanding.

He had not expected much more than this in the first place.

His gaze shifted toward the group of five hunters waiting nearby.

"Are they not a little short on numbers? I thought raids usually had seven members."

The minimum number required for a raid was five, but every raid Kai had heard about or witnessed had involved at least seven hunters.

"Well, low-ranked dungeons have been appearing all across the city these days," Steve explained. "It’s the same in other cities too. Some of the higher-ranked hunters have even started clearing low-level dungeons themselves to prevent an outbreak."

Kai hummed thoughtfully.

So this had started only recently.

And judging by the number of dungeons appearing, it seemed the situation was becoming more widespread than he had initially realized.

"Alright, then. Let’s head over to them, and I’ll introduce you."

Kai silently followed Steve toward the group.

"He’s finally here. Tch, talk about being punctual."

The tallest man in the group rose to his feet and glanced at Kai with an unimpressed expression.

"Let’s get going, folks. The laborer’s arrived."

Steve immediately panicked.

"No, wait. Let me explain..."

"It’s okay, Steve."

Kai placed an assuring hand on his shoulder.

Steve looked troubled. He knew that if Adam had personally recommended someone, there was a good chance they were more capable than an ordinary hunter. Yet Kai’s calm expression made it clear that he had no intention of taking offense at the man’s attitude.

Steve reluctantly fell silent.

Kai stepped through the barricaded area.

Before he could say anything, a heavy bag was suddenly tossed toward him.

Thunk.

He caught it with both hands.

The weight surprised him. It had to be at least fifty kilograms.

"Don’t drop anything from that," another hunter warned. A spear was strapped across his back. "Our tools and medical supplies are in there."

Kai nodded.

He swung the bag over his shoulders with ease.

The hunter’s expression shifted slightly at the sight, though he said nothing.

"Alright, team. Charge!"

The tallest man, clearly the leader of the group, took the lead as they moved forward.

The others followed close behind, with Kai bringing up the rear.

The black distortion of space looming before him was still as ominous as ever. Yet this time, Kai felt far more confident as he approached it. He had already crossed through a dungeon entrance before, and the experience had stripped away much of the uncertainty he had felt before.

A faint fluctuation of magic brushed against him as he passed through the entrance.

Kai frowned slightly.

Something about it felt unusual.

But before he could examine the sensation any further, he found himself on the other side.

’Maybe I am now more sensitive to magic?’ He shrugged.

The familiar sight of a dark cavern greeted him. Jagged rocks protruded from the uneven ground, while the damp air carried the earthy smell of stone and moisture. Their footsteps echoed faintly through the cavern, swallowed by the darkness ahead.

Kai pulled out his phone.

As expected, there was no signal.

Once inside a dungeon, neither the internet nor the network worked, making a call for help impossible. That was one of the reasons raids were never taken lightly.

Still, this was only an E-rank dungeon.

There was barely anything inside that could pose a serious threat to a properly equipped and trained group of hunters.

Kai surveyed the surroundings, taking in every detail while quietly waiting for the first wave of monsters to appear.

"Keep your guard up. They could be hiding anywhere."

The captain tightened his grip around a heavy club covered in jagged spikes, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead.

"Don’t lose your way, porter."

A woman spoke from the side, her mischievous smile at odds with the warning in her voice. She carried no visible weapon, which led Kai to assume she was a sorceress or some other type of caster.

Kai simply nodded and continued walking.

The fourth member of the team seemed far less concerned with their surroundings. She was busy reading something on her phone as she walked, occasionally glancing up to make sure she wasn’t about to run into anyone.

Then Kai noticed the fifth member.

A young man with black hair was walking slightly behind the others. The moment he noticed Kai looking at him, he gave him an innocent wave accompanied by a nervous smile.

Kai returned the gesture with a soft nod.

Then suddenly...

[Host, please be aware of that entity.]

"..."

Kai’s brows furrowed.

What the hell?