The next morning...
"Woah... It really is them!"
"The super rookie in the flesh. I heard he got the highest scores in the trials as well."
"Don’t exaggerate. It’s probably a stunt from the DRA to boost public morale or sothing."
Adrian, Sophia, and Alia were at the dungeon site. Since Vesper had been discharged and returned ho to live with them, A’Mila and Seraphina stayed back to help her.
They stayed back because they couldn’t enter the dungeon, as it was only for players up to level 50 or B-rank and below. Since A’Mila and Seraphina didn’t et either condition, they couldn’t enter the dungeon, unlike Adrian, who was still stuck at level 30.
"It’s stupid of them to impose such restrictions on the hunters," Sophia said, expressing what was happening inside everyone’s heads.
Why there was a DRA imposed level and rank requirent was beyond Adrian’s grasp.
But, well, having high-rankers inside the dungeon would take all the fun out of it for beginners. So it wasn’t like Adrian was complaining. He rely found it odd.
However, they weren’t alone. Hundreds of hunters were waiting for their turn to enter the dungeon. Most belonged to certain guilds or had ford go-to parties to enter the dungeon on a whim.
However, sothing felt off. While so Hunters were staring at them, a few hunters were doing more than watching them. They were observing their every move.
Adrian found it odd that they acted like that and were about to deal with them, but Jas appeared to greet them before he could investigate further.
"I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding your way here?" he said, extending his hand.
"None at all," Adrian replied, noticing the journalists standing further apart. "Those journalists, is it safe for them to be this close to a dungeon?"
"Do worry about them. They are journalists but awakened ones. Being near a B-rank dungeon will be fine," Jas waved his hands dismissively. "Forget about them. Let debrief you about the dungeon."
Dark Forest Dungeon, also called the Goblin Hub, was one of the oldest dungeons to have appeared and the first repeatable dungeon. Hence, the DRA had the right to the dungeon and initially used it for research purposes.
However, within a few months, it had been converted into a training ground for up-and-coming hunters. At least, that’s what it had been used for the last five years.
"The primary monsters are goblins, but hunters have reported sightings of mutated creatures," Jas concluded. "But we haven’t found any mutated being inside despite thorough investigations. But be vigilant."
Adrian nodded. Last night, he had done so research on the Internet related to the dungeon. However, he didn’t find much, possibly because it was a beginner dungeon, so no one was interested in talking about it.
However, he had read a few articles about the mutants Jas ntioned. There was little information about those, either, because none of the hunters had gone against those creatures.
Due to the level and rank restrictions, no one was strong enough to face the mutants. However, when DRA sent high-ranking hunters to deal with them, they could not find any mutants.
Hence, it was dismissed as a rumour, and a gag order was placed on online forums to stop the spread of misinformation.
’It’d be interesting to find these mutants. I’m curious about what kind of organs they would drop for .
"I see," Alia mumbled. "In other words, it’s a beginner dungeon for us to prove our strength."
Jas nodded. "The Executive Director decided it would be a good spot for your group to debut. Besides, if you can clear it in under three hours, you’ll break the previous record, and that should be enough to increase your fa."
"Tell Director Rick I said thanks," Adrian mumbled, entering through the portal. "Especially for the weapons."
"You can do it yourself," Jas replied. "I’ll be waiting here for your return."
***
--
You have received a new quest!
Quest Title: Mutant nace
Quest Level: Rare
Quest Commissioner: System
Objective: Close the dungeon before the ti runs out.
Quest Description: Due to inbreeding and cannibalism, the dungeon’s ecosystem has been disrupted, causing mutated beings to appear.
Task:
- Kill 10 Mutated Goblins.
- Kill 2 Mutated Goblins Shamans.
- Kill the dungeon boss: Mutated Goblin Lord.
Rewards:
- 3500 Exp
- Mystery Reward
- Progression Reward
Bonus Rewards (for optional challenges):
- None
Penalty for Failure:
- You will suffer a temporary debuff, reducing your stats by 60% for 24 hours.
- The Dungeon’s curse will haunt you, attracting other hostile creatures for three days.
Ti Limit: This quest must be completed within 10 hours.
Caution:
Will the User accept the quest? [Yes/No]
Note: Upon rejecting the quest, the User will be teleported out of the dungeon. The User can only move ahead upon accepting the quest.
--
’Haven’t found any mutated creatures,’ Adrian shook his head. ’Yet I got a quest to hunt only mutants. Either my luck is that shitty, or this expedition is dood.’
However, Adrian wasn’t the only one who received the strange set of quests. Sophia and Alia also received the sa tasks, albeit they weren’t asked to kill the dungeon boss.
"Well, we got to kill the boss to clear the dungeon either way," Alia shrugged. "So we might as well help you out."
"Agreed," Sophia chid in. "Besides, we need to make a new record for the Super Rookie to shine."
However, they were interrupted when a party of seven hunters joined them next. All of them were wearing cloaks akin to white tiger’s fur.
A total of fifty people could enter the dungeon in one session. As such, it wasn’t weird for more people to join them. Adrian wouldn’t have cared if they did their thing, but they kept staring at them for so reason.
Besides, the others seed to be wary of the tigers. It almost felt like they knew shit was about to go down, and they wanted no part in it.
"Let’s go," Adrian whispered, urging the girls to leave, and they followed without hesitation.
The white tigers stayed still, watching Adrian’s group like they were hunting prey.
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