As he focused on the transparent walls, he noticed runes carved onto the surfaces with white ink that blended with the invisible barriers, making them almost impossible to see.
He could feel his Luck tugging faintly, trying to tell him sothing, but the intuition was weak—barely a whisper. Either his Luck stat was too low to truly guide him, or this was sothing deeper, sothing beyond the understanding of common knowledge.
"Ping."
Ash fired a bullet. It bounced harmlessly off the wall and fell to the ground. Not even a white mark remained where it had struck.
He shook his head in disappointnt. There was nothing he could do.
Yet, one thought sparked inside him—curiosity. The runic carvings. He had seen similar marks in the prison cells. That confird it: so humans were proficient in runes.
He only hoped that learning the runic language wasn’t restricted by profession. If only certain classes could study them, he would be at a disadvantage.
"Be positive," Ash muttered, turning back toward Jessie. She was still lost in her system screen. After crossing the level ten mark, her entire status must have shifted.
It hadn’t been more than an hour since they entered the dungeon—but that hour felt like an eternity.
"Jessie," Ash called, making her glance up. "The cold is itching. Let’s go."
They walked together through the ruins toward the dungeon gate. Nodding at each other, they stepped into the portal.
And what awaited them outside made Ash freeze in place.
---
Ash ignored the flood of notifications that appeared the mont he erged. Those could wait—because the world outside had changed.
The once-silent street was now a fortress. Barricades lined with hazard tape cordoned off the area around the dungeon gate. Knights, mages, and tankers stood at the ready—governnt enforcers, guild officers, and soldiers in heavy exo-armor, all gathered here for one purpose.
The atmosphere was tense, their formation unbroken.
"Commander," Ash muttered under his breath.
Jessie followed his gaze. A squad of armored rankers stood lined up near the barricades, each clad in uniform gear bearing the crest of the Central Governnt. Their leader—a stern man with a scar cutting down his cheek—was barking orders while scanning a glowing crystal tablet.
"Squad Alpha, standby formation! Squad Beta, move only when I give the signal. We don’t know if this dungeon’s core destabilized, so expect anomalies."
The squad responded in perfect unison. The heavy clatter of armor locking into place echoed like thunder. The air itself seed colder under the crushing tension.
Jessie instinctively brushed her hand against Ash’s arm. "We... ca out at the wrong ti."
Ash’s eyes narrowed. His intuition scread a warning. This wasn’t routine clean-up. They were expecting sothing big—sothing dangerous to erge.
And then he noticed sothing else.
Not far from the governnt squad stood a second group. They weren’t in uniform. Rogue rankers, perhaps rcenaries—each clad in mismatched armor, their weapons faintly glowing with enchantnts. Their expressions carried the bravery, ready to die.
The scarred commander and everyone noticed Ash and Jessie. Their jaw fell, eyes bulging in shock, as though they had seen a ghost.
Scarred man was the first to recover. Turning to the officer at his side, he asked coldly, "Liam. Are they the subordinates you spoke of?"
The officer’s expression darkened with distaste. He shot Jessie and Ash a glare before reluctantly nodding.
"He’s Ash. She’s Jessie Kael."
The commander studied them strangely. His gaze lingered longer than it should have, but he said nothing.
Ash glanced down at himself. Bruises, torn clothes, but no blood. His pants were bulging from D-rank cores.
The commander finally spoke, voice sharp and domineering. "Ash. Jessie. I’m surprised you survived. I have questions for you."
Behind them, the dungeon gate flickered, its aura dimming. The dungeon was cleared. It would need days before it reset.
Ash and Jessie exchanged a glance. They were both unsettled. Was clearing this dungeon truly such a big deal that an entire army had been deployed?
They were escorted into a vehicle—Ash’s first ti seeing a van in this world. But this was no ordinary van. It was heavily armored, more like a mobile fortress. Runes were carved all over its fra, glowing faintly.
Inside, the commander joined them.
It was Spacious enough to live in.
"You two cleared the dungeon?" His tone was skeptical. "Liam told you’re both just E-rank."
"I’m D-rank," Jessie corrected quickly, trying to defuse the tension.
"Whatever. Even a D-rank couldn’t clear this dungeon." His words carried no doubt, only certainty.
Ash studied the man quietly. Beneath his sharp tone, there was no hostility—only suspicion, curiosity, and tension.
"Alright, let be clear," the commander continued, leaning back in his seat. "I’m from the Capital’s Research Departnt. This dungeon was an anomaly. At first, it was rated D-rank. Then it spiked to C. Later, it dropped to E. And now, stabilized again at D-rank."
Ash’s mind clicked. He traced the events: the golem fight—that explained the initial D-rank reading. Then, when the beasts erged from crystals, their combined strength must have registered as C-rank. After clearing them, it had dropped to E. And finally, the Basilisk boss had forced it back to D.
A theory. But it made sense.
The commander’s eyes shifted to their bulging clothes, clearly stuffed with cores. They hadn’t co prepared to carry loot, so their pockets and sleeves were packed to the brim.
"Show the cores," the commander ordered.
Ash pulled one out—a crystalline core glowing faintly—and handed it over.
"These are D-rank! ... Were there any C-rank cores?"
"No. All of them were D-rank," Ash replied flatly.
Buzz... Buzz...
The commander’s device vibrated. He answered quickly.
"Is it anything serious?" A soothing female voice ca through the line.
The commander’s expression softened slightly. Then, without answering, he looked directly at Ash and Jessie. With a sharp gesture of his head, he ordered them out of the vehicle.
They obeyed. Stepping outside, Ash glanced back once, curiosity lingering on the rune-covered van.
From inside, the commander’s muffled voice drifted out. "It’s an anomaly, but not serious. I think it’s because we’re approaching Ascension ti."
Ash’s ears perked up. Jessie’s eyes sharpened. Both of them caught the words but said nothing.
The doors slamd shut.
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