In the comfort of their training room, Team 0 gathered around their usual spot, the well-worn sofas that had witnessed their growth and bonding.
Daniel lounged on one of the sofas, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know, thinking back, I wouldn't have believed we could make it to F-rank in just nine months. It's pretty insane when you stop and think about it."
James, seated across from him with his tablet in hand, nodded in agreement. His eyes, however, held a glint of determination. "The goal now is to hit E-rank in the next six months. And D-rank within a year."
The group erupted in laughter, but it tapered off as they noticed James wasn't joining in. The seriousness in his gaze made them reconsider. Lauren leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Not at all." James replied, his voice firm. "We've seen what we can achieve when we push ourselves. There's no reason to slow down now, especially with everything happening in the world."
Maria, flicking a strand of red hair from her face, added. "He's got a point. We can't afford to slack off, not now. With Miss Walker gone, we need to step up even more."
Sighing, Ezekiel acquiesced. "I guess I wouldn't want anyone else to beat our record. It'd be a pity after all the hard work we put in."
James smiled slightly at Ezekiel's forced enthusiasm before returning to his tablet. "Alright, let's look at potential missions. We're on our own for picking them without Miss Walker, so we need to be thorough."
The team gathered closer, peering over James's shoulder at the list of available missions on the tablet. The screen was filled with various requests and alerts from different locations, each with its own set of challenges and danger ratings, with specific mana readings listed below.
"Since these dungeons are so extensive, most require working with a Guild team, and their rights have already been leased. I'd say we could take one if we can find a decent Guild; otherwise, let's look for solo missions." James added.
After scrolling through several options, James paused on one that caught his attention. "Here's something interesting. Park rangers have reported humanoid monsters around Minnewaska State Park Preserve and all the way to Mohonk Preserve, but the mana readings are still within the F-rank range. It's a bit unusual for humanoid creatures to be in an F-rank area since it usually indicates the presence of something stronger. Still, unless we are dealing with another Arachne type situation - and we shouldn't given that an A-rank sensor machine was used this time - nothing here is beyond us. It's with the Ten Thousand Eyes Guild, which is better than most, and who we already have worked with several times.”
Lauren scrutinized the mission details. "Humanoid monsters can be tricky. They're often smarter and more coordinated. But it sounds like a good challenge. Better it be us handling such a weird situation than someone that cannot adapt as well as we can."
Daniel nodded in agreement. "Let's not underestimate them, though. We need to be prepared for anything. Humanoid means more dangerous, even if their rank is the same. And I'd say we can go for it. There are not many Guilds better than the Ten Thousand Eyes around."
Maria leaned back, crossing her arms. "It's annoying that the AA needs money so much that they lease dungeons without even passing them by us, but I guess it is what it is. We should do some research and see if there's any history of similar sightings in that area. It could give us an edge to know what exactly we are dealing with."
James tapped on the tablet, adding notes to their mission plan. "Good idea. Let's divide the research. Daniel, you take a look at the terrain and possible escape routes. Maria, can you dig into any historical sightings or patterns? Lauren, focus on developing different strategies for the possible monsters listed here. Ezekiel, work on support and backup plans."
Each team member nodded, their expressions a mix of focus and excitement. The absence of their mentor loomed over them, but they wouldn't be able to look Miss Walker in the eyes if they didn’t achieve anything while she was away.
———
The Minnewaska State Park Preserve was full of natural beauty, with its serene lakes and rugged terrain, but today, as Team 0 rolled in with Mr. Robinson's van, it held an air of tension, a silent acknowledgment of the unknown lurking within.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
A figure caught James's eye as they approached the dungeon entrance. Standing there, amidst a group of Awakeners, was a woman with strikingly blue hair, her features similar to someone he knew quite well. She was obviously the team leader, from the way the others stood behind her and the deference James could feel emanating from them.
"Tea's sister?" James murmured under his breath, recognizing her from when the purple-haired girl had mentioned having an older sister working in the same Guild.
The woman turned towards them, her eyes lighting up in recognition. "You must be Team 0. I'm Rei, Tea's sister. She's told me a lot about you, especially you, James." Her tone was playful, reminding him of the flirty girl.
"How's she doing?" James asked. It had been a while since he heard anything from her.
"She's fine. She got all fired up when she heard that you got to F-rank before her, so now she's jumping around the state, looking for dungeons to level up in a hurry.” Rei replied amusedly.
They exchanged greetings with the rest of the team, shaking hands cordially and settling down for a pre-dive briefing so that they could get on the same page.
Teams from the Ten Thousand Eyes Guild usually have much more information than we do. I don't know how they do it, but they seem to have eyes everywhere. Huh, that’s funny.
"We've done some research on the humanoid sightings. The patterns are erratic, but we should be prepared for goblins, redcaps or other similar monsters." James shared, patting his suit to ensure everything was in the right place.
Rei nodded, her expression turning resolute. "Agreed. We'll work in tandem with you. My team has experience with humanoid entities, and from what our people tell us, it's mostly redcaps mixed in with a few more normal monsters, among whom Treants and a few mutated Birds, though nothing beyond our abilities."
Daniel hummed, adjusting the straps of his mask. "If I remember correctly, redcaps are not really common. This place has a history of humanoid monster sightings, but for there to be so many is a bit weird."
Lucas, one of Rei's teammates, nodded along. "That is why we expect there to have been something pretty powerful here a long time ago. Probably up to B-rank, even, but our sensors have assured us that there is no monster like that now."
Eventually, the discussion turned towards the current state of affairs. Rei proved well-informed, her insights cutting through the surface-level chaos to the underlying currents shaping the world. "The Guilds have been muzzled for the moment." Rei shared, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration. "But this calm is just the eye of the storm. There's a widespread sentiment that the AA might be pushing us to the brink, possibly to justify a heavier intervention."
Having always been on the opposite side of the equation, it felt weird for James to hear a Guild member complain about AA involvement, but he could feel Rei's sincere dissatisfaction. He stopped himself from answering immediately and instead thought about it for a while longer. The idea that the AA might have ulterior motives wasn't new to him, but he still believed it had been far too lenient with the Guilds. Maybe provoking them into overreacting was not the best idea, but it was something.
Still, he didn't want to get into an argument just before a dungeon dive, so he limited his words. "Tensions are very high. With the mess in Chicago, people are looking for someone to blame. It'd be better if we focused on the real enemies." He said, defusing the tension.
Rei nodded, securing her hair back and slipping on a gas mask. "I suppose so. There are enough problems around without us creating new ones."
The woman's teammates had been mostly silent so far, only exchanging greetings, and James got the impression that these people's enthusiasm had been beaten out of them by time.
They were older - all around thirty - and obviously more experienced than Team 0, but they were seemingly content with letting them take the lead. Considering that they were F-ranks after what must have been several years on the field, James believed them to have become content with their lot in life. Rei was likely a new addition then, someone fresh and on the cusp of advancing meant to learn from the more experienced team.
James didn't particularly mind. He wouldn't waste time making friends with people with so few ambitions, but there was reliability in having someone who had faced dungeons of that level hundreds of times.
At that point, it'd be pretty difficult to remain F-ranks, but if you only fight when you have to and consistently participate in dives with numerous teams, the EXP just doesn't stack up. Well, they'll get to E-rank in time. A couple of them might even be already there, but D-rank? Nah.
James extended his psychic senses as they stepped into the dungeon proper, sweeping the area for any sign of the humanoid creatures they were briefed about. The stillness of the forest was deceptive; beneath the serene exterior, he could perceive the faint stirrings of something lurking in the ambient mana.
The presence of redcaps meant they needed to be very careful, lest they fall into one of their traps, but they weren't the only ambush predators laying in wait.
James focused on the potential threat of Treants first, having personally experienced their aptitude toward stealth and sudden, deadly attacks. Their ability to blend seamlessly with their environment made them a formidable adversary, especially in a terrain as dense as the preserve.
“There." James whispered, pointing towards a cluster of trees where he sensed a faint psychic presence. Compared to how blind he had been the last time he faced such creatures, finding them had been extremely easy. "Two Treants. They usually are the ones doing the ambushing, but we can take them by surprise this time."
Maria readied herself, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the first Treant. With a flick of her wrist, she unleashed a tight, controlled burst of white fire, the flames swirling and converging on the unsuspecting creature.
In a matter of seconds, the Treant was engulfed. The fire burned brightly, the heat controlled by the Fire Mage- It was reduced to cinders before it had a chance to react.
The second Treant, sensing the demise of its kin, began to stir, its bark-like skin rippling in preparation for an attack. James didn't give it the chance. He launched a mental assault, a sharp, focused jab at the creature's primitive consciousness. The Treant reeled, the movements of its surfacing roots becoming erratic, striking at the ground or the sky rather than them.
As it opened its maw to unleash a counterattack, Lauren acted. Shadows coalesced in her hands, forming into dark tendrils that shot forward. They plunged into the Treant's open maw, writhing and expanding, muzzling it. With a violent jerk, Lauren pulled back, and the shadows tore the Treant apart from the inside, ripping it to shreds in a display of raw power.
The team regrouped, their expressions satisfied but alert. James scanned the area again, ensuring no other immediate threat was lurking nearby. The preserve was still, the only sound being the distant rustle of leaves in the wind.
"Good job.” James murmured. "Let's keep moving. Stay alert for any other hidden threats. These Treants won't be the last challenge we face here. There is something in the mana here, that makes my skin crawl.”