--- [Alex’s perspective] A few days later, back in the guild hall

For the past few days, we haven’t gone on any missions.

After having trained like mad men for hours and hours on end for months, then gone through a hunter exam, we decided we deserved some rest.

It’s been very fun just hanging out and not having to worry about anything.

I even took the opportunity to visit home as I haven’t been able to do that for a while either.

Apparently big bro still hasn’t visited them…

I know he’s on an important mission and all, but like…

It’s been more than three years since I last saw him.

I hope he’s okay…

“So, now that we’re D-rank… Or some of us are at least… Should we go on our first D-rank mission?” – Lett

“Will they let us tag along though?” – Illian

“I’m sure they will if we keep the difficulty low. Like if we stick to a 1 or 2-man D-rank mission, I doubt they’ll say no.” – Lett

“Sure, no harm in trying.” – Shin

There are quite a few options to choose from, but we narrow it down to three different missions that fit our criteria.

The first is a 1-man D-rank mission from a wealthy politician who wants a bodyguard for his speech.

It pays well, but it seems like from the way he worded it that he specifically wants one bodyguard.

Having three additional people tag along might not be the best move.

The second mission is a 2-man D-rank dungeon.

The pay is decent, but nothing spectacular.

It’s right outside Bellator though, so we won’t have to travel far.

The third is a 2-man D-rank mission from an academy wanting experienced hunters to hold a few lectures about their experience as hunters.

It’s a pretty unique mission; I’ve personally never done anything like that.

It could be fun, but I doubt it’s something Shin is interested in, and the pay is low to boot…

“How about the dungeon? I think that’s our best option.” – Alex

“Was thinking the same thing myself. Been a while since we’ve cleared a dungeon too. I’m starting to miss it a little…” – Shin

“I’m down for anything, to be honest.” – Illian

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Well then, it’s settled! Dungeon it is!” – Lett

--- Not long after

“Guys, I found the entrance!” – Lett

She yells at us to come over, and we do.

As we get to her, we’re greeted with a tiny opening in the branch of a tree.

Lett teleports inside, and waits for us as we squeeze ourselves in.

Had it been any tighter we would have been stuck outside…

Right at the entrance, there are three doors.

“Where do we go? Split up, maybe?” – Alex

“No. Remember, it might only be a 2-man dungeon, but it’s still D-rank. If we get caught alone, it could have disastrous consequences… We should stick together.” – Shin

“I see… Any clue which door is the correct one, then? Is there even a correct door?” – Alex

“No idea…” – Shin

He looks around for hints, but there doesn’t seem to be any.

“I guess we’ll just have to pick one then…” – Illian

“How about the one in the middle?” – Lett

“It’s as good as any…” – Shin

We look at each other for a moment before opening the door…

“Who wants the honor of being the one to open it?” – Shin

Illian steps forward, and his shadow grows, showing us he activated his ability.

“I’ll do it. If there’s a trap on the other side, I’ll take the hit. With my specialty, I won’t be in any danger. The same can’t be said for you guys.” – Illian

“Good thinking. Let’s step back while he opens the door.” – Shin

We get away from the door, and he grabs the door handle.

He opens it up, and…!

Nothing.

No trap, just a hallway…

“I think it’s safe…” – Illian

He gets inside, and a part of me had an inkling the door would automatically close, but no…

There’s nothing out of the ordinary.

It’s just a door…

We walk deeper and deeper into the dungeon, but there’s seemingly nothing here.

After walking for a solid 10 minutes, we finally catch a glimpse of something…

There’s a bright light around the corner, at the end of the hall.

We peek around the corner, and…!

A giant wall of deep blue flames spans from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling.

There’s no way around it…

I can hear some faint monster sounds on the other side, but it sounds like they’re pretty far away.

Suddenly, the hallway behind us completely seals itself off, leaving us stranded here.

There’s no way back, only forward…

We’ll have to somehow make our way through the fire, but how…?

Even from here, dozens of meters away, the fire burns so intensely that it hurts to look at it.

If it wasn’t for BDM making us tougher, we would have probably already been turned to ash…

“What do we do?! Should I try to teleport past it?” – Lett

“No… We can’t tell how deep it goes from here. What if it stretches further than you’re able to teleport? You’d be stuck right in the middle of it. Even if you teleport back right away, you’ll be left with horrible burns. Maybe even worse than the ones Illian got from his match, considering we have no healer here…” – Shin

“…” – Lett

“Alex, could you try absorbing it?” – Shin

“I can, but I’m not sure how effective it’ll be…” – Alex

“That’s alright; it’s worth giving it a shot at least.” – Shin

“Right.” – Alex

As I get closer, the heat just keeps exponentially rising.

Standing right next to it evaporates all the sweat my body produces, and looking at it instantly dries my eyes out.

I quickly activate the void in my hand, and swipe my arm across it.

Sure enough, I’m unharmed.

All the fire touching my hand got sucked in, but just as I thought, it didn’t really do much.

The wall is simply too big for me to absorb all of it, and the small pieces that I could get rid of, just grew back again moments later.

My ability is worthless here…

No longer wanting to feel that intense heat, I make my way back to them.

“How the hell are we going to get past that?!” – Alex

“I don’t know…” – Shin

“I think you do…” – Illian

Shin gives him a concerned look…

“With my ability, I’m completely indestructible.” – Illian

“Yes, but only for a short time! The moment your clone dies, your real body will bear the blunt until you get to make another one. How many clones can you even make now? Three? What if it’s not enough?!” – Shin

“What other choice do we have?” – Illian

“… I… I’ll think of something, okay?” – Shin

“I agree with Shin, it’s too dangerous.” – Lett

“Guys… Stop underestimating me. This is exactly the kind of task I was born for. During the exam, I already dealt with heat far worse than this. I promise I’ll be fine, okay?” – Illian

“…” – Shin

He lets out a frustrated sigh…

“Fine! But if you’re doing this, you’re doing it properly!” – Shin