The groups were finally formed and everyone was preparing to enter the dungeon.
While most people were satisfied with the distribution of the groups, three classmates looked at Zack resentfully. Noticing this, Zack gave an exasperated sigh.
Shun, Miyu, and Austin had it easy. They grouped up with their friends from school, and Zack had to decide whether to be with one group or the other, offending the non-chosen group no matter what he did.
The guards watched on either side of the entrance as each group entered the dungeon in turn. The instructor in charge had already given them a map of the dungeon and assigned them zones by group, so there was no chance of two groups meeting unless one intentionally strays from the path.
When it was Zack's and his group's turn, a guard approached and hand them a map:
“After walking for a while, you will find an intersection. Your task is to go through the rightmost tunnel and kill all the enemies in that area"
Zack and the others nodded, indicating that they had understood the instructions.
The moment Zack entered the cave he felt a very unpleasant sensation. Zack felt a mysterious pressure around him as if the air had suddenly become thicker.
Seeing his companions didn´t notice anything, Zack knew this was due to the concentration of chaotic mana in the dungeon.
The interior of the dungeon was unremarkable: the walls were made of naturally formed stone. If a person doesn´t know that this is a dungeon, he would think this is a normal cave. The only difference is that the cave walls emit a dim glow, bright enough that you don't need a torch to navigate inside.
Zack was trying to distract himself from the situation he was in. Frankly, Zack doesn't think that neither he nor any of his companions are prepared to enter a dungeon.
Zack knows that the monsters that would be down there have no intelligence. Even so, this is the first time that he and the others would have to take a life. Nobody is prepared for that.
When Zack and his group arrived at the intersection, they followed the instructions given at the beginning and reached their assigned path. Once inside, Zack stopped, causing his teammates to stop as well and look at him.
“Before we go further into the dungeon, I think it is necessary for us to know what we are capable of doing, and formulate a plan of attack. I don't know about you, but this is my first time in a dungeon, and I don't want to make mistakes that could have been avoided by communicating with each other” Zack said, carefully thinking over each of his words to avoid offending his teammates.
The dungeons of this world are divided into grades based on the area's chaotic mana concentration. The dungeon they are in is grade D, the lowest grade there is.
The monsters in this type of dungeon are mostly animals with small degrees of mutation, one of the weakest monster classes out there. That is why most of his classmates would dismiss Zack's concerns. Although they have only been in this world for very little time, everyone has noticed their abnormal growth in strength. If they returned to their world now, it would not be a problem for most of them to win sports medals internationally.
Fortunately, Zack has chosen to be in this group for a reason.
His companions looked at each other, thinking about his words.
"Okay, how do we do it?" asked one of them.
“We just introduce ourselves, say our class, and the skills we think will be useful in the dungeon,” Zack said.
"I start. Hello. My name is Zack. I have the Great Mage class, and I can use spark spells, and summon water” After finishing his presentation, Zack took a step back and looked at his companions in silence.
The others looked at each other awkwardly, until one of them stepped forward and introduced himself:
"Hello. I'm Kenzo. I have the Thug class, and I have the skills…” he said as his face turned red. He evidently didn't feel very comfortable doing this.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The boy was quite tall, with broad shoulders, and short hair, along with his somber face, giving him a fearsome appearance. The first time Zack saw him in class, he thought he was the son of a yakuza. Zack later found out that his father owned one of the most expensive restaurants in the whole country. Contrary to his appearance, he used to hang out with a small group of the class made up only of three people, lovers of board games.
Once Kenzo finished introducing him, Zack and Kenzo looked at his last partner, looking back at them without saying a word.
After a minute of silence, he seemed unable to take it anymore because of what he said:
“This is stupid. What good is it going to do us to do this? We're in a dungeon, not a summer camp"
Before Zack or Kenzo could say anything, the other member of their group stepped forward and introduced himself:
“My name is Ryu. I have the bandit class. My skills are... That´s all. I said it. Are you happy?"
Ryu, like Zack, was not part of any class group. Ryu had some friends from other classes with whom he spent breaks and his free time. He and his friends were the 'delinquents' of the school, and among his common activities were skipping classes, secretly smoking, etc... A favorite of any teacher without a doubt.
Hearing their abilities, Zack quickly thought of a basic combat plan and assigned roles to each one.
Seeing that none of his companions had any complaints, the three of them got into formation, in front of the amused eyes of the soldier who followed them.
Kenzo Yamaguchi and Ryu Kondo.
The reason why Zack chose to team up with them is very simple. Out of all their classmates, these two are the only ones with no friends among the students who obtained tier 2 classes.
The other group Zack could join had already formed connections with each other, so his voice in the group could be more easily ignored. Zack noticed how before they all met in the camp, Kenzo and Ryu were a bit distant from the others, so it was likely that none of them have a very good relationship with the others.
Zack chose them because if he joined them, he would be less likely to be ignored if he voiced his opinion on an issue of vital importance.
The last thing Zack wanted was for his group to make a suicidal decision, and he couldn't do anything to avoid it, having to pay the consequences of the actions of others.
The formation was very simple: Kenzo would be in the front and spot nearby enemies, while Zack would be in the rear, ready to cast spells, and Ryu would be at his side to protect him in case any enemies that Kenzo don´t spot, try to attack Zack.
Kenzo's footsteps stopped and he sent a look to Zack and Ryu, who understood what he meant. His skill detected an enemy.
Kenzo has the Sense Danger skill, which allows him to detect enemies that may pose a threat to him.
Seeing this Ryu took a step back and vanished, preparing to survey the terrain ahead with his Ambush skill.
The Bandit class is one of the few classes possessing camouflage abilities despite not belonging to the Thief branch.
Half a minute later, Ryu appeared again.
"There are two small monsters in front"
When Ryu informed them of the number, Kendo and Zack nodded. Obviously, they had already discussed what to do beforehand.
When they got close enough to be noticed, Kendo advanced alone toward the two monsters.
The creatures before Zack were downright grotesque. It looked like the product of a rabbit-squirrel mating gone awry. In rank D dungeons, although the concentration of chaotic mana is enough to cause mutations, these mutations are usually incomplete.
When the creatures detected them, they roared ferociously and pounced on Kenzo. Small animals tend to flee when they see bigger creatures, all mutated creatures tend to have a feral aggressiveness and a lack of survival instinct.
Seeing the two monsters charging at him, Kenzo calmly raised his shield and got into a blocking position.
BANG
KYAAAaaaa!
The force of the impact forced Kenzo back a few steps. At that moment, Ryu appeared behind one of the rodents and inserted his sword from side to side.
When the other monster saw his partner injured him, he became furious, and his muscles started to bulge. He looked like a squirrel on steroids.
At that moment, his fur suddenly caught fire. Seeing this, the creature panicked long enough time for Kenzo to finish the job.
swish
After Kenzo stabbed the monster, it fell to the ground, motionless and lifeless like his partner.
Zack felt strange, seeing the lifeless body of his enemy. It wasn't guilt, but he didn't know how to describe it. Be that as it may, it was not a pleasant feeling.
That is why Zack was surprised when Ryo took out a dagger and stabbed the rabbits again.
After a few moments, Ryu got up and showed his companions what he had in his hand.
A pair of glowing stones landed on Ryu's palm. Seeing them, Zack knew what they were: The main reason adventurers and mercenaries repeatedly entered dungeons to kill monsters: Magic Stones.
When dungeon animals mutate, some of the chaotic mana in their bodies is not digested properly and accumulates in their bodies in solid form.
Magic stones are used by wizards to recover mana, perform experiments, and complex spells, and are even necessary for the forging of certain weapons and devices used in cities.
Seeing the magic stones, Zack thought it was a pity. If it was normal mana, all the dungeons in the world would have been occupied by wizards, but such unstable mana made the wizards lose interest, resulting in a potential danger to all people living nearby, as well as a business opportunity for adventurers and mercenaries.
Ryu gave one stone to Zack and kept the other one. They had already discussed that the loot distribution would be equitable so none of them had a problem with this.
After finishing inspecting that there were no other enemies, Zack, and the others continued deep into the dungeon.