Aria and Yvette changed at the speed of light, discarding their above average tracksuits for a much better form of outerwear. They were both draped in thick, white cashmere-like coats over their tight bodysuits that stuck to their skin like glue. Their supple white skins up to their neck had been covered up entirely. Thick leather gloves and breathy socks helped in that matter as well. Something odd happened when they finished dressing up. Aria pressed down on the big red sticker that stuck out on her left breast pocket and instantly became coated in a bubble-like membrane. Strangely enough, neither Aria nor Yvette felt a thing except for a slight dip in temperature.
“This must be how they going to protect us from the mana density.” Yvette marvelled. They had left the women’s changing room and were on their way to the designated meeting point, where the briefing was about to be held. “It’s quite the innovation. I wonder who developed this?”
“Probably some pervert… I’m more concerned as to how the Ranker’s Association knew our sizes so well.”
Was there no privacy for S-Rankers? Aria was sure that her last full body examination was a few years back. She may have grown thinner or fatter since then, and yet the Ranker’s Association was able to accurately pin down her size, so much so that there wasn’t any discomfort from wearing the suit. It was almost like someone had taken a mould of her body shape the day before and sewn the suit overnight.
“Technology is awesome, isn’t it?” The blonde elf chuckled.
“You should be more concerned about this,” Aria replied coldly. Though that smug face of Yvette’s melted any worries that she may have had.
The pair were led by a few female staffers to a grand auditorium. Fully air-conditioned and refurbished to cater to at least half a thousand people, the first thing that hit Aria’s face was a gush of cold wind that sent chills down her spine. Yudonia was experiencing the peak of summer, and this amphitheatre had temperatures similar to that of winter. ‘Save that technology for actually developing good things!’ Aria thought. Nonetheless, she couldn’t voice out her opinion now, not when over a hundred eyes were now gazing over in their direction.
“The Archmagus and the Healing Saint,” one voice whispered, though not soft enough to escape the sharp ears of Aria.
“They’re participating in the raid as well? What a miracle.” Another voice joined in the fun.
Aria was a renowned Archmagus that focused all of her attention solely on magic research. She rarely joined dungeon raids and didn’t like the attention. So it was rare for any other S-Rankers to catch a glimpse of her sharp eyes. Yvette, on the other hand, was a familiar face for many. Being one of the few S-Rankers capable of treating mortal wounds that couldn’t be treated by conventional methods, she was a precious asset to all who roamed deep into the dungeons. Though, she was almost exclusively stationed outside of the dungeons, treating fallen comrades whenever they got out. For Yvette to personally enter a dungeon was a rare feat.
‘Looks like they’re all snobby as ever.’ The sides of Aria’s lips twitched while she examined every single face in the auditorium. There were some new faces, names that she had never seen before, and there were some nostalgic ones. She could very easily go to any one of them and strike up a conversation, but the glaring gaze of the Association President on the podium forced her to throw away that notion and settle down on the seat right next to the door. Yvette hurriedly did the same.
The elderly man coughed once into the microphone to get everyone’s attention before speaking directly into it. “Now that we’re all here, we can start with the briefing.” Pointing his finger backward, the front facing wall turned into a gigantic screen, one much bigger than any movie theatre. To help facilitate the meeting, bespectacled secretaries handed out thick binders to each and every S-Ranker.
Aria took the binder and gave it a cursory read. Reading reports was her bread and butter so she could flip through it in less than a minute and understand the mission at hand. Slowly, the questions that she had about the S-Class Dungeon started to unfurl as the classified information entered her brain.
“As many of you may have suspected, this S-Class Dungeon is quite special. Normally, whenever a dungeon of such magnitude was about to erupt, the montgen levels surrounding the area would spike through the roof. The animals would run away in fear while the earth and skies would tremble. However, none of those phenomena ever occurred.” The President waved his right hand, turning the screen into a different picture.
A Petra-like entrance, where the doors of the dungeon were engraved into a gigantic mountain, came to view. Time had eroded its structure as pillars were broken down and symbols stained with mud and sand. Ancient hieroglyphics written on top of the door were barely decipherable and cracks dominated the seemingly decrepit dungeon. If the Association President didn’t point it out, Aria would have never guessed that this broken down image was the entrance to an S-Class Dungeon.
“The S-Class Dungeon was only revealed to us because of the recent landslide that defaced Mount Eiger. As it turned out, the dungeon had been hiding inside of one of our mountains. How shameful.” The old man scoffed. An S-Class Dungeon had been hiding in plain sight, and not one person in Yudonia had ever noticed. “So, to right our shame, there’s a need to conquer this dungeon as soon as we can.”
“President, may I ask a question?” A bulky hand raised up from the crowd, stopping the elderly man’s briefing. With his attention, the man stood up. He was at least two metres tall, far larger than anyone else in the room. If he wanted to, the man could very well break Aria in two like an egg. Tanned and toned down to the very vein, the man was what a bodybuilder aspires to be.
“Yes, Crowson?”
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“Before we enter the dungeon, shouldn’t we decipher what the hieroglyphics mean?” Crowson used his brains over his brawn for this matter. He turned to the page of his binder that showed the picture of the entrance. “I flipped through the binder and couldn’t find a translation. Those hieroglyphics might contain vital information for us to complete the dungeon.”
“An excellent point!” The Association President wholeheartedly agreed. Being S-Rankers, they were all cautious about their own wellbeing. If the risk was too high, then efforts must be made to decrease the danger, even if it was by one percentage point. “However, that’s impossible for those hieroglyphics.”
“Why?”
“We had flown over a dozen of the world’s top linguist professors to take a look at the images. Some even personally visited the dungeon, guarded of course. But no matter whose opinion we took, they all came to the same answer.”
“And what was that?”
“These hieroglyphics are undecipherable.” The old man coldly said, drawing some gasps from the crowd, Aria’s included. “The professors concluded that the cuneal writings share no similarities to the writing systems of our times. Even hieroglyphics from the bronze era shared no similarities to the ones in the S-Class Dungeon.”
“Wait… Are you suggesting...” Crowson feared to complete his sentence, but the Association President sure did not.
“Yes. The S-Class Dungeon comes from an age even before humans first walked the earth. It may be a hundred thousand years old, maybe even a million. We can’t say for certain. The linguists claim that there’s a trace of draconic writing in it, but it’s very subtle. So it might even come from a far more ancient time. Nonetheless, if we want to decipher the message on the entrance, it would take months, years even, to figure out the code, since there’s nothing we could use to trace it back. However, we don’t have the luxury to wait that long.”
It was a point that every S-Ranker in the room agreed on. S-Class Dungeons were highly dangerous. Not only did they possess rare S-Class Magic Monsters, but they were also a ticking time bomb. If all of the magical power within the dungeon collapses, the entire region might be blown to bits, sending out wave after wave of dangerous mana radiation that would pollute the area for years. They had a very narrow window to complete the dungeon and claim the rewards for themselves, and if they didn’t, hundreds of hungry vultures from other countries would love to take Yudonia’s place.
“Which brings me to the next point about the S-Class Dungeon we’re about to face.” He waved his hand once more, switching the screen to the next picture. It showed the first level of the dungeon, photographed by the scouting team that the Association had sent. Crystal clear as if they were really witnessing the level for themselves, the S-Rankers looked on with an unblinking stare, holding back their exclamations.
Fifteen stone golems, each one in a different shape than the other, stood in a line, blocking the path forward. One had a dragon’s head and a bear’s body. Another was in the shape of an ancient crocodile that had charged lightning spikes protruding out from its scaly back. A humanoid one even existed, but it didn’t have a head. Though, it did bear a sharp spear as a weapon. Each stone golem looked as powerful as any S-Class monsters any dungeons might churn out. However, there was one different feature… They all were filled with moss and had decayed tremendously. Some had broken arms and cracked armour. Nonetheless, they still looked like fearsome foes.
“These golems guard level one, the very first entry point into the dungeon.” The Association President continued. “Based on how not a single organic monster had made its way out of the dungeon, we can safely assume that the dungeon is only filled with stone golems. That’s why there hasn’t been a purge out. Golems do not feel thirst or hunger for human flesh.”
Yvette frowned. Just as she thought this S-Class Dungeon was utterly unique. There has never been a time where golems were the sole entity in a dungeon. She turned to Aria with a question:
“Hey… Don’t you think that they’re acting strange? Instead of monsters from a dungeon, they look like… Guards that protect a treasure.”
“You do have a point...” Now that it had been pointed out to her, Aria could see the resemblance. They stood completely still, like a wall guarding the entrance to the deeper floors. They looked to be powered-down, but Aria was confident that the stone sculptures would strike at anyone who dared to cross their paths.
Wholly ignorant about the two maidens’ concerns, the Association President switched to another diagram, this time with the faces of all the S-Rankers on screen. “The dungeon dive is planned to take a week. Every day, we would take on one level and hopefully clear it. If we fail the first time, we go harder the second. But to do that, we need a coherent plan. So the S-Rankers, all eighty-seven of you, will be divided into four groups. Group A would be the scouts and the trailblazers. They are responsible for scouring the next levels and obtaining as much information as they can about the dungeon. It will be led by the Rogue Lord Kama.”
A tall and gaunt man took the stage. Jet-black hair and green eyes, the man looked about forty. On one side of his belt, Aria saw an immaculately crafted dagger handle, rich with obsidian ore and dyed with a mud gold sheen. His gaze looked far into the distance, but Aria knew that he wasn’t truly dazed. A Rogue Lord could see so much more than an Archmagus, and their movements were nothing short of extraordinary.
“Group B would be the vanguard responsible for protecting the rear. Stand behind them if you want to live. They will be led by the Guardian Paladin Arius.” Once again, the Association President announced the next team leader.
A colossal man plodded up the stairs and slowly made his way towards Rogue Lord Kama. Arius looked a little younger than Kama but not by much. Bearing lush brown hair and a dazzling smile that would charm thousands, Arius looked the part of a knight quite easily. His steel armour must have weighed at least a hundred kilograms judging by the weight of his steps, but the man moved in it like it was his birthday suit. The most striking aspect of Arius’ armour set was the two and a half metres tall tower shield he carried on his back. What’s more shocking was his very own height. If the shield was two and a half metres tall, the man himself must be a head above two metres.
“Now, for Group C. The main attacking force of the raid. The majority of you would be assigned to this group. Do note that poison, acid or any attacks that target biological organisms are completely useless against the golems. I would suggest that you consult with Arcane Warlock Rhykius about the skills to use.”
Now a handsome man stepped up next to the two team leaders. He was much shorter than the other two, but he was far more visually appealing. Beautiful silver hair and solemn crimson eyes, Rhykius was a man who could turn the heads of any gender. Clean-shaven, one might think that he was in his late twenties, but that was far from the truth. Now reaching his late forties, if Rhykius claimed that he had drunk from the fountain of youth, one might be inclined to believe him.
“Group D would be our support unit. Bards, healers, shamans… Those that provide support to the attacking force and protect the wellbeing of the raid would be placed in Group D. Not to worry, we will mix in some competent defenders to protect you so that you wouldn’t be too vulnerable. The White Sorceress Minerva will lead you.”
A woman in her prime, donned in all the glory of her white robes, stood side-by-side with the monstrous leaders. The men might look intimidating, but those that personally knew Minerva understood that she was by far, the most dangerous. Aria looked down at both Yvette and her binders and was pleased to find out that they were both in Group D.
“Looks like you’re my ‘competent defender,’ Aria.” Yvette hid a chuckle.
“Leave it to me!” The Archmagus smiled back. Based on her skill set, she should have been placed in Group C, where the main firepower laid. However, Aria much preferred her given role, as a caretaker and a spectator for the most part. Why risk her life when she was just a researcher and not a dungeon diver? Let the muscle brains do the heavy lifting. She would just casually enjoy the ride down, taking vital data points along the way.
With all the group leaders introduced, the Association President was finally ready to conclude his briefing. “In all of your binders, you will be able to see which group you were assigned to. Take some time to get together and make some small talk! Remember, teamwork is key in the S-Class Dungeon. Don’t try to get any personal glory, else you’ll end up dead! The helicopters will depart in an hour, so be prepared by then! Do you understand?!”
“Ha!” All the S-Rankers saluted the elderly man and prepared to embark on the mission of their lives.