The transition from our dimension to the other side was nearly instantaneous, no different from opening a door and going through it. However, I always felt slightly nauseous when it happened. My sensitivity to mana made this near-instantaneous moment quite distasteful.
Gently, I flexed my fingers. Once the feeling of nausea passed, I could breathe more easily. This was something all Awakened shared—mana was like oxygen to us.
The mana in our world was simply too thin, making the usage of skills and growth more restrictive. Here, I could feel like my mana generation increased by 20% or so. Granted, my mana capacity was meager, but still.
This place could have been a training ground for low-ranked Guilds if the mana wasn't so corrupted.
As the bus slowly came to a stop, we started putting on the standard protective gear that was given to us—yellow hazmat suits and breathing masks, plus cleaning tools such as water tanks, shovels, pickaxes, and antiseptic wipes.
I could have refused the suit. At first glance, it was clearly of inferior quality and worn. I doubted it would offer much protection. But there was no reason to be too open about my resistance or appear to be a stuck-up asshole.
This was something I never really shared. I might be a little too suspicious, but we lived in a world where the livers of dead Hunters were circulated on the Black Market, served as food to rich people because they "could increase lifespan and stamina." I wasn't keen on knowing what they would try to do with someone who possessed such high resistance and now had basically no backing.
I had received many suspicious offers when my stat losses had gone public—things such as participating in experiments for the "good of the people" and "the advancement of science." Helen's mother had shut down all such proposals, even destroying a lab that was quite persistent. No one complained. She was the Sword Saint, after all.
"Feeling stressed, newbie?" Richard asked as he approached me. His voice was grating, but he was clearly the leader here, and I shouldn't antagonize him.
He was well built, and his height was similar to mine. Even under the hazmat suit, it was easy to see that he worked out a lot. From the way he walked, I could tell he had also received basic martial arts training.
I shook my head at his question. "I'm alright, just spaced out a little."
"I see. Then be careful, and sharp in the dungeon. I don't know what your relationship is with Iron Fist, and I don't care. Just don't cause problems for my team."
I frowned a little. "Don't worry, I'll pull my weight." I was sure I could beat most of them with little difficulty, even if they all jumped me at once, the only exception being Iron Fist, obviously.
Richard grunted and motioned the driver to stop the bus, then turned to the team. "Guys, we're starting now. The Hunter team already made a sweep, but you can never be too careful. I will take the vanguard with me. Marquez, Teemo, you take the rear. Jules, newbie, you two stay next to Jana in the middle and keep her safe. She is our lifeline in this hellish place."
Jana waved at me cheerfully and giggled. "Take care of me!"
She seemed quite bubbly, even in these circumstances. I was curious as to why a cleric would be here with a group of lowly Cleaners. Even F-ranked healers would find appreciation anywhere. However, it wasn't my place to ask.
"Understood, but my name is Cain, not 'newbie.'" I accepted the order and walked close to Jana as the door of the bus opened. Iron Fist stood far behind us, but Richard didn't so much as glance at him.
Richard waved dismissively. "You're just a newbie to me."
I sighed, not bothering to argue further.
"Well then, let's go," Richard ordered, and everyone followed behind him.
Though I felt a little miffed about the reason I was here, this was going to be my first official dungeon outside of training. My heart beat faster as anticipation swelled inside me.
What kind of wondrous sights awaited me? I could only wonder.
***
Well…
Long story short…This dungeon was ugly, smelly, and depressing.
It was a standard dungeon—one underground cave, with only a few tunnels branching off here and there, and a path that would lead us to the Boss room.
This dungeon, in particular, was really gross. I'd always thought goblin lairs were bad, but I'd clearly underestimated how low things could go.
The deeper we went, the worse it got.
Sorry for insulting you all, goblins, I thought, to distract myself from the unknown odors rushing at me.
Being able to breathe more easily here was more a curse than a blessing. The air was thick with the scents of rotten flesh, putrid fluids, and other things I didn't want to think about. Each breath stung my throat, like sucking on metal shavings. Black fog clung to the concrete like mold. The masks were doing a very shoddy job, and I felt more in danger wearing them than anything else.
Finally, we reached the first cleaning zone. A man-made door blocked the entry; only after Richard entered a set code did the door open. This was a basic security measure, to ensure people didn't use the dungeon illegally or face dangers from escaped creatures.
"Contaminated zone confirmed," Richard muttered, holding his shovel tightly. "Begin clearing operation."
The door groaned open.
A flood of dark smoke washed over us, forcing everyone back a step.
"Shit!"
"Gah, this stinks worse than last time!"
I tightened my grip on my shovel. On the other side of the door was a large group of monsters.
The slimes were already spilling out—fat, glistening blobs of corrosive flesh that pulsed and oozed across the concrete. Somewhere inside those things was a mana core, no larger than a marble. Hit it, and they dissolved. Miss it, and you'd be here for hours, swinging at regenerating sludge.
One Cleaner panicked, striking blindly. A splash of acidic goo nearly hit his coat, but Richard pulled him back in time. The goo hit the ground, sizzling against the soil.
"Dammit! Watch your angles!" Richard snapped, before killing some slimes in a few clean hits. "Don't splash the acid! Iron Fist, don't intervene. We can't afford it."
Iron Fist stepped in behind us, his heavy boots crunching on broken glass and dried-up mold. He was clearly not interested in acting and was content to observe us for now.
To be fair, I understood this perfectly. His bullets most likely cost more than whatever we could gain from this dungeon in its entirety. He was just here in case of an emergency, and for that, I was already immensely grateful.
"Jana!" Richard shouted.
Jana reacted a beat later. Her hand trembled slightly as she raised her staff, but I was already moving. I drove my shovel in hard, slicing a clean arc through the slime. I aimed precisely at where the core glowed.
My Ranger skills came in good use at times like this. They were mostly low in mana consumption, but still incredibly useful. Sometimes it was just a matter of precision.
Splat.
The slime collapsed in on itself, steam rising like smoke off its remains.
More slimes surged out, half-a-dozen this time. They moved in from both walls, squishing and bubbling as they left trails of corrosive acid.
I swept forward, fast and efficient. Slime, shovel, scatter, repeat.
It was easy. They were far slower than goblins and much less intelligent or resistant. All I had to do was be mindful of the acid and poison in the air. While I didn't fear it for myself, I couldn't afford to cause problems for the others.
The air mask came in handy in moments like this. My resistance stat was high, and I knew I could withstand most poisons. But there was no reason to put that to the test here and risk myself. Anything could happen in a dungeon.
"You're quite strong, huh?" muttered a Cleaner near me. He looked like he was already exhausted. But I was more impressed by how the group was settling down after the initial panic, and were now following Richard's orders.
"Beginner's luck," I replied. "Don't count on it holding." My stamina was not higher than a well-trained, normal human, so I wouldn't be able to keep this fighting rhythm up for long.
"Newbie! To the right!" Richard barked.
I ducked low and swept, cleaving another slime apart. The core burst like an overripe fruit, and acid splashed. Thankfully, I was already a few steps away.
I could see the mana cores as faint glows inside the bodies. I have always been quite sensitive to mana, which was why I could easily pick out Hunters from civilians.
After thirty minutes, the corridor had gone silent. All that remained was scattered sludge and rising heat.
Richard slumped against the wall, panting.
"What the fuck? Wasn't this zone cleared recently? Why did we encounter so many slimes?" He asked in outrage.
Iron Fist, still unreadable behind the visor, lowered his weapon while observing our surroundings. "Too fast. My sources were pretty clear that this should have been a low-level cleaning operation with no danger."
He hummed to himself before nodding to Richard. "You're the leader here. Should we retreat?"
It was interesting to see a Hunter yield authority to a Cleaner, but I suppose this was the most logical thing to do.
"For now, we'll continue." Richard seemed to struggle a little between security and boldness. "The reward in revealing a new activity would be enough for us to pay for new equipment and funds for Marquez's cleansing. His mutation is becoming serious."
His answer surprised me. I thought he was motivated by greed, but it seemed like his goals were far nobler than mine.
Marquez, the half-zombified mohawk guy, gave a genuinely grateful expression. I could also see shame and regret in his eyes.
"Sorry, guys." He mumbled, looking down.
"Don't look at me like that." Richard grunted, "Training someone to replace you would be a pain. We could end up with another newbie." He dismissively pointed at me.
Despite his harsh words, the atmosphere lightened considerably. Marques mumbled a simple thank you, looking embarrassed and grateful.
Richard wiped sweat from his brow, still panting. "We'll… take ten. This was an unexpected attack. We need to clean this place, and that just made it worse."
No one complained.
***
For our break, Richard had Jana erect a magical barrier. This was the only way we could safely take down our suits and eat or drink anything. The cleric class was quite versatile, even at lower ranks. It was one of the higher tiers when compared to other Healing-type classes.
"I can't keep the barrier for long, guys, and it has no defense abilities. But it can help filter the air around us," Jana said.
I did not bother asking her why she didn't just purify the entire dungeon. Low-ranked Hunters all suffered from a lack of mana; using much of their mana for such an operation would be a waste of mana.
Once the barrier was ready, I sat near a rusted pipe. I took a long drink from my water bottle and stared at the dark tunnel ahead. The barrier was barely large enough for all of us, but it was enough, and that was all that mattered.
I was more focused on our problem. This was a pretty bad start, but the worst of it seemed to be behind us. All we had to do now was clean the damn place.
Still, the way everyone in the group was moving was quite admirable. Of them all, only Jana was an Awakened; yet, they all displayed a calmness that showed their experience.
They ate nothing heavy, just a few energy bars that could help satiate the hunger and give them enough strength to continue.
"Is it normally like this?" I muttered under my breath, but Jana, who sat close to me, nodded.
"Not always, but accidents happen. Some of them are mortal; others, sadly, not so much."
"Sadly?"
"There are fates far worse than anything death could bestow. One of our previous companions, for example, had his chest and lungs half-melted recently. For once, the insurance didn't completely fumble things, but they still didn't compensate him enough. Now, even though our friend will survive, he will most likely never fight again. Making a living will be hard for him."
The man with the hedgehog spikes added, "From what I heard, he took a loan from the Viper Gang."
I winced. The Vipers weren't just loan sharks. They were a loan leviathan. They had the kind of greed that could only be described in biblical terms. Taking a loan from them was like quenching a fire with oil. "I thought he worked with Iron Fist?" I looked at the massive black man, but he only shrugged.
"Some people are fools." He said nothing else.
Jana added, "Boss wanted to settle the bills and all, but the Vipers promised more money, and so he accepted. Stupid bastard. Well, nothing we can do, I guess."
There was clear nonchalance in her words. She was pretty enigmatic. I still wondered what a Hunter like her was doing here. It clearly was not out of loyalty, at least.
"Things would be different if the insurance did their jobs." This made me realize once again how much of a scam it all was.
"Ha! You think they care?" She giggled. "Take Marques, for example. Why do you think his body is like this? He nearly died during one of our last operations. It was a D-ranked dungeon. Poisonous swamp. His suit was damaged, and he became contaminated. What sped up the mutation? And what do you think was HQ's response when Richard requested additional funds?"
"I have a feeling I won't like the answer."
She gave a bitter smile. "HQ refused to help. They claim there are no funds. Bullshit. I was a Hunter. The annual budget of the Association is ten billion dollars, and millions of credit points. 70% of that is allocated to Hunting teams. But the majority is wasted on useless stuff."
"What about insurance?" I asked.
"Well, you should know that insurance is even more bullshit than the Association. At least the Association pretends to treat us as equals."
Marques continued the story.
"When I asked the Association to put more pressure on the insurance company, they gave me a disciplinary note. The insurance refused to pay on the grounds it was not an accident caused by their lack of new suits, but by my negligence."
"Heheh. You should have seen the paper. [Violation of multiple employment prohibitions], they said: Accumulation of fatigue due to multiple jobs has been deemed the cause of the accident. As such, all claims for an industrial accident and compensation are dismissed." Jana mimicked a man's voice, but then sneered and returned to her own tone. "As if someone could live decently on the pitiful pay they give us."
Marques looked down. His body was shaking. The hedgehog guy patted him on the back, and the cleric simply shook her head in disgust.
"People call us hyenas or dung beetles. But what else are we supposed to do when we aren't given the minimum in courtesy and worker's rights? Just starve? At least give us enough money for cleansing." The one with gills on his neck complained.
"That's the reality. In the end, if you aren't happy, the only way is to become a Hunter or directly get chosen by the Tower and survive. Just finishing the tutorial in Hard mode is enough to become a top-level recruit." Richard, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"The Tower, huh?" I looked up. Though I couldn't actually see beyond the thick walls and ceiling, I felt like I could envision the Tower. A place of trials, where everyone was judged fairly and rewarded for their hard work.
"What about Hell mode?"
"Pff, why would anyone be stupid enough to choose Hell mode? That's a meat grinder."
"Why is that?"
Jana shook her head at the question, "The Tower is fair to everyone, but it depends on the difficulty level. People in Easy mode can enter with all their stats, skills, and equipment from Earth. Of course, the rewards are far smaller, but the bosses are weak, and the Tower gives a return stone to all participants; this stone removes them when they receive a fatal strike."
As she spoke of Easy mode, her disdain was clear. "Many rich people chose that level of difficulty. Normal mode is where stuff becomes interesting. You can keep your stats, skills, and skill level, but all equipment is normalized."
"In Hard mode, you can only keep the stats you had before entering. Everything else is normalized. No return stone."
I nodded to myself. Most heirs of the top guilds who entered the Tower would choose Hard mode. This was also why I refused to let Helen give me her Elixir. This was the best way for her to strengthen herself and survive.
"As for Hell…" She shrugged, "Hell is the most unfair of all ways. In Hell mode, everyone is equalized to F-rank and needs to start from zero. That's years of hard work down the drain. Death is a given, and survival is a miracle."
I could see a few of them shiver at her words.
"So far, only a few rankers, like the Sword Saint, the Saintess, the Immortal, Invincible, and so on, have reached the upper floor in Hell mode. Nowadays, they say that unless you are born with superior talents or a Cheat, or become the Incarnation of a Constellation, don't even think of Hell mode."
Everyone listened to her as she explained; she had a gift for telling a story. Her inflections and acting helped increase the sense of immersion.
Still, what she was saying was the truth. Everyone known to have passed the Hell Difficulty Tutorial had something special.
The Immortal had 12 lives. Invincible had a skin that was impervious to all damage. The Sword Saint had a sword that could cut through anything, and the Saintess could bring even the dead back to life. The Wizard King had near-unlimited mana, the Hunter could perceive everything around him in a wide radius, and The King of Knights had a dragon heart.
A few were born with those powers. Some were lucky to find secret treasures while exploring the Tower, and others had been blessed by constellations.
That kind of power, which defied reason, was called 'a Cheat' by many, who said that the high rankers were only successful thanks to their Cheats. But I knew that was ridiculous. Without an incredible amount of hard work, it was impossible to reach as far as they had, Cheat or no Cheat.
"Enough bullshit, guys." Jana was about to continue, but Richard interrupted her as he stood up and clapped his hands to bring everyone's attention to him.
"Whining won't change shit, and talking about the Tower doesn't alter our situation. Marques is getting the bonus this time. Once I Awaken, I promise we will get out of this hellhole. For now, though, let's get back to work. Jana, you can bring down the barrier. Thank you."
He clenched his fists even as he said this and put his equipment back on. The discussion stopped, and everyone did as ordered.
Standing up, I looked at Richard. My first impression of him was that he was horrible—rude, brash, condescending, and all around unpleasant.
But now…He made me realize once again that everyone had something weighing down on them, and that first impressions could be wrong.
"Newbie, move your ass. You'll come to the frontline with me."
…Well, not entirely wrong. I chuckled and took a look at Jana.
"Speaking of, I am curious. Which Constellation do you serve?" Healers were all different but clerics obtained their divine powers from a god, the so-called Constellation. Not unlike my useless stalker.
[The silent watcher is offended.]
[The silent watcher say that he never stalked. He observes openly. Only in silence.]
Thanks for the pun.
Jana gave her usual mischievous smile, "Why do you think I am here?"
"Ouch, understood." I winced a little. Yeah, not all clerics were equal. Though once again, even a F rank one would have gotten a cushy job.
But from the way she was shivering earlier. She clearly had her own story.
Thinking about this I focused on work. The sooner we finished this the better .