Chapter 3 — First Floor
The transition through a dungeon gate always felt strange.
For Lucas, it was like stepping through cold water.
One moment he was standing on a rocky mountainside with the wind brushing his face.
The next—
Everything changed.
The air inside the dungeon felt heavier.
Cooler.
Thicker somehow.
The sky above wasn't really a sky. It looked more like a dim cavern ceiling stretching endlessly overhead, glowing faintly with a strange bluish light that illuminated the terrain below.
Jagged stone paths twisted through the landscape. Black trees with bark like charred bone grew along the sides of the route. Strange crystals jutted from the ground, humming faintly with mana.
Lucas adjusted the straps of Grancier's luggage on his shoulders.
Ahead of him, hunters were already moving into formation.
"First floor," someone muttered nearby.
"Stay alert."
A group of B-rank hunters moved to the front. Behind them, several A-rank hunters formed the main assault group.
Support units followed.
Miners.
Carriers.
Logistics.
Which meant Lucas.
Which also meant staying close to the person paying him.
Grancier.
She walked a few steps ahead of him, rolling her shoulders casually as she examined the surroundings.
"Nothing fancy yet," she said.
Lucas nodded slightly.
The first monsters appeared not long after.
Low growls echoed through the trees.
Then shapes moved through the shadows.
Creatures emerged.
They looked like oversized wolves with bone-like spikes protruding from their backs and glowing yellow eyes.
"C-rank beasts," someone announced.
Lucas immediately stepped closer behind Grancier.
He wasn't here to fight.
That job belonged to the professionals.
The wolves lunged.
The battle ended almost instantly.
A B-rank hunter swung a massive axe and cleaved one creature in half. Another hunter launched a burst of fire that incinerated two more.
Grancier stepped forward lazily and swung her spear once.
The wolf in front of her collapsed with a clean hole through its skull.
Lucas blinked.
Yeah… A-ranks are ridiculous.
The group continued forward.
The deeper they advanced, the more monsters appeared.
C-rank beasts.
Nothing threatening for a raid of this size.
Blades flashed.
Magic burst through the air.
Mana pulses shook the ground occasionally as stronger hunters unleashed abilities.
Lucas simply followed.
Watching.
Observing.
Like always.
His job was simple.
Carry.
Stay alive.
Don't get in the way.
After about an hour of steady progress, the group finally reached a wide circular chamber.
A large stone door stood at the far end.
And beside it—
A glowing blue barrier.
One of the raid leaders raised a hand.
"Rest zone!"
Hunters relaxed almost immediately.
Lucas exhaled quietly.
Every dungeon followed a similar structure.
Three floors.
Each floor had a rest zone before advancing deeper.
This gave the mining team time to extract valuable dungeon resources before the assault team moved forward.
Already, miners were rushing toward nearby crystal formations with specialized equipment.
Lucas carefully lowered Grancier's luggage onto the ground beside a large rock.
Grancier stretched and sat down casually.
"Not bad," she muttered.
Lucas began opening one of her bags.
Inside were several neatly packed food containers and water bottles.
He handed one to her.
She accepted it and opened the lid.
Then she glanced at him.
"…You're not taking anything?"
Lucas shook his head.
"No."
Grancier raised an eyebrow.
"You carried this stuff."
"Doesn't matter."
She tilted her head slightly.
"…Explain."
Lucas sat down on the ground nearby.
"I didn't contribute to the raid."
Grancier stared at him.
"So?"
"So I don't need food."
She stared at him for a few seconds.
Then—
Lucas's stomach growled.
Loudly.
Very loudly.
The sound echoed slightly in the chamber.
Lucas's face remained perfectly calm.
Inside his head, however—
Anya… I swear when I get home…
Grancier blinked once.
Then slowly looked down at his stomach.
Then back at him.
"…You're hungry."
Lucas remained silent.
Another stomach growl betrayed him.
Grancier burst out laughing.
"You idiot."
She tossed one of the food containers toward him.
"Eat."
Lucas caught it reflexively.
"…Thank you."
He opened the container.
The smell alone nearly made him emotional.
He started eating immediately.
Grancier watched him with amusement.
After a moment, Lucas casually sat beside her on the rock while eating.
Completely relaxed.
Like they were two coworkers on a lunch break instead of hunters inside a dangerous dungeon.
Grancier leaned back slightly.
Interesting guy.
Most low-rank carriers tried to act humble around stronger hunters.
Some begged for attention.
Others constantly flattered.
Lucas did none of that.
He didn't worship strength.
He didn't try to impress her.
He just wanted to survive.
Perfect.
Grancier smiled slightly.
A man like that was useful.
Loyal.
Practical.
Easy to control.
She could definitely use someone like him long-term.
Her thoughts were interrupted by heavy footsteps.
A shadow fell across them.
Lucas glanced up briefly.
The same massive A-rank hunter from earlier stood there.
The one who had kicked the D-rank man outside.
His expression carried the same arrogant hostility.
His gaze lingered on Grancier.
Not respectfully.
Hungrily.
"Well," he said slowly.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Grancier."
She rolled her eyes slightly.
"Garrick."
Lucas mentally noted the name.
Garrick.
So that was the guy.
Garrick stepped closer.
Then suddenly—
SMACK.
Lucas's vision spun.
The backhand came so fast he barely saw it.
His body slammed into the stone wall several meters away.
The impact echoed through the chamber.
Hunters turned instantly.
"What the—"
"That guy just got launched!"
Grancier's eyes widened slightly.
Lucas had hit the wall hard.
Dust fell from the impact point.
Garrick casually sat down beside her.
"Don't surround yourself with trash," he said.
Grancier stared at the wall.
"…You didn't need to do that."
Garrick shrugged.
"I hate weaklings."
Meanwhile…
The dust near the wall shifted.
Lucas stood up calmly.
Hunters nearby blinked.
"…He's fine?"
Lucas brushed dust off his clothes.
Then something small moved behind him.
A tiny skeleton.
Barely the size of a dog.
It collapsed into a pile of bones and crumbled into black ash.
Several hunters immediately noticed.
"…Wait."
"…Was that…?"
"…Necromancy?"
Grancier's eyes sharpened.
Lucas walked back toward her casually.
Like nothing had happened.
Like being launched across a room by an A-rank hunter was a minor inconvenience.
He sat back down beside her.
Then continued eating his food.
Ignoring Garrick completely.
The surrounding hunters whispered.
"Nah…"
"Did you see that?"
"That was definitely a summon."
"But he's E-rank…"
"A necromancer?"
Necromancy was rare.
Extremely rare.
But it was also one of the most resource-heavy abilities in existence.
Without proper training, resources, and high mana capacity…
It was useless.
An E-rank necromancer?
That talent would almost certainly go to waste.
Garrick slowly turned his head toward Lucas.
"…You ignoring me?"
Lucas kept eating.
The silence lasted three seconds.
Then—
A calm voice echoed across the chamber.
"If you hit him…"
Every hunter froze.
Heads turned.
Standing near the entrance of the rest zone was Elvanor August.
The Ice Saint.
Her cold blue eyes locked directly onto Garrick.
"…I'll hit you."
Her voice carried no emotion.
But the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"We'll see which one kills faster."
Silence swallowed the chamber.
Garrick stared at her.
Everyone else held their breath.
Then Garrick clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
He stood up slowly.
"Whatever."
Without another word, he walked away.
The tension slowly dissolved.
Hunters returned to their conversations.
But Elvanor didn't move.
Her gaze shifted slightly.
Toward Lucas.
He was still sitting there.
Eating calmly.
Completely uninterested in the drama.
Most E-rank hunters would have panicked.
Begged.
Trembled.
Lucas Dilihavia had done none of that.
He had been hit by someone far stronger than him.
Dismissed it.
Ignored the man.
Then went back to eating.
Elvanor's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
The end.....