Chapter 2: A Dungeon And Rescue Quest?
The moment I stepped into the Guild Hall, I knew something was off.
Usually, no one looked twice at a returning E-rank. Hunters especially didn't get much fanfare. We were considered background noise—scouts, tag-along archers, support for real fighters like Swordsmen and Mages. But this time?
The air shifted.
I could feel it.
Whispers followed my steps like shadows.
I kept my hood up, as always, not because I wanted to be mysterious, but because it helped me focus. Still, it didn't stop the sideways glances or the awkward hush that settled when I walked toward the counter.
Marla was there, like always—sharp, reliable, her long braid draped neatly over her shoulder. She gave me a look, one eyebrow lifted like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
"You're back," she said, voice cool but tinged with curiosity. "Thought we wouldn't see you for another few days."
"Job was done," I replied. I dropped a bundle of tagged goblin ears and a pouch of salvaged trinkets onto the counter. "Clean raid. No injuries."
She inspected the tags, ran her hand across a verification glyph, and nodded. "Efficient."
Then, without ceremony, she reached beneath the desk and placed something small and metallic on the counter between us.
A new badge.
D-rank.
"You've been promoted," she said simply. "Effective immediately."
I blinked, caught off guard. "That fast?"
She didn't smile, but there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Word spreads when you wipe out an entire goblin camp on your own and still make it back before lunch."
I took the badge slowly, turning it over in my gloved fingers. D-rank. The first step up. Most took weeks—some months—to get there. I'd only been in the system for less than a month.
"I didn't think anyone was watching," I muttered.
Marla chuckled. "They weren't. At first."
She pointed to the far side of the guild.
Mounted high on the wall, a crystal orb hovered above a crowd of adventurers. It was a Guild Scry—an enchanted recorder, floating silently in the field to monitor solo missions for safety, training, and record-keeping.
And there it was—me, or at least the version of me I let the world see.
Onscreen, a hooded figure moved through a dense thicket, stepping lightly across tripwires he'd set himself. Arrows loosed with precision. Goblins fell before they even saw what hit them. My traps worked like clockwork—no wasted motion, no hesitation.
I watched the footage, but I wasn't the only one.
The Guild Hall was packed, and every eye was glued to that display. Adventurers of every class—Warriors, Rogues, Mages, Clerics—were murmuring, gesturing, pointing.
"Who the hell is that?"
"He's fast—way too fast for D-rank."
"Must be using a buff spell, right? Or wind enchantment?"
"No way. Look how clean that shot was. Did he just take three goblins at once?"
"Is he even Hunter-class?"
"Yeah," someone muttered, "but he ain't normal. I've never seen a Hunter move like that."
I kept quiet, sliding the badge into my pouch.
Marla leaned in slightly. "You kept your hood up the entire mission," she said quietly. "Smart."
"I prefer working in peace."
"Well, it might not stay peaceful for long," she warned. "You've got folks talking. Some are impressed. Others? Jealous."
I said nothing.
Let them wonder.
Let them squint at the shadows and speculate how some no-name D-rank Hunter was clearing missions faster than teams twice his size. Let them whisper about how I moved like wind through the trees—too quick, too efficient, too quiet.
I wasn't here to impress them.
But I had their attention now.
And whether they liked it or not, I wasn't going anywhere.
The buzz hadn't died down yet when Marla cleared her throat behind the desk again. "Before you go, Thorne… there's something you might want to see."
I turned back. Her tone had shifted—less amused now, more serious. She reached under the desk and placed a fresh quest slip on the counter. The paper shimmered faintly with a red edge, indicating high danger—and urgency.
"Unknown dungeon," she said, tapping the parchment. "No formal name, just coordinates. It showed up on the scout reports two days ago. No party's gone in yet. The Guild's offering a premium to whoever explores it first. I was going to suggest it to someone more… experienced, but…"
She trailed off and looked me over again.
"…I had a feeling you'd show up today."
I narrowed my eyes at the listing. It didn't say much. Just a location in the foothills outside the city, a brief mention of high mana interference, and a blank for "Known Threats."
"First-time dungeon," I murmured.
"Exactly. Could be a nest, could be abandoned ruins. No one knows yet. But the reward for a first clear is generous." She tapped a second pouch of coins behind the desk.
Before I could speak, the Guild doors slammed open.
A girl stumbled inside, panting, eyes wide with panic. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and one of her sleeves was torn. She sprinted past the other adventurers, straight to the desk.
"Please!" she gasped. "Someone—my friend—she's still in there!"
Marla stepped forward immediately. "Slow down. What dungeon? Who are you?"
The girl gripped the edge of the desk so tightly her knuckles went white. "The new one—the one with the red marker. She went in two days ago and hasn't come back. We thought it was low-tier, but there were orcs. A lot of them. And then—an ogre. A real one."
The room went still.
Even the adventurers around the scrying orb turned toward her.
"What's your friend's name?" I asked quietly.
The girl turned to me. Her eyes were glassy and bloodshot, but focused. "Elvira. She's a Demi-Human. Assassin class. Cat-girl. She's… fast. Smart. But she told me to run when things went wrong. I didn't want to, but she shouted and pushed me out."
I nodded once. "Wait here."
She blinked. "W-What?"
I pointed at the slip on the desk. "That's the dungeon, right?"
She looked down and gasped. "Y-Yeah. That's the one."
"I'll take the job," I said, turning to Marla.
Her brows raised. "Are you sure? The listing's unconfirmed, and we'll have to update it as a rescue mission. That means higher risk."
"Do it," I replied.
She hesitated, then reached for her quill, scribbled rapidly, and tapped the slip with a glowing seal to mark the mission as 'Live.'
"Officially assigned," she confirmed. "Rescue priority—one lost party member."
I nodded, already turning toward the exit.
But the girl stepped into my path, her voice trembling.
"W-Wait… You're not going in alone, are you? You're just a Hunter class. That dungeon—there's orcs, and worse! You could get hurt! Shouldn't you bring help? A party?"
I paused.
The old words echoed in the back of my mind—"Just a Hunter."
I met her gaze and smiled faintly. "I'll be fine."
Her ears twitched, tail low with worry. "You don't even know how deep the dungeon is. What if—"
"I've got my own way of scouting," I said, pulling up my hood. "I won't let your friend die down there."
And with that, I turned and stepped through the Guild Hall doors into the fading afternoon light.
Behind me, the girl stared after me, hands clasped tightly in front of her chest.
"…Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked softly.
Marla watched me disappear into the distance, her expression unreadable.
"I don't know," she said. "But I've seen a lot of rookies walk in and out of here over the years."
She turned her gaze back to the quest board where my scry footage still played in loops.
"And he doesn't move like a rookie."