"Well, isn't that incredibly cruel?" Another man briskly asked, walking over to the woman. Tall, with quite the handsome face, he leaned down to get to the woman's eye level. The woman looked at him, her vision of his eyes largely covered with his textured blue hair, before shrugging her shoulders.
"If he can't make it out of a B rank dungeon, we've got no real reason to actually keep him in, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," the blue-haired man mumbled, standing back up straight with his hands on his hips. "Well, we might as well use the tampered dungeon properly!"
With quick footsteps, the blue-haired man grabbed the corpses of the Hunters they'd slain and tossed them through the red gate. It was a reliable manner to dispose of bodies, considering the monsters inside the gate would almost invariably find them and eat them. On top of that, it was rare for anyone to hastily enter a tampered dungeon, simply due to the risk involved.
After all, once one entered, they couldn't return unless every single monster inside the gate was killed.
…
Falling from the sky, Rowan had a very brief run of airtime. After just one second of falling, he crashed into something mildly soft, blunting the impact for his body.
"Ogh!"
His eyes hidden behind their lids, he couldn't see. Only feel.
The ground was soft and malleable, and he felt quite warm. Gently whispering to his ears, the sound of washing waves informed him that he'd taken quite a terrible vacation.
He got on his hands and knees, coughing and spitting out fine particles, shaking his head as dusty sand escaped his short white hair rather quickly. Finally gathering the will to open his eyes, he looked around to find himself on an island, currently on the beach shore.
"Agh… that woman…"
He got to his feet, looking down at his bloody nose. Instinctively, he tried to use Healing Magic, only to feel a tinge of pain, as his body had yet to accumulate mana after having just expended all of it to fund the tampered dungeon.
Wait, tampered?
His heartrate spiking, Rowan turned around to see the red gate of the dungeon, black sparks emanating from it.
"Shit, shit shit shitshitshit!!!"
He ran over to the dungeon gate, which was notably high in the air. If he'd gotten on top of a school bus, he could easily climb and touch it, but alas, he had to use his legs.
Legs forged from volleyball and basketball with his friends, Rowan effortlessly leapt into the air, touching the red gate in an attempt to go home through the portal. Yet, instead, his hand swiped through, leaving him to fall helplessly onto the wet and sandy shore.
"That… seriously, you stupid…"
Barely keeping himself together, he washed the sand off of himself with a short bath, before walking back over underneath the portal.
Seeing the color, he swallowed his spit.
Red… That means it's a B rank dungeon. Okay, okay, I guess that's not the worst thing in the world…
In truth, considering the number of people they had on their side, it would be far worse if they worked together to turn the B rank dungeon into an A rank. At which point, Rowan was completely convinced that would be an inescapable death.
"At the very least, they don't want to kill me… I-immediately, that is."
They had mentioned something about him joining them. Then, could it be reasonably assumed this was to test his strength, having to take on a B rank dungeon on his lonesome?
They killed a group of Hunters to take this dungeon… They're most likely involved in some of the shadier aspects of Hunting. They might not even be registered Hunters, either.
Taking a short inhale, only to follow up with a forceful exhale, Rowan decided to think everything over, to try his hand at preparing for what is and what was to—
One corpse.
Two corpses.
Four corpses.
"A-ahh…"
Suddenly thrown through the gate as well, the dead bodies of the Hunters that the "Pleiades" had murdered collapsed to the sand.
"U-ghh…"
He shot a glance at the red portal. To his surprise and gratitude, it didn't seem to be changing color whatsoever. So, assuming his hopes rang true, this dungeon would stay at a simple B rank.
Well, shit…
He looked down at the dead bodies. They spilled their wounds onto the sandy sea, emanating a foul odor of blood and death. Immediately, Rowan's stomach churned, and he wanted to vomit onto the sea.
But, I mean, if there's no telling how long I could be here, I'd actually rather keep the food in my belly than not. Calories and whatever…
Actually, what food did he even have? He'd skipped breakfast, eaten lunch, had one small ice-cream sandwich and went home to use the bathroom. If he were to puke, would anything come out other than maybe nasty juices?
Ew, gross. Whatever!
With his thumbs, Rowan forced his lips to smile.
"If I died to a meager B rank dungeon, that's honestly super embarrassing! So, I'll survive, even if it's pretty gross!"
With a determined stride, Rowan looked over the corpses of his fallen Hunters.
If they want to frame me, they'll have to explain why these guys have bullet-holes all over. Guns like the kind those guys are using… they must've either gotten them illegally manufactured or be super powerful Hunters.
Those things are pretty new, and my family's definitely not rich enough to buy them.
So, without worrying about being framed, Rowan looted their bodies. Considering it was an island, where the hot sun was prevalent, he wore the lighter armor, as the metal would likely burn after a while, and the longer sleeves would keep him from being bitten by mosquitos, assuming they were on the island.
Taking up the greatsword of a woman, who'd clung to her blade in her final moments, Rowan armed himself.
Yes, that would be quite useful, considering there were now two Great Turtles approaching his location.
"Agh, shiittt…"
If this had been a C rank dungeon, then perhaps they would be around the size of a motorcycle. Yet, instead, due to the increase in rank,
"You guys are too huge!" Rowan exclaimed, seeing the large, truck-sized turtles. With brown shells and feet, both wielding cracked-patterns along both, the turtles were drawn in by the scent of blood.
"Sh-shouldn't you guys be eating leaves, or worms? Though, if you're this friggin' huge, then… yeah, I'm probably like a worm to you guys…"
Smiling through the fear, Rowan outstretched his left hand, keeping his right arm situated on the sword.
"Those shells won't protect you, no matter how cute you are!!"
Fire Magic enlisted, a flamethrower launched through the air, concentrated on the turtle to his left.
At Rowan's will, his body shot out mana with the Fire Affinity. In other words, it could be named Fire Mana, and with the Fire Mana entering the world, it ignited and followed his will, creating a flamethrower which engulfed one of the Great Turtles.
The one to the right tucked its head inside of its shell. Immediately getting the instinct that something was terribly wrong, Rowan executed his spell and leapt to the side, just as the turtle launched its head forward, missing him.
Landing on the sand, Rowan felt a tinge of pain, having exhausted his mana once more. With what little he'd managed to regain, he had used up. Even then, he only managed the spell for so long due to his Mana Efficient Ability.
He grit his teeth, spiteful of the situation.
That girl made me use all my mana, only to toss me into a dangerous chamber! Seriously, I hate her guts.
"Hah… huh…"
But, I don't care about any of that right now. Yes, I'm pissed off, but what matters is survival.
Momentarily clearing his heart of wrath, Rowan turned around and began to book it.
It was the logical choice. His fire would linger on the turtle a bit more, perhaps even kill it, and he would run away in order to regain his mana. Ultimately, he had to play to his strengths, and he had no problem with running away.
Step after step, Rowan noticed the weird footing of the sand, which was much harder to deal with than he initially expected. So, he looked back to the forest where the turtles had emerged from.
Do I go in or not? Well, it's better to stay in the shade, no?
He entered the forest. Upon pushing through, the more solidified dirt footing was easier to deal with, which he greatly appreciated. Still breathing quite frantically from his small burst of speed, Rowan hid underneath the shade of a fairly large tree, crouching down to conserve energy.
So… how long am I going to be here?
If he were to take into account that, as a Hunter, he was most likely a C rank, and the fact that there could be anywhere from five-to-fifteen B rank monsters in a dungeon, as well as the A rank boss that was guaranteed to pop up once the others were dead, it would most likely take some time to escape.
Great. Just great. Well, no, it's not as bad as it might seem… hopefully.
If I can kill even one monster, then I can enchant an item with the mana crystal I get from it.
Plus, there's always the chance of being rescued. Though, this dungeon was pretty deep into the forest, and it could take some time to get the proper reinforcements, considering tampered gates are really risky…
"Meh, I just won't worry about it. If I can't smile in rough times, who else will?"
It was natural, considering Rowan had ultimately lived an easy life. Though his family situation might initially seem quite bad, this was actually rather a low-point.
His mother had gotten sick after an Ability was used on a crowd. And due to the source being an Ability, it was difficult to mend with mere Healing Magic. However, it wasn't as though it was immediately lethal, and as a result, he still got to grow up with a mother and father, who loved both him and his little brother dearly.
The money-troubles from the constant enlisting of Healers was taken care of by their father, who due to the peculiar working hours of a Hunter, managed to come home quite often.
A loving family, a fairly quiet and humble home, along with a good childhood.
I was blessed. I am not someone who has any right to complain.
Leaning his head back against the tree bark, he exhaled deeply, keeping his eyes closed.
That's right. I don't need to worry about anything. It's others who need to be helped.
A soft smile curving across his lips, he did feel a lot of heat on his head.
He rubbed his spiky white hair, grateful that it was short yet also cursing that it lacked melanin, which would properly protect him against the heat.
Well, no matter. I just need a hat… I think I saw one of those guys wearing a helmet.
—
Around thirty minutes passed. Ultimately, that had been enough time to regain around forty percent of his mana back, which was essentially enough to do most basic tasks.
He got up from his spot, returning to the beach where he saw the Hunters and their bodies. A deep frown curling his lips, he found the corpses long removed, and in their stead a few mere patches of blood.
Luckily, however, those Great Turtles were still present, wandering around the shore.
At a distance of forty or so yards, Rowan extended his right hand, using his dominant hand, as this would require some precision.
The further out a spell goes, the more mana it costs to maneuver it. Even if it's small, since it's harder to manage with precision, unlike a large spell. Though I guess large spells are also super difficult to maneuver.
So, with a flame of great orange hue forming in the palm of his hand, Rowan hurled it through the air. And, in spite of the obstacle of range increasing difficulty for precision, with his Ability, it was much less expensive.
And as such, he sent the fireball directly into the previously-burned turtle's eye, combusting into a fiery explosion which greatly damaged its head.
I'd heard some kids in middle school say something along the lines of, "Precision beats power, timing beats speed." Well, as it would turn out, they were right.
For the gargantuan, overgrown monsters, an attack to their large eyes was easier to strike, and considering that sight was an important aspect of most living, removing it was incredibly advantageous.
"Plus, you guys have brains behind your eyes."
As the turtles slowly turned to face him, Rowan got a gist of how slow they were to turn around.
That so? Well then…
Gripping the sword in his hands, Rowan kicked off the ground. His skill with the sword was little beyond the basics, but he trusted in his body, even if it was ultimately weak. So, with fairly long strides, he pressed forward, and upon getting close, he raised—
"H-huh?"
Suddenly, they shrank into their shells. Then, with an attack that defied sense, they unitedly hurled themselves at him, now that the gap had been closed. At such close range, it was a sure-hit attack.
"Kk!"
Feeling several thousand pounds of shell collide with his chest, the comparatively lightweight Rowan was sent hurling through the air. Instantly, he felt himself breaking apart. A ragdoll. Up, down, over and under and left and right and trulytruly, he lost all sense of direction.
Weightless, yet in great pain. A sharp, stabbing pain in his lungs and heart and—
End.
"K-kagh, urghll…
The ocean embraced his broken body.