Bahlil's old car creaked the whole way down the road.
Its paint was peeling. The back seat was thin and stiff. Every time the wheels slammed into a pothole, the entire car shook. The smell of oil, smoke, and damp fabric blended into one.
In the back seat, Mikoto sat leaning back with his eyes half-closed.
Ana sat beside him, staring out the window at the road.
Up front, Bahlil drove while softly whistling, as if everything were perfectly fine.
Even though it clearly wasn't.
The city had long since disappeared behind them. The road grew narrower, darker, and quieter. Streetlights became scarce. There were no shops. No people. Only the sound of the old engine, as though it might die at any moment.
Ana leaned a little closer.
"Sir..." she whispered.
Mikoto yawned.
"...Hm?"
"This is suspicious."
Mikoto did not even fully open his eyes.
"As long as we get paid."
Ana stared at him for a few seconds.
"If we get thrown into a ravine later, I hope you'll still be able to say that."
Mikoto did not answer.
In the rearview mirror, Bahlil's eyes met theirs for a moment. He gave a faint smile, then turned his focus back to the road.
Not long after, the car stopped in front of an old warehouse.
The building was large, but looked close to collapsing. Its walls were dull. Its iron doors were rusted. There were no outside lights. No signboard. Nothing about the place looked official.
"We're here," Bahlil said lightly.
He got out first.
Ana followed.
Mikoto got out last, more because the car had stopped than because he was eager.
The moment the warehouse door opened, the smell of blood and metal hit them at once.
Inside, everything was in disarray.
Several people sat on the floor wrapping filthy cloth around their wounds. Some were sharpening knives. Others were cleaning blood off their axes. Wooden crates were stacked in the corners. Torches, pickaxes, ropes, and backpacks had been left scattered everywhere.
All eyes immediately turned toward them.
"New recruits?"
"The guy looks half dead."
"The girl's not bad."
A few small laughs rang out.
One of the men stood and walked over. He had a large build, but his smile was disgusting.
He looked Mikoto up and down.
"This the one you recruited?" he said with a laugh. "He looks more like the first corpse."
Several people laughed.
"Forget lifting a weapon, it looks like even standing is hard for him."
"Look at his eyes. He hasn't even entered the Gate yet and he already looks like he wants to sleep."
Ana frowned.
Mikoto just yawned.
The large man stopped right in front of him.
"Oi. You hear me?"
Mikoto opened one eye.
"...I hear you."
"And?"
"You're noisy."
Silence, for a moment.
A few people exchanged glances. They had probably expected Mikoto to get angry, or scared, or at least offended.
But no.
His tone was flat, as if the man in front of him was nothing more than background noise interrupting his afternoon nap.
The man clicked his tongue and shoved Mikoto in the shoulder.
Not hard. Just enough to belittle him.
"If you want to stay here, you need to fix that attitude."
Mikoto swayed slightly. He wasn't holding anything yet. He had not even braced himself.
But after that, he straightened back up and rubbed his eyes.
"...If you're done, move."
The laughter changed.
Now there was offense mixed into it.
Another man approached Ana.
"This one looks way more useful."
He grinned.
"At the very least, she's nice to look at."
Ana stared at him coldly.
"Stay away from me!"
"So feisty."
He tried to step closer again, but stopped when Mikoto let out an exaggerated yawn.
"HOOOAAAMMM."
Still expressionless.
The man glanced at Mikoto.
"What?"
Mikoto yawned again.
"...I'm sleepy. Don't make a fuss."
This time, no one laughed.
Because that answer felt more insulting than an actual insult.
Not because Mikoto was being brave.
But because it was obvious he did not consider any of them important.
Heavy footsteps sounded from deeper inside the warehouse.
All noise died instantly.
A tall man stepped out from behind a stack of crates. His body was covered in old scars. His gaze was sharp. His face showed no emotion. He did not need to shout to silence the entire room.
Bahlil immediately straightened his back.
"Boss."
The man did not answer. He pulled out a cigarette, placed it between his lips, then raised a hand.
A small flame appeared at his fingertip.
Fssst.
The cigarette lit up.
He took a slow drag, then exhaled smoke to the side.
Not big. Not dramatic. But enough to make everyone in the warehouse lower their heads slightly.
A Hunter.
And from the way everyone reacted, clearly not just any Hunter.
The man's gaze—Zouma's—swept across the room.
Then stopped on Ana.
"...This one is coming with me."
Without waiting for consent, he grabbed Ana by the wrist and started walking.
"Eh—"
Ana glanced back.
"Sir—"
Mikoto simply rubbed his eyes.
"...Hm?"
He looked at Zouma's hand gripping Ana, then yawned softly.
Zouma glanced at Mikoto, clicked his tongue, and kept walking.
At the same time, a large bag was thrown at Mikoto's feet.
Then another.
Then another.
Food. Pickaxes. Rope. Torches. Water bottles. Mining equipment.
"Carry them."
Mikoto looked at the pile.
"...All of it?"
"Yes. All of it."
The quiet laughter returned.
"Perfect. He's finally useful."
"At least he can be a pack mule."
One of them kicked one of the bags closer to his feet.
Ana saw all of it from a distance.
For a moment, her gaze changed.
Not anger.
More like... displeasure.
But Mikoto only bent down, picked everything up one by one, and stood again.
"...Pretty heavy."
No protest. No embarrassment.
And that was exactly what made Ana feel slightly uncomfortable.
Zouma brought Ana to the center of the warehouse, where a Gate stood.
It was blue. Stable. Pulsing softly like the surface of water.
"Easy job," Zouma said, still holding Ana by the wrist. "Go in, take the mana crystals, come out."
He glanced to the side.
"You look calm. Good. A lot of newcomers vomit or pass out before going in."
Ana said nothing.
Zouma exhaled smoke.
"If your performance is good, come work for me instead. I'll pay you well. Better wages than sticking with that lazy man."
His eyes shifted toward Mikoto in the back.
Mikoto was still bringing up the rear, carrying the entire load, yawning like someone forced to wake up far too early.
Ana answered briefly.
"Sorry. I already have a job."
Zouma gave a short laugh.
"What strange loyalty."
One by one, the members stepped into the Gate.
Zouma went first, still pulling Ana along.
The others followed.
Mikoto... was last.
He paused for a moment in front of the Gate, then stepped through while carrying all the bags.
And the instant his body passed through the blue surface—
the Gate behind them vanished.
Not shrank.
Not dimmed.
Vanished.
Everyone turned around.
"What—?"
"Where did the Gate go?!"
"Don't screw around!"
"Don't only C-rank Gates and above disappear as soon as all members enter?!"
Zouma immediately released Ana's hand and stepped forward.
"Quiet!"
His voice echoed.
"This is only a D-rank Gate! At worst, it's just full of Goblins! Once we wipe them all out, the Gate will reappear on its own."
Several people swallowed hard, then forced themselves to calm down.
The dungeon was dark.
Torches were lit. Flashlights switched on. Small lights danced along the damp stone walls.
A Goblin appeared from behind a rock.
Small. Thin. Ugly-faced.
Everyone immediately laughed in relief.
"Hah! Just a Goblin!"
"That's what I said!"
Bahlil ran forward at once.
"It's mine!"
He chased the Goblin deeper into the tunnel.
No one stopped him.
A few seconds passed.
"Bahlil?"
No answer.
"Bahlil!"
Silence.
Zouma frowned.
"Don't play around..."
They began walking deeper inside. Slowly. Carefully.
Torches and flashlights swept in every direction.
Too quiet.
Suddenly—
SHRRT—!!
Something shot out of the darkness.
Zouma reflexively tilted his head.
The arrow passed within an inch of his face—
and pierced the head of one of the men behind him.
Blood sprayed.
The body fell instantly.
Everyone froze.
"ON GUARD!"
"Formation!"
Zouma roared. Everyone moved at once. Weapons came up. They instinctively formed a defensive circle.
Except for two people.
Ana remained standing calmly, expressionless.
And Mikoto... yawned again.
Ana slowly stepped backward toward Mikoto.
"Sir."
"...Hm?"
"Do we need to run?"
Mikoto stared ahead with half-closed eyes.
"We stay here."
Ana glanced at him.
"...Why?"
"We need money."
Ana fell silent for a moment.
"...Understood."
In front of them, Zouma raised his hand.
Fire burst upward.
WHOOSH—!
In an instant, the dungeon, which had been lit only by torches and flashlights, became bright.
And everyone could finally see their surroundings clearly.
Goblins.
To the right.
To the left.
On top of rocks.
Behind pillars.
In the cracks along the walls.
Dozens of them.
No.
More than that.
They had already been surrounded from every direction.
For the first time, Zouma's face tightened.
"...Damn it."