Chapter 28: Yanked Inside and Held Tight!
The alarm kept blaring, red light washing over the entire lobby.
Lucien pulled out his phone, the Guild App already updating itself.
[Emergency Guild Mission]
Dungeon: Ironfang Caverns
Status: Dungeon Mutation Confirmed with a break evident
Estimated Threat: C-Rank+
Rewards: 2× market price for this dungeons materials
Eligible Adventurers: D-Rank and Above
Lucien frowned. "They’re making this a mission?"
"That’s exactly what it is," Zalor said, already scrolling through his own phone.
"A mutated dungeon sounds like a disaster, not a job listing."
Zalor laughed. "Mutations happen more often than you’d think with most getting contained before they turn into anything worse. That’s the whole point of emergency missions they flood the emergency site with adventurers who clear it fast and the problem is solved before it becomes an actual dungeon break."
"And what happens if it does break?"
"Do you know why dungeon Mutations or breaks even happen?" Zalor asked.
"Something about the dungeons mana overflowing, right?" Lucien responded sounding a little uncertain.
"Yes, mana overflow, when the dungeon absorbs or is introduced to much mana, it finds a way to utilize it and that way is by making its monsters or beasts stronger or making more of them." Zalor said.
"Hence spawn rates spike, the dungeons capacity expands past its normal boundaries and to fix this it allows monsters to exit through the portals, and eventually the monsters just walk out. That’s why they’re racing to clear it now, before that happens." Zalor explained.
He nodded toward the massive screen. "That’s the whole system, right there."
’Simple enough,’ Lucien thought. ’Contain it early, or deal with an actual monster invasion later, guess that explains the certain amount of urgency.’
"Know why everyone’s excited and ready to go there, instead of panicking and running the other way?" Zalor added, gesturing around the lobby.
Lucien looked. Nobody looked scared. If anything, half the room looked pleased adventurers checking gear, grinning, practically racing each other toward the mission counters.
"Double guild payments, the guild knows how to please adventurers." Zalor said. "Heck, even the dungeon drops better monster materials from mutated beasts, better treasure chests. Sure the danger goes up but,"
"So do the profits," Lucien finished. "Right. Should’ve guessed."
’Adventurer logic 101, it seems that no matter the world adventurers are always after the big bucks, just like those webnovels made them out to be.’ Lucien thought while chuckling internally.
---
"LUC!"
Kael’s voice boomed across the lobby before Lucien even spotted him, and a heartbeat later a very large Asura arm had already thrown itself around his shoulders.
"Didn’t expect to see you here," Kael said, grinning wide.
"Heard you tore through the rank-up test, see I told you he was something, didn’t I?" This last part aimed at Vex, who simply nodded once.
"You’re lucky, just ranked up and you have a good mission waiting." Vex said in a matter-of-fact way.
Rika appeared behind them, arms crossed. "We’re taking the emergency mission," she said. "Want in?"
"Absolutely," Zalor said immediately.
Lucien shook his head. "I’ll pass this time."
Kael blinked. "Pass? You’re Peak D now, aren’t you? This pays double, if you’re worried about it being a C Rank dungeon, don’t be as with a party of Peak D-Ranks it is still doable of we don’t go to far in."
"Sorry man but my wives come first," Lucien said simply. "Dungeon’s not far from our estate, I’d rather be there than out here chasing bonus loot."
Silence for half a beat, then Kael grinned wider.
"I see, a family man already," he said, shaking his head. "Alright, respect."
"Someone has to make sure they don’t burn the house down while I’m gone," Lucien added.
"That happen often?" Rika asked surprised.
"Just once," Lucien admitted. "A confirmed salt-sugar incident just this morning, actually."
Kael burst out laughing, even Rika’s mouth twitched.
---
Lucien walked with them to a mission counter anyway, curious about the process even if he wasn’t joining.
The receptionist stamped their guild cards, issued emergency mission bracelets pulsing faint orange, and handed out small folded maps marking the Ironfang Caverns location and evacuation routes, because most technology doesn’t really work inside dungeons, you can’t just use your phone as their would be no signal and plenty of mana interference.
"Mana interference scrambles signals, rendering phones, satellites, and most long-range communication useless inside dungeons." Vex explained to Lucien as he was new to being an adventurer.
’Efficient,’ Lucien thought, watching it all unfold. ’Guild’s clearly done this before.’
Just as Rika finished signing the final form, a ripple of tension spread through the guild staff nearby hushed voices, someone rushing toward the back office.
The massive screen above the lobby flickered.
Threat Assessment...
Updating...
Updating...
Updating...
Estimated Threat: Mid C-Rank
The entire lobby went dead silent.
Someone near the counter swore under their breath, a staff member bolted toward the stairs.
And somewhere across the room, Darius’s voice cut through the sudden chaos, sharp and commanding, barking orders Lucien couldn’t fully make out from this distance.
’Well damn, it changed to Mid C-Rank, that escalated fast.’
Rika’s jaw tightened. "Guess we’re not taking this lightly after all, best we stick close to the entrance."
"When is a mutation ever light," Kael muttered, already checking his greatsword’s straps.
---
They parted ways near the entrance, Kael clapping Lucien on the shoulder one more time.
"When this is over," Kael said, "we’re running another dungeon. You, me and whoever’s still standing, don’t think I’m missing out on your beginner luck streak for anything."
"You’re assuming you survive," Lucien said.
Kael grinned. "That’s the spirit."
They headed off toward a waiting carriage, Zalor giving Lucien a quick two-finger salute before following.
Lucien watched them go for a moment, then flagged down his own carriage and climbed in, already pulling out his phone quickly sending a message on the family’s group chat he made a few days ago.
Lucien: Stay inside today. There’s a mutated dungeon nearby so don’t leave unless absolutely necessary. I’ll explain when I get home.
The reply came almost instantly.
Evelisse: Are you going to it?
Lucien: No. I’m coming home.
Evelisse: You better be or else I’ll pull you back from from dead just to slap you silly for being an idiot.
Seraphina: Be safe and get back fast.
Aurelia: Smart decision, don’t take dungeon mutations at face value, as they could change any time.
Lucien smiled at the screen, pocketing it as the carriage rolled forward through the city.
"Short and to the point, very Aurelia. Also slapping me silly, it seems she is getting cheeky after getting a talent, at least Seraphina reply is normal wife reply." He said, his lips curling upward as a small laugh escaped them.
---
The estate came into view as the sun dipped low, and Lucien actually leaned forward in his seat.
"Wow." He was surprised by the estates now look and how fast they had done it.
Fresh white stone gleamed where crumbling walls used to stand, black gothic roof tiles, perfectly aligned, replaced the old sagging mess entirely. Blood-red roses climbed neatly along a newly repaired garden wall, mana lamps flickering to life one by one as dusk settled in.
A marble pathway led up to the front door, flanked by a small, elegant fountain that definitely hadn’t been there a week ago.
’Now this,’ he thought, stepping down from the carriage, ’actually looks like a noble’s estate.’
’Maybe I should add a security system too,’ he thought, studying the walls. ’Just in case something ever gets past the front gate and the high walls.’
He walked up the path, admiring the transformation, and reached for the door handle.
It flew open before he touched it.
A hand shot out and yanked him inside.
The door slammed shut behind him.
Lucien’s sword was already half-drawn on instinct before he registered Evelisse’s face inches from his own, furious.
"Idiot!" she snapped, punching his chest, not hard almost lovingly and just enough to make her point.
"I thought you were going to go get yourself killed in that stupid mutated dungeon!"
Then she hugged him, hard, before he could even respond.
Seraphina appeared right behind her, eyes suspiciously bright. "We were so worried," she said softly.
"Especially Evelisse, she was basically in tears" she said teasing Evelisse.
"Since when was I in tears Serephina, don’t make stuff up," Evelisse said quickly refuting Seraphina’s teasing, a little to fast at that.
"She almost cried." Serephina pressed on teasingly.
"I absolutely did not! It was dust that got in my eyes." Evelisse denied again, face red from being called out.
"Dust got understand your eyes inside the house?" Lucien asked teasing her some more.
"It was very aggressive dust okay, now let’s forget about this and move on." Evelisse replied dropping the topic.
Aurelia walked over last, arms crossed, expression carefully composed.
"You made the correct decision, not running after money that could get you killed, and which can be earned anytime from a normal dungeon." she said simply.
’From Aurelia,’ Lucien thought, warmth spreading through his chest, ’that’s basically a ’I’m terrified of losing you.’ ’
He looked around, realization settling in slowly.
’They were waiting right by the door, all three of them, listening for me.’
"...You were all standing here the whole time?" he asked.
Nobody answered directly, which was answer enough.
He pulled all three of them into a hug at once, Evelisse still grumbling something about idiots and dungeons even as she leaned into it.
---
They were still standing there, tangled together in the entryway, when the TV in the living room suddenly cut to static.
A reporter’s voice broke through, tense and urgent.
They all turned to look.
Behind the reporter, smoke curled up into the darkening sky, faint but unmistakable.
"The Ironfang Caverns mutation has escalated," the reporter said. "The estimated threat has officially been raised to,"
A pause.
"B-Rank."
Everyone in the room went quiet.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, mind already calculating.
’Seven kilometers,’ he thought. ’That’s not far. That’s not far at all.’
***************
[A/N: Loving the story so far? Comment and let me know.
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