Chapter 27: Wrong Biome
From afar, Terrence had already noticed a familiar person who also came from the Lee Family. But this former fellow family member had been just eight years old the last time they had seen each other.
Terrence’s boots strode across the flattened makeshift road. They both had their eyes on each other for a fleeting second. Noli Lee, a sixteen-year-old newly-awakened former fellow member of the Lee Family, didn’t react at all when he saw him.
The teenage boy leaned casually against a nearby tree trunk, idly tossing and playing with a black obsidian dagger. He completely ignored Terrence, not recognizing him in the slightest.
’Oh... so that’s it?’ Terrence thought, keeping his expression neutral. ’I thought he would at least recognize my face.’
Still, it was probably for the best. It spared both of them from dealing with an awkward, unwanted reunion right before dropping into a rift.
Terrence didn’t know what kind of beast his cousin had contracted, but that would become clear enough once the newly organized temporary squad formed up.
They were eight in total: four males and four females. Each of them radiated a completely different aura, suggesting a versatile mix of roles. By silent agreement, none of them had summoned their contracted beasts just yet.
"Let’s introduce ourselves first before we enter," a six-foot-tall man with a muscular, fit physique stepped forward. He had short brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a broad, warm smile plastering his face—the exact kind of overly friendly smile Terrence inherently disliked.
As if reacting to an unspoken cue, the group naturally formed a loose circle, each person maintaining a bit of personal distance. The green-eyed man took the initiative to start.
"I am Hubertzin Von. Nice to meet you all."
Silence settled over the group. The awkward quiet stretched on just long enough to make Hubertzin chuckle softly under his breath. Instead of waiting for a volunteer, his eyes locked onto Terrence.
"What do you want?" Terrence asked, his voice completely flat.
Hubertzin maintained his cheerful smile. "Please introduce yourself next."
Terrence let out a quiet sigh, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck in mild annoyance. It was a tedious exercise, but he knew establishing basic names could prove somewhat helpful since they were expected to work together to survive.
Even so, Terrence had zero intention of relying on this group. Their individual vibes didn’t complement one another at all, meaning zero natural chemistry should be expected.
"I am Terrence," he said simply. "Just Terrence."
Noli finally looked up from his obsidian knife, his sharp eyes observing Terrence’s face. Even after studying him for a full minute, he couldn’t quite place where he had seen those features before. He just felt the name sounded eerily familiar.
"Alright, Terrence," Hubertzin said smoothly before shifting his gaze to an older man standing nearby. He had white hair, a rugged beard, and a massive double-sided sword strapped securely across his back. "Now, how about you?"
The old man clicked his tongue in irritation.
"I am Ikal," he muttered gruffly, clearly wanting to be left alone.
Finally, Hubertzin looked at the last male of the party.
Noli fixed his posture, giving a stiff nod. "I am Noli."
The male introductions were brief and dull, but at least Terrence now knew his young cousin shared the exact same cynical outlook on this forced team-up.
The four female team members introduced themselves shortly after, but their words sounded muffled in Terrence’s ears as his thoughts drifted back to Noli. He didn’t harbor any personal grudge against the kid, but his parents certainly had reason to. He distinctly remembered that Noli’s parents were present alongside his own mother ten years ago at the ruined outer sector.
Lacking full clarity on the past, Terrence pushed those dark memories aside for the moment.
After a brief, practical exchange of roles, the temporary party turned toward the shimmering portal to prepare for entry.
"Hey, Terrence. Is this your first time in a B-Rank?"
A female tamer with a busty figure suddenly fell into step right beside his left shoulder without giving any signal.
"No..." Terrence answered, keeping his stride steady.
"Are you here to grind beast cores, then?"
"No..."
"So... why did you even come here?" The woman’s voice carried a high-pitched, compressed quality that made her sound unnaturally childish. "The rest of us want to clear the dungeon and earn a few good beast cores. If you aren’t here for that, why are you even bothering?"
Terrence took a deliberate step to his side, tilting his head away from her clinging presence.
"You should mind your own business," Terrence replied. He hadn’t intended to sound overly harsh, but his blunt delivery instantly turned the woman’s expression sour.
"Tsk. Arrogant," she sneered, crossing her arms tightly. "I bet you’re only here for rank verification."
Terrence turned his head, glaring at her with cold, unblinking eyes. He remained silent for a long second before speaking in a low, frigid tone.
"You knew it already... yet you chose to bother me anyway."
The woman let out an unhinged, incredulous laugh, clearly stunned that anyone would treat her with such blatant disregard. It was obvious this was her first time being brushed off so coldly by a male teammate.
A second later, her plastic smile completely vanished, replaced by a sharp, disdainful scowl. She looked ready to spit on the ground at his feet.
"Don’t think so highly of yourself, you trash," she hissed bitterly. "Damn it. I was just trying to be friendly, but now I know exactly who to abandon if things go south inside."
She turned on her heel and stomped off, leaving Terrence in a decidedly lighter mood.
I knew it, Terrence thought, watching her rejoin the others. As if she initiated a conversation with pure intentions. The overall atmosphere around this temporary squad was already suspicious to begin with. Individually, none of them make any sense either.
One by one, the guard station registered their official ID cards into the system. With the administrative procedures completed, the eight-man party lined up and stepped through the rippling spatial barrier.
The stomach-churning weightlessness of portal travel washed over Terrence’s body for a brief moment before his boots hit solid ground.
According to the official Contribution Agency, this specific rift was registered as a standard Jungle Biome.
Yet, as the portal light faded and the cold air hit his face, everyone froze in absolute shock.
Gazing out over an endless landscape of towering snow-covered pine trees, freezing blizzards, and jagged ice formations, a teammate voiced the exact question ringing in everyone’s mind:
"Why is it a Snow Biome?!"