Chapter 39: First A-Rank Dungeon Run
Terrence jolted from his sleep.
’Really... I shouldn’t have trusted them and slept so soundly.’
Without even fully processing what was happening around him, he instantly dropped into a low combat stance, preparing for whatever fight was unfolding.
Scanning the immediate area, he let out a heavy exhale as he took in the sheer destruction. Their previous campsite was the only remaining safe spot in the clearing. Surrounding them was a scarred, devastated battlefield flooded with an uncountable number of dungeon beasts.
"Just what the hell is happening?" Terrence questioned out loud into the chaotic air as violent fights erupted in every direction.
Gilbert was holding down the western side, clashing directly with a wave of A-Rank Pitcher Flower Beasts. To the east was an endless army of smaller Pitcher Flower Beasts, packed so tightly together that it looked like a full-blown beast stampede.
To his front and rear were the same towering plant monsters, heavily mixed in with smaller variations of the species.
"Did we just sleep right inside their lair?"
Terrence immediately activated his Skill Share. Seeing that he was the only one left standing idle without fighting, he lunged forward, charging straight toward the approaching mass of plant beasts.
His heart beat violently against his ribs as he sidestepped to his right, narrowly dodging a thick vine-root that whipped out to pincer his torso. He was almost hit, the close call instantly bringing back vivid memories of his past battle against a goblin.
Releasing a sharp breath, he leaped high into the air as another razor-sharp pincer thrust at his boots. He couldn’t even begin to count how many beasts were surrounding their camp, but he knew with absolute certainty that if he stopped to rest for even a second, their chances of survival would plummet to zero.
"Triple Slash!" Terrence mumbled the command the exact moment he reached a smaller plant beast.
Suddenly, from right behind him, a giant Arachne Beast lunged forward toward a massive plant monster. The Arachne’s obsidian, needle-sharp legs thrusted deep into the pitcher mouth of the creature. With a brutal pull, it whipped another leg sideways, skewering three smaller beasts all at once like a kebab.
Terrence peeked over his shoulder, catching sight of Gilbert barking orders at his spider beast.
"What are you doing?!" Gilbert shouted over the din, his eyes widened with a mix of fierce emotions. "Summon your beast!"
Terrence took a swift step back. With each passing second, more beasts were pressing inward, rapidly shrinking their safe zone. Every single tamer in the clearing had already summoned their contracted beasts—except for him.
Biting his lower lip hard, Terrence tapped into the Beast Sanctuary and summoned his S-Rank Mutated Iron Shadow Hound.
The moment his beast materialized onto the dirt, an overwhelming, suffocating pressure slammed across the entire area. Every surrounding monster instantly froze, turning toward Terrence’s hound with sheer, instinctual terror as it radiated a terrifyingly cold killing intent.
Terrence gently signaled his beast to ease its aura slightly. The other tamers caught the sudden, heavy fluctuation of energy, but they were far too occupied with their own life-and-death struggles to pinpoint where it had originated.
Gilbert, on the other hand, observed the Shadow Hound with sharp, calculating eyes. A small curl arched up at the corner of his lips. He exhaled slowly, his expression shifting into a broad, intrigued grin.
"You have a seriously dangerous beast."
As the battle ground to a sudden pause, Gilbert unsummoned his spider. The surrounding dungeon beasts stopped their violent assault, slowly backing away as if paralyzed by the Shadow Hound’s presence.
Slowly, the dense army of dungeon beats cleared, revealing another wide section of the battlefield.
Terrence didn’t even notice the missing Arachne beast return to its mark. The other tamers had no idea that Gilbert had personally engaged in the fray alongside his creature either; as far as they knew, everyone had simply been forced to fight with all their might. Meanwhile, Winter was operating on an entirely different level on the eastern flank, holding off an entire horde by herself.
Soon, the tamers realized they had secured the absolute advantage. The dungeon beasts broke their formation entirely, frantically turning on their heels to flee into the dark forest.
The Shadow Hound didn’t even need to unleash any grand, destructive techniques. Moving at a casual speed, it effortlessly sliced through the retreating enemy beasts, tearing them down one by one.
’The gap in power is just absurd, Terrence thought, watching the carnage. It would take dozens of A-Rank beasts working together just to put up a decent fight against an S-Rank. And even then, the outcome wouldn’t change.’
Gradually, the chaotic battleground settled into a silent clearing littered with a vast field of monster carcasses. The green blood from these types of beasts defiled the ground, turning it into a squishy, muddy mess.
"How did things escalate to that level so quickly?" Terrence finally had the chance to ask now that the immediate threat had vanished.
Still, from time to time, he wrinkled his nose at the stench of the battlefield. The sharp smell of iron and freshly cut grass stung his nostrils.
Winter strode over to regroup with the rest of the team. She barely broke a sweat, appearing as though she hadn’t faced a real challenge at all. Terrence hadn’t even managed to see what kind of contracted beast she used during the chaos.
Jean was still breathing heavily, a trace of lingering panic on her face as she spoke. "This rift is completely abnormal, I think. That sheer quantity of A-Rank beasts appearing out of nowhere isn’t natural."
The twins, Goon and Larp, nodded in solemn agreement.
"She’s right, that’s impossible," Goon added, wiping green blood from his cheek. "That number of A-Rank beasts could easily form a war army capable of wiping out a small city."
Larp backed up his brother’s claim. "Whatever triggered them to swarm like that, it means only one thing."
Winter looked around at the weary group, speaking without a single hint of hesitation.
"We have to clear this dungeon soon."