One by one, each of them entered through the portal at Kirex's instruction. Their bodies vanished into the blue-lighted portal, which shimmered with intense energy.
Buji was the last to step through, his breath hitching as he too vanished into the portal. The transition was disorienting. For a brief moment, Buji felt weightless, surrounded by swirling light and an overwhelming hum.
Then, as quickly as it began, it was over. And he was in it—inside the dungeon.
"Pheww."
One thing he was not told happened. He heard an articulate female voice. It resounded in his head after the notification sound had dropped.
Ding!
[08:00:00 remaining to raid the dungeon
Dungeon: A-Rank Bat Dome
Aim: Kill the boss]
Good luck.
From the look on other people's faces, Buji guessed the same had happened to them.
They had emerged into the dungeon, a vast cave illuminated by a flickering light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. The air was cold and damp, carrying a faint scent that hinted at blood. The floor beneath their feet was littered with jagged rocks and patches of moss.
Buji could hear his stomach churn as if he was about to vomit. The appearance of this place was disgusting.
Kirex immediately raised his hand, signaling the group to stop every movement.
"Stay alert," he said with a low but firm voice. "A-rank dungeons are always deceitful. We don't know what's waiting for us."
'Follow your leader, one, two. He sounds so confident, just hope he is as active as he sounded.'
For some unknown reason, Buji was uncomfortable being guided by this Kirex of a being, but what can he do? At least for his safety, he has no other choice. But his mind kept betraying his trial to balance with this team of his.
'Safety, hmm. Even though, what your fellows are doing, follow them do.'
In that case, he joined the group in spreading out slightly, maintaining the formation Kirex had assigned. Buji took his position at the rear, with Clara by his side. His senses heightened as he scanned the darkness behind them.
"Everyone, get prepared. Something is coming," Clara said curtly. The power of intuition had played its own role.
What's next is the power of combat to do its part. Funny enough, Clara was also good with combat. Buji could tell from the daggers she came with and her confidence while walking alongside him.
'Interesting. This means that a hunter is allowed to acquire as many skills and abilities as they can. The ones they awakened with were just their unique abilities, so, they should be very good at it. Although, I didn't awaken any.'
The silence that followed Clara's voice was oppressive, broken only by the faint sounds of their breathing and the occasional drip of water from the top. Buji's grip on his sword tightened as he tried to steady his nerves.
Just when the group thought nothing was going to happen, a sound pierced the silence.
A high-pitched screech sent a chill down Buji's spine. It was faint at first, but grew louder, echoing through the cave.
"What was that?" Lian whispered with an inaudible voice.
"It sounded like bats," Kirex replied. "Stay together."
With Kirex's instruction, the team joined themselves together, watching the backs of each other. The paced to and fro their spot, maintaining an arc movement.
As if on cue, a swarm of dark shapes burst from the shadows. They flapped their leathery wings furiously as the sound from the flapping filled the air with an ear-splitting cacophony. The group instinctively ducked their heads, shielding their faces as the bats swirled around them.
Buji felt the rush of air as one of the creatures flew past his head. The claws of the bat narrowly missed his face, increasing his heartbeats. But he forced himself to stay focused.
He tightened his grip once again on the short sword, his eyes narrowing as he peered into the darkness.
Sure enough, the bats eventually dispersed into different door openings in the cave. Buji observed each team member's expression—it was a mix of relief and lingering tension.
'Only God knows. This was just the beginning, and everyone seemed shaken. From the look of things, any creature they were going to encounter inside this dungeon would have wings, judging from the dungeon name.'
Yet again, the leader's voice echoed inside the cave. "Hold your ground!"
After scanning his teammates, his sharp eyes assessed each member. "Everyone alright?"
A series of nods followed though Buji was certain the incident had shaken some of them.
"In that case, we move," Kirex said, leading the way deeper into the dungeon.
Reaching the front of the door openings in the dungeon, Kirex stopped.
There were three door openings, leading into where they know not. This is an A-rank dungeon for you. Everybody turned their gaze to Clara, but she nodded disappointedly.
She was not getting any information.
'What the fuck. I smell doom.'
"Buji, calm down," he had unknowingly told himself, helpfully dismissing the pessimistic thought. Anyway, his statement drew attention as everyone moped at him for a moment.
"We will be sharing ourselves into two groups. Buji should come with me. Clara goes with Lian. Tyga and Moses can go together," Kirex instructed.
'Tyga and Moses,' Buji got to know the names of the remaining two members of the team.
Embarrassingly, his grip on the short sword loosened. His hands vibrated with an unknown force. And his team members had noticed it.
"That was why I asked him to follow me," Kirex chipped in with a smile, his spear held in a slant position behind his back.
Fear.
It is a fundamental and powerful human emotion that cannot be concealed. It always manifests physically, and that is why it is difficult to conceal. When the expression comes, the rush of adrenaline from the body tends to trigger a range of non-verbal cues.
Facial expression, body language, and differences in vocal features can reveal that one was afraid. Sometimes, goose pimples become the case, and many other signs.
For Buji, his case was revealed by an uncontrolled vibration of his hand, gripped over his sword.
'My bad.'
"Okay now, everyone focus and be with your member. Be attentive as you make your way into the caves, and protect yourselves too. Let's go, shall we?"
Immediately, every group dispersed into the cave door openings. The same way the bats had followed.
The light from the entrance faded as they moved deeper into the dungeon. The air grew colder and their footsteps echoed in the distance.
"Buji, stay tight."
"…"