Vikra.
The car finally stopped before the seemingly fallen fortress, its crumbled stone architecture draped in greenery.
Although it was supposed to be afternoon, with the sun sharp above their heads, the thick canopy of the forest made it seem as though it was already late hours of evening.
Arthur parked the car to the side and stepped out and soon Claire followed by moving swiftly to open the door for their young contractor,
Ruth Volford.
With a practiced smile and the poise of nobility, Ruth stepped out, her elegant yet confident gaze falling on the dungeon's entrance ahead.
The Slumbering Vault of Vikra.
A D-Grade Dungeon.
Better known as a first- tier standard dungeon.
And, like everything else, there was a reason for such classification. As the name suggest 'standard', D-Grade and above dungeons were intended only for experienced hunters, not novices.
The bar was set because of its high difficulty and in case long clearance duration.
Ideally, they required a seasoned party of four Advanced Realm hunters, with at least one Elite Realm hunter among them.
Yet, contrary to that for the young Miss of Volford, this would be her very first dungeon raid.
'Maybe she's confident in her abilities,'
Arthur thought as he began unloading the necessary equipment he had prepared for the raid.
'But then again, which Volford isn't?'
As he worked, Ruth approached, her gaze lingering on the items he had been preparing. Her sharp eyes followed every detail, from the gleaming blade to the neatly packed potions.
Finally, her gaze settled on him.
"You actually came so prepared, huh?" She paused, stepping a little closer, a gesture that made Claire's irritation visibly spike as she tightened her posture.
"I take back what I said earlier," Ruth continued with a pleasant smile. "You're quite professional. I like that."
"Thanks for your kind words, ma'am,"
It was dry, he wasn't even looking at her.
Similar to Claire, Arthur himself was annoyed, though for entirely different reasons.
His was quite deep-rooted.
Though she was his cousin, it was the bloodline she carried which made him unconsciously hate her.
But for the sake of the contract and his greater goals, Arthur forced himself to maintain neutrality. Yet the dryness in his voice, something he had thought subtle was instead quite obvious to Ruth.
It wasn't just about how he acted now, it was the entire brief interaction between them. It was as if he had built a wall to conceal some kind of hatred, though she couldn't quite understand why.
It was only their first meeting, why would he hate her already?
She couldn't explain why, and maybe it didn't matter.
If he disliked her for some reason, that was fine too. There was nothing more between them than the contract they shared.
Keeping her practiced smile in place, she stepped back, putting some distance between them. Turning towards the dungeon's entrance, she spoke with her usual confidence.
"Let's go then,"
Before she could move, Arthur stopped her. "We should decide our roles before we enter. That way, things will be more efficient,"
She glanced at him, slightly annoyed. "There's nothing to decide. I'll take care of every monster. You only step in if I'm in danger."
"But that's a waste."
"What do you mean?"
"I may not know your full capabilities, but if you try to fight every single monster, you'll run out of stamina long before we face the boss monster. And that experience is the one you should be prioritizing,"
Silence followed as she considered his words. What he said made sense, and she realized she hadn't thought about it that way.
After a moment, she gave a small nod.
"You're right," she said. "Let's do it this way, I'll handle half of any new monster we encounter, and you take care of the rest."
Arthur still seemed hesitant. "I think that might still be too much for you, especially since it's your first experience."
"Don't worry about that," she replied firmly. "Let's go."
Without further hesitation, they all stepped into the dark entrance.
Ruth led the way, followed by Arthur and Claire.
As they moved a few steps forward, the darkness began to fade, revealing the ruins of an ancient city. Large pillars and grand structures had crumbled, their broken pieces scattered on the ground, now overtaken by greenery.
The floor was still covered in stone tiles, though most of the city seemed to have decayed over time.
From the look of the place, any experienced hunter would immediately get an idea of what kind of monster they might encounter here.
And Arthur was indeed one of them. Having spent years raiding dungeons in Volford, both alone and with teams, he knew what to look for.
His trained eyes began scanning the area for patterns, as every dungeon had its own story, with a boss monster at its heart.
For effectively defeating a dungeon, one would need to understand its essence.
His eyes fell on a fallen stone pillar.
There was nothing unusual about it at first glance, but near the base, he noticed some faint writing. A small smile appeared on his face. This was the clue he had been looking for, a hint that could confirm they were on the right path.
Finding such clues was always the first step for any hunter entering a dungeon. He waited for Ruth to notice it, but she just kept walking ahead, totally unconcerned.
'So much for the prideful Lady of Volford,'
Arthur thought to himself as he finally decided to call out to her, "Miss, do you know where we're heading?"
"What do you mean?" Ruth asked without turning around.
"My question's simple. As party leader, you know where we're going, right?"
"You don't have to taunt me. If you're trying to imply something, just say it."
'This Bitch' Arthur thought, frowning but keeping his tone neutral. "You know that to defeat a dungeon effectively, the first thing you need to do is search for clues, right?"
"Of course I know that,"
"Then why didn't you stop and read what's written on that pillar?" Arthur pointed to the broken pillar nearby.
Ruth's face twisted in confusion as she frowned. "What pillar? I don't see anything."
"That one," Arthur said, pointing again. "The fallen one."
"That?" Ruth replied, blinking. "It's just a fresh pond."
"What??"