Eagan's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the sterile white walls of the hospital room. The faint scent of disinfectant wafted through the air, and the soft beeping of machines provided a steady rhythm.
He winced as he tried to sit up, his head pounding with a dull ache. A gentle hand grasped him, providing comfort.
"Easy there," Alastair's voice said, relief etched on his face. His brow furrowed, and his eyes, red from lack of sleep, locked onto Eagan's.
"How did I get here?" Eagan asked, his gaze drifting around the unfamiliar environment. The hospital room's fluorescent lights cast an unforgiving glare, making his head throb.
Alastair's grip on his hand tightened. "I brought you here, of course. Who else would?" His tone was laced with a mix of worry and frustration. "Only both of us were in the dungeon after all."
Eagan's memories began to resurface—the Blood Wolf Den, the ferocious battle, and the Crimson Fang. At the thought of the crimson fang, his eyes brightened up, and he turned towards Alastair. "What about the Crimson Fang? Were you able to kill it?"
Alastair's expression darkened. "Was I able to kill it?" He scoffed. "Didn't you kill it and collapse after killing it?"
"I did?" Eagan asked while pointing to himself. "I don't remember killing it. I remember blacking out while I was fighting it, and then I felt someone carry me." He explained with furrowed brows.
Alastair's expression transformed from surprise to concern. "You don't remember?" He leaned in, his voice laced with worry. "Eagan, you took down the Crimson Fang single-handedly. What were you thinking, fighting it alone?"
Eagan's brow furrowed deeper. "I swear, I don't recall. The last thing I remember is fighting it, and then...nothing."
Alastair's eyes widened, his face pale. "You could've gotten yourself killed! Why did you go after it alone? Do you know the Crimson Fang is one of the toughest mob bosses amongst the C-rank monsters?!"
"Anything could have happened! You should have died!" He exclaimed while still trying to reign in his anger at his younger brother's carelessness.
"Do you know how worried I was?" He asked. "When I met you all covered in blood, you wouldn't wake up!"
Eagan's gaze dropped, unsure how to explain. "I'm sorry," he breathed out. Knowing how much his actions affected Alastair.
"You should be," Alastair replied with a glare before letting out a helpless sigh. "Anyways, I'm glad you are fine now."
"At least you are out of death's grip."
Eagan's mind churned with unanswered questions. What had happened during that fight?
'Why couldn't I remember?' he mused.
Just then, a soft beep emanated from the hospital room's communications system. "Alastair, Eagan, the association's representatives have arrived," a nurse's voice announced.
Alastair let out a sigh as he nodded towards the nurse, "Let them in."
The door slid open, and a stern-looking woman with a clipboard entered. "Greetings, I'm Representative Alana from the Hunter Association. I've been sent to gather information about your recent dungeon raid since you haven't submitted a raid report."
Alastair nodded, his expression serious. "Of course. Please, ask your questions."
Representative Alana's gaze shifted between Alastair and Eagan. "Let's begin. Your raid on the Crimson Lair
dungeon. We heard that the dungeon closed abruptly. Were you able to finish the mission in the dungeon?" She asked, with her pen hovering on the notepad, ready to take note.
Alastair hesitated before speaking. "We didn't clear the dungeon. We were only about to kill the Crimson Bats and the Blood Wolves before we got rejected from the dungeon."
Representative Alana's eyes widened. "Ejected? Like you were thrown out of the dungeon?"
"Yes," Alastair replied with a subtle nod. "It was rather surprising, but that was what happened."
"Before you were rejected, did anything happen? Like a sign?" She continued with a question.
"We were separated as soon as we entered. Which was different from the report the Tiger Guild gave. I was sent to the Crimson Bat, while he was sent to the Blood Wolves." Alastair continued his explanation as the representative took note of his words.
"Are you saying that the dungeon automatically closed on its own after you only killed two of its mob bosses? Not the main dungeon boss?" She mused aloud.
"Exactly," Alastair replied, and Alana sighed.
"This is a first, so it might take us a while to figure out what happened back there." She breathed out as she got up to leave.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Hunter Alastair. We will be reaching out to you for more information about the monsters."
As Representative Alana exited the hospital room, Alastair's expression turned thoughtful. "That was easier than expected," he said, turning to Eagan.
Eagan nodded, still processing the events. "What does it mean, the dungeon ejecting us like that?"
Alastair shrugged. "No idea. But the association will investigate. Maybe they'll uncover something. The dungeon itself was weird in the first place."
"Weird?" Eagan asked.
"Blood clan dungeons usually don't appear for low-level dungeons," Alastair replied. "Their rank is usually around B rank, and due to their nature of always needing blood, there has never been a limit to the number of people that can enter their realm."
Eagan's eyes widened. "So, how did this one happen? But Crimson Fang is always ranked as a peak Rank C monster."
"Usually, Crimson Fang is not part of the blood clan. It got its name from, well, its bloodied fang. But recently, we found that some monsters are beginning to mutate into that blood clan." Alastair began.
"We're still trying to figure out the reason behind these mutations," Alastair said, his brow furrowed.
Eagan leaned in, intrigued by the information. Since he was not active as a hunter during this time in his past life, such information was new to him.
By the time he became a certified hunter back then, having blood clans mixed in the dungeon was a common thing, and no one had questioned why monsters sensitive to sun and heat were almost in every dungeon environment, be it freezing cold or melting hot.
"What are the theories?" He asked curiously.
Alastair hesitated before speaking. "Some researchers think it's an evolution within the monster species. They believe the monsters are adapting to their environment, becoming stronger and more resilient against us humans."
Eagan's eyes widened. "That's not possible. The blood clan is a race that feeds on and gets stronger through blood. There is no way that could be something caused by adaptation and evolution. If that's a thing," he argued, and Alastair nodded.
"That's what I am thinking too. Which is why I support the second theory more." He replied, making Eagan raise a brow in question.
"What's the other theory?"
Alastair's expression turned serious. "Some believe the real Blood Clan is involved. I'm talking about the vampires or the rare demons that appear in dungeons." He explained.
"They think the clan is intentionally spreading their influence, corrupting other monsters to build their army."
Eagan nodded, somehow feeling a chill run down his back at the memory of the blood clan from his past life. "That would mean the Blood Clan is getting stronger." He muttered.
'That would also explain the reason why the blood clan was second only to the demons in my past life,' he added in his thoughts.
Alastair nodded grimly. "Yes, and we still have to deal with them. I'm afraid humanity will have no chance against the monsters if we allow that to continue."
"But the problem is that we don't control when or where the dungeons appear," Eagan added.
Just then, a nurse entered with a tray of medication. "Time for your meds, Eagan."
Eagan took the medication, wincing at the bitter taste and the soreness in his body as he brought the cup of water to his lips.
Alastair stood up, stretching. "You should rest now. It will take a while for your injuries to heal up." He voiced, his eyes filled with worry.
"Besides, I need to prepare for the large dungeon raid with the other guilds. The date has been fixed." He added. "Call me if you need anything."
Eagan nodded, feeling a pang of gratitude. "Thanks, Alastair. For everything."
Alastair winked, "Anytime. Although I'm not going to allow you to enter the dungeon anytime soon. I don't think my heart can take another fright." He added with a serious expression, making Eagan smile awkwardly.
"Well, I don't think I can go any time soon." He replied and waved his brother off as he laid back to rest.