So for my first mission, I have to join a team assigned by the guild. A B-rank dungeon.
Austin sighed as he read the mission details again on his bracelet. His heart was beating faster than usual. This was not training anymore. This was a real dungeon, real monsters, and real danger. One mistake could cost him his life.
After traveling for almost an hour, he finally reached the destination. An empty field stretched in front of him, surrounded by broken roads and abandoned buildings. In the center of the field stood a glowing blue portal, swirling slowly like a living vortex. Mana waves flowed from it into the air, making the surroundings feel heavy and tense.
Four people were already standing near the portal, waiting.
The moment Austin stepped closer, a tall man holding a massive hammer on his shoulder glared at him.
"Rookie, we are waiting for you and you appear now so late," the man said in an annoyed tone.
"Zoro, calm down," a younger man said, who looked almost the same age as Austin.
The younger man stepped forward and looked at Austin.
"Can you tell me why you are late?"
Austin scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I was stuck in traffic."
The younger man nodded and smiled slightly.
"Okay. I am Jack. The one with the hammer is Zoro, the one with daggers is Wang Lin, and the one with the staff is Zoe, our healer. Now, can you introduce yourself?"
Austin looked at them and spoke slowly.
"I am Austin… umm…"
Zoro frowned immediately.
"Huh? What kind of introduction is that? Tell us properly. Like — I am a C-rank hunter, awakened at age 18, experience level, role. Basic introduction."
Jack nodded.
"Our healer is C-rank, our assassin Wang Lin is B-rank, and our leader Zoro is also B-rank, but his power is almost equal to an A-rank hunter."
Austin quickly nodded.
"Okay, okay, I get it. I am Austin. I am 15 years old. I awakened this week. I am a C-rank hunter, and this is my first mission."
Silence fell.
Zoro slowly turned his head toward him.
"What are you saying… you are 15 years old and already an awakener?"
Zoe looked shocked.
Jack blinked twice.
Wang Lin narrowed his eyes.
Before anyone could question further, Zoro turned and walked toward the portal.
"We are already late. Move now."
He placed his hammer on his back and stepped into the blue gate.
One by one, the others followed.
Austin took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The world changed instantly.
The air became fresh and slightly humid. A dense jungle stretched in every direction. Tall trees covered the sky, and sunlight barely reached the ground. Strange bird sounds echoed through the forest.
"It looks like a jungle," Austin said quietly. "Trees all around… fresh air."
"Yes," Jack replied calmly, scanning the area. "It is similar to Earth. But be careful. Monsters are around us."
Suddenly, a goblin jumped out of the bushes with a loud scream.
Before Austin could react—
Swish!
A dagger flew through the air and pierced the goblin's head.
The creature fell instantly.
Wang Lin walked forward calmly and pulled his dagger out.
Austin stared at him.
He looks so cool…
Zoro looked at Austin.
"Where is your weapon, kid?"
Austin froze.
"I don't have one."
Zoro's face darkened.
"What?"
Austin spoke nervously.
"Actually… it is my first day, and I was so excited that I forgot to take a weapon."
Zoro sighed heavily and opened his dimensional ring. He pulled out a sword and threw it toward Austin.
"Take it."
Austin caught it carefully.
Jack leaned closer and whispered slowly.
"Kid, you are lucky. That is his first used weapon. He never allows anyone to touch it."
Austin looked at the sword and nodded seriously.
A group of goblins suddenly appeared from the bushes, surrounding them.
The battle started instantly.
Zoro smashed goblins with his hammer.
Jack blocked attacks and cut them down.
Wang Lin moved like a shadow.
Zoe supported from behind.
Within seconds, most goblins were dead.
Only three remained.
"Stop," Zoro shouted.
He looked at Austin.
"Now you attack."
Austin stepped forward with the sword in his hands. His grip was tight.
He attacked.
Missed.
The goblin rushed toward him.
"Look at his legs!" Zoro shouted. "Read his movement, then aim!"
Austin focused.
The goblin moved again.
Austin stepped aside and swung the sword.
Slash!
The goblin fell.
Austin's eyes widened in excitement.
His first kill.
Suddenly, a blue window appeared before his eyes.
[You killed a C-rank monster][Level Up x2][Special Skill Acquired: Shadow Slash]
Austin smiled slightly.
To test his skill, he looked at the remaining two goblins.
He rushed forward.
Suddenly, two dark hands emerged from the shadows and grabbed both goblins.
Austin jumped into the air and swung his sword.
A dark slash cut through them.
Both goblins were sliced into pieces.
Jack clapped lightly.
"Good job."
As they walked deeper into the forest, Jack started explaining dungeon mechanics.
"First, small monsters appear. Then stronger ones. When all monsters die, the boss appears. Sometimes faster, sometimes later."
They continued walking toward the center.
Soon, they saw elves performing rituals.
One elf shouted.
"Humans in our territory! Kill them to impress our king!"
They rushed forward.
"Formation! Healer in center!" Zoro shouted.
Battle started.
Austin fought alongside them.
Suddenly, mage elves appeared and started attacking with fireballs and tree monsters.
Formation started breaking.
An ice spike hit Austin's arm.
Pain shot through his body.
Before blood could fall, Zoe healed him.
Anger filled Austin.
A system notification appeared.
[New Skill Obtained: Shadow Domain – Level 1][Active Skill | Cooldown: 24 Hours]
Austin activated it.
Darkness spread everywhere.
The battlefield turned into a black domain.
Shadows moved like living creatures.
Monsters slowed down.
Teammates moved normally.
Austin created shadow spikes and killed many elves.
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
He fainted.
When he woke up, he was lying on the ground.
His teammates were around him.
"Are you okay?" Zoro asked.
"Yes."
Zoe spoke.
"That dark domain… it felt like a void. It took me 3 hours to heal you."
Austin replied softly.
"I also don't know. I awakened this week. I just used it in battle."
Wang Lin spoke for the first time.
"Don't use such powers in front of everyone. Some people will become your enemy. Some will try to steal it."
Zoro nodded.
"People fear strange power. Evil cults devour abilities. You have S-rank potential. Hide your power until you are strong enough."
Austin nodded silently.
"Are we killing the boss now?" Jack asked.
"No," Zoro replied. "We hunt tomorrow. It is night."
That night, Austin checked his system.
He had 12 stat points.
He added points to stealth, stamina, and strength.
He upgraded Shadow Domain.
Cooldown reduced to 18 hours.
Level: 5.
They sat under the sky and shared stories until morning.
The next day, they moved toward the center.
Finally, they saw the boss.
A giant spider.
They attacked together.
Austin used shadow hands to hold the monster still.
Zoro used the heaven strike.
Wang Lin used blade dance.
Jack used judgment slash.
The spider entered berserk mode.
Poison spread everywhere.
Zoe buffed them she enhanced their stamina and attack power.
Austin activated Shadow Domain again.
Together, they attacked with their combined attack they killed the monster in an instant.
[Dungeon Cleared]
They collected special loot and called the guild to kine crystals and other resources from dungeon.
After leaving the dungeon, the team celebrated Austin's first mission.
Before leaving, Zoro spoke.
"Protect yourself. Hide your power."
Austin nodded.
It was a good experience.
Far away, a man sat in a dark office.
"What do you say about such powers?"
Snow's hologram appeared.
"Yes. I am sure now. It is him."
The man looked outside.
"Snow… we must find the others in our land as soon as possible."
— End of Chapter 5 —
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