Chapter 204: [204] Mission Day One

The rift that was meant to lead to the test dungeon had to be three times larger than their tutorial rift had been.

It stretched from the bottom of the ground to several feet into the air, its energy shimmering with bright white light and electric sparks that would gently course around it before seeping right into the center.

"It’s big," Ark said, his hands folded across his chest as he stood in front of it.

Strangely, his mind went back to the conversation he had with Tristan a few days prior.

If the rift was this large, that meant the world behind it was very vast.

Not only that, it was a bronze rank dungeon, which meant that most monsters would be creatures that had gone through the first stage of ascension...

Ark expected them to be anywhere between level 21 to level 40. Well, except it was Hell-level. Hell-level domains never followed conventional rules.

The monsters he would encounter today would surely be annoying to deal with. Ark had fought monsters at level 40 before, but never as a swarm...

When you were fighting several high-level monsters, then the difference was usually pretty clear.

Ark turned around to where Thalia sat. "So, when will the people you hired arrive?"

The portal had spawned in the middle of nowhere, at the very top of a rocky cliff, so they had to leave early to get there on time. But they ended up arriving much too early.

"They should be here soon," Thalia replied, staring at the path that they would take.

Thalia hardly wore armour because she was already rather good at defending herself, but this time, Ark had insisted on it.

She was in crimson leather armour that was wrapped snugly around her body, accompanied by linked steel plates that covered most of her tail.

"I’m tired of waiting, let’s get this test over with already!" Olivia grumbled by his side.

Just like Thalia, she was also in pitch-black alloy armour, with gold highlighting its edges.

A half-helmet shielded her head, while her hair flowed freely from underneath it, like strands of silk, soaked in the colours of the setting sun.

Step-

Step-

Ark heard the workers before they even showed up in Thalia’s line of sight, but he kept staring at the portal until they got close to them and the footsteps stopped.

"They are here."

Ark slowly turned around, only for his gaze to stop in a particular direction, at a particular person.

"Rodolph? What are you doing here?"

The carriage rider was hauling a large bag with him, the type miners would often use. There were pickaxes hanging from the sides, as well as shovels and hammers.

Rodolph frowned, then glanced at Thalia. "You didn’t tell him?"

She shrugged. "I thought it would be better if you told him yourself..."

Rodolph sighed, then stared at the floor for a few seconds before raising his head, a defeated look nestled in his eyes.

"I lost it..."

Ark glanced at Thalia before turning back to face him. "Lost what?"

"Everything."

Rodolph then went on to retell his story. After he had completed his mission and returned to the city, he completed a number of jobs, and things were going well...

Up until he pissed off the wrong person, a player.

"We are often told to never get on their bad side..." Rodolph scratched his head and smiled, although the smile was as empty as he must have felt.

"But the woman... she really pissed me off, you know? So I told her to fuck off."

A few seconds passed in silence.

And then Rodolph tried to speak as though it didn’t matter, but Ark could hear his voice break. "She destroyed it, my carriage, the beasts I got from my dad, they are all gone..."

Ark let out a breath. He did not bother asking him if he reported it to the association. In the grand scheme of things, players were more important than natives because they were needed to keep the world afloat.

Unless he had solid proof, they would not take action.

Ark glanced at the pickaxe. "Can you swing that thing?"

Although he would have preferred players with utility skills, at the end of the day, it was just mining.

"Can I work in the mines?" Rodolph repeated Ark’s question with a frown. "Hey, I’ve worked in the mines for most of my life!"

Ark nodded with approval. It was good to see that his snarky attitude had not vanished entirely.

"You are in."

The other two workers were players with utility skills. The first was a dwarf, Constant, with a lofty beard that brushed his belly, while the second, a woman, was a beastfolk with bear-like features, Agneth.

They all introduced themselves and went over what their jobs would be, after which Ark pulled out an object from his inventory.

It was an artifact small enough to fit in his palm, as tall as a mobile phone, but as robust as a one-liter bottle of soda.

"This is the spatial storage unit you will be using. Any important ore and animal part you get will be stored here."

His glowing orbs moved between the three of them, and then he placed it in Rodolph’s hands.

Although the two were stronger than him, Rodolph had not been lying when he said he worked in the mines all his life.

He already had twenty years of experience under his belt, having started working with miners as a child.

And those twenty years also included dungeon runs...

"You will be in charge of the mining unit. Use this well."

Rodolph nodded and stuffed the object in his bag.

After waiting a few more minutes, at exactly 7:00 AM, the assigned time for the dungeon run, the official from the association, as well as the partner guild, arrived.

The man who must have been the leader of the guild’s team walked forward in confident strides, his orange eyes locked on Ark.

He was a weretiger with white fur, black stripes, rippling muscles, and a sleek long sword strapped to his back.

Just his appearance alone, and the fierce aura around him, were more than enough to command respect.

Once he got to Ark, standing right in front of him, he stared him down the way a cat would a mouse.

And then he opened his mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth and terrible fangs that curved downwards...