Chapter 146: Having Another Mission with the Squad

Liam’s new black SUV traveled along one of the roads leading toward the outskirts of the city.

Liam was behind the wheel while Lydia sat in the passenger seat.

They had been silent for several minutes.

Not because they were uncomfortable.

They were simply taking in the scenery stretching out before them.

After two months of a fairly peaceful life, they finally had a mission that seemed interesting.

And, more importantly, it was the second time Liam was going on a mission as a sub-captain together with his entire squad.

Liam glanced at Lydia.

She was looking out the window with a small smile.

"Are you excited?"

Lydia turned toward him.

"A little."

"Only a little?"

"Well... quite a lot."

Liam laughed.

The new SUV they were driving had been one of the first major purchases they had made thanks to his new salary.

It wasn’t particularly luxurious, but it was spacious, sturdy, and large enough to transport several hunters and all their equipment.

For Liam, it was one of the first signs that his life had truly changed.

They no longer had to worry about every expense. Now they could afford things that had once seemed impossible.

Liam turned his attention back to the road.

A massive structure was beginning to come into view in the distance.

A tower.

It was still too far away to see clearly, but its silhouette rose above the surrounding trees.

Liam smiled.

They had finally arrived.

◇◆◇

When the SUV stopped at the agreed meeting point, Liam saw that several vehicles were already parked there.

Emily and Carol were standing beside an van, while Jordan was sitting a little farther away, calmly eating some snacks.

And standing beside them was a young woman Liam immediately recognized.

Lena Walters.

She was twenty years old, short, and her gray hair stood out even from a distance.

Liam had personally selected her to join his squad after reading her file.

There was something about her abilities and the way she had performed during her evaluations that had caught his attention.

Lena raised a hand when she saw the SUV approaching.

When Liam parked, she flashed a wide smile.

As soon as Liam and Lydia stepped out of the vehicle, Lena raised both hands.

"Finally, the boss and the boss lady are here."

Lydia froze for a second.

Then she let out a small, slightly embarrassed laugh.

"The boss lady?"

"Yeah."

Lena pointed at Liam.

"He’s the boss."

Then she pointed at Lydia.

"And you’re his wife."

Lydia blinked.

"Yes..."

"Then you’re the boss lady."

"But I have the same rank as you."

Lena shook her head.

"Doesn’t matter."

"How does that not matter?"

"If you’re the boss’s wife, you’re also the boss of the squad."

Lydia opened her mouth but couldn’t find an answer.

Emily and Carol started laughing.

"Get used to it, Lydia,"

Emily said.

"Yeah, Lena’s always like this,"

Carol added.

Lena smiled proudly.

"I’m just telling the truth."

Lydia looked at Liam.

"Are you going to say something?"

Liam raised both hands.

"I’m staying out of this."

"Sweetheart!"

Liam burst out laughing.

While they were talking, Jordan remained seated a few yards away.

He continued eating his snacks while staring straight toward the horizon.

Liam followed his gaze.

The enormous tower was becoming clearer and clearer.

It was gigantic.

A stone structure that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere on the outskirts of the city.

Liam turned back toward the group.

"Any word from Chuck?"

Emily sighed.

"You know how he is, Boss. He’s always late."

Liam smiled.

"Some things never change."

As if those words had been a signal, the loud sound of music began coming from the distance.

Heavy metal.

Liam immediately recognized it.

A black Impala appeared on the road.

It approached at full speed before braking and parking between Liam’s SUV and Emily’s.

The music continued playing for a few seconds.

Finally, the door opened.

Chuck stepped out of the vehicle with his usual smile and a piece of gum in his mouth.

He looked at the group.

"Good morning, comrades."

"Good morning, Chuck,"

Carol replied.

Emily raised a hand.

Jordan simply kept eating.

Chuck looked at Lena.

"Hey, kid."

Lena didn’t even respond.

She simply turned her head and continued staring at the tower.

Chuck raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"I can’t stand kids either."

Lena finally looked at him.

"What did you say?"

"I said I can’t stand kids either."

"I’m twenty years old!"

"Exactly."

Chuck grinned as he continued chewing his gum.

Lena crossed her arms.

"And you’re an old man."

"That hurt a little."

Liam let out a small laugh.

Definitely, some things would never change.

He looked at all the members of his squad.

Lydia, Emily, Carol, Jordan, Lena, and Chuck.

Even though the rest of the squad’s members hadn’t come on the mission.

Although his squad was still small compared to the other five squads of the Ace of Spades, Liam was beginning to feel like he truly had a team.

One that he had chosen himself.

"Well, if everyone’s here, then we should head over there."

Liam pointed toward the enormous tower.

Everyone looked up.

Liam smiled.

"Looks like we have an S-Rank dungeon to explore."

◇◆◇

A few minutes later, the group reached the security zone.

The entrance to the dungeon was surrounded by enormous metal fences.

Guild vehicles were parked throughout the area, and several workers were guarding the perimeter.

But what really caught Liam’s attention wasn’t the fencing.

It was the tower.

Now that they were close, they could see it in its entirety.

It was a gigantic structure made of dark stone that simply rose toward the sky like an enormous tower built to reach the clouds.

However, there was something else.

Violet bolts of energy constantly coursed across its surface.

Some disappeared into the walls.

Others shot upward into the sky.

Lydia looked up.

"How strange..."

Liam also looked at the clouds.

Just a few yards behind them, the sky was completely clear.

But around the tower...

There were gray clouds.

The sky seemed to have darkened only over that particular area.

Liam frowned.

’This must be what James was referring to when he mentioned a strange energy.’

It was obvious that this dungeon wasn’t normal.

Liam decided to check something.

He closed his eyes for a moment and used his ability.

[Call]

The connection to Pix immediately appeared in his mind.

’Pix, can you tell me what kind of dungeon this is?’

The response came almost immediately.

[Pix: Liam... Where are you?]

’I’m supposed to be in front of an S-Rank dungeon.’

Another response appeared.

[Pix: Something is interfering with my scanning system.]

Liam frowned.

[Pix: I can’t determine what kind of dungeon it is unless you’re inside.]

Liam opened his eyes, looked at the tower again, and then smiled.

’Then don’t worry about it.’

Lydia looked at him.

"What did Pix say?"

"She can’t identify it from here."

Liam remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"But we were planning to go inside anyway."

Lydia smiled.

"That’s true."

Liam turned toward the rest of the squad.

Everyone was watching the tower.

Even Lena had stopped arguing with Chuck.

"Listen."

Everyone turned their attention to him.

"Today’s mission isn’t to clear the dungeon."

Liam pointed toward the entrance.

"We’re only going to explore it."

Chuck raised a hand.

"Go in, explore, and get out. Understood, Boss."

"Exactly."

Liam looked at the tower again.

"From personal experience, an S-Rank dungeon is dangerous even for a single squad."

His expression became more serious.

"And we have a fairly small squad."

Liam paused.

"Besides, we’re still incomplete. There are several new members who haven’t had the opportunity to work together on a mission at this level yet."

Emily smiled.

"Don’t worry, Boss."

Everyone looked at her, and Emily gave them a thumbs-up.

"We won’t do anything stupid."

Chuck looked at her.

"That sounded exactly like something someone would say right before doing something stupid, comrade."

"Shut up!"

Liam burst out laughing.

The tension eased a little.

But the moment he looked at the tower again, his smile slowly disappeared.

That violet energy continued coursing across its walls.

The gray clouds continued gathering above them.

And something deep inside him told him they needed to be very careful.

Lydia walked over to him and took his hand.

Liam lowered his gaze and looked at her.

She smiled.

Without saying a word, they both began walking.

The rest of the squad followed them.

And together, they took their first step toward the entrance of the mysterious S-Rank dungeon.