Chapter 16: Application Accepted

Chapter Sixteen

The green gateway shimmered calmly as Orion walked out of the dungeon before heading toward the camp.

Old Dian was waiting for him, and the moment he saw Orion, his expression changed. The reason was simple... he could immediately tell that Orion had not come out unscathed, as his left arm seemed almost limp.

"You’re wounded," the old man’s tone was serious.

Orion merely waved it off, "It’s just a small injury, Uncle. No need to worry."

Old Dian clearly didn’t accept his words. His gaze immediately settled on the injured arm, examining it carefully. Orion’s left upper arm was badly swollen, probably from an immense force.

The surface of his skin was also reddened, and even from where Old Dian stood, it was obvious that the injury was more serious than Orion was making it seem.

The old man shook his head as he looked at Orion’s calm expression. He must be in a lot of pain... and yet he wasn’t showing it. It was hard to believe that this boy was supposed to still be a child, barely sixteen years old.

"Don’t move."

Old Dian immediately brought out some ointment and began tending to the injury. He carefully massaged the ointment into Orion’s swollen arm before wrapping it with a bandage to help ease the pain.

"You should rest for the day," the kind elderly man said, his voice filled with clear concern for Orion’s safety.

But Orion shook his head, "No. I still need to clear the dungeon one more time."

Old Dian’s brows furrowed. Earlier, Orion had slain the dungeon boss once more and received another Goblin Tooth as his reward. That meant that after clearing the dungeon twice, he had earned only around one hundred points in total.

It was small. Far too small. Orion needed hundreds of thousands of points for Iris’s treatment, after all.

"But you are wounded. Take care of your injury first."

Orion smiled and nodded, "Don’t worry. I will."

Old Dian sighed, thinking that perhaps Orion had finally come to his senses. However, when the dungeon finished recuperating, Orion stood up. He picked up his dagger. Then he headed toward the dungeon once more.

"What are you doing?" the elderly man’s expression immediately turned angry.

Orion answered calmly, "Don’t worry, Uncle. I wouldn’t let your treatment go to waste. For this round, I won’t be using my still-healing left hand."

He raised his injured arm slightly before lowering it again, "One hand is enough to get the job done."

With that, he flashed the old man a reassuring smile and turned to face the dungeon gateway. For the third time in one day... Orion stepped into the dungeon once more.

[Ding!]

[You have entered a dungeon.]

[Dungeon Name: Basic Green Dungeon.]

[Dungeon Level: 1.]

Orion’s smile vanished. His grey eyes reflected a cold light as he stared into the dark cave ahead. Blue light flashed. Soon, several green goblins appeared, filling the cave as they looked toward the human who had entered their territory.

Orion calmly exhaled. Then... he got to work once more. Not long after, the pained screams and desperate cries of the goblins filled the cave once again. The battle continued relentlessly.

Two hours later, Orion was already walking home. He had changed his clothes and removed the bandage from his left arm before leaving the dungeon. The last thing he wanted was to make his family worry about him.

The sun had already dipped below the horizon, and night had descended upon the city. He was late once more. But at least this time, nothing too serious had happened.

Orion lowered his gaze toward the amount of points he had earned and couldn’t help but sigh.

150 points.

That was all he had earned after clearing the dungeon three times. The reward was completely insignificant compared to how much he needed. Far too insignificant.

Orion sighed and shook his head, "I’ll just have to work harder tomorrow."

His grey eyes narrowed slightly, "If I can clear the dungeon four times tomorrow... I’ll call it a win."

Of course, if Orion could help it, he would much rather join a higher-level dungeon raid. The points paid by those raids were several times higher than the meager amount he received from clearing the Basic Green Dungeon.

But alas... he couldn’t join them. Every single raid he had applied for had rejected him. Without exception.

Just then, Orion received another notification on his phone. He opened it. The words displayed on the screen were painfully familiar.

APPLICATION REJECTED.

Orion clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening as he stared at the rejection message. Why? He already knew the answer. Because of his trash talent. Because of his Level 0 status.

Because the moment those people saw G-grade Summoner attached to his name, they had already decided that he was useless. Little did they know that if Orion put everything he had into a fight, he was already capable of slaying a Level 3 monster.

But they didn’t want to know. The moment they saw the grade of his talent, it was instant rejection. For many people, something like this would have been enough to crush whatever hope they had left.

After all, wasn’t it obvious? A person with a G-grade talent and Level 0 status... where was the hope?

But Orion was different. He opened the Warrior Page once more and began scrolling through the available dungeon raids. Then he clicked Apply on every Level 10 and below dungeon available on the page.

He would probably be rejected. He knew that. But he still had to try. And keep trying. Sooner or later... something had to change.

Orion eventually reached the door of his home. Before he could even knock, the door was suddenly opened. Several bright smiles were already waiting for him on the other side.

"Welcome home, Big Brother!" they greeted him happily.

The small frown on Orion’s face immediately vanished. He slipped his phone into his pocket, and a warm smile appeared on his face as he looked at the children, "I’m back."

Orion smiled. The children immediately rushed forward and hugged him, nearly making him stumble backward from the sudden impact. His smile only grew brighter.

No matter what happened... for the sake of those he cared about, no rejection would ever be enough to break him. He would keep pushing forward. He would keep trying. And sooner or later... he believed things would change.

Far away from the Stormblade Orphanage... inside the massive building belonging to the Scourge Guild, a thin, bald man dressed in a shining red suit sat behind a desk. Several documents were spread before him as he calculated the earnings of the guild.

The man was Lorn Scourge, the leader of the infamous Scourge Guild.

Suddenly, his device rang. Lorn picked it up, "Hello. Who is this?"

Silence. A long, chilling silence passed through the other end of the call. Then... a cold, emotionless voice finally sounded, "I give you just five more days."

Lorn’s expression instantly changed, "Just five more days to get me the treasure in that Level 10 dungeon."

The voice remained cold, "Failure to do so will result in you and your entire guild being wiped out."

Lorn Scourge felt his back tingle. Cold sweat immediately covered his body. He knew that voice. More importantly... he knew that threat was not an empty one.

The mysterious figure who had handed the Scourge Guild the Dungeon X raid mission had offered far too many points and resources to be someone the Scourge Guild could afford to offend.

Whoever this person was... they had to be a Master-level warrior at the very least. And someone at that level could easily kill every member of the Scourge Guild.

"Yes, sir. No worries," Lorn forced a nervous smile, "I will make sure that Dungeon X is cleared as soon as possible, and the treasure Senior wants will surely be found."

The figure on the other side remained silent for several seconds. Then the cold voice spoke once more, "This is the last chance I will give you."

A pause.

"If you fail me once more... count yourself finished."

"Yes, my lord. I understand," Lorn’s voice trembled slightly.

He was far too nervous to even think about rejecting the man’s demands. The call ended. Only then was Lorn finally able to breathe.

He released a deep sigh of relief, his head covered in cold sweat. That mysterious being... the one who had their eyes on Dungeon X... had to be a Master-level warrior at the very least.

Otherwise, how could merely hearing that person’s voice put so much pressure on him? The Scourge Guild simply couldn’t afford to cross someone like that.

Lorn slumped back into his chair, his body feeling weak from the pressure.

"How many times have we sent people to clear that Level 10 dungeon now?" he rubbed his forehead, "Ten times?"

His expression darkened, "No... twelve times."

He had sent twelve different groups into Dungeon X. Not a single one had returned alive. And the latest group... it had been led by one of the most powerful elites in the entire guild.

His own younger brother... Aiden Scourge.

Aiden had entered the dungeon with nineteen other members. None of them had come back either.

Lorn’s face became grim, "Just what is inside that Dungeon X...?"

He had no idea. But whatever was hiding inside that dungeon had to be connected to something unimaginable. A disaster... or perhaps some miraculous treasure.

That had to be why the mysterious expert had their eyes fixed on it.

Lorn rubbed his aching head. The Dungeon X mission had already been posted on the Warrior Page once more. This time... he would go all out.

He would accept every application. The more warriors, the better. Surely, among all those people... at least one of them would survive.

At least one would clear the dungeon. At least one would find the treasure.

Well... Lorn could only hope.

Two days later.

The green gateway shimmered. Orion stepped out once more, his body covered in goblin blood. He had become even more accustomed to clearing the dungeon, and his speed had increased considerably.

He headed toward the camp where Old Dian was sitting and listening to some news on his device. The old man looked up when he noticed Orion, "You seem to be getting stronger and stronger, kid."

Old Dian shook his head in amazement, "It has barely been one hour, and you’ve already cleared it again."

Orion simply smiled and didn’t reply. He was about to take a drink of water when his phone suddenly vibrated. He paused.

Without thinking much about it, Orion pulled out his phone and opened the notification. He expected to see the same message he had become accustomed to.

Another rejection. Another application denied. Another reminder that the world considered him useless because of his G-grade talent and Level 0 status.

But... what he saw was completely different from what he had expected.

Orion’s eyes widened slightly. The message on the screen read:

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Warrior Orion.]

[Your application to join the Dungeon X Raid has been approved.]

[The raid will commence in three days.]

[Click the side box for the dungeon location and other details.]