Chapter 4: Another Red Flag

Chapter Four

Michael had only just stepped into the dungeon, yet he had already discovered another red flag about Dungeon X: it had no name. Many people might wonder, how could something as simple as a dungeon having no name possibly be considered a red flag?

The answer was simple: it was a red flag in more ways than one. Regardless of a dungeon’s level or grade, every dungeon would always have a name. The system would give every single one of them a name. Whether it was a Level One dungeon at the lowest F-grade, or a Level Twenty dungeon at the highest SS-grade, they would all have a name.

That was simply how the system worked. But where the dungeon’s name was supposed to be displayed, there was nothing. Nothing at all. There was only a single dash: [Dungeon Name: -].

Michael’s apprehension grew even stronger. He quickly rushed toward Aiden and pointed out what he had discovered.

"Boss, look at this."

Aiden had already noticed it on his own system screen. However, unlike Michael, he didn’t see any reason to be frightened by it. After all, the person who had given the mission to the Scourge Guild had clearly stated that this was not a normal dungeon; it was a rare type of dungeon.

Perhaps the lack of a name was simply part of its rarity. That was what Aiden believed.

Michael wanted to argue. He wanted to make Aiden understand that this dungeon might possess far more danger than they had been led to believe. But Aiden wasn’t listening. His attention was focused on the enormous reward waiting for them.

After all, the bonus they would receive for completing the mission was even greater than the absurd number of points they had already been paid before entering. Aiden’s eyes were simply too clouded by greed to question why.

Why would this mysterious person who had posted the mission on the Warrior Page offer such an extravagant amount of points? And why would they promise an even greater bonus after completion? Those questions should have been obvious. Yet greed had blinded him.

Michael hit his forehead with his palm and let out another depressed sigh. But he couldn’t blame Aiden alone; he was just as guilty. If he hadn’t been blinded by greed himself, then why the hell hadn’t he realized that the reward was far too high?

They were being offered an absurd number of points simply for clearing a Level Ten dungeon and uncovering everything hidden within it. That alone should have been enough to make him suspicious.

Michael clenched his hands together. He closed his eyes and silently prayed once more.

Lord in heaven... please protect me. Please let me survive this. I swear I will never be greedy again in my life.

He opened his eyes and reluctantly followed the group that had already moved ahead, leaving the supposedly childish and easily frightened man behind. Their mission was actually twofold. The first was to clear the dungeon and uncover all of the secrets it held.

But that was only the side quest. Their main objective... was to find a treasure. A treasure hidden somewhere inside Dungeon X.

"Monsters ahead!"

A girl’s voice suddenly rang through the cavern. The entire group stopped.

"How many?" Aiden immediately asked. His hand moved toward his sword.

The girl had long, dark hair, and her eyes emitted a soft white light along the edges of her irises as she gazed into the distance.

"There are seven... no, eight of them in total." Her expression became slightly more serious. "And they seem to be Red Ogres."

Hearing that, Aiden nodded. "Formation."

The twenty warriors immediately began moving. The heavy tanks positioned themselves at the front, forming an impenetrable defensive line. At their sides were the slayers, ready to rush forward the moment an opening appeared.

Behind them stood the long-range strikers, preparing their skills from a safe distance. And finally, at the very back were the healers and buffers, whose primary responsibility was to keep everyone alive and maintain the team’s combat strength.

The group advanced cautiously. Not long after, they finally saw them. Several enormous creatures were wandering through the large cavern ahead: Red Ogres. They were monstrous beings standing well over two meters tall, their bodies covered in thick, crimson-red skin that looked almost like hardened stone.

Their muscles bulged unnaturally from their massive frames, while thick veins crawled across their arms and shoulders. Their faces were crude and terrifying, with large mouths filled with uneven teeth, flat noses, and two short, curved horns protruding from their foreheads.

But what made them particularly frightening were their arms. The massive creatures wielded no weapons. They didn’t need any. Their fists alone were weapons. Flames constantly flickered around their enormous hands, curling between their fingers and climbing toward their forearms like living serpents. The temperature of the cavern instantly began to rise.

The Red Ogres noticed the intruders. Their expressions changed. Hostility flashed within their eyes. They raised their enormous arms high into the air.

FWOOSH!

Flames suddenly erupted from their hands. The fire curled around their arms, illuminating the cavern with a violent crimson-orange glow.

"ROOOAAAR!"

The Red Ogres released a deafening roar. Then they charged. The creatures were also known as Flame Ogres because of their natural ability to manipulate fire. The eight monsters rushed toward the group like raging beasts. They weren’t overwhelmingly strong. But they weren’t weak either.

Most of them were around Level Twelve. Against ordinary warriors, even one of them would have been a terrifying opponent. But these weren’t ordinary warriors. There were twenty awakened warriors standing together. And they knew exactly how to fight as a team.

The tanks absorbed the initial assault while the slayers struck from the sides. The long-range attackers bombarded the ogres from behind, while the healers and buffers continuously supported the frontline.

The battle continued for nearly thirty minutes. Thirty minutes. That was all it took for the twenty warriors to bring down all eight Flame Ogres. The result alone was a testament to the terrifying strength of the group. Even Michael, who seemed as though he wanted to turn around and sprint back into the outside world with every step he took, performed surprisingly well.

His water-based skill... Water Tide. It was particularly effective against the Flame Ogres. The moment the surging water collided with their flames, their fiery attacks weakened considerably, allowing the slayers to cut through their defenses more easily. One after another, the massive ogres fell. Until finally... the last one collapsed.

The cavern became quiet. The battle was over. Or so they thought.

The bodies of the fallen Flame Ogres suddenly began to dissolve. Their massive forms slowly broke apart into countless particles of light before disappearing completely. But something remained behind. A small object fell onto the ground. It was red. Deep crimson. And it seemed to contain a flame burning within it.

Aiden’s eyes widened. His expression changed instantly. "That..." He stepped forward. His gaze locked onto the glowing object. "That’s a Flame Core."

Shock filled his voice. There was a very good reason for his reaction. The drop rate of a Flame Core was ridiculously low. Around one in a hundred. One percent. That meant that, under normal circumstances, they could kill a hundred Flame Ogres and still not obtain a single Flame Core. Yet they had only killed eight.

Eight monsters. And they had already obtained one. Aiden stared at the glowing red core in disbelief.

"This..." His eyes trembled. "This is a miracle."

Flame Ogre Cores were worth a tremendous amount of points. Aiden was still thinking about that when a gasp suddenly filled the air. He turned his head. And the scene that appeared before his eyes was even more shocking than the first.

The bodies of the remaining Red Ogres were dissolving into particles of light as well. One after another, their massive corpses faded away... and what they left behind were more Flame Ogre Cores. Another. Then another. Then another.

Aiden’s eyes widened. All eight Flame Ogres... had dropped eight Flame Ogre Cores.

Every single one of them. That was completely unheard of in the history of the world. Flame Ogres didn’t even have a guaranteed chance of dropping a Flame Core. In fact, they had a higher chance of dropping a Flame Skill than a Flame Core.

Normally, the chance of obtaining a Flame Core was roughly one in a hundred when one was lucky. Sometimes, the drop rate was even worse. And yet... they had slain eight Flame Ogres. And all eight had dropped a Flame Core.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. But Michael didn’t have shock or disbelief in his eyes as he stared at the eight glowing cores. Awe was nowhere to be found in his gaze. Instead, the panic and dread he had been feeling since entering the dungeon tripled.

The sensation of impending doom seemed to be drawing closer with every passing second. Because right in front of him was yet another red flag. There was no way. There was absolutely no way that killing a monster could guarantee a one-hundred-percent drop rate. Never. It was impossible.

And yet that very impossibility was happening right here inside this dungeon.

Michael’s breathing became heavier. This place is dangerous. There was no such thing as free food. Nothing in this world came without a price. And to Michael... it really looked as though the dungeon was feeding them right now so that it could feed on them later.

"We have to leave, guys!" Michael suddenly shouted. "This place isn’t right! You’re seeing this, aren’t you?" He pointed desperately at the eight Flame Cores. "Let’s leave this place before it’s too late!"

The nineteen remaining warriors turned toward him. Their eyes, however, were shining with greed. The Flame Cores were too valuable. Too many of them. The sight alone was enough to make their hearts race.

"Shut up with your ranting, Michael." Aiden’s cold voice cut through the cavern. "If you dare say anything annoying again..." His eyes became icy. "...or try to run away..." He paused. "...I’ll kill you myself."

Michael froze. Aiden was genuinely annoyed. How could this Michael even call himself a man? Ever since they had stepped into the dungeon, he had never stopped shivering. Such a coward. Michael wanted to speak. He wanted to argue. He wanted to tell them that something was seriously wrong.

But the moment he saw the murderous gaze on Aiden’s face, the words died in his throat. He knew without a doubt that Aiden wasn’t joking. Earlier, when the man had said he would kill him to keep him quiet, Michael had thought it was merely a threat. Now... he knew better.

Aiden was completely serious. And Michael wasn’t powerful enough to fight him. There was also no one on his side. Everyone else was already looking at him with disdain, whispering among themselves and calling him a coward. No one was willing to stand beside him. If he tried to fight his way out now... he would die. Quickly.

Michael lowered his head. He didn’t speak anymore. His gaze became listless as the dread inside his heart grew more suffocating with every passing second.

Meanwhile, the Flame Cores were handed over to Rumen, the keeper of the group. His Item Vault talent allowed him to store everything inside a special spatial storage. They didn’t need to carry bags or burden themselves with the loot.

As long as Rumen was with them... everything could be safely stored within his Item Vault.

The group continued deeper into the dungeon. And then... more Flame Ogres appeared. Sometimes they encountered small groups of only two or three.

Other times, they encountered massive groups consisting of ten or even twelve Flame Ogres. Each time, the group fought them. And each time... they won. With two Level Ten healers supporting the group, along with several buffers enhancing their abilities, dealing with the Flame Ogres wasn’t nearly as difficult as it should have been.

The team’s formation remained solid. The tanks held the frontline. The slayers tore into the ogres from the sides. The long-range attackers bombarded them from behind. And the healers continuously restored their injuries.

But most of the victories were thanks to one person in particular: Aiden. The leader of the Scourge Guild team repeatedly demonstrated exactly why he was considered one of the guild’s elites. He was fearsome. He was fast. And he was powerful. His blade flashed through the cavern again and again, cutting down one Flame Ogre after another with frightening speed.

Every time an opening appeared, Aiden was already there. Every time a Flame Ogre attempted to attack, his sword was already cutting through its defenses. The monsters simply couldn’t keep up with him. And with every monster they defeated... a Flame Core dropped. Every. Single. Time.

The warriors’ smiles grew wider and wider. The amount of wealth they were accumulating was becoming ridiculous. They had truly struck the jackpot this time. Hadn’t they?

Michael didn’t try to convince them anymore. He had already tried. No one listened. Instead, he simply continued praying silently. Please... just let me survive this.

Several hours passed. The group had just finished another battle against a group of Flame Ogres. By now, they had slain an enormous number of them. And they had gathered countless Flame Cores.

The amount of points those cores would bring them alone was enough to make even the most composed warrior salivate. Everyone was excited. Everyone... except one person: Hayley.

The girl who served as the group’s scout stared at the fading bodies of the Red Ogres. Her eyes then shifted toward the Flame Cores they had left behind. Her gaze narrowed. A small frown slowly formed between her brows. Something isn’t right. She couldn’t explain it. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was bothering her. But she felt it.

Something was fundamentally wrong with the fact that every single monster they killed was guaranteed to drop something valuable. The first few times could have been luck. Perhaps even the first dozen. But they had now slain more than a hundred Red Ogres.

And every single one had dropped a Flame Core. Some had even dropped Flame Skill Books alongside them. That was too much. Far too much. No dungeon behaved like this.

Hayley’s expression became increasingly serious. She needed to know what was ahead. She needed to find the dungeon boss. And she needed to know just how powerful it was.

"I’ll scout ahead."

Without waiting for anyone to stop her, Hayley activated her talent. Her ability, Peering Gaze, allowed her to see extremely far into the distance. Under normal circumstances, scouting deep into a dungeon wasn’t a problem for her. But this time... she would have to push herself.

Hayley focused her vision. The world before her seemed to stretch. Her gaze pierced through the darkness of the massive cavern, traveling farther and farther into the depths as she searched for the dungeon boss.

She poured more and more mana into her talent. Her reserves rapidly began to drain. But she didn’t stop. Where are you...? She pushed her Peering Gaze deeper. Deeper. And deeper still.

Then... a few seconds later... her eyes suddenly widened.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

A horribly painful scream tore from Hayley’s mouth. Everyone was startled.

"What?!"

"Hayley!"

"What’s wrong?!"

The group immediately turned toward her. Hayley had both hands clutching her head. Her body trembled violently. It was as though she were desperately trying to force some horrifying image out of her mind.

Blood began trickling from her nose. Her eyes were trembling and then they exploded. No one understood what was happening. And before anyone could even react... her head exploded next.

BOOM!

Blood and flesh erupted through the cavern. Her body followed. It exploded apart in an instant, spraying gore across the warriors standing closest to her.