Neither of them was surprised by the military presence stationed there.
Typically, A-rank dungeons were handled entirely by the Guild, with the state rarely intervening.
However, the Guild’s personnel were simply insufficient to address these suddenly appearing dungeons promptly.
Consequently, the state would dispatch military aid, tasked with dispersing crowds around the dungeons to prevent casualties.
Most of these soldiers lacked the power to conquer A-rank dungeons, thus offering only their meager assistance.
The primary force for conquest remained the Guild members.
“Precisely,” Li Jia affirmed, handing over the access permit once more.
The man scrutinized the permit in his hand, then frowned, turning his gaze to Aya Tone beside him. “A-rank dungeons are exceedingly perilous. We advise against bringing children inside.”
Some deeply established families would have their powerful members escort their descendants into dungeons from a young age.
After years of research into dungeons, scholars had put forth a theory.
These teleportation arrays, which abruptly manifested on Blue Star, likely connected to another world.
The energy contained within these dungeons far surpassed that of Blue Star itself, explaining the proliferation of resources they yielded.
Moreover, the human body would unconsciously absorb the energy within dungeons, subtly enhancing the physique of successive generations.
The higher the rank of the dungeon, the more potent the energy it contained.
However, the state did not advocate for this practice, for no other reason than its inherent danger.
In the soldier’s estimation, Aya Tone was merely a young lady from some prominent family, brought by an elder to absorb the dungeon’s energy.
This child, it seemed, was not yet old enough for an ability awakening.
“This is my work ID,” Aya Tone said with a sigh, pulling an identification card from a four-dimensional pocket behind him and handing it over.
This was a document possessed only by those who attained S-rank status, serving no purpose beyond identity verification.
To S-rank powerhouses guarding a region, it was less valuable than a single magic crystal.
People often quipped that some expert with too much time on their hands must have conceived it.
‘Who bothers to check your ID for no reason?’
Aya Tone: ‘Yeah, right, totally.’ [rolls eyes.jpg]
The man accepted the document, his eyes narrowing, and snapped his feet together, saluting Aya Tone with perfect military precision.
“Greetings, General! I am Ji Xuan of the 103rd Unit, Fengtai Military District!”
He then respectfully returned the document to Aya Tone.
“Yes, yes, no need to be so formal. Relax,” Aya Tone said, reclaiming his document.
Emulating the high-ranking officials he’d seen in videos, he stood on tiptoe, painstakingly patting Ji Xuan’s shoulder with a semblance of authority.
His movements were quite comical, yet his demeanor exuded an undeniable cuteness.
Behind him, Li Jia quietly pulled out her phone, rapidly pressing the shutter.
S-rank adventurers, upon receiving their designation, were simultaneously bestowed with the military rank of General.
Consequently, virtually all S-rank adventurers under the Guild’s purview were also personnel of the state.
Should a combat order truly be issued, even the Guild Master’s words would hold little sway.
After all, S-rank powerhouses represented the absolute pinnacle of existence in this world, and the state would never permit them to be controlled by any single faction.
They were simultaneously granted certain privileges and subjected to specific regulations.
“Guard the perimeter and prevent anyone else from entering.”
Having spoken, Aya Tone led Li Jia through the blue-glowing teleportation array.
Only after watching Aya Tone and Li Jia vanish did Ji Xuan finally quell the shock in his heart.
He had not anticipated that the higher-ups would dispatch an S-rank powerhouse to deal with the dungeon; ordinarily, S-rank powerhouses did not participate in the conquest of common dungeons.
After all, S-rank dungeons held far greater significance than these ordinary ones.
“Maintain vigilance around us!” Ji Xuan commanded, dismissing those thoughts.
Their duty was to ensure the safety of the dungeon’s vicinity.
They could not afford to be careless!
****
Stepping through the shimmering curtain of light.
The two felt as if they had crossed into another world, for as far as their eyes could see, there was no trace of human activity.
The place felt more like an untamed, primordial planet, with intermittent roars of beasts echoing through the air.
By the sound of it, they seemed to be quite close to the entrance.
“Li Jia, are you ready?”
This was not Aya Tone’s first A-rank dungeon, and he knew how to clear them with the utmost speed.
His only concern was whether Li Jia, his logistical support, could keep pace.
“No problem, everything’s prepared!” Li Jia declared, patting the numerous cloth pouches at her waist.
In a particular dungeon lived a wondrous creature known as the Space Sheep.
While they possessed little inherent power, their soft wool held potent spatial abilities; one could easily become lost in a spatial vortex if inadvertently ensnared.
Hence, their name.
Research had revealed that their wool could be used to craft the legendary storage pouches.
These creatures were also remarkably docile, a species that could be domesticated, though their diet was rather peculiar.
They subsisted on minerals.
The higher the quality of the ore consumed, the larger the storage space of the pouches crafted from their wool.
These were the storage pouches Li Jia had commissioned a master craftsman to forge at great expense, each boasting a capacity of several hundred cubic meters.
All for this moment.
Aya Tone raised an eyebrow. “Then you’d better exert yourself.”
The space within an A-rank dungeon was roughly the size of a city.
To gather all resources in a short time was utterly fanciful; thus, dungeons were typically conquered by teams of dozens.
Yet, some individuals simply refused to play by conventional rules.
Aya Tone raised his magic wand high, as a pink gown subtly replaced his black hoodie.
With his Magical Girl form fully activated, he declared, “Starlight Burst! Starlight Breaker!”
Starlight coalesced upon the magic wand, and as Aya Tone’s voice faded.
“BOOM!!!”
A world-rending beam of magic instantly erupted, and the dungeon’s monsters vanished within the light before they could even react.
Magic had carved a grand path for them, revealing nothing but a vast expanse of resources.
Magic crystals dropped by fallen monsters, and exposed mineral crystals gleamed.
Li Jia remained unfazed by Aya Tone’s destructive power; she knelt, placed her hand on the ground, and a magic array abruptly materialized.
“Collect!”
Under her control, the scattered resources before them gathered into a single pile.
As she gathered the resources into a storage pouch, Aya Tone had already finished clearing another direction.
Thus, one unleashed power while the other collected.
In mere minutes, this A-rank dungeon bore no resemblance to its original state.
As far as the eye could see, only scattered, uprooted trees remained.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next one.”
The dungeon core had long since been obliterated by the indiscriminate attack.
Before long, this dungeon would cease to exist.
“Wait, just a little more,” Li Jia panted, not as effortlessly as Aya Tone.
Having consecutively cast multiple spatial spells, she felt utterly drained, as if hollowed out.
Aya Tone glanced at the somewhat weary Li Jia, feeling as though bringing her along was significantly impeding their progress.
Nearly ten minutes had passed since they entered, and if they didn’t hurry, they wouldn’t make it in time to pick up Xiao Jiu.
After a moment of thought.
“Li Jia, how about you give me your storage pouches?”
“What for?” Li Jia asked, her face etched with wariness. ‘He can’t be planning to snatch them and run, can he?’
“You’re too slow…” Aya Tone muttered, turning his head away.
‘I really didn’t want to say it, but I couldn’t help myself.’
As expected, Li Jia’s hand froze at his words. ‘How could she tolerate that?’
“I’m slow? You can do it, you come!”