The S-rank dungeon, manifesting in the northern district of the Imperial Capital, had opened within the grounds of a middle school.
Upon detecting the spatial fluctuations that heralded the dungeon’s activation, residents of the area were immediately evacuated.
No one could guarantee that the dungeon wouldn’t spiral out of control.
The nation’s paramount concern was the safety of its citizens.
“Mi Xiaoxiao, what kind of power resides within your eyes? Amaterasu? Or perhaps Tsukuyomi?”
Aya Tone stealthily made his way to the back row of the bus.
Mi Xiaoxiao was the ‘girl’ in the squad who had awakened the Sharingan. While her appearance was… relatively normal, her demeanor seemed anything but.
She perpetually covered her eyes, as if a sealed monster within them threatened to break free and unleash chaos upon the world.
“Captain, I am currently suppressing the demonic bloodline within my eyes. Please refrain from speaking to me.”
Mi Xiaoxiao, with a grave expression, covered one eye with a single hand.
Aya Tone murmured, “Uh… right.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, this individual was even older than him.
Evidently, chuunibyo knew no age limits.
With a sheepish air, Aya Tone retreated to his own seat. “Well… good luck with that,” he offered.
Encountering chuunibyo in reality truly left a terrible impression.
Lin Qingfeng, observing from nearby, chuckled playfully. “Captain, you could have just asked me, you know.”
Conquering an S-rank dungeon was never a matter of haphazardly assembling a team; participants were directly selected from the most prominent adventurer squads.
As the vice-captain, Lin Qingfeng naturally possessed insight into everyone’s abilities.
“Really?” Aya Tone’s curiosity was instantly ignited.
“Do tell.”
It was the Sharingan, after all! He had been utterly captivated by it during his recent anime binge.
Activating the Mangekyo Sharingan could even summon a Gundam—what boy could ever resist becoming a Gundam pilot?
Lin Qingfeng didn’t prolong the suspense. “Xiaoxiao’s ocular technique is singular, known as [Blood Burst]. True to its name, it consumes ocular power to trigger the fusion of red blood cells, unleashing immense energy and causing an explosion.”
“And…” Lin Qingfeng glanced behind him, ensuring their conversation remained unnoticed.
He then continued in a hushed tone, “When Xiaoxiao first awakened her Mangekyo, she couldn’t control its power, which resulted in her parents getting injured because of her. That’s why she keeps her eyes covered all the time, afraid to look directly at anyone.”
“Captain, please be a bit more understanding with her.”
“Blood Burst?” A sudden tightness seized Aya Tone’s heart.
This was a divine skill, capable of killing without a trace.
However, such a potent ability undoubtedly came with a significant drawback, likely its consumption rate.
“Don’t worry, she’s one of us. I understand.”
Aya Tone certainly didn’t harbor the ill habit of reopening old wounds.
Following a series of stringent inspections, the bus slowly glided through the school gates, past the tree-lined paths, and directly onto a sports field.
The soldiers on guard swiftly directed them.
“What an enormous portal…”
Upon disembarking, Aya Tone’s gaze immediately fell upon the colossal swirling vortex not far away.
It appeared to be at least three stories tall.
Moreover, the surrounding spatial fluctuations suggested a tendency to expand.
Unless promptly weakened, it threatened to spiral into a full-blown rampage.
“Ensure all your equipment is in order! We depart in fifteen minutes!” Bai Xiao’s chilling voice rang out.
Aya Tone, for his part, had little need for inspection.
His internal magic, having been ‘confined’ for a full day, had long since recovered to its peak state.
His magical regalia had also been changed prior to their departure.
As for the others—
“Did you hear that? Check your gear! Make sure you have everything, especially those life-saving defensive items. Don’t forget them!”
While Aya Tone possessed some defensive magic, his true specialization lay in offense.
The monsters within an S-rank dungeon were far from weak; his defenses alone couldn’t possibly cover so many individuals.
“Understood!” The team straightened, a collective tension seizing them.
Fifteen minutes vanished in a blink.
“Move out!”
Bai Xiao was the first to step into the portal, followed by the team led by another S-rank adventurer.
Before entering the dungeon, Aya Tone, with a hint of feigned casualness, inquired of Lin Qingfeng, “Who was that rather aloof young man just now?”
‘As colleagues, it feels a bit off not to know each other,’ he mused.
Aya Tone hadn’t encountered that particular S-rank before; he surmised they must have recently achieved their breakthrough.
Lin Qingfeng hadn’t anticipated such a sudden question from his captain.
With a sigh, he replied, “That’s Wang Lin, a rapidly rising star.”
“Oh, a newcomer indeed.”
Aya Tone understood, but didn’t dwell on it further.
‘As colleagues, knowing their name was sufficient.’
The intense flash of light during the teleportation caused everyone to instinctively close their eyes.
When they next opened their eyes, the pitch-black night sky was gone.
Before them lay an eternal snowscape, bathed in perpetual daylight.
A biting wind, sharp as blades, relentlessly sliced at everyone’s cheeks.
Though everyone had prepared by donning their cold-weather gear, the sudden, drastic drop in temperature still caused several team members’ expressions to falter.
“The Ice Plains… Be careful, everyone. Proceed according to the original plan!”
Bai Xiao stood at the forefront, her face grim as she surveyed the endless glaciers.
At this moment, she was fully semi-beastial, her form cloaked in thick fur.
Dark stripes patterned her face, lending her an elegant yet mysterious aura.
“Understood!” Wang Lin replied with a deep voice.
Gazing at the distant glaciers, his eyes were clouded with worry.
As a newly promoted S-rank, this was his first time participating in an S-rank dungeon raid.
He was naturally aware of the dangers inherent in S-rank dungeons, and this one was an ice-themed dungeon to boot.
The heavy clothing he wore would inevitably impede his movements to some degree, thus unavoidably compromising his strength.
“Alright!” Upon entering the dungeon, Aya Tone shed his usual leisurely demeanor.
His magic staff was fully unleashed, held diagonally before him.
After a brief acknowledgment, he ceased paying attention to Bai Xiao’s side, instead subtly extending his senses outwards.
“Hmm?” Aya Tone’s brow furrowed slightly.
His extended senses could only reach a maximum of twenty meters.
Beyond that range, it was as if they plunged into a thick fog, losing all direction.
‘This is troublesome.’
Consequently, should danger arise, he wouldn’t be able to perceive the spatial marker placed at the entrance.
Without that anchor, his teleportation magic would be rendered useless.
Aya Tone couldn’t help but murmur to those behind him, “Don’t stray more than ten meters from me for now.”
Ten meters was the maximum distance within which he could react effectively.
Beyond ten meters, Aya Tone lacked the confidence to fully guarantee their safety.
Hearing this, the team nodded gravely.
The direction Aya Tone and his team chose was towards the snow-covered mountains.
“Something’s not right!” Lin Qingfeng, grasping his rapier, cautiously observed the pristine white snowdrifts to their side.
“Indeed, it’s very wrong,” Aya Tone replied calmly.
Their journey thus far had been uncharacteristically smooth.
So smooth, in fact, that it felt eerily unnatural.
From the plains at the entrance all the way to the base of the snow-capped mountains, they hadn’t encountered a single monster.
All they found was a boundless expanse of white snow, accompanied by a deathly silence.
Within his senses, not even the slightest trace of life could be detected.
“Keep moving forward!”
Unbeknownst to the team, not long after they departed, the footprints they left in the snow seemed to be swallowed by something unseen.
The snowfield once again reverted to its pristine, untouched state.