"Unfortunately, I won't be able to train you today," Marcus said, his usual grin fading into something more neutral. "I'm just here to give you your next B-rank assignment."

He paced slowly around the group, his sharp attire more suited for a boardroom than the sparring mat, unbuttoned guild jacket, crisp white shirt, and a slim dossier in hand. The folder's corners were frayed, stamped with the American Guild's eagle and a glaring red label: B-RANK: URGENT.

"I hate breaking our routine," he continued, stopping before them. His tone was calm but filled with regret. "HQ's got me swamped with recon reports from the Australian border. That loss from last year's tournament? It's spreading like wildfire. Our alliances seem to be cracking, with more black market stuff resurfacing, which obviously isn't good. So, I have to attend the meeting to ensure that America is still America."

A murmur rolled through the group.

Zane groaned, dropping his arms dramatically. "Great. So you're playing office hero while we're stuck twiddling our thumbs? What's the job, then? Babysitting a C-rank rookie?"

Marcus cracked a faint smile. "Close, but nastier. Evolved D-rank dungeon on the Appalachian outskirts, an old coal mine that's been warping since the last rift surge. Stable entry, unstable core. Mana's spiking fast, twisting the local beasts into adaptive variants. Think D-rank baseline with B-rank bursts. You'll map the upper veins, clear nests, and seal fissures before it breaches the surface. Quick and clean. Triple pay plus hazard creds."

Nova frowned, processing the details. Evolved dungeons weren't just stronger; they learned. The last tournament had taught him that. But this was their level now. His Circle of Pillars was itching uncontrollably.

"Timeline?" he asked.

"Forty-eight hours before it destabilizes," Marcus said, sliding the dossier across the floor. Holo-feeds flickered above it, grainy footage of twisting tunnels and impossible angles. "Transport's on the way. Elena is handling logistics. She'll brief you on-site. Gear up, stay sharp, and no heroics. This is containment, not conquest."

"Elena?" Elesch hadn't heard that name in about a year.

Before anyone could ask more, the side door hissed open. Elena walked in with tactical fatigues, cropped dark hair, and a scarred face that radiated discipline. She carried a tablet in one hand, a duffel in the other; every step felt as if it had purpose.

"Hello, guys, long time no see," Elena smiled brightly. "How have you been?"

Everyone was baffled, as they thought she had retired from the position, when she had really just been sick for a year. Unfortunately, she had drafted Abyssal Sickness, a sickness found in monsters in Beastaria that can be omitted through touch, air, or anything for that matter.

A dungeon break had occurred in France, as she took a week's vacation there, though it was more like a work-vacation, she had to gather some data, and she took a week's worth of time doing it, and nearing the end of the vacation, a dungeon break occured, and thus leading her to be in containment for over a year.

"I will handle everything except for the clearance of the dungeon, so all you have to focus on is clearing the dungeon, and then you're set," Elena said brightly, as if thinking clearing an evolved D-rank dungeon was child's play.

Everyone, except for Marcus, went outside, with a black transport van coming to life. Everyone got in, and the team rolled out, going to the Appalachian. Instead, the team sat in tense silence.

Elena drove with one hand on the wheel, the other scrolling through tactical displays projected from her wristband. The faint blue glow illuminated her face, sharp, composed, calculating.

"You've all improved," she said finally, eyes still on the road. "Last I checked, your synchronization rate was barely sixty-two percent. HQ reports say you're averaging eighty-eight now. That's impressive."

Zane leaned back, smirking. "Eighty-eight? We'd hit a hundred if Nova stopped holding back."

Nova didn't look up from the mana scanner in his hands. "Holding back keeps you alive," he replied evenly. "Overconfidence doesn't."

Elena chuckled softly. "Still the same dynamic, I see."

The van dipped into a narrow mountain pass, the air thick with static. The mana density readings on Nova's device spiked sharply, unstable but not yet catastrophic. A good sign. They still had time.

"ETA?" Elesch asked, checking the situation on her rapier, which was still in near-perfect condition.

"Five minutes," Elena replied. "Once we breach the perimeter, stay inside the mana field until I set up the beacon. The distortion will be heavy; try not to wander. The last survey team lost a drone just by stepping three feet off the trail."

Zane whistled low. "Comforting."

The road ended at a derelict mining site surrounded by security pylons and flickering floodlights. The air shimmered faintly, the telltale sign of spatial interference. Elena parked and stepped out, boots crunching gravel as she surveyed the entrance.

"Still smells like iron and bad memories," she muttered, activating her beacon. A soft pulse rippled outward, stabilizing the immediate area. "Alright, team, same formation as last time. Nova on point, Elesch rear guard, Zane midline support. We're not here for glory; we're here to make sure this thing doesn't spread."

They entered the mine. And the moment they crossed the threshold, the world seemed to have bent. The mine's tunnels pulsed faintly, veins of luminescent ore crawling like living circuits through the rock.

The deeper they went, the louder the density of the concentrated mana became.

"Readings are consistent with an early-stage evolution," Nova murmured, scanning the walls. "Mana concentration's forming pattern clusters, adaptive signatures. It's learning its terrain."

"Then let's remind it who's smarter," Zane said, twirling his weapon, a compact mana glaive that shimmered with crackling energy.

The first wave came without warning.

A swarm of twisted beasts burst from the shadows, wolf-like creatures with crystalized spines and fractured visors where eyes should have been. Their movement was erratic, almost glitching against the fabric of space.

"Contact!" Elesch said, raising her rapier.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.