NOVEL NEXT Chapter 101: Bad Luck
'I hope Master isn't mad I didn't tell him.'
That was Elara's first thought as she stood before the glowing gate.
Her hands were clasped tight around her gauntlets, and her heart was thumping against her chest.
She had seen gates before, of course. She had seen them plenty of times on television or in Lucius's streams.
But seeing one on a screen and standing right in front of it were two completely different things.
The sheer size of it, the way the glowing surface rippled like water, the hum in the air that pressed against her skin — it was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
'So this was how a dungeon felt up close.'
Part of her wished she could be standing here with Lucius.
She wanted nothing more than to raid by his side. But Vanessa had told her she needed to learn how to work with others, that she couldn't rely on her Master forever.
Elara had reluctantly agreed. She wanted to grow stronger, and that meant learning to fight without him holding her hand all the time.
She glanced at the squad around her.
A team of five rookies, just like her.
They had all started in GRIMMAW around the same time. She had only been with them once before in training, but she remembered their faces.
None of them had Lucius's presence. None of them gave her the same feeling of safety she had when she was with him.
A middle-aged man stepped forward. His jaw was set hard, and he carried himself with the stiff posture of someone trying to look more confident than he felt.
He wore the standard GRIMMAW uniform which looked ironed and neat.
"The Guild has trusted us with clearing a D-rank gate," he announced loudly.
His scowl didn't soften even as he raised his chin. Then he turned toward the glowing portal.
"I'll be the leader in charge of this mission. No objections."
He waited, scanning their faces for a challenge.
None came, apparently nobody wanted to be a leader.
"Good. Get into formation!" he barked, a smile flickering briefly across his lips when no one protested.
Elara reluctantly shifted into her assigned position.
She wasn't used to taking orders unless it was from Lucius.
Still, she obeyed, tightening her fists.
"Good luck, darling," a voice drawled beside her.
Someone nudged her elbow. She turned to find Marco smirking at her, his blonde hair styled back like he was heading to a party, not a dungeon.
"If you get hurt, don't worry. I'll save you." He winked.
Elara's lips pressed into a thin line.
She ignored him… as usual.
If she responded, even to tell him off, it would only encourage him. Marco was the type who thought any attention was good attention.
"Alright, move out!" the captain ordered.
The squad approached the gate together.
The light rippled as the first person stepped in, swallowing them whole. One after another, they entered, until it was Elara's turn.
She braced herself and walked forward.
The sensation was strange.
Like being plunged into icy water that seeped into her skin and bones, but without the wetness.
Her vision blurred, her stomach twisted, and then…
She was somewhere else.
The first thing she noticed was the air.
It was thick and damp, from that alone, it was clear that they were in a cave. The walls stretched up into darkness, jagged and wet with condensation.
Elara inhaled deeply.
Dungeon air.
Real dungeon air.
It was a lot pungid than she imagined.
"Hold your formations and your weapons!" the captain's voice cut through the cave. "Don't do anything reckless!"
Obvious advice, but Elara still adjusted her stance and raised her hands.
This wasn't one of Lucius's streams where he could protect you.
This was life or death.
She wouldn't let herself be caught off guard.
They began moving. Their footsteps echoed against the stone floor, each sound bouncing down the tunnel.
Normally in D-rank dungeons, monsters appeared quickly.
Sometimes even on the very first floor, you'd find at least signs of them — scattered bones, claw marks, droppings, literally anything that indicates it.
But here? Nothing.
The first floor stretched on in silence.
Elara's nerves tightened with every step.
The captain's scowl deepened.
He stopped, looking around, then forced his voice to stay firm.
"Ascend the stairs!" he ordered. His tone wavered only slightly, betraying the unease he tried to hide.
If the captain lost his composure, then the squad would fall apart. They all knew that.
They climbed the stone steps cautiously.
The second floor opened up before them… and it was worse.
Darkness.
Complete, utter darkness.
Not even a glimmer of light from glowing fungi or crystals. It was the kind of black where you couldn't even see your hand if you held it up to your face.
The squad froze, everyone was uncertain.
Then Marco yelped.
"Hey, Elara," he said, his voice shaky but still annoyingly teasing. "You shouldn't grip my shoulder just because you're scared."
Elara's eyes narrowed in the dark.
Her voice was flat. "I didn't touch your shoulder."
He was still trying to joke at a time like this?!
"What? Don't joke—"
His words cut off into a scream.
Elara reacted instantly.
Plasma burst to life in her palm, flooding the space with blue-white light.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
Marco was on the ground, writhing, his hands clawing at the stone as something dragged him backward.
Countless blue hands gripped his arms, legs, and torso.
They writhed and tugged, pulling him deeper into the shadows. More and more of them appeared, spilling from the darkness like waves, piling over him until his body vanished beneath them.
Only his fingers remained visible, scraping furiously against the floor before even they were swallowed.
"Bluehide Beetles!" the captain shouted, his voice high with panic.
The sound of chittering filled the chamber, echoing off the walls.
The swarm was massive, their armored bodies bright in the glow of Elara's plasma.
Hundreds of legs skittered across stone, a sound like knives scraping against glass.
It was certainly bad luck for their first raid.