บท 7: Dead Man Tells No Tales

Rows of classical-style buildings lined the street, decorated with dozens of colorful billboards bearing Chinese characters, and dozens of pedestrians crowded underneath.

Shops and stalls displayed some of their products outside. Several people could be seen chatting with shopkeepers, negotiating to reach a price deal.

The atmosphere of Chinatown had not changed at all, except for a street that seemed to be filled with police cars.

A rift like cracked glass the size of a three-story apartment blocked the street, emitting a strange purple light as if it would suck in everything around it.

In a ten-meter radius, a police line surrounded the area around the dungeon entrance. Policemen stood guard on each side, several reporters were busy taking pictures on the rift scene, and dozens of awakeners in full combat gear were preparing to enter.

Klaus and Joanna arrived at the location. She looked amazed at the scene in front of her, a rift that had been seen on television was now in front of her eyes.

"Everyone, give me your ten minutes please."

Keith, the party leader, asked for the attention of all members, including Klaus, who was now part of them.

"Since Klaus and Joanna are still beginners, I'll give you little explanation before entering the dungeon."

The dungeon was a closed dimension that had terrain and natural appearances like on Earth. And it was also like a mystery box, no one knew what was inside until they opened it.

Sometimes the terrain inside a dungeon was a desert, an ice land, a grassland, a forest, and even a volcano. The inhabitants were also random; sometimes they were goblins, ogres, trolls, ghosts, or even a mix of them all.

To close the rift from appearing again, they needed to find an "alpha", the strongest monster and the ruler of the dungeon.

Alpha was the cause of why monsters from other dimensions attacked Earth. Researchers still did not know what their motive was, all they knew was that if the alpha died, the monsters would stop attacking and the rift would close.

That was why, awakeners needed to be sent to the dungeon.

However, their purpose in entering the dungeon today was not to kill the alpha.

"We're going to search for monster core," Keith said out loud.

Monster core was an object found inside the bodies of monsters. This object had a very abundant mana content. If the awakener absorbed it, their battle power score would increase. In other words, monster core made them stronger.

However, the real reason the awakeners was eyeing monster core was that it had a very expensive selling value.

Thanks to technological advances, mana could be converted into other energy sources. Therefore, the government and many large companies were willing to spend money to buy monster cores from awakeners.

"So, we won't be joining other party members. We're going to hunt the small fry monsters. Remember, our goal is to collect as many monster cores as possible."

Joanna seemed to nod after listening to Keith's long speech. And Klaus, however, just put on a flat face, as if he had understood since the beginning.

"That's all you need to know. Now, you have fifteen minutes to prepare."

While the other members were preparing, a woman with short brown hair, dressed in a purple robe, came over to Klaus and Joanna. She smiled kindly and greeted them.

"What is it, Karen?" asked Joanna.

"You didn't bring anything, did you? It was too dangerous to enter the dungeon without equipment. I'll lend you mine."

Karen rubbed the circular black ring on her middle finger. She then swiped and tapped on the empty air as if there was a giant screen in front of her face, not long after, a cloak, armor, and short sword appeared in her hands.

"What's that? Magic ring?"

That woman giggled as Joanna asked innocently.

"This is arcana," Karen said. "It's a special item that you can only find in the dungeon. My arcana is a spatial ring, although it's only a low grade, you can store any item you want from here."

Klaus looked intrigued, his eyes glued to her ring.

Without wasting time, the two siblings wore the equipment they had borrowed. Joanna looked charming in a long gray robe, and Klaus wore armor that covered his torso, and at his waist was a short sword.

"Klaus, Joanna, let's go!"

As they finished putting on their equipment, Keith called out from a distance, telling them it was time to go.

They entered the dungeon along with dozens of other awakeners.

...

As far as the eye could see was green, massive trees were on every side, with lush foliage and long stalks dangling like hair, and shrubs thrived on the ground.

It was so quiet, there was no sound other than the birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind.

The vast blue sky was covered by the leaves. Luckily, a ray of golden light still penetrated between the trees, illuminating the awakeners who were gathering in front of the rift.

The moment they entered the dungeon, they split into several groups. The first group moved in large numbers, nearly ninety percent of the awakeners, heading north to hunt down the alpha, and the rest groups spread out in various directions.

Just like Keith's party, the other small groups were moving independently to hunt for the small fry monsters.

Keith walked at the forefront, leading his men through the depths of the forest. Eddie, Tom, and Karen were right behind him, while Klaus, Joanna, and Evan were bringing up the rear.

Joanna looked around with an anxious look on her face, what she had imagined and reality were completely different. She thought this was going to be an adventure, but instead it was a stressful journey.

"There's no need to be afraid. This is the safest dungeon."

A masculine voice caught Joanna's attention. Without her realizing it, a handsome man with blond hair walked next to her.

"What do you mean? Every dungeon is dangerous, this place is a monster's lair, you know," she said.

Evan rubbed the back of the head. "I mean, each dungeon has its own level of danger, there are seven of them, and this dungeon we're in is the safest."

Naturally, Joanna frowned. "I don't get it."

Evan sighed. "When we were about to enter the dungeon, you saw the purple aura from the rift, right?"

The girl nodded.

"The color of the rift represents the danger level of the dungeon. Like the colors of the rainbow, the rift has seven colors; purple is the dungeon with the lowest death rate, and red is the highest."

Joanna simply squinted, giving Evan a skeptical look, and that blond-haired man just frowned.

"If there are dead people in the dungeon, it can't be called safe," Joanna said in a snappish tone.

Instantly, Evan realized his stupidity, he could only grimace in shame. "Hehe, I just want to cheer you up, Joanna. I can't bear to see a beautiful woman like you worrying."

Joanna blushed, her face was bright red, she tried to heal it by turning her face away.

"I mean, look at him," Evan added. The man looked at Klaus. "For someone who is entering the dungeon for the first time, your brother looks too calm. As if this hunting is just a trip for him. I've never seen anyone like Klaus before."

Joanna turned at Klaus, he seemed to be walking casually without any worries at all. She then puffed out her chest, and tried to be like her brother.

The party kept exploring the dungeon, searching and hunting for monsters lurking in the depths of the forest.

However, unbeknownst to them, dozens of pairs of glowing eyes were watching them from the shadows of the trees.