C-Rank Dungeon: Baptism by Fire
The grass parted as the Night Wolves emerged, their eyes flashing briefly in the darkness. “Gravity Weight.” The six leading wolves were slammed flat against the ground, claws sinking deep into the mud as their momentum shattered in an instant. “Perfect, they’re pinned.”
Before the words left my mouth, I sent the daggers flying. Spinning blades snapped the first wolf’s neck cleanly. The second lost its balance at almost the same moment and collapsed. I recalled the daggers, drove the mana sword forward, and split open another’s chest while the last one dropped with its throat pierced.
From the left came Sorin’s shout. “Whirlwind Blades!” Wind-formed edges sliced through two wolves in one clean pass; both flipped and crashed to the earth. “Lightning Arrow, fire!” A blue flash streaked past, punching through two more. The stench of scorched hide lingered for a heartbeat.
At that moment I seized four wolves with telekinesis and hauled them skyward, mud and rainwater trailing behind. I poured more power into the hold, locking them in place. Tangled together, their struggles ceased. “Flame Lance!” Team Leader Yoo Mira’s voice rang out as a compressed spear of fire lanced upward and swallowed all four at once. A brief scream, then silence.
Rain began to fall again. For a few seconds, only the sound of water remained.
“Ha… my arms won’t move.”
“Doyoon! You’re not dead, so quit whining.”
“Jihoon oppa! Our coordination was amazing this time!”
“Everyone did great. Response was flawless.”
“Jihoon, you were different today. Your power usage felt much more natural.”
“Yeah. Your movements were stable. You’ve definitely gotten stronger.”
“Jihoon oppa powered up today, didn’t he?”
“Maybe. It felt like the skills stuck to my hands better.”
“No way, that’s not it. Did you secretly train after work, Jihoon-bot?”
“Hyung, say that again and I’m not collecting any more cores.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll stop.”
“Really.”
Team Leader Yoo Mira let out a short laugh and reined everyone in. “Chat’s over. Hyunmu team still hasn’t finished. Stay sharp.”
Gunfire thundered from the left. We turned as one. Lightning split the sky; Team Leader Jang Tae-wook slammed his shield down and detonated his mana. A crimson curtain burst outward, shoving the Iron Bear pack back. From behind the line, close-combat hunter Park Jungho charged in. He thrust, withdrew, spun, and slashed again in one unbroken flow. The rear support hunter opened up with a mana gun; blue bolts melted through metal hide, the shockwave whipping the air.
“That’s… seriously impressive,” Jaehoon hyung muttered, catching his breath.
Metal rang again. Hyunmu Team 3 pressed forward once more.
“That’s how Hyunmu Team 3’s combat hunters fight. This is their job.”
Flames erupted. Jang Tae-wook’s sword carved through an Iron Bear’s metal skin; the beast toppled at an angle, the impact shuddering through the ground. Seizing the opening, a low silhouette slid forward—Park Jungho. His blade passed straight and true. The bear’s flank parted cleanly, the motion never faltering. It wasn’t raw power; it was finding the exact gap and stepping through it. Not a rehearsed drill, but a living sword that reacted first on the real battlefield.
One step. One rotation. Every movement looked like a choice made purely to survive. As Jungho pulled his sword free and turned, a thin red line traced across the bear. Watching it, the thought came naturally.
I’m still just an investigator. …But someday, I’ll reach that level.
My heartbeat steadied. Jungho’s fight inspired respect more than fear. The blood on the back of my hand finally cooled.
Hyunmu Team 3 soon returned, formation restored. Jang Tae-wook dusted off his gloves and approached.
“Team Leader Yoo Mira, good work. Investigation Team 3’s right flank held perfectly.”
“Thank you. Hyunmu Team 3 was equally impressive.”
His gaze swept over us. “For an investigation team, your movements were solid. Especially the telekinesis—very impressive.”
Eyes settled on me for a moment.
“I got lucky,” I said.
“Luck doesn’t produce results like that. That was genuinely impressive.”
We began clearing the remains, breaths still ragged but steps lighter. Someone clapped my shoulder in passing. Quiet laughter drifted nearby. No words were needed. Today, everyone’s rhythm had matched.
That night we learned for the first time exactly how far we could push ourselves. We all reached the same quiet conclusion.
Today… was good.
At the edge of the hills the air grew heavy. Red light glowed along the upper walls, slowly illuminating our path.
“A little farther and we can reach the center,” someone said.
Team Leader Yoo Mira cut in immediately. “We should withdraw. We’re already near the limit. Going deeper is too dangerous.”
“I know the risk. But if we turn back now, we leave with nothing. We need confirmation before we can plan the next step.”
“Team leader, this is reckless. We’re an investigation team, not a combat unit built to push forward. Exceeding our role will get us killed.”
“That’s why I’ll lead. We’ll open the way; the investigation team only needs to observe from behind.”
“Observing still means entering.”
“We have no idea what variables are waiting inside. A direct hit and it’s over.”
A short silence followed. Then Jang Tae-wook spoke in a low voice.
“If we retreat now, we’ll have to come back later under worse conditions. Reaching this point today was already fortunate.”
Yoo Mira pressed her lips together, then nodded reluctantly.
“…Only confirmation and immediate withdrawal. I’ll consider it.”
“We’ll confirm and nothing more.”
“We advance a little farther. If anything feels off, we pull out immediately. Withdrawal decision is mine.”
Jang Tae-wook raised a hand. “Understood. Command structure stays the same. Hyunmu in front, investigation team in the rear.”
The radio crackled. “Everyone copy? Maintain surveillance lines. No solo actions.”
At the front, Jang Tae-wook lifted his shield. “Then let’s move.”
We followed Hyunmu Team 3 toward the northern hills. Below the ridge, between tents and crude barricades, dark red patterns marked the ground. A Mountain Orc village. One scout suddenly rose and spotted us. The moment our eyes met, a guttural cry tore through the air.
“Kraaaak!”
The entire village erupted. Tents twisted, metal clashed, and orcs poured out in a single black wave. Commands rang from the front line.
“Hyunmu Team 3, battle formation! Hold the line!”
Shields locked together; spear points settled behind them. While the formation tightened, the orc tide crashed forward. The radio flared again.
“Investigation team, rear alignment! Do not engage the main force. Clean up only what leaks through!”
We fell back behind the shield wall. Heavy footsteps thundered across the mud. Roughly seventy orcs filled the ridge. “They’re closing fast.”
Jang Tae-wook glanced back. “Prepare mana-stone bombs. Investigation team, you brought yours?”
“Two each!” Yoo Mira answered. “Jihoon-ssi, can you adjust their landing with telekinesis?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. Throw on my mark. Jihoon-ssi will guide them.”
As the orcs neared, the order came. “Throw!”
Ten bombs arced through the air. I thrust my hand forward; the bombs veered, spread, and dropped squarely into the center of the pack.
Explosions ripped the night apart. The front ranks collapsed; the formation shattered. “Frontal dispersion complete!”
“Hold the line! Hyunmu Team 3, charge!”
Shield and roar met. The ground shook. Mud flew. Hyunmu held the broken line while we supported from behind. Blue lightning leapt from Jaehoon hyung’s fingers, piercing an orc’s chest. “Gravity Weight.” Frontline orcs dropped to their knees. Sorin’s wind blades followed, severing limbs. “Jihoon-ssi, three on the left!”
I sent the daggers without answering. They struck true—jaw, skull, chest. The surviving orcs that had weathered the blasts roared and surged again, numbers greater than before.
“Damn it, there’s still more!”
“They’re spreading out!”
“Eight left, five right!”
“Hyunmu, maintain formation!”
Jang Tae-wook’s shield smashed an orc’s arm aside; his sword followed in the same breath. Blood and mud sprayed together. “Investigation team, supporting fire!”
We struck from the rear. Jaehoon’s current locked targets, Doyoon’s gravity pinned them, and my daggers finished the rest. One by one the orcs fell. The roars and clash of metal slowly faded.
While catching my breath, Jaehoon hyung tapped my shoulder. “You said we were only investigating, yet here we are in the middle of a mess.”
“Hyung! Team Leader Hyunmu 3 looks like he lives for combat.”
“Damn… we really said ‘just investigate’?”
“I’m writing ‘combat-type investigation team’ in the report.”
Yoo Mira’s voice cut through the chatter. “We’re not done yet. Supply team, collect the cores. We’re pushing to the chieftain.”
“We get a share of the mana stones, right?”
“Of course. We’ll split fairly with Hyunmu. Their supply team handles cleanup; we finish the village.”
“Hyunmu Team 3 already moved ahead. Let’s go.”
We followed in their wake. Running forward, one thought refused to settle.
I can’t just stand by and watch this.