Tom Garfield had seemed to become dumbstruck. The best anyone could hope for, from Gates not higher than the B-rank, in terms of financial benefits, wasn't more than a 50% return on investment. Therefore, paying $250,000 for a Gate normally booked for $150,000 less could never be beneficial for anyone, as the interest gained was only $150,000, just around the original price the Gate was normally booked. And yet those certain individuals booked it all, at the same insane price! Originally, the bidding price of the Gates was around $100,000. But when I raised the bid to $150,000, these bastards suddenly upped it all the way to $250,000, Chief." At the Vanguard Guild, the upper limit set for a C-rank Gate was $100,000 and $150,000 for a B-rank. One could now clearly see why Robert Schbosky was feeling rather aggrieved at the moment. 'Who the hell are these bastards? !' Tap, tap, tap, tap.... Tom Garfield's hands type on the keyboard quite rapidly, searching the Internet for any

By the time Hal finished the meeting with the homeroom teacher, it was a little past six in the evening, but the street was still bustling with people. In fact, it was around this time that there was much activity in this part of Kansas. Many people wanted to go out, take a stroll around the street, some went to see the cinema, while some attended small gatherings in one place or the other. The sun dipped low over the skyline as Hal walked beside the street, tugging at his tie. The suit itches at his collar, and he couldn't wait to swap it out for something less stiff. Occasions such as a parent-teacher meeting, where he had to put on a suit, weren't his usual battleground. But he knew Bethany was worth the trouble. He turned down a side street to skip a few blocks. This corner of the street was quieter than the outer parts, where all the activities and fun took place. It contained a mix of empty stores, flickering street lamps, and the occasional distant honk from cars that

Since he was the only B-rank among them, he was going to be the one to lead the raid, and although he wasn't really fit to be a leader or to assume the role in this kind of situation. The Hunters had no choice, as they lacked an A-rank Hunter now. So with that, the Hunters, all at full alert, slowly stepped into the dungeon in groups of twos, the B-rank Hunter, along with a C-rank, being the first group to step in. The last group to enter consisted of a D-rank and an E-rank. The E-rank Hunter, who had fiery red hair and was clearly taller and built than the D-rank, was the one carrying the equipment for the other Hunters. But, he quickly changed his position, by doing something that came off as totally unexpected to the D-rank Hunter. Just as they were about to step into the Gate, the E-rank Hunter suddenly stopped the D-rank Hunter. "Huh, what is it?" He asked his voice clearly frightened. "Mind holding this for me?" The E-rank Hunter asked. "W-what...?" The Hunte

Back at the beginning of the dungeon, where Hal had sped past the Hunters. Faces steered at each other, some bearing a slight look of fright, confusion, and plain annoyance and exasperation. Gathered in an irregular circle stood the Hunters assigned to clear this dungeon. But right now, they weren’t clearing anything. Their momentum had been broken by the strangest of abnormalities—an E-rank Hunter. “So, you’re telling me the E-rank Hunter went into the dungeon ahead of us?” the B-rank leader asked, his voice dripping with disbelief. “Y-yes,” the D-rank Hunter stammered—the one Hal had handed the bag of supplies to. “Alone?” the leader pressed, disbelief etched into his face. “Y-yes. After you guys entered and I was about to follow, he suddenly stopped me. Then, out of nowhere—he threw the bag at me.” He flung his arms forward in frantic gesticulation. “And then… he gave me this weird smile, thanked me, and ran into the Gate!” “But we...” “By god, he was so fast!” the

The atmosphere was getting more hazy now, and the temperature had risen to another level, but this wasn't enough to stop Hal's advancement. The dungeon was dark, hazy, and all, making visuals poor, but Hal applied his senses to maneuver the crooked paths of the dungeon. His pace quickened on, along the floors of the dungeon, as his perception told him he was closer now. _Hmm, I've never seen an Emperor-tier monster before, not to mention fighting one. This will be quite a tough one.._ Even though he was moving towards the dungeon quickly, seemingly unafraid, Hal was still cautious, as an Emperor-tier monster wasn't something to joke about. They were the 5th strongest class of monsters out there, so they weren't to be joked with. As Hal went deeper, the energy he had been tracing became clearer, and the sounds of hounds howling could be heard from a distance. He followed the pull deeper, weaving through jagged tunnels until the narrow walls opened into a vast chamber. W