~ ~ ~ ~ ~For several seconds, nobody moved.Xavier stared at his fist.Blood dripped from the cut across his left palm.His chest rose and fell.The hunter laid several feet away groaning in pain.Xavier slowly lowered his hand.‘What just happened?’He looked at the others.They were staring at their leader.Then at Xavier.Then back at their leader.None of them seemed to understand what they had just witnessed.Xavier took a cautious step backward.The hunters immediately moved toward their fallen leader.“Boss!”“Are you alright?”“Boss, get up!”The leader groaned.His hand moved to his chest.He coughed as he slowly pushed himself upright.“I'm fine.”His voice was strained.One of the hunters reached for him.“Boss...”“I said I'm fine!”He shoved the man's hand away.The leader struggled to stand.His legs shook for a moment, but he forced himself upright.He pressed a hand against his chest.Pain shot through his body.That punch had hurt.A lot.But he refused to s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The sound of the large door opening caught Xaviers attention.He looked up.The Holy Maiden was walking toward him with several people behind her.Most of them were guards, but one man immediately stood out.He looked to be in his fifties, with neatly combed grey-black hair and a well-tailored black suit. His expression was calm, almost pleasant, but there was something commanding in the way he carried himself. The kind of presence that made people instinctively give him room.The Holy Maiden stopped when she noticed Xavier."Oh, Xavier."Xavier gave them both a small nod."Holy Maiden."She tilted her head."What brings you here?"Xavier hesitated."I came with a reply to your offer." The Holy Maiden's expression changed slightly.She then turned to the man beside her."I'm sorry, but I have something important to attend to right now. We'll have to continue this another time."The man's smile barely changed.But his eyes narrowed slightly."Oh? But we were just getting

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~After a brief drive, the faint blue glow of the dungeon portal came into view.It stood a short distance from an abandoned Church.Its rounded surface shimmering like a thin layer of water suspended in the air.Unlike Gates, which looked more like jagged cracks tearing through space, dungeon entrances were usually stable and smooth.This one was no different.The hunters slowed as they approached.Once they reached the entrance, the atmosphere changed.The casual conversations stopped.Everyone became more focused.The hunter's dropped while the large vehicles were moved a short distance away from the portal.The hunters began unloading their equipment. Tents were set up, supplies were arranged, and the group gathered together to discuss their strategy.Xavier stood slightly away from them, watching.He had entered dungeons before.But never anything like this.The difference wasn't just the rank.It was the number of people.The preparation.The equipment.Everything abou

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The laughter continued.The hunters remained in formation, weapons raised as they remained extremely vigilant.The lead hunter's grip tightened around his sword.Something was wrong.Kobolds were known to hunt in groups. They were cunning creatures, and their habit of mocking their prey with laughter was well documented.But this?Staying hidden while systematically surrounding their enemies?That was different.He had encountered Kobolds before. They usually relied on their numbers, rushing their targets and overwhelming them through sheer aggression. They could be surprisingly coordinated to a degree, but this level of patience was unusual.There was only one explanation he could think of.'An Alpha Kobold.'His expression darkened.But this is supposed to be a D-rank dungeon.Alpha Kobolds only appeared in mutated D-rank dungeons or C-Rank dungeons. Their presence usually meant the group was dealing with something far more dangerous.He glanced toward th