From Trash Rank to Untouchable

6

Several Hunters turned to look at Eric, their expressions immediately darkening.

Some frowned openly, others clicked their tongues in clear displeasure.

“Are you sure about that?” one of them asked Regan. “I don’t think this is the right call, Regan.”

Another Hunter crossed his arms. “He’s just an E-rank. Bringing him inside makes no sense.”

Regan did not look bothered in the slightest.

“Don’t worry,” he said calmly. “Killing the Alpha will be easy. There’s no way an E-rank will be in danger… under my watch.”

Then his gaze shifted to Eric.

“Come here, Eric.”

Something about the way Regan said his name made Eric frown. The tone was casual, almost dismissive, as if he were calling over a tool rather than a person.

Eric hesitated.

‘Why me?’ he wondered as he stepped forward. ‘Why not one of them?’

They were experienced Hunters. Fighters. People who actually belonged in places like this.

And him? He was just a carrier. Someone who should stay in the back, far away from danger.

Wasn’t that how it was supposed to work?

But he was left with no choice as Regan reached the massive doors and pushed them open.

The sound echoed heavily as the doors parted, revealing a spacious chamber beyond. Blue crystals jutted out from the walls and floor, glowing softly and illuminating the room in an eerie light. Piles of treasure lay scattered around, mixed with bones and claw marks carved into the stone.

The moment Eric stepped inside, the pressure intensified.

Regan followed him in and, without hesitation, pushed the doors shut.

The doors slammed closed with a heavy thud that echoed through the chamber.

Eric flinched.

“Did you have to lock it?” he asked, unease creeping into his voice as he glanced back at the sealed doors.

Regan looked at him like he had just said something incredibly stupid.

“I know this is your first time,” he said flatly, “but you should think before asking questions, Eric. We don’t want the Alpha walking out now, do we?”

Eric looked away, jaw tightening.

He knew Regan was right.

Regan turned his attention forward, his expression sharpening as he felt it. The oppressive presence pressing down on the room, heavy and suffocating. The Alpha was nearby.

Too close.

They needed to move fast.

“There’s an arrow in there,” Regan said, keeping his eyes on the surroundings as he slowly scanned the chamber. “Bring it out and coat it in wolfsbane. Be quick.”

Eric nodded immediately.

He shrugged the backpack off his shoulders and dropped to his knees, hands trembling as he yanked it open.

The weight of the moment pressed down on him as he rummaged through the contents, his fingers brushing past weapons and tools.

Then he found it.

He pulled the arrow out carefully.

It was nothing like a normal arrow. The tip was thicker, denser, forged to pierce armor. Even holding it, Eric could feel its weight. This was the kind of arrow meant to punch through metal and tear through hardened flesh.

His throat went dry.

“It’s getting closer,” Regan said suddenly, stepping forward, eyes narrowing. “Hurry it up.”

His voice sharpened. “Be fast about it, you dummy.”

Eric clenched his jaw.

He shot Regan a glare, his mouth itching to snap back. But the words died before they could leave his lips as he felt the air grew heavier.

The hairs on his arms stood on end.

Something was coming.

And whatever it was, it was close enough that Eric could feel it breathing somewhere in the chamber.

He quickly searched for the vial full of wolfsbane.

There were too many things.

Way too many.

Metal clinked loudly as blades, ropes, vials, charms, and spare bolts shifted inside. The sound echoed through the dungeon, each clatter hammering into his skull like a countdown.

Where is it? Where is it?

His fingers dug in blindly, brushing cold glass, and his breathing came out sharp and uneven.

Where the hell is the darn thing?

“Hurry up,” Regan snapped. “Be fast about it.”

That only made it worse.

Eric’s chest tightened painfully and his thoughts tangled. His hands felt clumsy, useless, like they didn’t belong to him anymore. He shoved things aside too roughly, knocking a vial loose. It rolled across the stone floor and shattered.

The sharp scent burned his nose making his heart slam even harder.

Idiot. You’re dead. You’re dead.

A low growl rolled through the dungeon.

It was close. Really close. He could feel it.

Eric froze and every instinct in his body screamed at him to run as he looked up, seeing lightning cracking in the air.

His legs twitched, ready to bolt, ready to leave everything behind, the bag, Regan, the job, the dungeon. He could already imagine it, turning around, sprinting down the tunnel, never looking back.

I shouldn’t have taken this job.

The thought hit him like a knife.

The pay wasn’t worth this. Not with his life hanging on thin thread. None of it was. He was just a carrier, an E-rank.

‘What am I doing here in A-rank dungeon? Was I seeking death?’

He wasn’t meant to stand in front of monsters like this. He wasn’t meant to die in some cursed dungeon with lightning in the air and death breathing down his neck.

“Hurry!” Regan barked again.

Eric flinched so hard his elbow struck the stone. Pain shot up his arm, but he barely felt it. His fingers finally closed around a small vial, but his grip slipped, and it nearly fell from his hand.

His vision blurred.

I want to leave. I want to live.

The growl came again, louder now. Heavy footsteps followed, each one shaking dust from the ceiling. The pressure in the air thickened, crushing against his chest until breathing felt like work.

Eric swallowed hard, forcing his hands to move.

Finally he saw it.

A small vial marked with a faded sigil.

Wolfsbane.

Relief hit him immediately but before Eric could even dip the brush into the vial, the dungeon exploded causing him to flinch in fear.

The moment the wolf revealed itself, Eric choked on his spit.