The Weakest Hunter Ascends

The hidden Temple

Everything now hung entirely on Arthur Pendelton’s decision.

Arthur’s fingers tightened around the dull E-Rank mana crystal in his palm as he glanced to his side.

Julie was shaking her head frantically, her eyes wide with a deep, silent plea. It was obvious she was worried sick about him.

Truthfully, Arthur was terrified too.

Under normal circumstances, he would never dream of taking an unnecessary risk. He completely lacked the strength for it, and honestly, he wasn’t that brave.

But Arthur had a younger sister who was supposed to start college in just a few months.

And I haven't saved a single dime…

At twenty-four, Arthur was at an age where he should have been focusing on his college education. But he had been forced to abandon that dream because there simply wasn't any money.

He refused to let his little sister go through the same crushing sacrifice and pain he had endured.

Right now, every single cent mattered.

Bill wasn't the only one in desperate need of a massive score today.

Arthur raised his hand high.

"I vote to go ahead."

From right beside him, he caught the soft, defeated sigh of resignation slipping past Julie's lips.

****

The dark stone hallway seemed to stretch on without end.

Up at the front of the group, Mr. Sterling and the more capable vanguard took the lead.

Sterling conjured a small, dancing flame above his palm to light the way forward.

Greg kept pace beside Sterling, glancing into the shadows before asking,

"We’ve been walking a while now, haven't we? Shouldn’t we start factoring in the time it'll take to double back?"

"How long has it been?" Sterling asked, not breaking his stride.

Greg checked his watch.

"Roughly… forty minutes."

"A Rift seals shut exactly one hour after the dungeon boss is slain," Sterling noted. "That means we have a twenty-minute window left."

"If we don't spot the boss chamber in the next twenty minutes, I say we turn back," Greg countered.

"Agreed," Sterling nodded, gesturing behind him with a flick of his thumb. "Greg, it's pitch black ahead. Why don't you fall back a bit so I can throw some light?"

Greg stared at Sterling’s tiny palm-flicker for a second, then wordlessly pulled out his iPhone and tapped the screen.

The high-powered flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the ancient stonework beautifully.

"……"

Sterling looked back and forth between his magical flame and the smartphone screen before wordlessly reaching into his own pocket to pull out his phone.

Bringing up the very rear of the line were Arthur, still nursing his fresh injuries, and Julie, who possessed absolutely zero combat capabilities.

Arthur scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hey, Julie… I'm really sorry."

"About what?"

"For dragging you along into this. I know you voted to go back."

"I'm fine," she murmured, keeping her eyes glued to the stone floor. "Don't worry about me."

Arthur cautiously studied her face.

She looked anything but fine.

Trying to gauge her mood, he leaned in slightly and asked, even lower this time,

"Are you… really okay?"

That did it.

Julie snapped her gaze toward him, her eyes flashing.

"Of course I’m not okay! Are you completely insane, Arthur?! If that monster’s blade had struck you just two inches higher, you'd have a hole through your heart right now! And look at your arms and legs—they're covered in gashes! I practically exhausted myself patching you up, and your immediate reaction is to dive face-first into another dungeon? A dungeon we don't know a single thing about?!"

She spoke in such a furious, rapid-fire blur that Arthur’s brain felt a little numb just listening to it.

But she was completely right.

If it weren't for Julie—who was an exceptionally rare B-Rank Healer—Arthur probably wouldn't even be walking, let alone working as a Hunter.

It was no secret why the Association valued high-ranked Healers like her so heavily.

Come to think of it, I really do owe her everything.

Julie was a premier Healer, a certified prodigy who had attained a B-Rank at an incredibly young age.

Because high-level support types were so scarce, the Association routinely assigned her to emergency field operations whenever a Rift opened.

And since Arthur was an absolute magnet for trouble, he almost always ended up sitting on the back of an ambulance next to her.

"Are you in pain? Just hold on a little longer, okay?"

"Wait, have I seen you before…? Aren't you the guy from last week?"

"You're hurt again?!"

"Honestly, it feels like we're meeting more often than old college friends at this rate."

"Your name is Arthur, right? Look… is this really safe for you?"

"Maybe… maybe the Hunter life just isn't for you."

"…You've got to be kidding me. You're back again."

"Give me your arm. No, the other one. Use a standard brace for the sprain; I need to focus my magic on the fractured bone."

At this point, Arthur’s feelings had long crossed the line from standard gratitude into pure, overwhelming guilt for being such a constant burden to her.

"……"

Seeing Arthur look so utterly dejected, Julie’s irritation softened.

She felt a twinge of guilt for snapping so harshly, and her posture relaxed.

"Are you really sorry?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. I am."

Julie hummed, turning it over in her mind for a second.

A playful, teasing glint returned to her eyes, and the corners of her lips curved upward.

"Well, if you're truly sorry… you'll have to take me out to dinner sometime."

Arthur blinked, caught entirely off guard.

He stared at her, finding a bright, mischievous smile etched across her face, making her look like a typical college student.

Right… she's still so young.

In reality, Julie was barely out of her teens.

She’d mentioned recently that she was only turning twenty-one next year.

If she cut her long hair short and swapped her tactical gear for a university hoodie, she’d fit right in on any campus quad.

His mind briefly pictured her in normal clothes, and he felt his face grow slightly warm.

When Arthur hesitated to give a quick reply, Julie's cheeks puffed up instantly.

"What? You don't want to buy me dinner?"

Before he could answer, a sudden commotion erupted at the front of the line.

"We found it!"

"It's the boss chamber!"

Arthur and Julie’s attention snapped forward.

Blocking the end of the long passageway was a massive, imposing stone double-door.

The vanguard immediately clustered around it, weapons drawn.

"What is this? Why is there a door inside a natural cavern?"

"Has anyone ever seen a boss chamber with an actual door before?"

"Never. This is definitely a first."

"I don't like this… it feels incredibly ominous."

The Hunters began voicing their doubts, the tension mounting.

Since their lives were on the line, being meticulous was survival.

But Mr. Sterling knew that over-caution could cost them a once-in-a-lifetime payday.

"Are you all seriously planning to walk away empty-handed after coming all this way?" Sterling asked, placing both hands flat against the ancient stone surface. "If you want to tuck tail, go ahead. I’m pushing forward, even if I have to clear it alone."

Sterling was a C-Rank veteran with a decade of field experience under his belt.

If he weren't already pushing sixty, his sharp combat instincts would have earned him a lucrative contract with a top-tier corporate Guild.

When a man of his experience spoke with such absolute conviction, the surrounding rookies felt their anxiety begin to melt away.

"Hold on," another Hunter murmured, his eyes widening as old forum posts came to mind. "I remember reading rumors about double dungeons."

"Yeah! Didn't some mid-tier outfit discover a double dungeon last year and turn into a massive corporation overnight?"

"Monsters inside a shared Rift usually stay within the same power bracket," another added thoughtfully. "The encounters ahead shouldn't be any harder than what we already cleared…"

What if the rumors were true?

What if there was legendary loot waiting beyond these doors, guarded by the same low-level trash they had been breezing through all morning?

I can't let that old veteran hog all the treasure.

No way in hell.

The nursery bills, the tuition for my oldest, the rent due next Friday…

The greed in the room became palpable, unifying them instantly.

Arthur steeled himself as well.

I can't go home with a single eighty-dollar crystal. I need to bag at least a D-Rank beast, or at least one more goblin.

And it didn't even have to be a monster.

If there's treasure…

Unbound relics or rare artifacts found inside a dungeon were traditionally split evenly among all registered raid participants.

It was a massive contrast to mana crystals, which belonged solely to whoever dealt the killing blow.

If we strike gold in there, my mom's bills are covered for months.

Arthur swallowed hard, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Julie caught the intense, unyielding look in his eyes and sighed.

"Is that really the face of someone who does this as a 'hobby'?"

Arthur shrugged, trying to keep his voice light.

"Who risks their neck for a 9-to-5 job these days? It's always the hobbies that get you killed."

"……What?"

Just as a completely dumbfounded look crossed Julie's face, Sterling threw his weight forward.

With a massive, low groan, the stone doors began to creak inward.

There must have been some ancient counterweight mechanism built into the frame, because the physical strength of a sixty-year-old man was enough to slide the massive barriers open with ease.

Slam!

The doors parted fully, revealing a breathtaking, colossal chamber.

The Hunters didn't hesitate, rushing over the threshold.

"Let's go," Arthur said.

Fearing they'd get left behind for the loot split, he grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her along.

"Ah……"

Julie’s face flushed slightly as she hurried to keep up with his pace.

The moment the Hunters' boots hit the interior floor, a chain reaction rippled across the room.

Dozens of iron braziers packed along the walls erupted into brilliant, roaring flames all at once, bathing the massive space in stark, flickering light.

"What the hell? The lights turned on automatically?"

"I've never seen a layout like this."

"Something is seriously wrong here…"

The group slowed to a crawl, cautiously surveying the area.

The architecture looked exactly like an ancient, forgotten cathedral.

It was decrepit and ancient, clearly buried deep beneath the earth for millennia; thick patches of moss and twisting vines clung to the flagstones, walls, and distant ceiling.

Several Hunters instinctively drew closer together, a sudden chill running down their spines.

"This place is giving me the creeps."

"It feels like… like someone is staring right at us."

Ignoring the nervous murmurs of the rearguard, Sterling and the top-tier fighters pushed deeper into the room.

"Shut up and stop jinxes," Greg muttered, gripping his weapon. "Let's kill the boss and get our check."

The interior was preposterously massive.

The ceiling curved into a colossal, sweeping dome that could easily accommodate several Olympic stadiums put together—honestly, it might have been even larger than that.

Yet, despite the vastness of the space, the chamber felt claustrophobic.

The reason became terrifyingly clear the moment they looked up.

"What… what is that thing…?"

"You've got to be kidding me. That can't be the boss, right?"

At the absolute apex of the cathedral, sitting upon a towering stone throne that matched its impossible scale, was a titan.

It was a mind-bogglingly gargantuan stone statue of an ancient god.

"Oh, my God…"

"Jesus Christ."

Shocked, breathless gasps rippled through the vanguard.

The first comparison that flashed through Arthur’s mind was the Statue of Liberty back in New York.

If Liberty were carved from solid gray stone and seated on a massive throne, she might match the sheer scale of the unknown deity looming over them.

Except this idol was distinctly, sharply masculine.

No… wait. It might actually be bigger.

The Hunters nervously swallowed, huddled like ants near the foot of the massive stone pedestal.

A suffocating weight of dread and anxiety pressed down on them as they prayed this terrifying monument wasn't an active boss.

“……”

But the statue remained perfectly still, a lifeless block of ancient stone.

The relief in the room was instantaneous.

"Whew…"

Sterling exhaled, a massive breath escaping his lungs.

"Alright, everyone. Fan out and search the perimeter."

With the immediate panic fading, the Hunters split into smaller teams to check the chamber.

"I don't see a single monster in here."

"Yeah, me neither."

"Forget monsters, there isn't even a bug on the floor."

While the cathedral was massive, its layout was remarkably simple.

Countless braziers lined the outer walls, and stationed beneath them at regular intervals were smaller stone statues, each standing slightly taller than an average man.

They stood in a perfect, unmoving circle around the room.

"They're actually beautiful, aren't they?"

"They look like museum pieces."

Each smaller statue held a completely different relic.

Some gripped heavy stone swords or spears.

One held an open book.

Others carried classical musical instruments or lit torches.

"It's almost like…" Greg started.

"Like the inner sanctum of a holy temple," Sterling finished.

"Huh?"

Sterling stopped, looking down at his boots.

"What is this… a magic circle?"

Carved directly into the center of the cathedral floor was an intricate, sweeping geometric array unlike any arcane formation he had ever encountered in his years of raiding.

Right then, a shout echoed from the far wall.

"Hey, Mr. Sterling! Over here! There’s an inscription on this pedestal! Can you come read it?"

One of the rookies had spotted a statue that differed from the rest.

Sterling abandoned his inspection of the floor design and walked over, the rest of the Hunters gravitating toward him.

This particular statue was the only one adorned with a pair of massive, stone-carved wings, and its hands held a thick stone tablet.

The group crowded around, focusing on the sharp, angular text etched into the surface.

Sterling ran a critical eye over the script and muttered,

"It's written in Runes."

The Rune language.

It was an arcane script found exclusively within Rift dimensions; only Hunters who had awakened with a high affinity for magic-type classes could decipher it.

"The Commandments of the Cartenon Temple," Sterling read aloud, his voice echoing in the quiet chamber.

Arthur listened intently, his body tense as Sterling began to translate the first verse.

Suddenly, a cold, trembling hand gripped his forearm.

Arthur turned his head.

Julie was staring at the tablet, her face completely drained of color, white as a sheet.