ATMCP 07

Chapter 7

“Everyone here for the D-rank dungeon party, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

When I answered energetically, the leader looked at me for a moment.

He looked around at me and the others before holding out his hand.

“If everyone is here for the D-rank dungeon party, please show me your Potato Market chat screen. I’ll check for a moment.”

“Yes.”

I and the others opened our screens and showed him the app.

The leader checked each person’s screen one by one and nodded.

“Then everyone’s here.”

I looked around at the others while hiding my hair completely under the hood of my hoodie.

Two people were wearing heavy armor and carrying shields, one person wore a lighter breastplate with a sword at his waist, and lastly, one person wore light leather armor and held a staff.

They all looked like they were equipped with items.

‘I’m the only one dressed normally.’

Since I was the only one wearing a hoodie and jeans, I felt a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, that embarrassment didn’t last long.

The leader checked the number of people and started introducing everyone.

“As we mentioned in the chat, we’ll refer to each other by our positions. Please call me Leader. And the person over there?”

“You can tell by my clothes. I’m the tank.”

The two people in heavy armor introduced themselves as the Leader and the Tank.

Next, the person carrying the sword stepped forward.

“I’m the close-range damage dealer. Just call me Melee. My main weapon is a sword.”

Everyone turned their heads toward the person holding the staff.

That person bowed first as a greeting.

“Hello. I’m a mage… well, a ranged damage dealer. I don’t have any supporter or healer-type skills. I specialize in attacks.”

Finally, everyone’s attention turned toward me.

I thought briefly before bowing my head like the person before me.

“Hello. I’m a supporter and healer. You can call me whichever one is more comfortable.”

It was just a simple greeting, but my synchronization rate increased by 5%.

I didn’t know why, but apparently it matched the setting somehow.

“Then we’ll call you Healer. A shorter name is easier to use inside a dungeon.”

The leader neatly organized our titles and turned toward the dungeon entrance.

Above the dungeon entrance, the dungeon saturation rate was displayed transparently.

It was system text that normal people couldn’t see and only hunters could.

[Dungeon Saturation]

70%

“The dungeon we’re entering today is Shadow Cave, and the saturation rate is around 70%. This is the perfect time to clear it.”

The leader pointed at the dungeon entrance and explained carefully, as if giving a briefing.

“Our goal isn’t to close the dungeon. You don’t need to worry too much about the saturation rate. As long as it doesn’t reach 100%, a dungeon wave won’t occur.”

If the saturation rate reached 0%, the dungeon would completely close and become safe, but then resources could no longer be extracted.

That was why hunters usually didn’t close dungeons unless they were extremely dangerous or useless.

The leader spoke firmly, as if making sure we understood this point.

“Our goal is to properly deal with the monsters, defeat the boss, and leave with the rewards. We will only fight small monsters when necessary, so never rush ahead and provoke them first.”

“Yes.”

The four people answered together, and the leader looked relieved before assigning everyone their positions.

“I and the Tank will block the front. The Melee will stand in the middle, and the Mage and Healer will stay in the back. Even if something unexpected happens, do not leave your positions.”

The other hunters quickly took their places.

I stood there blankly until the very end, and only after everyone had formed their positions did I move to stand beside the Mage.

“Alright, we’re entering now.”

The leader stepped into the dungeon first.

It was my first time entering a dungeon.

The monsters inside the dungeon looked like black cats.

However, you shouldn’t imagine a cute and lovable black cat.

“Kyahaaak—!”

They had the appearance of cats, but their true nature was distorted shadows.

Using the darkness of the cave-type dungeon, they were much larger than humans and let out threatening hisses.

The reason they weren’t attacking immediately was because two monsters were already lying dead near our feet.

The creature glared at the party with shining eyes, then suddenly turned around and ran away.

“Release guard.”

The leader lowered his shield.

Only then did the other party members lower their weapons and relax.

I took out water from the bag I brought and offered it to the party members.

“Would anyone like some water?”

“Ah, I’m fine.”

“Me too.”

The Mage and Melee refused my water.

The Leader and Tank had already taken out their own water and were drinking, so they didn’t seem interested either.

I quietly took a sip while checking my synchronization rate.

[Current Synchronization Rate]

20%

Was offering water considered a good deed?

At some point, my synchronization rate had reached 20%.

However, it was still not enough to activate my skills, so I became increasingly anxious.

There were no injured people yet, but I worried about what would happen if my synchronization rate didn’t increase before someone got hurt.

While I was lost in those thoughts, the Tank approached the Leader.

“Leader, doesn’t something seem strange? This dungeon… I don’t think Shadow Cats appear this early.”

The Tank’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

All party members looked toward the two of them.

The Leader rubbed his chin and agreed.

“I was thinking the same thing. Shadow Cats usually appear in the middle section of the dungeon, so they’re appearing too early.”

“Then should we leave?”

The Mage raised his hand and asked.

He looked slightly reluctant, as if he didn’t want to leave yet.

Fortunately for him, the Leader shook his head.

“No. There’s a possibility that they ran out of food in the middle of the dungeon or lost territory competition. I think it’s fine to move further inside, check the situation, and retreat if necessary.”

The Melee and Mage sighed in relief.

Since I didn’t understand the situation well, I felt awkward about feeling relieved, while the Tank still looked troubled.

“Then let’s continue forward. Healer.”

“……”

“Healer!”

“Ah, yes?”

I had forgotten that I was the Healer and quickly snapped back to attention.

The Leader smiled lightly as if he understood my reaction and gave me a reminder.

“Please be prepared to use buffs and healing at any time.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

If my synchronization rate fills up.

Even while answering confidently, I scratched my head awkwardly.

Fortunately, my synchronization rate had just increased another 10%, reaching 30%.

‘What exactly is the standard for increasing this?’

I complained internally and followed the party deeper into the dungeon.

The deeper we went into the dungeon, the darker it became.

It really lived up to its name, Shadow Cave.

The entire area was covered in shadows, making it difficult to see even a step ahead.

“We’ll turn on our flashlights now. Once we do, the enemies will know our location and may hide inside our shadows. From now on, you must not lower your guard.”

I raised my hand slightly, even though I knew they probably couldn’t see me well.

“How do we know if an enemy hides inside our shadows…?”

“The direction of the shadow changes. If the position of my shadow is different from the others, tell me immediately. It’s the same even if it’s someone else’s shadow, not mine.”

The Leader answered my questions carefully every time without seeming annoyed.

Strangely, every time he did, my synchronization rate increased little by little.

[Current Synchronization Rate]

37%

“Since Healer is standing at the very back, I’d like you to watch the shadows. Everyone else, please check whether any monsters approach from the surroundings.”

“Yes.”

After giving his final instructions, the Leader took out a flashlight.

When he turned it on, the surroundings became bright, revealing the appearance of the cave clearly.

The cave was wide enough for all five of us to walk in a line.

The Leader held his flashlight straight ahead and walked forward confidently.

I followed behind while watching the shadows of the party members stretching opposite the flashlight’s light.

Clatter. Clatter.

“Kieeeek— Kiek—”

As we continued walking through the dungeon and reached a fork in the path, strange sounds began to faintly reach us.

When the Leader heard the noise, he lowered the flashlight’s brightness and pointed it toward the ground.

“Judging by the sound, there seem to be quite a few of them. It looks like they’re fighting among themselves, so avoiding them is the best choice.”

The Leader listened carefully to the direction of the sound, then nodded toward us.

It meant we should move toward the path where there was no noise.

“We’ll move through the left passage. Keep your movements as quiet as possible and stay alert.”

“Yes.”

The entire party quietly moved toward the left passage.

The Leader first shone his flashlight into the passage to check if there were other monsters.

After confirming it was safe, he entered first.

The Tank, Melee, and Mage followed one after another, and I entered last.

Once we entered as quietly as possible, the Leader slowly increased his speed.

Eventually, walking became jogging.

The Leader only stopped after we had moved far enough from the fork that we could no longer hear the sounds.

The Tank, Melee, and the others were fine, but the Mage and I were slightly out of breath.

“Everyone is here without anyone falling behind, right?”

“Yes.”

The Leader turned the flashlight toward us to check the party members.

The shadows of the party members stretched long toward my feet.

All except one.

“Melee’s shadow!”

Clang—!

At my shout, the Leader immediately raised his shield and rushed toward the Melee.

At that moment, a shadow burst out from the Melee’s shadow and slammed into the Leader’s shield.

“Shaaak, shaaak.”

Four Shadow Cats struck one after another, pushing the Leader and Melee backward.

“They were hiding at the fork! Flames, rise!”

The Mage quickly activated his magic to keep the Shadow Cats away.

The Shadow Cats scattered to avoid the flames and clung to the cave walls.

The Tank didn’t miss the opportunity and moved into the front line.

One Shadow Cat tried to slip through while the frontline position changed.

But that was a huge mistake.

The Melee’s sword quickly pierced through the opening and stabbed the Shadow Cat.

The Shadow Cats seemed to have no loyalty toward each other, and one tried to escape while another died.

“Ignite!”

The Mage created flames as if refusing to allow the monsters to escape.

“Shaa— shaaaak—”

With their escape route blocked, the Shadow Cats hesitated and began looking around.

No trace of loyalty could be found.

The Tank and Leader raised their shields and slowly approached the Shadow Cats.

The Shadow Cats repeatedly bared their teeth and raised their backs threateningly.

And that was where it ended.

Whoosh—!

“Kyah!”

Something shot out from the right passage and grabbed one of the Shadow Cats.

The Shadow Cat struggled and screamed, but the sound gradually weakened.

Crunch.

Crack.

Snap.

As the Shadow Cat’s cries faded, the horrifying sound of something tearing apart grew louder from within the darkness.

The entire party fell silent.