I step out of the car, slightly dizzy. Before I can recover, my secretary grabs my arm and drags me inside.
"You arrived just in time." He swipes his keycard letting us enter the building. Everyone rushes by clearly busy due to the second sealed dungeon "I heard this one was more dangerous than the other one." I inquire.
"It is." He pauses, "Very dangerous." He pushes through two big doors and we arrive in the meeting room, I take a seat and scan around the room.
The static of the mic is heard and everyone turns their attention towards the pedestal "Let us start the eighty first nation dungeon safety assembly." He picks up a remote turning on the screen.
[]Sealed dungeon .2
>Difficulty: assumed S or higher
>Type: N/A
>Clear condition:
"White as silence, round as the moon,
Cradled in shell, born of ruin.
I do not shine for gold or grace,
But when I weep, the world's sealed face
Shudders, cracks, and splits apart—
Find me, and the dungeon shall start."
Murmurs ripple through the room.
"Was the last condition a riddle?" I whisper to my secretary.
"I guess? The last one said something like—
'When moonlight stains the temple floor,
And silence stands at fate's closed door,
A chosen vein must freely give—
For blood alone commands to live.
The gate of gods, asleep in stone,
Shall open where the blood is known.'"
I nod slowly, "So what opened it was blood?"
He nods "Yeah, but it was a specific type of blood." I look at him more confused now.
"Don't look at me, I don't know all the details." He raises his arms above his head.
I turn back towards the screen. "Could it be a pearl?" I question "I mean it's being pretty straightforward."
"If that's the case it would be a pain in the ass to try and find that pearl." He shrugs, "It can't be that hard" I look at him once more "Right?" And to that he doesn't reply.
As I was about to inquire some more, someone raised their hand.
I turn to see none other than Laen, vice guild leader of Myth. A round man with what can only be described as fried noodle hair.
"Do you have a theory, Mr. Laen?" the president asks, gesturing for him to speak.
Laen stands, clearly relishing the attention. "It's clearly a snail. Snails have lived inside shells for centuries!"
I sent a questioning glance his way, and returned my focus to the riddle. My mind turns over the phrasing, line by line.
I finally turned to the official who assessed the dungeon. "Mr. Pol, was there anything resembling a keyhole near the gate?"
Pol blinks, surprised to be addressed amidst the noise. "Umm" he thinks "I notice a slot near the gate if it was hypothetically the object would have to be spherical to fit perfectly in the slot."
I nod. "Then it's possible that the key or whatever opens the gate through to that slot."
The room breaks into a debate on what the key could possibly be, The president raises a hand, signaling for silence. The room quiets at once.
"Alright. We'll take all theories into consideration. Now, moving on the gate is expected to break in two weeks. Assuming the dungeon takes at least one week to clear, that leaves us with less than a week to prepare and open it."
Everyone nods solemnly.
"That being said," the president continues, "we still don't have a raid team."
A heavy silence fills the room.
"We're looking for volunteers," he says. "Compensation will match the difficulty rating, and you'll be exempt from the dungeon tax for this mission."
The room stirs with whispers. Everyone starts weighing out the pros and cons including me, and after deciding. I raise my hand.
"I volunteer."
Suddenly, the room goes still. All eyes are on me.
My assistant whisper-screams beside me. "Are you insane? Do you have any idea how dangerous sealed gates are?"
I barely register his panic. "Yes, I know. And nothing you say will change my mind."
He leans in, louder now. "Clearly you don't! Two S-rank hunters barely made it out alive and promising A-ranks died! And that dungeon was just an A-rank!"
I can understand his panic and confusion on my sudden decision but I have already made up my mind. If this helps me be one step closer to solving my research then I would gladly do it a thousand times.
"The gains I can get from this outweighs the danger." He lets out an exasperated sigh "Do you even hear yourself?! What gains if you die in the gate!" I ignored him and continued on what I was saying before.
"I'd like to join the raid." The president is slightly taken aback but recovers quickly "Well, it would certainly be great to have you on the team Ms. Zeyra"
"Do we have any other volunteers?" the president asks, turning his attention back to the room.
A hand rises.
"I'd like to join as well."
A wave of surprise ripples through the room. It's the Sword Saint another S-ranker. His dark hair seems to absorb the light, and his presence carries a quiet authority that fits his title perfectly.
He looks my way with an expression I can't quite decipher
"Why would he want to join?" I mutter.
My secretary shrugs beside me. "I don't know. Why would you?"
I say nothing. Having already stated my reasons and not wanting to delve further.
"I mean if two of the s-rankers are joining it should be less dangerous right?" Someone whispers behind me, and without any shame I eavesdrop on their conversation. "I guess, you're exempted from dungeon tax to.."
With that, the raid team begins to form smoothly. Soon after, the president announces, "The raid team will meet tomorrow. Please arrive before 1 p.m."
My secretary hands me a keycard to the meeting room. I thank him and he nods somberly, clearly not in the mood to talk to anyone else.
Outside, the weather has cleared. The peaceful breeze is a welcome contrast to the tension I just left behind. I decided to walk home.
When I reach the bridge, I pause, caught by the beauty of the sunset. The sky burns with warm hues, the clouds stained gold and red. I take out my phone and snap a photo.
Click.
The moment stirs memories. Ten years old, but still sharp. Without thinking, I cast a simple spell.
[Light Fragment]
A small orb of magic shoots toward the horizon and bursts into shimmering rainbow particles.
Mom would've loved that, I think. I let out a breath, watching the light fade.
"Almost her birthday," I murmur. "I should call Uncle Ma."
I scroll to his number. It's one I rarely call. Too many memories tied to it.
He picks up on the second ring, his voice warm and familiar.
"Zeyra! How are you, kid?"
I grip the phone tighter, trying to steady my voice. "Hey, Uncle… Sorry I haven't called in a while. Life's been… busy."
"You don't have to apologize, Ris. I get it. Just hearing your voice is enough."
The guilt hits me harder than expected. I try to steer the conversation away. "I'm fine. I'm more worried about you. How are you?"
"I'm good, kid. Life's treating me well."
He's lying. I can hear it—but I don't call him out. I don't have the strength tonight.
"Mom's birthday is soon… Should we meet at her resting place?"
There's a pause. "Yeah. Let's do that."
The silence stretches, but not uncomfortably.
"You okay, kiddo?" he asks gently.
"Yeah… I'm fine. Just lost my train of thought for a moment. I'll see you then."
"Alright. Take care, kid."
"You too..."
I hang up, staring at the screen for a moment before turning it off.
By the time I get home, I collapse onto the couch, too exhausted to think. Sleep pulls me under before I even realize