After the initial encounter, the team regrouped and continued deeper into the dungeon. The cavern narrowed into a winding passage, the blue crystal light growing dimmer as they progressed. The sounds of their footsteps echoed off the walls, punctuated by the occasional drip of water from stalactites above.
Min-Jae deliberately slowed his pace, letting the formation move ahead of him. Within a minute, he'd drifted from the middle of the group to the rear, where Han Semi walked with careful, measured steps.
She noticed his approach and glanced over, offering a polite nod. "Hunter Min-Jae."
"Just Min-Jae is fine," he said, matching her pace. "How long have you been with the guild's B-Squad?"
"About eight months now," she replied, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing the others. "I was assigned here as the only healer of this squad." She adjusted her hair slightly. "The squad's been through a lot lately. That incident with the A-Rank gate a few weeks back was... rough."
"I heard about that," Min-Jae said. "Everyone made it out though."
"Thanks to Hunter Sung Jin-Woo," she said matter-of-factly. "We were in over our heads. If he hadn't shown up when he did..." She trailed off, then shook her head. "Anyway, having an S-Rank on the team changes things. The others feel more confident now."
"And you?"
She considered the question. "I'm a healer. My job is the same regardless of who I'm working with—keep everyone alive and functional." She looked at him directly. "Though I have to admit, after what you did back there, I'm not sure how much healing you'll actually need."
"That defensive ability of yours," she continued, her tone shifting to professional curiosity. "I've never seen anything quite like it. The attacks just stopped completely. Is it always active, or do you have to consciously maintain it?"
Before Min-Jae could answer, that familiar sensation washed over him again—the prickling awareness of hostile presences closing in. His casual expression shifted slightly, becoming more focused.
"Hold on," he said, cutting off their conversation. He moved forward, weaving through the formation until he reached the front line beside Son Ki-Hoon.
"You feel it too?" Son asked, his hand already on his weapon.
"Yeah. Same as before." Min-Jae stepped past him, moving a few meters ahead of the group. "I've got this one."
The team halted, weapons ready but uncertain. They'd seen what he could do, but the suddenness of his movement still caught them off-guard.
From the darkness ahead, the howls began again—another pack, drawn by the commotion from the first fight or perhaps simply patrolling this section of the dungeon. Red eyes ignited in the shadows, and the werewolves emerged, snarling and snapping as they charged.
Min-Jae stood perfectly still, watching them approach. When they were about twenty meters away, he raised his right hand, extending his index finger and cocking his thumb up like a child mimicking a gun.
"Red," he said quietly.
A crimson orb of compressed energy materialized at his fingertip, glowing brightly in the dim cavern. It was small—barely the size of a marble—but the air around it rippled and distorted from the concentrated force.
He fired.
The orb shot forward in a straight line, moving almost too fast to track. The moment it reached the center of the charging pack, it detonated.
*WHOOOOM.*
A wave of repulsive force exploded outward, a perfect sphere of crimson energy that expanded and vanished in less than a second. The werewolves were caught mid-charge, their bodies instantly hurled backward as if struck by an invisible battering ram. They tumbled through the air, crashing into the walls and floor with heavy thuds, their momentum completely reversed.
The shockwave kicked up dust and loose stones, creating a brief cloud that obscured the aftermath. When it settled, all eight werewolves lay scattered across the tunnel, either unconscious or struggling weakly to rise.
The entire exchange had taken less than three seconds.
Min-Jae lowered his hand, glancing back at the team. "That's all of them. No more left except the boss."
Son Ki-Hoon walked forward, his eyes scanning the tunnel ahead with the practiced ease of an experienced hunter. After a moment, he nodded. "Confirmed. The path to the boss room is clear."
The team moved forward cautiously, weapons still ready despite the confirmation. When they reached the massive stone doors marking the boss chamber, Son held up a hand to halt the group.
"Standard procedure," he said. "We confirm the boss is inside, then exit for the mining team. No engagement until they're done."
The team reversed course, retracing their steps through the tunnel and past the scattered werewolf bodies. As they approached the dungeon entrance, Min-Jae noticed some of the hunters exchanging glances and quiet comments—impressed but not overly dramatic. This was, after all, just a B-Rank dungeon. Strong showings from S-Rank hunters were expected, even if the methods were unusual.
They emerged through the gate back into the daylight, where the mining team was already assembled and waiting with their equipment.
"All yours," Son told their leader. "Boss room is at the end of the main tunnel. Everything else has been cleared."
The miners nodded their thanks and began filing into the gate, chatting amongst themselves about estimated yields and extraction times.
Min-Jae stretched his arms above his head, working out the slight stiffness from standing still for so long. Han Semi approached with a water bottle, offering it to him.
"You didn't break a sweat," she observed.
"Didn't need to," he replied, accepting the bottle with a nod of thanks. "B-Rank dungeon, after all. Even as first raid, it is not much of a challenge until now."
She smiled slightly at that—a small, professional expression that acknowledged the truth of it without making a big deal. "Fair enough. Though I have to say, your technique is efficient. Most mages would've used area-effect spells, consumed more mana, made more mess."
"Less is more sometimes," Min-Jae said, taking a sip of water.
Son Ki-Hoon walked over. "Mining team estimates forty minutes. We'll go back in, handle the boss, and wrap this up." He looked at Min-Jae. "Want to take point on the boss too, or would you like to see how we usually handle it?"
Min-Jae considered for a moment. "I'll observe this time. Get a feel for how the team operates."
Son looked mildly surprised but pleased. "Works for me. Good to have a backup plan anyway."
The squad settled in to wait, some sitting on nearby rocks, others checking their equipment or chatting quietly. The reporters were still present at the perimeter, kept back by security, but their cameras remained trained on the group.
Min-Jae found a spot slightly apart from the others, watching the gate shimmer and pulse with its characteristic blue light. His first raid was going smoothly—almost too smoothly. But that was fine. There would be bigger challenges ahead.
For now, he was content to let things unfold naturally.