Crossing the gate did not feel like entering a dungeon.
It felt like being thrown into another season.
Light twisted for a split second, sound thinned out, and then solid ground returned beneath Kai's boots.
When his vision cleared, he was standing in the middle of an enormous forest.
Not the southern perimeter forest outside.
This one was vast and ancient.
Towering trees stretched upward like pillars holding the sky in place. Their canopies wove together so densely that sunlight filtered through in shifting green patterns. The air smelled damp and alive, carrying distant sounds of creatures moving through undergrowth.
Dozens of teams materialized across a wide clearing.
Veterans.
Students.
Elites.
Everyone looking around at once.
Wei blinked slowly. "This… is not Tier 1."
Min turned in a slow circle. "Large-scale structure confirmed."
Before anyone could process further, a low chime resonated through the forest.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
But it felt everywhere at once.
A translucent interface expanded in front of every awakened individual's vision.
Shared. Not personal.
Text formed slowly.
Large-Scale Hunt Protocol Activated.
The clearing went quiet.
Another line appeared.
Total Participants: 183.
Wei inhaled sharply. "That's almost the entire city."
More text.
Objective: Accumulate points. Survive.
Murmurs erupted instantly.
"Points?"
"What kind of points?"
The system continued.
Standard Monster Elimination: 50–300 Points depending on classification.
The forest beyond the clearing rustled faintly, as if reacting to being mentioned.
Elite Monster Elimination: 500–1,500 Points.
Wei muttered, "Okay… that's normal."
Then—
Special Condition: Ten Participants have been assigned Carrier Status.
Silence fell again.
Min's brows drew together. "Carrier?"
The next line appeared.
Carriers possess Diamond-Tier Beast Eggs.
A collective breath rippled through the clearing.
But no one saw eggs in their hands.
No glowing artifacts appeared.
Nothing changed visibly.
The system continued.
Coordinates of Carriers are visible to all participants.
Ten red dots suddenly appeared on the shared map interface hovering faintly in everyone's vision.
Scattered across the massive forest.
Some near.
Some far.
Wei looked around wildly. "Who has them?"
No one knew.
Teams instinctively stepped slightly away from each other.
The map shifted again.
One red dot pulsed.
Right near the eastern edge of the clearing.
Gasps.
"Someone here—"
The red pulse shifted slightly.
Not fixed.
Moving.
Wei stared at Kai's interface.
Then at his own.
"Do you—?"
Kai felt it before he confirmed it.
His own interface carried a faint golden outline around the minimap.
He glanced subtly downward.
No egg in his hands.
But something was there.
Inside his status panel, almost hidden.
Carrier: Active.
His expression didn't change.
Wei leaned closer. "What?"
Kai exhaled quietly.
"I'm one of them."
Wei froze.
Min's head snapped toward him. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
Another pulse flashed on the map.
Their location.
Someone nearby had noticed.
Across the clearing, several veterans turned in their direction.
Not rushing.
Just calculating.
Wei swallowed. "We should run."
Kai nodded once. "Not toward edge. Into forest."
Another line of text appeared.
Holding Carrier Status increases point multiplier by x5.
The clearing erupted.
"Five times?!"
"That's insane!"
"And whoever kills them—?"
The system paused.
Then simply displayed:
Ranking board active.
A massive leaderboard projection appeared faintly in the sky above the clearing.
All names blank.
All scores zero.
Wei grabbed Kai's arm. "Move."
Teams began dispersing rapidly.
Some charged directly toward the nearest red dots.
Some spread out to hunt monsters instead.
Veterans moved intelligently, not chasing blindly.
The City Lord's son didn't hesitate.
He glanced at the nearest red coordinate.
Then at the overall terrain.
He made a sharp gesture.
His S-tier teammates split into two groups, covering angles, not rushing like amateurs.
Chen Liang's lightning team shot forward toward another coordinate, electricity crackling along the ground as they moved.
Chaos didn't erupt.
It spread.
Like oil on water.
Kai moved first.
Not sprinting wildly.
Just steady and fast.
Wei and Min followed close.
The forest swallowed them within seconds.
Behind them, the clearing dissolved into dozens of separate battles.
Inside the forest proper, the terrain shifted dramatically.
Dense roots twisted across the ground. Massive fallen trunks formed natural walls. Visibility dropped quickly beyond twenty meters.
The red coordinate marking Kai pulsed faintly every ten seconds.
Wei cursed softly. "We're a beacon."
Min spoke evenly. "Then we hunt fast."
A low growl echoed from somewhere to their right.
Kai adjusted direction.
"Monster cluster," he said quietly.
Three Thornhide Panthers stepped from between tree trunks, their dark fur blending almost perfectly with the forest shade. Vines coiled loosely around their legs like living armor.
Wei grinned despite the tension. "Points."
The first panther lunged.
Kai stepped in smoothly, Black Ice forming thin and tight along his dagger. The dragon ring pulsed faintly as he compressed the frost further.
The panther's claw met the blade.
A crack echoed as frost spread through the contact point.
Wei's wind blade followed instantly.
Min shield-checked the second panther into a tree.
The fight was fast.
Clean.
Efficient.
A notification flashed.
+200 Points.
Wei's eyes lit up. "Okay, that's satisfying."
Kai checked the leaderboard.
His name appeared.
Rank 9.
Already.
Because of the multiplier.
Wei laughed. "You just existing is cheating."
Min didn't smile.
"Others will notice that spike."
As if summoned by her words, the red coordinate pulse intensified briefly.
Someone closer.
A branch snapped behind them.
Kai turned instantly.
Two veteran adventurers stepped into view.
One carried twin short axes.
The other a heavy crossbow.
They didn't attack.
They didn't smile.
The axe-wielder tilted his head slightly.
"Academy kids move fast."
Wei tensed. "We're not looking for trouble."
The veteran's eyes flicked to Kai.
"You don't have to."
He didn't elaborate.
Instead, he stepped aside slowly.
"Watch your back."
Not a warning.
Not advice.
Just observation.
They disappeared into the underbrush.
Wei exhaled. "I don't like this."
Kai nodded slightly.
"Good."
They moved deeper.
The forest grew darker.
More alive.
Rustling came from multiple directions now.
Not just beasts.
Participants.
A distant explosion echoed — lightning discharge.
Chen Liang.
Wei muttered, "He found one."
Moments later, the leaderboard updated.
Chen Liang – 1,200 Points.
Rank 1.
The red coordinate nearest him flickered violently.
Someone had engaged.
The forest trembled faintly.
Kai didn't change direction.
"We don't chase," he said calmly.
Min nodded.
Wei glanced at the map again.
"Three teams heading toward us."
Kai smiled faintly.
"Let them."
They moved into a rocky subzone within the forest — large moss-covered boulders rising unevenly, creating narrow corridors and elevation advantages.
Perfect terrain.
A shadow dropped from above.
Not a participant.
A massive Barkjaw Bear.
Elite classification.
Its fur resembled layered bark plates, and its claws glinted like sharpened stone.
Wei inhaled sharply. "That's not small."
Kai stepped forward.
"Points."
The bear roared and charged.
Min braced.
The impact shook the ground.
Kai circled, waiting for the right opening.
Wei launched slicing wind arcs to distract.
Black Ice compressed tightly.
One precise strike at the exposed shoulder joint.
Steam rose faintly.
The bear staggered.
Min drove forward.
Wei followed with a concentrated burst.
The bear collapsed.
+1,000 Points.
The leaderboard shifted violently.
Kai jumped to Rank 3.
Wei grinned. "Okay, this is actually fun."
A slow clap echoed from somewhere above.
They looked up.
A small group of students stood on a rock ridge.
Watching.
One of them smirked.
"You're the carrier."
Not a question.
Wei stepped forward slightly.
"Problem?"
The student shrugged.
"Not yet."
He didn't attack.
None of them did.
They simply turned and left in another direction.
Min frowned. "Why not fight?"
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're waiting."
Wei blinked. "For what?"
Kai glanced at the map.
Red dots were shifting.
Participants weren't just hunting monsters.
They were circling carriers.
Positioning.
Without anyone being told explicitly…
The forest had turned into a game of predators.
And somewhere deep within that forest—
Something heavy shifted.
Not near.
Not immediate.
But present.
Kai felt it.
Not instinct.
Not fear.
Just awareness.
This dungeon wasn't just about points.
And the longer it went on—
The more it would reveal.
Wei exhaled slowly.
"So… we keep hunting?"
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
He adjusted his grip on the dagger.
The red coordinate pulsed again.
Somewhere nearby—
Another team had changed direction.
The hunt had only just begun.