Chapter 27: Appearance of a level 4 player
In the dark history of the world, dungeon gates used to suddenly open up without any warning at all.
They would tear through the fabric of reality out of nowhere, immediately spewing out hordes of bloodthirsty monsters that wreaked absolute havoc everywhere they went, destroying entire towns and killing hundreds of innocent citizens before anyone could even react to the threat.
With the massive, rapid advancement of modern technology though, humanity had finally found a way to fight back against the chaos.
They had developed advanced sensors that allowed them to constantly monitor exactly where a new dungeon gate would appear by measuring the intense, fluctuating instability of the mana in the air weeks before a rupture occurred.
It was a far better, significantly safer method than the ancient days of the gates suddenly opening blindly in populated areas.
Because of this early detection system, the guilds would always be able to issue a timely, official warning for the local residents to completely evacuate their homes and seek safety far away from the predicted blast zone.
They would also be able to strategically station groups of skilled players directly in the designated area ahead of time.
These organized vanguard teams would be perfectly positioned to fight the monsters that appeared right at the portal’s edge, suppress the initial outbreak, and then immediately march inside to clear the dungeon core before things got out of hand.
This technological progress didn’t mean that a dungeon gate opening wasn’t incredibly dangerous anymore though.
Even with the best magical scanners, the system had its limitations, keeping the human defenders on the absolute edge of their seats.
The exact, pinpoint spot where the dimensional rift would finally tear open was still completely unknown, and the same absolute uncertainty applied to the exact, precise second it would violently open up.
The radar could only provide a general area and a rough estimate, leaving a wide margin for error that could easily prove fatal.
Because of these hidden variables, the stationed players still needed to be very careful and maintain absolute focus on their surroundings.
A single moment of distraction or a slight miscalculation in positioning could result in a portal tearing open right beneath their feet, and they could easily become a quick snack for high-level monsters in an instant.
With the basic F and E-rank dungeons, the threat of monsters spilling out into the streets wasn’t a huge, earth-shattering problem for the major guilds.
The creatures that emerged from those lower-tier gates were notoriously slow, weak, and simply couldn’t do much real damage to before being cut down.
However, it was an entirely different and far more terrifying case when dealing with D-rank dungeons, which required proper coordination and high-tier defensive gear to safely contain.
And the massive, glowing portal that was currently about to open up right here in this evacuated city street was a formidable C-rank dungeon, representing a tier of power that could easily level entire city blocks if the defending players made even a single mistake.
The players belonging to both the Rainy Shine Guild and the Cross Block Guild stood firm, remaining incredibly watchful of their surroundings.
They knew with certainty that the unstable C-rank gate could violently tear through reality and appear at any given second from now.
There were exactly fourteen elite combatants in total standing on the front lines of the evacuated zone.
Seven of those highly trained players belonged directly to the Rainy Shine Guild, while the remaining seven belonged to the fierce rival faction known as the Cross Block Guild.
Even though they were supposed to be working together to form a defensive wall against the impending outbreak, there were intense, visible sparks of hostility flying constantly between both parties.
The air between the two separate groups was incredibly thick with a heavy, suffocating tension that had nothing to do with the fluctuating mana of the portal.
This deep animosity existed because the specific guild party that contributed the absolute most to this dangerous dungeon raid would certainly be heavily rewarded by the local association.
Furthermore, achieving the highest kill count and securing the primary target would also bring an immense amount of public prestige and media attention to their respective guilds.
Due to this massive incentive, there was a fierce, uncompromising competition brewing between the two distinct parties right there on the battlefield.
Both of the heavily armed teams desperately wanted to kill significantly more monsters than the other side, and they were also completely determined to claim the dungeon treasure hidden at the core before the other group could even lay a single finger on it.
As they stood waiting for the gate to fracture, one of the primary Rainy Shine party members suddenly felt a strange sensation behind him and looked back over his shoulder for a brief moment.
His eyes adjusted to the shadows of the empty buildings, suddenly catching clear sight of a solitary man dressed in a thick, completely black hoodie slowly approaching their highly dangerous perimeter.
The elite player focused his gaze on the intruder, activating his basic system perception skill to read the stranger’s public status.
Instantly, directly above the mysterious man’s obscured head, the glowing system text clearly displayed: [Player Level: 4].
The player’s brows immediately furrowed into a deep, intense expression of pure confusion.
He stared at the pathetic single digit in disbelief, genuinely wondering what such an incredibly weak, low-level player was possibly doing wandering around a C-rank hazard zone.
He didn’t suspect any foul play or dangerous intentions from someone with such a laughable level, so he simply and naturally assumed the young man was completely lost or mentally unstable.
He raised his arm, waving his hand dismissively at him across the open space, and shouted out in a loud, commanding voice, "Hey! Get the hell back right now!"
Suddenly, he could see the strange man’s lips shifting beneath the dark shadow of the thick hoodie, slowly curling upward into a wide, remarkably confident grin.
Before the guard could even process the meaning behind that unsettling smile or shout another warning, the hooded man vanished into thin air.
