Jennifer stood in the dungeon plaza as she fiddled with her armor. Her hands kept covering the storage ring on her hand. A storage ring would normally be an invite for any [Thief] or [Thug] to come and steal it from her. But Markus had disguised it to look like a simple copper ring, hiding the magical output completely.

Her eyes wandered around the plaza, watching adventurers buying trinkets or preparing to head on a delve. Quite a few people seemed to be recruiting temporary members, a few had even approached her asking about her class and abilities but she’d run away with a swift refusal both times.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come an hour early. Not the best decision in hindsight.

She paused upon noticing Rumina striding towards her, wearing her own leaner armor. Gavril followed behind her, grinning with a cheeky smile as both of them made their way towards Jennifer.

"Early aren't we?" Rumina asked, giving her a teasing smile.

"I could say the same for you," Jennifer retorted as she turned to look at Gavril. The boy had also worn combat gear. He had a large dagger strapped to his waist and the fireball ring glittered orange on his hand.

"You look half decent in that, don't you? Maybe you should dress as an adventurer more often instead of wearing the goblin rags you usually do," Jennifer said as she gave him a once over.

"Oh shut it, I don't wanna hear any of that from a bookworm like you. I wear my clothes just fine," Gavril said.

Jennifer couldn't let the insult stand, and kicked his foot as she turned to Rumina.

"Have you talked to the guild? Or, well, your mentors and all that. About our team?" Rumina asked.

Jennifer dematerialised the glass shard she had been about to poke Gavril with, nodding to Rumina. "Yeah, I've talked with Nathaniel. He seemed alright with it. So I think we're good to go."

Rumina smiled as she marched ahead. "Well, in that case. To our first quest as the glorious and undefeatable Meifor's Wings!"

Jennifer shook her head, smiling despite the nervousness she felt as she followed behind her friend.

❖❖❖

"I hate this place!" Rumina exclaimed, her voicing echoing through the damp sewers as it traveled, mixing with the echoes of the flowing water and the pitter-patter of whatever lurked in the shadows.

“You were the one who was all 'cited about coming here, not me,” Gavril said, hands shoved in his pockets as he trucked through the grimy waters.

“I know, but...I just didn’t think we'd have to wade around in filthy water,” Rumina said, and then added on in a lighter voice. “This isn't what I had in mind for our first quest.”

“Don’t make too much noise, both of you,” Jennifer said, keeping her voice measured as she continued channeling the wind bubble around them, keeping the stench at bay. “The sewers are still considered a ranked spawn area, even if a low rank one. Let’s not bring the attention of any strange monster towards a three-piece walking, talking dinner party, alright?”

Upon receiving a nod and a shrug respectively, she gripped her knife tighter, scanning the area around her as she took the lead. The sewers were an underground maze beneath the surface, coiling around the dungeon but Jenn had a decent idea of where they were. Mostly.

“Gah! Another slime. Ugh. Why are there so many?” Rumina said, frowning as she kicked a slime climbing her leg. She flicked her dagger at the monster, the enchanted blade piercing the slime’s membrane as its body collapsed into a gooey pile.

Jennifer bent down, retrieving the slime core. Sending a mana pulse, she stored the core in her storage ring. “I think we're close to wherever the infestation might be. The number of slimes has increased in this direction.”

Rumina groaned, as she continued walking ahead.

“Wonder if they sent us to the shitty jobs or if every Iron-plate team has to do this stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guild wanted to humble the newbies,” Gavril said, sniffing.

“It’s a job, like any other. A bit unpleasant, especially with the stink and all the slime stuff, but they do pay us on top of whatever change we can get by selling the cores to an [Alchemist],” Jennifer said, returning her attention back towards scanning for the slime infestation.

A tiny amount of mana gathered on her right hand as she sharpened her senses, using her [Enhanced Mana Sense] at the highest sensitivity. She let the mana dissipate, sending out a pulse. The wave dissipated within a few seconds, returning a blurry mana image of anything even slightly magical in her vicinity.

Was definitely a good idea to study about Adventuring and mages. This would’ve been a lifesaver with Irwys back in the dungeon.

The party made its way through the mucky waters, the sewers narrowing further ahead. They'd reached a rickety iron gate in the side of the tunnel, when Jennifer motioned them to stop.

“I sense something,” Jennifer said, as she pushed her [Enhanced Mana Sense] to its limit. A large blur of mana sat further ahead, beyond which she could feel the higher mana saturation of the dungeon leaking into the sewers.

“I think we’ve found the infestation. Probably. It's just ahead, near the dungeon wall,” Jennifer said, her hand resting on her dagger.

“Finally! Let’s get this over with,” Rumina exclaimed as she stomped ahead.

“Sure loves to complain when she was the one all excited about making a team and all,” Gavril said, glancing at Jennifer who promptly shrugged as they walked after Rumina.

A large wall of slime awaited them, covering what looked to be an entrance into the dungeon. Acid dripped onto the ground, causing steam to gush forth as the slimes continued eating away at the wall.

“Acid slimes, stay back,” Jennifer called out to Rumina, “I think I can take care of them from afar. No need to get anywhere they could get their acid on us.” she said, conjuring a glass tinged mana bolt. She shot the projectile at the slime-wall, exploding into tiny shards just before impact. The bolt spread through the area, taking a few slimes out.

Rumina let out half a shout of victory, and Jenn was smiling but soon, others climbed over covering the area once more.

“Hah, let me handle this,” Gavril said, stepping ahead. He raised his hand, the ring on his fingers glowing a deep red as an orb of fire formed around it. He let the ball launch forward, hitting the slimes. A sharp sizzling sound filled the hall as the slimes scattered away from the heat. A few of them exploded into acidy bits from the fire, causing the flame to spread further around the wall, leading to a chain reaction of exploding slimes.

The entire room shook for several seconds, and Jenn was worried they'd triggered another dungeon shift, but except for a few loose bricks, nothing seemed out of place.

Jennifer turned to glare at the boy, who had the decency to look guilty as he walked back.

“Well at least the slimes got taken care of, not the best method since we lost the cores. But hey! We’re done, that was a wonderfully boring for a delve,” Rumina said looking at her boots that had turned a black shade from the filth. "And dreadfully disgusting."

“Not yet, we have to tell them about this new entrance into the dungeon so they can fortify it and collect all the cores... whatever's left of them,” Jennifer said, turning towards the mess in front of her.

Her eyes drifted towards what looked like a singular frozen slime who had curled into a ball, sitting perfectly still amidst the mess.

Strange. Jennifer thought walking closer, noticing a few more slimes and other small critters in similar states nearby.

Jennifer carefully walked further through the charred sewage, keeping her eyes open for an ambush as she inspected the creatures. The slimes didn't respond to any kind of stimulus, not even when she kicked one as hard as she could.

“Did they get too scared and freeze? Or Die?” Rumina asked, walking next to her. Jennifer shrugged, her eyes scanning through the dungeon caverns.

Jennifer froze as she felt a presence in her mind, a low growl echoed through the sewers soon afterwards.

“Was that...a monster?” Gavril asked tensely.

“I...think we should go,” Rumina said, taking out her daggers.

Jennifer nodded tensely, keeping her eyes wide as she kept scanning for whatever had made that growl. Or the source of the presence. The party turned, leaving the slime cores as they hustled back into the sewers.

Jennifer kept her senses sharp, using her [Enhanced Mana Sense] to its maximum capacity while keeping a few mana bolts prepared to launch at any moment. Rumina nearly disappeared as she used a skill, her friend’s bright red hair blending in with the dark sewer walls.

Something stumbled in front of them and Jennifer jumped, shooting three mana bolts towards the creature. The bolts burst upon impact as the rat rolled over, twitching a few times before it died.

Jennifer walked up to the creature, noticing a good portion of the beast had been torn out of its body by something.

That’s not from my spell... I don’t like this.

“We’re moving out, keep the message scrolls in hand just in case we need to call the guild for-”

“D-Did you hear that? ” Jennifer asked, spinning in surprise as she searched for the voice. "Someone calling for help."

“I think so...do you think?” Rumina asked, as she turned to look in the direction of the dungeon entrance.

A barrage of emotions hit Jenn, ringing in her mind. She paused, her eyes widening in surprise. Telepathy? A [Mind Mage] asking for help? But the voice sounds so young- should we go in there?

She turned towards her friends, both of whom met her gaze with confusion and surprise mixed in their expressions.

“There's someone in there asking for help Jenn, what do we do?” Rumina asked, her voice fraught with tense nerves.

“I avoid [Mind Mages]. Nasty fellows. I say we book it and let the guild handle em. Still, your call in the end,” Gavril said, looking towards Jenn.

Jennifer almost nodded in reply, ready to agree with his suggestion when she felt her Mark pulse, reacting to the presence of another.

She turned, staring at the direction she felt the Mark, tendrils of something reaching into her own mind, brushing against it briefly.

The thoughts were cut short as Jennifer pulled upon her own Mark's presence, deflecting the message being sent to her mind.

“Something is there. I feel a mark. It- we need to go have a look,” Jennifer said tensely. She was surprised when there was no refusal. Instead, both her friends simply nodded, readying their weapons once more.

Jennifer gave a nod of her own, turning around, though she stopped to let the wind bubble fade. She weaved three mana bolts as she let her mana spread around her team-mates. “I’m gonna use a spell on you, don’t panic,” she said as she extended the Agile Wind spell.

The matrix shifted, groaning from the strain as her mana dipped rapidly from overstretching her spell’s range. She took a mana potion out, drinking it in a single go before all of them headed further into the sewers.

They found a trail of creatures frozen, half-dazed or in a frenzy, attacking everything on sight at a cross-junction where a thin stream of foul water passed quickly. Jennifer kept her presence tight around her, keeping her attention on the growing presence of the other mark.

Her heart thundered in her chest, her gut churning with nervousness as they made their way closer. A sense of despair crashed against her mark's presence, trying to burrow into her mind but was stopped by the dense layer of her Mark’s aura. She turned to check on her team, Rumina frowning slightly, but otherwise looking alright while Gavril seemed completely oblivious.

“It’s up ahead, whatever or whoever it is. I’m going to try and scout the area with a Mana Pulse, stay back and stay ready to run on a moment’s notice,” Jennifer breathed out, surprised that her voice didn’t falter. Rumina and Gavril nodded, taking position around her.

Jennifer stood near the turn, forming a mana ball as she sent a pulse. A moment later, a massive wall of mana feedback returned to her senses. She almost stumbled, realising that a huge amount of slimes were gathered just out of sight.

“Slime infestation ahead, massive one. I don’t feel anything-”

A sudden sense of alarm filled her chest, her [Minor Detect Danger] activating as a blur leapt from the shadows. Jennifer ran, tackling Rumina as they fell into the filthy water.

A giant snake slithered along the walkway, its green scales shimmering with a green glow as the monster spread opened it’s fanged mouth, letting out a threatening hiss as it bounced off the wall where they'd been standing.

Jennifer rolled through the filthy water, Rumina in her hands. She coughed from the muck entering her mouth, trying to hold back from gagging. Clenching her teeth she pulled herself out of the filth, her eyes widening as she felt an aura spread around her, originating from the monster.

What in Sera’s name is a Tier 3 Magic-beast doing in the sewers?

❖❖❖

Jenn scrambled away on her back as the snake slithered through the murky waters, its fangs bared with venom dripping down their lethal surface.

“Stay back!” she shouted, coughing as she pulled herself to her feet.

She felt the presence of the other mark flare once more, a strange pulse making its way through the dungeon. But this time, the attack seemed to flow around her, avoiding her completely. The beast hissed, its eyes flickering as it slammed into the side walls, as if disoriented.

“Don’t attack!” Jennifer screamed, but it was futile. She watched as a ball of fire flew through the air, erupting near the giant snake’s head. A blast resonated through the tunnel as the beast turned it’s eyes towards Gavril.

The boy cursed and dived as the snake lurched, slamming into the wall where he'd stood. The impact caused cracks to form on the old brick wall, sending chunks of rocks flying.

Jennifer ran ahead, sending two mana bolts towards the disoriented beast, trying to give Gavril time to create some distance.

“Rumina use the scroll!” Jennifer shouted, as she channeled her mana. A sickly aura of green spread through the area, prickling her skin as nausea began to build in her chest.

Gavril stood nearby, panting. She'd have words about his reckless behaviour later, but now wasn’t the time. The snake spat, thick streams of poison floating through the air and Jennifer pulled up her guard spell on instinct.

“[Lunestone: Guard]” she intoned, stretching the spell over her friends. Dizziness assailed her from the exertion as the world began to spin for a moment. Jennifer bit her lips, as she regained control over herself. She took a mana potion from her ring, drinking it in a single motion.

The beast lunged once more, fangs bared as it hissed toward her. At the same time she felt a spell slam through the area. The snake missed as the three dodged to the side. But the spell hadn't abated. A constant barrage of power coursed through the area now, pounding against the beast.

The message permeated the air, resonating with power. The dungeon groaned and she heard monsters moving about, unsettled by the powerful wave travelling through the sewers.

the not-voice said, more concepts than words. A link tried to establish itself in her mind. Jennifer almost snapped the cord of magic. But she let the mana link form, keeping a tight control over her end of the connection. However she held her mark’s presence over the connection like a butcher's blade, ready to slice.

Jennifer tried sending back as she eyed the snake, who was writhing and snapping at invisible shadows.

It conveyed, the presence of the mark flaring once more. Jennifer looked at her friends, a knot of tension forming in her gut. What if all this was a trap. She didn't trust the unknown mark. Nor did she know what it was capable of. She hesitated as the snake slammed its tail around.

Then its eyes came back into focus and Jenn realized the beast was cutting off their retreat.

Not much of a choice. She motioned for the others to follow as she dashed around the corner, going deeper into the dungeon.

“It might follow us outside if we try to run. We need to find a way to bide our time till someone from the guild arrives,” Jennifer said, keeping an ear open for the snake. She could hear its hissing, as it made its way towards them.

“What do you think we should do?” Rumina asked, appearing out of the darkness as her camouflage faded. “That beast doesn’t look like it should be in the upper levels of the dungeon, much less the sewers. Do you think it’s because of the recent shift?”

“I don’t know, could be. We still need a way out of this mess though. [Minor Detect Danger] isn't telling me anything beyond the threat of the snake,” Jennifer said, stepping around a grey-brown pile.

“We could try to kill the slithering bastard. It'd sell for quite a bit, I reckon. Sides, the beast still looks young. It ain’t got its aura completely yet,” Gavril said, as all of them passed a collapsed section of the sewers.

They ran ahead, taking another turn when Jennifer stopped at the sight in front of them.

“Rotten Rats, what in Elphion’s twisted name is that?” Gavril exclaimed, staring wide eyed at the massive hole in the sewers in front of them. A large section of twisting and coiling pillars rising through the ground.

Hundreds of slimes covered every surface in sight, various types moving about. The whole room shifted and shivered like a single large organism, sending a similar shiver down Jenn's back. The central drainage had been eaten into, as acid dripped down the walls. The water now escaped into the dungeon into the very same openings from which gusts of mana poured out.

“I...think we found the infestation.”