Chapter 36: The beginning

In a small harbor in the disused Atlantis City, the waters churned as demons jumped from the ocean into the port.

A disfigured human who had an extra eye in his cheek led to two humans whose expressions were cold.

Next to him jumped a few dozen lackeys.

The leaders were strong A-Rank demons who served a powerful demon cult.

It didn’t take long for a man to come running up alongside his subordinates from the port.

“Thank you so much for coming,” said the Gang Leader with a serious tone and looking out over the harbor, he commented. “I did my best to clear the harbor for your arrival.”

His tone, so humble and complacent, made the demon with three eyes smile triumphantly.

That was the way they were to be treated everywhere.

Before he could speak to the important subject, his senses noticed a slight tremor in the magical energy.

It was subtle enough that one would think a mage cast a weak spell, but the reality was different...

*BANG*

An explosive sound resounded, and a footman’s head was shattered by a sniper’s bullet in the distance.

“Damn! Ambush! Retreat!” shouted the demon leader as he kicked the gang leader in anger.

No matter whether or not the gang leader knew about the ambush or if he was the one who betrayed them, it didn’t matter anymore.

“Ugh...” The gang leader was sent flying by that kick.

And as the demon leader retreated, he noticed how a dozen portals opened and revealed members of the city’s authority force.

Mechanics, fighters, swordsmen, and...

“Where do they think they’re going?” shouted the squad captain as the earth shook at his words.

An S-Rank mage just waved his hand, and dozens of earth spikes rose from the ground, injuring the demons and stopping them.

For demons, there were no laws for their protection, as for those who were not ‘bad,’ they did not need to enter illegally when there were legal methods for their acceptance.

Moreover, these demons had a dirty deal with the local gang and wanted to make trouble.

Against these dangerous individuals, no one was to be restrained.

“Retreat!” shouted the demon leader, releasing a psionic wave to affect the minds of the security team members.

“Hmph.”

“Hmph.”

With a double snort, two psionics created a barrier, covering their teammates, protecting them from that attack.

The expression of the leader and the other A-Rank members turned pale.

“You are not allowed to leave,” declared the S-Rank mage; when some flunkies tried to hide in the sea, the land rose up, creating a wall, and this wall cornered them.

An S-Rank mage did not need to prepare spells; he just controlled the element at will; that was the big difference with a lower rank.

An abysmal difference.

“Shit.” The leader cursed with an expression full of anger because of the situation, but when he looked at his companions, all three nodded.

The S-Rank mage noticed what they were doing and, without hesitation, formed dozens of earth spikes to finish off the demons.

“Ugh...”

One of the A-Rank demons was impaled, but the other could create a psionic barrier, and he ultimates set up a strong magical barrier that could prevent the lethality of that attack.

Those two demons broke scrolls and disappeared with a teleportation spell.

“Tch... How much money do they wish to spend?” muttered the S-Rank mage with an annoyed expression.

Those scrolls cost quite a lot because they could resist the interference of spatial barriers, which they had activated.

It was obvious that it was their trump card to escape.

“Shall we follow him, leader?” a mechanic in a high-tech combat suit asked, and with a serious expression, explained. “By following the space waves we can track them, but we’ll be able to disrupt the other assault teams.”

“Of course we should follow it,” replied the S-Rank mage as he hovered.

It was true that there was another raid team that was in charge of tracking and recording all those who teleported anywhere on the island, but this case was special.

“I understand that the boss is doing Director Vincent a favor, but it’s already getting annoying having to clean up someone else’s mess,” muttered the S-Rank mage with a sour tone and, seeing that the mechanics were bringing space tracking devices, he added. “Well, let’s finish this job quickly. Those bastards won’t escape.”

The other team members only sighed at what was in store for the demons.

“So early and so chaotic...” mumbled the mechanic in charge of tracking; even so, he sped up his work.

******

“Aurora, it’s Serena. I have just received word that the city authorities have hunted down some demons who attempted to come ashore this morning. As I understand it those demons sought to reach an empty harbor after negotiating with a gang for concealment, but there was a traitor in their ranks and they were ambushed,” Serena reported in a professional and simple tone.

Aurora hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she asked. “Is it possible for them to do anything?”

“No, all the demons who escaped have been captured or killed. In this raid, an S-Rank was participating,” Serena commented in a simple tone, and with a sigh, she added. “This is the only thing I have been able to get. Other than that the entire city is quiet with no news and as for your dungeon it’s the same.”

“I understand, thank you. I’ll tell Liam to send an extra for the follow up information,” Aurora said, and then after hearing the simple reply from the other party, she ended the call.

With a serious expression, Aurora surveyed her surroundings.

Eva and Cristian, Wendy, Marc, Alexey, and Érica were with their gear ready.

Around them was a camp that gave a strange feeling about the area where it was located.

Atlantis City did not occupy the entire island... It would be better to say that once the city was created, the island expanded thanks to the mages and the local government.

Now in one section, they had a tourist area for the paradisiacal enjoyment of the island, and this was another section that stimulated the nature of the island with a small forest, creating a natural park of great size.

It was in this park that the temporary dungeon was formed.

Looking at the portal that stood in the middle of the camp, Aurora sighed.

Everything was ready, and there were no traces of enemies.

Professor Santulli, Professor Miller, and Professor Villacrés were present in charge of security and organization.

Support students were standing by, being the healing students who were preparing more thoroughly.

Aurora briefed Alice on the situation.

Her friend listened indifferently as she ate her chips, and as Aurora was curious about her opinion, she asked. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know. Maybe those demons are oblivious to our business, or maybe it’s a distraction,” Alice replied with a shrug.

It happened the same day they were to head to the dungeon.

For Aurora, that made her raise her guard, but...

“No matter the reason, you have to be careful,” Alice warned, and with a serious expression, she stated. “Temporary dungeons are dangerous even without external enemies inside.”

Noticing Aurora’s half-hearted nod, Alice reminded her."In most cases, enemies can’t only be entered through the main entrance. There are many ways to enter this type of dungeon."

“I understand,” Aurora replied with a smile at her friend’s concern.

However, her eyes were serious.

She already knew that information, and that was why she was attentive.

She wasn’t nervous or worried; this wasn’t her first mission or her first dungeon.

That didn’t mean she didn’t add enough seriousness to the matter.

Without or with outside enemies, the students could get hurt, and she would have to be there at that moment to support them.

“By the way, ask your ‘system’ to let you know if anything happens,” Alice commented in an odd tone.

Aurora’s lips quivered.

The way she said ‘system’ felt like Alice didn’t believe her that she had a system she could interact with... It seemed to make it seem like she was acting like a child lost in her fantasies.

All this even though she had told her about it years ago and had proven its existence, summoning swords her system could give her and things she could store.

Of course, at the time, they were only ten years old, and Aurora dressed up as a superhero like in the comics, so maybe her evidence lost the necessary effect.

“I will,” Aurora replied with a nod.

Her system was versatile, and she could accomplish that task with ease.

“Fine, I’ll take care of outside. You just worry about what happens inside and let me know if you need my help,” Alice said, munching on her chips.

Her words sounded like that of a concerned companion, but the way she said it and her tone as she ate her chips as if there was no concern only made her sound like empty words and did not engender any trust.

Certainly, Alice was not reliable in some situations, but in serious cases... Her professionalism and dedication were quite recognizable.

At least for Aurora, she generated quite a lot of confidence.

Receiving a few pats from Alice, she stepped forward towards Érica’s group, of which she was vice-captain.

Looking at the twenty-five prepared students, and with serious expressions, Professor Miller stepped forward in front of everyone.

At their back was the light blue portal that trembled as space contorted.

Passing through that portal would take them to the temporary dungeon; if left for several days without clearing it, then from that same portal, many creatures would come out.

“I think I should repeat the words of caution. Prioritize your safety and that of your group, protect each other, and if you can’t, simply activate your protection badges and we will immediately send a professor or seniors to your aid.” Professor Miller said, pointing to the sophomores.

Gregorio and Oliver, who were A-Ranks, just gave smiles and nodded.

They were not the only ones; Frank and Jordan of Rank B were present along with other upper-year students.

Some students touched the badge on their chest; this emergency badge would create a barrier and draw the attention of the teachers to send help.

It was simple but an effective measure in case of emergency.

“That’s it, you can go in,” Professor Miller commented, stepping aside for them to pass through.

The entire group watched the portal.

Some were worried and others nervous, but with Erica in the lead, the entire group moved forward and disappeared into the portal.