UH CH 8 Part 1 (Patreon)

The transition from our dimension to the other side was nearly instantaneous. It felt no different from opening a door and going through it. But I always felt slightly nauseous when it happened. My sensitivity to mana made this near-instantaneous moment quite distasteful. 

Still, I gently flexed my fingers. Once the feeling of nausea went away, I felt like I was breathing more easily. This was something all awakened shared. Mana was similar to oxygen for us.

The mana in our world was simply too thin. This made the usage of skills and growth more restrictive. Meanwhile, here I could feel like my mana generation increased by 20% or so. Granted, my mana capacity was meager, but still. 

If only the mana wasn’t so twisted here, it would have been used as a training ground by some low-ranked guild.

As the bus slowly came to a stop, we started equipping the standard protective gear that was given to us. 

Yellow hazmat suits and breathing masks. Accompanied by cleaning tools such as Water tanks, shovels, pick axes, wipes, and so on. 

I could have refused the suit. At first glance, they were clearly of low quality and aged. I doubted they offered much protection. But there was no reason to be too open about my resistance nor appears like a stuck up asshole. 

It was something I never really shared. I might be a little too suspicious. But in a world where the liver of dead hunters circulated in the Black Market and served as food for some rich people because it “could increase lifespan and stamina.” 

I wasn’t keen on knowing what they would try to do with someone who possessed such high resistance and had now basically no backing. 

I recall that I received suspicious offers when my stats losses became public. Things such as participating in some experiments for the “good of people” and the “advancement of science.” Back then, Helen’s mother shut down all such proposals after destroying a lab that was particularly insistent. No one complained. She was the Sword Saint after all.

“Feeling stressed, newbie?” Richard asked as he approached me. His voice was quite grating, but he was clearly the leader here, and I had no reason to antagonize him.

He was quite well built and had a similar height to mine. Even under the suit, it was easy to see that he was someone who worked out a lot. From the way he walked, he also received basic martial arts training. 

I shook my head at his question. “I am alright. Just spaced out a little.” 

“I see. Then be careful to stay sharp in the dungeon. I don’t know what your relationship with Iron Fist is, and I don’t care. Just don’t cause problems for my team.” 

I frowned a little. “I can pull my own weight. Don’t worry.” It didn’t need to be said, but I was sure I could beat nearly all of them here without much difficulty, even if they all jumped at me. The only exception being Iron Fist, obviously.

Richard grunted and motioned the driver to stop the bus, then turned to the team, “Guy. We're starting now. The Hunter team already made a sweep not long ago, but you can never be too careful. I will take the Vanguard with me. Marquez, Teemo, you take the back. Jules, Newbie, you two stay next to Jane in the middle and keep her safe. She is our lifeline in this hellish place.”

Jane waved at me cheerfully, “Take care of me!” She seemed to be quite bubbly. I was still curious what a cleric was doing with cleaners. Even F-ranked healers would be appreciated no matter where they went. But it wasn’t my place to ask. 

“Understood. But my name is Cain.” I accepted the order and walked close to Jane as the door of the bus opened. Iron Fist stood far behind us, but Richard did not so much as glance at him. 

Richard waved dismissively, “You are just a newbie for me.” 

I sighed, not bothering to argue further. 

“Well then, guys, let’s go,” Richard ordered, and everyone followed behind him. 

Though I felt a little miffed about the reason as to why I was here, this was going to be my first official dungeon outside of training. My heart beat faster as anticipation swelled inside of me. 

What kind of wondrous sight awaited me? I could only wonder. 

***

Well…

Long story short…This dungeon was ugly, smelly, and depressing. 

It was a standard dungeon. One cave underground with only a few tunnels here and there, and one main road that would lead us to the boss room. 

This dungeon in particular was quite bad. I always thought that goblin lairs were bad, but I clearly underestimated how low things could go. 

The deeper we went, the worse it got.

Sorry for insulting you all, goblins. I thought that as a way to distract myself from all kinds of unknown odors rushing at me.

It seemed like being able to breathe more easily in this place was more a curse than a boon. The air was thick with the smell of rotten flesh, putrid fluid of unknown nature, and all kinds of things I did not want to know. Each breath stung like sucking on metal shavings. Black fog clung to the concrete like mold had come alive. The masks were doing a very shoddy job, and I felt more in danger wearing them than anything else.

Finally, we reached the first cleaning zone. A man-made door blocked the entry, and only after Richard entered a set code did the door open. This was a basic security measure to avoid people using the dungeon illegally or facing dangers. 

“Contaminated zone confirmed,” Richard muttered, holding his shovel tight. “Begin clearing operation.”

The door groaned open.

A flood of dark smoke washed over us, forcing everyone back a step.

“Shit!”

“Gah, this stinks worse than last time!”

I tightened my grip on the shovel. What awaited us on the other side of the door was a large group of monsters. 

The slimes were already spilling out—fat, glistening blobs of corrosive flesh that pulsed and oozed across the concrete.

Somewhere inside those things was a mana core, no larger than a marble. Hit it, and they dissolved. Miss it, and you’d be here for hours swinging at regenerating sludge.

One of the Cleaners panicked, striking blindly. A splash of acidic goo nearly hit his coat, but Richard pulled him back in time. The goo hit the ground sizzling against the soil.

“Dammit! Watch your angles!” Richard snapped, already killing a few slimes in a few clean hits. “Don’t splash the acid! Iron Fist, don’t intervene. We cannot afford it.”

Iron Fist stepped in behind us, his heavy boots crunching broken glass and dried mold. He was clearly not interested in acting for now and was content to observe us for now.

To be fair. I understood perfectly. His bullets most likely cost more than whatever we could gain from this dungeon in its entirety. 

He was just here in case of emergency, and for that, I was already immensely grateful. 

“Jana!” Richard shouted.

Jana reacted a beat late. Her hand was trembling slightly as she raised her staff, but I was already moving. I drove my shovel in hard, slicing a clean arc through the slime. I aimed precisely where the core glowed.

My Rangers skills came in good use in times like this. They were mostly low in mana consumption but also incredibly useful. Sometimes it was just a matter of precision. 

Splat.

It collapsed on itself, steam rising like smoke off its remains. 

More slime surged out. Half a dozen this time. They moved in from both walls, squishing and bubbling as they left trails of acid.

I swept forward, fast and efficient. Slime, shovel, scatter, repeat.

It was easy. They were far slower than goblins and much less intelligent or resistant. All I had to do was be careful of the acid and the poison in the air. While I did not fear it, I could not afford to cause problems for the others.

The air mask came in handy in moments like this. My resistance stat was high, and I knew I could even resist most poison. But there was no reason to put it to the test here and risk myself. Anything could happen in a dungeon. 

"You're quite strong, huh?" muttered one of the Cleaners near me. He looked like he was already exhausted. But I was more impressed by how they were already settling down after the earlier panic, and were now following orders.

"Beginner’s luck," I replied. “Don’t count on it holding.” My stamina was not particularly higher than a well-trained normal human. So I wouldn't be able to keep this fighting rhythm for long

“Newbie! To the right!” Richard barked.

I ducked low and swept, cleaving another slime apart. The core burst like an overripe fruit, and the acid splashed. Thankfully, I was already a few steps away. 

I could see the mana cores as faint glows inside the bodies. I have always been quite sensitive to mana. This was one of the reasons why I could easily pick out hunters from normal people. 

After thirty minutes, the corridor had gone silent. All that remained was scattered sludge and rising heat.

Richard slumped against the wall, panting.

“What the fuck? Wasn't the zone cleared not long ago? Why did we encounter so many slimes alive?” He was outraged.

Iron Fist, still unreadable behind the visor, lowered his weapon. While observing his surroundings. “Too fast. My sources were pretty clear that this should have been a low-level cleaning operation with no dangers.”

He mumbled a little before nodding to Richard. “You are the leader here. Should we retreat?”

It was interesting to see a Hunter yield authority to a Cleaner, but I suppose this was the most logical thing to do here.

“For now, we continue.” Richard seemed to struggle a little between security and boldness. “The reward to reveal a new activity would be enough for us to pay for new equipment and funds for Marquez's cleansing. His mutation is becoming worrying.”

The answer he gave surprised me. I thought it was greed motivating him. But it seemed like his goals were far nobler than mine.

Marquez, the mohawk guy who was half zombified, showed a genuinely grateful expression. I could also see shame and regret in his eyes. 

“Sorry, guys.” He mumbled a little

“Don’t look at me like this.” Richard grunted, “Getting new guys is a pain. I don't think we will always be lucky to get someone like a newbie here every time.” He dismissively pointed at me.

Despite his harsh words. I could feel the atmosphere lighten considerably. Marques looked down and mumbled a simple thank you. Not crossing eyes with anyone else.

Richard wiped sweat from his brow, still panting. “We… take ten. This was an unexpected attack. We need to start cleaning this place already, and this just made it worse.”

No one complained.