ATCP 07

“Everyone here for the D-Rank dungeon party?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I answered confidently, and the party leader studied me for a brief moment.

His gaze swept across the rest of the group before he extended a hand.

“If you’re all here for the D-rank party, please show me the chatroom in the Carrot Market app. I just need to verify everyone.”

“Sure.”

The others and I opened the chat and held up our phones.

The leader checked each screen one by one before giving a satisfied nod.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

Keeping my hair completely hidden beneath the hood of my hoodie, I quietly observed the others.

Two wore heavy armor and carried large shields.

One had a lighter breastplate with a sword at his waist.

The last wore light leather armor and carried a staff.

Everyone looked like they had proper Hunter equipment.

I’m the only one dressed like a civilian.

Standing there in nothing but a hoodie and jeans felt embarrassingly out of place.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last long.

Once the leader confirmed the headcount, he began the introductions.

“As we discussed in the chatroom, let’s address each other by our roles. You can call me Leader. And you?”

Judging by his armor, the first man spoke without hesitation.

“As you can probably tell, I’m the Tank.”

The two men in heavy armor introduced themselves as Leader and Tank.

Next, the swordsman stepped forward.

“I’m the Melee DPS. Just call me Melee. My primary weapon is a sword.”

Everyone turned toward the person holding the staff.

He bowed politely.

“Hello. I’m the Mage… in other words, ranged DPS. I don’t have any support or healing skills—I’m specialized entirely in offense.”

Finally, every pair of eyes landed on me.

After a brief pause, I bowed as well.

“Hello. I’m the Support and Healer. You can call me whichever is easier.”

It was nothing more than a simple greeting.

Yet my synchronization rate suddenly increased by 5%.

I had no idea why, but apparently something I’d done matched whatever criteria the system expected.

“Then let’s call you Healer. It’s shorter, and it’ll be easier to shout during combat.”

After settling everyone’s titles, the Leader turned toward the dungeon entrance.

Floating above it was a translucent display visible only to Hunters.

[Dungeon Saturation]

70%

“Today’s dungeon is Shadow Cave, currently at seventy percent saturation. This is the perfect time to enter.”

Standing before the entrance like an instructor giving a briefing, he calmly explained the situation.

“Our objective isn’t to close the dungeon. You don’t need to worry too much about the saturation level. As long as it doesn’t reach one hundred percent, there won’t be a dungeon wave.”

If the saturation dropped to zero, the dungeon would close permanently and become completely safe.

But that also meant no more resources could be harvested.

Unless a dungeon was exceptionally dangerous or completely worthless, Hunters rarely bothered clearing it entirely.

The Leader emphasized the point.

“Our goal is to eliminate enough monsters, defeat the boss, collect the rewards, and leave. We’ll only fight lesser monsters when necessary, so do not provoke them unless absolutely required.”

“Yes.”

All four of us answered in unison.

Satisfied, the Leader assigned our formation.

“The Tank and I will hold the front line. Melee stays in the middle. Mage and Healer take the rear. No matter what happens, do not break formation.”

The experienced Hunters immediately took their positions.

I was still standing there blankly until everyone else had lined up, then hurried over to stand beside the Mage.

“All right.”

The Leader stepped into the dungeon first.

It was my very first dungeon.

The monsters inside looked like black cats.

But anyone imagining something cute and cuddly would be making a fatal mistake.

SKREEEEAAAH!

They possessed feline bodies…

Yet their true nature was twisted shadow.

Empowered by the darkness of the cave dungeon, each creature was larger than a grown man, hissing with feral hostility.

The only reason they weren’t charging us immediately was because two of their kind already lay dead at our feet.

The remaining monster glared at us with pale, glowing eyes.

Then it abruptly turned and fled.

“Stand down.”

The Leader lowered his shield.

Only then did everyone else put away their weapons and relax.

I opened my backpack and held out a bottle of water.

“Would anyone like some water?”

“Ah, I’m good.”

“I’m fine too.”

The Mage and Melee politely declined.

The Leader and Tank had already taken out their own bottles.

No one needed mine.

Taking a small sip myself, I glanced sideways at my synchronization rate.

[Current Synchronization Rate]

20%

Did offering water count as a kind deed?

Somehow it had already reached twenty percent.

But it still wasn’t enough to activate my skill.

Anxiety slowly crept in.

No one had been injured yet…

But what if someone got hurt before my synchronization reached one hundred percent?

While I worried about that, the Tank approached the Leader.

“Leader… doesn’t something feel off?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone could hear it.

“I don’t remember Shadow Cats appearing this early in the dungeon.”

The rest of us turned toward the two men.

The Leader rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I was thinking the same thing. Shadow Cats usually don’t show up until the middle section. They’re appearing unusually early.”

“Should we withdraw?”

The Mage raised a hand.

Judging from his expression, he clearly hoped the answer would be no.

Fortunately for him, the Leader shook his head.

“No. It’s possible they’ve been driven out of their territory by stronger monsters or that prey has become scarce deeper inside. Let’s proceed to the midpoint and reassess the situation there. If necessary, we can retreat afterward.”

The Mage and Melee visibly relaxed.

I didn’t know enough about dungeon ecology to feel relieved.

The Tank, meanwhile, still looked uneasy.

“Let’s continue.”

The Leader looked at me.

“Healer.”

…

“Healer!”

“Ah—yes?”

I’d been so lost in thought that I’d forgotten I was the Healer.

The Leader chuckled knowingly.

“Be prepared to cast buffs and healing at any time.”

“Yes.”

If my synchronization fills up…

I answered confidently while scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

Fortunately, my synchronization rate had risen another ten percent.

It was now at 30%.

Seriously… what determines this thing?

Grumbling inwardly, I followed the party deeper into the dungeon.

The farther we traveled, the darker the cave became.

The name Shadow Cave couldn’t have been more fitting.

Darkness blanketed every surface until seeing even a few steps ahead became difficult.

“We’re turning on our flashlights now.”

The Leader spoke quietly.

“Once the lights come on, the monsters will know our location. They can also hide inside our shadows. Stay alert from this point onward.”

Knowing he probably couldn’t see my raised hand in the darkness, I asked anyway.

“How do we know if they’ve entered someone’s shadow…?”

“The direction of the shadow changes. If your shadow doesn’t match everyone else’s, report it immediately. It doesn’t matter whether it’s your own shadow or someone else’s.”

The Leader answered every question with remarkable patience.

And strangely…

Every time he did, my synchronization rate crept upward.

[Current Synchronization Rate]

37%

“Since the Healer is at the very back, I’d like you to keep an eye on everyone’s shadows. The rest of you watch for monsters approaching.”

“Yes.”

With his final instruction given, the Leader pulled out a flashlight.

The beam illuminated the cave in an instant.

It was surprisingly spacious—wide enough for all five of us to walk side by side.

Holding the flashlight straight ahead, the Leader marched forward.

I followed behind, watching the long shadows stretching away from the light.

Clack… clack…

Kiiieee… Kiiik…

After walking for some time, faint, unsettling noises drifted toward us just as we reached a fork in the tunnel.

The Leader immediately dimmed his flashlight and aimed it at the ground.

“Judging by the sounds, there are quite a few of them.”

He listened carefully.

“It sounds like they’re fighting each other. Avoiding them would be the wiser choice.”

He jerked his chin toward the silent tunnel.

“We’ll take the left path. Keep your footsteps quiet and stay alert.”

“Yes.”

Everyone carefully crept into the left passage.

The Leader shone his flashlight ahead first, confirming there were no monsters waiting.

Once he was satisfied, he entered.

The Tank followed.

Then Melee.

Then the Mage.

I brought up the rear.

We moved as silently as possible.

Little by little, the Leader increased our pace.

Walking became jogging.

Then nearly a sprint.

Only after we’d put enough distance between ourselves and the fork—and the sounds behind us had faded completely—did he finally stop.

The Tank, Leader, and Melee barely seemed winded.

The Mage and I, however, were breathing noticeably harder.

“Everyone still here?”

“Yes.”

The Leader turned the flashlight toward us.

Our shadows stretched long across the ground.

All except…

“Melee’s shadow!”

CLANG!

The instant I shouted, the Leader threw himself toward Melee, shield raised.

A mass of darkness burst upward from Melee’s shadow.

It slammed directly into the Leader’s shield.

Slash! Slash!

One after another, four Shadow Cats crashed into him, forcing both the Leader and Melee several steps backward.

“They were hiding at the fork!”

The Mage reacted instantly.

“O flames—rise!”

Fire erupted across the ground.

Avoiding the blaze, the Shadow Cats scattered toward the cave walls.

The Tank seized the opportunity and stepped into the front line.

One Shadow Cat lunged through the brief opening created as their formation shifted.

A fatal mistake.

Melee’s sword shot forward like lightning.

The blade pierced straight through the creature.

Apparently, Shadow Cats had no loyalty toward their own kind.

The moment one fell, the others immediately tried to flee.

“Ignite!”

The Mage unleashed another wave of flames, cutting off every escape route.

Hiss… Hissss…

Trapped, the Shadow Cats hesitated, glancing around frantically for another opening.

Any trace of camaraderie was nowhere to be found.

The Leader and Tank slowly advanced behind their shields.

The monsters arched their backs, bared their fangs, and hissed threateningly.

Then—

WHOOSH!

“SKREEEECH!! KYAAAAAAH!!”

Something shot out from the right-hand passage like an arrow.

In an instant, it snatched one of the Shadow Cats.

The creature writhed desperately, screaming in agony.

Its cries grew weaker…

And weaker…

Crunch. Crack. Snap.

As the Shadow Cat fell silent…

The grotesque sound of something being crushed echoed ever louder from within the darkness.

Silence descended over the entire party.