PHOENIX RISING (Book One In The Phoenix Hunter Series)

★CHAPTER 26★

As I approached the entrance of the mini-dungeon, dungeon hub, a familiar voice sliced through the air, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Lucas!!! Lucas wait up it's Kyle."

I groaned inwardly, my heart sinking. I had seen him across the hub, standing near the entrance to the D-rank dungeon. I had silently prayed that he hadn't seen me, but my hopes were dashed. There was no escaping Kyle, the annoyingly handsome and overly confident hunter who lived in the apartment next door.

He stood there, his muscular build accentuated by his hunter's gear, his face a mask of arrogance. He was like a walking advertisement for the Order of the Blade, his black uniform a stark contrast to the armor of most of the E-rank hunters around us.

"Kyle," I said, a forced smile plastered on my face. "What a surprise."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone laced with a hint of mockery.

"Upgrading my game," I said, trying to sound confident.

"Finally," he said, his smirk widening. "I thought you were a scaredy cat, too afraid to venture beyond the F-rank dungeons."

I chuckled awkwardly, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I smacked my head, a gesture of exasperation.

"You alright, there?" a voice chuckled from behind Kyle.

I turned to see a tall, lean guy with a bow and quiver of emerald glowing arrows strapped across his back.

"He's alright," Kyle said, his eyes narrowed, a slight pout on his lips.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Kyle was being dramatic.

"Well, I'm Dexter," the stranger said, holding out his hand. "And you are?"

"Lucas," I said, shaking his hand. His grip was firm and steady, a proof of his strength.

"So, you guys hunting with together?" I asked with a touch of eagerness in my voice.

"We were just about to head into a D-rank dungeon," Dexter said. "But, what about you, Lucas? You know, it's not that safe to go solo in the Mini dungeons. Things can get pretty hairy."

"Yeah, I get that, but I'm fine," I said, my voice hesitant.

Kyle smirked. "I told you, he's stubborn."

"Alright," Dexter said, a shrug on his shoulders. "We'll see you around."

"Good luck," I said, my voice a touch too eager.

I turned away from them, feeling the weight of their gazes on my back.

I walked towards the dungeon board, a large stone slab etched with the names and descriptions of the various dungeons in the city.

The board was covered in faded etchings, the names of the dungeons written in bold, their descriptions brief and to the point. I scanned the list, looking for a dungeon that suited my needs.

I had to find a challenge. I had to find a fight.

After a few minutes of searching, I found what I was looking for. There was a dungeon, an E-rank dungeon, listed as "The Goblin's Lair." It was a dungeon known for its large population of Goblins.

It was perfect.

I approached the entrance to the dungeon, two guards standing at the front, their faces stoic, their eyes sharp. They looked at me, their gaze assessing.

"Hunter's ID," one of the guards said, his voice a low rumble.

I pulled out my newly acquired Hunter's ID and handed it to him. He examined it carefully, his eyes lingering on the inscription on the back, a verification code that could only be accessed by the Guild.

He nodded, a grunt of approval. "Go ahead," he said, gesturing towards the portal.

The portal shimmered, a swirling vortex of energy beckoning me forward. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding, and stepped through.

As I emerged from the portal, a breathtaking sight unfolded before me. A vast, rolling grassland stretched out to the horizon, a sea of emerald green dotted with wildflowers of green color. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming lavender, and a soft hum of energy pulsed through the place, a constant thrum that resonated in my bones. The sky, a vibrant green, glowed with an emerald color, the source of the light was high up in the sky.

I had never seen a dungeon like this, a place of beauty and wonder, just like the ones I had encountered in the lower-level dungeon, only difference being the green theme here.

My finger unconsciously tapped the ring around my index finger,

I walked around for a few minutes pushing my senses outwards, I kept pushing without getting any energy readings. As I got to my limit which was now seven hundred meters, i withdrew my senses.

A piercing cry, a sharp, chilling sound that resonated through the air, shattered the tranquility of the landscape.

The ring around my finger glowed a bright crimson before fading out, a subtle warning that something was amiss.

"Isn't that supposed to be a danger sign?" I pondered, a shiver of unease crawling down my spine. "The monsters here are at least level 80, so they shouldn't be a problem to me. So what triggered the ring must be stronger."

I felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck, a sudden awareness that something was wrong. I quickly glanced at the Quest notification that had appeared on my screen, and I instinctively swerved to the right, narrowly dodging sharp talons that had aimed at my neck.

I felt a sharp sting on my cheek, a searing pain that sent a jolt of adrenaline through my body. I quickly cleaned the wound, noticing a thin line of blood trickling down my cheek.

"What the...?!" I exclaimed, surprised. "I dodged its attack. Does it have a skill?"

[ -50 HP]

A small cut, and I had lost fifty health points. If not for the fact that I had leveled up so much, it would have been serious.

I quickly drank a health potion and it returned back to full. This was serious, and I had to be careful.

[Notification; QUEST]: Survive the attack for 10 minutes. For every minute an additional 3 PP is added to your status.
[REWARDS]: [complete quest to open]

[HIDDEN QUEST]: destroy the Harpy nest to receive an additional reward.
[REWARD]: A Golden chest box.
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My first quest, and it seemed to be a good one. A Golden chest? It was all so intriguing.

Whatever was coming, it must have been a few levels higher than me to trigger a quest regarding survival. But I doubted if it would be too hard to accomplish. I just had to know what I was dealing with.
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