Free Web NovelChapter 18: Danger?
Amon moved to a quiet corner of the street, away from prying eyes, and quickly navigated through his phone.
Finding E-Rank dungeons and above wasn’t difficult. The information was no longer hidden from the public.
Back when the government had tried to suppress such news, social media platforms and online forums still spread the information like wildfire.
Eventually, they stopped bothering and instead focused on stationing Armed Forces personnel around dungeon sites to prevent ordinary civilians from wandering into danger.
[F-Rank dungeon found beneath bakery foundation, leading to casualties exceeding ten lives...]
[F-Rank dungeon appears in the middle of the road, causing multiple accidents.]
[Students swimming in a pool suddenly become trapped inside an F-Rank dungeon.]
Amon ignored the long stream of notifications and entered a few keywords into the search bar.
’E-Rank Dungeon.’
Immediately, what he was looking for appeared.
[Students trapped in an E-Rank dungeon.]
His eyes flicked toward the timestamp.
It had been posted only seconds ago.
Amon tapped the notification.
A more detailed report opened, displaying the location alongside the available information.
Thankfully, it was close to his current position.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the scene.
His speed exploded.
Within moments, he had already blurred past pedestrians and vehicles alike.
"What’s that?" someone muttered from inside a passing car.
"Probably the wind," his friend replied with a chuckle, continuing to scroll through his phone.
Before long, Amon arrived at the academy grounds.
No guards had been stationed outside yet.
He casually strode through the entrance.
The Winter Frost Sword appeared in his grasp.
Scrrrape.
The blade dragged lightly against the ground as he listened.
Soon, faint voices reached his ears.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the sound.
Gathered around a spinning green portal were several middle-aged staff members. Their faces were pale as they stared at the dungeon entrance.
"We... no one’s really going to enter? Are we just going to let them die in there?" a female teacher asked, biting her fingernails with trembling anxiety.
"Why don’t you enter if you’re so worried about them?" a male instructor snapped back.
"You..."
The teacher trembled in rage but said nothing further.
"I’ve already contacted the authorities. Hopefully they can hold on long enough for reinforcements to arrive," an older man said.
Yet from his tone, it was obvious he held little hope for the students’ survival.
This was an E-Rank dungeon.
Not an F-Rank.
Ordinary humans had no chance against monsters of that level.
If he wasn’t mistaken, those students would be torn apart within seconds.
Just as the teachers and administrators were locked in a heated argument, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
A figure stepped into view.
A sword scraped across the ground behind him.
Instantly, the older man’s pupils contracted.
He had been embezzling school funds in secret to support his son, who had awakened.
Because of his connections, he had heard certain rumors.
The Butcher wasn’t killing innocent people.
Anyone who carried even a trace of evil would eventually meet their end beneath the Butcher’s terrifying blade.
’Is he here to kill me?’
Cold sweat erupted across the old man’s forehead.
Without a second thought, he turned and fled.
His aging legs moved with astonishing speed as he rushed toward the academy building.
The female teacher’s pupils shrank.
"Bu... Butcher?" she stammered.
The other instructors also broke out into cold sweats.
None of them had expected the notorious Butcher, a man with a bounty hanging over his head, to casually appear at their academy.
Amon glanced at them, slightly taken aback by the old man’s sudden sprint. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
’Is he that scared of me?’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Amon muttered inwardly before dismissing the matter.
He paid it no further attention.
Ignoring the teachers completely, he walked toward the portal, his sword still scraping softly against the ground.
Then he stepped inside.
"He... went in?" the female teacher whispered in shock.
Why had the Butcher come here?
What reason did he have for entering the dungeon?
Was he trying to save the students?
The group exchanged uncertain glances.
No one had an answer.
In the end, they could only stare at the dungeon portal and wait.
Their hearts pounded wildly in their chests.
...
Inside the E-Rank Dungeon...
"Rosa, hurry! Climb the tree with us!" a youth with short, wavy green hair shouted desperately.
While attending a school assembly, a green portal had suddenly opened beneath them.
Moments later, they had been dragged into this nightmare.
Within the first few minutes alone, ten students had already been killed by a single monster pack.
Thankfully, the dungeon contained numerous towering trees.
Several desperate students had managed to scramble up the trunks and survive through sheer luck.
But not everyone had been so fortunate.
Tears streamed down Rosa’s cheeks as she stared up at the students gathered above.
During the chaos, her leg had been broken.
Dragging herself across the dirt, she stretched a trembling hand toward Daniel.
He was her boyfriend.
They had been together since their first year.
"Dany... come save me..." Rosa pleaded through her tears.
"I... I can’t," Daniel replied.
His voice shook.
"J-Just try to climb the tree. I’ll do my best to help you..."
Pain and helplessness filled his face.
Although he loved her, he wasn’t willing to risk his own life.
Regret flashed across Rosa’s eyes.
Using every ounce of strength she possessed, she continued dragging herself forward.
Behind her, the wolves seemed almost amused.
They leisurely chewed through the remains of the ten students they had already slaughtered.
The students perched atop the trees watched with trembling expressions.
Each silently prayed for a miracle.
They understood their situation all too well.
They couldn’t stay in the trees forever.
Once the wolves finished feeding, they would inevitably turn their attention toward the survivors.
Finally, the wolves finished devouring the corpses.
Awoooooo!
One of them released a bone-chilling howl.
Then it slowly padded toward Rosa’s fragile, crawling figure.
"ROSA!!!"
Daniel’s voice cracked as he screamed.
His entire body trembled violently.
Yet even now, he didn’t climb down.
The wolves suddenly accelerated.
They closed the distance in an instant before pouncing toward her.
Rosa squeezed her eyes shut.
She completely surrendered herself to fate.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
Several streaks of white light flashed across the battlefield.
A warm liquid splattered across Rosa’s face.
At the same time, the brilliant flashes dispersed.
A lone figure stood revealed.
Silence descended.
One of the students perched atop a nearby tree widened his eyes.
His mouth slowly fell open as he recognized the familiar figure who had recently dominated every headline online.
"Butcher!!!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Butcher had arrived.
