Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 54: Harpy-scarabaeus

The glass door of the guild slammed behind them, cutting off the hustle and bustle of the street. Inside, the atmosphere was more subdued, but still nervous. Hunters came and went between the counters, weapons in their belts, mission reports in hand. The smell of metal, leather and sweat hung in the air, familiar, almost reassuring for those who had already set foot in a dungeon.

Jonah let out a long sigh as he stretched his arms.

- P’tain, it’s been a while since I set foot in here. The atmosphere hasn’t changed. As tense as ever.

Isaac didn’t answer, his gaze already shifting to the assignment panel, a huge interactive wall tablet scrolling through the available raids, classified by rank, location and state of emergency.

Rank D - Insectoid Dungeon - Ruines de Suresnes

Status: Open / 2 additional hunters needed

Start time: 2:00 p.m.

Team leader: Erika Morel - Rank C hunter

Training: Tank / Support / Pathfinder / DPS / Strategist

Recommended level: Confirmed rank E or D minimum

Isaac looked up slowly at Jonah.

- This is it. That’s our ticket to progress.

Jonah frowned, squinting as he read the details.

- Did you see the type of dungeon? Insectoid. That stuff’s never clean. And even less so in the open air. It’s swarming, it’ll break through your defenses, and you’ll be at risk of toxins or paralysis.

- And?

- And I don’t want to end up with a giant worm wrapped around my rib cage.

Isaac remained unmoved.

- Do we want to upgrade or not? We’re not going to stagnate with E-rank dungeons all our lives. It’s in raids like these that we learn. That’s how you get stronger.

Jonah clicked his tongue against his palate, annoyed, before huffing:

- You’ve really changed lately, man.

- I haven’t changed. I just stopped hiding behind caution.

Jonah grunted, then shrugged with a resigned sigh.

- Okay, fine. We’ll do your damn raid. But if we run into a laying queen, I’m out of here.

Isaac smiled slightly.

- You’ll survive.

They approached the counter and signed the engagement papers. A teller handed them an envelope with the coordinates of the assembly point, the time, the team composition and an information sheet on the dungeon. They left the guild an hour later, each going to get equipped and ready, before reaching the rendezvous point in a disused warehouse on the outskirts of Paris.

- He’s not the old man at the counter anymore," murmured Isaac.

- Maybe he’s dead," replied Jonah.

When they arrived, the atmosphere was already established: serious, structured, almost military.

A stern-faced woman with a short haircut, equipped with light armor and a harness loaded with utility items, stood in the center. She methodically observed a holographic map projected from her command bracelet. At her belt, a slightly curved rapier, and in her eyes, no room for hesitation.

- Erika Morel," Jonah whispered to Isaac. That’s her, isn’t it?

- Yeah, that’s her. Captain of the group.

They approached. As soon as they were a few steps away, Erika looked up, sweeping her gaze over them with precision.

- Isaac and Jonah, I presume?

- That’s right," Isaac replied simply.

- Two minutes late, she noted without emotion, but still on schedule. Right, then. Take your places with the others. We’ll start the briefing.

They joined the rest of the team. In all, there were seven of them:

1. Erika - captain and strategist

2. Rémi - tank, a colossus in heavy armor

3. Sami - scout, small, wiry, equipped with daggers and sensors

4. Maëlle - support, specialized in barriers and healing

5. Leïla - sniper, long-range position

6. Isaac - DPS with blade

7. Jonah - versatile DPS

Erika brought up a schematic of the dungeon on the holo-map.

- The portal appeared in an industrial ruin on the outskirts of the forest. Overgrown land, partially collapsed metal structures, narrow areas and lots of height. You’ll have to think vertically as well as horizontally. Insectoids lurk, attack from ambush, and group together in cycles. If you attract them all at once, you’ll be swamped.

She pointed to an area highlighted in red.

- This is the supposed nest room. This is where the concentration is highest. Our objective: identify the heart of the dungeon, destroy the core and get out before the hive regenerates.

She swept her eyes over the team.

- Am I clear?

- Yes, Captain," said some.

Jonah raised a hand.

- Are we in the army now?

Erika raised an eyebrow.

- If you can’t follow orders in the field, you won’t last long, hunter.

- Don’t worry, I’m a good fighting dog. I’ll bite when I’m told to.

She didn’t smile, but registered the information without stopping.

- Isaac, you’re assigned to the front, in mobile support. You’ll be behind Rémi. You hit hard, you hit fast, but you get out of the way if you sense an ambush. Jonah, you’ll support the flanks, with Maëlle as your magical link. Cover the advance, pick up the runaways, keep moving.

She straightened up, sweeping the group with an intense gaze.

- I don’t want heroism. No improvisation. You follow my orders. Always. Get in, clean up, get out. If anyone messes up, I’ll kick them off the communication channel and leave them behind. Do you understand me?

Silence. Then:

- Understood," they all said in more or less confident voices.

Isaac nodded.

- Understood.

She finished by adjusting her gloves and staring at the portal opening, visible a few meters away, an unstable black vortex floating between two rusty containers.

- So form up. The entrance is now. Do your rank justice.

Isaac could feel the excitement building. He glanced at Jonah, who sighed and murmured:

- We’ve stumbled across a gendarmerie captain, man. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be square to the millimeter.

Isaac smiled discreetly.

- Perfect. I don’t need any mess today.

- You say that now. Wait till we get to the first eight-legged bastards...

Erika cast one last glance over her shoulder.

- Onward and upward.

And through the gate they went.

Passing through the portal was like crossing the surface of icy black water. A sudden pressure compressed Isaac’s chest, the mana suddenly reorganizing in his body before suddenly releasing. In a split second, the light outside disappeared.

The world of the dungeon came into view.

They had just entered an eerily lively environment.

The floor was covered with an organic carpet, a thick layer of blackish humus mixed with chitinous residues. The corroded concrete and steel walls of the disused factory were now covered with translucent cocoons, slimy filaments and glistening pustules, pulsing slowly as if the building itself were breathing.

- It’s... disgusting..." murmured Jonah, stepping into a dark puddle.

- Concentrate," ordered Erika dryly. No unnecessary noise. These creatures sense vibrations faster than they can see.

The formation progressed slowly, Rémi at the front, Erika and Maëlle in the center, Isaac and Jonah on the flanks, Leïla in a high rear position. Sami, their scout, had already slipped into the high ground, moving from beam to beam like a specter.

No sooner had they crossed a collapsed footbridge than Isaac felt the air vibrate with a high-pitched sound, almost imperceptible at first.

Then, a hiss.

No... several.

They were coming.

A deafening hum suddenly filled the area, like an army of raging drills. A swarm of creatures emerged from the factory’s gutted ceiling. Flying insects, man-sized and with shiny, dark-green carapaces, swooped down on the group at breakneck speed.

- VISUAL CONTACT!" screamed Erika. Aerial type! Immediate defensive formation!

Isaac waited for no command. He pivoted and raised his katana, eyes already locked on the nearest.

[Ding! Enemy identified: Harpy-scarab - Rank D]

He leapt aside, narrowly dodging a blow from his mandible, then retaliated with a dazzling oblique arc. His blade split the air and sliced clean through the creature’s abdomen, sending it crashing to the ground with a sizzle of burnt flesh.

[Ding! Enemy defeated. Absorption available. Choose a reward:]

- Physical statistics

- Physical skill

Isaac gritted his teeth. No time to think.

- Physical stats.

A wave of energy shot up his arm, stimulating, fast, like a shot of pure adrenalin. But another harpy was already coming up behind him.

- Behind you!" shouted Jonah.

Isaac turned at the last second, instinctively activating [Peau de Pierre Noire Lv2]. His arm grew heavier and stronger. The insect’s claw ricocheted off it, creating a shower of sparks. Isaac took advantage of the situation to thrust his blade into the insect’s chest, driving it into the ground.

[Ding! Enemy defeated. Absorption available:]

- Physical statistics.

- Jonah, right! he shouted.

Jonah pivoted, unleashing a flurry of mana bullets. Two insects were hit. The first exploded in a jet of black fluid, but the second... charged forward despite the wound.

Isaac caught it in mid-air with a perfectly-adjusted lateral blow, slicing its wings clean off.

The creature crashed into a wall. He finished the insect off with a kick from his boot.

[Ding! Enemy defeated. Absorption available:]

- Physical statistics.

Erika shouted from the center of the formation:

- Back up to the ducts! Too many openings here! We’re being surrounded!

Isaac covered the retreat with Jonah, chaining his moves together, slicing with a surgeon’s precision, each kill giving him a small dose of raw energy.

[Ding! Enemy defeated].

- Physical statistics.

[Ding! Enemy defeated.]

- Physical statistics.

But he was beginning to feel the difference.

His body was adapting.

His muscles reacted faster, his vision sharpened. Each absorption subtly strengthened his reflexes, his support, his fluidity.

They reached a collapsed walkway leading to a secondary duct. Rémi entered first, breaking through the debris to clear the way. Sami suddenly reappeared from above, covered in insect blood.

- It’s a mess up there! Eggs are hatching! And they’re already flying!

- We can’t stay here! cried Erika. Rémi, blow up this entry point, we’ll block them here!

Rémi activated a mana-sealed grenade. He threw it at the foot of a supporting column, and a second later, the ceiling collapsed with a dull roar. A cloud of black dust filled the tunnel.

The group ran down the narrow shaft, panting, covered in sweat and blood, but alive.

They stopped in a narrow alcove, where the floor was finally stable. A heavy silence settled in for a moment.

Jonah leaned against a wall.

- Holy shit... We’ve barely started. We haven’t even entered the nest.

Erika wiped her forehead with a dirty glove.

- This was just the periphery. Simple scouts. And look at us.

Maëlle knelt down next to Leïla, who had received a cut on her side. Nothing serious, but the tension in the group was palpable.

Isaac rested his back against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment.

Six kills. Six absorptions.

He could already feel the difference.