Some time had passed since that meeting. Kaina finally reached California, where James had gone into a dungeon. Together with over ten fully equipped soldiers and a high-ranking diplomat, Kaina observed the dungeon.

  “Are you sure he was last seen here?” the diplomat asked the soldier.

  “Yes, ma’am. According to the testimony from our soldiers, that monster disappeared right here.” A soldier pointed out.

  The soldier pressed on the invisible wall where James had gone into. A blue box message was displayed before them:

  [A dungeon lay before you. Would you like to enter?]

  That was all the message they could see. However, when Kaina pressed her hand on the same invisible wall, a different message was displayed.

  [Dungeon name: cf1902

  Dungeon level: novice

  Survivor: 1/5

  Would you like to enter? y/n]

  “It can only hold five people… And one has already entered,” Kaina muttered. Now, it was clear to them that James had gone into this dungeon.

  “So, are we going?” the local soldiers asked.

  Kaina planned on venturing into the dungeon with fellow survivors; she had brought a level 10 survivor with her. But since she could only bring four more people, she hesitated. She was just level 1, and all survivors over level 20 had either gone to support Kouki and Andrew or gone rogue.

  Kaina stared at the invisible wall. Behind it lay an abandoned building. It was an old apartment complex, with parks and fences.

  With these soldiers, Kaina didn’t think they would be able to face a floor boss. However, they didn’t have to face a floor boss. All they needed to do was rendezvous with James and provide him with support.

  But did he even need support? Kaina had offended him once when she touched that golden ball of light. James was stronger than Kouki. He had faced multiple floor bosses. Kaina feared that what she did was unnecessary meddling.

  However, she couldn’t outright refuse them. They had brought tanks, guns, rocket launchers, Kevlar vests, and even grenades. James was a high-leveled survivor, but it was proven that even he could be wounded by conventional weapons. If conventional weaponry was effective on James, it should be effective against mobs inside dungeons too. That’s what Andrew and Kouki surmised.

  “We might be there for a long time. Do we have food and water?” Kaina asked.

  “Of course. It’s in the truck,” the diplomat said. “So, are you ready? I suggest we bring in you and three Navy SEAL members. They are the best of the best.”

  “We shouldn’t bring civilians… This should be left to the military…” a general who accompanied the diplomat voiced his concern.

  “Normally, that’s true. But we need a guide. Kaina has been to a trial dungeon and survived there. She might not contribute much in combat, but we need her knowledge. Moreover, the survivor who went here has been attacked by our military.”

  “I see. So, what’s the plan?” the general asked. “We planned to bring a team of seven people with an expert negotiator and Kaina, right? But I see that is no longer an option.”

  "The plan needed to be changed drastically. Since we could only bring four people, we could either leave the negotiation entirely to Kaina and bring three soldiers, or we could bring two soldiers and a negotiator with Kaina. Kaina, what do you think?" The diplomat looked at her. The fact that Kaina had to talk to James sent shivers up her spine.

  "Um… I think we would need a negotiator. Hopefully, one that could apologize properly…" Kaina muttered.

  She might be a survivor, but Kaina was merely a high school girl. The diplomat sighed. The world had changed. Survivors were seen as either superheroes or supervillains. He himself had seen Kouki manage to block bullets with his sword, just like in action movies.

  Nevertheless, Kaina was only a level 1 survivor.

  "Maybe we should send John instead."

  "Um… I think Kaina will be better. She is a girl, and James personally stopped his axe from killing Kouki because of her. I had stabbed him in the stomach with my spear, after all. He probably wants to kill me. I will come as support, though," John, a level 10 survivor, answered.

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  "Alright. So be it. Are you guys ready?"

  "Yes, sir!" soldiers saluted.

  They shouldered their heavy backpacks filled with ammo, MREs, and water bottles as if carrying school bags. Kaina knew that those bags weighed about 40 kilos. Even she had trouble carrying them despite being a survivor.

  She touched the invisible barrier and said yes to its query. White light flashed. Kaina, along with three other people, was enveloped within its light and transferred into the dungeon.

  "My guns are gone!" Andre, one of the soldiers who joined Kaina, exclaimed.

  "Our supplies are gone too! Only water remains," Sanders said.

  Kaina quickly checked her belongings. Just as the soldiers said, all of her supplies had disappeared during the transfer.

  They didn't know that the system forbade bringing any unregistered weapons into the dungeon. Moreover, it had strict standards. Their MREs had combustible oil inside. The system forbade that too. Their expensive Kevlar vests, guns, and even knives were left outside the dungeon.

  The system didn't leave them to their own devices. The negotiator, who was also in the army, was given a dagger. Sanders was given a short sword, while Andre was given a leather shield.

  Kaina, unfortunately, hadn't brought her spear. She cursed herself for her own stupidity. She thought guns would suffice. Now, she was unarmed in a wasteland with nothing to defend herself. Moreover, her guards had also lost all of their weapons.

  "We had a rough start. Let us tally our losses." Sanders, the impromptu squad leader, gathered the rest of the team. "I lost almost everything, but somehow, there is a sword I don't remember bringing."

  "We lost practically everything. All of our food except bread and cookies. All of our ammunition and spare weapons. All our tools—night vision goggles, radars, mines, grenades. Even our Kevlar vests. All that we have left is water," Andre reported. "I have a shield, though."

  "Same," Anderson, the negotiator, reported. "A dagger for me."

  "Same. But I didn’t get any weapons," Kaina nodded down.

  She now realized that she had screwed up. Now she had to face the dungeon with nothing but her clothes.

  "Well, at least we still have weapons. Never thought that CQC lessons we were taught back in the academy would be so helpful now," Sanders sighed.

  They were transported not to a savanna, but an office floor. Seeing the modern look of this office made Kaina question herself. "Is this the dungeon?"

  [Correct. You are now in dungeon cf1902.]

  Sanders and the others weren’t certified survivors yet. The system didn’t answer them.

  “Damn, you guys were fighting those kinds of things?” Andre pointed toward the corpse of the abomination rat James had killed. He had frozen it, and while the corpse had decomposed a bit, it still retained its original shape.

  “James did. He is very strong. Do not antagonize him,” Kaina answered.

  “Noted.” Anderson nodded.

  A squeaking sound was heard, and it sent shivers down Kaina’s neck. Any sound not made by her team could only mean one thing—enemies.

  In contrast to what James and Kouki thought, dungeons respawned their monsters. The only thing was that they respawned only when there were no survivors on that floor.

  A rat, as large as Kaina, stood at the entrance. Its sharp incisors threatened to cut the newcomers to shreds.

  The group stared blankly at the impossible scene for a second before Sanders barked an order.

  “Stop gawking and take formations! Enemy sighted!”

  “That rat is fucking huge!” Andre, with his shield, took the front. CQC techniques taught in military academies only worked against humans. They were never used against monsters as large as the rat before them.

  The rat charged. Kaina leaped away from the battle and hid in the corner, behind some sofas with white threads dangling from them. Without weapons, she was useless. Even with weapons, she hadn’t had experience with live combat yet. Kouki had monopolized all the kills in the trial dungeons, leaving her with nothing.

  Anderson flanked the enemy from behind. They might be new to this kind of enemy, but they had to persevere. He lunged at the rat from the back while its attention was on Andre. His dagger stabbed deeply into its back.

  “Aghh!!” Andre screamed in pain as the two incisors stabbed into his shield. Anderson’s daggers drew blood from the rat, but its huge body made such damage insignificant.

  Sanders charged in with his sword. Even though he was supposed to be proficient in close combat, his inexperience against monsters proved fatal. If he had gone for a stab instead of a slash, he would have been victorious. Nevertheless, his CQC training often favored slashes as they weakened the opponent and limited openings.

  The rat survived. It kept gnawing on the shield, eventually snapping it in half as Andre’s arm became the next target.

  “AAGH!! Help!” Sharp pain shot through his wrist as the incisors gnawed at it.

  “Die, you bastard! Die!!” Sanders abandoned his useless CQC training and slashed at the rat wildly. The rat squealed in pain as it felt its flank being torn open. Finally recognizing Sanders’ effort, it threw Andre onto the sofas where Kaina hid and aimed for him.

  As it lunged forward, Sanders finally did something right. He thrust his short sword into its mouth. The blade penetrated deep into its brain, killing it instantly as its incisors drew blood from his hand.

  “Die! Die!” Anderson, thinking the rat was still alive, kept stabbing his puny dagger into its back.

  “He is dead, Anderson. I think he is dead.” Sanders panted as he felt the weight of the rat pressing on his body. Its snout almost went for a kiss on his mouth. Sanders winced in disgust as the smell of sewage assaulted his nostrils.

  Then, a blue box appeared before the three soldiers.

  [Congratulations! You have won against your first usurpers! The System deems you worthy and will grant you status and unique skills. Congratulations on becoming survivors without undergoing a dungeon trial.]

  “What the heck…” Sanders, Anderson, and Andre winced.

  And with that, the three soldiers finally got their first status after answering the system’s queries. Soon, they would get their unique skills and level up.

  But it would still take them a long time to catch up to James. As to what unique skills they possessed, only time would tell.