--

Ren left the clan compound nice and early.

The sun hadn’t even peeked at the horizon, but he was already up and warmed up. He didn’t go through his whole morning routine because today was a special day.

He packed up everything he’d need last night before he slept. Everything was tossed into his inventory: food, water, clothes, tents, firestarters, pots, plates, utensils, toiletries... He was ready. Even the ones he didn’t think he’d need were there as well. Why not, he’s got a lot of inventory slots anyway.

Still, just for show, he had a knapsack filled with his essentials. It’s a unique knapsack that’s capable of holding more items than it looked. You can shove a whole fridge in there pretty easily.

Of course, it couldn’t compare to his inventory, but once again, this was just for show. It only contains his essentials—ones that every first-time dungeon explorer would need. Its contents, as well as the knapsack itself, will be tossed into his inventory as soon as he enters the dungeons anyway, so yeah, this was just for show.

Just to prevent people from thinking that he had an inventory.

Ren left thinking that nobody noticed his disappearance, but in truth, Mikel, Raymond, Grandma Allen, and Alex saw him leaving.

"Isn’t this a bit too hasty?" Raymond frowned. He wasn’t mad, just concerned.

With all the time he spent with the boy, he grew to care for this distant nephew of his. Sure, Ren was mature beyond his age, but as an adult, it’s normal for him to worry about the kid.

Grandma Allen had the same concern, but she didn’t voice it. There’s nothing she could do anyway. The young will eventually need to fly away from their nests. Ren needs to spread his wings and fly to see the immensity of the world; holding him back isn’t the way to go.

"The slimes won’t pose a threat to him," Alex casually commented on the side. He’s still stifling a yawn, but he got up early anyway to watch his cousin leave.

"You’ve all seen him thrashing the White Haven brats like they’re some common weed. You all felt the strength of his serious attack, and you all know that’s him holding back. And don’t tell me none of you see the new addition in the Martial Hall."

"Nine Echoing Canons. I’ll bet my liver that it’s Ren who wrote it and left it there, but he never said a thing. Ren’s clever; he’ll be fine. Stop worrying."

After saying this, Alex began walking away, probably going back to bed.

As insensitive as his words were, Alex told the truth. Ren wasn’t one to be careless. He could handle himself just fine; there was truly no need to worry too much for him at all.

But again, it’s their jobs as adults to worry about their young.

Mikel hadn’t said a word, but the concern was visible in his eyes. He worries too, but he understands that Ren grew up to be independent. And as his uncle and one of the few adults Ren trusted, Mikel had to respect his agency.

"He’ll return. This is something that he’s resolved to do," he stated, trying to sound firm. "It’s why he didn’t bother informing us. Let’s go; we’ve got a long day ahead of us."

**

Ren had seen the gates from a distance a couple of times in the past.

But now that he’s standing before them, he can’t help but feel awed at the immensity of it. Being close was enough to make him shiver in anticipation. And he could tell that once he stepped to the other side, it’d all feel different, much like how the atmosphere inside and outside of the clan compound feels different.

He wasn’t the only one up this early. In fact, this place was already crowded when he arrived.

This is the norm for this place regardless of time and day. Unless there’s a special even that pulls everybody’s attention away from it, the gates to the dungeons will always be crowded.

And this was the entrance...

Ren fell in a line that moved fast. There were guards on the gates, but they’re not really the ones allowing the people in. There’s a mechanical bar with a card slide where licenses are scanned before entry; that’s what kept the line moving fast.

Eventually, it was his turn. He slid in his license, and the sensors turned green. The metal bar lowered, and he was allowed passage. He then walked to the open gates and into the swirling mass of void that led to the other side of the gates.

Swoosh!

Ren felt his senses disoriented for a moment. His vision spun, sounds became blurred, and he felt like somebody violently yanked him forward using invisible means.

To save his dignity, he landed on his feet. But it was clear that he needed a moment after that.

Once he recovered, Ren finally opened his eyes.

Actually, it was the noise that brought him back first and greeted him.

"Does anybody want to join our party? We’re just missing one! We’re going to Stage 32!"

"Looking for a party member! We’ve got two slots available for Stage 41! We offer 15% profit split for each member!"

"We’re looking for a marrow cleansing member for stages 35 to 40! We offer a generous profit share! Please don’t hesitate to come up and apply!"

"Boss Men! Boss Ladies! I’m a big and strong bone-forging expert! I can be a lackey! Please take me in!"

"Is there any big brother that could carry me into the dungeons? Please? I’m so scared and vulnerable!"

Their words began as blurred to him and eventually got clearer as he recovered. Then, he opened his eyes to see a sea of people on the other side of the gates.

People of all shapes, sizes, and skin color. Some had physical mutations, some displayed their shiny gear, and some looked shabby. Some were just planning to enter the dungeons, while others evidently just returned, obvious by how tired and wretched they looked.

Regardless of their difference, one thing was clear. All of them were martial artists, and they’re here for the dungeons.

This is where it finally sunk in to him how deeply the dungeons are integrated into the life of a martial artist. Back on earth, places this crowded and busy used to be markets or shops.

It may not look the same, but the purpose was somewhat similar—people are here to make ends meet. This is part of their lifestyle, a very important one at that.

Sure, the dungeons could be scary and dangerous, but they also promise real and tangible benefits. Ones that will surely provide them with generous profits to maintain their living conditions.

This is how this world works. Birds die for food, and humans die in pursuit of wealth. It’s all the same.

And the people here? They’re not just from Central City. They’re from all over the Letter Kingdom and its cities.

It’s not weird for parties to form out of members of different cities. The gates could be found in each city, and every single one of those gates ends up. They’re all connected.

People weren’t just yelling for party arrangements here. There were also small stores here yelling for customers, and there are quite plenty of them too. These stores will sell, trade, or buy materials gathered from the dungeons.

It’s very likely that these were just storefronts; they just act for preliminary settlement. The actual deal will be finalized outside. These storefronts are here only to snatch good deals freshly out of the dungeons.

There are also some guards here and GMU employees. Their palm-sized shiny badges are visible for everybody to see.

Despite the chaos and noise of the people around here, everything is technically in order because of them.

Once his vision had gone past to the sea of the crowd, he finally laid his eyes on the Archstones.

The Archstones are the truest and most important part of this place. It’s the thing that takes people into the dungeons. It’s also where monsters pour out when an overflow happens.

There are ten of the said Archstones in here. Each representing 10 dungeon stages/levels. They go from left to right in order. The first archstone is where stages 1-10 of the dungeons are located, the second is for stages 11-20, and so on.

The Archstones are rooted on the spot. They can’t be removed by any means at all.

"Hey, little brother..."

Ren blinked before turning around since he’s pretty sure that person was talking to him.

"...you look like you have a big dic—No! I meant to say you look strong! Hey, where are you going!?"

Ren’s face went dark. What kind of shitty luck was this? The first person who approached him...and it was a fucking pervert! Seriously!? It was a big and muscly dark-skinned man, too.

’Seriously, what is up with some people here? The Archstones are right there! Don’t have anything else better to do? There’s a time and place for everything! ’Ren fumed as he marched towards the first archstone.