5 The C-Rank Dungeon

"Your highness, she should be disposed of."

Inside of a meeting room of sorts, a black-haired man spoke. He fiddled with his glasses and continued. "Aoi has no talent as a hero. She is a liability to our empire."

The other people in the room nodded their heads as they agreed. The king, sitting on his lofty throne, looked at the people in front of him. They were all members of the Dungeon expedition specialists and they clearly had certain biases against Aoi. Despite only being in this world for a couple of months, she has been outperforming most of them.

That made her an eyesore for them as there was now the potential of them losing their cosy jobs.

King Edmund scoffed at the points that were being raised. "Anyone else got something to say?" he asked, annoyed. 'They dare call a meeting for such petty reasons.'

One man at the other side of the table stood up and placed a palm on his chest. "Your highness…"

"Speak," he ordered

"While I do believe that Aoi is talented…" He paused, building suspense. The members of the DES had agreed beforehand to not mention anything good about the young lady, but this man had just violated that agreement. But before they could counter him, he continued.

"She will become a burden to the kingdom in the long-run."

The king raised an eyebrow at the bold statement. "Continue."

"Yes, your highness. If word was to get out that a useless summoned is more talented than the current DES, it may raise doubts on the kingdom. Rumours on how 'useless' will spread and this may destabilise your reign.."

The room fell silent as a deadly and dense pressure bore down on everyone. The air around him cackled with electric tension as he demanded. "Are you saying my kingdom will collapse?"

Despite what seemed to be a life-or-death scenario, the man remained steadfast. He met the king's gaze without flinching and spoke "Of course not. I am merely saying that she might cause a disturbance. So why not execute her before she can?"

The pressure that had been laid on the room faded as the king gave a slight nod. "I see," He placed his fingers on his chin and thought about what the young man said.

It was clear as day that the people in the room were eliminating Aoi for their own self-interest. There is no such thing as a noble goal in politics, especially in this kingdom. By removing Aoi from the equation, they would secure the job and would still be able to influence politics. But this would also be beneficial to the king as he would gain supporters in the noble circle. He would also be eliminating a potential threat in Aoi.

"Aoi Shall be executed." He stated resolutely.

A wave of relief spread through the room as they calmed their hearts.

"But," the king intervened. "We will require a special method of execution to do it. Else we will risk permanently hampering the mood of the heroes."

"Your highness." A soft and tender voice spoke. The king glanced towards his side at the butler who had just spoken. "If I may be bold enough…"

=== [] ===

Aoi stepped into the carriage and glanced at the empty compartment. It looks like she's early, once again. Walking towards the rough wooden benches, she brushed her fingers onto them leaving a trail in the dust that had settled in.

'Dusty' She thought to herself.

Settling on the bench, Aoi pulled back the curtains and allowed beams of sunlight to flood the compartment. She closed her eyes, basking in it's warm glow before adjusting the sword that had been fastened securely to her hips. She also double-checked her bag to see if the necessities she had brought were still there.

Today's destination was Talvandor. Talvandor was a small village that has now been turned into a military training ground. This is because of the presence of a Stable dungeon; a special type of dungeon that doesn't absorb mana from the atmosphere.

Dungeons are formed due to a large concentration of mana in a small area. This creates a sort of 'miniature' world that is inhabited by many creatures. Usually only one species per dungeon. But even after its creation, the dungeon continues to absorb mana from its surrounding and gets denser and denser. At a certain point, the dungeon breaks open, allowing the creatures to exit.

One notable dungeon break is the one that happened in Silver Wood. The dungeon had been declared as 'Undefined rank' due to how dense the mana was. The people who entered said dungeon had never returned. The dungeon was declared an international threat, so in a desperate bid to close it, most countries sent along their strongest fighters and magicians. But in the end, it was all in vain as the dungeon broke.

Once it happened, the world prepared for the worst. Different species of beasts exited the dungeon and roamed the world, but for whatever reason, most of them decided to remain in the forest. For this reason, the forest was dubbed as an 'unconquered land'.

'Wait, if dungeons are mini-worlds formed by mana, can't people create dungeons? Maybe something like those mindscapes from manhua's…' Aoi thought to herself. 'I'll ask Sir Helmut when I return.'

As time passed, the carriage started to fill up and they finally set off. Aoi was inside a carriage filled with people she didn't know. They were mostly maids and butlers present in the carriage which explains how dusty it is. It was a known fact that the palace's staff never got great treatment; they usually got the bare minimum if even that.

As the carriage took off, Aoi looked at the passing scenery through the window. Chatter started to fill up the carriage as they left the cobblestone path and moved through the rolling fields and farmlands. Golden wheat swayed with the breeze as Aoi spotted some houses dotted throughout them. Her heart, which had been racing prior to the journey, calmed down as she breathed the sight in.

Since the military camp was quite close, they arrived rather quickly. Stepping out of the carriage, her eyes were met by a secure fortress. Soldiers were stationed everywhere, patrolling the area with unwavering vigilance.

Noticing their arrival, one of the stationed guards came towards them and saluted. Everyone else in the area responded with a salute of their own. Looking closer, Aoi could see that his knight was the same knight that had greeted them upon their arrival to the world.

"Heroes" He started. "I hope you had a comfortable journey,"

Some of the students nodded their heads as the knight continued. "Good. Anyways, today you will be taking your first C-Rank Dungeon. You will receive more information From our dungeon specialists once you enter the dungeon."

"YES SIR!" A chorus echoed.

"Speaking of which, we are lucky to be joined by them today. You will be able to receive real-time information. I hope this makes it easier for you. You will be resting for the next hour to replenish your energy, and then we shall head into the dungeon."

"Takeshi and Dai." He called out. "you both exceeded our expectations last time, so I hope you can do it again today."

"Yes sir." They both responded in unison.

"Aimi. Remember to remain vigilant of the situation around you even while healing. Do not rely on the help of others."

"Yes sir," she responded firmly.

"And for the rest of the heroes, continue to improve your skills. "

"YES SIR!" They all shouted.

As he finished his speech, the heroes all dispersed into their own little groups. Suddenly, Aoi felt a weight on her back and slanted slightly. "Yo." A familiar voice spoke.

"Yo." She replied. "How was your trip, Cho?"

"It went alright. Smoother than expected," She replied as she got down from Aoi's back. "You?"

"Ehh, could've gone better." Aoi answered. What she didn't know was that the carriage that the rest of the heroes got had soft cushions on their seats. "My ass hurts."

"Guess you aren't used to the carriages. This is your first time going into a dungeon right?" Cho asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of nerve-wracking." She replied, looking at the dungeon gate. A blue force field swirled around a pitch-black oval-like shape as it gave out a faint hum.

"I know right. But don't worry, we'll be protecting you." Cho said with a smile.

Aoi chuckled and taunted. "Haha... I'm definitely fucked now"

"you bitch." Cho replied, hitting Aoi on the shoulder. "You'll be at the back, so you only need to watch us fight." She voiced as she pointed to herself with a puffed-up chest.

"Hah... If I didn't know any better, I would think you were flirting with me." Aoi teased.

"Eww no," Cho spoke with a straight face, landing a critical hit on Aoi's Self-esteem.

"You didn't need to be that upfront." She said, pouting slightly.

As the two continued to joke around, time passed quickly until it was finally time to enter. Following the protocol, the fighters entered first followed by the supports. The dungeon specialists were the last ones to enter. As Aoi set foot into the dungeon, the scenery around her suddenly transformed from the lush grasslands to a dense, foreboding forest.

She couldn't help but think, 'This really is like stepping into a whole different world.'

The fighters gathered around in a circle and sorrounded the head of the DES as he started to give them information on the monsters. "The monsters you will be encountering today are goblins." He spoke in a rough voice "These are green humanoid creatures."

Murmurs began as some were already familiar with the concept of a goblin, having read about them in various fantasy novels and games on earth. But despite this chatter, the head continued with his briefing.

"They are weak to both physical and magical attacks, but they do wield weapons. If they capture you, you probably live to see the next day, especially if you are a girl. I'm sure you are able to figure out why."

The heroes grimaced at what the man said.

"I would like to reiterate that these are humanoid creatures, similar to you and I. Although not as intelligent as us, they are still smart, meaning that they can and will do anything to defend themselves."

"You are no longer fighting beings with solely their instincts to rely on."

He took a pause, allowing the information to settle in.

"The people who use weapons should aim for the nape of the enemies. That is the most flexible and thus the weakest part of their bodies. Magic users should aim their spell towards their faces and obscure their vision. And of course, our supports should continue supporting by remaining vigilant of the enemy's movements."

"For the rest, learn it by yourself. I wish you the best of luck."

With that, he left the group and returned back to the backlines. Aoi was impressed by how concise and informative the briefing was and gave a slight nod. She didn't know that some of the information was provided by her herself.

The heroes walked forth in a defensive formation as they made their way towards the goblin's hideout. Cho gave a slight wave to Aoi before she too made her way with the group.

Aoi entered the small camp that had been created by the people who remained. There were medics, some maids and butlers tending to the DES members who were their masters, and some knights stationed to defend if anything went astray.

'Looks like I don't have much to do,' she thought to herself.

Since she didn't really have anyone to talk to (And also was socially awkward), Aoi decided to take a little walk around the area. She hummed a familiar tune while doing so.

The camp was divided into 4 different sections.

A medical area, where beds and some medical equipment, alongside healers were present. A commoner's lounging area, where a lot of the knights, maids and butlers gathered and chattered with each other. A noble lounging area where most of the DES members and some noble knights would talk to each other. And a resting area, built with tents for the nobles and a couple of blankets for the commoners.

A dungeon expedition usually takes about 4 to 5 days to be completed, so it was evident that they needed a place to sleep somewhere. As she continued walking, she moved further and further away from the camp and that is when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she was immediately crushed under an immense pressure. It felt as if the entire world weighed on her shoulders, forcing her small frame to the ground.

'Fuck.' She thought to herself. She tried to scream for help but her mouth was forced shut by the thick air that was crushing her bones. With the last bit of strength she had, she managed to force herself to look at the perpetrator.

"Tsk. Changing my face costed a lot of mana." A silky voice spoke.

'The butler! Why is he here?' Aoi thought to herself as she looked at the slender figure.

"Don't look at me like that," The man said as he spat down at the lady beneath him. "Talentless pieces of shit should just die." His words betrayed his soft voice.

"To gain this level of recognition, I had to dedicate blood and tears to my craft. Meanwhile, a mere bard gains the same thing without any effort. You can't even do your job well." He spoke as he spat again.

Aoi looked at the young man, confused as to what was happening. It all happened too fast for her to process it. "Looks like you don't understand what I'm telling you." the man states. "Allow me to clear it up."

"You have been deemed a liability to the safe running of this kingdom, so the king has permitted your execution. And I'm here to deliver that." As he said that, he removed what seemed to be a rock from his pockets.

Aoi's eyes turned to anger. A deep rage started to build at the depth of her heart as she stared into the young man's eyes. 'You were the ones who summoned me. I never asked for this'

"Tsk..." He scoffed. "I guess even a rat fights back when cornered. Though regrettably, this is your end."

Crushing the rock, a light glow enveloped the butler as he absorbed the energy. A magic circle was slowly constructed beneath Aoi, glimmering slightly, indicating her doom was close. She closed her eyes as a bright light enveloped her figure before she disappeared.

The butler dusted his suit and looked at the sunset. "Tsk… I wasted all my mana on that. Now how will I make it back without alerting anyone…"

=== [AN:] ===

Hello my lovely readers, author here.

I hope you enjoy this chapter with it being a bit longer than usual. At first, I didn't know how I would write this chapter but I think it came together pretty well.

Anyways, if you did enjoy this chapter, do tell me in the comments and if you can, leave a power stone. Also, correct me if you find any mistake

<3 U and bye.