NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: The Cave of Terror
— Oh my... I'm falling apart... — he groaned, Kaito's hoarse voice like stones being dragged.
Haruto came in staggering, his face marked by deep dark circles.
— Sorry, guys... — he took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his bloody neck. — This was the best room I could find.
Akira threw himself on the top bed, his muddy boots leaving dirt marks on the white sheet.
— Shut up and sleep. — he growled, burying his face in a pillow that smelled of mold and sweat.
No one complained. Not even Yumi, always meticulous, took off her dust-soaked tunic. They fell asleep like corpses, lulled by the buzzing of flies.
In the Brotherhood's hall, the amber light of dusk bathed cracked marble columns. Satsu rubbed his eyes, dazed by the deep sleep the group had just gone through.
"Hey, Haruto..." He tugged on the leader's sleeve, his dirty fingers trembling. "How much are we going to get paid?"
Haruto adjusted the holster of his sword to put his hand in his pocket.
"It depends, Satsu. The mission gives a bonus. The monthly salary..."
"There's a salary?!" Satsu interrupted, her eyes wide and shining.
Haruto pulled a simple cell phone from his pocket.
"Here. It's yours." He avoided her gaze. "From the moment you join a guild, the brotherhood gives you the right to have monthly salaries according to your rank. I took the liberty of doing all the procedures for you, I figured you wouldn't have a cell phone... Sorry if I was intrusive."
Satsu was so amazed that he didn't even hear a word Haruto had said. The device weighed like a relic in his calloused hands. The cracked screen flashed with notifications.
"How much…?" he whispered.
"Five thousand yen." Haruto stared at him, prepared for disappointment.
"That's it?!" Satsu dropped the phone.
"Oops… Damn it," he shouted.
The screen was already cracked.
Daichi laughed. "What a shame, Satsu, you're so clumsy!"
Everyone looked at that comical situation lightly.
"Rank F, Satsu." Haruto squeezed her shoulder. "As a Rank D, I earn one hundred and thirty thousand. But each mission gives us a bonus…"
"Two hundred thousand for the last one!" Yumi appeared like a hurricane, grabbing Satsu from behind. Her embrace smelled of medicinal herbs. "Split between the six of us!"
Satsu swallowed the lump in her throat. Thirty-three thousand yen. More than her family had seen in years.
Yumi finished by saying, "Hey, stop talking about that stuff. We're still going to get stronger and we're going to get a lot more!"
Everyone in the group gave a simple smile of confidence.
"Is it possible to rank up?" Satsu asked.
Haruto replied, "There are two ways: Through the amount of mana or through your expertise with your skills."
What do you mean?" Satsu asked with a confused expression.
"You'll find out soon enough." Naruto finished with a smile.
When they finally reached the hall, it was bustling. Adventurers of all ranks were crowded in front of bulletin boards with yellowed papers, analyzing rewards and taking on missions.
Until a scream cut through the air.
"WHAT? DO YOU THINK WE'RE RATS?"
Ryota, leader of the Blades of Carnage, banged his fist on the counter. Her spiked black armor gleamed, and a skull with crossed blades gleamed on her back. The clerk stepped back, holding a stack of red-sealed papers.
— The Cave of Terror is S-ranked... — he stuttered.
— I DECIDE WHAT MY GUILD SUPPORTS! I NEED THE REWARD! — Ryota roared, spitting saliva. A hooded mage grabbed his arm.
— Hey... Ryota, it's suicide. That cave is still a great mystery... it's the only portal in Japan that has never closed since it appeared. Many have died trying to investigate that place.
Ryota spun around and punched the mage in the face, knocking him to the ground.
— WEAKWARD! — he said with disdain
— YOU'RE THE ONLY C-RANK IN MY GUILD AND YOU THINK YOU CAN GIVE ME ORDERS?
His eyes rose for a moment to meet the Ebony Wings.
— Ah, the bugs...
He got very close to the fallen mage's ear and said:
— IF THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY STRONG THERE, JUST THROW THE WEAKLES TO THE FRONT LINE. WHILE THE MONSTER IS BUSY KILLING THEM, WE'LL SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
When Haruto realized, Ryota was already on top of him, his breath rotten with wine.
— Hey, Ebony clowns. You're coming with us. You'll serve as bait.
— As the leader of my guild, I refuse. — Haruto kept his voice firm.
Ryota laughed wryly — He grabbed Haruto by the collar, lifting him up like a doll. The blade of his dagger scratched the leader's jugular.
— DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? YOU TRASH! YOU OBEY ME OR YOU BLEED HERE!
The hall fell silent. Satsu tasted the metallic taste of fear. Akira clenched his fists. Yumi trembled. Even Daichi, the human rock, flinched. Ryota threw Haruto to the ground with a thud that echoed with a thunderous roar. "LET'S GO. No one's going to stop us." Haruto staggered to the ground, the dust of the hall sticking to his sweaty hands. Daichi grabbed his arm tightly, lifting him up as if he were a precious burden. "Hey, are you okay?" the warrior asked, his voice hoarse like muffled thunder. "Yeah... just a bruised ego." Haruto smiled bitterly. Across the hall, the mage Ren, the C-rank subordinate Ryota had punched, was being helped up by three colleagues. His nose was bleeding, and his swollen eyes shone with humiliation. Haruto approached, his footsteps echoing like hammer blows on a coffin. "So, Ren," he said, leaning in to whisper. "It seems Ryota hasn't changed at all." Ren laughed sarcastically. "This is crazy, Haruto... Where are we going to end up?" The three mages at his side—Hiroshi and Takumi (Rank A), and Koji (Rank B)—exchanged glances. "We have no choice," Hiroshi muttered, adjusting his fogged-up glasses. "Ryota has too much influence in the Brotherhood. If we rebel…" "We'll turn to dust," Takumi added, his fingers trembling uncertainly around a cracked protective amulet. During the forced march to the cave, Ren walked beside Haruto, his eyes fixed on Satsu. "Who's the newbie?" he asked, pointing to the boy who was nervously adjusting his black cloak. "Is he strong?" Haruto smiled, a glint of ironic pride in his eyes. — Weak as a kitten... but with a spirit that defies anything.
Akira suddenly appeared, bumping into Satsu on purpose.
"He knocked down a goblin yesterday!" he announced, exaggerating with a dramatic gesture. "Almost died, but 'almost' doesn't count, does it?"
Hikari, the only woman in Ren's group, leaned toward Satsu. Her silver hair shone like threads of silk.
"The Brotherhood loves heroes forged in gold…" she said, her voice soft. "But it's those who bleed mud that sustain the world."
Satsu blushed, her fingers twitching on her technomagic gauntlets. The weight of that truth burned more than any compliment.
The entrance to the cave swallowed the daylight like the throat of a sleeping titan. Ryota stopped in front of the abyss, his black silhouette cutting through the glare of the sun.
"MAGI AHEAD!" — he roared, pointing at Ren and his companions. — LIGHT UP THIS HELL!
Ren exchanged a look with Haruto, a silent pact of survival before raising his hands.
"Eternal Flame," and a sphere of blue fire appeared, floating like a possessed firefly.
The light revealed stone walls covered in ancient runes, pulsing in a rhythm that made one's teeth chatter. The air was thick, smelling of rusted iron and decaying flesh. Skeletons lay entwined with black roots, some still holding blunted swords.
"Hahaha!" Ryota kicked a skull, sending it rolling like a macabre ball. "Weaklings! They didn't even see the portal!"
Yumi cringed, her fingers clutching the healing necklace until they left marks on her skin. Daichi wrapped a broad arm around her, his shield creaking against her armor.
— I'll protect you — he promised,
Kaito stroked his ferret, shivering as if he sensed something bad.