I was still in my room, the excitement from earlier bubbling within me. The memory of the acceptance contract replayed in my head like a cherished dream. I couldn't stop myself from grinning. Everything was finally falling into place, or so I thought.
Knock. Knock.
A sudden knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. I froze. I rarely had any visitors. Who could it be?
After a hesitant pause, I walked to the door and opened it.
"Mina?" I blinked in surprise.
She stood there, her short silver hair pulled into a loose ponytail, her healer's uniform unzipped at the collar. She looked like she'd come straight from work.
"Sorry I wasn't around at your acceptance ceremony," she said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "I was caught up with something important."
"It's... fine," I muttered, still stunned by her unexpected visit.
She turned to me with a faint smile, her tone soft. "I was asked to take you to your new apartment. I found out you were renting this place; honestly, it's a bit of a dump. The least I could do was help you get a decent place, free of charge."
My breath hitched. "You… did that for me?"
Mina nodded, her eyes sincere. "You're part of the guild now. That means something."
I didn't know why she was being so kind. Most of the guild treated me like I was invisible, or worse, a stain. But Mina… she never looked at me like that.
I followed her without protest. The place she brought me to was… incredible. Spacious and clean, with actual lighting that didn't flicker every few seconds. Compared to my cramped rental room, it felt like luxury.
At first, I hesitated. It felt like too much. Too sudden. Too kind.
"I… can't accept this, Mina," I said as we walked through the hall of the new apartment, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You can and you will." She arched a brow. "You deserve better. Stop acting like you don't."
I didn't argue. Somehow, she always managed to push me past my own doubt.
As we were inspecting the apartment's storage unit, a sudden shimmer passed through the air. A translucent blue interface materialized before us, the edges pulsing with faint light.
[System Alert]
All members of the Twilight Drake Guild will be summoned via teleportation in 5 seconds for a mandatory raid.
Dungeon Classification: D-Class
Estimated Threat Level: Moderate
Objective: Full Sweep & Core Retrieval
The countdown began immediately. My eyes met Mina's in silent understanding.
"Ready?" she asked.
I nodded, even though my heart pounded. This was my first real raid as a registered guild member.
3… 2… 1…
A rush of wind surged around us, and then, in an instant, the world dissolved into light.
We rematerialized inside the Twilight Drake Guild's teleportation chamber. It was a massive, rune-inscribed room buzzing with energy. Several guild members were already assembled, all in their gear and weapons at the ready.
As I stepped forward, the air shifted.
Eyes turned toward me, cold, judging, hostile.
Whispers.
Tch. Why's he here?
The janitor's joining the raid? Must be a joke.
I clenched my fists, the weight of their scorn heavier than any blade. But the moment Mina appeared at my side, their demeanor shifted.
Like a switch flipped.
Suddenly, no one dared say a word aloud. They avoided my gaze and looked elsewhere. I hated that it took her presence to grant me that sliver of respect.
The mission brief was short.
After receiving instructions from the raid leader, a short man with a harsh tone and zero patience, we were teleported again, this time directly to the dungeon gate.
The entrance loomed before us, carved from jagged obsidian. Strange glyphs pulsed faintly on its surface, and a gust of stale, sulfuric wind blew out from within.
I glanced at the corner of my system interface.
Dungeon Analysis: D-Class
Estimated Beast Cores: 54
Dungeon Type: Cave – Corrosive Variant
Our raid team was a small strike group:
Me – F-Rank Collector
Mina – B-Rank Healer
Argon – C-Rank Tanker
Others were support mages and scouts, but the main trio was clear. Still, the rest of them barely acknowledged me.
And then we entered.
Inside, the dungeon was a twisted maze of narrow tunnels and acidic pools. Corrosive mist hung in the air, eating away at weaker armor over time. The first wave of goblins came fast, feral, and screeching.
Argon handled the frontlines with his reinforced tower shield. Mina stayed back, casting rapid healing spells and status cleanses. And me?
I stayed low, identifying cores, tagging threats, and collecting essence.
I wasn't a fighter, not yet. But even as an F-rank, I wasn't useless.
Still, I got injured.
A nearly dead goblin "limping, bleeding green" lunged from behind a stalagmite and slashed at me. I cried out, falling backward as pain exploded across my side.
Before the goblin could strike again, a radiant flash enveloped me.
Mina's healing light.
"Be more careful!" she shouted from behind, eyes narrowed in worry.
I gave a weak thumbs up. None of the others would've helped me. If not for her… I might've died.
Elsewhere…
A dark room. Walls pulsing with otherworldly symbols. A cloaked figure stood alone, facing a floating orb that projected moving images.
Within it: me.
"Haruki Enrai…" the figure muttered. "I gave you an F-rank for a reason. Locked your potential. Your father's hunger for power cursed us all."
His voice was venom, each word heavy with history.
"No guild should ever have accepted you… Yet here you are. I will stand against those twin systems. No matter what they turn you into…"
Back to Haruki…
We completed the raid without further issues. It was a full sweep. Thanks to Mina's support and Argon's brute force, we cleared the dungeon faster than projected.
And me?
I was oddly useful.
Despite my low rank, my analysis system let me catalog the entire dungeon faster than even the seasoned scouts. My Collector skill enabled me to retrieve nearly every core with perfect efficiency.
By the end of it, my system storage was overflowing.
[Collector's Bag: 87/90 Capacity]
Dungeon Core Crystals Retrieved: 51
Purity Rate: 97%
It felt… surreal.
That night, back at the apartment Mina gave me, I collapsed on the bed. It was soft and warm, nothing like the stiff mattress I used to sleep on.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling. The silence was comforting.
Opening my system interface, I checked my stats.
[Haruki Enrai – F Rank]
[Title: Novice Collector | Trainee Analyst]
[First Raid Rewards: 112 Gold Credits | Dungeon Merit: 43]
[System Anomaly: Storage Capacity Unlocked Beyond F-Rank Norms]
I blinked.