Yuki walked through the crowded streets as Vonn's threats replayed in her mind on an endless loop. She looked almost like a zombie, mindlessly pushing through the sea of people around her. She barely noticed the shoulders she bumped into, the shouting vendors, or the distant blare of traffic.
"Yuki," Owen's voice cut through her thoughts telepathically. "We're being followed."
She blinked, snapping out of her daze. "Huh?"
Perched on her shoulder, Owen shifted slightly. His golden eyes scanned the crowd behind them.
"Someone's tailing us. About thirty meters back. They've been following since we left the apartment."
Yuki's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to keep walking at a steady pace. She resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder.
"Are you sure?"
"Completely. I can tell with my [Mana Sense]," Owen replied, his tail flicking with agitation. "Actually… there's more than one. I count three distinct signatures. They've kept the same distance ever since we stepped out of Hunter HQ."
Yuki's chest tightened as her thoughts raced.
The Dark Reapers?
Had Vonn already sent people to watch her?
Or worse… were they here to force her hand before the three days were up?
She finally risked a glance backward, pretending to check a shop window so it looked casual. The crowd was thick, faces blending together so completely that she couldn't pick out anyone suspicious.
"They're staying just outside direct line of sight," Owen said. "I'm sensing mana fluctuations too. Could be some kind of cloaking skill."
"What do we do?" Yuki whispered, panic creeping into her voice.
Owen's golden eyes blazed as he bared his fangs.
"Want me to chase them down? I can—!"
"No!" Yuki interrupted quickly.
She took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. Her mind was already fragile from Vonn's visit, the encounter dragging old trauma back to the surface. She couldn't handle another confrontation right now.
"Maybe…" she said, more to convince herself than Owen. "Maybe they're just reporters? I mean… I'm pretty famous now, right? It could just be paparazzi."
Owen stared at her, utterly stupefied by her desperate attempt at self-deception.
"Yuki, those are definitely not reporters, and you know it. I don't understand why you—!"
"Let's just get to the dungeon," Yuki cut him off softly. "Please, Owen. I just… I need to focus on leveling up right now. That's all I can handle."
Owen wanted to argue, but through their bond he could feel her emotional state.
Fragile.
Overwhelmed.
Barely holding herself together.
He sighed, a small puff of steam escaping his nostrils.
"Fine…"
---
The B-Rank dungeon gate stood in the Eastern District: a swirling vortex of purple energy contained within a massive stone archway. Hunter Association barriers surrounded the area while groups of hunters gathered nearby, checking equipment and forming parties.
Yuki had applied to an open party through the network the previous night. Anything to gain more experience. To level up faster. To find some way out of the nightmare Vonn had trapped her in.
As she approached the gate, an excited voice suddenly called out.
"Oh my goodness! Is that her?!"
Yuki turned to see a young woman striding toward her.
She was stunning, seemingly in her early twenties, with long silver hair flowing past her shoulders and piercing violet eyes. Expensive black hunter gear wrapped around her figure, decorated with elegant silver patterns.
Behind her stood Alfred, the butler who had visited Yuki's apartment alongside the vice guild masters a few days earlier.
Odessa Wayne.
The other famous "Dragon" tamer.
"You're Yuki Goldberg!" Odessa beamed as she closed the distance between them. "Alfred told me about you, but I didn't think I'd run into you this soon! What are the odds?"
Yuki stammered, caught off guard by the woman's overwhelming enthusiasm.
"I… uh… Ms. Wayne, I—"
"Please, call me Odessa!" the young woman said with a dismissive wave.
Then her violet eyes locked onto Owen, still perched on Yuki's shoulder.
Her entire expression lit up with pure delight.
"And THIS must be your dragon!"
Before Owen could react, Odessa scooped him right off Yuki's shoulder and pulled him tightly against her chest, burying his face directly between her breasts.
"Oh my GOD, you're soooo CUTE!" Odessa squealed. "Look at these tiny horns! And your scales are so smooth! So shiny! Aww, I could just eat you up!"
Owen's initial protest died instantly as he was thoroughly smothered by softness.
'This… this is acceptable,' he thought blissfully. 'Very acceptable.'
"Ms. Wayne," Alfred coughed pointedly. "Decorum."
Odessa laughed before reluctantly pulling Owen away from her chest.
"Oh, Alfred, you're such a killjoy."
She handed Owen back to Yuki with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry! I just couldn't help myself. Dragons are my weakness."
Yuki took Owen back, her face burning with embarrassment. Owen settled onto her shoulders again, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Pervert…" Yuki muttered under her breath.
"I regret nothing," Owen replied telepathically.
Alfred stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you properly, Ms. Goldberg. Madame Odessa has been eager to meet a fellow dragon tamer of comparable caliber."
"The rest of the party has already assembled and is ready for exploration, Madam," Alfred continued, gesturing toward the gate where three other hunters waited.
Odessa clapped her hands together excitedly.
"Perfect timing! Yuki, you applied to my party, didn't you? This is fate! We're going to have so much fun together!"
Yuki blinked.
"Wait… your party?"
"Yup! It's my little club of dragon tamers! And today we're doing a full sweep of this B-Rank field dungeon."
Her grin widened mischievously.
Before Yuki could properly process what was happening, Odessa grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the gate.
"Come on, let's head in!"
The dungeon gate glowed as the party passed through. The world twisted and reformed into a vast open landscape.
Rolling hills stretched endlessly into the distance, dotted with clusters of trees and jagged rocks. Above them hung an unnatural crimson sky that bathed everything in a blood-red hue.
A field-type dungeon.
Odessa stretched her arms over her head, inhaling deeply.
"Ahhh, I love field dungeons! So much room to move around!"
Her dragon materialized beside her from its beast space.
It was a sleek green serpentine creature with crystalline scales that shimmered beautifully beneath the red light as it hovered in the air.
Yuki stared.
Odessa's dragon was massive compared to Owen, easily fifteen feet long, radiating an aura of refined power.
Owen puffed out his chest defensively.
"Hmph! I'll be bigger when I evolve into my adult form!" he grumbled.
---
Outside the dungeon gate, the purple vortex continued swirling silently.
A group of six figures emerged from the shadows, each dressed in dark hooded robes. White skull-patterned masks concealed their faces completely.
The Hunter Association agent stationed at the gate stepped forward nervously.
"Excuse me, you're not on the approved list for this dungeon. You'll need to—"
One of the hooded figures reached into their robe and tossed a thick envelope at him without a word.
The agent caught it, opened it, and froze.
Credits.
Enough to retire comfortably.
His throat bobbed nervously as he looked between the money and the masked figures.
"I… I suppose there must've been some kind of error with the application process…" he muttered while slowly stepping aside.
The hooded figures said nothing.
One by one, they walked past him and disappeared into the dungeon gate.