Chapter 2: The SSS-Rank "Gold Mine"
Bang, bang, bang!
"Luna!"
Bang, bang.
"Luna! Are you in there?"
"Yessss! Now stop denting my door, Vince!" Luna's voice cracked with sleep-deprived irritation.
Luna rubbed her bleary eyes, strolling over in her nightgown to swing the door open. Standing there was her friend, Vince. The brown-haired young man wore a soft, warm smile that was far too energetic for this hour of the morning.
Luna looked him up and down. He was fully geared for a trek: a heavy, tan tactical jacket, black hand wraps that extended up his forearms, and dark brown rugged pants. His combat boots were laced tight over thick soles meant for rough terrain.
"You going somewhere?" Luna asked, swaying slightly as she tried not to fall asleep standing up.
"Yeah. I found a Labyrinth while I was out exploring," Vince replied, his eyes gleaming. "Since you're always looking to upgrade your equipment, I thought we should hit it before the crowds discover it."
Luna stared at him for a long beat, then sighed. "Meh, why not? I don't have anything better to do. Let me grab my gear and change. I'll meet you at the Eastern Gate, okay?"
"Got it! See you there!" Vince waved excitedly and ran off.
Vince arrived at the Eastern Gate early, his backpack bulging with camping supplies, tools, and rations. He checked his weapons for a second time, ensuring every blade was sharp and every strap was secure. In the world of dungeon-crawling, being the first into a Labyrinth was the key to rapid leveling.
He stared into the distance with a dreamer's grin. This was it—his chance to finally become a swordsman of renown, a true warrior of legend.
"What are you daydreaming about?" a quiet voice asked, slicing through the air.
Vince jumped, nearly yelping. "Luna! You're here already?"
"Yeah... now let's move," she said, her voice still carrying that "I-need-coffee" edge of annoyance.
"Right! This way!"
As they trekked through the outskirts, Vince tried to break the silence. "So... Luna, what do you think we're going to find inside?"
"What do you mean? Isn't it just a standard crawl?"
"Quite the opposite," Vince said proudly. "It's an SSS-Rank Labyrinth."
Luna stopped dead in her tracks, whirling on him. "What? SSS-Rank? Vince, those are usually filled with A-Rank monsters at Level 1! We'll be killed!"
"Normally, yeah," Vince replied, unfazed. "But this one is a gold mine. It only has two floors: Floor Zero and Floor One. It's a Beast Tamer's dream—all the prestige of an SSS-Rank zone, but with monsters we can actually handle."
"We won't get much EXP from Level 0s," Luna noted, her interest piqued despite herself. "Are we hunting for an Evolution Mana Stone vein, then?"
"Exactly. We kill a few monsters for materials, mine some stones, sell the surplus, and we're set for life."
They reached the massive, vine-choked entrance of the Labyrinth. Vince approached the heavy stone seal, his hands working a series of complex tumblers.
Click. Click. Clack.
"Done," he breathed, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as the doors groaned open.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Well done, boy. Very well done."
A man stepped out from the shadows of the tree line. He was clad in weathered leather armor and brandished a long steel blade. Behind him, eight more men emerged, all fully armed and looking dangerous.
Vince's heart hammered against his ribs. He instinctively reached for his sword.
"No, no, don't do that," the leader warned, his voice cold. "You'll only regret it."
"Tsk," Vince spat, his eyes darting between the mercenaries. "What do you want? Slavers?"
"That we are," the leader said, gesturing toward Luna. "Hand over the woman and we'll let you go."
"You disgusting bastards!" Vince snarled, stepping in front of Luna. "You think I'm just going to hand her over to a pack of sick freaks like you? She's a person, not an item for you to use!"
The leader blinked, looking genuinely offended. "The hell are you talking about? We aren't sex traffickers. We don't do that 'sick' shit."
Vince froze, his heroic speech dying in his throat. "Huh?"
"I mean, don't get me wrong," the leader continued, shrugging casually. "She's hot as hell—look at the size of those tits and how thick she is, she's quite the woman, but we want her for physical labor. We might be evil, kid, but we aren't monsters."
Luna looked back and forth between them, utterly bewildered. "So... you don't do sex trafficking?"
"No, no! We need you because you have the build to handle raw mana stones. They're heavy, and you look like you've got the stamina for the mines," the leader explained cheerfully. Then, his expression snapped into a deadly, sharp glare. "Now, drop the weapons and get on your bellies, or we'll kill you both right here."
"Cool, coool," Luna said, sounding both annoyed and completely unbothered. "Does this job come with benefits?"
"What? Why are you asking that?" Vince shouted.
"Benefits? Like perks of the job?" the leader asked.
"Yeah."
"Hmm, let's see... you get food and shelter. You get breaks every four hours. So, yeah," the leader said.
"Sounds good enough for me," Luna said.
Vince's face was a mask of sheer bewilderment and shock. "Why would you surrender?!"
"If it wasn't for you, I would be home sleeping, Vince," Luna said, clearly over the situation. "Now man up and surrender before they kill you."
Shaking his head in disappointment, Vince dropped his weapons and surrendered.
"Good. Now, Seven," the leader said, "go put a collar on the girl. I don't want her escaping."
"What about the guy, sir?" Seven asked.
The leader looked at Vince and a loud tsk rang out. "Put him in cuffs and call it a day. We have a camp to set up. Four, Five, Six—watch the two of them with Seven. The others come with me; we have to bring the other workers. It's time to get rich."