Victor's phone buzzed with an urgent notification. He dropped his weights and swiped the sweat from his forehead before pulling out his phone. Frowning as he read the details, they had a new assignment. There was a new dungeon, and the clock was already ticking. It had been open for hours already as the analyst teams had put together a workup on its power level and location, among other things.

  "Alright, people, we've got a live one," Victor announced, his deep voice cutting through the grunts and clanks that filled the weight room. He and his team spent time here almost every day. It was good for them to both mentally and to help keep tabs on the mile markers for their physical limitations, since those goalposts could change frequently for Rankers. "Mid-twenties level dungeon, according to initial scans. Should be routine, but let's not get complacent."

  Various calls of assent and nods came back from his team as they racked their weights and began filing out of the room. As a group, they headed for their barracks where their gear was stored. Victor's eyes narrowed, glued to his phone as they made their way through the halls, catching something odd in the report. He dialled the analyst, waiting impatiently as the phone rang.

  "Marks, go," came the voice on the other end. Evidently, they were busy. Marks sounded a little more short and distracted than usual.

  "Victor. I'm looking at the dungeon report, and some of these readings don't add up."

  There was a pause, followed by the rapid fire clicking of fingers flying over a keyboard. "Ah, yes, I see what you mean. The mana fluctuations are... unusual for a dungeon of this projected level."

  Victor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unusual how? We need specifics here."

  "Not sure. A moment." Victor paused outside the barracks door, waiting for Marks. It always paid to just let the man do his thing. He wasn't always the most personable or patient, but he was one of the best at what he did. Which was to figure out what the hell was going on with any weird magic or dungeons the Banner needed to look into. Leon Marks had a reputation, a well-deserved one; his people skills were inversely proportional to his skills as an analyst.

  "We're seeing some unusual spiking, as if the mana levels in the dungeon are rising and falling. Normally, the mana levels are much more stable in a dungeon like this. Not sure what's going on in there, but the lows we're seeing are as low as level 15, while the highs are only up to level 30." Marks' voice came back over the phone. Victor could picture the rail thin man poring over his terminal screen, one hand holding the phone while the other flew over the keys with a speed that would make professional typists envious. Eventually, Marks let out a sigh on the other end of the line, "I'm not seeing anything that sends up a red flag for me here; it's not like dimensional incursion phenomena are known for their stability." The man chuckled. "Shouldn't be much of an issue for your team here, Victor. If it leans more towards the high end, then it might be a bit of a struggle, but it should still be within the capabilities of your team."

  Victors sighed. A level 30 dungeon could get a bit rough, but it wasn't outside their reach. They'd have to hope it was more towards the middle or low end of the range Marks was describing.

  "Alright, just wanted confirmation, there was an odd note in the assignment report. Thanks, Marks."

  "No problem, go crush some mobs, Victor."

  "Yeah, Marks, we got this."

  ——-

  "Problems, Boss?" Victor looked up from his phone as he entered the barracks to find Matt watching him.

  "Always problems, Matt, just some weird fluctuations from the dungeon. Marks says it's not worth worrying about." Victor shrugged as he headed for his own locker across the room from Matt's.

  "Amen to that, Boss." Matt let the matter drop and returned to his own prep. Victor let out another sigh. There was something not right with this dungeon; he could feel it in his gut, and he'd learned a long time ago to listen to what his gut said. Unfortunately, he also had a job to do, and charging headlong into the fire was part of his job.

  Victor methodically donned his gear; once upon a time, he would have been more comfortable in a plate carrier and fatigues. Thanks to hours of use and practice, the half plate and accompaniments felt just as comfortable as anything else he'd worn. As he secured his gear, he caught sight of his reflection in the locker mirror. The face that stared back was etched with lines of experience, eyes hard with determination. He'd led his team through countless dungeons, but something about this one set his nerves on edge.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Alright, team, listen up," Victor called out, his voice carrying authority across the barracks. "We've got a mid-twenties dungeon with some unusual mana fluctuations. The analysts are saying it could turn out to be as low as 15 or as high as 30. Could be nothing, could be trouble. Stay sharp, stick to protocol, and watch each other's backs."

  The team gathered around, their faces a mix of focus and anticipation. Victor met each of their gazes in turn, seeing the trust reflected there. They'd been through hell together, more than once, and come out the other side stronger for it. They weren't the same team they'd been even a few short months ago; either they'd all seen more progress since the assessment. This was most prominent in Matt and Dave, who had both picked up a handful of levels and were now hovering around the level 22 mark. Meanwhile, Sophia and Alex had moved up to 24 and 23, respectively. Even Victor had seen some progress climbing up to level 27, though he was entering the slowdown. It was well known that most Rankers slowed down near level 30, as they suffered from a lack of available experience unless they wanted to crush dungeon after dungeon of lower-level monsters. Eventually, that strategy failed as well, as it simply became too time-consuming.

  "Gear check," he ordered, watching as his squad ran through their equipment with practiced efficiency. Weapons, gear, med kits, mana boosters - everything accounted for and secured. No ammo, as much as Victor and others would love to bring automatic rifles into a dungeon and lay waste to the monsters that way, the bullets would just bounce off most monsters that weren't pitifully weak to begin with.

  As they filed out of the barracks, Victor felt that nagging doubt resurface. He pushed it down. They were as prepared as they could be. There was little else they could do as of this moment to assuage his worries. Well, there was one thing they could do. "Detour," Victor announced, "we're going to pick up a techie drone before we go."

  "Aww, boss, we don't need an SOS or Marks staring at Soph's ass the whole time again," Matt complained. He, of all of them, was the most eager to get into the dungeons. Though he'd never admit it to anyone. Ever since the assessment and his less than stellar performance against Aiden, he'd been more eager. Much more. Victor kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't go too far or get in over his head. Victor smirked and shook his head without turning to look as he heard the sound of flesh striking bone. Matt getting cuffed upside the head by Sophia was not an uncommon occurrence. Secretly, they all appreciated the moments of levity Matt brought to the team, even if he was a bit of a doofus at times.

  "You're nervous about this one, Vic." Victor glanced over at Alex, who had fallen in step beside him. The solidly built man's expression was calm as always, but his eyes held a questioning look. Victor nodded slightly, appreciating Dave's perceptiveness.

  "Just a feeling," Victor replied quietly. "Better safe than sorry."

  Alex grunted in agreement, his hand unconsciously checking his weapon. "I trust your instincts, boss. If you think we need extra eyes, we'll get 'em." Victor nodded at that. Alex had always been the stoic one of their crew; he took everything as it came and didn't panic or get bent out of shape by much of anything. Perhaps that calm confidence was born of spending so much time on the front lines of battle, protecting the others. You couldn't afford to panic when others depended on you to keep it together. Victor had certainly felt the shaping that came from such formative experiences when he'd been younger. They'd made him into the man he had become, even if it had required a few scrapes and bruises to get there.

  They made their way to the tech bay, where a handful of drones sat ready for deployment. Victor approached one of the technicians, a lanky youth with thick-rimmed glasses.

  "We need a scout drone for our run," Victor stated, getting straight to the point. "Something with good range and imaging needs to be capable of transmitting out of the dungeon."

  The tech nodded, already moving towards a sleek, black drone. "Got just the thing. This baby's got miles of range and can pick up heat signatures through most barriers. Got a built in mana meter too if you need some spot readings. You want me to patch the feed directly to the database?”

  "Please," Victor confirmed. Fortunately, getting the gear they wanted for a mission was easy with the Banner. Request made, request filled. Usually on the spot. Nothing like the few years he'd spent in military service, where he would have needed two beers, a thousand dollars and a blowjob just to get a paperclip. Let alone a new ass after his got chewed out for making a request outside of regs. As the tech made the necessary adjustments, Victor turned to his team. "This is just a precaution. We go in as usual, but now we'll have an extra layer of security knowing that if we need back up, it's just a call away." Transmitting in and out of a dungeon wasn't easy; no normal cellphone or even a sat phone would do it. Thankfully, the Banner had a specialized drone that carried enough specialized hardware to manage it.

  The team nodded in understanding, their expressions a mix of determination and focus. Victor hefted the drone off the desk after the Tech set it down for him, its sleek form surprisingly light in his grip. The team made their way to the motor pool, where they would grab an SUV they could use to get to the site. Thankfully, the Banner provided for all their needs both in mission and on the way to and from. He couldn't imagine the nightmare it would be if teams were responsible for all their own logistics. He couldn't shake the feeling that this precaution might prove more necessary than he'd like.

  The ride to the dungeon was tense, each team member lost in their own thoughts and preparations. Victor ran through mental checklists, strategies, and contingencies. It was a habit that had sustained him for years, staving off the mind demons that preyed on doubt and worry with thoughts of preparation and strategy.

  As they approached the site, Victor activated the drone, its quiet hum barely audible over the sound of the transport. He guided it out the window, watching as it zipped ahead, its sensors already gathering data on the dungeon site.

  "Alright, team, final check," Victor called out as the transport slowed. "Comms?"

  "Check," came the chorus of replies.

  "Weapons?"

  "Check."

  "Mana reserves?"

  "Full and ready," Sophia confirmed, her eyes glowing faintly with stored magical energy.

  Alex brought the vehicle to a gentle stop, and the team climbed out. Victor was glued to the tablet that the drone was connected to; the readings it was sending back matched what the analysts had found. The same odd fluctuations and spikes in mana density. The high-tech drone, with all its sensors mundane and more magical in nature, could find nothing to explain the sense of unease that was festering deep in Victor's gut. That feeling was worse now that he was physically present near the dungeon entrance. The mana that emanated from the dungeon felt wrong, deeply wrong. He grit his teeth for a moment and considered calling for a retreat, letting the banner call in a higher-level team to take this thing on.

  The problem was they were spread thin right now, and everyone knew it. They'd have to call a team back from up north for this. That wasn't an acceptable outcome; the situation up there was 'not good' to put it mildly.

  Victor let out a sigh, one problem at a time.