Ch 6 - Lure

Everyone's expressions stiffened as the System warning floated before the Rift. The System almost never revealed itself to ordinary people. When it did, disaster was usually close behind.

"An entry limit?" the captain muttered.

"Has this ever happened before?"

"No way."

"Only one more person can enter?"

Reid's brows furrowed. This was going from bad to worse. Clearing a dungeon safely required a team. It minimized the risk of death or severe injury. A B-rank Rift needed at least three B-rank Awakeners and two C-rank Awakeners. But with an entry limit now in play, that meant two things. First, this was definitely an irregular dungeon. Second, they would need an A-rank Awakener at minimum, if not S-rank, to clear it.

"…What should we do, sir?" the officer next to Reid asked.

Reid pulled out his phone and called the only person he could think of. The line rang several times before someone picked up.

"Reid?" Her voice carried a note of surprise.

"I need your help."

***

The three students followed Harlan as he led them to an open clearing. They sat a short distance away from the trees, and Harlan pulled out several protein bars, offering them to the kids. Evan opened the packaging and took a tentative bite. The bar was dense and compact, like compressed grains and nuts. It had a mildly savory flavor with a faint hint of sweetness that rounded out the aftertaste.

"How were you after you got dumped here, Marcus?" Yuyan asked as she bit into her food.

"More lucky than you two, I guess," Marcus said, eyeing Evan and Yuyan's miserable appearances. "I didn't encounter any wolves and knew better than to mess with the trees. I met Mister Harlan soon afterward. We did get into a fight with a wolf later, but Mister Harlan handled it very easily!"

"Ahahaha, no need to butter me up," Harlan said. "Those Six-Eyed Wolves are only a problem when there’s a pack of them. Lone stragglers are easy to handle since they’re pretty slow."

"Evan killed one too!" Yuyan said. "Stabbed it straight through its maw and into its brain." She mimicked the stabbing motion using her protein bar. "The wolf then went argh, argh and died."

"You sure talk a lot for someone who didn’t do the killing," Evan said.

"Hey, I’m praising you here!"

"And you also got me into life-and-death situations," Evan replied. He still hadn't gotten over how Yuyan had dragged him into that fight with the monster.

"Here I was thinking about giving you a gift for saving me," Yuyan said, crossing her arms. "Now you can expect no gift!"

Evan rolled his eyes and took another bite. The four passed the time in idle conversation while Harlan kept watch for any signs of danger. Evan's bad luck seemed to show him a little mercy, as they encountered no further trouble during that hour. The hands of Harlan's wristwatch continued to tick forward, and before long, an hour had passed.

"Time's up," Harlan said.

Harlan reached into a pouch and pulled out a signal flare. The red cylinder was only slightly larger than a marker pen, small enough to fit in one hand. He twisted the cap and pointed it skyward. A brilliant red streak shot upward with a hiss.

Fwoosh!

The flare soared high above the clearing, trailing sparks before bursting into a blazing crimson star.

"There," Harlan said, lowering the launcher. "If a rescue team is nearby, they should spot that."

The four of them stayed put, keeping their eyes on the sky and hoping to see a rescue flare in response. None came.

"Do you think we should give it a little more time?" Yuyan asked.

Harlan ran a hand through his bushy beard.

"I think we may have to consider the possibility that this is an irregular dungeon," Evan said.

"Don't joke around!" Yuyan hissed, slapping him on the arm.

"I’m not joking," Evan said, rubbing the sore spot while wondering how the heck she could hit that hard and still act like a damsel in distress. "If it isn't, then why haven't we seen any sign of rescue? This place is basically an open field, but we haven't seen a single rescue flare."

"Maybe there's some kind of issue outside," Marcus suggested.

"What issue?" Evan shot back. "I think we should start considering the possibility that nobody is coming to rescue us."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yuyan asked.

"We clear the dungeon."

"You’re crazy!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Did you hit your head?" Yuyan added.

Evan ignored both of them and kept his gaze on Harlan. As the only Awakener and the only adult present, Harlan's opinion mattered most. He didn't need to convince Marcus and Yuyan if he could convince Harlan.

"As an official Awakener, you should be more aware of our situation than anyone."

Harlan sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll admit that what young Evan said has some merit. It is indeed strange that there hasn't been any sign of rescuers when this is supposedly a B-rank Rift so close to the Barrier. However, I also don't think it's safe for us to attempt clearing the dungeon. I'm only a C-rank Awakener, and this dungeon could very well be B-rank. I can't, in good conscience, bring three civilians along."

"Then let's not clear it for now," Evan said. "I still don't think rescuers are coming, but since you don't want to push forward, we can compromise. First, we'll locate the boss. If my worst fears turn out to be true, we'll already know where it is and can move in immediately. If I'm wrong, we can stay there until the rescuers arrive."

"That’s still dangerous," Yuyan argued.

"Why are you so insistent on clearing the Rift?" Marcus asked.

"...It's just a hunch, but I think we're on a timer." Evan glanced at the floating System window.

[Time Limit: 22:51:38]

"You think the Rift is going to collapse soon?" Harlan asked.

Evan nodded.

"That's just your paranoia talking," Yuyan said. "This is what happens when your older brother coddles you too much. You're so used to him looking out for you that the moment he's not around, you start expecting the worst."

"I’m not!" Evan ran a hand through his hair.

Damn it. These three definitely weren't going to move anytime soon. It wasn't like he didn't understand their reasoning. Who in their right mind would willingly challenge a dungeon with one C-rank Awakener and three pieces of baggage? In Harlan's eyes, their safety came first. Unless they waited much longer and still saw no sign of rescuers, they wouldn't budge.

The problem was how long that would take. Evan didn't trust the System not to pull the rug out from under him just for fun. He had to find a way to convince the others it was wiser to act on their own. But what could possibly persuade them to take such a risk? If only there were some sign that his fear of the Rift collapsing prematurely was justified.

As if responding to his thoughts, a distant rumble echoed across the horizon.

KRRRRR...

Everyone's gaze shot toward the unexpected sound. A strange crack had appeared in the sky, like a hairline fracture across a mirror. It was barely visible, almost imperceptible, but unmistakably there.

"Oh shit," Marcus muttered, covering his mouth.

[The Curse of ■■■■■■ stirs.]
[Time Limit: 04:47:16]

[(≧▽≦)b]

Evan's mouth twitched into an incredulous smile. This… this was definitely the System's doing, wasn't it? It had heard him complaining about not being able to convince the others and decided to lend a hand. In exchange, it hastened the collapse of the Rift and slashed over eighteen hours off his timer.

What kind of bullshit trade was that? This was like making a deal with the devil! Evan refused. He didn't need its help. He would have preferred holding out a few more hours and convincing the others himself. Unfortunately, the System seemed uninterested in his objections. The countdown continued ticking away.

Slap!

Yuyan smacked him on the arm again. "You and your crow's mouth!"

"It's not my fault!" Evan protested, though he wasn't nearly as indignant as he normally would have been. Because, technically... it kind of was.

"What should we do now?" Marcus asked, turning to Harlan, whose face had gone pale.

"...We need to move," Harlan said. "I've changed my mind. I agree with young Evan's assessment. While I still hold hope that a rescue team will arrive, we need to make preparations of our own." His gaze sharpened. "We need to track down the boss."

With the fear of the Rift collapsing around them, the group set off in search of the boss arena. If this dungeon had been one of those enclosed tunnels or buildings, they could have simply followed the path to the end. Instead, the Rift contained a vast open wilderness, leaving them uncertain of where to go.

In a shocking display of agility, Harlan leaped up a tall tree, using the branches as springboards. He was careful not to break any, but he still told the three students to keep their distance in case he misjudged his strength. Once he reached the top, he scanned the surroundings before jumping back down.

"I found a possible location for the boss," Harlan said. "There was a giant tree standing above everything else in the distance."

With a destination in mind, the four of them headed off, Harlan taking the lead. They encountered several stray wolves along the way, but Harlan dispatched them all with ease.

When they arrived, they found a wide clearing with an enormous tree at its center. Unlike the smaller ones around it, this one shimmered with vibrant colors beneath its bark, as though a rainbow had been trapped inside. Its leaves danced constantly, almost inviting them closer.

"That thing looks huge..." Yuyan muttered.

Evan narrowed his eyes and tried to estimate its height. It stood roughly twice as tall as the surrounding growth, nearly a hundred feet high. The boss living inside probably wasn't as large as the tree itself, but it would still dwarf the pixies they had encountered earlier.

"Fighting it head-on is impossible," Harlan said. "We'll need a proper team to bring it down."

KRRRRR...

The sky rumbled once more, as if warning them that they didn't have much time left.

"Do we really have to be the ones who fight it?" Evan asked.

Marcus's eyes brightened. "Are you suggesting we use the Six-Eyed Wolves to our advantage? That could work! Those wolves love hunting pixies. That's why they spend most of their time hiding inside their trees!"

Evan nodded, pretending that had been his intention all along. In reality, he had no idea what a Six-Eyed Wolf was beyond the fact that it looked vaguely wolf-like. Damn the System for refusing to give him the original Evan's memories. If he survived this damned Rift, the first thing he was doing afterward was locking himself in a library and memorizing every monster record available. He was not getting caught this clueless again.

"We'll need to find their nest and draw them out," Yuyan said, tapping the side of her temple as she closed her eyes. "I think I remember a concoction that can be used as a lure, but we'll need a lot of materials if we want to attract an entire pack. And then we'll need someone to act as bait..."

"I'll do it," Harlan said. "I've dealt with them before, and I know I can outrun them. I'll search for their nest. Meanwhile, you three—"

"We'll gather the materials for the lure!" Marcus declared, clenching his fist.

Evan gave a slow clap at their display of teamwork. The whole thing almost reminded him of one of those children's shows where everyone worked together to solve a problem. It would have been heartwarming if not for the threat of imminent death hanging over them.

While Harlan left to search for the Six-Eyed Wolf nest, Yuyan described the materials they needed for the lure.

"The first ingredient is Bloodroot Moss," she said. "It grows on the shaded side of old trees. The moss is dark red and smells faintly of raw meat when crushed. The second is Mooncap Fungus. It's pale blue and grows beneath fallen logs."

Since Harlan didn't feel safe leaving them defenseless, he had given each of them a short knife that could be used as a last-resort weapon in an emergency, though he still strongly recommended avoiding any fights whenever possible.

Yuyan insisted on tagging along with Evan. One look at her tense posture and the way she kept glancing toward the woods told him enough. She was still worried about running into another wolf on her own. Evan almost pointed out that sticking with him was probably an even worse idea. Out of everyone here, his luck was by far the worst. He was cursed by some higher being, and trouble chased after him. Not that he could explain any of that.

Gathering the ingredients took them around an hour, and by then even more cracks had begun spreading across the sky. Marcus hurriedly built a fire. Using the small pot Harlan had left behind, Yuyan began preparing the lure.

Evan stood off to the side as she sliced the Mooncap Fungus into thin pieces atop a flat rock before crushing the Bloodroot Moss into a thick paste with the flat of her blade. She added a small splash of water, then worked the two ingredients together. On their own, neither gave off much of a scent, but as the mixture warmed over the fire, a sharp, pungent odor gradually spread through the air.

"Are you sure no wolves are going to wander over because of this?" Evan asked, tightening his grip on his knife.

"You think I don't know that? That's why I'm rushing," Yuyan muttered. "Marcus, get the bag ready!"

Marcus crouched beside her and laid out several broad fallen leaves that had been fashioned into a makeshift pouch using the hair ribbon Yuyan had been wearing. She dumped the entire mixture into the pouch, and Marcus quickly tied it shut as tightly as possible.

"There, that should do it," Marcus said. "When Harlan goes to lure the wolves, he can light a small fire and loosen the knot so more of the scent escapes."

With the lure ready, the three students sat in tense silence for Harlan's return.

Ssrk!

The rustle of leaves came from the forest. All three turned toward the sound, expecting Harlan to emerge. Instead, a Six-Eyed Wolf stepped into the clearing, all six eyes locked on them.

A/N:

Oh no! The kids are in trouble, and Harlan is nowhere around! On the bright side, they're not completely defenseless anymore, so maybe everything will turn out fine... right?

The three students: Where’s Harlan?

Six-Eyed Wolf: Bonjour.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a comment!

Want to read more? Become a patron for just $5/month and read 10 chapters ahead!