Howling Chasm was categorized as a D-rank dungeon located at the edge of Norin Canyon, roughly sixty kilometers from the capital, Fiona.

Unlike Whiteleaf Forest, it wasn’t owned by the Elite Hunter Academy but was managed by the government of Arden. Hence, without a clearance token, no one, not even a student of the number one academy, could enter.

In fact, Norin Canyon didn’t only have a D-rank dungeon, but multiple dungeons of D, C, B, and even A-rank scattered around.

Because of the weak spatial stability, the appearance of a new dungeon every once in a while wasn’t so unusual either.

That’s why the country of Arden invested a lot of resources to build a huge city right above the canyon, housing various guilds and hunters.

City of Solmere!

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[Artifact: Solmere, the Anchored Sky Citadel]

[Type: Aerial Citadel]

[Rank: S-Rank]

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’Really, they invested a lot.’

Soren thought in wonder, his eyes focused on the huge city below, floating above the massive canyon literally.

From this height, the city looked unreal, its towers rising upward while its foundations clung to nothing at all. To be honest, looking at it in the game and in real life was a completely different experience.

"Whoa... S-Soren, is that city floating?"

Not only Soren, but also Syliva, Aria, and Evan were the same; they looked at the massive city from the Sky Crane in surprise.

"Yeah, it is an S-rank artifact they got from the dungeon raid. But its size might have been enhanced later on with the help of a craftsman."

Soren nodded with a smile and pointed at the massive opening right outside the city gate.

"Okay, Syliva, land Ivory there. We are now entering the city. We need to get permission before entering the D-rank dungeon."

Now that he thought about it, it was good luck that they had a Sky Crane. Otherwise, they would have had to pay a hefty sum just to get teleported into the city.

*Swoosh!*

As Sylvia nodded, she ordered Ivory to land near the landing docks.

They weren’t the only ones with flying beasts, as many similar creatures circled the area, carrying hunters, most of them above E-rank.

They weren’t even given a glance.

"Let’s go inside!"

Once Sylvia stored Ivory in her beast ring that Soren bought for her, they entered the city by showing their academy IDs.

To be honest, maybe because of the city’s look and structure, Soren felt like he had stepped into a medieval era.

Soren didn’t wander much, though, and led them straight to a large building right at the center of the city.

Dungeon Management Bureau!

A department that managed all dungeons under the government and oversaw clearance rights and related operations.

Just because the government owned a dungeon didn’t mean they could bar anyone from entering. Rather, they facilitated and organized entry for hunters.

"Okay, your request has been approved. Take this and head to teleportation gate B023 for entry. Remember, you can only enter the dungeon once, and you mightn’t be alone. It is best if your team has a return token."

True to its name, it didn’t take long for Soren to get approval with the D-rank clearance token he got from Darius.

Maybe the receptionist recognized that they came from the Elite Hunter Academy; she even gave a warning at the end.

The return token was the item that allowed a team to exit a dungeon even if they were unable to conquer it.

"Thank you."

Soren thanked the receptionist and took the token before leaving the building. As for her warning, he didn’t care much as his team was anything but normal.

He alone was strong enough to let his team survive. Not to mention, his team wasn’t a soft persimmon either.

In fact, they seemed to have a similar thought, as no one even opposed or questioned him all the way.

In no time, they were already standing in front of the massive portal similar to the one they saw in the academy.

Looking around, it seemed their team was alone. But considering the gazes Soren felt around the city, he knew that someone would probably join them later on.

’Darius? Or maybe Kairon?’

Soren didn’t know, or rather didn’t care. He was already suffocating from being stuck at level 49 and didn’t want to waste time anymore.

If someone came for him, he would just obliterate them with his arrow.

"Okay, Evan and Elara, you two go inside first and secure the area. We will then enter one by one. Be careful."

As the time for the dungeon hunt came, Soren gave an order to his teammates.

As for Frost, he left him at the academy because he couldn’t enter a D-rank dungeon with him. A D-rank dungeon wouldn’t allow a being higher than level 50 to enter it normally.

Not to mention, Professor Kael seemed to have liked that guy recently, asking him to leave with him.

"Okay!"

Maybe because of the situation, nobody said anything, and Evan and Elara swiftly entered the portal ahead of them without a word.

Immediately after, Soren also entered the portal along with the remaining girl, all of them with weapons in hand and on full alert.

In an instant, the area fell silent for a long moment until...

*Swoosh!*

A figure suddenly materialized right in front of the portal, appearing out of nowhere. At first, it was only one, draped in a dark robe. Then two, then three, until five dark-robed figures stood in absolute silence.

Among them stood a tall, lean figure, its gaze sharp and vicious, radiating killing intent that seemed to seep from every inch of its body.

"You know our mission, right? We just have to kill a student named Soren Kingswell and return immediately."

The leader spoke, his dark eyes fixed on the portal.

"Remember, as per the order, it has to look like an accident. Don’t make any mistakes."

For them, this was the best opportunity to secure a strong connection with someone from the Paragon Guild. He didn’t want anything going wrong, especially with the Elite Hunter Academy involved.

So, only when everyone nodded did the leader finally step forward, disappearing into the portal with his team right behind him.