|D+ Kobold's Catacombs|

Cassius found his eyes leaving the rowdy pedestrians and instead honing in on the strapped-up Hunters chatting away with one another. Contrary to the matter of safety, they were speaking as if everything was already in the bag, with them only needing to claim all the rewards.

"The Kobold's Catacombs!" A young man with spiky, unorthodox hair primed his long spear as he pointed it at the large green Gate. "This is our third time entering this Gate, and it is sure to be a breeze to conquer, just like all the times before!"

"Haiz…" A robust, broad-shouldered man shook his head in exasperation. "It seems that Isaac is at it again. I keep telling him not to be so cocky. After all, anything unexpected could happen in a Gate, even in ones that have been cleared repeatedly."

"Haha!" A pirate-like woman cracked a laugh at the big man's misfortune. "You really shouldn't bother yourself so much with Isaac, Squad Leader. He will always be so spirited, and I highly doubt that will ever change, no matter how much you nag him about it!"

The Squad Leader heaved a tired sigh. "I fear that you are right, Jessica," he lamented. "But even if that is the case, I should still do my best to lead him onto a path that won't lead to his ruin."

Jessica chortled at his chivalry but still complied with a nod before rejoining the rest of her teammates in formation.

As one of the leading strike forces of the D-Rank Guild 'Hot Hawaiian Soup,' they had long since memorized the motions they should make before heading into another Gate.

The Squad Leader, John, nodded in approval at his squad's coordination and ability to follow instructions even without being explicitly directed.

Clearing his throat, he raised his voice enough to put his uplifting, husky tone on full display. "As you all are well aware, excluding the two newbies we have with us today, we have experienced this exact Gate before. So you should also know that the D-Rank Gate 'Kobold's Catacombs' needs to be cleared twice a day, and we just happen to have the second slot booked."

"The dangers of this Gate are plentiful, as there will be Low E-Rank monsters like regular Kobolds, Peak E-Rank monsters like Kobold Elites, and then all the way up to powerful D-Rank monsters like the Kobold Chieftains and Kobold Warrior Lords. If we are fortunate, we might even encounter something stronger, such as the Mid D-Rank Kobold Titan boss monster! That would be far more lucrative to kill than the usual Low D-Rank monster boss, the Kobold Champion, which we faced the last two times we raided this Gate!"

"All in all, we have come to better fill our pockets! And that means we need to give it our all in order to clear the Gate and take everything that it's worth!!!" he encouraged, occasionally glancing at a short black-haired Hunter, worry filling his heart.

"HOOORAAAAHH!!!"

Unaware of their leader's trepidation, the crowd of Hunters cheered in response, with all twenty-two of them marching behind him into the eerily crackling Gate. It was also during this time that a shadowy figure flipped his darkened hood up and slipped through the supportive swarms of pedestrians. That same shadow passed right by the police officers who were keeping the peace, and then with even greater ease, Cassius allowed himself to be sucked into the green Gate.

The |Shadow Step| Skill had become an incredibly useful skill to him over this recent period of time. However, it was not the only skill that he had been working to level up, as any barely noticeable active skills and, of course, the passive skills, were being constantly performed.

To increase the proficiency of a skill, one had to continue using it. Hence, it was only natural that Cassius burned through good chunks of his MP and stamina to ceaselessly improve his various aspects of existence.

The Idle Evolution System would surely sing in praise at this admirable mindset. Most definitely.

After passing over into the other side of the D-Rank Gate 'Kobold's Catacombs,' Cassius immediately noticed something unusual. Assaulting his nostrils was the faint smell of blood, but rather than it belonging to a Kobold, it smelled of human origins.

It was also in this moment that he received another forlorn system notification…

*Ding!*

[Main Quest 2: Urgent Quest Upgrade!]

—[Due to a freak change in the quality of Gate Energy in Japan, one or two Gates have suddenly and instantly had their ranks increased!]

—[|D- Rank Kobold's Catacombs| → |D+ Kobold's Catacombs|] – [It is recommended that the host learn how to roll.]

[Bonus Reward 1]: 10 AP

[Bonus Reward 2]: 5 Common Grade Evoballs

[Bonus Reward 3]: 1 'Heap of EXP'

[Warning! Upon failure to complete the Quest, you will… lose everything but your life! But even if that unfortunate eventuality does occur, you might be able to earn it all back in the Land of Nightmares!]]

"Learn how to wha—" Before Cassius could even reach the reward section of the Quest, a blade gleam flashed out of the corner of his eye, aiming to cleave off his head.

"!!!"

Doing just as the system suggested, he tucked and rolled, just as he had seen characters do in Damned Souls games. Yet, even that was not enough to get him entirely out of danger. After the miss of the first strike, another one thundered down, this time accompanied by two more strikes. All seemed to stem from the same blade, yet all slashed out nearly simultaneously.

Cassius immediately recognized a high skill level being used against him, which prompted him to use a signature skill of his own.

|Shadow Step (D-) (Lvl 3)|

FWIP!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The three consecutive sword strikes passed harmlessly through a tangible afterimage of their target. They collided against a hard, sleek rock surface, causing sparks to fly. With the dark space suddenly brightened, the mysterious attacker's savage eyes widened upon seeing an icy face appear directly in front of it.

Yet, thinking unnaturally quickly and intelligently for a mere monster, it sidestepped its three-meter figure to the left.

"It's too late for that."