Three days before the NCEE, Jin went deeper.
The ruins here were different.
Hunters appeared more frequently—some in coordinated teams with standardized gear, others moving alone with wary eyes and concealed weapons. A few carried visible association marks. Others didn't bother hiding the fact they were rogues.
That alone told Jin enough.
Stronger monsters roamed this area.
And that meant danger didn't come only from monsters.
Jin slowed his pace slightly, senses spread thin but wide. He could feel eyes on him—not hostile yet, but curious. Measuring. Hunters here didn't like unknown variables wandering freely.
"I can't move like before," Jin thought. "Too many people."
That was when—
A presence rushed in from behind.
Jin reacted instantly. He shifted half a step, ducked, and caught the incoming wrist mid-motion.
"Whoa—easy!"
A girl with short blue hair froze, surprised, her free hand raised instinctively. She looked about his age, eyes bright rather than hostile.
"I just wanted to talk," she said quickly. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Jin released her hand, gaze steady. "You succeeded anyway."
She laughed awkwardly, rubbing her wrist. "Sorry. You're sharp."
She studied him for a second, then got straight to the point. "We found a unique-tier dungeon nearby. We're short on members. Want to come with us?"
Jin didn't answer immediately.
A dungeon.
Unique-tier.
Better rewards. Structured environment.
And also… a perfect place to get betrayed.
Stories surfaced in his mind—hunters lured into dungeons and never coming out. Teams wiping each other out over loot. No witnesses. No consequences.
Trust was expensive out here.
But solo hunting at this depth wasn't much safer.
And they had information.
That alone had value.
If something feels wrong, I run.
That was enough.
"…Alright," Jin said. "I'll come."
The blue-haired girl's face lit up. "Great! Follow me—don't lag behind."
She grabbed his sleeve without hesitation and took off, pulling him along.
They reached a group waiting near the shadow of a collapsed overpass.
Six people total—now seven including him.
At the center stood a red-haired girl, posture straight, expression calm and distant. Her eyes swept over Jin briefly—assessing, then dismissing him just as quickly. Behind her stood an elderly man in a neat suit, posture relaxed, hands folded behind his back. He smiled at Jin politely—but Jin felt the faint pressure of scrutiny beneath it.
To the side were three guys.
One gave Jin a brief nod, friendly but quiet.
Another crossed his arms, smirking. "Another newbie? Hope you don't slow us down."
The last one leaned against broken concrete, yawning. "Are we done recruiting yet? I'm tired."
The blue-haired girl clapped her hands. "Alright! Since he's joining, let's introduce ourselves."
She turned to Jin. "Oh—right. I forgot to ask. What's your name?"
"Jinlin," Jin replied after a short pause.
"Nice! I'm Lan Xue," she said brightly.
She pointed to the red-haired girl. "That's Yan Feiyu."
Feiyu didn't respond. She didn't even look his way.
Lan Xue shrugged. "She's like that."
She gestured to the old man. "And this is Old Qiao. He… kind of takes care of things."
Old Qiao smiled warmly and inclined his head. "A pleasure. I hope we cooperate smoothly."
The quiet guy spoke next. "Han Rui."
The arrogant one snorted. "Zhou Kang. Don't get in my way."
The unmotivated one sighed. "Mu Chen. I don't even know why I'm here."
Lan Xue ignored that. "See? We're all set now."
Zhou Kang looked Jin up and down. "He doesn't look that strong."
Yan Feiyu finally spoke, her voice cool. "If he slows us down, we leave him."
Jin met her gaze without flinching. "Fair."
Old Qiao's smile deepened slightly.
"Then," Lan Xue said, clapping once more, "let's move. The dungeon entrance isn't far."
Jin fell into step with them, senses alert.
A unique-tier dungeon.
Strangers.
Hidden intentions.
He didn't trust them.
But for now—
This was better than hunting alone.
They moved out without another word.
Yan Feiyu walked at the very front, her pace steady and unhurried, red hair catching the light as it swayed behind her. Zhou Kang stayed close to her right side, talking nonstop, clearly trying to draw her attention. On her left walked Old Qiao, hands clasped behind his back, posture relaxed but alert.
At the rear were Lan Xue, Han Rui, Jin, and Mu Chen.
Lan Xue didn't stay quiet for even a minute.
"So, Jinlin," she said, walking backward for a few steps to look at him, "why are you even out here alone? Don't you know this area's dangerous?"
"To hunt monsters," Jin replied simply.
She blinked. "I know that. I mean why alone?"
"Training," Jin said. "NCEE is close."
The moment the words left his mouth, several heads turned.
Old Qiao slowed slightly, glancing back at Jin with interest. "Oh? A student, then. May I ask your star level?"
"Two-star," Jin answered.
Old Qiao smiled wider. "Good. Good."
Then he turned forward again as if nothing important had been said.
Jin leaned closer to Lan Xue, lowering his voice. "Why did everyone react like that?"
She whispered back, amused, "Because we're all here for the NCEE too."
Jin paused mid-step.
All of them?
He'd assumed they were independent hunters or older trainees. He hadn't expected people his age to be this deep already.
"…Looks like it'll be interesting," he muttered.
Zhou Kang overheard.
He scoffed loudly. "Two-star? Lan Xue, couldn't you find someone better? He's dead weight. Weakest one here."
He turned to Mu Chen. "Say something."
Mu Chen didn't even look up. "Yeah. Whatever you said, man."
Lan Xue's expression darkened. "Hey. I recruited him. If anything goes wrong, it's on me. You don't need to worry."
Zhou Kang clicked his tongue and turned away, clearly annoyed.
Han Rui, walking beside Jin, casually reached out and placed a hand on Jin's shoulder, tilting his head slightly—wordless, but clear enough.
Don't mind it.
Lan Xue smiled again. "Don't worry. Just stay behind me. I'm three-star."
Jin glanced around. "What about the others?"
"Han Rui, Zhou Kang, and Mu Chen are also three-star," she said. "Yan Feiyu is four-star. Strongest here."
"And Old Qiao?" Jin asked.
She lowered her voice. "Also a four-star, atleast that's what I heard."
Jin's gaze drifted forward again, landing on the red-haired girl leading the group.
"Didn't you ever hear of Yan Feiyu?" Lan Xue asked, incredulous.
"Should I?" Jin replied honestly.
Lan Xue almost stumbled. "You're serious? She's one of this year's strongest candidates. Multiple top colleges already tried to recruit her."
Jin studied Yan Feiyu more carefully.
As if sensing his gaze, she glanced back.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, Jin felt a sharp pressure—her gaze was intense, blazing, openly looking down on him.
Then she turned away.
Lan Xue whispered excitedly, "They call her the Phoenix of the South."
Yan Feiyu spoke without slowing. "That's enough gossip."
She stopped.
"We're here."