Chapter 3: A Late Start and a Dangerous Gate

The sound of her phone buzzing violently against the wooden nightstand finally dragged Elara out of her deep sleep. She groggily reached for it, her fingers fumbling against the screen as she cracked open an eye to check the time.

11:43 AM

She froze. The meeting had started over forty minutes ago.

Panic shot through her system, but her body felt like it was moving through molasses. She barely managed to swipe through her unread messages before So-ra's latest one made her stomach drop.

So-ra: "If you don't get here in 10 minutes, I'm sending Min-seo to drag you out of bed."

Elara's blood ran cold.

Scrambling, she tossed off her blanket and threw on the nearest clothes she could find—her oversized hoodie, some sweatpants, and, of course, her slippers. She didn't have time to deal with the disaster that was her hair, so she simply pulled the hood over her head before sprinting out the door.

By the time she arrived at the Hunter Association building, she was a wheezing mess. She shoved open the doors, barely acknowledging the receptionist's amused glance as she rushed toward the private meeting room. As soon as she reached the door, she hesitated, trying to catch her breath before knocking.

Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.

The door swung open, and Jung So-ra stood there, arms crossed, tapping her foot with a look of pure exasperation. "You're late."

Elara gave a weak grin. "I had a very good reason."

"Let me guess," a new voice chimed in from inside the room. "You overslept. Again."

Elara peeked past So-ra to see a woman lounging in one of the chairs, her short brown hair slightly tousled, a cocky smirk on her face. Choi Min-seo. The last person Elara wanted sent after her.

"If I knew you were coming to get me, I would've stayed in bed," Elara muttered as she stepped inside.

Min-seo leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Oh? Scared I'd wake you up with a kick to the ribs?"

"More like scared you'd break my windows getting in."

Across the room, another woman sighed. "Min-seo, don't bully her the moment she arrives."

Elara turned to see Kim Ara, the only other person in the room who didn't look like she wanted to strangle her. Dressed in a modest white blouse and a navy-blue skirt, she radiated a warm, calming presence that felt completely out of place among the chaos of hunters.

Ara gave Elara a gentle smile. "Did you eat breakfast before rushing here?"

Elara blinked. "Uh, no?"

Ara immediately reached into her bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped rice ball, offering it to her. "Here. You shouldn't skip meals, even if you're in a hurry."

Elara hesitated, glancing between Ara and the rice ball, before reluctantly accepting it. "Thanks, Mom."

Min-seo snorted, while Ara just smiled serenely, as if she didn't mind the nickname at all.

So-ra clapped her hands, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Alright, enough playing around. Let's get to the actual reason we're here."

She moved to the large screen at the front of the room, pressing a button on the remote. The display lit up, showing an ominous-looking dungeon gate swirling with unstable energy.

"This," So-ra began, "is the latest anomaly gate. It appeared three days ago in the industrial district, and based on early scouting reports, we're dealing with high-density monster activity inside. We've identified two main types of creatures—evolved beasts and spectral entities."

Elara groaned. "Specters and beasts? So we get to deal with things that can phase through attacks and things that take ten hits to die. Great."

Min-seo smirked. "Sounds fun to me."

"Of course it does," Elara muttered, stuffing a bite of the rice ball into her mouth.

So-ra continued, ignoring their banter. "We don't have all the details yet, but what we do know is that this gate is ranked as a high-threat anomaly. Unlike standard dungeons, anomaly gates are unstable. The longer they remain open, the more unpredictable they become. If we don't handle this soon, we could be dealing with a full-blown outbreak in the middle of the city."

Elara sighed, already seeing where this was going. "And let me guess—you want me to deal with the spectral monsters."

So-ra smirked. "You catch on fast."

Min-seo leaned back in her chair, stretching lazily. "Come on, it's not like you're not used to dealing with overpowered enemies. You practically breathe this stuff."

"Just because I can do it doesn't mean I want to," Elara grumbled. "I was planning to enjoy my peaceful, monster-free life."

Ara tilted her head. "But wouldn't it be nice to help people with your power?"

Elara almost choked on her rice. There was something about the way Ara said it—so sincere, so utterly convincing—that made her feel like a villain for even thinking about saying no.

So-ra took advantage of the moment. "You already agreed to help, remember? Unless you want to back out."

Elara scowled. "I don't back out of things." She exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Fine. But you're paying for my food twice after this."

Min-seo grinned. "I'll even throw in dessert if you don't die."

Elara shot her a look. "Comforting."

The group stood before the swirling mass of dark energy that made up the anomaly gate. The industrial district was eerily silent, the surrounding buildings abandoned long ago. The only sounds were the distant hum of traffic from the main roads and the occasional static crackle from the unstable rift.

Elara pulled out her phone and, with a practiced motion, started streaming. "Alright, chat, let's forget about my last disaster of a stream and focus on something way cooler—me surviving a dungeon."

The live chat immediately exploded.

[User: DarkGamer]: "LMAO, you think we forgot?"

[User: NoobHunter]: "She's just trying to distract us."

[User: SwordBaby]: "STREAMER GONNA GET WIPED AGAIN."

Elara sighed dramatically. "Wow, no faith in me at all. Don't worry, I have some… questionable professionals with me today."

So-ra rolled her eyes. "Just focus. We're going in."

They stepped through the gate, and instantly, the air changed. The inside of the dungeon was a ruined cityscape, broken buildings covered in creeping shadows. Wraith-like creatures slithered between the structures, glowing eyes watching their every move.

Min-seo grinned. "Time to stretch my legs." With a sudden burst of speed, she vanished, reappearing mid-air to deliver a devastating kick to one of the wraiths.

Kim Ara raised a hand, golden light pulsing from her fingertips. "Be careful, Min-seo." A warm glow wrapped around the team, a protective ward ensuring they wouldn't suffer severe wounds.

Elara tightened her grip on her sword. "Alright, chat. Let's do this."

Elara sighed as she walked through the dungeon, her sword resting on her shoulder while she casually read chat. Her stream was going strong, thousands of viewers tuned in to watch her navigate the eerie, crumbling cityscape that made up the anomaly gate. The air was thick with tension, shadows flickering in unnatural patterns as distant wails echoed through the ruined structures.

"Alright, chat, let's see how long it takes before Min-seo rushes ahead and makes my life difficult," Elara muttered, glancing at the cocky speedster who was already bouncing on her heels, itching for a fight.

[DarkKnight13] "100 gold says she ditches you in five seconds."

[SwordBaby] "She's already leaning forward LMAO."

[NoobHunter] "Streamer should focus instead of reading chat smh."

Elara rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. I am very focused. Look—no enemies, all clear. I could walk this place blindfolded."

A sharp hiss cut through the air as a spectral creature materialized from the ruins to her right, lunging at her with elongated claws. Without missing a beat, Elara sidestepped, twisting her sword and cleaving through its mist-like body. The creature let out a distorted shriek before dispersing into nothing.

Elara smirked. "See? Completely under control."

[DeathByMagic] "Streamer almost got jumped KEKW."

[SilverEdge] "Bet she didn't even see it coming."

[ChocoMuffin] "At least pretend to take this seriously T_T."

Ara chuckled softly beside her, her golden eyes filled with amusement. "You're enjoying this way too much."

"Gotta entertain chat somehow," Elara replied, sheathing her sword as the path ahead cleared. "Besides, this is nothing. The mobs here are weaker than the ones I fought in the demon king's castle."

Ara gave her a knowing look. "And yet you still almost got hit."

"Hey, that was for comedic effect." Elara puffed her chest out. "Gotta keep chat engaged."

[Knightmare] "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

[TeraGod] "She really is just treating this like a game lmao."

[SoftBreeze] "More concerned about chat than her life, truly a dedicated streamer."

Min-seo, who had been bouncing impatiently at the front, suddenly turned to them with an exasperated look. "Are you two seriously having a casual conversation right now? We're in the middle of a dungeon."

Elara gestured around. "And? It's not like anything here is a real threat."

Min-seo scoffed. "You're underestimating it. Watch, I'll clear the boss before you even step foot in the room."

Before anyone could respond, she blurred forward, vanishing in a flash of speed as the wind kicked up around them. A distant explosion echoed through the city ruins, followed by the unmistakable sound of something large roaring in defiance.

[SpeedDemon] "Min-seo went zoom."

[ShadowSlayer] "She's really out here soloing the boss before streamer even gets there lmao."

[ElvenQueen] "MC is too lazy for this life."

Elara groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "See? This is why we can't have nice things. She's probably already kicked it in the face."

Ara sighed but smiled. "We should catch up before she gets too reckless."

Elara muttered something under her breath before jogging forward, glancing at chat one last time. "Alright, chat, place your bets—how much of the boss will be left when we get there?"