RAVEN Ch 1

A dungeon that children under ten had entered had suddenly escalated to an S-rank.

Just the fact that an S-rank dungeon had appeared after several years was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. And, on top of that, children were inside. It was no wonder the military command was thrown into chaos.

“Stop the reporters immediately! Put up barricades, and don’t let a single person near! If the fact that children entered the dungeon gets out, it’s over!”

The man who received the urgent call raised his voice. These days, he was already dealing with numerous groups opposing the military’s aggressive measures with espers, which was giving him a headache.

If it got out that children had entered the dungeon, and especially that it was for the purpose of developing stronger espers, there was no doubt that not only child protection associations but even unknown civic groups would rise up.

“Damn it, why now…”

Colonel McCain furrowed his brows as he hurried toward the control room.

The plan to efficiently manifest espers and cultivate high-rank espers by training children was his initiative. It was a project carried out under his responsibility.

Gathering children with potential to manifest as espers or guides and sending them into a dungeon under the guise of a field trip was also part of the training. Children who safely completed the dungeon would manifest as espers earlier than average.

Most of their abilities were at least B-rank. Even the lowest among them would be somewhere in the middle. For this reason, dungeon field trips had become an indispensable part of the project.

Children being injured or killed in the dungeon happened frequently, yet no incident was ever reported outside. The inhumane, top-secret project never halted.

Of course, it was also undesirable internally for children whose abilities were unpredictable to die or become unusable. Espers, especially high-rank espers, were always valuable resources.

A decrease in these resources was disadvantageous to the military, so they paid some attention. The clause, “Children entering field trips may only enter B-rank or lower dungeons and must be accompanied by A-rank or higher adult espers,” was a rough attempt at consideration.

But today, the dungeon the children entered didn’t remain B-rank, it escalated to S-rank. The discrepancy from the measured rank was enormous. Such a large error had never occurred before, and the control room fell into panic.

“What happened!? It was only supposed to be C-rank at worst, maybe B-rank!”

As soon as he entered the control room, Colonel McCain shouted.

“The program measurements indicated so. We are currently investigating what caused the error….”

“What good is an investigation now!? It’s already changed!”

The man reporting stiffened and fell silent under the colonel’s fiery command.

S-rank dungeons had not appeared for some time. But now, the dungeon the children had entered had become S-rank, making it almost certain that the team inside would be wiped out. The situation was critical.

It was a problem that children had entered, but if the team perished, another issue would arise: the monsters emerging from the S-rank dungeon.

S-rank dungeons spawn S-rank monsters. If an S-rank monster escapes the dungeon, District 13 would be helplessly destroyed.

“What about the espers?”

McCain wiped his mouth anxiously and shouted again.

“They are waiting in front of the dungeon. Currently, there are 25 people: 10 A-rank, 14 B-rank.”

“What? Even for a district far from the central area! Why only that many?! With no idea what could come out of the dungeon, what can ten A-rank espers do?!”

“Some reinforcements came from nearby District 11, so that’s something….”

“Stop making excuses! Gather more! At least one S-rank should be here! Contact all districts near the central zone and get them here immediately!”

Just as the colonel was pressuring the team leader,

“The… the gate… the dungeon gate has opened!”

Someone shouted. At that single word, everyone in the control room held their breath. Eyes were glued to the massive monitor covering one entire wall. A voice gasped in shock.

A small child appeared in front of the dungeon gate. Pale-faced, eyes unfocused, the child looked dazed, as if in a trance.

“…….”

“…….”

In the midst of the confusion, no one could speak. All they could do was stare at the monitor without blinking.

The small child stopped immediately after barely escaping from the dungeon. Slowly, they scanned their surroundings, as if confirming something. And in the next moment, the child’s body collapsed limply. Alarmed shouts began ringing throughout the otherwise silent control room.

“Check the child’s condition! Send rescue and medical espers!”

“Cover the cameras! If the child is shown, it’s over!”

“Identify the child! What about the others? What happened to the other espers?!”

The control room erupted into chaos in an instant. Amid it all, the colonel’s strained voice rang out sharply.

“What happened to the dungeon? Was it really cleared? Damn it! How on earth did a single child get out of there, confirm it immediately!”

Colonel McCain and those protecting the interior of the command center were busy communicating with the field and issuing orders. The child was immediately transported in an emergency vehicle, while the espers stationed around the dungeon entered to conduct an inspection. Continuous, frantic reports came in from the site.

“The dungeon was indeed cleared as S-rank. However, the interior is completely empty with no traces of anything. Reports indicate that no signs of the espers, children, or monsters who entered have been found.”

“What? Nothing at all? You mean there are no bodies of the espers? How is that even possible?!”

“Apologies. We have not yet determined the cause. As of now, the only confirmed survivor is the single child who walked out.”

“So that child cleared an S-rank dungeon… what?! How can something this absurd even happen….”

The reports streaming in left everyone in the room dazed.

The dungeon was utterly empty. The children who had entered, and the espers who led them, had completely vanished. There were no traces of battle or corpses. The dungeon was as if nothing had appeared or occurred at all.

The more reports came in, the more speechless those in the control room became. They had no idea how to respond to this unprecedented situation.

“We’ve received the child’s personal information. A boy brought in from the facility, nine years old this year….”

“Something has been discovered inside the dungeon!”

As information about the child reached McCain, another urgent report arrived. He turned to the monitor with a look of unease.

[Transmitting screen. A black egg has been found at the deepest point of the dungeon. Pure black with no impurities, measuring 52 cm wide and 87 cm tall. Large and solid enough for an average child to enter. Biological activity has been detected inside.]

“An egg? Measure its abilities and rank immediately. Prepare for whatever might emerge.”

[Measurement commencing.]

The man holding the measuring device operated it with a visibly tense expression. The process took longer than expected. The reason soon escaped his mouth.

[Rank… S-rank. No, it’s increasing. SS-rank…]

His voice trembled noticeably as he checked the machine, and McCain’s eyes widened in shock.

[…SSS-rank.]

[Wha…?]

[Abilities… cannot be measured.]

As the man spoke the final words, a sharp beep rang from the machine. Everyone watching the monitor in the control room covered their ears. The ear-piercing sound only stopped after the man hurriedly turned off the ranking device.

“Report to the Commander.”

With a scowl, McCain leaned on the table and exhaled harshly while staring at the monitor.

“A catastrophe-class emergence.”

The words, dry and heavy, fell from his lips like lead.

***

Thud. He bumped shoulders with a passing man, lost in thought.

“Sorry.”

Renault nodded lightly and offered an apology first. Yet the other man said nothing. …Huh?

Curious, Renault lifted his head to see the man’s face. His gaze went steadily upward. At nearly 180 cm, Renault had rarely had to look up this far. The man appeared well over 190 cm.

A basketball player, perhaps? No… if he wandered around the Esper-Guide Center’s lab, he was likely an esper or guide. Judging by his build, an esper.

Renault reasoned simply: espers with abilities were generally more physically imposing than guides or ordinary people. What puzzled him was that he had never seen this individual before.

He looked more like a young man than a boy. Perhaps barely twenty. Jet-black, curly hair, in contrast, porcelain-white skin, a strikingly handsome face that immediately drew the eye.

Especially his blue eyes. Deep, sapphire-like irises, unnervingly beautiful. Their transparent blue seemed almost mystical, capable of entrancing anyone who stared too long.

Renault stared at those jewel-like eyes briefly before shaking himself and clearing his throat. Amusingly, he wasn’t the only one scrutinizing the other, the young man seemed equally aware, as his intense gaze bore down on Renault.

So, they had been silently assessing each other the entire time, shoulder bump to corridor standstill?

Exasperated, Renault let out a short sigh and turned. He had apologized already. The young man, far younger than himself, didn’t respond, but Renault saw no reason to wait.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”

He had no intention of scolding the younger man for not replying, nor did he want to waste energy turning a trivial incident into a confrontation.

“Hmm… you’ve grown up beautifully. I want to swallow you whole in one bite.”

But the low, soft voice that accompanied a sharp glare at the back of his head made him stop in his tracks.