Soon enough, the date and time had come.
"Alright, I'll meet you on the twelfth floor," Rui bade him goodbye.
"Good luck, see you there," Kane replied, seeing him off.
The two of them could not enter the dungeon together. Rui had to join the dungeon along with the Voidhunters, after all, to partake in their operation of finding and catching… himself.
He merrily made his way to Deacon Industries putting on a facade of casual calmness, when in reality he was quite tense on the inside. He needed to play this perfectly, otherwise, there could be irreparable damage done to his plan.
He landed outside the gate to the main branch of Deacon Industries, greeted by two Martial Squire guards. They were quite strong from his senses, although Rui was confident he could beat them one-on-one. He wasn't using Mind Mask at the moment, and the strength that he was portraying was very much the real deal, thus he could not act like he was a grade-ten Martial Squire
"Squire Quarrier, the master has been expecting you," They addressed him, before letting him passage.
"Rich bugger," He muttered to himself as he beheld the ostentatious main branch office of Deacon Industries. If wealth had to have a face, then this would be a good candidate for it. It was closer to a castle than an office.
"Squire Quarrier," A man greeted Rui as he approached the main building. "Chairman Deacon awaits, among some of your other peers."
Rui recognized him as the secretary of Chairman Deacon, his right-hand man
"Oh dear," Rui sighed. "Am I late?"
"Not at all," The man offered a courteous smile. "You are on time, please come this way,"
Rui nodded as he spotted even more Voidhunters arriving. They all eventually bunched together as they headed towards the Chairman's office.
"Hmph, so you decided to come after all, little B-rank?" He heard a voice from behind him.
"Hm?" He glanced behind him with raised eyebrows as he beheld the gargantuan man who had insulted him. He recognized the man instantly, no, he already knew who he was.
A-rank Adventurer Squire Darbun of Party Saberstrike.
"Did you expect me not to? After I signed the contract?" He turned away from the man with a disinterested look.
"Hah," He snorted. "A weak Martial Squire like you does not belong here. I'd suggest you leave and get the hell out before you die. Know your limits, weakling."
Rui's turned back and studied him with the strange kind of interest he would have if he came across a pre-historic caveman.
"Darbun," A soft yet domineering voice spoke up, intervening. "Stop that, he is a member of our team and has chosen to be part of the Voidhunters voluntarily. There's no need to respect him."
The red-haired Martial Squire glanced at Rui. "I apologize for my party member's rudeness."
"Fren, there's no need for you to apologize to someone like him!" Squire Darbun barked.
"Enough," She glared at him, quietening him down, and turning back to Rui.
"There's no need to apologize for someone else's rudeness, Squire Fren," He smiled.
"I am the captain of Team Saberstrike, thus I am obligated to take responsibility," She replied simply.
She did not need to act extravagant. Rui felt a burden on his shoulder just being near her even when she was restraining her aura. She possessed a gravitas to her, unlike anything he'd sensed from a Martial Squire.
Soon enough, they arrived at the dispatch facility of Deacon Industries
"Welcome," He said, spreading his arms. "I appreciate your punctuality. The dispatch time is upon us soon enough. You will be taken to the Shionel Dungeon in one of our most luxurious motorized carriages."
This was strange, but they chalked it up to the hyper-consumerist lifestyle and culture of the Shionel Confederation. It was strange being taken to a dungeon in such a matter. However, Chairman Deacon had a brand to maintain, after all, as one of the richest and most powerful men in the Shionel Confederation.
Soon enough, it was time.
A large carriage, big enough to host all of them comfortably in it arrived. They quickly boarded it, admiring the quality. Such a means of transport was seldom seen in their respective nations. The Shionel Confederation was more than just a little extra when it came to how ridiculous its luxury standards were.
Regardless they'd already forgotten about it by the time they reached.
They drew a lot of attention from everyone around them, not just because they were a large group of Martial Squires, but because a lot of their equipment was provided by Deacon Industries and because of the extravagant carriage bearing the emblem of the company.
"Let's get going," Squire Fren told everyone, unperturbed by the attention she received. All Martial Squires were treated differently, and while this was greater than what they were accustomed to, it was well within what they were comfortable with.
Although she was not the official leader, everyone deferred to her as she was the strongest out of all of them without any question whatsoever.
They sped through the security measures before quickly heading towards the inner gate of Adventurer Ring town.
The air grew more tense and serious, and it only grew heavier when they reached the Shionel Dungeon.
"Remember," She turned towards all of them with a solemn expression. "Anything can happen in a dungeon. It doesn't matter how strong you are. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, or how talented you are. All of that doesn't matter in the dungeon. Just a single moment of carelessness, just the slightest mistake, and you could be ambushed from the shadows by a monster you never saw coming. Life is vulnerable in the dungeon, and we are no exceptions. Do not let down your guard for even a second, it may very well be the last thing you do."
Rui had to remind himself that he was the only one who saw the Shionel Dungeon as a safe space.