"Lionheart Guild? Are they here for the Bouncer Squad?" Max stopped as he cursed under his breath, his expression turning solemn. The timing of their arrival, combined with the announcement just now, made him very uneasy.
Moreover, from the announcement just now, it was clear they hadn't arrived with good intentions.
Turning his attention toward the portal, he noticed it was still shining. 'There are still many who haven't left the dungeon yet, so how did the Lionheart Guild know beforehand that the Bouncer Squad is dead?'
Just at that moment, the crowd erupted at the announcement.
"Why is the Lionheart Guild here?"
"Why? Probably to cause some trouble. They are the most daring guild of the five top guilds, with a history of never fearing any power in our continent."
"Something good is about to happen. I'm sure of it."
"I wonder what these hunters from the Burning Wilds dungeon did to attract the hatred of the Lionheart Guild."
"Humph, I'm sure the Union Vanguard won't sit still in this situation."
Hearing them, Max's palms sweated as he felt the tense situation approaching.
'Could I be overthinking this? Maybe the arrival of the Lionheart Guild has nothing to do with the Bouncer Squad,' he thought, but then shook his head. 'Then why would they stop those who just left the Burning Wilds dungeon from leaving?'
Max contemplated the situation carefully, weighing his options. 'With my strength, there's no way they'd suspect me,' he thought, coming up with a plan. 'Still, I can't afford to leave this area now that they've asked us not to. If I do, it might come back to bite me with even bigger problems later on.'
Just at that moment, the wind picked up, howling as dust swirled through the air. Everyone's attention snapped toward the sky as they noticed a sleek, rhombus-shaped flying shuttle descending toward them, cutting through the air with remarkable speed.
It hovered above them, and from it came down many men and women.
"Those who came out of the Burning Wilds dungeon, gather here." A man with light blue hair and a narrowed face began gathering them.
Max sighed upon seeing the situation and gathered with everyone from the Burning Wilds dungeon. Some were surprised to see him still alive, while others didn't care.
He stood with them in such a way that he faced Alice. He did that intentionally. If things got worse, Max hoped she could help him with indications or any other method, and he could only get her help if he could see her.
Currently, Alice seemed to be talking with the old man, her expression solemn.
'I hope everything works out in the end,' Max sighed and looked away from her.
Just at that moment, a loud shout attracted everyone's attention.
"Hey, look! The portal stopped shining, that means all the hunters have come out, but—but the Bouncer Squad... and also, why did only about 20 hunters come out when about 50 of them entered?"
Everyone's eyes narrowed as they turned toward the portal. Even the drones turned towards the portal to capture everything.
Because of the arrival of the Lionheart Guild and their announcement, everyone's attention had been on them and the hunters from the Burning Wilds dungeon, so many people hadn't noticed that the Bouncer Squad hadn't left the dungeon yet.
And now, as they looked back at the dim portal before them, a look of disbelief washed over them. They couldn't imagine what or who could have killed the Bouncer Squad.
Their strength was at the very peak of the F-rank dungeons. Nobody in the Novice Rank should even stand a chance against them, and yet they died.
Most importantly, they were surprised that only a few hunters came out of the Burning Wilds dungeon.
"That explains why the Lionheart Guild is here. It seems they have something to do with the Bouncer Squad."
"I'm more curious as to who could have killed the Bouncer Squad? Also, what could have happened that, after clearing the dungeon, less than half of the hunters returned? What about the others? Are they dead?"
"The list of suspects would be significantly narrowed down to just a few familiar names if they only considered those who have reached Level 10 of the Novice Rank."
"But I believe the killer isn't working alone. It seems like someone orchestrated the entire thing and assembled a team to take down the Bouncer Squad and the others."
"Only this explanation seems plausible. I refuse to believe that a single individual could possess the strength to eliminate the entire Bouncer Squad on their own."
The crowd erupted in chaos when they learned that the Bouncer Squad had perished inside an F-rank dungeon. Many speculated that it was part of a larger conspiracy, with multiple hunters uniting to eliminate the Bouncer Squad. Others, however, were simply waiting eagerly for the drama to unfold.
Just then, two figures descended gracefully from the hovering shuttle above. Both appeared to be in their early twenties or late twenties, exuding an air of authority despite their youthful appearance.
The man had neatly combed black hair and donned a sharp black suit that matched his stern expression. Beside him, the woman wore a flowing violet dress, her long chestnut-brown hair cascading down to her knees, swaying gently with every movement.
'Their strength... I can't see their strength!' Max frowned, his heart rate increasing with each passing moment, but he forced himself to calm down.
The man wearing the suit didn't pay any attention to the crowd and arrived before the small group of people who had cleared the Burning Wilds dungeon.
"I am Nash from the Lionheart Guild," he announced, his sharp, hawk-like gaze scanning every individual standing before him. "The Bouncer Squad recently signed a contract with our guild. And today... all five of them didn't make it out of the dungeon."
But before he continued, he surveyed all the drones flying in the air before red strings began to release from his hands. These strings wrapped around the all the drones and crushed them into pieces.
Nash then turned his attention towards the everyone again. His piercing eyes seemed to weigh each person as he continued, his tone cold and deliberate. "What does that mean?" Nash's voice grew louder, carrying an edge of accusation. "It means they were killed inside the dungeon. And it means some of you worked together to make that happen."
'They are indeed here for the Bouncer Squad.' Max thought calmly, his thoughts swirling back to the one person who knows about what happened to the Bouncer Squad aside from Alice and Amy.