The sound of honking snapped him out of his shock, and Cain continued walking, a grin slowly forming on his face.
"A legend-ranked piece of equipment," he muttered under his breath.
He hadn’t expected something of this level to be hidden among low-ranked gear. The fact that it had been sitting there for who knew how long, unnoticed and freely available to anyone who claimed it, still felt unreal.
If the Guild ever found out what they had unknowingly given away, they would take it back without hesitation, and that was reason enough for Cain to be careful from now on.
With that thought in mind, he pulled up the description again and read through it more slowly than before.
A storage ring with a capacity comparable to an entire city.
That single detail changed everything.
One of the biggest limitations hunters faced was what they could actually bring back from a rift. No matter how valuable something was, if you couldn’t carry it out, it was as good as lost.
Monster corpses alone were worth a fortune.
The Guild Association relied heavily on them for research, dissecting and analyzing every part of a creature in an effort to understand how it functioned, what weaknesses it possessed, and how future threats could be dealt with more effectively.
The knowledge gained from those studies shaped strategies, training methods, and even large-scale operations against dangerous monsters.
Their value extended far beyond research.
Alchemy, equipment crafting, and countless specialized industries depended on monster materials.
Weapons forged from bones, armor made from hides, enhancements derived from cores, and rare materials used in advanced creations all originated from what hunters managed to bring back. The rarer the monster, the greater its value, with some specimens selling for fortunes on their own.
With this ring, Cain no longer had to decide what was worth carrying and what had to be abandoned.
He could take everything.
A quiet breath escaped him as the full implication settled in.
This wasn’t merely useful. It was an overwhelming advantage, but it was also one that came with risks.
He wouldn’t be entering the rift alone.
There would be other hunters, other eyes watching everything around them, and if he acted carelessly, there was a chance someone would notice what he possessed.
If that happened, there was no guarantee they would simply leave him alone.
Inside a rift, laws meant very little.
Strength was often the only thing that determined who got what, and everyone knew it.
That was the reality of being a hunter, and one of the reasons so many chose to join guilds.
Guilds provided structure, protection, and people you could trust.
Outside of them, most parties were little more than temporary alliances formed out of necessity, with loyalty lasting only as long as it remained convenient.
Cain exhaled slowly and pushed those thoughts aside.
He would have to be careful. Very careful.
Even so, a faint excitement lingered in the back of his mind as he made his way toward the rift. With something like this in his possession, a successful raid could change everything for him.
First, however, he had to survive.
"No pressure," he muttered.
As he neared the location, the rift came into view: a circular distortion in space, its surface rippling like heated air above asphalt.
This was the first time Cain had seen one up close.
At the academy, they had only ever shown recordings, but seeing it in person felt different. More real. More unsettling.
He slowed slightly as he approached, his gaze fixed on the distortion.
A barricade had been erected around the area to keep civilians away, but unlike what he expected, there were no crowds gathered nearby. No curious onlookers were trying to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon that had thrown the city into chaos.
The area was almost empty.
Given the recent surge in unstable rifts, it made sense. People must have learned that getting too close to one was a good way to end up dead, and most had long since stopped treating them as spectacles.
As Cain approached the barricade, two Guild Association agents stepped forward, their attention immediately drawn to the staff strapped across his back.
"Are you a hunter?" one of them asked.
Cain nodded and produced his license before they could ask for it.
The agents took the card and scanned over the details for a few seconds before stepping aside and opening the gate.
After retrieving it with a small nod of thanks, he passed through without hesitation and turned his attention to what lay beyond.
The party was already gathered.
Cain let out a quiet breath as his gaze swept across the group.
He had never been particularly comfortable around people, and the thought of having to work alongside a team of strangers made something tighten in his chest. Still, there was no avoiding it.
If this was what it took to get stronger, then so be it.
As he approached, several gazes shifted toward him, settling with varying degrees of scrutiny.
"Hello, my name is Cain."
A bulky man stepped forward almost immediately, extending his hand.
"I know we’ve been waiting for a while. What took you so long?"
Cain met it without hesitation.
There wasn’t outright anger in his voice, but the firmness in his grip when he reached out to shake Cain’s hand said enough.
"I’m sorry," Cain replied, keeping his tone steady as he resisted the urge to pull away from the man’s grip. The strength behind it was obvious, and more importantly, the aura he carried made one thing clear.
He was stronger. A tier above him.
"You should apologize to the others as well," the man added before finally releasing his hand.
Cain nodded, then turned and gave the group a slight bow.
"I’m sorry, everyone."
Only a few acknowledged the apology.
The rest ignored him entirely.
Cain suppressed a sigh.
Tough crowd.
"No matter. You’re here now," the man said, giving him a firm pat on the back. "Let me introduce you to everyone."
He stepped forward, gesturing casually, but there was a natural authority in the way he carried himself.
"This is Adel. Our healer."
Adel gave a small nod, her expression composed and observant.
Her outfit was light and practical, layered beneath a long coat reinforced in subtle ways.
A simple staff rested in her hand, and while nothing about her stood out immediately, there was a steadiness to her presence that suggested reliability.
"And that’s Hela."
Hela didn’t acknowledge him. She stood slightly apart, posture straight, gaze distant but sharp. The faint blue accents on her outfit caught the light with her movements, subtle but intentional. The crystal-tipped staff at her side reflected that same precision, nothing excessive, nothing wasted.
"Barack."
Barack gave a brief nod, his hand resting near the hilt of his blade. His armor showed signs of use but was well maintained, built for durability rather than display. Even at rest, there was tension in his stance, like someone ready to act at a moment’s notice.
"I’m Quasi."
Up close, it was clear why. His armor was the heaviest among them, built to absorb impact rather than avoid it. Every part of his stance suggested one thing: he was used to taking hits.
"Those two are Ava and Avery."
Cain’s gaze shifted.
Twins.
Ava stood slightly forward, her posture already leaning into motion, like she was ready to move at any moment. Her gear favored speed, light, efficient, built for quick engagement.
Beside her, Avery stood in contrast.
"They work better together," Quasi added.
Cain studied them for a moment before one of them, Ava, flashed him a quick, mischievous grin.
He looked away almost immediately.
The next person stood out without trying.
A man wrapped in a heavy cloak that concealed almost his entire body, the fabric draping low enough to hide even his hands. Only part of his face was visible, shadowed beneath the hood.
Something about him felt...off.