When Haruki arrived in front of the dungeon gate, the familiar, heavy scent of ozone burned his throat. The E-Rank dungeon gate slowly swirled like a blue vortex in the city's abandoned industrial zone.
Liam and his crew were already there. It was a four-man party, consisting entirely of Assassins and Warriors, heavily armored and dangerous-looking. The moment Liam saw Haruki, he plastered that sly, exaggerated smile on his face. He approached with a cloying demeanor and slung his arm around Haruki's shoulder.
"Here is my favorite bait—ah, excuse me, my favorite rookie!" Liam said in a cheerful voice, as if yesterday's events had never happened. "Are you ready, Haruki? We're going to fill our pockets with Yen today."
Disgusted by that fake weight on his shoulder, Haruki slightly pulled away. His eyes were cold. "Let's just do our job," he cut in abruptly.
"Whatever you say, buzzkill," Liam smirked, giving a nod to his crew. "Come on boys, we're going in!"
Inside, the dungeon was damp, dark, and oppressive, a stark contrast to the modern world outside. The formation was simple: Liam led the way, Haruki walked behind him, and Liam's four men followed silently right behind Haruki.
As they walked down the corridors, something in Haruki's mind began to sound an alarm. The invisible +3 Agility and +2 Strength he had gained last night hadn't just sharpened his muscles, but his senses as well. The dungeon was... too quiet. There were no fresh claw marks on the walls, and the rusty scent of monster blood was absent from the air. The muddy floor only bore the footprints of human boots. This was an already cleared dungeon.
He held his breath. This isn't a monster hunt, Haruki thought. This is an execution.
The moment the hairs on the back of Haruki's neck stood up, Liam, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped. Without any warning or sound, he pivoted on his heel and swung his poisoned dagger straight at Haruki's throat.
A normal Level 12 Assassin could never have dodged that strike. But Haruki's body reacted before his brain did. The viper-like reflexes he had acquired in the Worm Dungeon kicked in, and he pulled his head back in a matter of milliseconds. The tip of the dagger sliced through the air, barely grazing his neck.
Liam's eyes widened in shock. "Wha-?"
Haruki wasted no time. He reached for his standard Assassin dagger at his waist with his right hand, but he didn't get the chance to draw his weapon.
"Grab the little sh*t!" Liam roared.
The four hulking men behind him lunged at Haruki simultaneously. One kicked the back of his knees, while another twisted his arms behind his back, slamming him to the ground. As the cold, muddy floor of the dungeon pressed against his face, one of the men snatched the Assassin dagger from his waist.
"Let me go!" Haruki shouted, struggling, but he didn't yet have the physical strength to resist that much mass pinning him down. He was disarmed.
Liam slowly approached Haruki, who was pinned to the ground, spinning his dagger. The fake smile on his face had vanished, replaced by pure hatred. He delivered a brutal, heavy kick to Haruki's stomach.
As Haruki coughed in pain, Liam crouched down. "Did you think I liked Kenji? He was an arrogant pig, yes... But that pig was my cash cow, damn it!" He delivered another kick. "Thanks to his stupid streams, I was making thousands of Yen every day. And you... you went and got him reported to that Association. You closed my wallet!"
He signaled his men. "Drag him."
The crew grabbed Haruki by the arms and began dragging him toward the massive, double-winged iron doors at the end of the corridor. It was the door to the Boss room.
When they reached the door, Liam grabbed Haruki tightly by the hair and pulled his face close. His breath smelled of rotten malice. He whispered in a mocking tone:
"Tell me, Haruki... Did you report to the Association that you were coming to this dungeon? Did you log into the System?" Seeing the desperate look in Haruki's eyes, he burst into laughter. "Aww, you didn't report it, huh? Hahahahaha! What a pity... No one goes looking for an unregistered record. Haven't you learned yet that being where you're not supposed to be means your death?"
Liam kicked the lock on the door open. Inside was pitch black, a void that seemed to swallow all light. The men threw Haruki into that darkness with all their might.
"Have fun, bait!" Liam said, and slammed the heavy iron door shut with a loud bang. The sound of the lock echoed in the dungeon.
Haruki rolled on the ground in the pitch black. When he got up, his first instinct was to reach for his waist. His hand searched for the familiar leather sheath, but his dagger was gone. Liam had taken it. At that exact moment, a chilling, deep growl echoed from the depths of the room.
Two massive, blood-red eyes appeared from within the darkness. When the shadows around the eyes dispersed, the nightmare before him was illuminated. It was a massive, muscular Level 30 Alpha Wolf with pitch-black fur, standing almost two meters tall at the shoulder.
As the air in the room grew heavy with the monster's predatory aura, that cold, familiar voice echoed in Haruki's mind. A blue panel flared to life before his eyes:
[EMERGENCY QUEST GENERATED]Objective: Kill the Alpha Wolf.
Reward: Suture Skill (Active - Level 1) (Description: A surgical healing skill that uses mana to stitch together torn tissues, wounds, and severed limbs.)
"Suture?" Haruki whispered. His mind immediately went to it.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out that incredibly thin, metallic needle. The invisible transparent thread wrapped around his finger glowed faintly. He immediately focused his mind: "Weak Tissue Analysis!"
The room instantly turned grayscale. The imposing, terrifying silhouette of the Alpha Wolf transformed into a biological map. The wolf had a massive muscle mass and tissue beneath its skin that had hardened almost like steel. Haruki searched for that red light with his eyes. And he found it.
Beneath the wolf's thick, armor-like neck fur, right at the joint under its jaw where the jugular vein was, a tiny red dot the size of a pinhead was glowing.
But there was no time to think. The wolf roared and lunged at him.
With his newly acquired agility, Haruki dove to the side at the last second. As the wolf's claw tore up the ground, Haruki pinched the needle between his thumb and middle finger. Snapping his wrist, he threw the needle like a bullet.
The needle pierced through the air but struck the wolf's steel-like neck fur and deflected. It had missed the red dot by inches. The wolf quickly spun around. Haruki swiftly pulled the invisible thread toward himself. Like it was drawn by a magical magnet, the needle instantly flew back into the palm of his hand.
A frantic dance of death began in the room. Haruki was constantly running, rolling, narrowly escaping the wolf's deadly jaws and claws. With every evasive maneuver, he threw the needle whenever he found an opening.
Swish! The needle struck the wolf's shoulder, failing to pierce the skin. Pull. The needle returned. Swish! The needle grazed the wolf's cheek.
Haruki was out of breath. Hitting that tiny dot with a needle was already hard enough; doing it when the target was a frenzied Level 30 monster with steel-like skin was almost impossible. He was dealing zero damage. He was just trying to survive.
But exhaustion slowed his reflexes. When Haruki hesitated for a split second to throw the needle, the wolf didn't forgive him.
The monster's massive body slammed into Haruki like a truck. A heavy claw strike landed on his remaining good left shoulder, carving deeply into his flesh and launching him into the air. Haruki flew back several meters, his back slamming violently against the cold stone wall.
He collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. He could feel his bones aching, his lungs burning. The needle had slipped from his grasp and fallen onto the stone floor. His vision was blurring.
The Alpha Wolf realized its prey could no longer escape. Steam rising from its bloodstained maw, it slowed its pace. Its predatory growl echoed in the dark room like a song of victory. With calm, confident steps, it walked toward Haruki.
As Haruki continued to lie on the muddy floor, the monster loomed over him with its massive body. The wolf opened its dark maw wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, ready to swallow this weak human whole in a single bite. As the monster's foul-smelling, hot breath hit Haruki's face, the wolf lunged to deliver the final strike.