The morning air was crisp as I adjusted the straps on my backpack, my fingers tightening against the worn fabric. Standing outside the dungeon gate, I took in my surroundings—the hunters chatting in low voices, checking their weapons, stretching out tense muscles. I didn't belong among them. Not yet. But I had to start somewhere.
The weight of my financial situation sat heavy in my chest. My new home was a gift, a blessing in the wake of everything that had happened, but it wouldn't sustain itself. Bills, upkeep, food—everything required money, and I had almost none. Becoming a hunter in an official capacity wasn't an option, not without registering and taking the proper tests, which required funds I didn't have. That's why I was here, standing among trained fighters as nothing more than a porter.
I had spent the night researching what to expect, scrolling through forums filled with horror stories about porters who got left behind, abandoned in dungeons when things went south. The risk was real, but I needed the money. I told myself it was temporary. Just until I figured things out.
"Alright, listen up!" Hwang Dongsuk's voice cut through the morning air, pulling me from my thoughts. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a cocky smirk that didn't quite reach his cold eyes. "This should be a simple raid. Standard clear. No one does anything stupid, and we all go home richer than we came in."
The other hunters laughed, nodding in agreement. I glanced at the other porter, a young man around my age, dressed in high-end gear that contrasted sharply with my simple athletic wear. He looked nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot. I caught his name in passing—Yoo Jinho. He seemed like the type who had never done manual labor a day in his life.
Another porter named Jinwoo was among the group, standing slightly apart from the others. He looked different from the rest of the strike squad—lean, almost frail compared to the muscular hunters surrounding him. His gear was plain, nothing like the expensive equipment some of the others wore, and his expression was unreadable, a quiet seriousness in his dark eyes.
He hadn't spoken much since we arrived, only nodding when Dongsuk gave orders. But every so often, I caught him glancing around, taking in every detail of the dungeon with a careful, calculating gaze. I wondered what was going through his mind. Did he feel the same unease I did? Or was he just used to this life?
Either way, I had a feeling Jinwoo was more than he seemed.
As we stepped through the shimmering blue portal, a wave of pressure settled over me. The dungeon smelled damp, the air thick with the scent of moss and something metallic—blood, maybe. The cavern walls loomed around us, jagged and uneven, while eerie shadows flickered from the torchlight carried by one of the hunters. My senses sharpened, instinctively reading my surroundings for potential threats.
"Porters, stay back," Dongsuk ordered, his tone dismissive. "You're here to carry gear, not play hero."
I clenched my fists but nodded, falling into place beside Jinho and Jin woo as the hunters moved forward. I wasn't here to fight. Not yet. But that didn't mean I wouldn't be watching, learning. I had come here for money, but deep down, I knew that wasn't the only reason.
The deeper we ventured into the dungeon, the heavier the air became. There was a dampness to it, clinging to my skin like an unseen weight. The strike squad moved with practiced ease, their weapons ready, eyes scanning for any movement in the shadows.
I stuck close to Jinho, who kept adjusting the straps of his pack, clearly uncomfortable. He had money—that much was obvious from his high-end equipment—but money didn't mean experience. Every few steps, he would glance nervously at the hunters ahead, as if hoping for reassurance. He wasn't going to get it.
Jinwoo, on the other hand, was quiet. Focused. I caught glimpses of him every so often, his sharp eyes scanning the cavern walls, the ceiling, the ground. It was like he was searching for something others couldn't see.
Then, the first fight broke out.
A growl echoed through the cavern, followed by the scuttling of claws against stone. From the darkness ahead, creatures lunged—goblins, their twisted, sinewy bodies darting toward the hunters with surprising speed.
The squad reacted instantly. Swords slashed, spells ignited the air, and the goblins screeched as they were cut down. Dongsuk grinned as he cleaved one clean in half, his blade glistening with dark blood. The fight was over in seconds.
I exhaled, feeling my muscles unclench. That had been fast. Too fast.
"This is almost too easy," one of the hunters scoffed, kicking a goblin's corpse aside.
Jinwoo didn't look convinced. His eyes lingered on the fallen creatures for a moment longer before he shifted his gaze to the tunnel ahead.
"Let's keep moving," Dongsuk ordered. "The boss room should be close."
I adjusted the pack on my shoulders and followed, but that unease in my gut only grew stronger.
The deeper we went, the quieter it became. No more goblins, no more scuttling claws in the dark. Just silence. The kind that presses in on you, making every footstep seem louder than it should be.
Jinho swallowed hard beside me. "Is it supposed to be this quiet?" he whispered.
"No," Jinwoo muttered.
Before I could ask what he meant, we reached a massive stone door at the end of the tunnel. The boss room.
Dongsuk smirked, stepping forward. "Alright, let's finish this."
He and his men pushed the doors open, revealing a vast chamber beyond. At the center stood a massive beast, its hulking form wrapped in shadow, its glowing red eyes locking onto us the moment we entered.
A chill ran down my spine. Something was wrong.
Before I could react, the doors behind us slammed shut.
The heavy slam of the stone doors behind us sent a chill down my spine. I turned just in time to see Jinho rush forward, pressing his hands desperately against the unmoving surface.
"No… No, no, no! This can't be happening!" His voice cracked as he pounded on the door.
Jinwoo let out a slow breath beside me, his body tense. "They locked us in."
My hands curled into fists as reality settled in. That bastard Dongsuk and his team had set us up. It all made sense now—the eerie quiet of the dungeon, the lack of resistance, the smug way they carried themselves.
Jinho spun around, his eyes wide with panic. "They're going to let us die in here, aren't they?"
I didn't answer. The answer was obvious.
Instead, I turned toward the center of the chamber, where something shifted in the darkness.
A slow, deep breath filled the space, like air being sucked into a massive set of lungs. Then, from the abyss of the room, something stirred.
Red eyes flickered open.
The ground trembled beneath my feet as a massive, hulking shape stepped forward, its claws scraping against the stone floor. Shadows peeled away from its form, revealing a grotesque beast with elongated limbs and a gaping maw lined with jagged teeth.
Jinho let out a strangled gasp, pressing himself back against the wall.
Jinwoo shifted into a defensive stance, eyes locked on the monster. "It was never about the dungeon," he murmured. "They just needed us to die in here."
I felt a slow, simmering anger rise in my chest. Those bastards had played us.
Fine.
But I wasn't about to just roll over and die.
The moment the creature fully emerged from the darkness, a shudder ran down my spine.
A massive spider—easily the size of a truck—crawled forward, its eight legs clicking against the stone floor. Its black, chitinous armor gleamed under the dim dungeon light, segmented with exposed grey joints that shifted as it moved. Multiple glowing red eyes fixated on us, their eerie gleam scanning its prey with unsettling intelligence.
I had no idea what this thing was, but every instinct in my body screamed that it was dangerous.
Before I could process my next move, the creature reared up slightly, its mandibles clicking together. Then, without warning, it spat something at us.
"Move!" Jinwoo's voice rang out.
I dove to the side as a sizzling mass of liquid splattered against the stone where I had just been standing. The sharp stench of acid filled the air, and when I glanced back, I saw the stone hissing, melting away as if it had been doused in fire.
Acid. It could spit acid.
"Shit," I muttered, pushing myself up.
Jinwoo had already repositioned, his eyes locked on the monster. Jinho was still frozen near the door, shaking.
There was no time to hesitate.
I planted my feet, activating Earthbound. A familiar surge of strength flooded my limbs, grounding me like a pillar against the storm. The spider lunged, its massive legs propelling it forward with terrifying speed.
Jinwoo moved first, darting to the side and slashing at one of its legs with a dagger. Sparks flew as the blade scraped against the chitin, barely leaving a mark.
My turn.
I surged forward, fists clenched, and drove a punch into one of its exposed joints. A loud crack echoed through the chamber as the impact forced the spider to stumble.
It shrieked, a horrible screeching noise that echoed off the walls.
"We need to hit the weak points!" I shouted.
Jinwoo nodded, already adapting. He aimed for the joints, striking with precise, calculated movements. I did the same, using my raw strength to batter at its vulnerabilities.
But the spider wasn't just going to let us tear it apart.
With another screech, it lifted its front legs and slammed them down. The impact sent a shockwave through the ground, throwing me off balance. I barely had time to brace before it spewed another burst of acid—this time, in a wide arc.
I twisted, barely avoiding the splash, but my sleeve caught a few stray drops. Fabric sizzled away, and I bit back a curse as a burning sensation spread across my arm.
"Keep moving!" Jinwoo called out.
I pushed through the pain. This thing was strong, but we could still take it down.
Jinwoo pov:
My breath came out in short, steady bursts as I gripped my daggers tightly. The massive spider skittered across the stone floor, its grey carapace glinting under the dim dungeon light. Every movement was precise, calculated—too fast for something that size. My blades barely left a scratch, and even Rensei, who fought like a human battering ram, wasn't making much of a dent.
The monster let out a shriek, its many red eyes locking onto us. I saw its mandibles twitch, and my instincts screamed at me.
It's about to spit—!
I threw myself to the side just as a burst of acidic spit splashed onto the ground where I'd been standing. The stone hissed and sizzled, the air filling with the acrid stench of burning rock. I winced—if that had hit me, I wouldn't have survived.
A panicked yelp came from Jinho as he stumbled backward, barely avoiding another splash of acid. My eyes darted toward Rensei, expecting him to move.
But he didn't.
He stood there, still as stone, watching the spider with an almost eerie calmness.
Then, something changed.
The air around him shimmered, a strange energy radiating from his body. His form became hazy, like a mirage, and then—he moved.
No, moved wasn't the right word. He disappeared.
One second he was standing there, and the next, he was right in front of the spider, his fist already swinging. His speed was unreal—faster than anything I'd seen before. His punch connected with a resounding crack, sending the spider skidding backward. The impact left a dent in its chitinous armor.
He's fast. Too fast.
The spider screeched, lashing out with one of its massive legs. Rensei dodged effortlessly, weaving through the strikes like water slipping through cracks. It wasn't just speed—his movements were fluid, unpredictable. Each time the spider attacked, he was already gone before the strike could land.
I clenched my daggers.
This is my chance.
While Rensei kept the spider occupied, I sprinted forward, aiming for the exposed joints. The creature shrieked again, rearing up on its hind legs. I saw an opening.
Now!
My daggers sliced through the air, aimed at the spider's exposed joints. With Rensei keeping its attention, I had the perfect opening. My blade struck true, cutting into the softer grey flesh beneath its chitinous armor. The creature screeched, its many red eyes flashing with fury.
Then, with terrifying speed, it whipped one of its legs at me.
I barely managed to twist my body mid-air, but the strike still grazed my side, sending me tumbling across the cold stone floor. Pain flared through my ribs, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself back up.
Rensei, however, was untouchable.
He flickered across the battlefield, his movements impossibly fast, like a living blur. One moment he was in front of the spider, the next he was behind it, striking at its legs. Every impact sent visible shockwaves through the air, leaving dents in the monster's armored hide.
The spider screeched again, its massive form shaking with rage. It tried to turn and track him, but he was already moving, his form distorting like a mirage.
Jinho, still trembling near the back, gasped. "W-What is that…?"
I didn't answer—I was just as stunned.
Rensei wasn't just moving fast. It was something beyond speed. Every step he took seemed weightless, as if he wasn't even bound by the same rules as the rest of us. The way he twisted and reappeared in different spots—it was as if time itself bent around him.
Then, I saw it.
The faint glow in his eyes. The shimmering energy flickering around him like liquid silver.
This isn't normal… this is a skill.
Rensei leaped, appearing above the spider's head in the blink of an eye. He twisted mid-air, driving his heel down like a meteor. The impact cracked the creature's skullplate, sending it crashing onto its front legs.
But it wasn't dead.
With another ear-piercing screech, the spider reared back, its mandibles snapping wildly. Then, I saw the glow in its throat.
Another acid blast!
"Rensei, move!" I shouted.
But he didn't retreat. Instead, he did something insane.
He charged forward.
Just as the spider spat its attack, Rensei vanished again, appearing to the side in an instant. The acid blast shot past him, slamming into the far wall with a deafening hiss. Before the creature could react, Rensei closed the distance again, his fist cocked back. The air around him twisted, vibrating from sheer force.
Then, he struck.
The blow landed dead center on the spider's face. A shockwave exploded outward, cracking the stone beneath us. The spider's entire body jolted as its exoskeleton shattered like fragile glass.
For a moment, the creature remained frozen, its many eyes flickering.
Then, it collapsed.
Silence.
I stared at Rensei, my heart pounding. His breathing was heavy, but he stood firm, his fists clenched.
The energy around him flickered one last time before fading away. He straightened, rolling his shoulders like nothing had happened.
I swallowed hard.
Just what happened to him after the double dungeon?