Kin's eyes locked onto the trio of red goblins, their wiry, crimson-skinned forms twisting out of the damp crevices of the tenth floor. With a chorus of high-pitched screeches that echoed sharply off the low stone ceiling, they lunged. The first beast swung its serrated blade in a frantic, desperate arc. Anticipating the trajectory, Kin shifted his weight—a micro-adjustment of his heels against the slick bedrock. The crude iron whistled past his linen shirt, missing his chest by a hair's breadth; he could feel the cold draft of the displaced air against his skin.
Before the momentum of the first could reset, the second goblin struck from his blind spot, driving its weapon downward in eratic trajectory. Kin dropped his center of gravity, rolling his right shoulder forward as the steel sliced through the empty space inches above his hair. The third scavenger capitalized on his awkward posture, leaping from a nearby boulder for a definitive, lethal plunge. Kin's sharpened perception fired; catching the airborne creature mid-flight, he drove a heavy, grounded kick straight into its sternum. A hollow, breathless wheeze escaped the monster's throat as its yellow eyes rolled back in sheer agony. It crashed heavily to the stone floor, its grip loosening from its hilt, though its clawed fingers immediately began to twitch, scraping the dirt to reach back toward the weapon.
They're not slow, Kin calculated, his breath shallow and hot in his throat. But compared to the terrifying speed and weight behind the ogre's swing, their movements are nothing.
Suddenly, the first goblin recovered with vicious agility, lunging with a desperate thrust that blurred in the dim, blue luminescence of the cavern walls. It was a blindingly fast recovery. Yet, to Kin's heightened perception, the blade's path seemed to stretch out in slow motion. He twisted his torso, but the narrow walls restricted his movement; the cold, chipped edge of the dagger bit across his ribs. A searing spike of white-hot pain flared through his side, forcing his features into a tight, vein-popping grimace.
"Tch, that would've killed me..."
The stinging heat of the shallow wound snapped his focus into overdrive. Instead of holding his ground, Kin used the momentum of his twisted torso to spring backward, his boots skidding across the slick stone floor. He put three vital paces of distance between himself and the incoming threat, buying a fleeting moment of breathing room. Across the narrow corridor, the stunned goblin he had kicked was only just scrambling back to its feet, shaking its head, while the blade-wielding attacker paused for a fraction of a second to recalibrate its stance after the missed thrust.
In that newly carved pocket of space, the ambient hum of the dungeon seemed to vanish into absolute, dead stillness.
"Focus."
He anchored his back foot firmly against a ridge in the stone, channeling the momentum from the ground up through his hips. As he pivoted, his body snapped like a release spring, pouring every ounce of his newfound strength into a single, compact punch. His knuckles connected squarely with the closest goblin's protruding jawline. The distinct, brittle crunch of fracturing bone echoed through the corridor. Time violently surged back to its normal pace as the impact sent the creature reeling backward into the shadows, its fingers going limp and dropping its dark, iron dagger.
As the disarmed goblin stumbled, its jaw hanging uselessly at a broken angle, Kin dove forward, his fingers clawing through the gravel to snatch the discarded hilt. The foreign, unbalanced weight of the weapon had barely registered in his palm when the sudden rush of displaced air warned him of an attack from behind. Remaining low to the ground from his dive, Kin pivoted on his hands, swinging his trailing leg upward in a powerful, sweeping arc that clipped the advancing goblin squarely on the temple.
The blunt trauma bought him a fleeting fraction of a second to scramble back to his feet and square his shoulders. Now armed, Kin raised the dark blade just as the final standing assailant closed the distance. Their daggers met head-on in a violent collision of steel.
Tsching! A bright spark erupted from the clashing metal, briefly illuminating the grim, narrow corridor in a flash of harsh, blinding light.
The deafening, metallic ring of the blades instantly pressurized in his ears, before stretching out and softening, dissolving into the gentle rustle of a summer breeze. The searing white glare on his retinas bled seamlessly into the brilliant, golden wash of an afternoon sun. The oppressive, stagnant stench of the tenth floor completely evaporated, replaced by the crisp, sweet scent of damp earth and blooming clover.
"299... 300... 301..."
The numbers left his lips in a rhythmic, whispered grunt. Kin's teenage palms were pressed flat against the cool, neatly kept grass of his family's garden, his muscles burning with a satisfying, deep ache from the endless push-ups. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose, darkening a small patch of soil beneath him, his breathing heavy but perfectly controlled under the wide expanse of a cloudless blue sky.
"Kin, again with the training?"
The gentle, familiar voice cut through the localized rush of his heartbeat. A long shadow stretched across the lawn, eclipsing the harshness of the sun over his back. Kin paused, locking his elbows to look up from the dirt. His mother stood over him, hands resting lightly on her hips, her expression a warm, complicated tapestry of maternal concern and fond amusement. A soft, breathless sigh escaped her lips as she watched him.
Kin pushed himself up into a cross legged posture, wiping his slick brow with the back of his forearm. "Mum, I want to be strong just like the R"
"Yes, yes, the Raiders. I know, Kin," she interrupted gently, her voice tilting with affectionate exasperation. She smiled down at him, tilting her head slightly as the afternoon breeze caught the stray hairs framing her face. "You haven't stopped going on about them since you could walk."
Her smile faltered slightly, her shoulders dropping as she exhaled a sharp, troubled breath. Her fingers nervously picked at the fabric of her shirt as the warmth in her eyes gave way to a creeping, protective anxiety that she had tried for years to suppress.
"I bought you those dungeon journals and history books, but maybe it was a bad idea," she admitted softly, her gaze drifting past him toward the makeshift wooden sword leaning against the garden fence. "All you do is read them and train! If you could enter the dungeon today, you would, wouldn't you?"
Kin let out a small, sheepish chuckle. He reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing slightly with a mix of embarrassment and absolute honesty. He couldn't deny it; the pull of the depths was already written into his bones.
Seeing his silent admission, his mother's posture softened further, and she took a deep, steadying breath to anchor herself. The playful lightness of the afternoon completely vanished from her features.
"Listen, Kin, you're 14 now, so I think I can tell you this... But some raiders don't make it out of the dungeons. It's a dangerous job!"
The wind surged gently past them, its movement heard alongside the faint, peaceful ambiance of the bird's morning chirps in the distance. The contrast between her terrifying words and the serene environment was stark. Kin, deeply cherishing his mother, looked up at her, the fire in his chest completely unwavering. His eyes remained fixed on her, determined and filled with passion.
"I know, Mum... but even so... This is who I want to be." His eyes are determined and filled with passion.
The lingering resolve in Kin's own voice was still echoing in his mind when the peaceful garden dissolved, the image of his mother's worried face fading rapidly into the harsh, violent reality of the tenth floor. The warmth of the afternoon sun vanished in a heartbeat, replaced instantly by the suffocating chill of the cavern and the guttural, screeching roar of the incoming goblins.
Kin's heart raced, a fierce adrenaline surge flooding his veins as the goblins closed in. With the dark iron dagger now firmly in his hand, its cold, metallic hilt grounding him, he steadied his footing against the uneven bedrock. The first goblin leaped at him with a bloodcurdling roar, unleashing a frantic, chaotic slash that hacked downward through the misty gloom. Instead of retreating, Kin lunged inside the weapon's reach with explosive speed. The flash of his blade cut a clean, lethal line straight through the monster's midsection, sundering both armor and skin. The creature went entirely limp, its forward drive collapsing instantly before it hit the rocky floor with a sickening thud.
Before Kin could even catch his breath to clear the hot copper smell of blood from his throat, the remaining two goblins launched a coordinated assault, attacking together from the gloom. One came at him entirely without a blade, its savage, yellow eyes filled with a feral desperation as its claws extended, while the other sprinted right beside him, their combined shadows stretching wildly across the cavern walls as they rushed toward Kin.
Kin didn't hesitate for a single fraction of a second. Capitalizing on the low stance from his forward thrust, he dropped his weight completely, his fingers brushing against the grit of the floor as he quickly reached down, his grip wrapping securely around the handle of the second dagger still resting in the hand of the fallen corpse.
In one seamless, explosive surge, Kin wrenched the second blade free and propelled himself forward. Sweat stung his eyes, mingling with the heavy cave mist, but his body instinctively tracked the closing proximity of the cavern walls, gauging to the inch exactly how much room he had to maneuver. He charged straight through the narrow gap dividing the two red goblins, catching them completely off guard. Their yellow eyes dilated in sudden shock as he blurred right between them. They lashed out wildly, but their claws cut nothing but empty air, catching only the ghost of his momentum as he slipped past.
Before they could reorient, Kin's arms snapped outward in perfect symmetry. He drove both daggers home simultaneously, burying the cold iron deep into the soft tissue of their throats. The solid impact vibrated right up his forearms. The red goblins' synchronized rush dissolved into a horrific, wet rattle as their lungs instantly filled with fluid. Kin ripped the blades free with a sharp, crosswise snap, and the two goblins pitched forward, crashing heavily onto the cracked stone floorslack, silent, and entirely dead.
Kin stands there unmoving, hearing a familiar sound.
A sharp, melodic chime "Badadum!" reverberated directly inside his mind as a translucent notification screen flared to life against the gloom of the tenth floor.
[System Alert: You have reached Level 8.]
Simultaneously, a sudden surge of revitalizing energy pulsed outward from his core, rushing through his bloodstream. The stinging, white hot throb in his sliced ribs immediately dulled to a faint, manageable ache, and the heavy exhaustion weighting down his limbs evaporated in an instant.
Kin blinked away the sweat still clinging to his eyelashes, focusing his gaze on the glowing lines of text floating in the dim air. His eyes scanned straight down to his attributes section, where the numeric parameters were actively recalculating. The Brave skill had fully came into effect. The passive skill had applied a massive modifier to his core attributes, forcing his physical limits even higher than a standard level-up allowed.
Seeing those amplified numbers solidify in the glowing interface, a small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The grueling training in the garden and the life-or-death gamble in the corridor were finally paying off. With a thought, he dismissed the status menu back into the shadows, taking a short, deep breath of the damp, stagnant cave air as the last of his adrenaline began to settle.
The blue light of the system screen flickered out, plunging the corridor back into its natural, oppressive gloom. But the darkness didn't feel quite as heavy as before. Kin looked down at his hands; had smoothed out into a steady, vibrating power.
He stepped over the nearest red goblin, the soles of his sneakers sticking slightly to the cooling blood on the bedrock. With a short, sharp flick of his wrists, he sent a spray of dark droplets flying from his blades, clearing the worst of the gore from the blades edges. He then wiped the remaining grime against his denim trousers, his movements becoming more rhythmic and certain, less like a panicked boy, and more like the Raiders he had spent years reading about.
Around him, the cavern seemed to let out a low, echoing groan, the dungeon shifting as if acknowledging his victory. He kept the daggers loosely held at his sides, his eyes scanning the empty shadows of the tunnel ahead with a new, predatory focus. The path forward was no longer just a terrifying gauntlet; it was a series of obstacles he now knew he could break.
A faint, cool draft began to tickle the back of his neck, carrying the scent of ozone and distant, open space the telltale sign of a floor transition.
"Right," he whispered, his voice sounding deeper, more grounded in the silence. "The exit for the 10th floor should be near. I better get going..."
Kin turned toward the faint draft marking the exit, the flat rubber soles of his sneakers squeaking softly against the damp stone floor as he moved deeper into the dark. The cold shadow of the tunnel didn't just fade; it cut instantly to a sunlit entryway miles above, where a completely different kind of chill had taken hold.
Shinoh stood entirely paralyzed just inside the threshold of the kitchen. He wasn't wearing heavy armor, just a pair of scuffed high-top sneakers—their structured, multi-paneled leather and thick ankle collars coated in a fine layer of grey dungeon dust that left faint smudges on the clean floorboards. Kin's mother was standing by the sunlit counter, but Shinoh couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. His jaw worked in tight, uneven hitches, his throat tightening as he fought to drag the words past his lips across the quiet expanse of the room.
When he finally spoke, the utterance fell into the domestic space. The weight of the words sinking into the air between them.
"Kin is missing."
The quiet in the room grew heavier, the amber light from the window casting a long, sharp beam across the scratched wood of the dining table. Suddenly, the restless looping of her hands stopped. Her fingers lay completely still against the oak as she slowly turned her face toward the backyard pane.
From her seat, the glass framed the empty lawn where the golden hour was fast dissolving into twilight, illuminating the fence where the training sessions used to happen.
She says, "I remember making dinner... and Kin would Be out there"
Her gaze remained locked on the glass, looking nostalgically at the garden window as if she could still see his silhouette darting through the grass. Her shoulders dropped an inch further, her voice carrying a fragile, hollow resonance that seemed to age her on the spot.
"Playing with his makeshift sword and reading all those stories about raiders... I just never thought he would..."
The final word barely escaped as a breathless, fractured whisper. The fragile composure she had been fighting to maintain completely shattered right there. A single tear spilled over her lashes, catching the last of the evening light before the dam broke entirely.
Her shoulders heaved, and she buried her face into her trembling palms, her forehead sinking all the way down to the scarred oak table. The heavy silence of the kitchen vanished, replaced by the raw, agonizing sound of her weeping. Tears slipped through her fingers, pooling on the dark wood as her entire frame shook under the sudden, crushing weight of her grief.
Across from her, Shinoh remained completely mute. His hands clenched into tight, helpless fists against his knees, his large shadow stretching across the floorboards as he sat in agonizing stillness, unable to do anything but listen to her heartbreak.
Shinoh's knuckles turned a bleached, bloodless ivory as his fingers locked together, the fine grey grit from the dungeon still caught in the deep creases of his skin. He didn't stay paralyzed in the shadows any longer. He moved with sudden intent, the rubber soles of his high-tops gripping the floorboards as he pressed his chest against the edge of the oak table, leaning deep into the light. His voice, though rough and thick with his own suppressed fear, carried an unbound conviction that cut through the sound of her weeping.
"I don't know if Kin's alive or not, but he knows the dungeon better than anyone. And those experienced raiders don't know him like I do! If there is anyone that can survive those deeper floors, it's Kin!"
The kitchen fell into a heavy, airless lull, marked only by the dry, incessant snick of the wall clock as the last slivers of orange withdrew from the room. Kin's mum eased her face from her palms, her gaze locking onto Shinoh's as she sifted through his expression for any trace of a lie. Fresh tears gathered and spilled over the curve of her cheeks in a steady, silent track, yet even as they fell, a faint, uneven lift of her lips broke through the exhaustion of her grief.
"Thank you,"
The relief in her voice was bittersweet, a sharp spark of hope piercing through the weight of the room. She reached across the scarred wood of the table, her arms wrapping around his broad shoulders as she pulled him tight. Hugging him, she shook with a heavy, pulsing tremor against his chest, her tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt, but the suffocating chill of the kitchen finally seemed to recede, replaced by a quiet, newfound comfort found in the absolute faith of his words.
The quiet comfort of the embrace and the dry snick of the kitchen clock snapped away, replaced instantly by the biting, high altitude wind of a mountain ridge. The fading orange sunset vanished, swapped for a harsh, overcast morning sky hanging over a rugged stone terrace cut directly into the peak.
Towering right before them was the dungeon itself, the colossal hole torn straight into the sheer rock face of the mountain, its massive, yawning perimeter swallowing the daylight and plunging into a dimly lit blue hue deeper inside
An ominous woman is standing in a line side by side with four other raiders, her posture as unyielding.All with top grade battle-worn gear, they carried the physical proof of the deeper floors: matte-finished plates scuffed with deep grooves from serrated claws, frayed carbon-weave belts, and heavy weapon hilts wrapped in sweat-stained leather. They stood as a single, silent unit facing the dark mountain maw, their boots planted firmly on the weather-beaten mud.
With their group leader composed, he stood at the front, his heavy, reinforced heels anchoring him to the threshold of the mountain hole. He projected a calm, immovable authority, his eyes laid on his fellow raiders with a quiet intensity that searched for any loose strap or nervous flicker before leading his elite squad past the rim and down into the abyss...
"Is everyone ready?" the captain's voice cut through the tension.
in perfect unison, his team responded "YES!"
as they head to the entrance of the dungeon. Surrounding raiders couldn't help but stare. With murmurs spreading quickly.
"Is that the Legion's Captain?" one raider whispers in reverence
"Ohh, I think it is." another answered, wide-eyed
"Wow, look at their gear!" someone else muttered under their breath, admiring the polished armour and deadly weapons.
"Did you hear the captain is over level 90?" a voice asks in disbelief.
"90!? No way." An awe-inspired reply
Itzu, one of the team members with both hands behind his head nonchalantly asks the captain, "Hey, Cap, could you remind me what floor we are going to again?"
The captain sighed, exasperated but fond, "Ugh, Itzu, you never listen in the briefing, do you?"
"Nope," Itzu very casually says.
The captain looking onwards, he takes his time in responding to Itzu "We are gonna head into the 31st floor,"
Itzu stops for a moment, his eyes widening in shock "WHAT?! No raider in 100 years has gone that deep."
itzu's feelings mix with excitement and interest "Awh man, I'm getting all fired up!"
The captain gently smiles as they continue to make their way through the dungeon's gate.
Above outside the reach of the dungeon walls. A room was grand, with high ceilings and rich tapestries lining the walls. The long table was filled with the most exquisite dishes, their aromas wafting through the air. At the head of the table sat the Legion Guild Leader, a commanding presence, accommodated by the other Guild leaders.
"This food looks delicious!" one of the guild leaders remarked, dying to take a bite.
Another leader, clearly more focused on the bigger picture, leaned forward. "It indeed does, but why exactly are we here?"
The Legion Guild Leader chuckled softly, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and mystery. "Let's save that for after we eat."
"Ah, good," The third guild leader says, digging in with relish.
I'm starving."
The scene shifts as the food is devoured, the table slowly clearing, leaving only empty plates and the faint sound of satisfied sighs.
A moment of silence passed before one of the guild leaders questions "I appreciate the meal. But now, why did you bring us here?"
The Legion Guild Leader's expression grows serious. "Yes, about that. I have put a team of my best raiders on an expedition to the 31st floor," the Legion Guild Leader says.
"WHAT?" The shock was evident among the guild leaders
"You can't be serious!?" another one exclaimed, their tone a mix of disbelief and concern.
The Legion guild leader's gaze, unwavering as he explained, "It has been far too long, and we have been far too afraid to enter into the deeper floors. It's about time we do."
"But even the highest-level raiders of my guild report the 30th floor being extremely difficult, with the magical beasts increasing significantly! How can you be so reckless to send your best raiders to die?!" another guild leader snapped; his voice tinged with alarm.
The Legion guild leader remains calm, his tone measured. "I understand your concern, but we are taking precautions. We have an extremely high-level mage who can detect magic beasts from a vast distance. If they come across anything that they could not defeat, they will retreat."
"So why tell us this anyway?" The Phoenix guild Leader, who had been silent up until now had finally spoken. His voice was cold, piercing the tension in the room...
the Phoenix guild leader was known to be almost mute at all times so The Legion guild leader was surprised, as was every other leader. moments later the master of The Legions guild smiles gently.
"Well. It's to share the knowledge we gather, of course! The more we share our intel, the faster we can uncover valuable technologies and tools we may not know about. I will be giving you all a copy of the map my raiders will be making for your own teams when you're willing to explore the 31st yourselves." The Legion Guild Master's voice carried finality, marking the end of the discussion.
—Meanwhile, on the dungeons 6th floor…
Each step, Kin encountered more foes—kobolds, slimes, even a wandering skeleton—but none posed any real threat. His movements were fluid, mechanical, he hardly needed to think. A flick of the wrist sent another monster crumbling. He hardly needed to think anymore.
"So, I learned a few things about the dungeon, like the strength of 10th floor beasts made the 9th floor monster seem like a kid's game. Maybe it's because I levelled up, but these monsters feel almost laughable now. With my two new daggers, I can rest easy... I am Level 14, and I am just about to get to the 5th floor..."
"You're wondering what's on the 5th floor?"
"It's got its own human city... one of the only places in the dungeon with any real sense of stability. Guards cover the entrances, keeping raiders safe enough to sleep, eat, and shop for gear. It's the only floor where you can find real rest... and rare items. I've read there are more like it on the 15th and 25th floor..."
his belly rumbles. "Ah, I could use a good meal..."
Kin looks at his map and sees that the 5th floor should be on his left. As he turns, he sees a bunch of light crystals covering the walls and a sea of them following a stone-like entrance. He sees guards in the distance and heads towards them.
They say, "Stop. name and level."
"Oh, it's Kin, sir, and I'm level 14."
The guard thinks to himself, "With no gear, just two red goblin daggers?"
"Where is your party?" the guard asks.
"I fell into a hole on the 1st floor and ended up on the 10th. My party is probably out of the dungeon by now." Kin says.
"Oh? Is that so? Hold still."
The guards approach him, their movements tense, hands reaching for the cuffs with swift efficiency. Kin freezes for a moment, a knot tightening in his stomach.
"What did I do?" surprised by their actions
"Falling from the 1st floor and ending on the 10th as a level 14? Yeah, right. We're taking you to the sheriff." They then start to walk.
Kin now sits in a room with one light crystal, centred on a table. The sheriff walks in with a piece of paper.
"So, you're Kin, huh?" Glancing at the report paper in his hands as he sits across from Kin
"Yep, that's my name" Kin utters very casually while exhausted.
The Sheriff staring at his report "So, you claim that you dropped into a hole from the 1st floor and somehow landed on the 10th as a level 14 and survived?"
"Well, I said nothing but the truth," Kin says adamantly.
Looking at Kin deductively wonders for a moment. After a brief contemplation he stops the act "I mean, that story is so ridiculous... If it was less ridiculous, I would probably think you're lying."
He continues "Well, even if I believe you, we still have to follow procedure..." as he stands up with the report in his heads
"I've sent a letter to the Gatekeeper to get some more information about you." The Sheriff says honestly. "Thanks to our postal system, it shouldn't take more than a few hours"
"Postal system?" Kin inquires
"Yes, phones don't work down here. So, we resort to sending letters. But you know, a hole being on the 1st floor dropping all the way to the 10th is so hard to believe..." Leaning his hands on the table staring at Kin. The room met with silence and a subtle tension filled the air.
The Sheriff dropped his act once again, "Ah well. Just sit tight. If you're who you say you are, then you will be released soon enough." As he closes the door behind him leaving Kin to himself
Shinoh's phone rings loudly, breaking the silence of the room. He sees the screen ID: Gatekeeper slightly hesitating, he answers.
"Hello?" he says, nervously.
"Is this Shinoh?" A woman's voice, slightly muffled due to signal
"Yes, it is." Shinoh answers.
"It's about your friend Kin." His belly turns in twisted anticipation "Can you come right away?" she asks His mind racing, yet his voice firm "I will be there right away."