"Since when did you decide to be a Raider?"
The king's voice was curious, but there was weight behind it. Not a simple question. Not one with a simple answer.
He could have said since the first time he picked up a blade. Or since the first time he saw someone die. But neither would be the truth.
When was it exactly?
His mind reached back—past the blood, past the hunger, past the moment he was afraid to lose something.
16 years ago...
A bustling marketplace. Stalls filled with colorful goods. The smell of fresh bread and sizzling meat wafting through the air. A young woman walks through the crowd with her 3-year-old boy, Kin. She smiles warmly at him, and he grins back, eyes alight with curiosity.
Then—movement catches his attention.
A group of armored raiders strides past, their weapons gleaming under the sun. One man's sword, sheathed at his waist, reflects the light just right, mesmerizing Kin. He barely notices his fingers slipping from his mother's grasp as he follows the raiders, weaving through the crowd with small, determined steps.
The large, gaping hole of the dungeon entrance looms before him, its darkness inviting and mysterious. Unseen, unnoticed, he sneaks in, stepping into the world he was never meant to enter.
Inside, the clash of steel and monstrous roars fill the cavernous space. A battle unfolds before him—warriors moving with practiced precision, cutting down creatures twice their size.
A soldier notices him amidst the chaos.
"How did you get in here, kid?"
Kin doesn't answer. His wide, gleaming eyes lock onto the fight, watching, absorbing, understanding. with one thought on his mind
"This is what I want to do!"
Many years later
A cool breeze passes through the dungeon entrance as Kin stands before it, his heart pounding—not with fear, but with anticipation. The same awe-struck expression from childhood remains on his face.
Beside him, Shinoh adjusts his gear, They step up to the receptionist's desk, where the Gatekeeper, a woman sitting behind iron bars, barely glances up from her records.
"IDs and levels."
Kin and Shinoh hand them over.
The Gatekeeper's eyes flick across their stats before she arches a brow. "And where are your other two members?"
Kin and Shinoh exchange looks. "Other two members?" they say in unison.
The Gatekeeper sighs, tapping a finger on the desk. "You need four members to enter. Did you even check the rules?"
Kin's stomach sinks. "The Manual..."He remembers skimming through it, but in his excitement, he must've overlooked that part.
He groans, rubbing the back of his neck. "That completely slipped my mind."
Kin, grasping at options, quickly asks, "What about reserve raiders?"
The Gatekeeper nods. "You can wait over there. I'll pair you with two others."
"Thank you!" Kin says
As they walk toward the designated area, Kin talks with Shinoh. They discuss their base stats at level 1. Kin has been training mentally and physically for this day, and his base stats are much higher than the average level 1.
Shinoh elbows Kin playfully,
"So, have you checked your stats, Kin?"
Kin smiles subtly.
"I check them every day, you don't know how good it feels seeing a point added to one of your stats"
Shinoh asks to see them. His stats are as follows
STRENGTH: 12
AGILITY: 10
INTELLECT: 10
VITALITY: 10
MAGIC POWER: 6
PERCEPTION: 7
After a brief pause, he exclaims, "WHAAT!?! You literally have three times my stats! How is that fair?!"
Kin laughs as Shinoh sulks, checking his own weaker stats.
STRENGTH: 4
AGILITY: 3
INTELLECT: 3
VITALITY: 5
MAGIC POWER: 2
PERCEPTION: 2
Kin pats his shoulder. "Maybe if you spent less time flirting and more time training—"
Shinoh shrugs. quickly recovering from his seeming depression, he smiles slightly while waving him off. "Yeah, yeah, there's nothing wrong with living a little."
They both laugh as the Gatekeeper calls them over. They jog up to two waiting raiders. The first, a broad-shouldered man with a confident stance, nods. "Name's Stone. Level 2."
The second, a shorter, quiet guy, mutters, "Riyo. Level 1, same as you."
Shinoh grins. "I'm Shinoh, and this is Kin. First day. Hope that's not a problem."
Stone smirks. "Not at all. We're only sticking to the first floor today, so we'll be fine. Let's move."
Entering the dungeon, Kin notices two guards at the entrance of the 1st floor. Kin asks, "Why are there guards at the entrance?"
Stone explains, "Ah, yeah, that. Apparently, a baby 15 years ago got into the dungeon without anyone noticing."
Embarrassed, Kin slightly lowers his head, his cheeks turning red.
Shinoh whistles. "That's insane."
"Right?!." Stone laughs.
As they move forward, dim blue crystals illuminate the rocky terrain. Soon, Kin spots familiar creatures in the distance—the same monsters from his childhood memory. He turns to Shinoh, his adrenaline starting to rush.
"Shinoh, you ready?" he murmurs, gripping his sword.
Shinoh grins. "Bring it!"
They rush to fight the monsters. Kin slashes the first one easily and continues taking down the monsters effortlessly. Riyo watches, surprised by how well Kin is moving. After the first few groups, Kin levels up to Level 2.
"Badadum"
They press on further.
In a brightly lit office adorned with rare dungeon artifacts, a seasoned man in a sharp suit sits across from a nervous recruit. The weight of the moment is heavy, yet the old man wears an amused grin.
The boss asks, "What do you think is the point of entering the dungeons?"
The recruit hesitates before offering the obvious answer. "To stop the creatures from coming out?"
The boss laughs.
"It's the Discoveries Rookie. Every major breakthrough in the last century—every advancement that reshaped our world—came from those depths."
He gestures toward a crystal-powered lamp illuminating the room "Take the light crystals for example. These lights alone revolutionized energy consumption, slashing greenhouse emissions. But even after a hundred years, we've barely scratched the surface. Our top raiders? They've only made it to the 30th floor."
The rookie swallows hard. Thinking to himself "Just how deep do the dungeons go?"
A faint shuffle echoes through the dungeon walls. Kin turns his head toward the sound, his instincts sharpening. Then—
The ground vanishes beneath him.
"Kin!" Shinoh screams
He plunges into an abyss, arms flailing. The rush of air howls past his ears. He twists midair, scrambling for something—anything—to hold onto. His fingers graze the jagged rock, but the sheer speed of his descent rips his grip away.
Desperation kicks in. He yanks out his sword, angling it downward.
Clang!
The blade scrapes against the wall, sparks flashing in the suffocating black. It slows him down before finally snapping free. He braces for impact.
Thud!
A slight pain flares across his body as he crashes into solid ground.
Then—rumble.
Kin lay flat, rolling aside just as a cascade of rocks sealed the hole above. Darkness swallows his vision. A cold silence settles...
"Where am I?"
Hands outstretched, Kin gets up taking a cautious step, his fingers brush along a damp uneven wall. shivering in his ears as he moves blindly, his breathing the only sound in the oppressive blackness. "Focus on what you can control." His thoughts are clean, practical. The dark might swallow everything else, but it can't take his mind. He's not afraid. He doesn't need to be. Fear doesn't change outcomes. Stay calm. Focus. There's no room for doubt. Like everything else, it's something to be dealt with.
Then—his foot hits something solid. He freezes.
"Oh, yeah... My light crystal."
Fumbling through his pack, he finds the familiar smooth surface and twists it. A soft glow pulses to life— As he looks up his stomach drops.
The back of a huge green like beast,. An ogre the size of a small tree stands still, Kin noticing the crude, club resting in its massive hand, as the ogre turns around. Kin's eyes locked onto to the ogre.
A low, guttural groan rumbles from its throat as it turns, sluggish but deliberate. Its yellow eyes struggle in irriation against the sudden light.
"Aaarghhh..."
Kin steps back, heart hammering. The ogre's grip tightens on its weapon. It's waking up.
Shinoh burst out of the dungeon entrance, lungs burning. He barely made it a few steps before collapsing to his knees, gasping for air. His heart pounded against his ribs.
"I need help! Please... someone!" His voice cracked from the his breathless lungs.
The crowd of raiders lingering around the entrance turned toward him, startled. Two men in battle-worn gear exchanged glances before approaching.
One of them, a rugged-looking swordsman, asked, "What happened?"
Shinoh gulped down air, trying to steady himself. "My friend—he—he fell! There was ahole—" unable to finish his words, the rugged swordsman speaks "Okay got it, Tye." Looking at his friend the man nods. A woman in sleek, expensive armor stood in the distance, her her hair golden. Her posture casual.
Deep underground, in the dungeon's suffocating darkness, Kin stood face to face with death. The ogre's moves, his club cuts through the air like a falling boulder. Kin barely leaning back in time, the sheer force of the swing sending a blast of wind past his face. His hair whipping wildly
"He's not only big but fast, too"
Before he could fully regain his balance, the ogre lashes out with a side kick "Crap—!"
Instinct took over. Kin raises his sword just in time, the steel barely absorbing the impact before—
CRACK!
The blade shatters in two.
Kin is sent flying, his body slamming against the dungeon walls. A sharp pain tear through his ribs, and as he gasped, blood explodes from his lips. His vision blurs, the edges darkening. His fingers dig into the dirt, slowly rising his face wincing in agony, shaking as he pushes himself to get back up.
Then, a memory. The dungeon journals. Page 112 reveals the "Ogres struggle with depth perception due to blindness in their left eye." Kin sucks in a sharp breath, tightening his broken sword. His gaze darts to the severed shard of his sword, lying just a few feet away.
The ogre roars, raising its club high for a crushing blow. But Kin moves first. He dashes left—into its blind spot. The club comes crashing down, missing him entirely and splintering the stone floor. Dust and debris scatters into the air. Kin seizes his chance. He dives, snatching the jagged half of his sword before rolling back to his feet. he ogre grunts in confusion, turning its head, trying to track him. But Kin was already on the move—sliding into position again.
The monster raises its club once more, aiming for sheer destruction. Kin runs straight at it. squeezing his fists, blood pours out of his left hand, holding the severed blade. As the club swings downward, he leaps onto it, using the massive weapon as a ramp. The ogre's eyes widens in delayed realization, but Kin had already launched himself from the club's handle—
"HAAAAA!"
With both hands, he drives the jagged blades deep into the ogre's throat. Blood gushes in violent spurts, drenching Kin's arm. The ogre gags, eyes bulging. Kin doesn't stop. Gritting his teeth, he twists the blade deeper, then rips it across the thick muscle. The ogre's head separates from its body.
The ogre's its massive hands flail weakly before collapsing to its knees. Making the ground quake beneath its weight.
Kin's vision was blurry from the impact, and the world felt heavy around him. His ribs ached with every breath, and his left hand trembled as he clutched the jagged sword shard, using it as support to push himself upright. Blood dripped from his palm, staining the ogre corpse below.
As he steadied himself, the system notification blinked in front of his eyes. He barely registered it at first. But then, the numbers on his status screen caught his attention.
Level 6
His eyes darted to his stats:
"Badadum"
Level 6
STRENGTH: 32
AGILITY:30
VITALITY: 30
MAGIC POWER: 26
PERCEPTION: 27
Kin blinked, not entirely sure what he was seeing. His breath came harder now, sharp and shallow.
"That doesn't make sense..." he muttered to himself.
He scrolled through the list, his focus snapping to something new:
Skill Acquired: [The Brave] – Doubles all stats.
His lungs stumbled
"…No way."
The initial shock faded, giving way to disbelief. "A skill that doubles all stats?"
Kin took a slow, measured breath, forcing his focus back. "Focus on what you can control." The words echoed in his mind, a mantra. He gets up leaving his broken blades on the ogres corpse. "That's… kindabusted though."
He wasn't complaining, but this didn't feel normal. Skills usually followed a pattern. But this? He gripped his broken weapon. For now, it was an advantage.
A faint rustling broke his focus. Heavy footsteps. Low, guttural grunts. Kin ducked into a narrow crevice between the jagged stone walls, holding his breath. Three ogres lumbered past, their monstrous forms briefly illuminated by the faint glow of dungeon moss. Their stench clung to the air.
Kin didn't move. Didn't breathe.
After what felt like an eternity, they disappeared into the darkness. He exhaled slowly, his muscles stiff from staying still.
Above ground, on the dungeons 1st floor…
An experienced raider had surveyed the hole where Kin had fallen. The rugged swordsman hand appears out from the hole.
"The collapse sealed it up completely. Judging by the depth… your friend could be on the seventh floor. Maybe deeper."
Shinoh's Heart tightens "So… he's still alive, right?"
The raider's silence answered him. Shinoh clenches his fists, his vision blurring with tears. Without another word, he turned and bolted out of the dungeon.
"Hey, wai—!" One of the raiders started to call after him
Tye, stopped him with a glance. Closing his eyes, he shook his head.
Elsewhere, back in the city…
The rookie sat across from the boss, his curiosity growing. "What about raiders who awaken skills?"
The boss Acknowledging his question, nods.
"Skills are great, giving raiders immense power. But they're rare."
The rookie frowned. "Why do only some raiders get them?"
The boss's smile faded. He tapped a cigar against the table, his gaze distant. "Nobody knows."
A moment of silence passed before the rookie asked, "Do you think we'll ever make it deeper into the dungeon?"
The boss chuckled. "We're already working on it."
At Kin's family home…
Shinoh's fist hammered against the door.
A moment later, it swung open, revealing Kin's mother. She smiled warmly.
"Oh, Shinoh! Aren't you supposed to be with Kin?"
Shinoh's breath shaking. His face twisted with anguish. The warmth in Kin's mother's expression drained. The color from her face followed.
"…Where's Kin?"
"The only reason I've made it this far is my map. It shows me where the monsters are, letting me slip past unnoticed. But I'm unarmed. Still, thanks to my increased level and new skill, I can sense creatures before they get too close."
Kin moved carefully, his steps silent against the cold dungeon stone on the 10th floor. His senses—sharper, his body prickled with warning. Something was close.
Kin froze, inhaling deeply. "Footsteps. More than one."
His eyes flicked toward a nearby crevice. Three red goblins emerged from the shadows, their wiry bodies hunched and restless.
"Seventh-floor creatures? What are they doing here?"
His gaze locked onto the weapons in their hands—wicked, dark red-tinted daggers. Small, but lethal. Kin's grip tightened at his sides. He needed a weapon.
"The ogre's club was too big to carry… but those daggers?"
He weighed his options. His fists clenched and unclenched.
"Do I risk fighting barehanded… or sneak out and keep playing it safe?"
The goblins trudged past, unaware of his presence. This was his chance to escape.
As the goblins walk past, a foot steps forward—not by accident, but by choice. The sound echoes in the dim corridor. The goblins freeze. Slowly, they turn. Kin stands there, expression steady, shoulders squared. Slowly, he shifts into a fighting stance. No hesitation. No fear.
Kin exhales, "No more running!"
[END CHAPTER]