Kin looking toward the red goblins. They rush forward. The first swings his jagged blade in a wild arc. Kin shifts his weight—a precise sidestep. The sword whistles past his chest, missing by inches. The second goblin is already attacking from the opposite side. Kin rolls his shoulder as the blade cuts the air. The last goblin poised for a fatal strike. Kin reacts instantly, anticipating the goblin's movements, he drives a vicious kick into the goblin's gut. A guttural wheeze leaves its lips, its eyes slightly roll upward, his mouth opens from the pain. The goblin collapses. It drops its blade for a moment, slightly shaking as he gets back up, grasping for his dagger once more.
Kin says in his head, "They're not slow... but the ogre was faster."
Another goblin lunges forward, its dagger gleaming in the dim light. Too fast. And yet time seemed slow, Kin barely sidesteps, the cold edge of the blade grazing his ribs. A sharp sense of pain radiates through him, his face screws.
"Tch, That would've killed me..."
For a brief, heart-pounding second, everything goes quiet...
"Focus..."
His fist tightens. As he pivots, Snapping his body, putting everything into his punch. His knuckles smashing into the goblin's jaw, shattering its bones. Time clicks back into place as the goblin stumbles intensely, its dagger slipping from its grasp. The goblin's mouth is left open by its broken jaw, Kin takes the chance to pick up the dagger. Just as he does so one of the goblins attacks him from behind. As Kin is leaning forward, he shifts his hips and swings his back leg, hitting the goblin in the head, giving Kin little time to reposition. Now holding a dagger of his own. The goblin darts towards him and their daggers clash.
"Tsching!"
A flash of steel. White light envelopes their surroundings.
"299... 300... 301..." The sun's rays soften, revealing the clear blue sky, his breath was steady now, muscles burning from endless push-ups in the garden.
A gentle voice nearby. "Kin, again with the training?"
His mother's shadow stretched across the ground, hands on her hips, watching him with a mix of concern and amusement. She sighs
Kin says, "Mum, I want to be strong just like the R"
"Yes, yes the Raiders, I know Kin."
She smiles, tilting her head slightly. "You haven't stopped going on about raiders."
She exhales sharply "I bought you those books, but maybe it was a bad idea.
Her worries start creeping in.
"All you do is read them and train! If you could enter the dungeon today, you would, wouldn't you?."
Kin chuckles. Rubbing the back of his head, almost embarrassed by the truth of his mothers words. She exhales deeply steadying herself.
"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 gently blows past them heard with the ambiance of the bird's morning chirps in the distance. Kin cherishing his mother, he looks at her.
"I know, Mum... but that's still who I want to be." his eyes are determined and filled with passion.
Kin's heart races as the goblins closed in. With the dagger now firmly in hand, he steadied himself. The first goblin came at him with a roar, its jagged blade slicing through the air. Kin charged forward, meeting it head-on, the flash of his dagger cutting clean through the goblin's chest. The goblin, lifeless. Falls to the surface with a sickening thud. Before Kin could catch his breath, the remaining two goblins attacked together. One came at him without a blade, its savage eyes filled with desperation, the other beside him, as they rush towards Kin... Kin doesn't hesitate. He quickly reached down, grabbing the second dagger from the fallen corpse.
In one smooth, fluid motion, Kin dashes in between the two goblins, catching them by surprise. They strike at him as he continues dashing past. Simultaneously stabbing them both in their necks. They grunt with their lungs filled with blood. Crashing to the ground, deceased.
Kin stands there unmoving, hearing a familiar sound.
"Badadum!"
Kin levels up, he is now level 8. He looks at his stats and sees that the Brave skill noticeably boosted his abilities, making his stats even higher. A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He then takes a short deep breath.
"Right, the exit for the 10th floor should be near. I better get going..."
Shinoh stands silently, his eyes locked on Kin's mother... His mouth quirvering struggling to find his words. He begins to speak. The weight of the words sinking into the air between them.
"Kin is missing"
He could see the life drain from her as he spoke further.
The scene shifted. Time passed, as they sat together at the dining table She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.
She says, "I remember making dinner... and Kin would Be out there"
looking nostalgically at the garden window.
"playing with his makeshift sword and reading all those stories about raiders... I just never thought he would..."
She stops as she begins to break.
Shinoh Leans forward his hands held together "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!."
A brief pause of silence as Kin's mum looks at Shinoh... Her eyes begin to fill. Tears fall and she smiles.
"Thank you,"
The relief in her voice bitter sweet. She pulls him tight. hungging him she trembles but somehow comforted by his words.
An ominous woman is standing in a line side by side with four other raiders, all with top grade battle-worn gear, with their group leader composed, he stood at the front, his eyes scanning at his fellow raiders with a quiet intensity.
"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 armor 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 time 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 leveled 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 start to walk.
Kin now sits in a room with one light crystal, centered 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 in 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 fills the air.
The Sheriff dropping 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 women'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."