The neon glow of Seoul's Dungeon District flickered like dying stars as Seun tightened the straps of his tattered backpack. His breath fogged in the cold air, fingers numb from hauling gear all night. Around him, Hunters clad in sleek armor and enchanted weapons joked loudly, their laughter sharp as knives.
"Oi, porter! You better not slow us down this time," barked Kang-Dae, the team's fire mage, flicking a cigarette ash onto Seun's shoe.
Seun ducked his head. "I won't."
He was used to this. Three years of running supplies, bandages, and mana potions into dungeons while the real Hunters took the glory. Three years of swallowing insults, of fists shoved into his gut when he "looked at them wrong." But it was the only way.
A Hunter's License cost 50 million won.
Seun had ₩827,000 saved.
The dungeon loomed ahead—a jagged tear in reality, its entrance pulsing with eerie violet light. Gate #B-217: "Tomb of the Hollow Serpent." Officially a B-rank.
Unofficially, a death trap.
Inside the Dungeon
The air reeked of damp stone and something metallic. Seun's shoulders ached under the weight of the team's supplies, his sneakers slipping on blood-slicked rock.
"Move faster, trash," Kang-Dae snapped, shoving him forward.
Seun stumbled, biting back a curse. His eyes flicked to the team's healer, Ji-Eun, but she looked away. She'd been kind once—gave him half her lunch when he passed out from exhaustion. Now? She adjusted her silk gloves like his filth might stain her.
Then the ground shook.
A hiss slithered through the chamber, vibrating in Seun's teeth. The Hunters froze.
The boss room wasn't supposed to activate yet.
The Dreadfang Serpent uncoiled from the shadows—A-rank, not B. Its obsidian scales dripped venom, eyes burning like molten gold.
"Retreat!" their tank, Min-Ho, roared.
But the exit sealed shut.
Panic erupted. Spells flashed, swords clashed, but the serpent moved like liquid death. Min-Ho's shield shattered. Kang-Dae's flames barely singed its hide.
Then Seun saw it—the look in Min-Ho's eyes as they locked onto him.
No.
A fist grabbed his collar.
"Sorry, kid. We need a distraction."
Seun's body flew through the air.
He hit the serpent's nest with a crunch, ribs snapping on impact. The beast loomed, fangs glistening.
This is how I die.
Then—
[UnRuly System Integration Detected.]
A voice, cold and mechanical, yet alive, slithered into his skull.
[Condition Met: 'Betrayed by Comrades.']
[Survival Quest Initiated.]
+ Objective: Live.
+ Reward: The right to defy fate.
The serpent struck.
Pain exploded—then stopped.
Seun's vision tinted crimson.
[Bloodprice Reversal Activated.]
[Damage Taken: 247 HP → Converted to Strength.]
His shattered bones knitted. His blood burned.
The serpent recoiled, confused.
Seun laughed.
System Alert:
[New Title Earned: 'Abandoned One.']
[Effect: +50% damage against former allies.]