"Hah... hah... what a hassle! How is it possible for such creatures to exist?"
On the riverbank, a beautiful girl panted heavily. Her face was flawless, radiating a flirtatious and charming aura.
Her hair was golden brown, and her skin bright white. Hidden under her school uniform and beige cardigan, her alluring figure remained unmistakable.
She was Carol—one of the students who had awakened an A-rank skill.
Wiping sweat from her brow, she straightened up, her expression still pale.
"This side mission really sucks! How did I get so unlucky?" She complained angrily.
The mission was to kill two monkey-shaped monsters. At first glance, it seemed simple and straightforward.
After all, she wielded a bow, able to strike from a distance.
But in reality, it wasn't that easy. Unlike ordinary monkeys on Earth, these stood about a meter tall and looked sinister.
Their skin was grayish-black, with sharp fangs jutting from both jaws.
They were muscular, and their screams could shatter the eardrums of anyone nearby.
Just moments ago, she had killed one but failed to take down the other.
The remaining monster had discovered her position, forcing her to flee.
She wasn't sure how far she had run but guessed about two hundred meters.
With a long sigh, she whispered, "Status panel!"
[Status]
Name: Carol Lesure
Age: 16
Race: Human
Status: Alive
Level: 1 (7/100)
Class: —
Talents: STR (E), INT (C), VIT (D), AGI (E), LCK (C)
Skills: Charm (A)
[Description:] Born into a poor family, Carol dreamed of marrying a rich man and living a comfortable life. Her goal: to become one of the ten people to enter the world of Solira.
"What? Why do I have seven level points?" Her eyes widened in surprise.
Then she remembered her success in killing the monster, and a happy smile spread across her lips.
"Killing one monster earned me seven free points! That's amazing!" She clapped her hands excitedly.
The urge to return to where those damn monkeys were flared inside her, but she quickly restrained herself. One careless move could mean a horrible death.
"I need to come up with a plan first. That way, I'll be safe from those monkeys!"
With that resolve, she retrieved her bow and cautiously approached the monsters' location.
...
"I should be safe..."
Behind the three-meter-high limestone boulders, Shin panted, peering into the passage he had just passed through.
Those wolf monsters ran incredibly fast. If he hadn't cleverly deceived them by navigating multiple cave passages, they might have caught him.
With a deep sigh, he slowly sat up and leaned his back against the rock behind him.
His gaze fixed ahead, where stalactites and stalagmites crowded the view.
Unlike before, this area was completely enclosed, blocking out sunlight.
As a result, the atmosphere was dark and dim. If not for the crystals emitting a faint blue glow on all sides, he would have seen nothing but darkness.
'Everything feels like a dream,' Shin muttered with a wry smile.
Just a few hours ago, he and his classmates had been waiting for the next class to start.
He was sure many of them had already planned their activities after school—including himself.
He had planned to find a part-time job to buy medicine for his mother and help with the family finances.
At first, his family wasn't poor—in fact, they were very wealthy.
His father was the director of the largest gaming company in the country. Meanwhile, his mother was an ordinary housewife who managed all the family affairs.
They were, by all accounts, a family many people dreamed of having.
Unfortunately, everything changed because of one incident—a spiritual phenomenon two years ago.
His sister, Shin Melissa, was one of the forty victims who disappeared. Since then, his mother had changed—once loving and gentle, she was now quick to anger.
Eventually, he and his father took her to the hospital, where they learned she had a personality disorder caused by deep grief and trauma.
The illness was difficult to treat, and the cost was enormous. Although the family had been wealthy, their fortune slowly drained away to pay for her care.
Every day, Shin became the target of his mother's wrath—once even coming close to being killed by her.
Yet, he didn't hate her. On the contrary, his love for her grew stronger, and he was determined to do whatever it took to heal her.
"Mom..." he muttered, clenching his fists tightly. "Don't worry. I will bring Melissa back. I swear this by the gods! Then we can be reunited and live happily again."
No matter the sacrifice—money, time, or even his life—he would bring his sister back and keep his promise.
GRR!
At that moment, a growl echoed from the passage he had just passed through, jolting him out of his thoughts.
Shin carefully rose to his feet, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. He peeked out from behind a rock and spotted the three wolves that had been chasing him earlier.
"How did they find me so fast?" His brows furrowed deeply. Then his eyes widened as a thought struck him—the smell.
"Could that be the reason?" He swallowed hard.
Although they were monsters, they were still wolves. As far as he knew, wolves had an exceptionally keen sense of smell—forty times stronger than humans.
No wonder they tracked him down so quickly.
"This is bad," Shin muttered cautiously. "If this keeps up, I won't survive a fight against all three."
He bit his lower lip, racking his brain for a way out.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on a five-meter-wide hole in the distance.
"A hole?"
Curious, he approached it slowly and stopped at the edge.
Staring into its pitch-black depths, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
"That's it! An incredibly clever plan!"