The digital clock in the hospital lobby read 04:15 AM.
Kai walked out of the sliding doors, the cool night air biting his skin. He touched his pocket. Inside, there was a thin roll of cash—$2,000.
He had paid $23,000 to the hospital account. It bought Mia about six weeks of life support.
He had kept the remaining two grand. Not out of greed, but out of necessity.
A soldier without bullets is just a target. To save Mia, he couldn't just survive; he had to hunt.
Kai pulled up his hood and disappeared back into the subway shadows, heading towards the Hunter's Market.
[Hunter's Market - The Armory Alley]
"You're back soon," Leo said, raising an eyebrow as Kai walked into the shop again. "Did you rob a bank?"
"I need supplies," Kai said, ignoring the joke. He slapped the remaining bills onto the counter. "Mana Potions. The cheap ones. And a mask."
Leo swept the money into a drawer without counting. "Going back in immediately? You have a death wish, kid."
He placed a crate on the counter. inside were ten small glass vials filled with a diluted blue liquid.
[Minor Mana Potion (Grade F)]
Effect: Restores 20 Mana.
"Garbage quality," Leo muttered. "But it's all you can afford. I threw in a used respirator mask. It'll filter out sewer gas... and hide your face."
Kai grabbed the mask. It was a bulky, rusted industrial model that covered the lower half of his face. Perfect.
"One more thing," Kai asked, his voice low. "I need intel. Where is the Viper Guild recruiting today?"
Leo paused. He looked at Kai, then at the stolen dagger hanging at Kai's waist. He put the pieces together.
"You're not just hunting monsters, are you?"
Kai didn't answer.
Leo sighed and pulled up a holographic map. "District 4. The Goblin Cave. It's an E-Rank Dungeon. Jack... Captain Jack is leading a newbie raid team there at 06:00. He needs cannon fodder to clear the traps."
"District 4. Got it."
"Kai," Leo warned as Kai turned to leave. "Jack is a D-Rank Fighter. He has thick skin and hits like a truck. If you miss..."
"I won't miss," Kai said. He pulled the respirator over his face. The hissing sound of the filter made him sound like a machine. "I have help."
[District 4 - Dungeon Entrance]
The sun was rising, casting long shadows over the construction site that served as the entrance to the Goblin Cave.
A group of nervous novices stood near the barrier. They were mostly E-Ranks—young, naive, and eager to make a quick buck.
Standing in front of them was Jack.
He looked annoyed. He was smoking a cigarette, his alloy armor gleaming in the morning light.
"Listen up, you maggots!" Jack shouted, kicking a stone. "My usual team is... taking a break. So you lot get the privilege of being carried by a D-Rank veteran. Don't slow me down, don't touch the loot, and do exactly what I say. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" the newbies chorused.
"We need one more," Jack grumbled, checking his watch. "I specifically asked for a Scout or a Thief. I hate checking for tripwires myself."
"I'm a Thief."
A raspy, muffled voice came from behind the concrete pillar.
Jack spun around.
A figure in a worn-out grey hoodie and a rusted gas mask walked out. He looked small, hunched over, and smelled faintly of sewage.
Jack squinted. "Rank?"
"E-Rank," the masked figure lied effortlessly. He tapped the dagger at his waist. "I know how to disarm traps."
Jack scanned him. The guy looked like a vagrant. Weak presence. Probably a desperate junkie trying to earn drug money.
In other words: Perfect cannon fodder.
"You're late, Mask," Jack scoffed, flicking his cigarette butt at the figure's feet. "Get in line. You take point. If you trigger a trap and die, I'm not carrying your body out."
The masked figure nodded slowly.
"Understood... Captain."
Under the mask, Kai smiled.
He glanced at his shadow. It stretched long across the ground, connecting with Jack's shadow.
Inside the darkness, Fang (The Naga Shadow) was waiting, hungry for blood.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Target Identified: Jack]
[Quest: "An Eye for an Eye" is active.]
"Alright, move out!" Jack barked, leading the lambs to the slaughter.
Kai fell into step behind a nervous-looking Scout.
The hunt had begun.
（"Enjoying the massacre? Drop a Power Stone to feed the Clone Army!"）