The sky was still dark when Jae-sung slipped out of the tent, the baby—Yoo—left with the neighbor woman from the night before.
The air was cool and thick with mist, carrying the smell of damp earth and distant smoke from dying fires. Jae-sung adjusted his rifle strap, his boots crunching on the gravel path.
"200k... that's the kind of money that could get us out of this slum pit," he thought, his breath visible in the chill. But a knot twisted in his stomach.
"Easy job, my friend said. Stay back, pick cores. Sounds too good... but I can't say no."
The neighbor woman rocked Yoo gently by the fire, her voice soft. "Go on, earn that cash. The little one's safe with me—he barely fusses."
Jae-sung nodded, glancing at Yoo's calm face. "Thanks. Be back by evening." Yoo gurgled, but inside, "He's leaving again? Fine... I'll wait and see what happens," he thought, his adult mind lazy but sharp. He didn't cry or wiggle much; his silence made the woman smile.
"Such a quiet one," she whispered.
A random kid nearby poked his head out of a tent. "Mister, monster hunting? Take me!" the boy begged, eyes wide with excitement. Jae-sung ruffled his hair. "Too dangerous, kid. Stay safe." The boy pouted, thinking, "One day I'll go... and be strong like him."
Jae-sung met his friend at the edge of the slums, where a group of ten waited—mixed ranks from Iron to Gold, all looking rough around the edges.
His friend clapped him on the back. "Glad you came, man. Easy gig—pick cores from dead beasts, mine some minerals. Stay at the back, no fighting."
The leader, a burly Gold-rank with a scar across his face, grunted. "Pay's huge—200k each. Follow my lead, no questions." Jae-sung nodded, but inside, "This leader's eyes are shifty... something's off." The team moved out, boots crunch! crunch! on the rubble-strewn road toward a ruined tower where the rift shimmered like a tear in the sky.
As they walked, the group chatted to kill time. A young Iron-rank miner wiped his brow. "Heard the surge made cores glow brighter—worth more now."
His voice was hopeful, but shaky. The leader laughed. "Yeah, that's why the pay's big. Just pick 'em up—easy." A random woman in the group, a Silver-rank with a patched jacket, muttered,
"Easy? Dungeons are full of surprises." "I need this money for my sick mom... can't back out," she thought, gripping her pickaxe. Jae-sung stayed quiet, thinking, "Keep your head down—get the cash, get out."
The rift entrance loomed, hum! hum!, energy pulsing like a heartbeat. The leader stepped through first, and the team followed into the dark tunnel.
The air turned cold and heavy, smelling of rot and wet stone. Drip! Drip! echoed from the walls, and distant growl! growl! made everyone tense.
The miner from earlier, a guy with a scarred hand from a past rift accident, glanced back. "This place gives me the creeps... lost my brother in one like this," he said, his voice low. "Can't remember much—amnesia from the blast. But I keep going, for him," he thought, his foggy memory driving him to prove himself.
The leader waved him off. "Stop whining—cores are waiting."
Back in the shelter, the neighbor woman fed Yoo more mush. "You're a calm one, aren't you?" she whispered, her voice soft. Yoo stared at the ceiling, his baby hand twitching slightly.
"Boring... but this energy tingle's interesting," he thought lazily, not bothering to cry. A random child peeked over. "Baby's hands glow sometimes!" the kid said, eyes wide. The sitter laughed. "Just the firelight, dear."
Yoo stayed silent ("..."), his lack of reaction exposing the child's overexcitement—the kid pouted and ran off, thinking, "Boring baby—let's play something else!"
Inside the dungeon, the team spread out in a wide cavern lit by glowing minerals on the walls. Dead beasts lay scattered—Fledgling ones, their bodies twisted and still.
The leader pointed. "Pick the cores, mine the walls. Hunters, cover us." Jae-sung knelt by a dead beast, prying out a small glowing core with his knife.
Slice! Pop! The core was warm in his hand, energy humming softly. "This one's bright—good sign," he muttered. His friend nodded. "Told you—easy money."
But the miner hesitated, staring at a larger corpse. "This beast's big... think it's safe?" The leader shrugged. "Dead is dead—grab the core."
The miner reached in, squish!, and pulled out a bigger gem. "Wow, this could boost me to Iron!"
"Finally, a break... for my brother," he thought, grinning. Suddenly, growl! thud!—a Fledgling Beast lunged from the shadows, claws slashing.
The miner screamed, "Help!" Jae-sung reacted fast, channeling Gi from his training. Hum! Whoosh! His aura flared, and he punched the beast, thud! crack!, sending it flying. The team cheered. "Nice one!" the woman said. Jae-sung panted, thinking,
"That flow... it worked. Training pays off."
The miner clutched his arm, blood dripping. "Thanks... thought I was gone."
His voice shook, his amnesia-haunted eyes distant. "Can't remember my brother's face... but I feel like he'd be proud." The leader clapped slowly. "Keep moving—more ahead."
Deeper in, the leader led them to a bigger chamber. "Big haul here—look at those minerals!" he said, pointing at glowing veins in the walls. The team started mining, pick! clang!, filling bags with shiny rocks and cores. Jae-sung stayed at the back, picking up a fallen core.
"This one's different—dragon type or something?" he muttered. The leader smiled oddly. "Keep going—more ahead."
But the miner grumbled, "This feels wrong... beasts are too quiet."
The leader snapped, "Stop complaining—pay's good!" The miner's thought: "He's hiding something... should I run?" Suddenly, roar! boom!—the floor shook, and a trap sprung.
The leader pressed a hidden button, and the ground opened, dropping the team into a pit full of starving beasts. "Feed 'em, boys!" the leader laughed from above. "Stuffed stomachs make 'em slow—easy kills for us!"
Jae-sung fell, thud!, landing hard.
Beasts growled, circling. "It's a trap!" he shouted. His friend panicked. "What now?" Jae-sung channeled Gi, hum!, punching a beast. Thud! Crack! The miner screamed as claws slashed him. Slash! Scream! "Help!" Jae-sung fought, thinking, "Can't die—got the kid waiting!"
The leader watched from above, smirking. "Good feed—now we take the cores!" Suddenly, a shimmer appeared—whoosh! hum!—pulling Jae-sung away in a flash. The team screamed as beasts feasted, crunch! scream!, but the leader cursed. "What was that?" The trap worked, but Jae-sung was gone.
Back in the shelter, Yoo dozed lazily, unaware of the danger. The neighbor woman cooed, "Quiet as ever." Yoo stayed silent ("..."), The old man by the fire grumbled, "Heard trouble at the site—bad news." "Young ones always rush in," he thought.