The Boss's chamber was an abyss of stone and bone.
At its center stood a three-meter-tall creature—obsidian skin, blade-like claws, and eyes burning crimson.
The Echo Devourer.
Level 15.
But before they could strike…
the other teams arrived.
Five Captains.
Each more terrifying than the last.
"Team Viper," Talia whispered. "Led by a guy with scars over his eyes."
"Team Obsidian," Samune said. "All in black armor, fusion-class abilities."
"Team Phantom, Team Blade, Team Ruin…" Rioyin tightened his grip on his knife. "We're surrounded."
The Captain of Obsidian, a woman with a metallic voice, raised her hand.
"Only one seals the portal.
Kill the weak first."
And they attacked.
It wasn't a fight.
It was an execution.
The Captain of Blade lunged at Kikoshin with inhuman speed.
"Steel Flash!" he roared.
Before Kikoshin could react, three slashes tore across his chest. Red blood splattered the floor.
He dropped to his knees.
"Kiko!" Miojo ran—but a frost spell from Team Phantom froze her from the waist down.
She shattered on impact. Broken ribs.
Darius roared and charged the Captain of Ruin…
but he activated Reverse Gravity.
Darius slammed into the ceiling and crushed against the stone. Spine fractured.
Sumo tried to shield Lucas, but an energy chain from Obsidian's Captain pierced his abdomen.
"No!" Lucas cried, reaching to heal him—but another rival drove a knife into his shoulder.
In minutes, Team SuYo was out of commission.
Kikoshin lay face-down, bleeding, watching as the rival teams butchered each other.
Viper decapitated Blade with a shadow sword.
Obsidian fused three members into a four-armed beast that tore Phantom apart.
Ruin unleashed an energy explosion that split the floor—and himself.
One by one, they fell.
Until only Viper and Obsidian remained—wounded, gasping, facing the Boss.
The Devourer looked at them…
and smiled.
In one motion, it grabbed Obsidian's Captain by the head and crushed it like a walnut.
Then it impaled Viper through the chest with a claw.
Heart ripped out.
Silence.
The Boss turned… and saw Kikoshin.
But it didn't attack.
It was sated.
It crouched, as if to rest.
That's when Kikoshin saw his chance.
With his last breath, he dragged his broken body across the floor.
Every inch burned.
Every heartbeat was fire.
Miojo, mouth full of blood, reached for him.
"Don't… go…"
He looked at her.
Said nothing.
Just grabbed his dagger.
And with a scream born from shattered bones,
he lunged.
It wasn't elegant.
It wasn't heroic.
It was pure desperation.
The dagger plunged into the base of the Boss's neck, right where the scales parted.
The Devourer howled, twisting—
but it was too late.
Black fluid gushed in torrents.
The creature collapsed, trembling, until its body crumbled to ash.
[BOSS DEFEATED.]
[DUNGEON SEALED.]
[SURVIVING TEAMS: SUOYO, VIPER.]
[RETURN TRANSPORT INITIATED.]
The light returned them to the city.
Kikoshin crashed into the park where it all began.
Around him, his team lay unconscious, covered in fatal wounds.
Miojo breathed in shallow gasps, blood staining her blue shirt.
Sumo's eyes were open, but unblinking.
Darius didn't move.
Lucas tried to whisper a prayer, but only blood came out.
"No… you can't die," Kikoshin whispered.
He tried to summon his power.
Nothing.
He tried to heal them.
No strength left.
Then… he remembered.
"The inventory…" he murmured.
With trembling fingers, he opened his interface.
There it was:
[Healing Tonic – Minor]
"But… it's for one person," he said, desperate.
But the system responded:
[TEAM SYNCHRONIZED. EFFECT SHARED: 30% PER MEMBER.]
Not enough to fully heal them…
but enough to keep them alive.
Kikoshin activated the tonic.
Golden light enveloped them all.
Miojo coughed, eyes fluttering open.
"Kikoshin…" she whispered, voice broken.
He crawled to her, ignoring his own pain.
Took her hand.
It was cold.
"Don't leave," he said, voice trembling for the first time.
"Please… don't go."
She gave a weak smile.
"Not… as long as you're here."
No intense stares.
No grand confessions.
Just two hands clasped, stained with blood and dust,
and the silent promise that they'd keep fighting—together.
[NEW SYSTEM MESSAGE]
Day 1 Complete.
Final Score: 680 GP.
Current Rank: #3.
Warning: Teams #4 through #10 will be marked for elimination at dawn.
Kikoshin closed his eyes.
They'd survived.
But the real hunt…
had only just begun.