The place was pitch black—so dark it felt like the world had folded in on itself. Their breaths sounded too loud. Their footsteps felt like they didn't belong to them.
The seven of them fumbled in their bags until the wooden sticks came out. Little, simple things… ridiculous compared to the huge emptiness surrounding them.
The young man at the front clicked his tongue softly.
"Selena. Light it up."
Selena—pink hair tucked under that tilted hat she loved too much—lifted her staff. Her motion was soft, almost lazy, but the moment the tip touched the sticks—
Fwoom.
The flames caught instantly, pushing the darkness back like hands forcing open a stubborn door. The fireball hovering above her staff flickered its own heartbeat.
"Thanks for the light, Selena," Aiden said.
She flashed him that carefree little smile. "It's nothing, Aiden."
And they walked deeper. It felt like walking inside a throat—narrow, damp, swallowing sound.
Rain followed behind the others, his black eyes constantly drifting around. Every sound made him twitch. His gaze landed on Rowen—red coat, same as the rest of them.
Except Rain.
A small confusion twisted in him.
If Rowen came just for my coat ceremony… why does he have one? He's not Crimson Owl… or is he?
He swallowed. Maybe after the mission he'll join. That'd be nice… two celebrations in one day.
Then—
A soft tap on his shoulder.
Rain stopped immediately, heartbeat kicking up. He turned and found Lance—green hair, jade eyes, looking weirdly calm in this nightmare lighting.
"Rain, you spaced out. You okay?"
"I'm fine. It's nothing, Lance."
Lance studied him—really looked—and smiled gently. "Whatever happens, I'll protect you. That's my job, right? So don't overthink stuff."
Rain nodded, shoulders dropping a little.
Up ahead, someone called. "Are you two coming or what?!"
Lance waved lazily. "We're coming, Kaiden!"
Then he faced Rain again. "Let's finish the mission. Then we'll celebrate your coat properly."
Rain nodded again, holding onto those words like a small warm thing in his chest.
They walked for a while, the dungeon swallowing their footsteps… until a strange noise echoed ahead. A low scrape. Then another.
They froze. Instinctively falling into stances.
Aiden's blade was out. Kaiden's manifested gun appeared with a crackle of mana.
Then eyes blinked. Two glowing red eyes staring back at them.
Brugar, the giant of a man with dark skin and a body like carved stone, cracked his knuckles and grinned. "One? Leave 'em. I'll handle it."
Then—
More eyes opened.
Followed by guttural growls crawling across the walls.
The wolves stepped into the light—black fur like smoke, red eyes burning like coals, claws that scraped little sparks when they hit stone.
Drool pooled at their jaws and dripped thickly.
One lunged.
Aiden moved—clean, sharp—slash—blood sprayed across the ground, warm and too bright.
Four more wolves leapt.
Selena's grin flickered. "Puppies want to play."
She flicked her staff—little fireballs burst out like rebellious sparks—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One wolf twisted midair, slammed into the wall, then launched again. Brugar snatched it mid-flight by the throat, muscles bulging. The wolf snarled, claws raking his arm.
Rowen and Rain backed up behind Lance.
Brugar squeezed. A terrible crunch. Blood splattered across his arm and chest.
Aiden waved them forward. "Move!"
Brugar tossed the corpse aside and jogged after them, still grinning like a man who loved violence a bit too much.
They entered a long hallway, the walls glowing faintly with blue crystals. Enough light that they put out the sticks.
For a moment—just a moment—the place seemed strangely peaceful.
Then three wolves dropped from the ceiling.
Everyone jolted in panic—
Bam!
A green sphere snapped around them. The wolves hit it hard, bouncing off.
They turned to Lance—hand raised, mana trembling in his fingers.
Aiden exhaled. "Nice one, Lance."
Selena's eyes widened. "Umm… guys… am I the only one seeing… all that?"
They turned.
Twenty wolves.
Crawling. Pacing. Smirking—if wolves could smirk.
Aiden cut down the wolves banging on Lance's shield.
Lance dropped the shield and backed up with Rain and Rowen.
The wolves charged the frontline.
Aiden slashed wildly, muscles tense, every swing spraying blood.
Brugar grabbed two wolves, smashing their skulls like fruits.
Kaiden fired blasts that left smoking craters behind.
Selena summoned a circle—red, hot—and rained fire down on them.
Boom. Boom.
Rain watched, hope lifting inside him. "We… might finish early."
Rowen nodded weakly.
But the wolves kept coming. A river of claws and teeth.
Then two wolves slipped past the frontline—charging straight at Lance's group.
Aiden snapped back. "Damn it! Lance—handle them!"
Rowen and Rain moved behind Lance again.
The wolves lunged—
Lance raised the shield—
Teeth scraped against the green mana sphere—
Selena chuckled. "Lance got it under control. Our turn."
But the wolves didn't stop. They pushed so hard the shield vibrated.
Rowen muttered, "These things really don't know when to quit."
Rain tried to force a smile. "It's like they're desperate."
Lance scoffed. "My shield is impenetrable. Nothing can—"
Crack.
The ground beneath them spiderwebbed.
Rain's stomach dropped.
The floor split open.
A wolf burst out from below.
Lance inhaled sharply. "Underground too?!"
He dispelled the shield as the wolf lunged for him.
The other two leapt toward Rain.
Rain's feet slipped. He fell, breath ripped out of him. The wolves were right there—their breath hot and disgusting.
He raised his hands to his face—
But no pain came.
When he lowered his hands… Rowen was in front of him.
Arms wide.
Wolf fangs sunk deep into both his shoulders.
"R… Rowen…"
Rowen turned his head just enough to smile. Weak. Small. "You okay, Rain?"
Up front, everyone froze.
Aiden's eyes widened—rage twisting across his face. He cut down the wolf in front of him and sprinted toward Rowen.
He slashed both wolves on Rowen's shoulders. Rowen crumpled instantly.
Lance kicked his own wolf away, but he was trembling, blood running down his hand.
Selena's missile exploded the one trying to get up. Brugar and Kaiden arrived seconds later.
Aiden knelt, grabbing Rowen. "You okay?"
Rowen tried to smile again, but it flickered. "I… I feel weak…"
Rain dropped beside him, tears falling before he could even understand why. "I'm sorry—I'm sorry—I'm sorry!"
Rowen lifted a shaking hand. "It's… fine, Rain…"
Kaiden scanned the field. "All wolves down."
Rain looked at the carnage—burnt bodies, blood puddles, pieces of wolves crushed like rotten fruit.
Lance staggered up, pale. "Something's wrong. The wolf bit my hand only once but… I feel drained. Like my mana was sucked straight out."
Rowen's breath trembled. "Same… here."
Rain swallowed. "Then… the wolves can drain mana… through their bites."
The team froze.
Aiden clenched his jaw. "We need to heal Lance and Rowen immediately. They're crucial."
Rain stood. "I—I'll heal Lance then—"
"Wait."
Rain froze.
Aiden spoke, his voice steady but carrying an annoying tone of authority.
"No. In matters of rank, Rowen is higher than you. And if you healed Lance, it'll take too long. We don't know when the wolves might attack again. So—you heal Rowen, then Rowen heals Lance and the rest of us. We need everyone in top shape when they come back."
Rain's shoulders dropped. He lowered his gaze like the words physically pressed him down, then quietly knelt behind Rowen.
He placed a trembling hand above Rowen's shoulder.
"Heal."
Green light bloomed from his palms—soft and warm. Little balls of healing light seeped into Rowen's wounds like tiny fireflies returning home.
Aiden and the others didn't even look at him. They just drank water from their canisters, resting, breathing—while Rain worked.
Rowen tilted his head a bit, just enough to catch the sadness written all over Rain's face.
He exhaled softly. "It's fine, Rain. There's nothing to worry about." His voice was quiet, almost too calm. "Aiden is the leader. His decisions… they're for the good of the team."
He paused, searching for Rain's eyes.
"If you think about it, he's right. Healing Lance would've taken time. We needed that time. You healed me instead… so I can heal Lance and the others."
He glanced at Lance, at the team still catching their breath.
"You don't need to feel useless. Everyone has an important role. Maybe you don't see yours yet… but you will."
Rain lifted his head slowly. "My… importance?"
Rowen smiled—small, tired, but soft . "Everyone has a part to play in this mission. So make sure you do yours properly."
Rain nodded, whispering to himself, "Yes… I will. I'll perform my role as a healer properly."
Rowen's wound closed up, skin knitting together with a fading green glow.
He rose to his feet, rolling his arm. "Good as new."
Rain wiped sweat from his forehead, breathing hard. His hands still shook a little.
Rowen gave him a thumbs up. "You did great."
Rain managed a faint smile.
Rowen turned to Lance. "Now your turn—"
Ooooooowl!
The howl tore through the dungeon like something alive—sharp, violent. They all slapped their hands over their ears as the sound stretched on and on… until it stopped abruptly.
Their hands fell away slowly.
Lance breathed unevenly. "What… was… that?"
Wolves poured in—not just a few this time. Dozens. Too many.
Rain counted under his breath, voice cracking. "Twenty… no, thirty… no—fifty. There are fifty of them."
His heart twisted. "Rowen hasn't healed Lance yet… Lance barely has mana left… and the frontliners are still recovering. They… they can't handle this many."
His thought broke in half as a crushing pressure slammed into the room.
Fear—thick and suffocating—rolled over them.
A massive wolf stepped out from the crowd. Taller. Broader. It stood on two feet like a person, a monster dressed in fur and hatred. But there was something different about it— it had four glowing red eyes locked on them like they were prey already halfway chewed.
Their limbs shook.
Selena's knuckles went white on her staff.
Aiden's blade rattled in his grip.
Kaiden and Brugar didn't speak—they didn't even blink. They just stared, trapped in silent horror.
Rain whispered, voice thin and breaking,
"W-what… what is that thing…?"
No one moved.
Lance swallowed. "That must be… the boss."
The boss howled—louder than before. The dungeon trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling. Rocks cracked.
The wolves surged forward like a tide.
The boss didn't move. It just… watched. As if its pack fighting was beneath it.
Two wolves leapt at Aiden. His eyes sharpened, snapping out of fear. His blade flared yellow.
Swoosh.
He was suddenly behind them—before their bodies even realized they'd been cut. Blood splattered, limbs dropping like wet meat.
Kaiden's hands glowed blue, forming a machine-like gun with two floating glowing circles.
He yelled and fired, bullets raining down—piercing, tearing, shredding through wolves.
Brugar leapt high, fist raised.
BAM.
The dungeon floor cracked, a crater forming as wolves flew from the shockwave.
Another wolf lunged—he grabbed it midair and hurled it into the others.
Selena slammed her staff into the stone.
"Fire Rain!"
Three glowing red magic circles appeared—two above the wolves, one above the boss.
Fireballs poured down like a burning storm, scorching fur, flesh, air.
The circle above the boss unleashed its own rain of fire.
Smoke filled the chamber. The flames died out slowly.
Selena held her breath. "Did I… get him?"
Aiden cut down a wolf beside him. "I don't know… but with a hit like that, he has to be dead."
Kaiden shouted while firing, "Then let's finish the rest!"
From the back, Rain whispered, star-struck, "They… they really have it under control."
Rowen turned to Lance. "I'll heal you now."
His hand hovered over the bloody bite wound. "Heal."
Green light wrapped around Lance's ruined arm.
But then—
The smoke in front cleared.
The boss still stood.
Steam hissed from its body… completely unharmed.
Brugar's eyes stretched wide. "You've gotta be kidding me."
Selena's voice trembled. "That attack didn't even scratch him…"
Aiden stabbed a wolf, face streaked with blood. "If we take the boss down, everything ends. Focus!"
They nodded—
But the boss howled again.
The dungeon shook violently. Wolves erupted from the ground this time—twisting out of the earth like nightmares with teeth.
Everyone froze.
Aiden tried to shout, "Don't give up! The boss won't—"
He stopped.
Because the boss wasn't where it stood before.
It vanished.
And in a blur of wind reappeared behind the healers.
Behind Rain. Behind Rowen. Behind injured Lance.
Its fist rose—huge, fast, final.
They froze—three bodies caught in a moment that stretched too long.
Lance moved first.
He kicked Rowen aside and thrust his hand up.
A green shield burst out—but the punch shattered it instantly.
Lance flew like a broken arrow, smashing into the wall. Blood splattered—thick and dark. Cracks Spider-webbed across the stone. His head drooped. His vision blurred.
Rain screamed—
"Lance!"