Not So Solo Leveling (Patreon)

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this one. This series has absolutely taken my muse over ever since Kairomaru and an IRL friend introduced me to it

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this one. This series has absolutely taken my muse over ever since Kairomaru and an IRL friend introduced me to it and doesn’t really seem to be burning out any time soon. I watched the anime, then read the manhwa, then read the sequel, then watched the anime again, and now I’m reading the manga again. It’s actually crazy just how much I like this series even despite not really liking the ending.

I actually have three completed chapters for this story… which is really strange because I said I was going to stop at two to write for something else. I tried. I really did. It did not go well, and then the muse just dragged me right back here. If you want to blame anyone, make sure you blame Kairomaru!

Let me know how you guys like it! I’m having a fucking blast writing here.

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“ARGH! JINWOO, YOU’RE HURT AGAIN!” The noise nearly blew Sung Jinwoo over.

He blinked, before smiling over at the beautiful red-haired Healer approaching him. “Oh, I see you’ll be raiding with us as well, Joohee.”

Lee Joohee huffed, “Of course I am, but never mind that! What happened to your face this time?”

Jinwoo nervously scratched his cheek, “Yeah…” He really had no excuse, “Just… kind of ended up this way.”

A few minutes later, they were sitting on a bunch of steel that was supposed to have gone up ages ago, if it hadn’t been for the Gate that was getting close to a Dungeon Break. She was exasperated, “You were even hospitalized?”

“…Yeah…” He looked away, “It was an E-Rank dungeon. I was the only one to get hurt.” His eyes had little light in them, “The others were all high-ranking, so they didn’t bring a healer with them.”

“Of all the irresponsible… grrrrr!” Joohee actually growled.

“It’s alright.” He smiled, but she could tell how much he was hurting, “It’s my fault since I’m so weak. I’m used to it. You know that already, Joohee.” She couldn’t really think of anything to say to that, and before something came to mind, their attention was drawn.

“Listen up everyone!” Song Chiyul, an older gentleman with blonde hair called out. He had a grin on his face, “I’m sure we’re all looking to hit the jackpot today, so it’s time to get organized. Everyone okay with me being the party leader?”

Kim Sangshik was grinning back, “You’re the highest rank out of everyone here. I approve!”

A friend of his, Park Beom-Shik, was looking confident as well, “We can definitely count on Song. Let’s see those skills!”

Everyone agreed slowly, confident that Song was a good leader. He was happy to see that trust in him, “Good to hear! Then let’s all head i-”

“Hold it!” A new voice called out, drawing everyone’s attention. A woman was walking forward. A very attractive woman with long magenta-colored hair and yellow eyes with cat-like irises. And unlike literally everyone else in the party, she was wearing some expensive-looking black armor with gold and magenta trim. Gasps rang out as she was instantly recognized.

“Baek Miho!” Chiyul called out, his eyes wide.

Miho smiled at them, “Hello everyone.”

“What’s the A-Ranked Vice-Captain of the White Tiger guild doing all the way here?” Kim asked incredulously. This definitely wasn’t the dungeon for one of their beloved S-Rank Hunter’s sister! “This is just a D-Rank dungeon!”

“Indeed, it is.” Miho agreed easily. “And do not worry, we’re not here to steal this Gate from you.”

“We?” Jinwoo raised his hand slightly, still kind of flabbergasted that such a famous Hunter was there.

Miho waved to her left, drawing their attention to another woman right next to her, and Jinwoo couldn’t believe any of them had missed her. If Miho was beautiful, he wasn’t sure a proper word existed for the beauty to her left. She had rich purple, slightly wavy hair, and eyes that were only a shade or so lighter than her hair. Her equipment looked out of place, since they just looked like designer clothes, consisting of a sleeveless blouse, a skirt, and a large belt. A fancy coat rested over her shoulders, and she was covered in rings and bangles. She even had anklets. All in gold, of course. If it wasn’t for the magical energy even Jinwoo could feel coming from her outfit, he would have been very worried for her if she planned on going into the dungeon.

Jinwoo thought he recognized her too, but wasn’t sure where. Miho had a small smile on her pretty face as she introduced her companion, “Please say hello to Yoo Soohyun, the White Tiger Guild’s newest A-Rank Mage. She was just evaluated a few days ago and accepted our offer.”

“Congratulations, Miss Yoo.” Honestly, Joohee felt kind of intimidated by just how breathtakingly beautiful the famous model was.

“Hey, hey! Nice to meet you all!” Soohyun had a friendly smile on her face as she greeted everyone.

Everyone murmured, many of them in jealousy. Chiyul chuckled, “Well, not that I’m not happy to have two wonderful Hunters in our little party, but I’m still not sure why you’re here.”

“It’s simple.” Miho crossed her arms, “We’re killing two birds with one stone here, really. The Hunter’s Association has studied the Mana Waves emanating from this Gate, and has determined that there is a possibility of this Gate linking to a Double Dungeon.” Gasps rang out, and Jinwoo noticed Joohee’s confidence drop like a stone. “As you know, Double Dungeons are starting to become more common, and generally are a bit more difficult than regular Dungeons. Thankfully, they’re usually nowhere near as hard as Red Gates. As such, I have been dispatched to monitor the situation, and intervene in the event that the Double Dungeon is an Irregular and proves too difficult for you all.” She smiled and tilted her head slightly, “Soohyun here is on her first ever raid, so we figured this would be a nice place to get her feet wet.”

“Don’t worry!” Soohyun shot them a friendly smile, “Even if I kill any Magic Beasts, I won’t be taking part in the spoils. Again, this is your Dungeon.”

“Whoo! That’s a relief!” Beom-Shik laughed. “I feel great about this one already!”

Sangshik grinned over at Jinwoo, “Sung, keep behind us so you don’t get hurt. Take it easy.”

“Okay…haha…”

Miho looked over, “Why would you get hurt?”

Jinwoo almost tripped at being addressed directly, “Ah, well, I’m an E-Rank.” And there it was. The pity. She hid it well, but it was there.

“Got it.” Miho said, looking him up and down as they entered the dungeon. “…You’re not planning on using your bare fists, are you?”

“N-No!” Jinwoo said, pulling out a dagger, “I have this.”

‘Barely any magic power in it.’ Miho thought clinically. “Know how to use it?”

“As well as I can, I suppose.”

“Show me.” Miho said, with neither of them noticing Joohee pouting slightly. “Hmm, your technique isn’t bad.” She said, smiling slightly. “It’s a shame I don’t have a better dagger to lend you.”

“Do you use any weapons, Miss Baek?” Jinwoo asked.

“No.” She smiled, before raising her hand, which transformed into a fierce looking claw. “I have my own.”

“Wow.” Joohee looked over curiously. “How about you, Miss Soohyun?”

Soohyun smiled over at her, and then just lifted off the ground in an aura of purple. “My power is over gravity.”

“So cool!” Jinwoo smiled, though he was inwardly sad that he had nothing for his own.

“Looks like we’re about to begin.” Miho said, staring at the Goblins at the other end of the tunnel they were in. “Sung, being an E-Rank, I suppose you must get hurt a lot based on what that other man said.”

‘And here it comes.’ Jinwoo kept his smile up, though it was decidedly plastic.

“So, the best way for you to fight them is to attack when they’re off balance.” Miho said.

‘Huh?’ Jinwoo thought he had heard that wrong, maybe. He must have said it out loud, because she smiled slightly.

“With a dagger, you won’t win any contests in range. You’ll also be slower and weaker due to your rank, so never try to get into a contest of strength. You must wait for them to attack you and read them for openings. Never try to block. Always redirect if possible, and dodge if not. When you find an opening, get in and get out as fast as you can. Don’t go for a kill if it will put you in a bad position. Slice their wrists, or any tendons you can reach. Only go for a kill shot when it’s guaranteed.”

“Woah, scary!” Soohyun shivered slightly.

“I…thank you, Miss Baek.” Jinwoo said, unable to believe someone had given him actual advice.

“Go on.” She nodded over to the fighting, which had already started.

Jinwoo swallowed heavily, before drawing his dagger tensely. Miho could already see him making mistakes. He was as taut as a string that was about to snap. She walked forward to be in range, just in case.

The Goblin screeched and sliced down at Jinwoo, who dodged to the left. He raised his dagger, and Miho prepared herself to jump in. But he caught on that it was a bad move as the Goblin was instantly able to slash at him. He jumped back, and his hoodie got sliced, though thankfully only his hoodie.

The goblin tried to stab him, and Jinwoo proved he had some potential as he was able to slice the Goblin’s wrist. It screeched in pain as it started to bleed and swung wildly. Jinwoo rapidly got out of range, though again by a hair’s breadth. The enraged Goblin kept on screeching and hacking away at Jinwoo, who suddenly felt the difference between them in speed. He took a few cuts, which made him hiss in pain.

But finally, he saw the opening he needed. He leapt forward and stabbed his dagger right into the Goblin’s eye. It slumped over, dead. “I…” Jinwoo stared at it, wide-eyed, “I did it?” Four years of experience, and this was the first time he had ever killed something completely on his own without having to rely on ambushing it from behind!

“Don’t lose focus! Celebrate later!” Miho yelled out, and Jinwoo yanked on the dagger looking for another target. And it was a good thing he did, because otherwise Miho was going to have to intervene. He ducked under a spear thrust and stabbed directly at the creature’s finger.

It screeched as he cut two of them off, making its hands slip on the now-slick spear. It tried multiple times to stab him, and eventually went for his legs. Instead of dodging, he raised his foot and brought it crashing down on the spear. Due to his weak strength, he couldn’t even snap the cheap wood. But it did trap the spear and again, he managed to bury his dagger inside its eyeball. By the time the fighting was almost over, Jinwoo had bagged three kills. It was his best result ever. All from one person’s kindness!

Miho smiled slightly, “Soohyun, looks like they’re wrapping up. Why don’t you get that one?” she pointed.

“Right!” Soohyun took a deep breath, before thrusting her palm out. “Take this!” A purple wave burst from her palm and smashed into the goblin. It flew back and crushed against the back wall, shattering it. She even almost hit one of their crew with its speeding body! She blinked in shock. “H-Holy crap!” She couldn’t believe how strong that had been. She bowed to the sweating woman, “I’m very sorry.”

“It’s cool.” She squeaked out, before bowing back and shyly rushing away.

The fighting came to an end, and Joohee rushed over to Jinwoo. “Jinwoo!” Joohee had a look of sheer joy on her face, “Y-you’re not hurt!”

Jinwoo was still in disbelief. “I…” He then winced and raised his arm, which had a thin slice on it.

“Well, you’re not hurt badly.” Joohee said dryly, before she raised her hand and cast a healing spell on him.

“I… don’t believe it.” Jinwoo said listlessly, “Four years… and not one time did I get any advice that actually helped…”

Several of the party walked over. Chiyul had a smile on his face, “Good job, Sung.” He smiled, and for the first time in four years, Jinwoo felt like someone meant it. “Come on. Looks like the Double Dungeon is this way.” He nodded over at the hole.

Jinwoo and the three girls lagged behind, “It’s a shame we Hunters can’t get stronger.” Miho sighed, “I can see you have potential, Sung. But you’ll always be held back by your power. It’s truly a shame.” Jinwoo’s face fell, and he said nothing as he watched Chiyul send a fireball down the tunnel, only for it to vanish in the distance. “I don’t mean anything harsh by it like others would.” She added, “If possible, I would invest in gear.”

“Gear breaks.” Jinwoo sighed, “I tried once before. The boss broke it on my very first raid with it. I couldn’t even make back what I spent on it.” He pulled out his dagger, and they all could see that just from that limited amount of fighting, it was already nicked.

They started making their way down the tunnel, “Jinwoo… why are you so set on being a Hunter?” Joohee asked, standing closer to him than she normally would. “You… you did great today, but…” She closed her eyes, “I just… don’t want you to get hurt.”

Jinwoo looked away.

Soohyun patted him on the shoulder, “Is there a reason you do it, Jinwoo?” She preferred things informal, and didn’t notice Joohee pout again.

Jinwoo laughed it off, “Oh, this is just a hobby. I’d probably die from boredom if it weren’t for this.”

Joohee didn’t find it funny, “Stick with this hobby, and you’ll be doing raids in the afterlife.”

Miho shook her head, “You’re a liar, Sung.” She called him out on it, and his and Joohee’s eyes widened, “You’ve been doing this for four years, and this is apparently your best day ever. No one is that much of an adrenaline junkie.” She sighed, “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, but please don’t think we’re idiots.”

Jinwoo looked down. Maybe if this had just been a regular raid where he got all cut up like usual, he would have just kept his mouth shut. But this time was different. For the first time, he’d been successful without relying on stabbing something in the back! And it was all because of Baek Miho’s generosity.

As he clenched his fist and had a look of anguish on his face, Joohee whispered, “Jinwoo…”

“My mother fell under the Eternal Sleep.” He blurted out, and horror crossed his friend’s face. Soohyun’s face melted in sympathy, and Miho closed her eyes. “I’m all my sister has now. I’m the only way she can study, to have a good life. I… never went further than high school. We just didn’t have the money. This… it’s the only thing I have…”

Joohee started to tear up, “Oh… Jinwoo…” She felt awful. Not just because she hadn’t noticed how much pain he was in under his smiles after all this time, but that she had tried to get him to quit so many times before. He had a much better reason for being a Hunter than anyone. Resolve solidified in her. She would support him from now on, in any way he needed!

Coming from wealth, his struggle was something Soohyun couldn’t relate to. But she could sympathize. “You’re a good man, Jinwoo.” She said softly. He blushed.

‘I said it once and I’ll say it again. It’s a shame.’ Miho thought to herself, but said nothing as they reached a set of large double doors. ‘Doors? That’s really rare.’

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen a room with a door before.” Someone said.

“Feels kind of dangerous.” Sangshik gazed at it.

“That’s why we have two A-Ranks!” Another called out.

Chiyul smiled, “Well, this is it. Be prepared to back away if this does indeed prove too much for us lower ranks. Let Miss Baek and Miss Yoo do their work if that’s the case. No need to risk anyone’s lives.” He pushed the doors open, “Huh, that opened easier than I thought.”

“Woah!” Joohee looked around in awe.

“There are no monsters.” Jinwoo said as they began to walk inside.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’ Miho thought to herself, wondering if she shouldn’t pull the plug and get them out of there.

Soohyun shivered, “…Anyone getting a weird feeling?” She said softly, so only Miho and their two new friends would hear. Miho’s bad feeling intensified.

The room they walked into was massive and shaped almost like a domed cathedral ceiling. Everywhere they looked, huge stone statues stood at attention. Blue flames lit the dungeon room up in an eerie glow.

“Looks like some are holding weapons and others are holding instruments.” Miho called out.

“That one is huge!” Jinwoo said as he stared up at the largest of the statues sitting on a throne-like chair.

“I hope it’s not the boss!” Joohee exclaimed, looking terrified.

“Nah, don’t worry. It’s just a statue.” Soohyun said, though her tone was a little wary. “…Why are there no magic beasts?”

“Hey, over here!” One of the girls called them all over. “There’s a runic inscription here.”

They all walked over to one of the statues, and like the huge one on the throne, this one was different from all the others. Rather than a knight or a musician like the others, it was a hooded, cloaked, and winged individual. It was holding a tablet in its arms.

Chiyul started to read, “The Commandments of the Cartenon Temple.” He tilted his head, “One, thou shall worship God.” He stated, “Two, thou shall praise God.”

“J-Jinwoo…” Joohee sounded incredibly unnerved. He looked to where she was pointing, “Th-the huge statue was looking at us.” Miho’s gaze snapped to the statue as well, but it looked undisturbed.

Chiyul continued, “Three, thou shall prove thy faith.”

“Its pupils were moving! I swear it was looking at us.”

‘Wait…’ Jinwoo thought as he stared at it, ‘What is this uneasy feeling? It’s so quiet. Something is wrong.’

“I don’t like this.” Soohyun spoke his own thoughts, “Maybe we should leave.” She said, just as Chiyul finished the final statements.

“Those who fail to obey these Commandments shall not be spared.” He intoned, his voice infused with finality despite not at all meaning to do so.

CLANG

The doors shut on their own at the other end of the room. “What the hell?! The doors are closed!”

“What do we do now? We might be loc-” A blue-haired girl began speaking, but was shouldered past by one of the larger men.

“This is nuts! It’s too creepy for my blood, even with Miss Baek and Miss Yoo here. I think we need to leave right now.” He continued to walk forward, but Miho shouted at him.

“DON’T MOVE!” Her voice cracked like a whip, and he froze. Her mind was racing, and sweat was starting to form on her forehead as the sense of unease and danger that only hundreds of battles could develop started to engulf her.

Jinwoo wasn’t sure what it was. Perhaps it was all the times he had been in life-or-death situations before. Perhaps it was the number of times he should have died, like when he got separated from his group and got attacked from behind, or when he nearly starved when he got trapped in a labyrinth. His lack of skill meant he was in deathly danger much more often than any other hunter, and yet he had to keep doing it. He had to keep working a job that chipped away at his soul. Maybe that was why…

He noticed it before Miho did. The ominously glowing eyes on the gargantuan statues were looking right at them. “GET DOWN!” He bellowed, tackling Joohee to the ground. Miho didn’t skip a beat and a millisecond after he jumped, she did as well, getting Soohyun to the ground.

It saved her life.

The statue’s eyes sparked with infernal light, forming a bright beam that must have been thousands of degrees Celsius. Its head panned across the hall, shattering and melting stone with the greatest of ease. The beam touched several people and turned them to ash.

When they dared raise their heads, several screams of horror rang out. Of their nineteen-strong band, only fourteen were now left. “SONG!” Sangshik screamed in horror, looking at Chiyul’s corpse. All that was left of him were his legs.

Beom-Shik trembled, “I, I barely got out of the way. If Sung hadn’t shouted at us…”

One of the ladies was trembling, “I-it killed five of us in one move! W-we can’t possibly beat that thing!”

Another shouted out, “B-But we have Miss Baek and Miss Yoo here! That’s why they came with us! They can-”

They all turned to look at Miho, but their faces fell when they realized she looked terrified. No, not just terrified. She looked so scared, she appeared to be about to puke. She was nearly hyperventilating. “Th-That thing.” She managed to choke out, “Would eat my brother for breakfast.”

Ice chilled every spine in the room. “Th-Then?” Soohyun managed to stammer out.

Miho glared in terror at the statue, “I-I can sense their power now.” Her yellow eyes were glowing. “Th-They had no presence before. But now…” She trailed off, and all of them saw how much her hands were trembling, “It could kill every S-Rank in Korea as easily as an S-Rank could kill an E-Rank.” She looked around, “Even the regular statues are S-Rank.”

Joohee let out a muffled squeal of terror. “Hey, calm down, Joohee.” Jinwoo rubbed her back, “This… there has to be a way out of this.”

“HOW?!” A woman yelled hysterically. “If what she said is true, this thing is National level, and no one knows about it but us! This Dungeon was close to a Break! It’s going to be worse than Jeju Island!” That got several more of them to start panicking.

After a few moments, one of the Hunters growled, “Fuck this! I just signed with a major guild! I refuse to die in here!” He took a runner’s stance, “We need to warn people about this, and if there’s one thing I’m confident in, it’s my speed!”

“No, don’t do it!” Miho called out in a panic, only for the man to burst forward with shocking speed.

The statue’s eyes glowed, and between one second and the next, all that remained of the guy were his two lower legs. Jinwoo looked away, as did several others. More of them screamed, and Miho looked devastated to have lost yet another hunter under her watch.

“Damn it! They can just kill us whenever they want!” Sangshik cried out. “Is there really no way out of this?!”

“There has to be! We can’t all die here!” One of the dark-haired ladies, the one with the heavy tan, screamed shrilly. “But how?!”

“It’s a National threat!” Another choked out a sob. “It’s just toying with us! We’re all going to die!”

Jinwoo sucked in a sharp breath, “No!” He exclaimed, “There’s a way! I know there is!”

“And how do you know that?” One of the girls spat at him tearfully.

“Because we’re still alive.” He stared at the statue with wide eyes.

“…Huh?” Several of them asked.

“Wait, you mean?” Miho looked at him in shock.

“It’s not attacking.” Jinwoo said softly, and everyone cottoned on to what he was saying. “It could kill all of us in a blink, but it hasn’t.”

“The Commandments.” Soohyun shakily said, “What did they say again?”

Everyone looked around, realizing no one had memorized the ominous words. Jinwoo cursed, and then started to stand.

“What are you doing?!” Miho grabbed his hand in a flash.

“If what I’m thinking is true…” He said, glaring at the statue.

Miho let out a little gasp as she saw his face. ‘H-His eyes. He hasn’t given up. He still has hope.’

As soon as he got to his full height, the statue’s eyes began to glow with terrifying power again. He immediately lowered himself, and watched as the eyes dimmed slightly. ‘Okay.’ He thought to himself, before crawling forward. He kept a careful eye on it, and sighed in relief as it didn’t attack him. He got closer to the statue of the Angel of Death, as he had started to think of it. “Thou shall worship God.” He read. “Thou shall praise God. Thou shall prove thy faith. Those who fail to obey these Commandments shall not be spared.”

Miho’s eyes widened, “Commandments! It’s a religious temple. We’re not being attacked unless we break the rules.”

“Does that mean that we’ll be spared if we pass the trials?” Soohyun asked, still pale and drawn but regaining a tiny bit of color.

Joohee had calmed down just enough to see Jinwoo truly standing the tallest in the room, despite his short stature. Where everyone else, even the A-Ranks, had been helpless, he had gotten them the clues they needed to make it out of this! They had hope. “Jinwoo… you’re amazing.” She whispered.

“The big statue must be ‘God.’” Jinwoo said as he crawled back over, “Worship, worship…” he thought to himself, before it clicked, “Everyone! Bow towards the Statue of God!”

“What?!” Sangshik asked, flabbergasted, “Are you insane?!”

“Do what he says!” Miho ordered, before joining Jinwoo in bowing. Joohee and Soohyun were quick to follow the leaders, and once that happened, everyone else followed suit.

‘Is this really going to get us out of here alive?’ Beom-Shik thought to himself, still scared out of his mind. He needed to get back home! He couldn’t leave his wife and children alone!

After a few moments, Jinwoo chanced raising just his head, and saw that the glow from the statue’s eyes had disappeared completely. Several others did the same… and so they had a front row seat to see the statue smile. It was a face-splitting grin full of teeth and even gums. It was the scariest smile any of them had ever seen. It was the smile the maniac in a slasher movie would wear!

Beom-Shik was the one who got to his feet, allowing them all to find out that they had passed the first test. They all got to their feet in slight relief, though Jinwoo, Miho, Soohyun, and Sangshik knew it couldn’t be over yet. “Don’t relax!” Miho ordered, “The second Commandment was ‘Praising’ God! We need to figure that out next!”

“Praise?” Several of them called out. “How would we do that?”

“If by praise you mean singing Hymns, I’ll give it a shot!” One of the men with black hair reaching his shoulders called out. A catholic cross hung from his neck, “I used to be in a choir.” He stepped forward, clutching his cross, “Lord, I stand before you. Renew my spirit and shower me with grace, Lord.”

Miho and Jinwoo both had the same thought as the terrifying statue stood. It took a step forward, and its simple footfalls broke the earth beneath it. ‘No… he’s praising the wrong God!’ They both realized at the same time. “GET AWAY!” They yelled at him in one voice, but it was too late. The statue took a step, and crushed the man beneath its foot.

Terrified screams rang out once more as Sangshik roared, “RUUUUUN!”

One woman had fallen down in terror, and Miho displayed her extreme speed as she dashed forward, scooped her up, and vanished in a blur, barely sparing her life. “RUN, FOOL!” She yelled as she sat the panicking woman down on her feet.

Jinwoo had grabbed Joohee’s hand and was dragging her away. The beautiful healer had terrified tears streaming down her face. There was no way he could leave her behind!

“SPLIT UP!” Someone yelled, “It can’t go for all of us at once!”

“Jinwoo! We need another miracle from you!” Soohyun screamed out to him.

“E-Even if you say that-!” Jinwoo was also scared out of his mind, even if he was handling it better than the others. He started looking around desperately for a clue, and about half of them saw what became of Park Beom-Shik.

“NO, PARK, BEHIND YOU!” Sangshik screamed at his friend, only to watch the statue he thought he was safe next to slash him in half from behind. “PAAAAAARK!” He cried out as his friend, who had just told him his wife was pregnant with their second child, died.

‘Thou shall praise God. Thou shall praise God! There’s no way we could praise that thing! It’s the DEVIL!’ Jinwoo thought to himself as he ran hand-in-hand with Joohee. The other statues could move too! Why hadn’t any of them realized that when Miho had told them that all of them were S-Rank?! They were slaughtering the survivors. Swords, spears, hammers, flutes- ‘Wait, flutes?’ He looked at one that stood out, and then his eyes snapped around the room, ‘They can all attack, but none of them move away from where they stand. All of them are S-Rank. They should all be able to move. Why don’t they all have weapons? Why do some have-’ He gasped, “EVERYONE! GET TO THE STATUES WITH INSTRUMENTS!”

Soohyun was the first to get to one, and she stared up at it in complete apprehension. Only its eyes began to glow blue, and the sound of a horn bellowed through the temple. “It played? EVERYONE! JINWOO IS RIGHT! GET TO AN INSTRUMENT! THEY WON’T ATTACK!”

Sangshik managed to get to a statue with a violin, and the strings began to sound as well. He slumped down, before beginning to sob. Slowly, more of them managed to reach safe statues, and music began to fill the temple.

Jinwoo and Joohee got to a statue with drums, “COME ON, PLAY!” Jinwoo yelled as it refused to light up and make music. “Damn it, does it not work with two people?!” He began to run, “STAY THERE, JOOHEE!” He yelled at her.

“Jinwoo!” She reached for him, still sobbing her heart out as drums began to fill the room.

Miho watched as the God Statue turned to Jinwoo and began stomping after him. She bit her lip fiercely, unsure if she could leave her statue. What if she tried to save him, and it broke the rules, causing them to start to attack as well! She could only watch, her heart pounding as Jinwoo ran. ‘Come on, Jinwoo. You can do it!’ The statue got closer and closer, and then its foot was right above Jinwoo. He gasped, and flung himself away, landing near a statue. “NO! JINWOO, THAT’S THE WRONG ONE!” She screamed.

The statue of the Knight raised its shield, “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! JINWOOOOO!!!!” Several people howled as the shield crashed down where he lay.

And then a hand clapped down on the stone, blowing away some of the dust. He was still alive! He was covered in blood, but he was alive! Alive and crawling his way towards the closest safe statue. The Statue of God continued to move, raising its foot above him. “Not yet. Not yet. NOT YET!”

The foot came down, and all of them closed their eyes. But then the music was joined by singing. A radiant voice came from the statue of the female angel. “DAWN OF TIME, VESSEL OF LIGHT! FIERCE AND BRIGHT, WITH ALL ITS MAJESTY!”

The smile had disappeared from the statue’s face, and it lifted its foot, revealing that Jinwoo had just barely made it and avoided getting crushed. The statue walked back over to its throne and took its seat once more.

“Jinwoo! Jinwoo!” Joohee was the first to make it over to him, beating out even Miho.

“Oh no!” Soohyun teared up.

Miho clenched her fists in helpless fury.

Joohee still hadn’t run out of tears, “Your leg…”

Jinwoo looked exhausted as he looked down. “…Oh…”

She hurried to him, “I can heal this! I can heal this!” She chanted to herself as she poured magical power into his missing limb. “I can-” Blood spurted from her lips and nostrils.

“That’s enough, Joohee… don’t hurt yourself.” Jinwoo’s voice was listless.

‘Why?!’ Joohee wobbled and started to sob, ‘Jinwoo is the only reason any of us are alive! He doesn’t deserve this! I swore I would be there for him! That I would support him! WHY AM I SO USELESS?!’ She thought to herself as she coughed. Miho’s hand found her shoulder in comfort, but she found little in the action. She kept futilely trying to heal his leg.

‘Damn it all.’ Miho thought to herself. ‘There are only eight survivors. Would have been seven if I hadn’t gotten that woman back on her feet.’

Soohyun sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulder, “I’m sure you don’t want handouts, Jinwoo… but I swear to you. If we get out of this I’ll-”

And then the God Statue moved again. It raised a hand, and the room began to rumble. “OH, WHAT NOW?!”

The Divination Circle they had found right at the very beginning rose out of the ground, forming a raised cylinder atop a slightly larger raised cylinder. “What the hell is that?”

“An altar.” Jinwoo said tiredly, “Like in the myths, to offer sacrifices to God. Livestock; cows, pigs, and sheep… sometimes young children or maidens as well…” His head dropped. “…The last Commandment is…”

“Thou shall prove thy faith.” Miho finished for him. She took a deep breath, and without saying another word, started to walk forward.

“Miho, no!” Soohyun gasped.

“H-hey, what are-” Sangshik raised a hand after her.

“Being a leader means taking responsibility.” She held her head up high as she continued to walk.

“But this wasn’t your fault!” Jinwoo called out, “Miss Baek, no one could have predicted this!”

“And yet we’re here anyway.” Miho stopped and turned to look at him. She smiled kindly, “You’re the weakest one here and are already down a leg, Jinwoo. Most people would have sacrificed the weak link.” Jinwoo and several others flinched, and she could see guilt on their faces. “But you’re the only reason any of us are alive. You’re the one who figured everything out. I should have trusted my instincts when we saw no monsters in here. I never should have let us step foot in this place. All this death is on me.” She turned back and started to walk again as Jinwoo clenched his eyes shut, beginning to cry.

She reached the altar, only to flinch when a single flame erupted behind her.

‘A flame? What’s the meaning of this? Does it not want a sacrifice?’ Jinwoo thought to himself.

Miho looked at it, before looking over at him, “Jinwoo? Any ideas? I… I thought.”

He looked over, before shaking his head. “I need a closer look.” He said finally. Soohyun and the tanned lady helped him up, and they walked over. As soon as they crossed a circle around the altar, three more flames ignited.

Miho sighed, “Son of a bitch. It’s going to be like that, huh?”

Jinwoo snorted mirthlessly, much to the confusion of the other two. “You figured it out too, huh?”

Miho sighed, “Yeah.” She looked over at Sangshik, Joohee, and the final two survivors, a tall man in a jacket, and the woman Miho had saved from being crushed underfoot by God. “Whatever our final test is won’t begin until we’re all on the altar. We’re hours, possibly less, from a Dungeon Break, and we can’t afford that. We need to finish this now. Get over here.”

They all swallowed, before joining them on the platform. Immediately upon the final four flames igniting, energy shot from the altar. A larger radius circle around them lit up with thirty-six blue flames. And then, shocking all of them, the door opened. “Wh-what?!”

“What is the meaning of this?!” Sangshik called out.

“It wants us to prove our faith.” Soohyun shook her head, “Even I can figure that out.”

“It offered temptation in the form of our escape.” Jinwoo snorted mirthlessly, “But what it really wants is for us to stay in the circle.” He said as the first of the blue flames extinguished.

He would have gone on to say that it was a trap, but all of the statues of knights started to move, stomping towards them. The thought was chased from their heads. “Oh no!” The woman Miho had saved screamed as booming thuds rang through the room from the knights’ footfalls.

Another flame fizzled out. “What should we do?!”

Jinwoo looked around and realized one final thing. “Open your eyes, Joohee! We need to look at them! Every time I looked at one, it stopped moving! It’s like the games we used to play as kids! As long as we don’t look away, we’ll be safe!”

They all did so, their eyes straining from the effort of blinking as little as possible. But as time went on and more and more blue flames fizzled out and extinguished, the more panicked some of them grew. Staring at these ominous statues covered in the blood of their compatriots and even friends was harrowing, and the atmosphere in the room was getting to some of them. Finally, two broke at the same time. The tanned girl who had been helping Soohyun hold him up and the lady Miho had saved closed their eyes at the same time, and all it took was a single booming footfall for them to run screaming towards the entrance. Two of the eight flames close to them were extinguished the moment they left the circle, and the doors inched shut a little bit.

“NO! DON’T!” Miho yelled out, taking her eyes off her statue, and growling as she had to force her eyes back.

To their surprise, both women seemed to make it out unmolested. “What?! She made it?! The doors closed a little, but-”

“Don’t be fooled!” Miho yelled out.

Soohyun swallowed, “There’s zero guarantee that there aren’t more monsters out there now, just waiting to kill them once they appear safe to us.” She said softly.

“Exactly! It’s a false hope! Don’t be fooled!” Miho growled out.

“Prove thy faith.” Jinwoo said, trying to build their confidence, “Not ‘Sacrifice for God.’ It wants us to prove our faith even in the face of terror and sweet temptation.”

But despite their words, the man in the jacket couldn’t take it anymore, and he even pushed Sangshik out of the way as he ran. Sangshik stumbled, and the statues moved forward.

“Damn it!” Miho growled out, “We’re going to have a blind spot at this rate! We can’t afford any more people leaving!”

Soohyun bit her lip. If only her magic was telekinetic in nature and not based on gravity! She had just started using her powers! If she tried grabbing them, she wasn’t confident that she wouldn’t just accidentally crush them or send them flying! Why hadn’t she trained harder?!

Sangshik got to his feet but left his sword on the ground as Jinwoo tried to reassure them, “It’s a timer! All we need to do is wait for the blue flames to go out, and we’ll all make it out of here safely!”

Sangshik spoke, “… What you’re saying might be true, Sung… but what if it just locks us in here instead?” Jinwoo and Miho didn’t have a response, clenching their jaws. Sangshik continued, “To be honest, I had no idea how valuable the weakest of us would prove to be in this raid. You did amazing, Sung. I looked down on you, and didn’t expect much whenever you joined a party. We’re only alive because of you. Because you solved all the riddles. Thank you. Thank you so much, Sung.” He started to sob, “But I have a family. I don’t want to die yet! I’m sorry! I’M SORRY!” He yelled as he began to run out.

‘Thanks?’ Jinwoo thought to himself numbly as he watched the man run out, ‘Don’t make me laugh!’ He started to cry as the footfalls resumed, ‘Running away is just going to get us all killed!’

“Keep staring at them!” Miho had her head on a swivel, “There are too many of them to stop permanently now, but we can at least hold them back as long as possible! We can still outlast this timer!” She yelled as she clenched her fists so hard her palms began to bleed. ‘Those dirty rats!’

“Heh, don’t suppose there’s any point in trying to push them back?” The arm she wasn’t using to hold Jinwoo up came up, glowing an ominous purple-black.

“Don’t bother. I doubt you’d get an inch more.” Miho sighed, “Just keep looking at them. We can do this!” But it was clear that the statues were advancing.

Jinwoo sighed, “You three should go.” He said tonelessly, “I can’t make it out, but you three still can.”

“NO!” Joohee yelled. She tried to step towards him, only for her legs to give out and for her to slump to the floor. “M-My legs. What’s wrong with my legs?”

“You used up too much mana trying to restore Jinwoo’s leg.” Miho told her softly. “You’re paying for it now.”

“That’s why you should take Joohee and go!” Jinwoo yelled.

“No! I’m not leaving you, Jinwoo!” Joohee yelled back. “No way! I refuse!”

“We’re not going anywhere, Jinwoo.” Soohyun smiled slightly, “You’re the only reason I’m alive. If you hadn’t yelled out, Miho wouldn’t have tackled me. And you’re the only reason we figured the Commandments out. None of us would have reached this point without you.” She chuckled lightly, though there was a bead of sweat that betrayed her nervousness. “You’re stuck with us now.”

Miho reached over without looking and grabbed his hand. “She’s right. If you think I’m leaving you here to die, you’ve lost your mind.”

Jinwoo let out a short sob. Soohyun reached over and grabbed Joohee’s hand as well. Miho saw what she was doing, and was able to reach out for Joohee too. They lifted her to her feet, though she was very wobbly. Jinwoo hopped a bit to follow their plan, and now they were all with their backs to the altar in a circle, holding hands.

The statues continued to move periodically. There were just too many of them for four people to halt permanently. The flames continued to burn out, but the statues all slowly advanced. Every time they had to break line of sight to stop another statue, another moved.

And then they crossed the threshold of the blue flame circle, and looking at them no longer stopped them. “Oh no!” Joohee gasped.

Soohyun’s head dropped, “If only we had more time.” She said listlessly.

“It’s been an honor.” Miho smiled and closed her eyes, before they snapped open, blazing red. Her pupils were an odd shape. Her body started growing scales and horns as she transformed into a slender, humanoid dragon. Fangs grew in her mouth, and a huge pair of wings burst from her back. “IF I’M GOING TO DIE, I’M TAKING AT LEAST ONE OF YOU WITH ME!” She shot forward at the statue in front of her with the hammer, roaring.

Soohyun’s eyes snapped open as she let go of Jinwoo and Joohee. The ginger slid to the floor, crying but with no panic on her face for the first time. Just resignation. Soohyun’s entire body began to glow purple, “DIE!” She yelled, thrusting her hand at the enemy.

Jinwoo grabbed the sword that Sangshik had left behind and hopped over to Joohee and held it protectively in front of her. The knight thrust a spear at him for his trouble, cutting off his arm at the shoulder in a spray of blood. “GAH!” He cried out in agony.

Miho’s slashes with her claws barely did anything. Tiny little gouges littered the statue’s ‘face,’ but it was all superficial. The statue reached up and grabbed her, making her howl in agony as her body was crushed, before it raised her over its head and slammed her down on the altar. Blood spurted from her lips as her transformation instantly faded.

Soohyun’s gravity crushed the knight’s shield, but could only hold it back slightly. Magic was pouring out of her in a dark aura, and her face was turning red from the exertion. Finally, blood burst from every orifice on her head, and her aura extinguished abruptly. The knight kicked her, crushing her against the altar as she hacked out. She was picked up and casually dropped on top of Miho.

Jinwoo cursed his powerlessness. He cursed the other four cowards who had left them all to die. And most of all, he cursed the fact that he had finally found some actual friends, only for them all to be here dying with him. He covered Joohee with his own body in a futile attempt to save her, only for the knight with the spear to skewer her and him together. Blood poured from their lips as they were raised into the air, blood raining down below.

They fell on top of Miho and Soohyun. Their blood mixed as it ran down the sides of the altar. Their limp bodies stared at the domed ceiling in despair, while he could only stare down at their glassy gazes since he was chest-to-chest with the beautiful redhead. ‘Thanks? What a load of shit. They just used us to get out of here. We all could have made it if those cowards hadn’t abandoned us. We have families too! DO THEY NOT MATTER?! DO WE NOT MATTER?! NONE OF US WANTED TO DIE!’ In their final moments, their thoughts oddly mirrored each others’. The knight with the sword raised his blade, ‘Just… one more chance. If we could have one more chance!’ The knight slashed down, just as the final blue flame went out.

Time appeared to slow for all of them. A…screen? Had popped up in front of them.

[YOU HAVE MET ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS TO COMPLETE THE SECRET QUEST: “COURAGE OF THE WEAK”]

Had they already died? What the hell was this?

[YOU NOW QUALIFY TO BECOME A PLAYER. DO YOU ACCEPT?]

Qualify? Accept? What the hell was it talking about?

[TIME IS RUNNING OUT. IF YOU DECLINE, YOUR HEART WILL STOP BEATING IN 0.02 SECONDS. DO YOU ACCEPT?]

There was only one thing to do. ‘Accept’ was clicked. And then the altar began to glow with a brilliant light, and energy engulfed them and the room along with it.

-]|[-

“WAH!” Jinwoo sat up with a scream, gasping for breath. As he panted, clutching his chest, he looked around, ‘A-A hospital?’ He looked around, ‘W-Was it all a dream?’ His stomach clenched as he threw the covers off his legs, and he sagged when he saw two whole, healthy legs on the bed. ‘It… it felt so real.’

The door opened up, and two men walked in. A blond with slicked-back hair wearing sunglasses (indoors), and another man with wild purple hair. Both wore suits, and the blond walked over, “Sung Jinwoo… I see you’re awake.” He held out a business card, “Woo Jinchul. I’m with the Hunter’s Association Surveillance Team.”

“Wh-What does the Surveillance Team want with me?” He was then flabbergasted to learn that not only had that Double Dungeon happened, but he had been unconscious for three whole days! But that wasn’t important. What was important was finding out, “What happened to Joohee, Soohyun, and Miho?! Did they make it out okay?!”

“They did.” Jinchul seemed to hesitate, “But they’re in a… strange position.” He said finally.

“What do you mean?” Jinwoo grew worried.

Jinchul shook his head, “They can tell you themselves, if they choose to. We’re not here to gossip.” He sighed, “Miss Lee and Miss Yoo both appear to be traumatized… neither wish to continue as Hunters. It’s a shame.” He said softly. “We’re getting them therapy but…”

“Additionally,” The other Surveillance Team member said, “Mr. Kim Sangshik and the other Hunters also mad-”

“I don’t care about them.” Jinwoo said flatly, coldly, glaring at his knees.

“Very well.” Jinchul moved on, “After receiving the report from the four that escaped that inner sanctum, the White Tiger guild was dispatched. Baek Yoonho heard that his sister was in peril and raced over there, beating everyone by several minutes. But by the time he got there…” He hesitated, “That Dungeon you all experienced was completely gone.”

“WHAT?!” Jinwoo gasped out, flabbergasted.

“That’s right.” The purple-haired man said, “All that remained to tell us you were all telling the truth was the altar you four were found unconscious on. The statues and the temple had all vanished.”

“The only reason we aren’t investigating deeper was that zero discrepancies existed in any of the testimonies we were given. Even the methods of death matched the corpses we found.” Jinchul told him, “Though we believe that you all survived due to a Second Awakening.” Jinwoo’s eyes bugged out, though Jinchul’s face remained passive. ‘Although with what happened with Miss Baek and Miss Yoo… it’s possible something else entirely happened. If my theory is correct… then Mr. Sung here will be unreadable.’ He had his associate, Kang Taeshik, take out the Mana Meter. “I believe you know what to do with this.”

Jinwoo reached out with a shaky hand and channeled his magical power into it. The device in Jinchul’s hand beeped, before it lit up with a result. Jinchul’s eyes widened, ‘Ten?!’ He thought to himself incredulously. ‘Well, that’s my theory blown out the window.’ He pocketed the device, “Sorry for wasting your time, Mr. Sung. We’ll let you rest now.” They left abruptly, now more worried than they were before.

“What the hell?” Jinwoo looked at the door incredulously. He let out a disgusted groan and then flopped back onto the bed. ‘I wonder why none of them said anything about these?’ He stared at the multitude of screens that floated near him. ‘C-Could they not see them?’ He tried to touch one, but nothing happened. He sighed, “Don’t tell me it’s voice activated.”

Before he could do anything else, his beautiful and worried sister came to lay into him for getting hurt again. She even threatened to quit school and find a job if he kept getting hurt. He tried to draw her attention to the screen, but she couldn’t see a thing.

He quickly waved her off, and she left for the day after giving him a tight hug, begging him to stop worrying her. He sat back on the bed, and opened his mouth. It clicked shut when someone knocked. Eye twitching in irritation, he called out, “Come in!” The door opened, and all the irritation melted out of him when he saw them. “Joohee! Miho! Soohyun!” He got back up, and it was all it took for a sobbing Joohee to run at him.

“Oh, Jinwoo!” She sobbed onto his shoulder.

He hugged her back tightly, “You’re alright…” He said in relief. He looked up, and grew worried when he saw the utterly listless look on Miho’s face. She looked drawn… Soohyun was a bit better, though that sparkle in her eye was missing. “Hey.” He said, reaching his hands out for them. “What’s wrong?” He asked after they joined them in a group hug.

Miho’s voice cracked, “Wh-when they told us they believed one of us had Reawakened… they measured us.” She seemed to be unable to continue, almost literally choking on her words.

Soohyun sighed, “What she’s trying to say…”

Joohee mumbled, “All three of us were measured as E-Ranks.”

“What?!” Jinwoo exploded, “How is that possible?!”

The formerly strong woman let out a bitter sob, resting her head on his shoulder. “All… all the ones who just ran out and abandoned us were fine.” She raised her head, anger and despair on her face, “But us three… and you, I suppose…” She choked, “If my Guild’s Master wasn’t my brother, Soohyun and I probably would have already been kicked to the curb. Already he’s talking about moving me to administrative roles…”

As she trailed off, Jinwoo’s face hardened, “No! I refuse to believe that was our… our reward for surviving that piece of shit temple!” He pointed up as they all separated, “Do you girls see this?”

“Yeah.” Soohyun chuckled, and a purple one appeared next to her. A red one appeared next to Miho, and a golden one next to Joohee.

“We were… avoiding them until you woke up.” Joohee told him softly. “All we know is no one else can see them.”

“Then it’s time to find out what this is.” Jinwoo said, before declaring, “Open Mailbox!” A bunch of messages appeared in front of all of them, and they got comfortable. “What the hell does being a ‘player’ mean?” He asked.

Soohyun’s playful smile made a return, “Weeellll, you did have three beautiful ladies on your arms.” For the first time in days, a smile cracked on Miho’s face as Jinwoo’s and Joohee’s faces lit up.

“So… this… system is supposed to help ‘Players’ develop?” Miho said as she read one of them.

“Penalties?” Joohee looked worried, “What kinds of penalties?!”

“Oh, I have a reward.” Soohyun looked a little entertained, “Do you guys have them too?”

“Yeah…” Jinwoo said softly, “Open Reward.” The ladies all followed suit, and gasps rang out.

“Oh, this Blessing!” Miho’s eyes were wide, “We can recover any non-fatal damage to our bodies-” None of them had to think too hard to remember how badly they had been mutilated in the dungeon, “And immune to all diseases, poisons, and other abnormalities?”

“That can’t be real, can it?” Soohyun sounded incredulous.

Joohee let out a nervous giggle, “It’s not trying to make me superfluous, is it?”

They all stopped when they realized Jinwoo hadn’t said anything. They looked at him, and gasped again. “Is that a Rune Stone?” Miho asked incredulously.

“It… it gave me a skill?” Jinwoo sounded dazed, “A skill of my own?” His voice was small.

“Hoooly crap, this is real.” Soohyun took a deep breath to control herself.

“You deserve it, Jinwoo.” Joohee smiled brilliantly at him, “Use it, use it!”

Jinwoo took a deep breath and crushed the stone, instantly turning it into powder. As then he seemed to glitch, before the stone reconstituted in his hand. A message appeared in front of him.

[Level is too low to learn ??? Please level up to level ten to use.]

After that, the stone disappeared from his hand. They all let out groans. “Oh, great, it’s just like a video game!” Soohyun grumbled. “I guess making us all E-Ranks makes sense now. Games generally don’t let their characters start at full power.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Life returned to Miho’s eyes, “But do you know what this means?!” They all looked to her as she started to almost fidget in excitement, “That means that if we level up, we can get back to our old strength!” Her eyes were wide, “Or maybe even stronger!”

“I’ll pass.” Soohyun said softly, and Miho and Jinwoo gaped at her. “I… I never thought being a Hunter would be like that. I… I don’t think I’m cut out for it. It’s why I wasn’t so devastated when they remeasured our magical power… I was sadder for Miho.” She looked at her knees.

“…I don’t either.” Joohee closed her eyes, “…I never dealt well with pressure, and now…” She flinched as she remembered that wicked grin. ‘Darn it, I thought I’d be able to support Jinwoo… but…’

“…I don’t think you have a choice.” Jinwoo said, paling.

“What?” Joohee gasped, looking at him in confusion.

“Remember what we went through to get this power.” Miho said, “…What’s to say that these…penalties won’t be ultra severe?”

“N-No…” Joohee shook her head in denial.

“She’s right.” Jinwoo said, before putting an arm around her shoulder, “But you’re not alone, Joohee. We’ll be right there with you.”

“He’s right.” Miho said, grabbing Soohyun’s hand and then leaning forward to grab Joohee’s. “We’re here because we were the only ones to brave that terrible temple. Even though we all were terrified, we refused to break! If we can make it through those demons then there’s nothing we can’t brave.”

“H-How can you just… move forward?” Joohee asked, trembling, “I’m… I’m not brave like you and Jinwoo! You-You’re fearless!”

“Fearless?” Jinwoo sounded incredulous, looking at Joohee. “Joohee, I’m scared. I’ve always been scared.” She gaped at him.

“Joohee.” Miho smiled at her and drew her attention, “Someone who is fearless cannot be brave.” Soohyun and Joohee gasped, “We’re brave because we’re scared. We fight that fear to move forward instead of letting it consume us. You can only be brave when you’re afraid.”

Joohee and Soohyun were both silent, but looked like they were truly contemplating their words. After a few moments, Jinwoo spoke up again, “We need to figure out everything we can about this system.”

“Leave that to me!” Soohyun spoke up, eager to participate if she was truly going to be locked into this. “I played a lot of games in my youth, you know!” She winked cheekily.

The next several hours were spent figuring out everything that they could about the System, starting with their stats. All of them were level one, which they took as proof that the system had truly Ranked Down the three ladies. There was no way that Miho was a level one. Their stats were all super low too. Tens across the board on Strength, Agility, Perception, Vitality, and Intelligence. They had HP bars as well as MP bars, with an additional fatigue wheel.

Of the four of them, Jinwoo was the only one without a skill. Joohee obviously had her Heal spell, and Miho had her Draconic Form, but Soohyun’s was the surprise. Apparently her skill was called ‘Spatial Manipulation,’ not ‘Gravity Manipulation.’ They all wondered about the implications of that…

Of course, once they discovered they still had their skills at least, Miho immediately tried to transform… and was infuriated when she learned the damn skill had been Ranked Down too! She could no longer grow wings or a tail, and could only grow her fangs and claws up to her forearms. And she could forget about using her breath attack! She hadn’t even got the chance to use it against the knights! She had been severely nerfed, as Soohyun called it.

After that, they discovered the Store, which they could not use at their level (Miho growled, “I HATE THIS GAME!”) and then the Inventory. Jinwoo found his Runestone there, and again, he was able to get zero details on it.

Finally, they opened the final unread message, “…Daily Quest?”

Soohyun frowning, “A hundred push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and ten kilometers running?”

“Why is it making me and Soohyun do that?!” Joohee sounded incredulous, “I’m a Healer and she’s a Mage! It makes sense for Miho and Jinwoo but…”

“I’m more worried about the penalty for not finishing it.” Jinwoo said. Now that he knew this was legitimate, he was… very worried about finishing this quest. Especially with them all still on the mend, and with three of them much weaker than they were used to.

“…I think we should fail this one on purpose.” Miho said, though she sounded unsure of herself.

“What?” Soohyun looked at her wide-eyed, “Why?”

Miho rubbed her chin, “Because I think we need to determine just how serious this System is about Penalties. If it’s a minor penalty, then maybe you and Joohee can actually sit this out.”

“But if it’s really severe…” Jinwoo trailed off.

Miho nodded, “Exactly.” She sat down, “It’s up to you. I think we’d have a better chance against a severe penalty together, but I won’t force you. We can get started on all of this right now. We have enough time.”

“O-Okay.” Joohee nodded.

“We’ll do it your way.” Soohyun chuckled. Just then, a nurse came in to tell them that they needed to get back to their rooms, “If it’s all the same, could we get a few more beds in here instead?” She asked the nurse, “We’d… rather not be apart. Being together is…helping.”

The nurse pursed her lips, but nodded. Soon enough, there were four beds in the room, and they spent the time resting and chatting with one another. Jinwoo and Joohee were familiar with one another, but they weren’t with Miho and Soohyun, and even those two weren’t exactly close friends. They’d just met about a month prior. They all wanted to get to know each other, becoming fast friends in the way that only survivors like them could. Jinwoo was happy to see the smile on Joohee’s face. He hadn’t liked seeing her so despondent. Miho too. She was too pretty to be depressed.

“Almost time.” Miho called out, and on her suggestion, they quickly got together a couple bottles of water and some snack bars just in case. The inventory was amazing!

“Three… two…one.” Soohyun looked nervous as the time ticked down.

[You have failed to complete your daily quest. You will be transferred to the “Penalty Zone” for an allotted amount of time.]

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Joohee gulped nervously.

And then the building began to shake. “An earthquake?!”

And then suddenly, they were baking under a savage sun, and sitting in hot sand. “YOW!” They all sprang up. “Are we in a whole other world?! You have to be kidding me!” And then the sand began to shake and bulge upwards.

Joohee and Soohyun whimpered. Miho whimpered, “Oh fuck.”

POISON-TOOTHED GIANT DESERT CENTIPEDE

“…Please tell me this is a joke…” Jinwoo whispered.

[Penalty Quest: Survival

Goal

Survive for the allotted amount of time

Allotted time: 4 hours

Time left: 3 hours, 59 minutes, 57 seconds]

“RUN!” Miho yelped as she grabbed Soohyun’s hand. Jinwoo did the same for Joohee as they took off as fast as they could. “I’M SO SORRYYYYY!” Miho wailed as they were chased by the centipede… and then it just got worse when more and more of the damned things began bursting from the sands.

Hours later, bottles and plastic wrappers littered the desert landscape, with all of them praising and cursing Miho in equal measure. It was a miracle none of them had died! They had no idea how they had been able to outrun the horde of centipedes for so long.

[Penalty Quest: Survival

Goal

Survive for the allotted amount of time

Allotted time: 4 hours

Time left: 0 hours, 0 minutes, 3 seconds]

Just as one of them tripped and a centipede dove for them, the time expired. In an instant, they were back in their hospital rooms. They weren’t expecting solid ground, and all fell over, or were already on the floor. Joohee landed on top of Miho, and Soohyun faceplanted on Jinwoo’s chest.

Their groaning, gasping bodies were still, before Soohyun rolled off of him and stared at the ceiling, “Hey, God…” She said softly, before raising her hands. “Fuck you!” She flipped the ceiling the double bird.

[Penalty Quest completed. You have received a reward for completing the Penalty quest.

Check your reward?

[Accept] [Decline]]

She let out a despairing groan as her arms flopped down. She fell unconscious, and the rest of them joined her. And that was how the nurses found all of them: unconscious on the floor and surrounded by sand of all things. They were all extremely confused.

-]|[-

So, like I said above… I really did try to stop after two chapters. I tried to write the next chapter of Emerald Phoenix. Keyword there being tried. All I managed to get was about 2k words, and I wasn’t even really happy with it if I’m perfectly honest. I was just completely blanking. And idk if it was just Solo Leveling having my nuts in a vice, or if it’s the fact that even after I dropped the manga I still absorbed a lot of the stupidity of MHA’s ending via osmosis on my server, but I just could not come up with something I was happy with. I was blanking on the matchups, and the ones I didn’t blank on didn’t even last 1k each.

The fact that I hate MHA’s canon bullshit so much that it’s actively making me not really want to write one of my favorite stories is pissing me the fuck off. Hopefully that’ll pass quickly, otherwise I might end up sticking to Big Tiddy for MHA content.

In any case, that’s my rant for today. If I manage to write anything for other stories, I’ll interspace them in between updates for this story.

This is a working title BTW. If anyone has any better suggestions, send them my way. And again, hope you enjoyed it!