Chapter 9: The Price of Pride
The morning sun filtered through the school windows, casting long streaks of golden light across the classroom floor.
Luo Shen sat in his usual seat—back corner, by the window—silent as ever. His expression unreadable. He followed the lessons, but only just. The words blurred together, distant and weightless. His mind wasn't here.
> [Synchronization Rate: 28%]
[Condition: Stable]
Outside, laughter and chatter filled the hallways. Some students whispered about yesterday. About him. Word had spread—how Zhang Wei backed off. How Luo Shen didn't flinch. But no one approached. No one dared.
Class ended. Students scattered like leaves in the wind.
Luo Shen packed slowly. No need to rush.
---
Later – Back Street Behind the School
The day dimmed slightly as clouds rolled in, shadows stretching along the narrow alley behind the school. It was a quiet path, barely used—cutting between old storage buildings and the wall of the west dorms. Luo Shen walked it alone.
But he wasn't alone for long.
Boots scraped pavement behind him.
A voice rang out, cocky, sharp-edged.
> "Yo, Luo Shen! Thought you'd slip out quiet again, huh?"
Luo Shen stopped. He turned slowly.
Zhang Wei stood there, flanked by four men. Older—maybe early twenties. Not students. They looked like street-trained brawlers, each built like they'd been through real fights. One had fingerless gloves with mana threads sewn in. Another had a cracked combat bracer buzzing faintly with stored charge.
> "You like putting on a show, huh?" Zhang Wei spat. His cheek still twitched from yesterday's memory. "Let's see how well you stare when your face is smashed in."
Luo Shen's eyes narrowed.
> "You paid them to fight your battles?"
> Zhang Wei scoffed. "Nah. Just paying them to deliver a message. That you're still nothing."
The four men spread out, surrounding Luo Shen.
But he didn't step back.
Didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
His stare turned cold—sharp as broken glass. That same look. The one Zhang Wei had seen yesterday. But now even colder… more hollow.
> One of the thugs muttered, "What's with his eyes…?"
Too late.
The first man lunged.
Luo Shen moved.
No hesitation.
He pivoted low, caught the man's wrist mid-swing, and twisted—snap—elbow shattered. The man screamed as he dropped to the ground, writhing.
The second rushed in, swinging heavy. Luo ducked under, drove his knee into the man's ribs—crack—then elbowed his temple, knocking him unconscious before he hit the pavement.
The third was smarter. He activated his bracer and launched a charged punch. Luo Shen weaved sideways, letting the hit graze his shoulder. Sparks burst. Pain flared—but it was minor.
> He caught the attacker's wrist again. This time, he didn't just break it.
He dragged him forward, flipped him over his back, and slammed him into the wall hard enough to leave a dent.
The last man faltered, backing away.
> "S-Screw this, he's not normal!"
He turned and bolted.
Only Zhang Wei remained.
Pale now.
Sweat on his brow.
His bravado cracked wide open.
> "You… You think you've won?"
He rushed forward in a last burst, teeth clenched, fist drawn back.
Luo Shen stepped aside—just half a step—and drove his fist straight into Zhang Wei's gut.
Thud.
Air left Zhang Wei's lungs in a wheeze. He collapsed to his knees.
Luo grabbed him by the collar, lifting him just enough to speak low.
> "You chose this."
And then—he slammed Zhang Wei's head against the wall.
Not hard enough to kill.
But hard enough that Zhang Wei crumpled, dazed, bleeding from his forehead.
---
Ten Minutes Later
Sirens in the distance.
Someone had called emergency response.
The alley was a mess—four grown fighters laid out in pain, and one bleeding, groaning high schooler in a branded jacket.
Luo Shen was already gone.
---
That Night – Hospital
Zhang Wei lay unconscious.
A tube in his arm. Bandage wrapped around his head. Breathing steady, but shallow.
A man stood at his bedside.
Tall. Cold eyes. Broad shoulders under a military-grade Hunter coat.
His Hunter ID glinted from his belt:
> Zhang Ren – B-Rank Hunter - Thunder Fang Alliance (雷獠盟)
He stared down at his brother for a long moment.
Then, with a quiet voice:
> "Whoever did this… they're dead."
Luo Shen's Apartment – Evening
The golden-orange hue of evening spilled through the half-open blinds, casting fractured shadows across the room.
Luo Shen sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, gaze fixed on the dagger lying across the table—still faintly stained from the earlier fight.
He hadn't killed anyone.
But he hadn't held back either.
> "Zhang Wei deserved worse," he muttered. "But his brother won't care about what he deserved."
Zhang Ren.
A B-Rank Hunter—and not just any. A core enforcer of the Thunder Fang Alliance, one of the most feared combat guilds in China. Unlike his loudmouthed brother, Zhang Ren had a reputation for letting his fists do the talking. Ruthless. Clean. Efficient.
And now… he would be coming.
> "If I stay like this, I'm dead."
Luo Shen stood, pacing slowly as the [System Panel] flickered in the air beside him.
> [Synchronization Rate: 28%]
[Points Available: 70]
[Status: Stable]
[Pending Upgrade Available]
He didn't upgrade just yet.
First, he needed perspective.
> "The top hunters… the real monsters walking among us… they're all backed by the guilds."
He pulled up a mental list—the six most powerful Hunter guilds in all of China.
The names were engraved into every aspiring Hunter's mind.
---
⚔️ 1. Jade Sky Pavilion (玉天阁)
Elegant. Lethal. Ancient as the sword itself.
A guild known for its deep roots in traditional martial arts and qi cultivation, yet fully integrated with modern dungeon technology. They produce S-Rank swordsmen like legends stepping out of history.
---
⚔️ 2. Thunder Fang Alliance (雷獠盟)
Brutality wrapped in lightning.
A close-quarters powerhouse of shock-based combatants and battle-hardened veterans. Known for raiding the most aggressive dungeons and leaving only scorched earth behind.
> "Zhang Ren's guild. The kind of place where showing mercy is seen as weakness."
---
⚔️ 3. Crimson Lotus Sect (赤莲门)
Blood. Fire. Madness.
An arcane guild cloaked in red. Masters of destructive spells, blood rites, and forbidden arts. Rumors swirl that they've opened dungeons illegally just to study cursed cores.
---
⚔️ 4. Black Tortoise Front (玄武前线)
The unbreakable wall.
Their Hunters aren't just tanks—they're fortresses. Known for elite defense formations, siege tactics, and their ability to withstand boss-level magic without flinching. Most famous for holding a collapsed gate open for 12 hours during the Black Mist Disaster.
---
⚔️ 5. Shadow Moon Division (影月部)
From the shadows, death.
A ghost guild. Their members rarely show their faces. Experts in assassination, infiltration, and high-speed single-target takedowns. You don't see them… until it's already over.
Luo Shen paused.
That was five.
But there was one more.
A name that didn't circulate among common gossip or student rankings.
Because it didn't need to.
---
⚔️ 6. The Epitaph Order (墓铭令)
Power restrained by choice. Prestige beyond reach.
Unlike the others, this guild didn't flood the media with recruitment ads or flashy raid videos. It operated under the direct oversight of the Chinese Hunters Association, answering only to national-level emergencies and top-priority missions.
Its members were few—but each one ranked among the deadliest individuals in the country. While the other guilds battled over dungeons and influence, The Epitaph Order maintained balance.
> "If the others are elite," Luo Shen thought, "then they're the enforcers above the elite."
He'd never met anyone from the Order.
Most hadn't.
But one thing was clear—
> "To stand against a B-Rank like Zhang Ren… I'll need more than strength. I'll need to reach a level where they can't even touch me."
He looked back to the interface.
> [Points Available: 70]
[Pending Upgrade Available]
It was time.
The glowing [System Interface] hovered silently before him, numbers pulsing with a faint rhythm—like it was breathing.
Luo Shen exhaled slowly.
> "Upgrade."
A low hum resonated through the room.
The screen flickered—lines of text rapidly scrolling across like cascading code. Then, a sharp chime echoed in his ears.
> [System Upgrade – Complete]
New Features Unlocked.
Analyzing Host Condition... Complete.
But Luo Shen blinked, confused.
He glanced at his arms, checked his breath, even stretched slightly.
> "Huh… I don't feel that different."
He frowned, tapping the interface.
> "Wait… was that the system that upgraded? Not me?"
A pause.
Then—
> [Affirmative. System functionality has evolved.]
[Host may now access Special Dungeon Interface.]
[Teleportation Feature Unlocked: Dungeon Projection Gate – Standby.]
> "So you leveled up. I thought I was the one getting stronger…"
He sighed.
> "Whatever. Let's see what you've got."
---
A circular glyph lit up at his feet—spiraling inwards, glowing softly.
> [Select Dungeon Difficulty: D / C / B / A (Locked) / S (Locked)]
[Available Entry: B-Rank Special Dungeon]
He didn't hesitate.
> Selected: B-Rank
[Dungeon: "Echoing Spire – Neural Variant"]
[Initializing Transfer…]
The glyph surged.
The room vanished.
---
Special Dungeon – Echoing Spire
The world reassembled in a rush of shadows and cold wind. Luo Shen landed softly on cracked stone, surrounded by towering spires twisting upward like frozen lightning.
The sky above was purple—no sun, no moon—just shifting clouds and scattered blue light pulses across the walls.
He stepped forward.
Monsters emerged from the mist—lithe, insect-like humanoids with dark, crystalline armor and sharp blade-like limbs. But their eyes weren't wild.
They glowed.
Focused. Calculating.
The first one didn't charge. It signaled.
The others split into formation.
> "They're communicating?"
Luo Shen barely ducked under a slicing arm. Another circled behind. One lunged straight at his chest—but he rolled left, slashing up through its ribcage.
They weren't just monsters.
They were coordinating, like soldiers.
> "They're not supposed to be this smart."
Still—he moved sharper, faster.
Strike—parry—dash.
He cut down one, then two. Dodged a piercing lunge, countered with a dagger sweep and elbow to the neck. But by the end of it, his breath was heavy.
> "Damn… they really are B-Rank."
He opened the System mid-breath.
> [Points: 70]
[Recovery Potion – 10 Points]
[Confirm Purchase?]
> "Buy it."
A vial appeared in his hand, shimmering with faint green energy. He drank it in one pull.
Cool energy surged through his limbs, washing away the burn in his muscles.
> [Recovery Complete]
> "Alright," he whispered, gripping the dagger tighter. "Let's find the boss."
---
Boss Chamber – Upper Tier of the Spire
He entered a wide arena—pillars of twisted obsidian rising around a central platform.
But the boss… didn't charge.
It stood in the center.
Watching.
Seven feet tall. Cloaked in black bone-like armor, with a smooth, mask-like face. Its eyes—two glowing orbs of pale blue—blinked slowly as it circled Luo Shen… like it was studying him.
Luo Shen felt the weight of its gaze.
> "It's… waiting for me to move first?"
The creature didn't growl or roar.
It just cocked its head.
Almost… curious.
> [Boss Entity: "Mindpiercer – Architect-Class"]
[Warning: Neural Intelligence Ranked – Tier 3]
[Estimated Combat Potential: High-End B-Rank / Intelligence: Above-Average Human]
Luo Shen's grip tightened.
> "This isn't like any dungeon boss I've seen before…"
He stepped forward.
The creature took a mirrored step.
And then—
It moved.
Fast.
Luo Shen barely reacted in time. A blade arm whistled past his face, carving into the pillar behind him. He dropped low, slashed upward—only to have the boss parry with its armored forearm and twist away.
The fight had begun.
End of Chapter 9...