I moved through the shadows of the buildings, staying far from the lit areas. I knew that if they discovered me, I wouldn't live to see the next sunrise.
The group was standing still in front of the portal, waiting for instructions. There were about twenty of them, many poorly armed and looking lost. Despite the low chances of survival, they were ready to enter the dungeon. The reason was simple: the debt that crushed them. Only by bringing back something valuable from inside would they have any chance of paying it off.
Someone might think there were safer alternatives. But the truth was that the fate of those who didn't pay their debts was often worse than being eaten alive by a monster.
I got closer by sneaking behind a stack of crates piled up against a rocky wall, then slipped past an abandoned cart, now buried under dust and sand. The sound of my steps was muffled by the salty wind blowing in from the ocean.
When I saw that the guards were distracted, I made one last dash, blending in with the group in line.
To avoid drawing attention to my thin, hollowed-out body, I wore a cloak. From under the hood, I scanned the area, making sure no one had noticed me.
"Alright, shut up." One of the guards spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"I think you know the rules, but I'll repeat them. Everything you find — monster parts, minerals — you must give at least two-thirds of it. If you find an artifact, you must hand it over. No exceptions. Try not to be stupid. Those who are will end up badly."
He pointed at something behind us.
We turned around. Hanging in the air were metal cages, big enough to hold a person. Many held skeletal remains; others still had living people inside, reduced to shadows of themselves. Some stretched their arms towards us, as if begging for mercy... or a quick end.
I should have felt something. Disgust, anger, pity — anything — seeing the inhuman way those people were treated. But the truth was, I didn't give a damn.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that I was heartless — I did have a heart... maybe black and rotten, but still a heart.
In the chaos of the old timeline, I saw just how far the human soul could sink. Friends ready to stab you at the first chance, parents abandoning their children, people willingly handing themselves over to their oppressors just to survive.
Except for a few people important to me and to the future, everyone else could burn for all I cared. The only reason I kept going was to satisfy my thirst for blood, not to save people. That was the Hero's job.
Shifting my gaze back to the portal, it shone with a pale, wavering, green glow. A sign that the difficulty was low — at most, it would have Grade 2 monsters, though rarely.
I say that, but in my current state, even a Grade 0 monster could destroy me... what an annoying feeling.
Just as we were about to cross the portal, I moved.
I pretended to trip and bump into one of the guys in front of me, a nervous type with relatively new gear.
"What's your problem?"
"Sorry, someone pushed me from behind."
"Tch."
The man turned away, annoyed, and stepped into the portal while I smiled with satisfaction, seeing the dagger in my hand.
Better than nothing.
I was the last to pass through, swallowed by the portal.
The sensation of being transported could be described as unpleasant, but I'd done it so many times that it didn't bother me anymore.
As soon as I crossed, the air changed immediately. The smell of warm stone and dry sand filled my nose. A rough wind, heavy with dust, brushed my face.
A vast rocky plain, cut by deep cracks and fissures that looked like wounds in the earth itself. Pillars of red stone rose towards the leaden sky, twisted and carved by time like petrified claws.
I lifted my eyes to that bright sky, even though it had no sun, and wondered once more what dungeons really were.
According to a theory that would be developed in the future, dungeons were the remains of destroyed worlds fused with ours. A fascinating hypothesis, though insane in my eyes. But I wasn't a scholar or a researcher — what did I know?
What was certain was that there were two types of dungeons. Ones like this, explorable, with wide open areas, and floor-type dungeons, more contained and divided into successive levels.
I watched the others as they each headed in their own direction. Finally, I moved too.
I advanced cautiously among the rocks, leaving the group behind. My steps made barely a sound on the dry ground, but I knew that silence in a place like this could be deceiving.
I wasn't looking for a fight, not yet. First, I had to prepare.
I pushed aside a pile of shattered stones and ventured down a slope where the air grew thicker, filled with a metallic, damp smell. The cracks in the ground started to fill with dark, muddy sludge.
Without hesitation, I plunged my hands in and smeared it on my skin and clothes. It was cold and smelled terribly, but it was useful. The acrid stench would mask my scent, confusing the senses of any lurking creatures.
Once ready, I set off toward the towering stone columns on the horizon. Somewhere among those cyclopean ruins hid the creature I was looking for.
Even if I spoke of creating a "dragon heart", it didn't mean I could forge a real one immediately. For two reasons. First: even thinking about hunting a dragon or one of its subspecies was suicide. Second: if I tried to fuse my body with a creature of that level, I'd explode instantly, unable to contain such power.
I had to start small.
The ground beneath my feet was uneven, covered with debris that seemed to trip me with every step. My legs shook, and my vision blurred at times. Sweat ran down my back like warm rain, and I felt my muscles stretching to their limits.
I was pushing my pitiful body to its edge, but I had no other choice if I wanted to survive.
I finally reached my destination, dodging monsters and dangers, and collapsed behind a boulder. My lungs burned, every muscle screamed, but I knew I wasn't even halfway done.
Gritting my teeth, I peeked over the rock.
A little ahead, in the shadow of a stone column, almost invisible except for the glint of its black scales, was a huge lizard, as big as a large dog.
That monster was known as a shadow lizard, famous for its ability to blend into the shadows. It was a Grade 0 monster.
Alright, but how do I kill it?
I looked at my scrawny body, then at the creature's massive one... zero chance in a direct fight — so why do it?
I already had a plan for an ambush. However, there was something I had ignored until now. Bad luck was now part of me, and it wanted me dead.
I felt the rune on my wrist pulse.
Crack!
The rock wall right behind me suddenly collapsed.
"Shit!"
I threw myself to the side just in time, avoiding being buried. A cloud of dust and debris enveloped me, scratching my throat with every breath. I coughed, gasping for air. But I was still alive.
Only when the dust cleared did I realize my bad luck had only just begun, because now the monster was staring straight at me with its reptilian, hungry eyes.
I started running with everything I had, not even looking back. I knew that creature was faster than me and would catch up in seconds, so I had to create as much distance as possible.
Behind me, I heard the monster's claws scraping against the stone. It was getting closer.
Faster!
I think the only thing giving me enough strength to run like that was adrenaline.
The situation was getting worse, and I knew I couldn't keep it up for long. Then, as if by a stroke of luck — or maybe just a pause in my bad luck — I spotted a crack in the wall, wide enough for me to squeeze through.
I dove inside, scraping against the rough stone, while the monster's hot breath brushed my back. I made it just in time. Its jaws snapped shut behind me, just inches from my legs.
The monster got stuck at the entrance, its snout pressed against the gap as it tried to reach in with its clawed paws. But its body was too big.
Come on, big guy, come to daddy.
I raised the stolen dagger and gripped it tightly.
The monster managed to push in further, and I drove the blade straight into its eye.
The beast howled, thrashing, but it was wedged in. I took advantage, stabbing it again. And again.
I had to finish it before it broke free.
With a final blow, I shattered the eye socket and drove the point deep into its skull.
The monster froze, then fell limp with a dull thud. Its black blood seeped into the crack, warm on my bony skin.
I collapsed too, exhausted, my heart about to burst. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I couldn't move a muscle.
"Heh... heheh... it hasn't even been a day."
A strangled laugh escaped my lips. Less than twenty-four hours, and I'd already risked death twice.
Not wanting to tempt fate with another wave of bad luck, I dragged myself to the monster. I managed to flip the creature over, exposing its soft belly. Using all my weight, I drove the dagger in and sliced it open deep.
I plunged my hand inside and carefully took what I was looking for: its heart.
It looked strange, but its size was similar to a human's.
I looked around. It seemed like a relatively safe place, surrounded by rocks and with the entrance blocked by the corpse.
In a hollow in the rock, I let the beast's blood drip. Then I cut my wrist, letting my own blood fall.
I mixed the two fluids and used them to draw runes on the heart. Then I took off my shirt and carved the same runes on my chest, right above my heart.
I lay down, making sure the runes on the monster's heart lined up with mine.
I raised the dagger high with both hands.
I could feel the sweat dripping from my forehead. What I was about to do was something no one had ever done — or rather, no one crazy enough to try.
But as they say, there's always a first time.
"I really must be insane."
I could see my reflection laughing with amusement. With a firm motion, I drove the dagger down, piercing both the monster's heart and my own.