"Wow… he's really good. A good person," Raito thought as he followed Renji into a sake shop. "But I already told him everything about me. Can I really trust him? He might slip up… or say something by mistake. Even so, I've known him for years. He's a good person. I just hope… he doesn't backstab me."
"You know I'm not really a fan of drinking sake," Raito said as they entered.
"Oh, be a man. Are you forgetting you're already an adult? Just one shot," Renji teased.
"Fine. Just one shot," Raito gave in.
They sat, and a lady brought two cups of sake.
"One, two, ready, go!" Renji said, and they downed the drinks together.
Standing up, they shook hands firmly.
"See you, buddy. I'll be leaving now," Renji said as he walked out.
Raito lingered, staring at the money Renji had given him. "The money should be enough to take care of me for a while. For now, I need to get stronger."
He stepped back into the streets, but his eyes drifted toward the shadowed alley where whispers of a dungeon lingered. "I've never actually entered one on my own…"
The entrance loomed at the end of the alley, guarded by two hunters. He waited until their shift broke, then slipped inside unnoticed.
"This is my first time," Raito whispered, gripping his daggers from his inventory. "They say weak hunters train here. Let's see."
His steps echoed softly until a guttural growl froze him. Goblins. A whole group of them.
He pressed himself against the dungeon wall, daggers ready. Am I strong enough to take them?
As he steadied his breath, his hand brushed a loose rock on the wall. It clattered loudly to the ground.
"Oops," he muttered, eyes darting to the goblins.
The creatures turned, snarling as they advanced. The ground seemed to tremble beneath their feet.
"Yikes… they noticed. What do I do? Charge them? Or…"
Suddenly, a glowing screen flickered in front of his eyes.
[Defeat the goblins or run away.]
[Accept or Reject.]
Raito clenched his daggers, sweat dripping down his cheek.
"Accept," he whispered.
He tapped the glowing window.
[Quest Accepted.]
The goblins roared.
Raito braced himself.
"It's time."
Raito bent his knees, then burst forward, bouncing lightly on his feet. Twelve goblins came rushing toward him, their guttural cries echoing through the dungeon walls. Some carried rusted swords, their jagged edges glinting faintly in the darkness.
He dashed forward with explosive speed, daggers flashing in his hands. One swing, then another — the blades cut clean through green necks.
Slice!
Thud!
Two goblins fell instantly.
"Wow… this is easy," Raito muttered, surprised. "These daggers are really sharp."
The black steel gleamed. They weren't ordinary weapons — they were forged from the claw of the Inferno Demon. With every slash, he felt their unnatural edge biting deeper, smoother.
He spun, slashing through a third goblin, then drove his dagger upward into the throat of a fourth. Another tried to swing a rusted sword at him, but he twisted away and sliced its chest open. Five goblins collapsed in seconds, their bodies twitching before going still.
The rest screeched and charged in a wild frenzy.
Raito hurled his first dagger with perfect aim — shhk! — it sank deep into the skull of the lead goblin. Without slowing, he sprinted toward the next, yanked his dagger from the corpse, and in one swift motion carved another's head clean off.
Then— slash!
A sudden sting burned across his back. One goblin had slipped behind him, its rusted blade tearing through his shirt and skin. The pain made him stagger.
"Damn it!" he hissed, spinning around.
The goblin snarled, raising its sword again. Raito's eyes narrowed. In one fluid strike, he slashed across its chest, then drove the dagger through its throat, silencing it instantly. Blood sprayed as the creature collapsed at his feet.
He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to ignore the pain. I need to stay sharp. Even weak monsters can kill if I get careless.
Claws scraped against his back again — this time he was ready. He crossed his blades to block, sparks flying, before cutting the goblin's head clean off.
Panting lightly, he stood among the growing pile of corpses.
"People always say goblins are weak," he said with a grin. "They were right. They're not enough to defeat me."
Excitement bubbled inside him, stronger than fear. So this is what it feels like… to be strong. This is what it means to be a hunter.
One by one, the remaining goblins fell beneath his blades. Their blood splattered across his clothes, warm and sticky, dripping from his arms and face.
Finally, silence. Twelve corpses littered the dungeon floor.
Raito lowered his daggers and frowned.
"What's going on? My Greed Skill… it didn't absorb their bodies." He glanced at the corpses. "Why? Could it be… it only works on special monsters?"
The system box burst open in front of his eyes, flooding with notifications.
Speed Increased +3
Physical Ability +5
Stamina Recovery Boosted
Dagger Mastery +2
Agility +4
LP +70 Gained
New Trait Unlocked: Minor Regeneration
There were too many messages to count, flashing one after another, but Raito barely paid them any attention.
But then the sharp sting in his chest dragged his focus back to reality. He looked down and saw blood spreading across his shirt, the pain biting deep.
"I'm injured… Status window," he muttered.
The glowing interface shifted instantly, displaying new options. Raito scrolled quickly, eyes locking on Healing.
For this type of injury, healing will require 35 LP.
Without hesitation, he tapped it. His entire body was wrapped in radiant light, warm and soothing. The torn flesh closed, the blood vanished, and in moments, his chest was as smooth as if nothing had ever happened.