Siyan checked his phone for the tenth time in a minute while sprinting down the rain slicked alleyway. His lungs felt like they were being shredded by broken glass and his cheap sneakers offered zero grip on the wet asphalt. He was an E Rank Awakener, the absolute bottom of the food chain, and even his physical stats were barely above a normal human. Siyan fumbled with the screen, his thumbs shaking as he sent a text to the group chat.
"I am two blocks away. Please dont enter yet. I need this raid pay to cover my rent."
A notification popped up immediately from Park, the Guild leader and primary Tanker.
"You are late Siyan. We are already at the Gate. If you aren't here in sixty seconds, we are going in and reporting you as a no show to the Association.
Siyan cursed under his breath, shoving the phone into his pocket. He pushed his legs harder, ignoring the cramp blooming in his side. To the high rankers, these dungeons were a playground for fame and fortune. To Siyan, it was a blue collar job where the OSHA regulations didn't exist and the equipment was second hand garbage. Siyan finally skidded around the corner of a construction site where a shimmering vortex of energy hung in the air. This was the E Rank Gate.
The team was already gathered at the threshold. There was Park, a massive man in heavy plate armor holding a tower shield. Next to him was Jin, the Axe Warrior who always smelled like cheap cigarettes. Behind them stood Sora, the Mage, and Min, the Healer. They all looked at Siyan with varying degrees of disgust. Siyan was the Swordsman, but everyone knew he was just there to carry the bags and take a hit if something went sideways.
"Glad you could join us, loser," Jin spat, hoisting his heavy axe onto his shoulder. "Try not to trip over your own feet today. We have a schedule to keep."
"Lets move," Park commanded, not even looking at Siyan.
They stepped through the shimmering veil. The transition from the humid city air to the stale, metallic scent of the dungeon always made Siyan nauseous. It was a standard cave type layout. The walls were jagged rock dripping with glowing moss that provided a dim, sickly green light. Almost immediately, the sound of cackling echoed through the tunnels.
"Hobgoblins," Park grunted, raising his shield. "Standard formation. Siyan, stay in the rear and watch the flank. Dont get in the way."
The battle began in a chaotic blur. Park took the brunt of the Hobgoblin charge, his shield ringing with the impact of stone clubs. Sora began chanting, her hands glowing with a faint blue light before she launched a magic missile that detonated against a monsters chest. Jin moved in for the kill, his axe shearing through green flesh with a wet thud.
Siyan drew his rusted shortsword, his heart hammering against his ribs. He stayed back as instructed, but then something changed. A sharp, high pitched ringing started in the back of his skull. It wasn't a sound, but a vibration that made his teeth ache.
[...Searching...]
The voice was faint, distorted like a radio station losing its signal. Siyan shook his head, thinking it was just the dungeon sickness. Then, Siyan saw them. Small, shimmering golden dots began to appear on the ground, forming a trail that led away from the main path and into a narrow, shadowed crevice in the rock wall. None of the others seemed to notice. They were too busy shouting and hacking away at the small green monsters.
The dots were hypnotic. Siyan felt a strange pull in his chest, an instinctual urge to follow. Siyan glanced back at his guild mates. They were pushing deeper into the main chamber, distracted by the skirmish. Taking a shallow breath, Siyan slipped away into the crevice.
The tunnel was tight, forcing Siyan to crawl on his hands and knees. The ringing in his head grew louder, more insistent. After a few minutes of squeezing through the dark, the tunnel opened up into a hidden grotto. Siyan gasped.
It was a treasure cache. Piles of gold coins, glowing mana crystals, and ornate chests were stacked against the walls. This shouldn't exist in a low-level E Rank gate.
'Im rich! I scored big time from a small e rank gate!'
Siyan reached out to grab a fistful of coins, his mind racing with possibilities. But then, the air was sliced by a high pitched scream. It was Min, the healer.
Siyan froze. The scream was followed by a guttural roar that made the entire grotto vibrate. That wasn't a Hobgoblin. That was something much bigger. Panic replaced Siyan's greed. His guild mates were in trouble. Despite the way they treated him, they were the only people Siyan knew. He couldn't just sit here with gold while they were being slaughtered.
Siyan scrambled back through the narrow tunnel, his heart nearly bursting. Siyan burst out into the main chamber, gasping for air. The scene was a bloodbath. A High Orc, a monster that had no business being in an E Rank gate, stood over seven feet tall, its skin a dark, bruised purple. It held a massive jagged blade that was already coated in red.
Siyan saw Park struggling to stay upright, his shield cracked. Sora was on the ground, her robes torn.
"Hey! Over here!" Siyan yelled, raising his rusted sword.
Siyan ran toward the fray, intending to draw the monsters attention so the others could retreat. He was halfway there when he felt a sharp, burning agony in his left ankle. Siyan collapsed face first into the dirt, his momentum carrying him into a painful roll. Siyan looked back, expecting to see a monster, but Siyan's eyes widened in shock.
Jin, the Axe Warrior, was standing a few feet away. He wasn't looking at the Orc. He was looking at Siyan with a cold, murderous expression. In his hand, he held another small throwing dagger, identical to the one currently buried in Siyans Achilles tendon.
"What the hell are you doing?" Siyan screamed, clawing at the ground.
Park glanced back, his face devoid of any remorse. "We saw where you went, Siyan. We saw the glow from that crevice. You found the hidden room, didn't you?"
"You... you saw me?" Siyan gasped, the pain in his leg making his vision swim.
"We need a distraction to get out of here," Park said calmly, stepping back as the High Orc turned its massive head toward the downed swordsman. "And we dont like sharing treasure with useless trash like you. Thanks for finding the payout for us. Well make sure your rent gets paid... eventually."
'fuck... weve been with each otehr for years... and they do this... fuck fuck fuck'
Siyan spat, hot tears of rage stinging his eyes. The guild mates didn't respond. They turned and ran toward the exit, leaving Siyan pinned to the floor. The High Orc loomed over Siyan, its shadow swallowing him whole. It raised its massive blade, the steel reflecting the sickly green moss of the cave. Siyan looked up, staring into the monsters black, unfeeling eyes.
The blade swung down.
Siyan felt the cold steel bite into his neck. There was a brief, blinding flash of white, and then total darkness. But the darkness didn't last.
[System Error: Forced Synchronization...]
[Legacy of the Demon God: Integrating...]
[Host Soul: Compatible.]
The mechanical voice was no longer a whisper. It was a roar that filled the void of Siyan's mind.
(demon system... synchronization)