Kael woke up to someone shaking his shoulder.
His hand went for the dagger before his brain caught up. Old reflexes. The kind you don't know you have until you need them.
"Whoa," a voice said. "Easy. It's just me."
Sarah. She was kneeling next to him, holding a piece of bread. Her face was dirty but she was smiling. Sort of.
"You sleep like the dead," she said.
"Felt like it."
Kael sat up. His body was stiff. Every muscle hurt. The bite marks on his arm had healed overnight but left pink scars. The system's healing was good but not perfect.
He took the bread. Ate it in three bites. Drank water from a bottle someone had left nearby.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"No idea. The sun's up. Sort of. The sky is still purple but it's lighter."
Kael stood. His legs held. Good enough.
The safe zone was busier than last night. People moving around. Talking. Some were practicing with weapons. A group of three men were sparring with wooden sticks. Another woman was throwing rocks at a wall, trying to hit a chalk mark.
Everyone was trying to level up.
He checked his status. Still level 7. Same stats. His skills were ready.
He opened the Shop. Free daily items. Health potion, bread, water. He claimed them. The potion went into his pocket. He had three now.
The Shop also had a new section. Limited time items.
[LIMITED TIME SHOP]
Iron Spear 120 Coins (2 hours remaining)
Leather Boots 60 Coins (2 hours remaining)
Skill Book: Power Strike 300 Coins (2 hours remaining)
He had 185 coins. From the crawlers and the goblins and the quest rewards. Not enough for the spear. But enough for the boots.
He bought the leather boots. They appeared on his feet. Brown. Sturdy. They fit perfectly.
[LEATHER BOOTS]
Defense: 4
Durability: 30/30
Special: 5% movement speed.
Better than his sneakers. The sneakers had holes anyway.
He looked for Maya. She was near the edge of the safe zone, talking to a group of fighters. Six of them. All with weapons. One had a real sword. Not a Shop sword. A real one. Old. Maybe a replica.
Maya saw him and waved him over.
"This is Kael," she said. "He's the one who cleared the sewer dungeon yesterday."
The fighters looked at him. A few nodded. The one with the sword didn't.
"You don't look like much," the sword guy said.
"I get that a lot."
Maya introduced them. The sword guy was named Viktor. He was a collector. Had a wall of swords at home. Now he had one that worked. The others were Lisa, a former security guard with a taser that still had charge; Tom, a college kid with a baseball bat; Diego, a cook with a set of kitchen knives; and two sisters, Mei and Lin, who had matching crossbows from a sporting goods store.
"We're going to the next dungeon," Maya said. "Level ten to fifteen. The entrance is about three kilometers north. Through a parking garage."
"How many people?"
"Just us. Plus you and your group if you want."
Kael thought about it. Cruz was still asleep. Marcus was helping build a barricade. Jen was sharpening her chain. Sarah was right behind him.
"We'll come," he said. "But we need supplies first."
They spent an hour trading. The safe zone had an informal market. People swapped items. Coins. Food. Information.
Kael traded his extra crawler hides for two more health potions. He traded his goblin fangs for a whetstone. The whetstone could repair weapon durability. He used it on the bone staff. Durability went from 40 to 55. Not full but better.
Sarah found a metal pipe. Better than her pallet wood. She equipped it.
[IRON PIPE]
Damage: 12 18
Durability: 40/40
Cruz woke up and joined them. He had found a hunting knife somewhere. Marcus had his rebar. Jen had her chain. They were as ready as they'd ever be.
The group left the safe zone at mid morning. Nine of them. Kael, Sarah, Cruz, Marcus, Jen, Maya, Viktor, Lisa, and Tom. Diego and the sisters stayed behind. They wanted to wait for more information.
The streets were quiet. Too quiet. The goblins were there but they were hiding. Watching from alleys and windows.
Kael's map showed red dots everywhere. Dozens. But they weren't moving. Just waiting.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Sarah whispered.
"I don't know. Maybe they're scared. Maybe something else is coming."
They walked fast. Three kilometers wasn't far but every corner could be a trap.
Maya led the way. Her enemy detection skill kept them safe. She would hold up a fist, they would stop, and a goblin would run past without seeing them. It happened three times.
The parking garage was huge. Six stories of concrete. The entrance was blocked by cars but there was a gap.
"The dungeon is underneath," Maya said. "There's a staircase in the back. Leads to an old maintenance level."
"Any idea what's down there?" Kael asked.
"No. But the map says level ten to fifteen. So something worse than crawlers."
They went in.
The parking garage smelled like gasoline and dust. Dead leaves blew across the floor. The cars were old. Some had their windows broken. A few had blood on the doors.
Kael didn't look too closely.
The staircase was in the back corner. Dark. Narrow. The steps were concrete and slick with moisture.
Maya went first. Then Viktor with his sword. Then the others. Kael took the rear again.
The stairs went down two flights. Then the map changed.
[DUNGEON ENTERED: CONCRETE MAZE]
Recommended Level: 10 15
Players in party: 9
Warning: Boss room detected. No escape.
Kael stopped. "No escape. That means we can't run. We kill the boss or we die."
"Great," Tom said. His voice cracked.
"We knew it was risky," Maya said. "We can still turn back."
"No." Viktor tightened his grip on the sword. "I didn't come this far to turn around."
Kael looked at Sarah. She nodded. Cruz shrugged. Marcus spat on the floor.
"Fine," Kael said. "But we do this smart. No heroes. We stick together."
The maintenance level was a maze. Hallways that went nowhere. Rooms filled with old machinery. The walls were concrete. The floors were wet. The lights were out.
Kael used Night Vision. The skill lasted ten seconds. Long enough to see the path ahead. Then he had to wait sixty seconds to use it again.
"We need a light," he said.
Tom had a lighter. He flicked it on. The flame was small but it helped.
They walked for five minutes. Ten. No monsters. Just empty hallways and the sound of their own footsteps.
Then the hallway opened into a large room.
The room was round. Maybe fifty feet across. In the center was a pile of bones. Human bones. Dozens of them. Skulls. Ribs. Femurs.
And on top of the bones sat a creature.
It looked like a goblin but bigger. Much bigger. Eight feet tall. Muscular. Its skin was dark red. Its eyes glowed yellow. It had four arms. Each hand held a weapon. A cleaver. A hammer. A knife. A length of chain with spikes.
[FIELD GUIDE: BOSS]
Goblin Butcher (Level 15)
HP: 850
Threat: Extreme
Abilities: Multi strike, Rage mode, Summon Adds
Weakness: Slow movement, Exposed back
"Level fifteen," Viktor whispered. "We're level sevens and eights."
"We can still win," Kael said. "It's slow. We need to hit it from behind."
The Butcher turned its head. Its yellow eyes locked onto them.
It smiled.
Then it roared.
The sound was deafening. Kael's ears rang. The bones on the floor shook.
"Spread out!" he shouted. "Don't let it hit more than one of you!"
The Butcher charged. Faster than something that size should be able to move.
Viktor tried to block with his sword. The Butcher's hammer hit the blade and sent Viktor flying across the room. He hit the wall and didn't get up.
"Viktor!" Lisa screamed.
The Butcher turned toward her. Its cleaver came down. Lisa dodged but the knife in its third hand caught her arm. Blood sprayed.
Kael ran behind the Butcher. He activated Detect Weakness. The weak point was the back of the neck. A small patch of lighter skin.
He swung the bone staff. Hit the weak point.
[COMBAT]
Critical hit! Goblin Butcher HP: 740/850.
The Butcher roared again. It spun around faster than Kael expected. The chain with spikes whipped toward his face.
He used Quick Step. The world blurred. He moved three feet to the left. The chain hit the floor where he had been standing. Concrete cracked.
Maya was on the Butcher's other side. Her cleaver bit into its leg. The creature stumbled.
"Keep hitting it!" she yelled. "Don't let it focus!"
Marcus hit it with his rebar. Cruz stabbed its back with the hunting knife. Jen wrapped her chain around one of its arms and pulled.
The Butcher yanked its arm free. Jen flew into a pile of bones. She landed hard but got up.
Tom swung his baseball bat at the Butcher's knee. The bat broke. The Butcher kicked Tom in the chest. Tom flew backward and slid across the floor.
Three of them down. Viktor wasn't moving. Lisa was bleeding. Tom was gasping for air.
"We need to end this fast," Kael said.
He looked at the Butcher's HP. 620/850. They were doing damage but not enough.
The Butcher entered Rage mode. Its eyes turned bright red. Steam came off its skin. It moved faster. Hit harder.
The hammer came down at Cruz. Cruz dove aside but the hammer caught his shoulder. A crack. Cruz screamed.
That was five.
Only Kael, Sarah, and Maya were still standing. And Maya was limping.
"Sarah, get behind it," Kael said. "Maya, distract it. I'm going for the neck again."
They moved.
Maya threw a rock at the Butcher's face. It turned toward her. Swung the cleaver. Maya ducked.
Sarah ran behind the Butcher and hit the back of its neck with her iron pipe. A solid hit.
[COMBAT]
Critical hit! Goblin Butcher HP: 540/850.
The Butcher spun around to grab Sarah. Kael was already there. He stabbed the bone staff into the weak point and pushed. The staff went deep.
The Butcher screeched. Its four arms flailed. One of them caught Kael in the chest. He flew backward. Hit the ground. His ribs cracked.
He couldn't breathe.
The Butcher pulled the staff out of its neck. Black blood poured. It threw the staff across the room.
Now Kael had no weapon. His dagger was still on his belt. He pulled it out.
The Butcher was coming toward him. Slow. Bleeding. But still coming.
Maya jumped on its back. She drove her cleaver into the weak point again and again. The Butcher reached back and grabbed her. Threw her off. She hit the wall and slumped down.
Sarah was alone now. She had her pipe. The Butcher was at half health. 430/850.
She looked at Kael. He saw the fear in her eyes.
"Run," he said. "Get out of here."
"No."
She charged.
The Butcher swung its hammer. Sarah slid under it. Came up and hit the creature's knee. The knee buckled.
[COMBAT]
Critical hit! Goblin Butcher HP: 380/850.
The Butcher fell to one knee. Sarah raised her pipe for another hit.
The knife in the Butcher's third hand came up. Fast. Too fast.
It stabbed Sarah in the side.
She gasped. Her pipe fell. She stumbled back, clutching the wound.
Kael saw red.
He didn't think. He just moved. Quick Step. His legs burned. He was on the Butcher's back before he knew it.
His dagger went into the weak point. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Five.
The Butcher screamed. Thrashed. Tried to throw him off. Kael held on. Kept stabbing.
[COMBAT]
Critical hit! Goblin Butcher HP: 210/850.
Critical hit! HP: 140/850.
Critical hit! HP: 70/850.
The Butcher's movements slowed. Its eyes dimmed.
One more stab.
The creature collapsed.
[COMBAT]
Defeated: Goblin Butcher (Level 15) Boss.
2500 EXP. 500 Coins.
Loot: Butcher's Cleaver (Epic), Rage Stone, Boss Key, Mysterious Chest.
Kael fell off the Butcher's back. He landed on the bone pile. Skulls rolled everywhere.
He crawled to Sarah.
She was lying on her side. Blood was pooling under her. Her eyes were open but they were glassy.
"Sarah. Hey. Look at me."
She blinked. "It hurts."
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
He pulled out his health potions. Three of them. He poured one into her mouth. She coughed. Swallowed.
Her wound started to close. Slowly.
He poured the second one. The bleeding slowed.
The third one. The wound closed.
She was still pale. Still weak. But she was alive.
Kael sat back. His hands were shaking. His ribs hurt. His chest hurt. Everything hurt.
Maya was standing. Holding her arm. Cruz was sitting up, holding his shoulder. Marcus was helping Jen. Tom was coughing but breathing.
Viktor was on the ground. Not moving.
Kael crawled over to him. Checked his pulse.
Nothing.
Viktor was dead.
Lisa was kneeling next to him. Crying. "He wanted to be a hero."
"He was," Kael said. "He charged first. That took guts."
They stood in silence for a minute. The room smelled like blood and ozone.
Then the Boss Room notification faded. A door appeared on the far wall. The exit.
Kael picked up the Butcher's Cleaver. It was heavy. The blade was chipped but sharp.
[BUTCHER'S CLEAVER] (Epic)
Damage: 35 45
Durability: 80/80
Special: 15% bleed chance. 10% critical damage.
He equipped it. The bone staff was broken anyway.
The Rage Stone was a consumable. Increased damage by 50% for 30 seconds. He put it in his pocket.
The Boss Key opened the door. The Mysterious Chest had coins and a skill book.
[SKILL BOOK: BERSERKER RAGE]
Rare quality. Increases damage by 30% but reduces defense by 20% for 20 seconds. Cooldown 2 minutes.
Kael learned it. New skill.
They carried Viktor's body out of the dungeon. The exit led to a street two blocks from the safe zone.
People saw them coming. They saw the body. They lowered their heads.
Patricia met them at the barrier. "How many?"
"One dead. Six injured. Two fine."
She nodded. "We'll take care of him. Rest. You've earned it."
Kael helped Sarah to a corner. She sat down. Her face was still white.
"You almost died," he said.
"I know."
"Don't do that again."
She looked at him. "You first."
He almost laughed. Almost.
The system announcement appeared again.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
Arena 07 Day 2 begins in 4 hours.
Integration Phase 1: Monster spawn rate increased by 50%.
Good luck.
Kael read it twice.
Fifty percent more monsters.
And they were only getting started.
He looked at his new cleaver. His new skills. His level had gone up twice from the boss fight. He was level 9 now.
Not enough. Never enough.
"We need to get stronger," he said. "Faster."
No one argued.