Skeletal Remains

Outside the portal Rei had entered a few hours prior, smoke still hung low. The air shimmered with residual mana, hot and unstable.

Cleanup crews were already on-site—telekinetics lifting rubble, pyromancers burning off monster remains before the corruption spread. Rookie hunters dragged carcasses toward the containment zone, their uniforms still damp with sweat and dust.

“Man, these things are uglier up close,” one muttered, kicking the cracked shell of a Varnok Crawler.

“Quit complaining and get the rest of that pile ready,” said another, her voice tired. “We torch in five.”

Their supervisor, Alec, C-Tier telekinetic, and professional headache manager—walked over, rubbing his temples. “What’s the holdup here? We’ve got two more sites to clean before sundown.”

The rookies exchanged glances. One pointed toward the heap of dead monsters. “Uh… sir, we found something weird in the pile.”

Alec frowned. “Weird how?”

The rookie hesitated, then used his telekinesis to pull a chunk from the top of the pile. It rolled forward—a pale, bony arm, clean, almost human. The rest followed: ribs, a spine, fragments of skull.

The pyromancer stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “Wait… those aren’t monster bones. That’s—human?”

Alec crouched down, examining the fragments. No, not human. Too smooth. “Skeletons?” he muttered. “That’s impossible. No dungeon’s ever spawned those.”

The rookies shuffled uneasily. “Could be some new variant?”

Alec straightened up, gaze fixed on the open portal still glowing faintly in the distance. “If it is, we just found something the Ministry’s going to lose its mind over.”

He tapped his comm. “This is Supervisor Alec, Site 47-C. We’ve got unidentified skeletal remains mixed in with standard dungeon fauna. Possible new monster class. Flagging for immediate Ministry review.”

Static crackled back. “Copy that, 47-C. HQ will send a research team.”

Alec glanced once more at the bones before the pyromancer’s flames consumed them. 

As the fire burnt the portal collapsed in on itself. And the crew began to pack.