Chapter 2: Abandoned

Kazuki woke to the sound of his phone alarm blaring at seven in the morning. His entire body felt stiff, and his neck ached from sleeping at an awkward angle. He had passed out in his clothes again, still wearing his dirty dungeon gear from yesterday.

He dragged himself to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The mirror reflected a tired young man with dark circles under his eyes and messy black hair that stuck up in every direction. When had he started looking so exhausted? So defeated?

"Get it together," Kazuki muttered to his reflection. "It's just a meeting. You've survived worse."

But had he really? Being kicked out of his guild felt like the final nail in the coffin of his Hunter career. Without a guild, he couldn't access most dungeons. Without dungeon access, he couldn't earn money. Without money, he couldn't pay rent. The math was simple and brutal.

Kazuki changed into clean clothes a simple black t-shirt and jeans and headed out. The Hunter Association headquarters was in Shinjuku, a massive glass building that towered over the surrounding structures. A giant holographic display on the side showed the current Gate status across Tokyo: seven active E-rank Gates, three D-rank, and one C-rank that had appeared overnight in Ikebukuro.

The lobby was already packed with Hunters even at eight-thirty in the morning. Most wore expensive gear with their guild emblems proudly displayed. Kazuki kept his head down as he made his way to the elevators, trying not to attract attention.

"Hey, isn't that Kazuki Hayato?" someone whispered.

"The weakest Hunter? What's he doing here?"

"I heard his team finally ditched him. About time, honestly."

Kazuki's jaw tightened, but he didn't react. He had learned years ago that responding only made things worse. The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor felt like it took forever, each second stretching into eternity.

Guild Master Fujimoto's office was at the end of a long hallway lined with photos of successful dungeon raids. Kazuki had never appeared in a single one. He knocked twice on the heavy wooden door.

"Come in," a gruff voice called.

Fujimoto Daichi sat behind an enormous desk covered in papers and magical artifacts. He was a former A-rank Hunter who had retired after losing his left arm to a dungeon boss. Now he managed one of Tokyo's mid-tier guilds, the Iron Fang Guild. A massive scar ran down the right side of his face, and his remaining arm was covered in faded tattoos of defeated monsters.

"Sit down, Kazuki," Fujimoto said without looking up from the document he was reading.

Kazuki sat in the uncomfortable chair across from the desk. His hands felt clammy, so he wiped them on his jeans. The office was silent except for the ticking of an expensive-looking clock on the wall.

Finally, Fujimoto set down the paper and looked at Kazuki with tired eyes. "I'll get straight to the point. Your team submitted a formal complaint yesterday. They're refusing to work with you anymore."

"I understand," Kazuki said quietly.

"Do you?" Fujimoto leaned back in his chair. "This is the third team that's rejected you in two years. Before that, you bounced between solo dungeon attempts that ended in hospital visits. I've tried to help you, kid. I really have. But I can't keep assigning you to teams that don't want you."

"So you're kicking me out of the guild."

"I don't have a choice." Fujimoto actually looked sympathetic. "The other guild members are complaining. They say it's not fair that you receive guild benefits when you don't contribute. And honestly, Kazuki, they're not wrong."

Each word was like a knife to the chest, but Kazuki forced himself to keep his expression neutral. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him break down.

"However," Fujimoto continued, "I'm not completely heartless. There's one last option I can offer you."

Kazuki looked up, a tiny spark of hope flickering in his chest. "What option?"

"There's an E-rank Gate that opened in an abandoned factory district yesterday. It's a small one, probably just a few goblins. I can give you one more chance to prove yourself. Clear the dungeon solo, bring back the magic stones, and I'll consider keeping you on with the guild."

"Solo?" Kazuki's voice cracked. "But I've never successfully cleared a dungeon alone."

"Exactly. Which is why this is your last chance, not a guarantee." Fujimoto slid a piece of paper across the desk with the Gate's location. "You have until five o'clock this afternoon. If you're not back by then with proof of completion, your guild membership is automatically terminated. Understood?"

Kazuki stared at the address written in neat handwriting. An abandoned factory in the industrial district. The kind of place where no one would hear you scream if something went wrong. This wasn't really a last chance. This was Fujimoto's way of letting him quit with a shred of dignity intact.

"I understand," Kazuki said, taking the paper.

"Good luck, kid. You're going to need it."

The dismissal was clear. Kazuki stood and walked out of the office, the paper crumpling slightly in his tight grip. The hallway seemed longer on the way back, the photos of successful Hunters mocking him with their bright smiles and victorious poses.

Outside the Hunter Association building, Kazuki stood on the sidewalk and stared at the address. He should go home. Pack up his things. Start looking for a normal job. His parents had been right all along when they begged him not to become a Hunter. "Not everyone is meant for this life," his mother had said. "There's no shame in being ordinary."

But Kazuki had been so sure. So certain that he was special, that he had a destiny, that the power inside him would eventually awaken into something amazing.

Five years later, he was still waiting.

His phone buzzed. A message from Kenji.

"Heard about your solo mission. Sorry it ended this way, man. You should probably just give up. Some people aren't cut out to be Hunters."

Kazuki almost threw his phone into the street. Instead, he shoved it into his pocket and started walking. His feet carried him toward the train station automatically, muscle memory from countless trips to dungeon sites.

The industrial district was a thirty-minute train ride from Shinjuku. Kazuki spent the entire journey staring out the window, watching Tokyo blur past. The city had changed so much since the Gates appeared. Entire neighborhoods had been rebuilt after dungeon breaks. Skyscrapers now had reinforced walls and emergency shelters. Children grew up learning dungeon safety drills alongside fire safety.

And through it all, Hunters were celebrated as heroes. The strong ones, anyway. The ones who mattered.

The factory district was eerily quiet when Kazuki arrived just after noon. Most of the buildings were abandoned, their windows broken and walls covered in graffiti. The Gate pulsed at the center of an empty parking lot, its purple light reflecting off puddles from last night's rain.

Two Hunter Association guards sat in a van nearby, looking bored. They barely glanced at Kazuki as he approached.

"Here to clear the E-rank?" one guard asked, not bothering to hide his skeptical tone.

"Yes," Kazuki said, showing his Hunter license.

The guard scanned it with a handheld device. His eyebrows rose slightly. "You're going in alone? Your rank is... E-rank. Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure."

The guard shrugged. "Your funeral. Sign the waiver."

Kazuki signed the form that absolved the Hunter Association of responsibility if he died. It was a formality that most Hunters never thought about. For Kazuki, it was a grim reminder of how dangerous his job really was.

He stood in front of the Gate, feeling its energy wash over him like static electricity. His heart hammered in his chest. Every instinct screamed at him to turn around and walk away. This was suicide. He couldn't even handle goblins when he had four teammates backing him up. What chance did he have alone?

But what was waiting for him if he turned back? Shame? Poverty? A lifetime of what-ifs and regrets?

"Screw it," Kazuki whispered.

He stepped through the Gate, and the world dissolved into purple light. The familiar sensation of reality bending around him made his stomach lurch. Then his feet hit solid ground again, and he was inside the dungeon.

The air was cold and damp, smelling of mold and decay. Kazuki found himself in a narrow stone corridor lit by glowing moss on the walls. Somewhere in the darkness ahead, he heard the chittering of goblins.

His hand shook as he drew his dagger. This was it. His last chance to prove he wasn't completely worthless.

Or his last moments alive.

Kazuki took a deep breath and stepped forward into the shadows.

[End of Chapter 2]