Chapter 10: Alpha's Fall

The alpha's jaws snapped inches from Kazuki's face as he twisted to the side, his daggers slashing across the wolf's snout. The blade opened a shallow cut, drawing blood but nothing fatal. The wolf snarled and swiped with its massive paw, claws extended.

Kazuki ducked, feeling the wind from the attack pass over his head. He couldn't afford to get hit again. One more solid blow and he would be done. His HP was too low, and the emergency heal was still on cooldown for another eighteen hours.

[HP: 89/170]
[STAMINA: 62%]

The alpha was bleeding from multiple wounds now the cuts to its belly, the slash across its nose, and older injuries from whatever battle had scarred its eye. But it still had nearly four hundred HP left. This fight was going to come down to endurance and strategy.

Kazuki activated Observe again, studying the alpha's movements more carefully. There a slight limp on its right front leg, probably from an old injury that never healed properly. And when it turned left, it overcompensated slightly, the scarred eye limiting its peripheral vision on that side.

Weaknesses. Everyone had them, even boss monsters.

The alpha charged again, and this time Kazuki was ready. He feinted right, then activated Dash to the left, moving into the wolf's blind spot. His daggers found the injured front leg, both blades sinking deep into already damaged muscle.

[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DIRE WOLF ALPHA HP: 398 → 341]

The alpha's leg buckled, and the creature stumbled. For just a moment, its throat was exposed. Kazuki lunged forward, aiming for the killing blow.

But the alpha was faster than it looked. It twisted despite the injured leg and caught Kazuki's arm in its jaws. Pain exploded through his forearm as teeth sank into flesh. The wolf shook its head violently, and Kazuki felt his bones grind together.

[HP: 89 → 61]
[DEBUFF: BLEEDING - LOSE 2 HP PER SECOND FOR 30 SECONDS]
[WARNING: CRITICAL HP]

Kazuki screamed. His right arm was useless, still trapped in the alpha's mouth. He could feel his HP ticking down with each second. In fifteen seconds, he would be dead.

No. Not like this. He hadn't come this far to die in some D-rank dungeon.

With his left hand, Kazuki drove his dagger straight into the alpha's scarred eye.

The wolf released him instantly, howling in agony. It stumbled backward, pawing at its ruined eye with its good front leg. Black blood poured from the wound, and the alpha's HP bar plummeted.

[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DIRE WOLF ALPHA HP: 341 → 268]

Kazuki collapsed to his knees, cradling his mangled arm. Blood dripped from the bite wounds, and his vision swam. The bleeding debuff continued to drain his HP.

[HP: 59... 57... 55...]

He had maybe twenty-five seconds before he bled out. The alpha was wounded, partially blinded, and enraged but it was still very much alive and very much capable of killing him.

"Think," Kazuki gasped. "There has to be a way."

The alpha's howls of pain had stopped. Through his blurring vision, Kazuki saw the massive wolf turn toward him, its remaining eye burning with hatred. It limped forward on three legs, but each step was still deliberate, still deadly.

Kazuki forced himself to his feet, swaying dangerously. His right arm hung useless at his side, so he transferred his remaining dagger to his left hand. He had never trained with his off-hand. This was going to be ugly.

[HP: 51... 49... 47...]

"Come on," Kazuki muttered. "Just a little longer. Stay conscious just a little longer."

The alpha gathered itself for one final charge. This would be the last exchange one of them was going to die in the next few seconds. Kazuki could see it in the wolf's eye, the same certainty he felt in his own chest.

Time seemed to slow as the alpha lunged. Kazuki's enhanced senses picked up every detail the way the wolf favored its good front leg, the angle of its jump compensating for the ruined eye, the trajectory of its jaws aimed at his throat.

Kazuki didn't dodge. He didn't have the energy left for Dash. Instead, he did something the alpha didn't expect.

He dropped flat to the ground.

The alpha sailed over him, its momentum carrying it past. As it passed overhead, Kazuki thrust upward with his left-hand dagger, putting every last ounce of his strength into the strike. The blade sank into the alpha's throat as it flew over him.

[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DIRE WOLF ALPHA HP: 268 → 187]

The alpha crashed to the ground behind Kazuki, black blood gushing from its throat. It tried to stand but collapsed, its legs no longer responding. The massive wolf's HP drained rapidly as its life bled out onto the forest floor.

[DIRE WOLF ALPHA HP: 187... 156... 124... 89...]

Kazuki lay on his back, staring up at the red sky, his own HP continuing to drop from the bleeding debuff.

[HP: 41... 39... 37...]

"This is going to be close," he whispered.

[DIRE WOLF ALPHA HP: 45... 23... 8... 0]
[DIRE WOLF ALPHA DEFEATED!]
[+100 EXP]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 6]
[ALL HP RESTORED]
[ALL DEBUFFS REMOVED]
[BLEEDING STOPPED]

Warm energy flooded through Kazuki's body. The wounds on his arm closed instantly, the torn flesh knitting back together without even leaving scars. His broken ribs healed, his bruises faded, and strength returned to his limbs.

Kazuki sat up, flexing his right arm experimentally. It worked perfectly, as if it had never been injured. The level-up had completely restored him.

"Now that's a convenient feature," he said, laughing with relief.

[LEVEL 6 ACHIEVED]
[AVAILABLE STAT POINTS: 10]
[AVAILABLE SKILL POINTS: 2]
[NEW TITLE EARNED: ALPHA SLAYER]
[BONUS: +5% DAMAGE AGAINST BOSS MONSTERS]

The alpha's body dissolved into black smoke, leaving behind a large red magic stone that pulsed with power. Kazuki picked it up, feeling the energy radiating from it.

[BOSS STONE ACQUIRED]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO ABSORB FOR ADDITIONAL EXP?]
[YES / NO]

Kazuki selected "No" this time. He needed to split the loot with Rika, and boss stones were worth serious money. He pocketed the stone and looked at the notification for available stat points.

"System, same distribution as before?" he asked.

[RECOMMENDATION: ADJUST DISTRIBUTION. CURRENT WEAKNESS IS SUSTAIN IN EXTENDED COMBAT. SUGGEST: +2 STRENGTH, +2 AGILITY, +4 VITALITY, +1 INTELLIGENCE, +1 SENSE]

"Do it," Kazuki said.

[STAT POINTS ALLOCATED]
[STRENGTH: 20 → 22]
[AGILITY: 22 → 24]
[VITALITY: 20 → 24]
[INTELLIGENCE: 19 → 20]
[SENSE: 18 → 19]
[MAX HP: 240]
[MAX MP: 100]

Kazuki felt the familiar warmth of stat increases flowing through his body. His muscles felt denser, his reflexes sharper. Level six wasn't much compared to high-rank Hunters, but it was a far cry from the weakling he had been three days ago.

A howl in the distance reminded him that Rika was still fighting the two remaining wolves. Kazuki grabbed the magic stones from the wolves he had killed earlier and sprinted back toward the sound of combat.

He found Rika backed against a large tree, her sword in one hand and her other arm hanging limp at her side. One wolf lay dead at her feet, but the second was circling her, looking for an opening. Blood stained Rika's shoulder, and her breathing was labored.

"Need a hand?" Kazuki called out.

Rika's head snapped toward him, relief flooding her face. "About time! I thought that alpha ate you!"

"I ate it instead," Kazuki said, and he wasn't entirely joking considering he had absorbed its experience.

The remaining wolf turned its attention to the new threat, growling low in its throat. But without its alpha, the creature seemed uncertain. Its pack was dead, its leader defeated. The fight had gone out of it.

[DIRE WOLF - LEVEL 5]
[HP: 97/200]
[STATUS: DEMORALIZED]

Kazuki activated Dash, closing the distance in an instant. His twin daggers flashed, and the demoralized wolf barely put up a fight. In three quick strikes, it was over.

[DIRE WOLF DEFEATED: +30 EXP]
[DUNGEON CLEAR!]
[ALL MONSTERS ELIMINATED]
[EXIT PORTAL OPENING IN 60 SECONDS]

Rika slid down the tree trunk, sitting heavily on the ground. "You killed the alpha? By yourself?"

"It was either that or die trying," Kazuki said, offering her his hand. "You okay?"

"Shoulder's dislocated, but I'll live." She took his hand and let him pull her up. "Damn, Kazuki. When you said you could handle E-rank dungeons, I thought you were exaggerating. But you just solo'd a level nine boss as a level... what are you now?"

"Six," Kazuki said.

"Six? You leveled up twice in one dungeon?" Rika stared at him in disbelief. "That's insane. Most Hunters need dozens of monster kills to level up once."

Kazuki shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Guess I'm a fast learner."

"Fast learner, my ass. You're some kind of prodigy." Rika winced as she tried to move her injured shoulder. "Help me pop this back in before we leave?"

Kazuki helped her relocate her shoulder which involved a lot of swearing from Rika and one sickening pop. By the time they were done, the exit portal had appeared, a swirling vortex of blue light.

"Let's count the loot," Rika said, pulling out the magic stones she had collected. "I got three regular wolf stones from my kills. You got the alpha stone plus... how many?"

"Three regular stones," Kazuki said, laying them out. "And the alpha stone."

Rika's eyes lit up when she saw the red boss stone. "That beauty is worth at least five hundred thousand yen. Maybe more if we find the right buyer. Split fifty-fifty, that's two hundred fifty thousand each, plus another fifty thousand or so from the regular stones."

Three hundred thousand yen. That was more money than Kazuki had made in the last six months combined. He could pay rent, buy decent food, maybe even get some better gear.

"You keep the alpha stone," Kazuki said suddenly.

Rika blinked. "What? No way. We agreed on fifty-fifty."

"You paid for my daggers. Consider it repayment." Kazuki gathered the regular stones. "These are more than enough for me."

"Kazuki, that stone is worth"

"I know what it's worth. Keep it. You earned it by holding off those wolves while I fought the alpha." Kazuki smiled. "Besides, something tells me we'll be doing this again. I'll get my share next time."

Rika studied him for a long moment, then slowly smiled back. "You're either the dumbest or the nicest Hunter I've ever met. Maybe both." She pocketed the alpha stone. "But I'm taking you up on that 'next time.' We make a good team."

"Yeah," Kazuki agreed. "We do."

They stepped through the portal together, emerging back into the Shibuya alley. The afternoon sun was bright after the red gloom of the dungeon, and the sounds of the city traffic, voices, music felt jarringly normal.

The Hunter Association guards checked them out, confirming the dungeon clear. This time, Kazuki had physical proof in the form of magic stones, so there were no questions about verification.

"Not bad for an E-rank and a C-rank," one guard commented. "D-rank dungeons usually need full teams."

"We're just that good," Rika said with a grin.

They exchanged contact information before parting ways. Rika promised to text him about potential dungeon opportunities, and Kazuki promised not to get himself killed before then.

On the train ride home, Kazuki examined his status screen with satisfaction.

[PLAYER: KAZUKI HAYATO]
[LEVEL: 6]
[CLASS: NONE]
[TITLE: ALPHA SLAYER]
[HP: 240/240]
[MP: 100/100]
[EXP: 80/600]

In three days, he had gone from level one to level six. From barely surviving E-rank dungeons to clearing a D-rank with a partner. The progress was incredible.

But it was just the beginning.

[REMINDER: DAILY QUEST COMPLETED TODAY]
[NEW DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT]
[CONTINUE YOUR TRAINING, PLAYER KAZUKI]

[THE PATH TO STRENGTH IS LONG, BUT YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY]

Kazuki smiled and closed the status screen. Tomorrow, he would wake up and do it all again. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, running. Then another dungeon, another fight, another step toward becoming stronger.

[End of Chapter 10]