The next morning arrived with heavy rain. Kazuki stood at his apartment window, watching sheets of water pour down over Tokyo while completing his daily quest exercises. Push-ups in his living room, sit-ups on his makeshift exercise mat, squats while watching the storm. The routine had become second nature now.
[DAILY QUEST PROGRESS: 75% COMPLETE]
[RUNNING: 0/10 KILOMETERS REMAINING]
Running in this weather would be miserable, but the penalty for failing the daily quest was worse. Kazuki grabbed his only rain jacket—a thin, cheap thing that barely kept him dry and headed out into the storm.
The park was deserted, the running path slick with rain and puddles. Water soaked through his shoes within the first kilometer, and his jacket was useless against the wind-driven rain. But Kazuki kept running, his improved stamina and Physical Endurance skill making even this brutal condition manageable.
By the fifth kilometer, he was completely drenched but maintaining a steady pace. His Enhanced Reflexes helped him avoid the worst puddles and keep his balance on slippery pavement. What would have been torture a week ago was now just another challenge to overcome.
[RUNNING: 10/10 KILOMETERS] ✓
[DAILY QUEST COMPLETE!]
[+50 EXP]
[+1 TO ALL STATS]
[BONUS: TRAINING IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS - ADDITIONAL +1 VITALITY]
"Wait, training in bad weather gives extra bonuses?" Kazuki stopped, breathing hard. "System, is that new?"
[NEGATIVE. ADDITIONAL BONUSES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR TRAINING UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS. YOU SIMPLY HAVEN'T ENCOUNTERED THEM BEFORE. TRAINING IN HEAT, COLD, ALTITUDE, OR OTHER ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTS PROVIDES SMALL ADDITIONAL REWARDS.]
"Good to know," Kazuki said, jogging back home. His clothes squelched with every step, but he felt energized. Every challenge overcome made him stronger.
After showering and changing into dry clothes, Kazuki prepared for the dungeon raid. He checked his gear twin daggers sharpened and ready, a few healing potions Rika had insisted he buy, and a new tactical jacket with reinforced padding. Nothing fancy, but functional.
His phone buzzed. A message from Rika: "Meeting at the Gate at 1 PM. Bring your A-game. C-rank is no joke."
Kazuki replied with a thumbs-up emoji and checked his status one more time.
[PLAYER: KAZUKI HAYATO]
[LEVEL: 6]
[CLASS: NONE]
[TITLE: ALPHA SLAYER]
HP: 252/252
MP: 105/105
STRENGTH: 24
AGILITY: 26
VITALITY: 27
INTELLIGENCE: 21
SENSE: 20
[SKILLS: OBSERVE (LV 1), DASH (LV 1), ENHANCED REFLEXES (LV 1), PHYSICAL ENDURANCE (PASSIVE)]
His stats had more than tripled since he first got the System. He was finally starting to look like a real Hunter instead of dead weight. But C-rank dungeons were designed for Hunters between levels ten and fifteen. At level six, he was still significantly under-leveled.
The train ride to Akihabara gave him time to mentally prepare. He reviewed everything he knew about C-rank dungeons from his years of reading Hunter forums and watching dungeon clear videos online. Higher monster density. More aggressive AI. Possible environmental hazards. And bosses that could use complex tactics or magic.
Rika was waiting at the Gate location when Kazuki arrived. The rain had stopped, leaving the streets wet and steaming in the afternoon sun. The Gate pulsed in an alley behind an electronics store, larger and more intense than the D-rank Gate had been. Its purple energy seemed to crackle with barely contained power.
"You're early," Rika said approvingly. She wore new armor lightweight metal plates over flexible padding, a significant upgrade from her previous gear. "Ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kazuki said. "What do we know about this one?"
"Hunter Association classified it as C-rank Undead type based on mana signature analysis. Probably skeletons, zombies, maybe some ghosts. The good news is undead are predictable they're aggressive but not particularly smart. The bad news is they don't feel pain or fear, so they fight until completely destroyed."
"Wonderful," Kazuki muttered.
"The boss is what worries me," Rika continued. "C-rank undead bosses are usually necromancers or death knights. Either one can be nasty. Necromancers summon reinforcements constantly, and death knights hit like freight trains."
[RECOMMENDED STRATEGY: PRIORITIZE AREA CONTROL. UNDEAD SWARM TACTICS ARE DANGEROUS IN ENCLOSED SPACES.]
The System's advice appeared in Kazuki's vision. He had learned to trust its tactical assessments they had saved his life more than once.
Two other Hunters approached the Gate. A massive man wearing heavy plate armor and carrying a tower shield, and a younger woman with a staff that glowed with blue light.
"Rika-san!" the woman called out cheerfully. "Didn't expect to see you here!"
"Himari! And you brought Gorou too?" Rika grinned and turned to Kazuki. "Kazuki, meet Yamamoto Gorou, tank extraordinaire, and Suzuki Himari, our favorite healer. Guys, this is Hayato Kazuki. He's the one who helped me clear that D-rank yesterday."
Gorou looked Kazuki up and down, his expression skeptical. "E-rank, right? You sure about this, Rika? C-rank is a big jump from D."
"He killed a level nine alpha boss solo," Rika said flatly. "He'll be fine."
Himari's eyes widened. "Solo? At level... six?" She had used some kind of assessment skill. "That's impressive! Don't worry, Hayato-san, I'll keep you alive if things get dicey."
[OBSERVE ACTIVATED]
[YAMAMOTO GOROU - LEVEL 11 HUNTER]
[RANK: C]
[CLASS: SHIELD GUARDIAN]
[SUZUKI HIMARI - LEVEL 10 HUNTER]
[RANK: C]
[CLASS: CLERIC]
A four-person team with a proper composition tank, healer, and two DPS. This would be completely different from Kazuki's previous solo and duo experiences.
"Alright, strategy time," Gorou said, his deep voice commanding attention. "I'll take point and draw aggro. Himari stays in the back and keeps everyone topped off. Rika, you're our primary damage dealer. Hayato, you're secondary DPS and you help Rika burst down high-priority targets."
"What about the boss?" Kazuki asked.
"We'll assess when we find it. If it's a necromancer, we rush it before the adds overwhelm us. If it's a death knight, I tank it while you three whittle it down." Gorou hefted his shield. "Everyone good with that?"
They all nodded.
"Then let's do this," Gorou said, stepping toward the Gate.
The transition through the Gate was becoming familiar to Kazuki. The stomach-lurching sensation, the purple light, the moment of disorientation. Then they were inside.
The dungeon was a massive underground cathedral, its vaulted ceiling disappearing into darkness far overhead. Broken pews lined a central aisle leading to a ruined altar. Everywhere, the stone was cracked and covered in moss and decay. The air smelled of rot and old death.
And standing between them and the altar were at least thirty skeletons.
[SKELETON WARRIOR - LEVEL 8]
[HP: 150/150]
[ABILITIES: UNDEAD IMMUNITY (POISON, FEAR), BONE ARMOR]
"Thirty?" Himari squeaked. "The Association said fifteen to twenty!"
"Mana readings aren't always accurate," Gorou said calmly, lowering his shield into position. "Doesn't matter. We've got this. Himari, buff us. Rika, Kazuki, let me draw aggro first. Don't attack until I've got their attention."
Himari raised her staff, and warm golden light washed over the team. Kazuki felt strength flow into his limbs and his senses sharpen.
[BUFF RECEIVED: DIVINE BLESSING]
[+15% TO ALL STATS FOR 10 MINUTES]
Gorou charged forward with a battle cry, his shield glowing with blue energy. He slammed it into the ground, and a shockwave rippled outward. Every skeleton in range turned toward him, their empty eye sockets glowing with malevolent red light.
"Now!" Gorou shouted.
Rika and Kazuki moved as one. Rika went left, her sword flashing in graceful arcs that shattered bone and scattered skulls. Kazuki went right, his twin daggers finding the weak points in the skeletons' bone armor joints, spines, skulls.
[SKELETON WARRIOR DEFEATED: +15 EXP]
[SKELETON WARRIOR DEFEATED: +15 EXP]
The team worked with practiced efficiency. Gorou held the front line, his shield absorbing blows that would have killed a normal person. Himari's healing light kept his HP topped off while also providing occasional damage bursts that disintegrated entire skeletons. Rika danced through the combat like a whirlwind, her every strike precise and lethal.
And Kazuki found himself keeping pace. His Enhanced Reflexes let him dodge attacks he wouldn't have seen coming before. His increased stats made each strike powerful enough to crack bone and shatter skulls. Within five minutes, twenty skeletons had fallen.
"Good work!" Gorou called out. "Kazuki, you're doing great for a look out!"
Kazuki spun, his reflexes screaming danger. A massive skeletal hand erupted from the stone floor beneath him, fingers reaching for his ankle. He activated Dash, launching himself backward just as the hand closed on empty air.
More hands burst from the floor around them dozens of them, all grasping and clawing.
"Trap!" Rika shouted. "It's a summon trap!"
From beneath the cathedral floor, more skeletons emerged. Not the basic warriors they had been fighting, but larger, more heavily armored variants carrying massive weapons.
[SKELETON KNIGHT - LEVEL 10]
[HP: 300/300]
[ABILITIES: UNDEAD IMMUNITY, HEAVY ARMOR, POWER STRIKE]
Eight skeleton knights rose from the ground, forming a circle around the team. The remaining skeleton warriors backed off, creating a deadly arena.
"Himari, barrier!" Gorou commanded.
The healer thrust her staff into the ground, and a dome of golden light surrounded the team, keeping the skeleton warriors from interfering. But the eight knights were inside the barrier with them.
"This just became a lot more complicated," Rika said, her sword at the ready.
One of the knights raised its massive greatsword and charged at Gorou. The tank braced himself, shield glowing brighter. The impact sent shockwaves through the stone floor, cracks spreading from where they collided.
The other seven knights attacked simultaneously.
"Split them up!" Kazuki shouted, his tactical instincts taking over. "Gorou takes three, Rika takes three, I'll handle two!"
"You'll handle two level ten elites alone?" Gorou grunted, blocking another massive strike. "Kid, that's..."
"Trust him!" Rika interrupted, already engaging her three targets.
Kazuki didn't wait for permission. He activated Dash, closing the distance to his two assigned knights. They swung their weapons in synchronized attacks, their movements mechanical but efficient.
Kazuki slid between them, his daggers targeting the joints of their armor. Bone and metal sparked as his blades found gaps in their protection. Neither knight had the intelligence to adapt they were programmed for straightforward combat, not agile opponents.
[SKELETON KNIGHT HP: 300 → 267]
[SKELETON KNIGHT HP: 300 → 273]
But they were tough. Much tougher than the skeleton warriors. And there were two of them.
One knight's greatsword came down in a vertical slash that would have split Kazuki in half. He dodged right, and the blade struck stone, embedding itself. While the knight struggled to free its weapon, Kazuki attacked the other one, his daggers finding the spine and severing it.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[SKELETON KNIGHT HP: 273 → 189]
The damaged knight stumbled but didn't fall. Undead didn't need functioning spines to fight they were animated by magic, not biology. But the damage had weakened its movements.
Behind him, Kazuki heard Rika's battle cry and the clang of Gorou's shield. The team was holding, but barely. This fight was going to be close. Somewhere deeper in the cathedral, Kazuki could feel something watching them. Something powerful and malevolent.
The boss hadn't shown itself yet.
[End of Chapter 12]
Please sign in to leave a comment.