Rising of the Betrayed Weakest Player
Chapter 28: The Price of Betrayal
(Sam's Former Family House)
(The Day Sam's Power Shook the World)
Sam's former father let out a long, relieved sigh. "Sigh!!! Finally, we're free from that freeloader." His wife nodded in agreement. Their daughter, Lily, Sam's former sister, allowed a hidden, evil grin to twist her lips.
"Yeah, that idiot didn't even deserve to live here," she sneered. "Inside a dungeon, he couldn't even kill a monster. He'd hide behind me and then claim he did all the work! He was a total piece of scum."
Her parents moved to hug her. "Yes, our little angel is far better than that piece of trash. After all, you're a C-rank adventurer, unlike that G-rank failure."
Lily offered a bitter smile, agreeing outwardly while her mind churned with the truth. She was a bogus genius. For five years, Sam had hunted tirelessly—in field-type dungeons with parties, in E-rank dungeons alone. Every time he was on the verge of an achievement, she had secretly stolen the credit for herself. Her C-rank was a lie; her true level was a pathetic 5. In her entire life, she had only killed six monsters. No one knew what she had done to Sam except herself.
"Come on, Lily, sweetheart," her mother said, breaking her thoughts. "Let's go eat something good."
Lily agreed, forcing a smile.
But at that exact moment, deep within a forgotten dungeon, Sam laughed—a sound of madness and power—and his aura erupted, shaking the very foundations of the world.
In their comfortable home, Lily and her parents were suddenly driven to their knees. They didn't understand why, but a profound, crushing hopelessness fell upon them, as if an invisible force was grinding them into the dust. Fear, raw and paralyzing, left them confused and helpless.
Across the world, dungeons trembled. Weaker C and D-rank dungeons fractured, unleashing stampedes of monsters.
Sam's former family was wealthy, living in a spacious, multi-room house where some chambers went unused for months. Unbeknownst to them, a dungeon gate had formed in one of those unused rooms over two weeks prior. As Sam's sinister crimson aura washed over the world, it touched that dormant gate.
The dungeon shattered.
A stampede erupted inside their home.
Monsters poured forth, destroying furniture, slaughtering servants, and setting the house ablaze. Lily and her parents were in utter disbelief, scrambling to hide as creatures swarmed around them.
In a panic, her parents turned to her, their faces twisted with frantic fear. "Lily, you're a C-rank player, right? T-These monsters are nothing for you! You're our daughter! We took care of you all these years! So protect us! Go!!!"
With those desperate words, they shoved her directly into the path of the approaching horde.
Lily stood frozen, empty-handed, as the monsters fixed their intimidating gazes upon her. She began to cry, soiling herself in terror, her face a mess of tears and fear. The house collapsed around them, flames licking the ruins.
Seeing their chance, her parents made a crazed dash for the exit, their faces lit with a desperate smile. That smile morphed into pure terror as they saw a giant Ogre blocking their escape. They scrambled back inside, only to find a pack of Goblins waiting, swords and knives in hand, mocking them with guttural laughs.
Totally unhinged, the father made a reckless charge at the Goblins, believing he could fight his way through. They swarmed him instantly, cutting him down, ripping out his eyes, and tearing out his organs as he screamed in agony.
The mother watched, paralyzed, before her instincts took over and she ran blindly outside. The Ogre's gaze locked onto her. She looked back; the Goblins were advancing. Her face was a distorted mask of tears and horror.
Trapped between the Ogre and the Goblins, a single, piercing scream tore from her throat—a final, futile sound swallowed by the chaos.
.....