The dungeon finally went still.
Not quiet—still.
Like something had been moving… and had suddenly decided to stop.
The faint green glow of the runes dimmed slightly along the walls, their earlier erratic flickering settling into a slow, steady pulse. Dust drifted lazily in the air, illuminated by thin shafts of light slipping through cracks in the ceiling.
Rio raised her hand.
"Stop."
Ryota froze mid-step.
"We take a break here," she said.
"…Got it."
He carefully backed up half a step, placing his foot exactly where he had stepped before—making absolutely sure he didn't kick another loose stone.
Rio noticed.
She didn't say anything.
That alone said enough.
She moved to the side of the corridor where the wall looked stable—no glowing inscriptions, no cracks, no suspicious carvings—and sat down. Her flintlock musket was gently leaned against the wall within arm's reach, while her one-handed curved saber rested across her lap.
Even resting, she was ready.
Always ready.
Ryota sat a short distance away, lowering himself cautiously like the ground might betray him at any second. His dull blade rested across his knees. The edge was chipped, worn down—barely more than a starter weapon.
Compared to Rio's gear…
It looked like a joke.
And yet—
Rio knew better.
She exhaled slowly and opened her interface.
A translucent blue screen flickered to life in front of her eyes.
Player: Rio
Level: 2 (EXP: 92%)
Class: Swordsman
Stats:
Strength: 7
Defense: 5
Speed: 6
Dexterity: 5
Unassigned Stat Points: 2
Skills:
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.2
Combat Instinct (Passive)
Enhanced Reaction
Chronos Eye (Unique)
"…Ninety-two percent," Rio murmured.
Ryota leaned slightly, careful not to shift too much. "That means… almost level 3?"
"Yeah," she replied. "One more proper fight and I'll hit it."
She closed the interface with a flick of her fingers, her gaze lifting slowly toward the darkness ahead.
Something about this place…
It lingered in her memory.
Then it clicked.
"…I remember this dungeon."
Ryota blinked. "You do?"
Rio nodded slowly.
"We're in the Silver Wolf Dungeon."
As if on cue—
A distant howl echoed through the corridor.
Low.
Lingering.
Unnatural.
Ryota stiffened slightly. "…Yeah, okay. That name fits."
Rio didn't react to the sound. Instead, her eyes sharpened with focus.
"There's a rare drop here."
Ryota tilted his head. "Something good?"
Rio leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on her knees.
"A dagger. Fenrir's Fang."
Ryota blinked.
"…A dagger?"
His eyes instinctively flicked to her saber… then to her musket.
"…Isn't that kinda useless for you?"
"It gives +1 attack and +0.2 attack speed," Rio said.
Ryota frowned.
"That's… not great."
Rio shook her head once.
"That's not why it matters."
Her voice dropped.
"It has a special effect."
Ryota leaned in a little. "What kind?"
Rio's eyes darkened.
"It allows the user to summon two demon wolves."
A pause.
"Skoll… and Hati."
Silence filled the corridor.
Ryota slowly leaned back.
"…Okay, yeah. That's not weak."
Rio didn't smile.
"It's a scaling item," she said. "The wolves grow stronger depending on how well the user controls them."
Her fingers tightened slightly over the hilt of her saber.
"In my previous life… someone got it."
Ryota noticed the shift immediately.
"…You know him, don't you?"
A small pause.
Rio didn't look at him.
"…Yeah. His name was Tamer"
Her voice was quieter now.
"Because I've fought him."
Ryota straightened, the tension in his posture sharpening.
"…What was he like?"
Rio's gaze stayed forward, but her eyes weren't on the dungeon anymore.
"He wasn't strong," she said.
A faint memory flickered.
"Not compared to top players."
Her grip tightened.
"But with those wolves…"
She exhaled slowly.
"He didn't need to be."
Ryota didn't interrupt.
Didn't joke.
Didn't smile.
He just listened.
Rio continued.
"He used them to control fights. One wolf pressured from the front. The other circled behind."
Her voice hardened.
"And he didn't target strong players."
Ryota's hand tightened around his dull blade.
"…He went after weaker ones."
Rio nodded.
"New players. Solo grinders. Anyone who couldn't fight back."
Silence.
"I tracked him down," Rio said. "Because people started disappearing from early zones."
Her jaw tightened slightly.
"I beat him."
Ryota let out a small breath.
"…Of course you did."
Rio didn't respond.
Instead—
"I didn't stop what he started," she said quietly.
That made Ryota pause.
Rio's eyes lowered slightly.
"By the time I got to him… the damage was already done."
Silence settled between them.
Then—
Rio looked up again.
Her expression steady.
Resolved.
"That's why I'm getting the dagger this time."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Ryota nodded firmly.
"Then we'll get it."
Rio glanced at him.
Just briefly.
"…Yeah."
A quiet understanding passed.
Then—
Ryota opened his interface.
"…I should probably check mine too."
He adjusted his screen, slightly turning it toward himself.
Rio, still seated beside him, glanced over—
—and froze.
"…Ryota."
"Yeah?"
"…Why haven't you touch your stat points?"
Player: Ryota
Level: 2 (EXP: 14%)
Class: Swordsman
Stats:
Strength: 3
Defense: 3
Speed: 3
Dexterity: 3
Unassigned Stat Points: 13
Skills:
Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1
Combat Instinct (Passive)
Enhanced Reaction
Scalular Impact (Unique)
Rio slowly stood up.
"…You're underpowered."
Ryota scratched his cheek. "You're the main damage…"
"That's not the issue," Rio said sharply.
She pointed at the screen.
"Why do you have thirteen unassigned stat points?"
"Oh," Ryota said. "I was saving them."
Rio's eye twitched.
"Saving them?!"
Ryota flinched.
"I was thinking about it carefully!"
Rio crossed her arms.
"Then explain."
Ryota straightened, gripping his dull blade tighter.
"…I'm putting everything into speed."
Rio blinked.
"…All of it?"
"All of it."
"…Why?"
Ryota hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"Well… Scalular Impact lets me reduce force, right?"
Rio nodded slowly. "Yes…"
"With that ability in mind, no matter how much I get attacked," he continued. "If I can control force like that… I don't really need defense if I reduce the force to nothing."
Rio didn't interrupt.
She was listening.
"And if I'm fast enough… I won't get hit in the first place."
"…And for attacking?" Rio asked. "you don't expect me to be the only one doing damage"
Ryota shrugged slightly.
"If I can control force… I can just apply more force when I hit something." "You see what I did to that boulder"
Silence.
Rio stared at him.
Then—
her eyes glowed faintly.
Chronos Eye activated.
The world slowed.
Shifted.
For a brief moment—
she saw it.
The idea of Ryota moving.
Faster than the system intended.
His body slipping past attacks before they landed. His positioning changing in impossible ways. Every movement efficient, unpredictable—
untouchable.
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"…If this works," she said quietly, "you won't just be fast."
Ryota blinked. "Huh?"
She looked straight at him.
"You'll be untouchable."
Ryota smiled slightly.
"That's the idea."
Rio covered her face with one hand.
"…This is insane."
"Is it bad?"
"…No," she admitted.
"That's the problem."
She lowered her hand.
"It's absurd. You know this idea is crazy right?"
Ryota nodded without hesitation.
"Then I won't mess it up."
Rio studied him.
Long.
Carefully.
Then—
she sighed.
"…Fine."
Ryota blinked. "Really?"
"Yes," she said. "Do it."
A small pause.
"But from now on… you tell me before you make decisions like that."
Ryota nodded. "Got it."
He opened his stat screen—
and assigned everything.
All into speed.
A faint pulse of light ran through his body.
Ryota blinked.
Then flexed his fingers.
"…I feel lighter."
He shifted his footing slightly—
too quickly.
A small pebble near his foot slid forward.
Both of them froze.
The pebble rolled.
Tapped a stone.
The stone clicked.
A distant mechanism shifted somewhere deep in the dungeon.
Rio slowly turned her head toward him.
"…Ryota."
"I didn't do anything," he said immediately.
"…You moved."
"…I moved carefully."
Rio stared at him.
Then sighed.
"…We're moving."
She picked up her flintlock musket, securing it behind her, and gripped her curved saber tightly.
Her eyes locked forward.
A low howl echoed again.
Closer.
Hungrier.
"Fenrir's Fang is nearby," she said.
Ryota stepped beside her, gripping his dull blade.
"…I'll follow your lead."
Rio smirked faintly.
"Try not to trigger the boss early."
Ryota hesitated.
"…I'll try."
And together—
they stepped deeper into the dungeon.
Behind them—
a rune flickered.
Ahead of them—
something moved.
And somewhere in the dark—
two glowing eyes opened.