Rain drummed against Si-Woo's threadbare maintenance jacket, the water seeping through worn seams. The Portal's ethereal glow cast sickly shadows across the cracked concrete walls of the industrial complex. Rust-eaten pipes snaked overhead, dripping brown water into puddles at his feet.
"Look what crawled out of the sewers." A pair of B-Rank Hunters strutted past, their pristine gear gleaming under the Portal's light. "Hey maintenance crew, try not to die in there. Paperwork's a pain."
Ji-Hun, their team's only actual Hunter, gripped his sword hilt. "Keep walking."
"Easy," Si-Woo placed a hand on Ji-Hun's shoulder. The last thing they needed was trouble. Their equipment was already falling apart – Min-Ji's protective vest held together with duct tape, Ji-Hun's sword showing hairline cracks.
Min-Ji checked her tablet. "Portal's stable. Minimal monster activity detected. Should be a quick sweep."
"Quick means cheaper medicine this month." Si-Woo pulled out his maintenance kit. The tools inside rattled – each one purchased second-hand, just like everything else in his life. So-Hee needed the good stuff, the real equipment. The treatments.
"Your sister doing any better?" Min-Ji's voice was soft, careful.
Si-Woo's jaw clenched. The image of So-Hee's morning seizure flashed through his mind – her small frame shaking, eyes rolled back. The new experimental treatment cost triple what he made in a month. "She's fighting."
"We all are." Ji-Hun checked his blade one last time. "Ready?"
Si-Woo nodded, pushing down the familiar burn of shame. Three years ago, he'd stood before the Resonance crystal, praying for awakening. For power. For a chance to be more than this – more than a glorified janitor scraping by on dungeon maintenance runs.
The Portal hummed, its surface rippling like disturbed water. A group of A-Rank Hunters breezed past them, their gear worth more than Si-Woo would see in a lifetime.
"Maintenance crew, clear the way." They didn't even look at him.
Si-Woo stepped aside, his fists clenched. One day. One day he'd find a way to save So-Hee without having to bow his head to every Hunter who looked down on him.
"Portal's ready." Min-Ji's tablet beeped. "Let's get this done."
The Portal's membrane parted like silk, enveloping Si-Woo in its familiar cold embrace. His boots crunched against loose gravel as the team emerged into the dungeon's main chamber. Shadows danced across limestone walls, cast by the dim crystals dotting the ceiling.
Their footsteps echoed too loud in the silence. No skittering of dungeon rats. No distant howls of lesser beasts. Wrong. All wrong.
"Clear so far." Ji-Hun's whisper carried through the cavern. "Min-Ji?"
Min-Ji tapped her tablet. "Getting weird readings. Signal's scattered."
Si-Woo ran his hand along the wall, feeling the rough texture beneath his fingers. His palm brushed something different – grooves in the stone. He raised his flashlight.
Deep gashes carved into the rock face. Three parallel lines, each as wide as his forearm. They stretched up, up, disappearing into the darkness above. His throat went dry. "Ji-Hun."
The Hunter approached, sword drawn. "Those aren't from any C-Rank monster I know."
"Look." Min-Ji pointed her light further down the passage. More claw marks scored the walls, some crossing over others in violent patterns. Fresh marks, the exposed stone still pale and unmarred by dust.
Si-Woo's maintenance scanner beeped – a routine check for structural damage. But the readout made his blood run cold. The marks went deep, penetrating nearly two feet into solid rock. The force required to do that...
A pebble clattered somewhere in the darkness ahead. The team froze.
"Protocol says we pull out if we spot anything above rank." Min-Ji's voice shook. "We're not equipped for-"
"Shh." Si-Woo raised his hand. The silence pressed in again, heavy and thick. But underneath it, barely audible – a wet, sliding sound. Like something massive dragging itself across stone.
The maintenance scanner trembled in his grip. Three years of dungeon work had taught him to trust his instincts. Every fiber of his being screamed to run.
But they needed this job. So-Hee needed her medicine. The thought of her face steadied his nerves, even as that horrible scraping sound grew closer.
The shadows erupted. Three massive shapes burst from the darkness, all gleaming claws and rippling muscle. Razorclaws. Si-Woo's heart stopped. These weren't the C-rank monsters they were cleared to handle – these were apex predators.
"Run!" Ji-Hun's sword flashed, catching the first beast across its armored hide. The blade sparked and skittered off, barely leaving a scratch.
Si-Woo's body felt like lead. Without Resonance enhancement, his movements were pathetically human. He fumbled with his maintenance kit, searching for anything useful. The nearest Razorclaw's tail whipped past his head, taking chunks of stone with it.
Min-Ji fired her stun baton. Lightning arced between the prongs, striking the creature's flank. It didn't even flinch.
"They're too strong!" Si-Woo's voice cracked. His maintenance scanner showed impossible readings – power levels far beyond anything they'd encountered.
A Razorclaw lunged at Ji-Hun. The Hunter parried, but the force sent him stumbling. Another beast circled behind, positioning for a killing blow.
"Watch out!" Si-Woo hurled his heavy toolkit. It struck the creature's eye, drawing its attention. Those seconds cost him.
The third Razorclaw's claws raked across Min-Ji's back. Her protective vest shredded like paper. Blood sprayed across the cavern wall. Her scream echoed through the chamber as she collapsed.
"Min-Ji!" Si-Woo's legs carried him forward before his brain could process the danger. He grabbed her arm, dragging her away from the monster's next swipe. Her blood soaked through his sleeve, hot and sticky.
"Portal... get to the portal..." Min-Ji's voice was weak, her face ghost-white.
Ji-Hun appeared beside them, his sword arm trembling. "Cover the retreat. I'll hold them-"
A Razorclaw's tail caught him in the chest, sending him flying. He slammed into the wall with a sickening crack.
Si-Woo hoisted Min-Ji onto his shoulder, his muscles screaming in protest. Without Resonance, her weight nearly crushed him. "Ji-Hun, move!"
The Razorclaws advanced, their claws scraping stone, their eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence. They weren't just hunting – they were herding their prey.
Si-Woo's mind raced as he half-carried, half-dragged Min-Ji through the twisting passages. The Razorclaws' claws scraped against stone behind them, getting closer. A maintenance tunnel branched off to the left – narrow, with support beams every few feet.
The beasts were too big to follow. It was their only chance.
"Ji-Hun!" Si-Woo jerked his head toward the tunnel. "This way!"
Ji-Hun limped after them, one arm pressed against his ribs. Blood trickled from his hairline. The maintenance passage felt like a vice, pressing in from all sides. Min-Ji's breathing grew shallow, her blood leaving a trail on the ground.
The scraping stopped. Si-Woo's heart pounded against his ribs. Three years of maintenance work taught him one thing – predators didn't give up that easily.
A crash echoed through the tunnel. The support beam ahead splintered as massive claws punched through the ceiling. Stone and debris rained down. They were breaking through from above.
Si-Woo spotted the junction box on the wall – old wiring for the dungeon's monitoring systems. The cables still carried current. His maintenance scanner confirmed it.
"When I say run..." Si-Woo set Min-Ji down, yanking open the junction box. The wires sparked in his hands.
Another crash. A Razorclaw's head pushed through the ceiling, jaws snapping.
Si-Woo ripped out the cables. Electricity arced between his fingers. The beast lunged.
"Now!"
He threw the live wires. They wrapped around the creature's neck, sending voltage coursing through its metallic scales. The Razorclaw's shriek shook the tunnel. Its thrashing brought down more of the ceiling, creating a barrier between them and the other monsters.
They stumbled through the Portal's membrane, crashing onto wet concrete. Emergency sirens wailed. Medical teams swarmed around them.
Si-Woo's hands shook as he watched them load Min-Ji onto a stretcher. Her vest was in tatters, deep gashes carved across her back. Ji-Hun sat slumped against a wall, medics checking his ribs.
The rain washed Min-Ji's blood from Si-Woo's hands, but he could still feel it. Still see those claws tearing through her like she was nothing. All for a maintenance run. All for a paycheck that wouldn't even cover half of So-Hee's treatment.