Dale woke up to a ceiling he didn't recognize—bright white and decorated with elegant silver patterns. He was lying on a soft bed that felt strange compared to the hard, cold ground he was used to. At first, his vision was blurry, as if he were looking through a thick fog, but soon the colors sharpened, and he was hit with the first annoying reality of his day: George's goofy, smiling face.
"Good morning, little brat!" George said cheerfully.
Dale stared at him for a few seconds, his expression slowly shifting into one of pure disgust. "I was doing perfectly fine... until I saw your face," he snapped, his voice as sharp as a blade. "Get away from me!"
Dale placed his palm directly against George's face and shoved him back with all his might. George burst into laughter, pretending to be hurt. "Is that any way to treat me? I missed you! Come here, give me a brotherly hug!"
Dale struggled to pull away, shouting, "Get off me, you parasitic flea!"
The chaos was interrupted by quiet laughter that made the speaker's shoulders shake. They both turned to see Ryan sitting in the corner of the room, a permanent smile on his face. Dale looked at him with resentment. "Are you laughing too? Damn it!"
A brief silence followed. Dale replayed the memories of his last conversation with his former family—the toxic words they had exchanged. He whispered to himself with bitterness, "I truly regret ever considering them family. I will curse those days for as long as I live."
Ryan broke his train of thought. "Do you remember my last request? I want you to join the Axe Guild. I already told that 'idiot' guild master upstairs that you'd be part of our team. What do you think?"
Dale replied with pride, "Who told you I wanted to join anyone? I don't want a team that gives me orders."
George let out a mocking whistle. "Woooo! Looks like we have a lone wolf here!"
Ryan cut through their bickering with sudden seriousness. "Listen to me. You can join us as an 'unofficial' member. We will give you cards to enter high-rank dungeons and provide you with legendary weapons. What do you say?"
Dale paused to think. He desperately needed high-level dungeons to increase his strength, as that "damned" System usually gave him nothing but junk.
Finally, he answered, "Fine. But on one condition: no orders. At all."
Ryan smiled with relief. "Don't worry. I also hate giving orders. It's too much trouble."
Dale stood up to leave, but George suddenly grabbed him by the waist. "You're not going anywhere! We're going to show you the Guild first, then we're taking you on a trip to one of the major dungeons."
"I get it! But why are you holding me like this? Let go!" Dale yelled, trying to break free. He threw a quick punch at George's face, but George activated his "Push Wall" skill in a split second and stuck his tongue out childishly. "You can't touch me!"
Ryan sighed, feeling helpless. "Stop causing trouble, George. You're not a child."
Four hours later, after wandering through the massive halls of the Guild, the group of five (Ryan, George, Dale, and two other healers) reached the gate of an S-Rank Dungeon.
As soon as they crossed the portal, the world changed. They found themselves in the middle of a dense forest under a pitch-black sky. A glowing red moon hung above them, bathing the area in a bloody light.
A terrifying howl began to echo through the trees... "GHAHHHHHH!"
The shadows split open to reveal massive black wolves the size of cars, their eyes gleaming with the intent to kill. Everyone drew their swords cautiously—except for Dale. A mad grin slowly spread across his face. His eyes shined under the red moonlight as he whispered in a sharp voice:
"Finally... something worth killing."
Before Ryan or George could even react, Dale launched himself like an arrow toward the neck of the largest wolf. He leaped onto it, gripped its throat with expert skill, and shoved his entire hand into the beast's flesh.
"Show me your strength!" he screamed. "Make me feel the pleasure!"
With a brutal movement, he twisted his hand inside the wolf's neck. Using his raw power, he ripped the head clean off the body with his bare hands! The wolf's head flew into the air as blood sprayed like rain. Dale's insane laughter echoed through the black forest as he shouted in ecstasy:
"Make meeeee feel the rush! More pleasure!"