The light faded—
And the forest returned.
The same damp air clung to their skin, carrying the faint scent of rot and wet soil. Tall trees stretched in every direction, their branches weaving together to block most of the light above. It felt familiar since they were here just yesterday.
When they reached the dungeon gate, the guards stationed there spoke first.
"A group of hunters went in after you yesterday," one of them said. "They haven't come out."
That alone was enough to put everyone on edge.
A Rank F dungeon wasn't supposed to hold people for that long. At most, either a large group would clear it in a few hours, or smaller ones would hunt for some time before exiting. It wasn't something worth staying the night for.
"How many?" Shadow asked.
"Seven hunters," the guard replied.
Mike nodded, his expression tightening slightly. "We'll keep an eye out."
They entered the gate.
Now, standing inside again—
That warning lingered.
They moved deeper into the forest.
No one rushed.
Even their footsteps felt quieter than before.
Lara walked a little closer to Shadow than usual. Not enough to draw attention, but enough that he noticed.
She was lost in her own thoughts.
After we clear this dungeon, should I ask him out? Will I look weird… or… maybe he will accept…?
She couldn't help being drawn to him. She didn't want to embarrass herself, but she also knew she'd miss every chance she didn't take. Maybe… just maybe… there was a small chance.
After a while, Lara spoke.
"…It feels different today."
Shadow glanced around, his eyes scanning the trees, the ground, the spaces between shadows.
"…Too quiet."
Leon joined them, frowning. "Yeah. Yesterday at least we had movement. Now it's like everything just… disappeared."
That was exactly it.
No goblins.
No sounds.
No presence.
Just emptiness.
Mike nodded from ahead. "Stay sharp. If we're nearing the end, everything left in this dungeon won't be spread out anymore. But it should still be manageable."
"Meaning they'll be gathered," the assassin added calmly.
That didn't make anyone feel better.
The scout had already moved ahead, disappearing between the trees as he always did.
His voice came back occasionally.
"Tracks."
"Multiple."
Leon's expression sharpened. "The missing group?"
"Looks like it," the scout replied.
A few minutes later—
They found blood.
Not a little.
A lot.
Dark stains soaked into the ground, smeared across tree roots and broken branches. The earth itself looked torn, as if something violent had taken place.
Lara's face paled slightly. "…There's too much."
Mike crouched, inspecting the ground. "No bodies."
"That's worse," Leon said quietly.
Shadow didn't speak.
But his gaze lingered on the marks.
"It seems they were dragged… alive," he added.
Everyone stiffened.
They kept moving.
Slower now.
More careful.
More tense.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Still—
Nothing.
No goblins.
No sounds.
No scout.
Shadow stopped walking.
Then he spoke.
"…Something's wrong."
The words hung in the air.
"The scout should've reported by now."
Every head turned toward him.
Leon's jaw tightened. "…Yeah."
Lara swallowed. "You think he—"
A scream cut through the forest.
Raw.
Desperate.
Not human anymore.
"—AAAAAAAHHH—!"
"That's him!" Leon shouted.
"Move!" Mike ordered.
They ran.
Branches snapped underfoot as they pushed forward, the scream growing louder with every step.
And then—
They broke through the trees.
And saw everything.
A village.
Crude wooden huts. Bones scattered across the ground. Pieces of armor and torn fabric hanging from poles like trophies.
And goblins.
Dozens of them.
At least sixty.
All gathered in one place.
Watching.
Waiting.
As if they had been expecting something.
Or someone.
"…Should that number of goblins gathered in one place be normal for a Rank F dungeon?" Leon questioned.
Mike's expression darkened. "…They don't gather like this."
Shadow's eyes moved past them.
Toward the center.
And stopped.
The boss stood there.
Two meters tall.
Massive.
Its body thick with muscle, veins bulging beneath green skin, its presence alone enough to make the air feel heavier.
It wasn't just a goblin.
"…That's an orc…" Leon whispered.
"Still Rank F," Mike said, his voice tight, "but barely."
Shadow could feel it.
That pressure.
That thing was at the very edge.
One step away from something worse.
Then—
A scream.
A familiar voice.
Closer.
They turned.
And froze.
The scout was still alive.
If it could be called that.
His body was broken beyond recognition.
One arm missing.
One leg torn off.
Blood soaked the ground beneath him as goblins crowded around, tearing pieces from him while he was still breathing.
Still screaming.
Still conscious.
"…No…" Lara whispered, her voice shaking.
Leon clenched his fists, his breathing uneven.
Shadow didn't look away.
He forced himself to watch.
Because this—
This was reality.
Then his gaze shifted.
And it got worse.
Bodies.
Scattered across the ground.
Hunters.
The missing group.
Or what was left of them.
Some were half-eaten.
Others torn apart completely.
Bones cracked open.
Organs dragged across the dirt.
The smell—
Rot.
Blood.
Death.
It filled the air so thick it felt suffocating.
"…There…" Lara said weakly.
A cage.
Four women inside.
Alive.
Barely.
Their clothes torn, their bodies bruised, their eyes empty… like something inside them had already broken.
And in front of them—
The boss.
It dragged one of them forward.
She struggled weakly.
Cried.
Begged.
It didn't matter.
The intent was clear enough without needing to see more.
The goblin moved violently, cruelly, ignoring her screams as if they meant nothing. He started thrusting his humongous shaft inside of her as if trying to impregnate a giant orc inside of her.
The woman hunter moaned her lungs out, not in pleasure, but in utter pain.
Lara turned her head away, gripping her arm tightly.
"…We're too late…"
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Because now—
They understood.
"We can't fight that," Leon said quietly.
He wasn't being a coward.
He was being realistic.
"We can't use the teleportation device when we're near demonic monsters. It doesn't matter if we run or hide—once we've encountered them, the dungeon prevents us from leaving unless we kill them… or they kill us," Mike said.
"And you just remembered to mention that now?" Shadow said with a wry smile. "Knowing my luck, I should've expected this."
Mike didn't answer.
But his silence said enough.
Shadow, despite the horror in front of him, felt his mind settle.
Not calm.
Not fearless.
But clear.
Panic never saved anyone.
Thinking might.
His gaze moved again.
Counting.
Sixty goblins.
The boss at the peak of Rank F.
Injured survivors.
No terrain advantage.
No escape.
…
Their chances of winning—
Almost none.
Their chances of escaping—
Not much better.
Lara glanced at Shadow for a brief moment.
Then quickly looked away, tightening her grip on her staff.
This wasn't the time.
A low growl echoed from the center.
The boss had noticed them.
The goblins shifted.
Dozens of eyes locking onto the group at once.
Hungry.
Excited.
Waiting.
Shadow exhaled slowly.
This wasn't a hunt.
This wasn't even a fight.
This was a massacre waiting to happen.
And they had just stepped into it.