Chapter 20: The Darkness in the Deep
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The Slum Ring was gray before dawn.
Ren woke to the sound of rain—not the soft drizzle that leaked through his roof, but a steady downpour that turned the mud paths into rivers. Water dripped onto his forehead in a cold rhythm.
He sat up. Opened his system screen.
Level: 32. XP: 95/620. JC: 26,606. Lifespan remaining: 159 years.
Inventory: Poisonthorn arrows (2 — replenished), healing potions (3), Heartleaf bandages (4).
Next target: Bloom Mother (Flower Graves layer).
He closed the screen. He wasn't hunting the Bloom Mother today. He was scouting—exploring the deeper parts of the Root Ruins, looking for the path to the Flower Graves layer.
I need to know the way before I fight.
He stood up. Walked to the door.
The rain was heavy. He pulled his hood up and stepped into the storm.
---
The Root Ruins gate was empty.
The guards were huddled in their post, trying to stay dry. Ren passed through without a sound. The rain masked his footsteps, but he moved carefully anyway—old habits.
The ruins were darker than usual. The rain had turned the ground to mud, and the pillars seemed to lean closer together, as if trying to hide from the storm.
Ren moved deeper.
He passed the Vine King's hollow. The corpse was gone—scavengers had taken it. Only the cracked heart-wood remained, dark and dead.
One Crown Beast down. Six to go.
He continued east, toward the Flower Graves.
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The jungle changed as he walked.
The trees grew thicker. The vines grew darker. The air grew colder—not cold like the Canopy, but cold like a grave. The mist was thick here, green-tinged, heavy with spores.
This is the edge of the Flower Graves. Poisonous air. Deadly plants.
He stopped at the boundary. He wasn't ready to enter. He needed a mask. Or an antidote.
He turned back.
---
The rain stopped as he retraced his steps.
The mist thinned. The air warmed. The ruins returned to their familiar gray.
Ren was halfway back to the gate when he heard it.
A scream.
Not a monster's scream—a human scream. Young. Female. Terrified.
Ren froze.
Unseen Presence: Active.
His heartbeat slowed. His breath quieted. He moved toward the sound.
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The screams came from a small clearing between two fallen pillars.
Ren approached from the shadows. His eyes adjusted to the dim light.
There were five men.
Adventurers—by their gear, their weapons, their confident postures. Their guild tags hung from their belts: a mix of C-rank and B-rank. Swords. Axes. One archer.
And a girl.
She was young—fifteen, maybe sixteen. Her clothes were torn. Her face was bruised. Her wrists were bound with rope. She was crying, begging, trying to crawl away.
One of the men laughed. "Stop struggling. It'll be easier."
Ren's blood turned cold.
Unseen Presence: Active. Temperature: Dropping.
He notched an arrow.
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The first man had his back to Ren.
He was large—a Guardian, by his shield and heavy armor. He was unbuckling his belt, laughing at something the archer had said.
Ren aimed for the neck. The armor didn't cover the neck.
He fired.
The arrow struck the man's throat. He gurgled, clutched at the shaft, and collapsed.
System notification.
Adventurer slain. Level: 45. Class: Guardian.
XP gained: 0 (no XP for killing humans).
Warning: Killing adventurers reduces guild standing.
Ren didn't care.
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The other four men turned.
"What the—"
"Who's there?!"
The archer notched an arrow. The swordsmen drew their blades.
Ren was already moving. He circled left, staying in the shadows, his footsteps silent on the wet ground.
Unseen Presence: Holding.
The archer fired at a shadow. Missed.
Ren fired back. His arrow struck the archer's chest—right through the leather armor. The man fell.
Adventurer slain. Level: 38. Class: Archer.
"Show yourself!" the swordsman shouted.
Ren didn't answer. He notched another arrow.
---
The three remaining men stood back to back, scanning the trees.
"It's one person," one of them said. "Can't be more than one."
"Where is he?"
"Quiet. Listen."
Ren listened too. His heart was slow. His breath was quiet. His body was cold.
He stepped out from behind a pillar. Ten feet away.
The swordsman saw him. "There!"
Ren fired.
The arrow struck the man's eye. He dropped without a sound.
Adventurer slain. Level: 42. Class: Swordsman.
Two left.
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The last two men ran.
Not toward Ren—away. Toward the girl.
They're going to use her as a hostage.
Ren ran too. Faster than them. His legs burned. His lungs ached.
He reached the girl first. Stood between her and the men.
The first man—a Berserker, level 50—swung his axe. Ren ducked. The axe passed over his head, close enough to cut a strand of hair.
Ren drew his knife. Stabbed upward into the man's throat.
The Berserker fell.
Adventurer slain. Level: 50. Class: Berserker.
The last man stopped. His face was pale. His hands were shaking.
"Please," he said. "I'll leave. I'll never come back. Just let me go."
Ren looked at the girl. She was staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.
"Did he touch her?" Ren asked.
The man didn't answer.
Ren walked toward him. The man backed away.
"Did. He. Touch. Her?"
"I—yes. But I didn't. I just watched."
Ren's knife was in his hand. "Watching is the same."
The man turned to run.
Ren threw his knife. It buried itself in the man's back.
Adventurer slain. Level: 41. Class: Swordsman.
The man fell. Didn't move.
---
The clearing was silent.
Ren stood among the bodies, breathing hard. His hands were shaking. His heart was pounding—Unseen Presence had broken.
He walked to the girl.
She flinched.
"Easy," Ren said. He knelt beside her. "I'm not going to hurt you."
He cut her bonds with his knife. The rope fell away. Her wrists were raw, bleeding.
"Can you stand?"
She tried. Her legs gave way. Ren caught her.
"I've got you."
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He carried her to a pillar and set her down against the stone.
She was shivering. Her clothes were torn. Her face was bruised—a black eye, a split lip, a cut on her cheek.
Ren pulled off his cloak. Wrapped it around her shoulders.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"L—Lena."
"I'm Ren. I'm going to take you back to Mudwall. To the guild. They'll help you."
She nodded. Her eyes were empty.
Ren looked at the bodies. Five men. Five adventurers. They had guild tags, families, histories. They had chosen to do this.
They chose wrong.
He searched their storage items. Found a Storage Belt (1m), a Storage Pouch (0.5m), and 450 JC. He took everything.
System notification.
Loot acquired: Storage Belt (1m), Storage Pouch (0.5m), 450 JC.
Current JC: 26,606 + 450 = 27,056.
Storage capacity increased: 1.8m → 3.3m.
He left the bodies where they lay. The jungle would take them.
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The walk back to Mudwall was slow.
Ren carried Lena on his back. She was light—too light. She hadn't eaten in days.
"What were you doing in the jungle?" he asked.
"I was... gathering herbs. For my mother. She's sick."
"Alone?"
"The party said they would protect me. I paid them. Twenty JC."
Ren's jaw tightened. "They lied."
"I know. Now."
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They reached the Root Ruins gate as the sun began to set.
The guards saw them this time. They saw the girl. The bruises. The torn clothes.
"By the gods," one of them said. "What happened?"
"Ask the bodies in the ruins," Ren said. "Five of them. Adventurers. They won't be coming back."
The guards exchanged glances. Then they opened the gate.
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The guild hall was crowded.
Ren carried Lena through the side door. He didn't care if anyone saw him now. He walked to the registration desk.
Greta looked up. Her eyes widened.
"What—"
"Five adventurers. They attacked this girl. I killed them."
Greta's face went pale. "All five?"
"Yes."
She looked at Lena. At her bruises. At her empty eyes.
"I'll get the priest." Greta stood up. "And the guards. They'll want to ask questions."
"The girl needs help first."
Greta nodded. She disappeared into the back.
---
A priest arrived within minutes.
She was a woman in her forties, with kind eyes and steady hands. She knelt beside Lena and began healing her wounds.
"You're safe now," the priest said. "No one will hurt you again."
Lena didn't respond.
Ren stood by the wall, watching. His hands were still shaking.
---
Commander Vex arrived an hour later.
He looked at Ren. At Lena. At the blood on Ren's clothes.
"You killed five adventurers," Vex said.
"They were raping a child."
Vex was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "I'll handle the guild. No one will question your actions."
Ren looked at him. "I don't care if they do."
"You should. Killing adventurers is a crime. Even for a good reason." Vex stepped closer. "But I'll make sure your name stays clean. You did the right thing."
Ren said nothing.
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The priest finished healing Lena.
The girl was asleep now, wrapped in a blanket, her face peaceful for the first time in days.
"Her mother lives in the Slum Ring," Ren said. "I'll take her home."
Greta handed him a piece of paper with an address. "The guards will escort you."
"I don't need an escort."
"Take the escort."
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The Slum Ring was dark.
Ren carried Lena through the winding alleys, past the shacks and the mud paths. Two guards followed behind him, their torches casting flickering shadows.
They reached Lena's home—a small shack with a leaking roof and a single room.
Her mother was inside. She was sick—coughing, pale, thin.
"Lena?" the mother said. "Lena!"
Ren set the girl down on a straw bed. Lena stirred, opened her eyes.
"Mom?"
"I'm here. I'm here."
The mother held her daughter, crying, thanking gods that Ren didn't believe in.
He turned to leave.
"Wait," the mother said. "What's your name?"
"Ren."
"Thank you, Ren. Thank you."
He nodded. Walked out.
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The walk back to his room was cold.
The rain had started again—soft, persistent. Ren walked through the alleys, his footsteps silent, his mind heavy.
Five men. Five lives. I killed them all.
I would do it again.
He reached his room. The roof was leaking. The straw bed was wet. The wooden box under the bed held 27,056 JC.
Ren sat on the bed. Opened his system screen.
Level: 32. XP: 95/620.
Jungle Coins: 27,056.
Lifespan remaining: 159 years.
Storage capacity: 3.3m (new loot added).
He closed the screen.
Twenty-seven thousand coins. Still not enough.
But the girl is safe.
He lay down. Water dripped onto his forehead.
The jungle breathed outside his window.
Ren closed his eyes.
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End of Chapter 20
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