Back on the stone outcrop outside the city, the dust of yesterday's chaos had barely settled, but the atmosphere among the trio was somehow dead silent.
Ayush, Vikas, and Aryan sat side-by-side on the edge of the cliff, staring into the horizon. If anyone walked past right now, they'd think these three had just suffered a soul-crushing 20-match losing streak in ranked—complete with demotion back to Iron tier.
Finally, Vikas let out a heavy sigh, tossing a pebble off the edge. "Ayo, why are we being so mid right now? I mean, fr. We're literally in a whole different world, bro. We shouldn't be this stressed out. Remember? We already died once—that Truck-kun finished us off in our first life. We're on bonus time anyway! So why be so depressed? Why don't we just explore this world, have some fun, and see some legendary stuff?"
Aryan sat frozen for a second. His mind flashed back to the endless library—that terrifying, suffocating darkness that had swallowed his soul during his near-death experience.
"He's right," Aryan thought, a faint spark igniting in his chest. "There's an entire new world out here waiting to be explored. Why am I wasting my energy being stuck in a mental slump?"
Vikas turned to aryan , casually shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, facts. We were being sad for absolute zero reason. Let's get it."
Ayush stood up slowly, a cocky, familiar smirk creeping back onto his face as shadow magic flickered around his fingers. "You're right. Staying down is an absolute L."
Vikas's eyes suddenly gleamed with an unhinged, mischievous spark. "Alright, bet! Let's do a challenge. Let's see who gets a girlfriend first in this world. And not just anyone—let's see whose girl is the biggest flex! We have 2 days. Let's see who takes the crown."
Aryan's inner Main Character ego instantly flared up at maximum heat. "Bet! Say less! We meet back right here in 2 days with a girl."
Ayush crossed his arms, looking down at them with pure overconfidence. "2 days? Bro, I can literally pull one in a single day."
Vikas burst out laughing, his face turning into a devious grin meme. "Oh, it's like that?! Fine! We meet back tomorrow then!"
Ayush walked right up to Vikas, locking dead eyes with him. "1,000 System Coins says mine is going to be the absolute best. You down?"
Vikas grinned hard. "Bet." He turned around. "Yo, Aryan, you in—?"
SWOOSH—!
Vikas blinked. The spot where Aryan was standing a microsecond ago was completely empty. Aryan was already a hundred meters away, sprinting down the mountain like a maniac before they could even finish the sentence!
"Ayo, bro is cheating!" Ayush yelled.
"NO SHOT!" Vikas roared.
Seeing Aryan get a head start, both Ayush and Vikas bolted in opposite directions, scrambling at full speed, determined not to take the ultimate L.
A few kilometers away, Aryan finally slowed down to a jog, his lungs burning, but his otaku brain firing on all cylinders.
"I'm going to find the best one. Just watch me!" Aryan muttered, frantically scrolling through his mental "Isekai Trope Database" in real-time.
"Where do the best female leads show up?" he analyzed. "Usually in a weak party where they're being carried or taken advantage of! Or maybe a pure, innocent Healer? But wait... how do I even slide into their DMs without a smartphone?! Think, Aryan, think!"
His eyes lit up as a master plan formed in his head.
"If I carry a girl through a dungeon or save her from a pinch, she might not be my GF in literally 24 hours, but she'll definitely become a core ally! I'll try it with 2 or 3 at once to maximize my gacha RNG!"
Without wasting a second, Aryan headed straight for the Adventurer Guild.
He pushed open the heavy wooden doors, adjusting his coat as he strutted up to the front counter, dropping his most charming, main-character smile. "Yo, how's it going?"
The receptionist looked up from her paperwork, offering a polite smile back. "Good, thank you. Welcome to the Guild."
"The kingdom is recovering pretty fast after that invasion, isn't it?" Aryan noted, resting an elbow on the wooden counter, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
"It really is," she nodded. "Did you need something specific today, adventurer?"
Aryan leaned closer, giving a smooth nod. "Nah, don't worry about it. I've got everything under control."
He casually turned around, scanning the chaotic Guild hall. Most adventurers were already grouped up in coordinated, high-level parties, laughing and celebrating over drinks.
"Damn, is literally everyone here already taken?!" Aryan cried internally, sweating bullets. "Is there zero solo RNG left for me?!"
Then—his eyes locked onto a corner of the room.
A quiet girl was standing near two sketchy-looking male adventurers. The two guys were loudly looking for a quick filler member to complete their party for a dungeon raid.
Aryan didn't hesitate. He strutted over with absolute confidence. "Yo! You guys need a plus one? I'm down to join."
The two men stopped, scanning Aryan up and down with sharp, analytical eyes. "What's your build, kid?"
Aryan smirked, flicking his wrist as a faint dark and light glow shimmered over his fingertips. "I can dual-wield Dark Magic and Light Magic."
The two guys exchanged a quick, calculated look—a subtle, creepy grin flashing across their faces that Aryan completely missed in his sheer excitement to win the bet.
"Perfect!" the leader laughed, clapping Aryan on the shoulder. "We were looking for a hybrid user just like you! Let me introduce us—and this is our support spellcaster. Let me tell you, the mission awaits!"
The girl standing beside them had stunning, pale Sky Blue hair. She looked visibly nervous, her eyes darting nervously toward the floor, but she quietly followed the group as they stepped out of the Guild.
SCENE CUT — THE 7TH FLOOR DUNGEON
The squad reached the 7th Floor of a nearby labyrinth dungeon. Their primary objective: hunt a specific species of elite beast and harvest its rare teeth for bounty rewards.
The floor was eerie, pitch-black, smelling of damp stone, rot, and dried blood.
Suddenly, a massive, jagged-toothed beast lunged out from the dark shadows straight toward Aryan!
Aryan's reflexes kicked in instantly. He thrust his hand forward, channeling dark mana.
"[Shadow Piercing]!"
THWIP—!
A spear of condensed shadow energy pierced straight through the monster's core. The beast was instantly 'deleted' in a single hit, dissolving into digital ash!
The two male party members gasped, clapping Aryan on the back with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Yo, crazy damage output, kid!"
More monsters flooded the narrow corridor, but the party cleared them with ease. The Sky Blue-haired girl stood in the backline, deploying precise Ice Magic to freeze the beasts' legs, allowing Aryan to clean them up effortlessly.
Within two hours, their loot bag was overflowing with high-value monster teeth.
"Alright, that's the last of them!" Aryan grinned, wiping a speck of dust off his cheek. "Easy clear!"
As Aryan bent down to pick up a stray glowing mana drop from the floor, the entire vibe in the cavern shifted. Instantly.
CRACK—!
Out of nowhere, one of the guys swung a heavy wooden-reinforced club right into the back of Aryan's head with full force!
"Agh—!"
The world spun violently. Darkness blurred Aryan's vision as a sharp ringing echoed in his ears. Before he could even process the betrayal, the second guy delivered a brutal, heavy-boot kick straight to his jaw!
BOOM!
The sheer force sent Aryan flying across the cavern, crashing hard against the jagged stone wall and coughing up blood.
"Haha! Idiot!" the leader cackled.
Without missing a beat, the second guy turned around and violently grabbed the Sky Blue-haired girl by her wrist!
"Hey—let go—!" she gasped.
BAM!
He punched her square in the face, breaking her lip. Before she could fall, he landed a brutal knee directly into her stomach! She let out a agonizing gasp, coughing up blood as he finished the combo with a spin kick, sending her skidding across the dirt until she landed right next to Aryan's bleeding body.
"Now the gold split is 50/50 between two instead of four!" the leader laughed, tossing the loot bag over his shoulder. "Catch ya later, losers! Enjoy the dungeon!"
They turned around, their footsteps fading into the dark abyss.
Aryan lay on the cold stone, his vision swimming in red. Pain radiated through every nerve in his body, but his consciousness stubbornly clung to life.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Regeneration (Level 1)]
He gritted his teeth as his internal organs felt frozen. His level wasn't high enough for instant structural healing, but the skill stabilized his bleeding just enough to keep him awake.
Without hesitating, Aryan opened his transparent System Window with a trembling hand, dumping every single unallocated Stat Point straight into Health and Defense!
A surge of warm energy restored a fraction of his strength.
Groaning, Aryan crawled over to the unconscious girl. Her pale, beautiful Sky Blue hair was matted with dust and blood. He gently reached out, lifting her head onto his lap to check her pulse.
GROWL—!
The heavy scent of blood began echoing through the dark cavern corridors. Dozens of glowing red eyes materialized in the shadows around them as a massive horde of dungeon monsters swarmed toward the smell of fresh prey.
Aryan looked at the approaching wave of death, coughing up a drop of blood, and let out a dry, jagged laugh.
"Wow... really? Right now?!"
Aryan slowly dragged himself to his feet, stepping directly in front of the unconscious blue-haired girl like a human shield. He cracked his knuckles, a cold, lethal stare locking onto the horde.
He whispered softly under his breath, a faint smirk forming on his bloody lips:
"Vikas... Ayush... give me a little more time. I'm actually having fun out here. And trust me... I'm coming back with a girl way better than yours!"
Aryan raised his hands, dark and light magic swirling violently around his fists like a tempest.
He was ready for the absolute smoke.